It’s been over 3 years (that I can remember) since I’ve eaten cheesecake.

And I didn’t miss it at all. I don’t remember craving it. Yearning for it. Wanting to bake, order, or eat it. And I was fine with that; there were plenty of cookies and cupcakes to go around, I didn’t need cheesecake, right?

Wrong. This week, I got an inexplicable craving for cheesecake. Chocolate cheesecake. With ganache and raspberries. Maybe it was my mom talking about the mini chocolate cheesecakes she made for Valentine’s day. Or maybe it was, actually, that was definitely it. Let me start over. This week, I got an explicable craving for cheesecake. Thanks mom.

And so I decided, lactose be damned, I’m making cheesecake.

This particular recipe has always been a favorite of mine (back when, you know, I ate cheesecake on a regular basis). It’s incredibly simple, and the fact that it can easily be adapted to mini-cupcake size bites makes it a perfect pastry for parties. I went ahead and made the original, cupcake-size cakes, which just so happen to be a perfect single serving (and unlike the little guys, you’re not tempted to pop a few every time you walk by the fridge).

Cheesecake craving fulfilled. Stomach, please forgive me. It was totally worth it.

And remember! There is still one more day to enter the Chef’n Baking Tools Giveaway! Don’t miss out on your chance to enter a fabulous set of baking gadgets from Chef’n! Get your entry in before midnight tomorrow (Saturday) for your chance to win.

Chocolate Mini Cheesecakes

Makes 24 cupcake-size cheesecakes or approx. 60 mini cheesecakes

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups vanilla wafer crumbs
6 tablespoons melted butter
6 tablespoons powdered sugar
6 tablespoons Hershey’s cocoa

1/2 cup Hershey’s cocoa
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
3 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese
14 oz. sweetened condensed milk
3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips
1 cup whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla

1 pint fresh raspberries (optional)

Directions
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Paper-line or spray with cooking spray 24 large muffin cups (or 60 mini muffin cups).

Stir together vanilla wafer crumbs, butter, sugar, and cocoa to make crust. Press 1 heaping tablespoonful of crumbs into bottom of each cup.

Stir together cocoa and meltedbutter. Beat in cream cheese until fluffy; beat in cocoa and butter mixture. Gradually mix in sweetened condensed milk; mix in eggs and vanilla and spoon into cups. Bake 35 minutes or until set. Cool.

Melt chocolate chips with whipping cream and vanilla. Stir until smooth. Spread over cooled cheesecakes and top with a raspberry (if desired). Refrigerate until set.

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Would you all hate me if I all I had to say about this dinner was…

Yum.

Ok, maybe I have some more to say, because this meal was so incredibly simple I think Taylor and I were in a state of shock when we sat down to eat less than 15 minutes after we started. What? Seriously? That’s unheard of! Usually we allot/assume/plan for around 45 minutes for dinner, sometimes it is closer to an hour. After prep, chopping, cooking, and cleaning, a solid hour is usually a safe bet. But 15 minutes? We were eating before 6 oclock. I mean, the news was still on, for gosh sakes!

To stumble upon a 15 minute meal, that ACTUALLY takes 15 minutes (and not one of those meals that is only 15 minutes when you’ve got a staff there to chop and prep all your ingredients, you know those meals). I can tell you we’ve made this twice since we first made it two weeks ago. That should tell you something.

The recipe called for green beans originally, but it must be anti-green bean season or something, because the last two times we’ve tried to buy them at the store they had none. Not even a sickly little limp one. So we sprang for something that WAS in season and available, asparagus. Just as tasty.

Before I go, I will leave you with this. Because you asked so nicely, and because the number of kitten photos on my computer are slowly gaining on the number of cupcake shots. It’s a cupcake vs. kitten battle!

Salmon With Brown Butter, Almonds, and Asparagus

Makes 4 servings. Recipe from Real Simple.

Ingredients
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/4 pounds skinless salmon fillet, cut into 4 pieces
kosher salt and black pepper
1 pound green beans or asparagus, trimmed
1/4 cup sliced almonds
2 tablespoons capers

Directions
Heat 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Season the salmon with ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Cook until opaque throughout, 3 to 5 minutes per side; transfer to plates.

