Quick Fix - Chocolate Mug Cake

Has anyone else noticed the uprise of microwave cake recipes lately?  I've seen them a lot on blogs, and just recently the paper here in Boston did a little bit on microwave cakes.  Hubby sent me the link in an email that read:

"I FOUND THE SOLUTION!!!! ....for when you have your sweet cravings!" HAHA poor hubby always has to hear it when I "need" dessert.  He knows me well though, this 5-minute chocolate mug cake sounded like the perfect quick fix.

While the 5-minute prep & cook time was great, the cake itself turned out a bit...gelatinous.  Not going to lie, it was a little weird at first, but topped with a spoonful of fluff and some chocolate syrup, it really did hit the spot.  This won't become a regular treat but when I am in a bind and seriously need some cake, NOW, 5-minute mug cake it is.

Interested in trying one for yourself?  Boston.com listed a number of recipes for different flavors not too long ago.  Check them out here.

Note- if you do try the chocolate mug cake- I used dark chocolate chips instead of semi-sweet.  Dark chocolate in a moment of chocolate desperation just makes more sense, I think!

Strawberry Cheesecake Cupcakes

Recently my buddy Christina of All's Fare Food Blog did a post on an amazing looking apple cheesecake she made.  The post has a VERY funny (although probably not funny to her in the moment) story about her baking adventure, I highly recommend checking it out!

So Christina's cheesecake post reminded me that last week I made my first batch of cheesecake cupcakes, and that I really wanted to blog about them!  These cupcakes were super easy and fast to whip up, and went over extremely well!  I brought them to work for a meeting I was leading, and they were gone before I knew it.   The strawberries on top made them seem kind of summery, but I think the switch to fall-centric sweets will be coming soon.

I went with the cheesecake cupcakes because a coworker of mine asked me if I had ever made them, and I had not!  I figured this meeting was an appropriate time to let my work friends be the taste-testers for my first attempt.  Sad thing- the coworker who asked about them missed the meeting!  (Next time, Nancy!)

Anyway, these cuppies are great crowd pleasers, and the product of my southern love, Miss Paula Deen!  Here's my slightly tweaked version of Paula Deen's Easy Cheesecake Cupcakes.  This recipe is enough for 12 cupcakes.  Enjoy!

Need:
-2 8-oz packages of light cream cheese, softened
-1 cup sugar
-1 tsp vanilla extract
-2 eggs
-1.5 graham crackers (3 squares)
-1 cup strawberry jam
-6 fresh strawberries

Do:
1.  Heat oven to 350 degrees and line a cupcake pan with paper liners
2.  Beat cream cheese until fluffy
3.  Add sugar and vanilla, beat well
4.  Beat in eggs, one at a time
5.  Break each of your three graham cracker squares into four small pieces, place one mini square in the bottom of each cupcake cup
6.  Spoon cream cheese mixture ontop of the graham crackers in each cup
7.  Bake for 20 minutes
8.  Let cupcakes cool completely.  When cool, put a spoonful of strawberry jam ontop, and garnish with half a fresh strawberry

Weeknight Treat - Fast Fruit Tarts!

Ever have one of those nights when you NEED a dessert, yet you dont feel like reallyyyyy baking, and you feel guilty for even thinking about sweets?

That is me, usually at least 3 times a week, HA!  I found a solution, a la my favorite, Martha Stewart - honeyed fruit tarts!

This treat is adapted from her Pies & Tarts book.  It's fast, delicious, and a little bit more healthy than a batch of brownies at least.  I used peaches and strawberries, because those are the fruits we had in our fridge, but this would be delicious with all kinds of fruits - pears, any type of berries, etc.  Also, if you are into specifics, Martha lists them in her recipe.  Me, I just read over the recipe, and eyeballed everything I had, so please excuse the vague recipe below.

Enjoy!

• Chop up about 1 cup of up fruit (I used 4 big strawberries and half of a peach)
• Put it in a bowl, drizzle over some honey (use as much or as little as you like), and squeeze half a lime.  
• If you like zest like we do, zest your lime half and mix that in with the fruits.  Cover with saran wrap and stick in the fridge.
• Take out two squares of frozen puff pastry
• Microwave for 10 seconds to defrost
• Brush with water, milk, egg wash, whatever you fancy
• Sprinkle with sanding sugar
• Bake for ~15-20 minutes, or until golden brown
• When its baked and puffed, pull out the pastry and squish down the center to form a little well
• Let cool enough so that it won't burn your mouth
• Spoon honeyed fruits into the pastry well
• Eat up, buttercup!