Jenny Adrian
Buhler, Kansas
Chocolate Amaretto Mini Cakes
This dessert started out like many others in our lives…by accident! Jenny had been wanting to purchase a square cupcake pan that she had seen, so once she brought that home, of course, she had to make a dessert right away! 🙂
Start with the basics...
Wind & Willow has so many delicious dessert and cheeseball mixes to choose from. This recipe would have also been good with the Strawberry, Chocolate Chip, Tirimisu or English Toffee mixes.
Prepare cake mix
Prepare cake mix as directed on the package.
Mix the filling ingredients
Next, mix the Wind & Willow White Chocolate Amaretto Cheeseball mix, one egg and 8 ounce package of softened cream cheese together. The Beater Blade makes this a SNAP in your Kitchen Aid Mixer.
Prepare the mini cake pan good with Pam or Baker's Joy. Fill the batter to about half full.
Next fill the mini cake pan with batter. We use an ice cream scoop so that we can measure out the batter evenly. You can also use a regular cup cake pan if you don’t have the square style…they taste just as good!
Carefully drop in the filling
Now we carefully add the cream cheese filling mixture using a smaller cookie scoop. Try to get the filling right in the middle of each little cake for a prettier presentation. We used a size 24 scoop for this (about 1 Tablespoon size).
Cover the filling with a little more batter
Top the filling with a little more batter. We actually over filled these a bit, but more about that later! Now they’re ready to pop into the oven.
We just had to peek to see how they were doing!
I’m so glad that this picture doesn’t show how dirty my oven is right now! I have got to get that done before the weather turns any warmer! Don’t they look pretty? I think this made about 18 total mini cakes.
Cut off the "tops" and save for another use (or just eat them!)
Now cut off the “tops” to make a nice square little mini cake. Set them on a wire rack to frost.
Melt the chocolate chips and paraffin in the top of a double boiler.
Make the chocolate coating by melting the chocolate chips and paraffin wax in the top of a double boiler. The paraffin gives the chocolate body and gives the finished product a nice shiny finish.
Ooohhh...the fragrance from this melting chocolate is just BLISS!
The chocolate mixture will be thin. We “frosted” the 4 sides with the back of a spoon, then coated the top of the cakes and let the mixture drip off the sides. Let completely dry…about 20 minutes.
Decorating the cakes with white chocolate
Lastly, Jenny drizzled white chocolate on top…Looks beautiful! Tastes Delicious! We had a fun, chocolaty afternoon, and I think everyone enjoyed the mini cakes. The White Chocolate Almond filling was a nice surprise inside the cakes. You will want to refrigerate the leftovers to keep them fresh.
We were definitely in the mood for chocolate (as always)!
Chocolate Amaretto Mini Cakes
1 box chocolate cake mix, prepared as directed, unbaked
1 box Wind & Willow White Chocolate Amaretto Cheeseball Mix
1 egg, slightly beaten
8 oz. cream cheese
1 12 oz. bag chocolate chips
1/3 bar paraffin wax (find in the canning & preserving aisle)
1 white chocolate cupcake topping (by the cake mixes), OR white chocolate for melting for garnish.
Mix cake mix according to package directions. Set aside. Mix Wind & Willow Dessert Mix with the egg and softened cream cheese. Beat well, then set aside. Fill cupcake pan (either square or round) about 1/3 full with cake batter. Drop tablespoon of cream cheese mixture carefully into the center of each cake. Top with a little more batter. Bake for approximately 20 – 30 minutes at 350 depending on the size of your cupcake pans until toothpick comes out clean. Let cool for about 10 minutes, then remove from pan. Set on a wire rack to cool completely. Cut off the tops of the cakes and reserve for another purpose. Turn top side down. Melt chocolate chips with paraffin wax over boiling water in the top of a double boiler. Now for the messy part: “Frost” the 4 sides of the cakes with the back of a spoon; place on wire rack and coat the top of the cakes with chocolate/wax mixture. The bottom of the cupcake is now the nice flat top of the cakes. This part is messy and fun! Let cool completely, then garnish with white chocolate drizzle. Refrigerate leftovers. Enjoy!
Click Here for Easy Print Recipe for Chocolate Amaretto Mini Cakes
NOW for a BONUS ROUND RECIPE…
Remember the tops that we cut off of the cakes? We decided to use them in another very simple dessert.
We scrounged around in our pantry and freezer and came up with enough ingredients to make a creamy layered chocolate dessert with our leftover cupcake tops:
Garnish with whatever you have available...toffee bits, chocolate chips, etc.
The recipe follows, but this one could have a lot of substitutions…truly a “whatever you have available” type of dessert.
Good ole Chocolate Pudding Mix
What’s not to love? We all have chocolate pudding mix in the pantry…you can whip this up in a hurry!
Layer on the goodies
Layered Chocolate Dessert
2 small packages chocolate pudding mix, prepared separately
1 1/2-2 containers Cool Whip, thawed
Leftover cake or cupcake tops
Prepare the first chocolate pudding mix according to package directions; Pour into bottom of a 9 x 13 glass serving dish. Top with 1 container Cool Whip. Add the cake slices, or cupcake tops on top of the cool whip. Prepare second package of chocolate pudding. Pour over cupcake tops. Top with another Cool Whip layer. Garnish with shaved chocolate, toffee bits, mini chocolate chips or whatever you have available! No complaints! What’s not to love? Chocolate, Cool Whip, Pudding!
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