Meanwhile, fill a second skillet with ½ inch of water, bring to a boil, and add ¼ teaspoon salt. Add the green beans, cover, and steam until just tender, 4 to 5 minutes; drain and transfer to plates.

Wipe out the green bean skillet and heat the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Add the almonds and cook, stirring frequently, until the almonds and butter are golden brown (but not burned), 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the capers. Spoon over the fish and green beans.

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We have some really incredible locally-produced honey here in Tennessee. We pick up a giant jar of raw dark wildflower honey at the Farmers’ Market every few months or so, and use it in everything from tea to salad dressings to baked goods. I swear, once you buy some really good pure honey, you will never go back to the cheap-o store stuff (yes, I’m talking about you, Mr. Bear).

A few weeks back I made a chocolate cake, and the cake recipe I used included honey in the batter. Which I didn’t think much of until we were eating it that night. And you know what? You could actually taste the honey. It was a delicious complement to the richness of the chocolate itself.

So I took that idea (as I often do), and downsized it into cupcake form. Mixed in some roasted peanuts (because as a child who would choose a pb & honey sandwich over a pb&j anyday, I knew they were a perfect match), and topped it off with a subtly sweet and buttery rich honey buttercream. Yum. The honey adds an unexpected note of sweetness and depth of flavor to these cupcakes that you can actually taste in the final cake (surprisingly it does not bake out). Not to mention that since honey is naturally moisture-loving, these are some of the moistest cupcakes you will ever eat. To put it concisely, these cupcakes are all-around scrumptious.

Granted, Taylor has never been a fan of peanut butter and cake in the same bite, and while I had hoped that the ground peanuts would differ from simply adding peanut butter, I still think he would have preferred these sans-peanut. But I am sure he won’t put up a fight when I ask him to help me finish off this batch. I mean, cake is cake, right?

Chocolate Honey Cupcakes with Roasted Peanuts and Honey Vanilla Buttercream

Makes 12 cupcakes.

Ingredients
3/4 cup soy milk
1/3 cup canola oil
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup honey
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup roasted unsalted peanuts, finely ground

For Frosting:
2 large egg whites
3/8 cup sugar
2 tablespoons honey
1 cups (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line muffin pan with paper liners.

Whisk together the soy milk, oil, sugar, honey, and vanilla extract until incorporated. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Mix in peanuts. Make a well in the center of dry ingredients and pour in soy milk mixture. Stir until just smooth (do not overmix).

Pour into liners, filling each with 3 tablespoons of batter (cups should be no more than 2/3 full). For mini cupcakes, fill each with 1 tablespoon batter. Bake 18-20 minutes (or 10-12 for minis), or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer to a cooling rack and let cool completely.

To make buttercream, combine the sugar, honey, and egg whites in a large heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and whisk constantly, keeping the mixture over the heat, until it feels hot to the touch, 7-10 minutes. The sugar should be dissolved, and the mixture will look like melted marshmallow cream. Remove from heat and transfer to the bowl of a stand mixer, and whisk on high speed until mixture is completely cooled and stiff peaks form, about 6-10 minutes. Add butter, 2 tablespoons at a time, on low speed, mixing well after each addition. If at any point mixture looks separated or curdled, stop adding butter. Increase speed to high and beat until mixture smooths out again. Reduce speed, and continue adding remaining butter. Beat in vanilla and food coloring (if desired). Pipe or spread onto cooled cupcakes.

And now on to the giveaway portion of this post! A few weeks back, I was contacted by the fine folks at Chef’n looking to collaborate on a giveaway here on this blog. While I didn’t immediately recognize the company name, I did recognize (and regularly use) a few of their products. Chef’n is responsible for a number of fun, unique, and out-of-the-box kitchen tools, designed to solve many common kitchen conundrums. In fact, I had had a set of their SleekStor™ collapsible measuring cups (in the most gorgeous teal blue) on my wishlist for some time now. When your drawer space is limited, every little bit counts.

So when they offered to send me a set, along with some other baking goodies, how could I say no? And the best part of it all is they have agreed to send a second set of baking gadgets and goodies to one lucky Love & Olive Oil reader!

