Chris' Outrageous Chocolate Cake from the Cheesecake Factory

All the layers of this heaven sent cake before frosting the edges.

Mmmmmm!!!!!

The frosted edition.

After digging in!

This is a little piece of heaven on earth for me! I love this cake from Cheesecake Factory. Maybe we should call it a big piece of heaven on earth because the cake is huge. It has eight layers. Yes, eight delicious layers. It's actually 4 layers repeated twice. What are these delicious layers you might ask? Here goes: Moist chocolate cake, creamy chocolate chip coconut cheesecake, chewy brownie, and toasted coconut pecan frosting. Oh my mouth is watering! So I searched and searched online for a copycat recipe for this dessert. I couldn't find one much to my dismay! That's when I decided to create my own. I was so happy with how it turned out! Now I don't have to pay $7.50 when I want a piece of this baby. The cake itself is easy to make. It just takes time because you have to freeze and refrigerate parts of it in order to assemble it. It is so worth it though! The cake is very similar to the Cheesecake Factory's. The big difference is that I put buttercream frosting around the edges of mine. The Cheesecake Factory has a different frosting around the outside. The buttercream frosting was fabulous.

Kimmy's Version of Chris' Outrageous Chocolate Cake from the Cheesecake Factory

Ingredients:

Chocolate Cake Layer:
1 Box Mix of German Chocolate Cake

(Plus ingredients to make cake)

Brownie Layer:

1 Brownie Mix
(Plus ingredients to make brownies)

Chocolate Chip Coconut Cheesecake Layer:

2 8 oz. packages cream cheese

2 eggs
1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup coconut

1/2 tsp. vanilla

Coconut Pecan Frosting:

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup evaporated milk

1/2 cup butter, cubed

3 egg yolks, lightly beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 1/2 cups flaked coconut

1 1/2 cups chopped pecans

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting:

1 lb. powdered sugar
1/3 cup cocoa powder

1 cube butter or margarine

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 cup milk (adjust to get to the right consistency)

Directions:

1. The Cake Layer

Make cake according to directions on box. Prepare 2 9 inch cake pans by putting wax paper in it and spraying it with cooking spray. Pour half the cake mix into each of the pans. Cook according to box mix for the 9 inch pans. Check with toothpick to make sure they're done. Cool. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze overnight. (You can wrap them in the pans or remove them from the pans and wrap them.)

2. The Brownie Layer

Make brownies according to directions on box. Prepare 2 9 inch cake pans by putting wax paper in it and spraying it with cooking spray. Pour half the brownie mix into each of the pans. Cook for 25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean at the degree specified on the brownie mix box. Cool. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze overnight. (You can wrap them in the pans or remove them from the pans and wrap them.)

3. The Cheesecake Layer

Preheat oven to 350. Mix together softened cream cheese, eggs, and sugar. Then add the coconut, chocolate chips, and vanilla. Prepare 2 9 inch springform pans by putting wax paper in it and spraying it with cooking spray. Pour half the cheesecake mix into each of the pans. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes or until middle is set. Remove from oven and let cool. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

4. The Coconut Pecan Frosting Layer

In a heavy saucepan, combine the sugar, milk, butter and egg yolks. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened. (It should be thick enough to coat the back of a metal spoon.) Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla; fold in coconut and pecans. Cool until frosting reaches spreading consistency.

5. The Buttercream Frosting
Mix all ingredients until light and fluffy. Not too long or it will get too gooey.

Putting it all together:

I froze the cake and brownie layers overnight. The cheesecake was refrigerated overnight. The next day I made both the frostings. I leveled the chocolate cake with a cake leveler. If you don't have a leveler, just eyeball it. The first layer of the cake was the chocolate cake. Next the cheesecake. Then brownie. Then coconut pecan frosting. Repeat the layers: chocolate cake, cheesecake, brownie, coconut pecan frosting. Use the buttercream frosting around the sides. I left the cake out for 1/2 a day so the layers could settle together. Yummy, yummy, yummy in my tummy!

Linked to:  A Themed Baker's Sunday

Recipe Source:  This is my personal creation!

BBQ Chicken Ranch Spaghetti

I found this recipe and knew I had to try it. I love BBQ Chicken, and it sounded so easy. It was easy and delicious!

BBQ Shredded Chicken and Caramelized Red Onion Ranch Spaghetti
Adapted from Picky Palate

1 lb thin spaghetti noodles
4 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 large red onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 Tablespoons dry Ranch Dressing Mix
3/4 Cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Shredded BBQ Chicken

Mozzarella Cheese (grated)

Parmesan Cheese (grated)

1. Cook spaghetti noodles according to package directions; drain and rinse with cold water to stop cooking. Place olive oil into a large pot over medium heat. Saute red onions until softened and golden. Add cooked spaghetti to onions; mix and add dry Ranch Dressing seasoning and cilantro leaves. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper to taste. Place noodles onto serving plates and top with warm shredded BBQ chicken. Garnish with cilantro leaf, shredded parmesan and mozzarella cheeses, and serve.

Chris's Gourmet Hamburger Patties

These are quite possibly the best homemade hamburgers I have ever had. They were so scrumptious. This is our 3rd time having them in 1 month. I really don't repeat meals that often so it just goes to show how delicious they are. They are so perfect for summer grilling out on the deck with family and friends. I love summer and all the food that comes with it. This burger goes great with pepper jack cheese! This recipe comes from my wonderful sister-in-law Christina. She is an excellent cook and makes up tons of her own recipes. She also has a fabulous herb garden and uses all her fresh herbs in her recipes. Fresh herbs make a huge difference. You have got to try these burgers!

Chris's Gourmet Hamburger Patties

1 lb hamburger
3/4 - 1 lb ground sausage
1 T dry thyme or 2 T fresh thyme
1/4 C dry onion or very finely chopped fresh onion
Salt and pepper

Mix together and form into patties. Grill until done all the way through.

Our favorite way to serve this is with:
Pepperjack cheese
Grilled onions
Barbecue Sauce or Ranch
Tomato (optional)
Lettuce (optional)

Parmesan Zucchini

I've seen this style zucchini all over the web and my mom also makes zucchini this way. If you haven't yet tried it, it is delicious. I love zucchini so of course I enjoyed the dish. The hubs hates zucchini, but thought it was the best zucchini he had ever had.

Zucchini

Summer Squash (if you want)

butter

parmesan

garlic salt

pepper

Cut zucchini and squash into slices. Layer in the bottom of a baking dish. Place butter chunks on top of the zucchini. Sprinkle with garlic salt and pepper. Then top it off with parmesan. Cover with foil and cook at 400 for about 20 minutes. Take off foil and cook for about 5 extra minutes.

Island Spice Pork Tenderloin

This recipe was fantantic! It sounds like the craziest combination of spices, but it turns out marvelously. We absolutely loved it. It turned out so juicy and tender also. I found this recipe at a blog called Annie's Eats. (I only made one pork tenderloin and halved the recipe.)

Island Spice Pork Tenderloin

Ingredients:

For the spice rub:

2 tsp. kosher salt
½ tsp. ground black pepper

1 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

2 pork tenderloins (about 2-2½ lbs. total)

2 tbsp. olive oil

For the glaze:

½ cup packed dark brown sugar

1 tbsp. (2-3 cloves) finely minced garlic

1½ tsp. Tabasco sauce (I used Frank's Hot Sauce.)

Directions: Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Combine the salt, pepper, cumin, chili powder and cinnamon in a small bowl. Stir together with a fork to blend. Pat the mixture over the pork tenderloins.

Heat the olive oil in an ovenproof 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Place the tenderloins in the skillet and brown on all sides, turning occasionally, about 4 minutes total. Remove from the heat, leaving the pork in the skillet.

Stir together the brown sugar, garlic and Tabasco in a small bowl until blended. Spread the mixture evenly over the tops of the tenderloins.

