Cadbury Creme Fudge

.  Did anyone else realize that Easter is in March this year?

Not gonna lie, it just seems wrong.  I didn't even know that Easter in March was actually possible.  Well Easter has shown me up obviously.

But regardless, I guess it's about time I pop out an Easter post then, eh?  Can you tell that I've been working on publishing themed posts prior to the actual holiday?  Usually the special days creep up on me so you don't see the recipes that go with the event until after the holiday is over.  Oopsies!

However, I managed to knock out an Easter holiday well in advance this year.  And probably because it's a recipe I pinned last year before Easter but for one reason or another never got to making it.  My bad.

And I'm still not sure why I would put off making one of the most iconic treats known to Easter.  I mean really, who doesn't love those Cadbury Creme Eggs?!  And if you don't, I don't know what you like then.  Because those chocolate cases surrounding creamy, sugary goodness are one of  a kind.  And deliciously addicting.  If it weren't for the fact that you know you probably shouldn't be eating handfuls of them, then I would.  Eat handfuls of them, that is.  Especially those caramel ones.  Nummyyyy!

Anywho, this 'fudge' is super easy.  I'm not quite sure I would call it fudge but at the moment I'm at a loss for another name.  But it's easy because it's a couple of layers of a couple of ingredients and voila, your very own Cadbury creation!

Now I'll be honest [because that's what we do here], this recipe wasn't exactly what I hoped it would be [see My Notes below...].  But ironically, Robbie [who is the KING of all things Cadbury] actually loved these.  He said 'if you like Cadbury Eggs, you'll like these.  They taste just like the real ones.'  And that's a direct quote, no if's, and's, or but's.

So if you're wise, which I know you are, you'll take Robbie's word and get to whippin' this 'fudge' together.  Your Cadbury-lovers will bow at your feet ☺  .

My Notes:

• The only 'issue' I had with this 'fudge' is the texture.  The [white/yellow] filling was a little thicker than I think I was expecting.  I also think it would be interesting to use milk chocolate chips rather than semisweet to really give it that sweet chocolate flavor.  Lastly, I found that this is the best at room temperature, because the filling gets really gooey and the chocolate is nice and soft.
• I poured over this recipe quite a bit afterwards because I felt like I could have made it a bit more presentable.  One of the ideas I came up with was using a mini muffin tin and layering the chocolate and filling.  Then you'd end up with a nice little layered Cadbury fudge piece.  Cute, huh?!
• I did find that the fudge was a bit hard to cute due to the thickness of the chocolate.  So be sure to use a good knife and odds are you won't get perfectly clean cut pieces.  But it still tastes just as good!

From Raising 4 Princesses

Ingredients:

1/2 c. light corn syrup

1/4 c. butter, at room temperature

3 c. powdered sugar

Yellow Food Coloring

1/4 tsp. salt (optional)

2 c. semisweet or milk chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Line a 8-inch baking dish with wax paper; set aside until ready to use.  In a medium bowl, beat together the light corn syrup and butter.  Slowly mix in powdered sugar and salt until combined [mixture will be very thick].  
2. Separate one third of the mixture and place into a small bowl.  Add the yellow food coloring until you reach the desired color.
3. Press the white filling into the prepared pan and top with the yellow filling.
4. In another medium bowl, melt chocolate chips in microwave until smooth.  Pour the chocolate over the white and yellow filling and spread evenly.
5. Refrigerate for a couple of hours or until firm before cutting and serving.

Yield: 24 servings

Lucky Leaf Winner and 'Tunnel of Fudge' Bundt Cake

.  And we go onward with my Valentine's Day inspired chocolate recipes.  I told you I had a few up my sleeve and you do not want to miss this one in particular.  Trust.

But first things first.  I do believe it's about time I announced the winner of the Lucky Leaf giveaway I posted a few weeks back.  Drum roll pleaseeeeeeee....

Congratulations to Amelia!!

I'll be sending you [Amelia] an e-mail to get all of the deets I'll need to get you your prize.  And thanks again, everyone, for entering!