Up for grabs is one Chef’n Gift set. Included in the prize are 1 set of SleekStor™ collapsible measuring cups (in your choice of 6 colors – Curacao shown above), one Switchit™ All-Purpose spatula and one Switchit™ Spreader spatula (again in your choice of colors – Arugula and Radicchio shown above), and one set of 3 multi-colored Nesting Mixing Bowls.

TO ENTER: simply leave a comment on this post by midnight (cst) on Saturday, March 13th. Only one entry per person. I will randomly select the winner first thing Sunday morning. Prize will be shipped to the winner directly from a Chef’n representative. Giveaway is open to all readers – US and abroad!

You can also get yourself a BONUS entry by twittering about this giveaway, sharing it on facebook, or mentioning it on your own blog. Simply leave an additional comment with a link to the tweet and/or blog post. One bonus entry per person (multiple tweets won’t get you multiple bonus entries).

Be sure you enter a valid email address, because if your name is drawn and I can’t get ahold of you, I will choose an alternate winner. You may also want to add me to your address book (lindsay AT loveandoliveoil DOT com) for good measure, I’d hate for your congratulatory email to end up in the spam folder.

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A lot of the recipes we try are unremarkable. Sure, they are editable. Good even. But nothing special. Just another dinner.

But occasionally we stumble upon something great. And it doesn’t take us long to realize it.

Like this dish. As we sat down and began to eat, Taylor looked up and said, “now this is one of the best things we’ve made in a long time.” And truly, it was. On that we could agree (though I do have to say, if it had been Taylor making the list this week, chances are he would have skipped right over this gem of a recipe, and for that I take the credit).

These are not your ordinary potato pancake. The addition of the sweet potato, which lives up to its name and brings a subtle sweetness to the entire dish; with a hint of curry, crisp to perfection, and topped with greek yogurt and a tropical fruit chutney, these pancakes deserve a spot in the potato-pancake hall of fame, if there was such a thing.

Next time? While the cakes were divine and the flavors in the chutney complimented them nicely, we’d do the chutney differently. It was very watery (maybe we didn’t cook it long enough), but I actually think it’d be better suited as more of a bright fruit salsa than a soupy cooked chutney. Envision chunks of fresh mango and pineapple, red onion, garlic, citrus juice, and maybe a splash of honey. The only thing I can think of to make a good thing even better.

Sweet Potato Cakes with Mango-Pineapple Chutney

Makes 10-12 pancakes. Adapted from Bon Appetit.

Ingredients
Chutney:
1 1/3 cups 1/3-inch cubes peeled cored fresh pineapple (about 1/3 of a fruit)
1 large mango, peeled, cut into 1/3-inch cubes
1/2 cup sugar
6 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 garlic cloves, pressed
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
4 whole cloves
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Potato Cakes:
2 8-ounce red-skinned sweet potatoes (yam)
1 8-ounce russet potato
3 tablespoons grated onion
2 large eggs, beaten to blend
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro plus sprigs for garnish
1 tablespoon all purpose flour
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup Greek-style yogurt

Directions
Chutney:
Combine all ingredients in heavy medium saucepan. Simmer over medium heat 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and set aside.

Potato Cakes:
Heat oven to 300°F. Peel both potatoes and coarsely grate into medium bowl. Place grated potatoes and onion in clean cloth and squeeze out excess liquid. Place potatoes and onion in large bowl. Add eggs, chopped cilantro, flour, curry powder, and sea salt; mix to incorporate evenly.

Line baking sheet with paper towel. Heat oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Measure scant 1/4 cupful of mixture, shape into ball, and add to skillet. Using spatula, gently flatten ball to 1/3-inch-thick, 3-inch-diameter pancake. Repeat, forming 3 more pancakes. Fry until golden, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer pancakes to prepared baking sheet; keep warm in oven. Repeat with remaining mixture for total of 8 pancakes.

Place pancakes on plates. Spoon yogurt, then chutney atop pancakes. Sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper; garnish with cilantro sprigs.

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This is officially my new favorite cookbook. Like, seriously. Every cake in there sounds like one I want to make. You know how typically cookbooks will have a handful of recipes that appeal to you, while the others are just, meh? Not this one. Every. Single. Cake. The pistachio petit-four cake? This book. Vanilla cake with tiramisu buttercream (well, the cake part of it at least)? Also from this book. I told you it was good.

