Tag: Best Desserts

Fresh Strawberry Vanilla Cream Pie

Fresh Strawberry Vanilla Cream Pie: This delightful dessert is a homemade pudding atop a delicious graham cracker crust. You finish it with graham cracker crumbles, fresh strawberries and a dark chocolate drizzle.

Fresh Strawberry Vanilla Cream Pie 1

It’s a super simple version of a stunning Strawberry Napoleon Pie that a home-baker featured at the State Fair of Texas back in 2015. She won best pie honors with an elaborate and amazing recipe from Michele Stuart, author of “Perfect Pies & More.” We made a shortcut version of Michelle’s pie.

Fresh Strawberry Vanilla Cream Pie 2

For my fresh strawberry vanilla cream pie, I switched to a graham cracker crust like my grandmother used for her banana cream pies. You thicken the vanilla cream over heat with flour and egg yolks. Once it’s chilled, you are ready to go. The waiting is the hardest part of this pie. Be sure to wait until the vanilla cream thickens and wait for it to firm up more by chilling it. That said, it is totally worth the wait.

I ended up making this pie numerous times as it was so popular. Sometimes I would vary it and add a homemade whipped cream on top.

Fresh Strawberry Vanilla Cream Pie

Make this and you will enjoy every bite! Want a sensational strawberry cookie? Try this creative one. And if you’re looking for a double crust fruit pie using strawberries, find one here. Both are absolute winners.

Enjoy!

-Cyndi

 

Lemon Raspberry Chiffon Cake

Sticking with my nostalgia kick, I did a deep dive for another best-ever archived recipe and pulled up this one, for a luscious Lemon Raspberry Chiffon Cake.

Lemon Raspberry Chiffon Cake - Sliced

Blue Ribbon Baking at its Best

This best cake winner originates at the New York State Fair (1999). Luana Impellizzeri won 1st place with it, The cake is one of many major wins for this longtime home baker.

Making this lemon raspberry chiffon cake is easier than it first looks. And it tastes out of this world. The lemon curd cooks up beautifully and adds richness to an already decadent cake. It’s also colorful, lush, and full of flavor.

 

Slice of Lemon Raspberry Chiffon Cake

The homemade whipped cream melts in your mouth. You’ll love how it pairs with both the raspberries and lemon filling. Enjoy!

Cyndi

 

Chocoholic Chocolate Dessert Custard

For the best tasting, thickest chocolate pudding you’ll ever experience, make this Chocoholic Chocolate Dessert Custard. This simple yet luscious recipe is sure to satisfy any chocolate lover’s craving. You can make it with five basic ingredients: bittersweet chocolate chips, cream, sugar, vanilla, and egg yolks.

Chocoholic Chocolate Dessert Custard

Chocolate Takes Center Stage

Since chocolate is the superstar of this creation, using Ghirardelli 60% cacao bittersweet chocolate chips is key for the intense chocolate taste you want in a dessert like this.

The richness of the chocolate custard pairs perfectly with the homemade raspberry whipped cream. A perfect bite of this dessert has a bit of each.  The hint of raspberry, thanks to the extract, gives a delicateness you’re going to love. The plush whipped cream is not overtly sweet, which is also why it works so well as the topping. For a splash of color, top it with a fresh raspberry.

Recipe Obsessed

For almost 10 years I managed a national dessert contest Ghirardelli supported. When this winning recipe came in, Crystal and I became recipe obsessed with it. Between the two of us, we made it nearly a dozen times and ways. A favorite form is this miniature cup size, ideal for dinner parties when you’re feeling full but want a sweet finish to your meal.

Chocoholic Chocolate Dessert Custard - Mini Size

I also tried this recipe with full eggs versus just yolks and it tasted like the unforgettable “pots de creme” the Minneapolis restaurant 112 Eatery once had on their menu.

Pudding? Custard? Pots de creme? No matter how you categorize this dessert, it is downright dreamy.

Chocoholic Chocolate Dessert Custard – Step By Step Tips

Crystal did a step by step tutorial of sorts so you can remake this dessert at home. Her “how to” highlights will walk you through everything you need to do. Soon you’ll be delighting in this creamy, yummy goodness yourself. It is highly recommended! And hat’s off to the winner Sherri Jones for sharing her award-worthy creation with us (which she originally titled, “Simply Chocolate.” Sherri placed second back in 2013 with it at Illinois’ Du Page County Fair, just outside of Chicago.

-Cyndi

From Crystal:

Chocoholic Chocolate Dessert Custard…The name for this simple recipe says it all. The only ingredients are chocolate, cream, sugar, vanilla, and egg yolks. The simplicity of the dark chocolate paired with the raspberry whipped cream left me unable to stop taking the dessert out of the fridge and nibbling on it throughout the day.

In making this pudding, prep the egg yolks first and choose your serving dishes. This way you can keep a good eye on melting and whisking your chocolate. Beat the eggs in a medium or large sized bowl. You’ll be adding and whisking in part of the chocolate mixture later.

Whisking eggs

To make the chocolate mixture, put your Ghirardelli 60% cacao chips into a 2 quart saucepan and add the vanilla extract. (I doubled the recipe this time through, so my portions look bigger.)

mixing melting chocolate

Next, add your heavy cream and sugar.

milk chocolate

Stirring continually, heat the mixture on medium until the chocolate comes to a boil.

Chocoholic Chocolate Dessert Custard-Melted

This will take about 10 minutes. Use a wire whisk until the crème is smooth.  Then drop the heat source level to low.

This next step is important. Temper the eggs by adding a 1/2 cup of the hot crème, otherwise your eggs will “cook” and ruin your texture. Whisk this mixture to fully combine it before — slowly — adding it back to the saucepan of hot crème. Be sure to do this slowly and while continually whisking.

tempering eggs

Cook another 2 minutes – while whisking – just until it starts to thicken and stirs smooth. Then quickly pour it into your cups.

Pouring Simply Chocolate Dessert Recipe

Cover and chill at least 30 minutes, or overnight…if you can wait that long. I couldn’t wait to bust into one.

The sweetened raspberry whipped cream is a delightful finishing touch. I could eat a bowl of that alone. And nothing is better than homemade whipped topping. If you’ve never made some, just go for it and taste the difference.

My last tip is to chill both your bowl and beaters before whipping up your whipped cream. Whip until you get the texture you want. For me, that’s soft, medium stiff peaks.

Whipped Cream Texture

I like when it will stick to the spoon for dropping dollops.

-Crystal

This post was updated 1/7/2021 for new photos and context.