Place the skillet in the preheated oven and roast about 20 minutes (I put mine in a glass baking dish), until an instant-read themometer inserted in the center of each tenderloin registers 140˚ F. Loosely tent the skillet with foil and let stand 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Super Easy Stuffed French Toast

So we had all this left over bread hanging around from a family reunion. I couldn't freeze it because my freezer is packed. I was trying to think of some way to use the bread because I hate wasting food. This stuffed french toast was the perfect solution. This was so easy to make and so good.

Ingredients:

12 pieces of bread

3 eggs

1/4 cup milk

cinnamon

5-6 oz. cream cheese

2 Tbls. sugar

1/4 tsp. vanilla

whipped cream

berries

1. Soften the cream cheese and mix in the sugar and vanilla. Spread this mixture on a slice of bread and top it with another piece of bread. Repeat with remaining bread.

2. Heat your griddle. Mix the eggs, milk, and cinnamon in a large bowl. Dip the stuffed bread in the egg mixture. Turn to coat all sides. Then place on griddle and cook.

3. Top with whipped cream and berries. Delish! (Makes 6 pieces of stuffed french toast.)

Linked to: 
This Week's Cravings hosted by Mom's Crazy Cooking

Honey Mustard Pork and Mango Kabobs with Coconut Cilantro Rice

My hubs and I got our first grill last summer. We have absolutely loved grilling. I'm always trying to find new recipes for the grill. I got this idea from some random store recipe and then created these pork and mango kabobs! These are fabulous! We loved them. This one is a keeper!

Honey Mustard Pork and Mango Kabobs

6 Wooden Skewers

2 Tbsp. honey mustard (I used French's honey mustard dipping sauce.)

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1 tsp. minced garlic

1 1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. black pepper

1 lb. pork cut into cubes (I just cut up boneless pork chops)

2 mangos (You want the mangos to be almost ripe, but still firm. If they're too ripe, they get mushy on the grill.)

1/4 cup honey

1. In a large bowl, mix honey mustard, olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper. Coat cubed pork in this marinade and cover. Let it marinate at least 1 hour (preferably over night).

2. Cut mangos into cubes. Thread cubes of pork and mango onto skewers, alternating meat and fruit.

3. Set your grill at medium-high heat with the flame directly under the cooking area. When grill is ready, lay skewers on, close lid and cook about 10 minutes. Turn occasionally until pork is browned on all sides and cooked through.

4. Coat kabobs with honey and cook about 1 minutes longer.

So yummy! Here's the Coconut Cilantro Rice recipe we paired with it! It was perfect.

Cilantro Coconut Rice

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups (10 ounces) basmati (or jasmine) rice
1/2 cup sweetened flaked coconut
1 Tablespoon finely chopped peeled fresh ginger
2 Tablespoon finely chopped fresh jalapeno, including seeds
2 Tablespoons vegetable/Canola oil
2 cups water (I cooked the rice in part water, part coconut milk)
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup packed fresh cilantro
3 scallions, chopped

Directions:

1. Wash rice in several changes of cold water in a bowl until water is almost clear. Soak rice in cold water 30 minutes, then drain well in a sieve. (I totally skipped this step).

2. Spread coconut in a skillet and toast over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until pale golden; watch carefully so it doesn't brown too much or burn. Cool completely.

3. Cook ginger and jalapeno in 1 Tablespoon oil in a 4-quart heavy pot over moderate heat, stirring, until chile is softened, about 2 minutes. Add rice and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 2 minutes.

4. Stir in water and 1/2 teaspoon salt and bring to a boil, covered. Reduce heat to low and cook, covered, until rice is tender and water is absorbed, 12-15 minutes.

5. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, 5 minutes. Fluff rice with a fork and transfer to a large bowl.

6. While rice cooks, pulse together coconut, cilantro, scallions, and remaining Tablespoon oil and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a food processor until finely chopped.

7. Add cilantro mixture to cooked rice and stir gently until combined well.

(found on Epicurious.com)