Place small plate atop 1 ramekin with pudding cake. Using oven mitts or pot holders, hold plate and ramekin firmly together and invert, allowing cake to settle onto plate. Repeat with remaining cakes. Sift powdered sugar over cakes. Place scoop of ice cream alongside. Garnish with mint leaves and serve.
These little lemon cakes hide a sweet surprise: a soft, pudding-like center They’re best served warm with the cool contrast of the swirled raspberry whipped cream, but they can also be made ahead and served at room temperature. Makes 6
¾ cup plus 4 tablespoons sugar, divided
6 tablespoons (¾ stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon peel
3 large eggs, separated, room temperature
⅓ cup unbleached all purpose flour
⅓ cup fresh lemon juice
1½ cups whole milkPowdered sugarMarbled Raspberry Cream (see recipe)
Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter six ¾-cup soufflé dishes or custard cups. Place dishes in 13×9×2-inch metal baking pan. Using electric mixer, beat ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, butter, and lemon peel in medium bowl until well blended. Add egg yolks 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in flour, then lemon juice. Gradually whisk in milk (mixture will be thin and may look curdled).
Using clean dry beaters, beat egg whites in large bowl until soft peaks form. Add remaining 2 tablespoons sugar and beat until stiff but not dry. Fold whites into yolk mixture in 3 additions (mixture will be runny). Divide batter among prepared soufflé dishes. Add enough hot water to pan to come halfway up sides of dishes.
Bake pudding cakes until puffed and firm to touch, about 25 minutes. Transfer dishes to plates. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve warm, or let stand up to 8 hours and serve at room temperature. Top with dollops of Marbled Raspberry Cream.
A bright pink raspberry puree is swirled into sweetened whipped cream. It would be beautiful as a topping for flourless chocolate cake, or even waffles. Makes about 1⅔ cups
1 cup frozen raspberries, thawed
4 tablespoons sugar, divided
¾ cup chilled heavy whipping cream
Puree raspberries and 2 tablespoons sugar in processor. Strain puree into small bowl; discard seeds. Whisk cream and remaining 2 tablespoons sugar in medium bowl until peaks form. Drizzle raspberry puree over cream. Using knife, swirl raspberry puree into cream just until marbled in appearance.
DO AHEAD: Can be made 4 hours ahead. Cover and chill.
Hot-milk cake is a nice old-fashioned dessert, but its simplicity gives it a modern appeal. The moist, delicate cake gets its name from the hot milk that is added to the batter just before baking. In this recipe, the individual cakes are split, then topped with fresh strawberries and lightly sweetened whipped cream, like shortcakes. Makes 6
Nonstick vegetable oil spray
2 large eggs
⅔ cup plus ½ cup sugar
¾ teaspoon vanilla extract, divided
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons self-rising flour
⅔ cup whole milk
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1-pound container strawberries, hulled, thinly sliced lengthwise
½ cup chilled heavy whipping cream
1 tablespoon powdered sugar
Preheat oven to 425°F. Spray six ¾-cup custard cups with nonstick spray. Place cups on rimmed baking sheet. Using electric mixer, beat eggs in medium bowl at high speed until thick, about 3 minutes. Gradually add ⅔ cup sugar, beating until thick and pale yellow, about 1 minute longer. Beat in ½ teaspoon vanilla. Add flour and beat 30 seconds. Bring milk and butter just to boil in small saucepan, stirring until butter melts. Beat hot milk mixture into batter. Continue to beat 30 seconds. Divide batter among prepared cups.
Bake cakes until firm to touch and pale golden, and tops form rounded peak in center, about 16 minutes. Cool in cups at least 20 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.
DO AHEAD: Can be made 8 hours ahead. Cool completely in cups, then cover and let stand at room temperature.
Toss strawberries and remaining ½ cup sugar in medium bowl to coat; let stand 20 minutes for juices to form. Using electric mixer, beat cream, powdered sugar, and remaining ¼ teaspoon vanilla in another medium bowl until peaks form.
Remove cakes from cups and transfer to bowls. Cut off rounded top of each cake. Spoon some of berries and juices over. Cover berries with tops of cakes. Spoon whipped cream over, garnish with remaining berries and juices, and serve.
Moist and chocolaty with a tender, airy crumb, these cupcakes live up to their seductive good looks. A fudgy frosting makes them even harder to resist. For a slightly sweeter frosting, use up to ½ cup of powdered sugar. Makes 16
Cupcakes
½ cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder
2 ounces high-quality milk chocolate (such as Lindt or Perugina), chopped
½ cup boiling water
½ cup buttermilk
1 cup cake flour
¾ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
⅔ cup (packed) dark brown sugar
½ cup canola oil
½ cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Frosting
4 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate (do not exceed 61% cacao), chopped
2 ounces high-quality milk chocolate (such as Lindt or Perugina), chopped
2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons (¼ stick) unsalted butter
½ cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ cup powdered sugar
CUPCAKES: Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 16 standard (⅓-cup) muffin cups with paper liners. Combine cocoa powder and chocolate in medium bowl. Pour ½ cup boiling water over; whisk until smooth. Whisk in buttermilk.
Whisk flour, baking soda, and salt in another medium bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat brown sugar, oil, ½ cup sugar, eggs, and vanilla in large bowl until light and creamy, about 2 minutes. Beat in flour mixture, alternating with chocolate mixture in 2 additions. Divide batter among paper liners.
Bake until tester inserted into center comes out with some crumbs attached, about 18 minutes. Cool in pans on cooling rack 10 minutes. Transfer cupcakes to rack and cool completely.
FROSTING: Stir both chocolates, cream, and butter in medium bowl over saucepan of simmering water until melted and smooth. Remove from over water. Whisk in sour cream and vanilla, then powdered sugar. Let stand until thick enough to spread, about 10 minutes.