But let's get back to this here cake.  I started the month out with the Cosmic Brownies, moved on to Deep Dark Chocolate Muffins [link above], and now we have the 'Tunnel of Fudge' Bundt Cake [like my play on words there?].  Now, each of these decadent goodies are simply great in their own right, but this recipe has got to be my favorite.  It was by a narrow, narrow margin, but the bundt cake pulled it out in the end.

And why is that, you ask?  Well...look at it.  My pictures by no means do this rich cake any justice, but you're just going to have to go with me on this one.  The cake itself is wonderfully moist and that 'tunnel of fudge' I referenced?  Yeah, it's really there.  In some magical fashion, the center of the bundt cake turns into an almost gooey-like, but fudgey consistency.  A.k.a, a tunnel of fudge. Get it now?

But why stop there?!  To add to the decadence I just described, lets go ahead and add a shiny, smooth chocolate ganache that runs gracefully down the curves of the cake.  The ganache is simply the quintessential topping to this perfection of a bundt cake.  Yep, I just said it.

So grab some bars of chocolate and get bakin'!  .

My Notes:

• Please be sure to check out Sweet Tooth's Fudge Tunnel Bundt Cake post, which is where I got the recipe, because her pictures do do this recipe justice.  You can't quite see the fudgey-ness in my pictures, so just take a quick gander and you'll see what I'm talking about.
• The ganache ingredients make a good amount of ganache, and I actually didn't end up using it all.  But I would save it for serving, just in case some people want a little extra chocolate.

From Sweet Tooth

Ingredients:

For the Pan:

1 tbsp. Dutch processed cocoa powder

1 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted

Bundt Cake:

1/2 c. boiling water

2 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped

2 c. all purpose flour

3/4 c. Dutch processed cocoa powder

2 c. powdered sugar

1 tsp. salt

5 large eggs, at room temperature

1 tbsp. vanilla extract

1 c. sugar

3/4 c. packed light brown sugar

1-1/2 c. unsalted butter, at room temperature

Chocolate Ganache:

3/4 c. heavy whipping cream

1/4 c. light corn syrup

8 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350F.  In a small bowl, combine the cocoa powder and melted butter and using a pastry brush, evenly coat the inside of a 12-cup bundt pan; set aside.
2. In a small bowl, pour the boiling water over the chopped chocolate and whisk together until smooth.  In medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, powdered sugar, and salt.  In another small bowl, lightly beat the eggs and vanilla extract.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together sugar, light brown sugar, and butter on medium-high speed until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes).  Turn down the speed to low, add the egg mixture, and mix well.  Add the chocolate mixture and mix until incorporated.  Slowly add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.  Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
4. Bake 45 minutes or until the edges of the cake begin to pull away from the pan.  Let the cake cool in the pan for one hour before unmolding to serving platter.  Let cool for two hours.
5. For the ganache, combine the heavy whipping cream, light corn syrup, and chocolate in a small saucepan over medium heat.  Stir frequently until completely smooth.  Add vanilla extract and stir to combine.  Set the mixture aside for 30 minutes to thicken.  Using a spoon, drizzle the ganache over the top of the bundt cake.  Let ganache set for 10 minutes before slicing.

Yield: 12 servings

Eggnog Fudge

.  Take it or leave it.

It's that simple.

When it comes to eggnog.

Am I right or am I right?  My conclusion is that you either love eggnog or you despise it.  There really is no in between with this distinctly thick and rich holiday beverage.  Personally, I'm an eggnog lover.  But I've definitely come across my share of haters.  So if you're the latter, I'd love for you continue reading my post but I'm fairly certain you won't find this fudge appealing.  Sowwy, guys.

But hey, if you're still here, you made a wise choice.  I was overly pleased with this fudge because not only is it oozing with eggnog goodness, but it's legit!  Sweet, creamy, melt-in-your-mouth fudge.  All of the key qualities a fine fudge must possess, right?  Correct.  And it doesn't get much more holiday-esque than eggnog. 

I had a hunch this was a smash recipe because it uses marshmallow fluff, and I'm a firm believer it's the key ingredient.  My first fudge attempt was for an SRC post, Cherry Walnut Fudge, and that recipe included marshmallow fluff as well.  And...it was the best fudge I'd ever had.  Let alone made.  The author of the recipe attributed the delectable-ness to the marshmallow fluff, so I'm stickin' with that.  And this Eggnog Fudge follows suit.