And holy crap! I just read the bio for the book’s author, Alisa Huntsman… turns out she is a pastry chef at a local landmark here in Nashville (the Loveless Cafe – apparently the best biscuits around – though I’m embarrassed to admit we have yet to try it). I sense a field trip in our very near future.

I took this opportunity to try out my adorable little 6″ cake pans. Taylor got them for me after he realized that he would get more cake if the cakes were more reasonable for a two-person household. I’m not going to bake an 8 or 9-inch cake unless there is a reason (a party, for example). But a 6-inch? I’ll bake cake every weekend, celebration or not. Smart boy, that one.

This particular cake is a nice change from the chocolate cakes I typically gravitate towards (not that you need a change from chocolate, but you know what I mean). The banana flavor is subtle but robust, and the frosting is light and airy (don’t let the phrase ganache fool you – this frosting is more like a whipped cream than anything). And topped off with sugared pecans? Need I say more?

Banana Cake with Praline Filling and White Chocolate Ganache

Makes a 9-inch triple layer cake (or halve for a 6-inch cake)
Recipe from Sky High: Irresistible Triple-Layer Cakes

Ingredients
Cake:
3 cups of cake flour
3 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons of cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon of salt
3/4 cup of milk
1/2 cup of ripe mashed bananas
8 ounces of softened unsalted butter
2 cups of sugar
7 egg whites

Praline Filling:
1 cup sugared pecans, cooled
1 1/2 cups white chocolate ganache

Sugared Pecans:
1 1/2 cups pecan halves
3 cups vegetable oil
1 cup confectioners sugar

White Chocolate Ganache:
8 ounces of white chocolate chopped
2 1/2 cups of heavy cream
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions
For the Cake:
Preheat the oven to 350F degrees. Butter three 9-inch round cake pans. Line the bottom of each pan with parchment paper or wax paper.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside dry ingredients. In a food processor or blender, process the milk and banana into a smooth light puree. Set aside.

In a large bowl cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. On medium high speed, beat in egg whites 2-3 at a time until smooth. Scraping down the sides of the bowl between egg additions.

With the mixer on low speed add the dry ingredients and banana puree alternately in 2-3 additions, beating until just blended. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat on medium-high speed for 1-minute. Divide the batter among the cake pans.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean when inserted into the center of each cake. Let the cake layers cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Then turn out onto a wired rack and remove the paper liners. Then cool completely one hour.

To assemble the cake, put one layer, flat side up, on a cake stand or serving plate. Cover the top evenly with half of the praline filling, leaving a 1/4″-inch margin around the edges. place the second layer on top, again flat side up, cover it with remaining filling. Finally add the third layer and frost the sides and top with the white chocolate ganache. Garnish with sugared pecans.

For the Praline Filling:
With a large chef’s knife chop the pecans. Or pulse in a food processor being careful not to turn into paste. Add the sugared pecans to the white chocolate ganache and stir to mix well.

For the Sugared Pecans:
Place the pecans in a medium sauce pan, add water to cover, and heat to a boiling. Boil the pecans slowly until they are swollen and soft 5-8 minutes. Drain the nuts well in a sieve for about 5 minutes. (Do not pat dry; the nuts must remain damp.)
While the nuts are draining, heat the oil in a large heavy saucepan or deep fat fryer t0 350F degrees.

Set half of the nuts aside. Dust the remaining nuts in the sieve with 1/2 cup of powdered sugar. Shake the sieve to coat the nuts evenly, letting any excess sugar fall away. Immediately add the coated nuts to the hot oil. Fry until golden brown about 2-3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon scoop the nuts out and drain them on several thickness of paper towels. Repeat the process with the remaining nuts. (Alternatively, you can toss the nuts with a splash of oil and powdered sugar, arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet, and bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes, until beginning to brown. Careful not to burn them!)

For the White Chocolate Ganache:
Put the white chocolate in a medium heat proof bowl. In a small sauce bring 1/2 cup of the cream to a boil. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate. Let stand for 1-minute, then whisk until smooth. Let the white chocolate cream stand until cooled to room temperature.

In a chilled bowl with chilled beaters beat the remaining 2 cups of heavy cream and vanilla until softly whipped. Stir in the white chocolate cream and beat until fairly stiff. taking care not over beat, which would cause the ganache to separate.

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