Chocolate and Hazelnut Cheesecake
Ingredients
1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 ½ cups vanilla wafer crumbs
¾ cup hazelnuts—toasted, skinned, and coarsely chopped
2 Tablespoons white sugar
3 Tablespoons butter, melted
3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup white sugar
3 eggs lightly beaten
3 Tablespoons hazelnut liqueur
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
2/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips
13 skinned and toasted hazelnuts
4 Tablespoons sour cream
1 Tablespoon hazelnut liqueur
Directions
Using a blender or food processor, finely chop 1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips. Place in a small mixing bowl. Add vanilla wafer crumbs, ground hazelnuts, 2 Tablespoons white sugar, and melted butter. Mix until welled combined. Press into the bottom and the sides of a 9 inch spring form pan. Bake in a preheated 300 degree F oven for 15 minutes. Cool on wire rack.
In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese until fluffy. Gradually add 1 cup white sugar; mix well. Add eggs and 3 Tablespoons liqueur. Mix until well blended. Coarsely chop 1 cup of semisweet chocolate chip and add to the cream cheese mixture. Stir well and pour batter into the cooled crust.
Bake at a preheated 350 degree F oven for 1 hours. Let cake cool for 1 hour. Remove outer ring from pan, and let it continue to cool.
Melt 2/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips over hot, not boiling, water. Stir until smooth. Dip 13 hazelnuts into the melted chocolate, covering only ½ of each hazelnut. Shake off excess chocolate. Place each hazelnut on a waxed paper lined surface. Chill until set.
To the remaining chocolate used in dipping the hazelnuts, add the sour cream and mix well. Stir in 1 Tablespoon liqueur. Spread glaze on top of the cooled cheesecake. Garnish with dipped hazelnuts.
Anne’s Chocolate Wine Cake
Ingredients
1 (15.25 ounce) package moist milk chocolate cake mix
1 (5.9 ounce) package instant chocolate pudding mix
¾ cup vegetable oil
¾ cup Rapidan River Chocolate Wine
4 eggs
Glaze Ingredients
1 ½ cup confectioner’s sugar
1.2 cup Rapidan River Chocolate Wine
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour one 10 inch bundt pan.
In a medium bowl combine the cake mix, instant chocolate pudding, vegetable oil, Rapidan River Chocolate wine and eggs. Beat with electric mixer for 5 minutes.
Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cake cool on rack in pan for 10 minutes then remove to desired platter/cake dish. Let cake cool completely before slicing.
For Glaze: Remove cake from oven and pierce top of cake with skewer to make 6 holes. Mix the sugar and wine together to make glaze. Pour half over the cake. Let cool 15 minutes. Flip cake over and out of bundt pan onto serving platter. Pour over the other half of glaze.
As a variation you can “flour” the pan after it has been greased with cocoa powder.
Coconut Chocolate Trifle
Ingredients
1 (10.75 ounce) loaf frozen pound cake, thawed
1/3 cup apricot preserves
1/3 cup orange juice
1 (4 ounce) bar German sweet chocolate
1 ¼ cups flaked coconut, toasted, divided
1 ¾ cups cold milk
1 cup half-and half cream
1 (5.9 ounce) package instant chocolate pudding mix
Directions
Trim crust from top, sides and bottom of cake. Cut cake into 16 slices.
Spread preserves over eight slices; top with remaining cake into 1 inch cubes. Place in a 2 quart serving bowl; drizzle with 1/3 cup orange juice
Chop chocolate; set aside 2 tablespoons for garnish. Sprinkle remaining chocolate and 1 cup coconut over cake.
In a mixing bowl, combine milk, cream, pudding mix and remaining orange juice; beat on low for 2 minutes. Spoon over cake. Sprinkle with remaining coconut and reserved chocolate refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving.