ganache | Just About Baked

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Candy Bar Brownie Cake

I’m sure you’re all aware of the dangers of a CVS run, right?

Last week, I stopped by CVS for a quick trip to get some cleaning supplies. I’ve just moved into my new office space, and it was pretty dang dirty, so I needed to rush out right away and get cleaning spray, wipes, paper towels, the works. I was only going to pop in for a second.

But you know, CVS has the best stuff. Makeup and hair stuff and gel pens, oh my. And have I mentioned the bags of candy? Yep, I walked out of there with snack-sized Reese’s, Mega M & Ms and yes, fun-sized Snickers. Rather than eat the entire contents of each bag immediately while I cleaned dried-up Jolly Ranchers off a desk in the office, I chose to save them and bake this candy bar brownie cake instead.

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Ganache Linzer Tart (GF and Passover-Friendly!)

April 26, 2016
Mir
Gluten-Free Goodness, Passover Edition!, Pastry Cart, Pie Day
22 Comments

Well, the week marches on. Today was Primary Election day in my state, and I watched a lot of people agonize over which terrible candidate to vote for. Yay for democracy!

Ideally, the voting process should be nothing but exciting, but it’s harder this year than usual. Looking toward November is a worrisome occupation, at least for me. I want to believe that everything will turn out okay, but I’m in a negative frame of mind these days.

Whenever I feel overwhelmed, I bake. There’s a mindful mindlessness about baking that lets my brain fall away a bit as I make ganache or press tart dough into a pan. The motions are repetitive, soothing, and exactly what I need sometimes. When the result is this mind-blowing linzer tart smothered in ganache and almonds, I can banish all the negativity and just think about the rich flavors exploding in my mouth.

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Ganache-Covered Cheesecake

January 31, 2016
Mir
Cupcakes and Cheesecakes, Elegant Desserts, Let Them Eat Cake
38 Comments

Did you know that my spell check never knows what "ganache" is? I get the little red line underneath every single dang time. Neither, apparently, does closed captioning. I'm one of those weird people who likes to read my TV,…

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Chocolate Raspberry Marzipan Tart

November 24, 2015
Mir
Elegant Desserts, Pie Day
19 Comments

Last one, everyone. Last Thanksgiving dessert. We’ve had a good run!

Over the past several weeks, I’ve given you quite a few Thanksgiving pie options. But I couldn’t resist adding just one more!

As a baking blogger, the holidays provide inspiration and ideas. I love having the time of year do the recipe brainstorming for me, especially when a tart like this is the result. Guys, I kept my very favorite for last. Yes, I’ll play favorites today.

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Chocolate Raspberry Ganache Brownie Mini-Torte (GF)

November 19, 2015
Mir
Bars n' Brownies, Elegant Desserts, Gluten-Free Goodness
18 Comments

It’s my 10th anniversary, friends. Today is quite a special day. Too bad I’m at work, teaching America’s future!

This post is not just about this dessert, which I made in honor of love that lasts. It’s about, well, the love that lasts.

For instance, I’ve loved brownies forever, and I always will. Same for chocolate. Same for Kenny. Are we sensing a pattern yet here?

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Pumpkin Ganache Pie

November 10, 2015
Mir
Pie Day
37 Comments

How do you make a pumpkin pie even better? You got it! Add a layer of chocolate ganache to the top. Moment of silence for the delicious pie, folks. It wasn’t long for this world.

As Thanksgiving looms ever closer, I can’t stop baking pie. All of them are contenders for the big day, but it’s going to be hard to pick the best ones. I’ve always had such a hard time with the concept of “favorite” dessert.

I mean, come on. How are we supposed to pick an ultimate winner when so many desserts are so wonderful? And pie is the happiest of all holiday treats. Still, if I had to start expressing preferences, this pie would be up there. It’s a traditional pumpkin pie with a thick layer of chocolate ganache on top. Needless to say, it’s a winner.

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Turkey Cupcakes

November 3, 2015
Mir
Candyland, Cupcakes and Cheesecakes, Let Them Eat Cake
26 Comments

It’s gobble-gobble time. All lovers of cute treats, check it out!

After Halloween, there’s a ton of spilled candy corn everywhere. In pantries, cabinets, behind the fridge…yep. I wind up finding candy corn wedged into small spaces way after it’s out of season. How to deal with this?

Use it, fast! And the best way to transition from one holiday to the next is to use candy corn in these adorable chocolate ganache cupcakes. With an Oreo turkey on top, nobody can resist! Look at their little faces.

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Tagalong Pie

March 18, 2015
Mir
Pie Day, Pies
26 Comments

Happy Pi Day!

No, I’m not confused. I realize that I’m four days late. It happens, okay?

Here’s the thing. It’s always so much more fun to celebrate a holiday once it’s over. Example: your birthday comes and goes, but there’s that one friend who forgot or was out of town, so they take you out a week later and celebrate. It’s so nice to keep the party going!

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Strawberry Ganache Tart

I’m kind of annoyed with dessert menus at restaurants.

First of all, they often just change seasonally, if at all. And when they do change, there are a couple of standbys that never shift. At any given time of year, you can be pretty sure that there will be crème brulee and molten chocolate cake on the menu, along with a fruit-based dessert (tart or crisp, usually) and an assortment of ice creams and sorbets.

Don’t get me wrong. I love all those things. But why can’t pastry chefs be allowed to really get creative? To have more fun? And, dare I suggest it, change the menu at least (gasp!) monthly? Would that be so terrible?

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Ganache-Frosted Peanut Butter Cup Brownies

January 16, 2015
Mir
Bars n' Brownies
22 Comments

How many days can you go without a brownie? Because I can last two days. Then it all falls apart.

There are two desserts in this world that I can never say no to. The first is a chocolate chip cookie. I know very few people who can ever resist one. I even love the Costco ones. They’re processed. They’re huge. They’re delicious.

And then, taunting me always, is a perfectly fudgy brownie. You’d think that there aren’t a lot of good ones out there, but man, is that wrong. There are incredible brownies everywhere. It’s kind of encouraging, really. What kind of world would we live in if good brownies weren’t available on every street corner along with Coke Slurpees and Starbucks?