So how to describe this festive treat?  Well...it's rich and sweet.  The eggnog itself is complemented by white chocolate, marshmallow fluff, and salty butter.  And putting that all into one bowl will surely give you something scrumptious, but small bites are all you're going to need.  Well, you'll probably end up eating a lot of those little bites.  But hey, who's counting?  It's the holidays!  .

My Notes:

• Be patient when making the fudge.  It will probably take several minutes to get the temperature where it's supposed to be, but it'll be worth it because you'll get the most perfect consistency!

From Chocolate, Chocolate and More

Ingredients:

1/2 c. butter

2 tbsp. heavy whipping cream

3/4 c. plus 2 tbsp. eggnog

2 c. sugar

10 oz. white chocolate chips

1 (7 oz.) jar marshmallow creme

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

2 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Line a 9x9-inch pan with foil; set aside.
2. Combine butter, heavy whipping cream, eggnog, and sugar in a medium saucepan.  Bring to boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally.  Once boiling, reduce heat a bit and using a candy thermometer, continue cooking until temperature reaches 234°F.  Remove pan from heat and stir in white chocolate chips until completely melted and blended in.  Add in marshmallow creme, nutmeg, and vanilla extract.  Stir until smooth and pour into pan.
3. Sprinkle top with additional nutmeg (if desired).  Let cool to room temperature before removing from pan and cutting into small pieces (I found it best to put the fudge into the refrigerator to cool).

Yield: 32 servings

Key Lime Pie Fudge

.  So it's officially Spring, eh?  Doesn't quite seem like it around Omaha since it's been raining the entire week.  But hey, let's not be a Debbie Downer about it!

I know I'm a few days past due [the first official day of Spring was on March 20th, oops] but I feel obliged to ring in the new season anyway.  Don't you agree?  I think you will after you take a whopping bite out of this breath-of-fresh-air fudge.  Yep, I totally think that.

So I refer to these little bites as a breath-of-fresh-air because well, they are!  They're so citrusy and refreshing, I can't really think of a better phrase to describe them.  And the heavenly light-tasting key lime fudge is paired with a crunchy, buttery graham cracker crust.  Duh, it's called Key Lime Pie Fudge for a reason.  Right?  And what's a pie without a crust?  Not a pie, I tell ya.

The one thing I will note in regards to this goodie is that the consistency is not exactly fudge-like.  I would say it's more of a chewy, chewy caramel.  Yeah, that about says it.  But caramel- or fudge-like, I know we'll all agree on how absolutely deeelish these are.  And addicting.  Which is always a good thing.

Well I hope everyone is off to a good spring.  The weather does seem to be turning here, so let's just keep our fingers crossed for bright, sunny skies.  Happy Spring!  .

My Notes:

• Unfortunately, the grocery store I went to didn't have any Key Limes, so I had to use regular ol' limes.  However, I still loved them.  So if you have the same problem I did, you'll need about 3 limes and use the juice from them as well.

From Sugar & Cooking

Ingredients:

1/3 c. unsalted butter

1/4 c. sugar

1-1/4 c. graham cracker crumbs

3 c. or 4 (4 oz. each) bars quality white chocolate, finely chopped

1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk

1 tbsp. finely grated Key Lime zest (about 5 to 6 Key Limes)

1/4 c. Key Lime Juice

Directions:

1. Line 8x8-inch baking pan with foil or parchment paper (leaving about a 2-inch overhang).  Butter sides and bottom of pan; set aside.
2. For crust, heat oven to 375°F.  In a medium bowl, melt butter in microwave.  Stir in sugar with fork, breaking up any lumps.  Add graham cracker crumbs and toss to mix well.  Spread evenly into pan and bake 4 to 5 minutes or until edges are lightly browned.  Let cool.
3. Meanwhile, for fudge, stir white chocolate and sweetened condensed milk in large saucepan over low heat until chocolate is melted and all lumps are gone.  Remove from heat and stir in lime zest and lime juice.  Spread mixture evenly into pan.  Cover and chill for 2 hours or overnight.  Lift fudge from pan using overhanging foil or parchment paper.  Cut into desired shapes.  

Yield: 64 (1-inch) servings