Christine Feehan: Dark Celebration 17

Thirty to forty-five minutes before serving, put both ice creams in punch bowl. Add coffee over ice cream. Add Frangelico (can use Kahlua or Bailey's Irish Cream instead). Top with whipped cream. Drizzle chocolate syrup over top.

Prussian Dark Chocolate Cherry Cake Submitted by: Margee Ott, great-granddaughter of Prussian immigrant

Baldwin, WI

From my German immigrant great-grandmother Magdalana Von Krusemark. Due to DARK chocolate and little sugar, this dessert has a BITE!

1 1/2 cups flour

1 cup sugar

1 cup cacao powder

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda 1/4 teaspoon baking powder

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla 3/4 cup butter (or shortening) 1 (20-oz) can cherry pie filling 1 tablespoon red food coloring

Mix all ingredients well and pour into greased baking pan(s). May use rectangle 8 x 12-inch, or two round 9-inch pans. Bake 40 minutes at 350°.

FROSTING

Frosting is made from melting 16 ounces of DARK or bitter chocolate and then gently pouring over the cake, allowing liquid to freely flow. May garnish with maraschino cherries. The red tones from pie filling and food coloring add rich tones to the dark brown chocolate cake. Very appealing in layered effect, using cherry pie filling between layers.

Blackberry Wine Cake

Submitted by: Cathy Smith

Lynnwood, WA

1 package white cake mix (has to be white)

2 small packages Raspberry Jell-O 1 cup oil

1 cup blackberry wine 4 eggs

Preheat oven to 350°. Generously grease a Bundt pan. Pour mixture in and bake for 50-55 minutes until toothpick comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to partially cool before removing from pan.

FROSTING INGREDIENTS 1 cup powdered sugar 1/4 cup blackberry wine

Mix together and drizzle over cooled cake. Allow cake to stand and cool all the way before covering (this will give the outside a crust).

Heaven and Hell on Earth Torte

Submitted by: Cindy LaFrance

Phoenix, AZ

1 1/2 cups well-chopped cashews

1 1/2 cups crushed vanilla wafer cookies (38 cookies)

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 cup butter or margarine, melted

Dark Cocoa Cake (see below)

Heaven and Hell Mousse (see below)

Natural or Chocolate Glazed Leaves (optional)

1. Heat oven to 350°. Place cooking parchment paper or waxed paper in bottoms of 2 round pans, 9 x 1 1/2 inches. Stir together cashews, crushed cookies, brown sugar and butter. Spread about 3/4 cup mixture in each pan; reserve remaining mixture. Make Dark Cocoa Cake (below). Pour about 1 1/4 cups batter in each pan; refrigerate remaining batter.

2. Bake about 20 minutes or until tops spring back when touched lightly. Immediately remove from pans to wire rack and peel off paper. Repeat with remaining cashew mixture and batter. Cool completely.

3. Make Heaven and Hell Mousse (below). Place 1 layer, cashew side up, on serving plate; spread with about 3/4 cup of the mousse. Repeat with remaining layers and mousse. Or place mousse for top layer in decorating bag; choose a design you like for fancier decorating; garnish with natural or Chocolate Leaves (below). Cover and refrigerate about 4 hours or until chilled. Cover and refrigerate any remaining torte.

DARK COCOA CAKE INGREDIENTS

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 2/3 cups sugar

2/3 cup baking cocoa

3/4 cup shortening

1 1/4cups water

1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda 1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla 1/4 teaspoon baking powder

2 eggs

Heat oven to 350°. Beat all ingredients in large bowl with electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds, scraping bowl constantly. Beat on high speed for 3 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally.

HEAVEN AND HELL MOUSSE INGREDIENTS 12 ounces cream cheese

1 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar

2 cups peanut butter 3/4 cup heavy cream, at room temperature, divided use

In a bowl, with an electric mixer, whip the cream cheese until light and creamy. Gradually beat in the confectioners' sugar, then the peanut butter. Continue beating until thoroughly incorporated and fluffy. If mixture looks lumpy, add 2 tablespoons of the heavy cream. It may not smooth out, but it will be easier to blend. Set aside. Place the remaining heavy cream in another bowl, and using an electric mixer, whip until stiff. Being careful, combine both mixtures thoroughly. Set aside.

CHOCOLATE LEAVES INGREDIENTS

5 to 6 nonpoisonous (unsprayed) leaves (lemon, grape or rose leaves work well) or pliable plastic leaves

1/4 cup dark chocolate chips or 1 ounce semi-sweet baking chocolate

1/2 teaspoon shortening

Wash and dry leaves. Melt chocolate chips and shortening. Brush chocolate about 1/8-inch thick over backs of leaves using small brush. Refrigerate at least 1 hour until firm. Peel off leaves, handling as little as possible. Refrigerate chocolate leaves until ready to use.

My thoughts on the top design are finishing off with a layer of mouse, then covering it with dark cocoa cake crumbles (to represent the earth). Add well-placed leaves of choice and a possible design or formation of some sort with any leftover mousse. I know your wonderfully creative mind can think of something.

Or:

Keeping it DARK, with the dark chocolate glaze on top of a layer of mousse, finishing off with optional garnishes done in mousse with a decorating bag and chocolate-covered leaves.

DARK CHOCOLATE GLAZE INGREDIENTS

4 ounce dark chocolate

3 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon milk

1 tablespoon light corn syrup

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

1. In a small, heavy saucepan or microwave oven on medium, melt broken chocolate with butter. Stir frequently until smooth. Remove from heat.

2. Stir in milk, syrup and vanilla. Place cake on rack over a baking sheet. When glaze is cool, pour onto center of cake. Let glaze run down sides. Chill about 10 minutes to set glaze.

The Next Best Thing to… Feehan Novels Submitted by: Diana M. Dennison

3 whole eggs

3 egg yolks raspberries (or other fruit)

Preheat oven to 425°. Grease 6 (6-oz) custard cups or souffle dishes. Place on baking sheet.

Microwave chocolate and butter in a large microwaveable bowl on medium (50 percent) for 2 minutes or until butter is melted. Stir with a wire whisk until chocolate is completely melted. Add powdered sugar and flour; mix well. Add whole eggs and egg yolks; beat until well blended. Divide batter evenly into prepared custard cups.

Bake 14 to 15 minutes or until cakes are firm around the edges but soft in the centers. (Centers should be oozy.) Let stand 1 minute. Run a small knife around cakes to loosen. Carefully invert cakes onto dessert dishes. Sprinkle lightly with additional powdered sugar and garnish with a fruit, such as raspberries. Drizzle with hot fudge or add to the side.

Serve immediately, best when warm.

Sunset Pumpkin Bars

Submitted by: Liz Kreider

Fargo, ND

BAR INGREDIENTS 2 cups sugar 3/4 cup oil

4 eggs

1 can (15-oz) pumpkin

2 cups flour 2 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon salt

1

3 teaspoon cinnamon

FROSTING INGREDIENTS

8 ounces cream cheese

1/2 cup butter

2 teaspoons milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon maple flavoring

1 cup powdered sugar

Mix bar ingredients together and bake in a 9 x 13-inch pan at 350° for 20-25 minutes. Let cool. Mix frosting ingredients together and frost before cutting into sunset bars.

Chocolate Cherry Bars

Submitted by: Peggy Barker

Suquamish, WA

MAKES APPROXIMATELY 3 DOZEN

My grandmother used to make these yummy bars. She died in 1997 and I just recently found the recipe again. They are even better than I remembered them.

BAR INGREDIENTS 1 package fudge cake mix

1 can (21-oz) cherry pie filling

1 teaspoon almond extract