A simple dessert that will WOW them?

[Sophia]

Okay this is the most amazing chocolate cake recipe ever. Ever. And it's easy.

Easy Chocolate-Orange Cake
Yield: 12 servings
 
Ingredients
1+¼ cup (170 g) flour
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder (dutched/dark)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup (200 g) sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2-3 teaspons orange extract
½ cup (1.2 dl) milk or water
½ cup (1.2 dl) vegetable oil (flavorless)
2 eggs

If you substitute about 2/3 cup Orange Juice Concentrate for the water, you will up the Orange flavor. 

[Sophia]

If you want easy and impressive, the molten cakes are great.  With any chocolate, buy the good stuff, i.e. high cocoa percentage, there is lots of competition now so the price has dropped. 

If you make a cake, an impressive addition is Chocolate Granache, and it is veryyyy easy. 
It is 1 part chocolate and 1 part Whipping Cream.  If the chocolate is in bigger pieces than chips, than chop the chocolate into small pieces.  Put the whipping cream in a measuring cup which will hold at least twice the amount of cream you put in.  Heat until boiling in the microwave.  4 oz of cream is about a minute.  Put the chocolate in the cream and stir with a fork until the chocolate is melted. 

4oz of cream/4 oz of chocolate makes for a heavy amount of glaze on a bundt cake. 
8oz/8oz would do really well in the middle of two cake layers. 

The really cool thing is that when first made it is like a syrup.  Then you put in in the freezer, it will eventually become one big truffle.  So, by heating, freezing and stirring you can get just the right amount of spread-ability.   

[edenparadox]

Who needs frosting?

Chocolate cake with "real" butter (not of that fake stuff) on it is sooooo goooood

And before you go WHAT? BUTTER?

what is frosting anyway just butter and sugar. We just skip the middle man.

Momma said her Dad called it the lazy persons frosting.

That's how I make frosting usually. Just add a little milk and vanilla extract. I'd add in some cocoa and some orange extract for this cake though.

If you substitute about 2/3 cup Orange Juice Concentrate for the water, you will up the Orange flavor. 

Well the orange extract gives it a really subtle flavor so I don't know if that much more orange-iness wouldn't overwhelm the cake. But I'm willing to try! 

[Sophia]

Well the orange extract gives it a really subtle flavor so I don't know if that much more orange-iness wouldn't overwhelm the cake. But I'm willing to try! 

I usually go a little more and make candied orange zest to decorate the top.  But then, both FH and I love orange flavor. 

[edenparadox]

Candied orange zest is an awesome idea!

I am totally thinking of making this cake for my wedding if we can't afford to buy one.

[veryfluffy]

Wine-poached pears in whipped cream gratin

4 ripe pears - cored, peeled and halved.
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
5 ounces whipping cream, whipped until stiff

Combine wine, lemon juice, water and sugar. Bring to the boil. Add pears, poach until soft - I think it's about 10 minutes. Remove pear and place in oven-proof dish. Return liquid to heat, and boil until reduced to about 1/4 cup of syrup. Cool (eg by putting bottom of saucepan into a basin of cold water). Add syrup to whipped cream and mix together. Pour cream over pears. Place under hot grill for a few minutes until golden.

Honestly, this is to die for.

[Ondine]

My grandmother had a really awesome dessert called Zebra Pie. It's so easy to make, and it's a nice light dessert after a huge meal.

Zebra Pie

Makes 12 servings.

2 cups heavy cream, or 1 8oz container frozen whipped topping, thawed
2 tablespoons granulated sugar, if using heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract, if using heavy cream
1(9oz) pkg of Nabisco chocolate wafers
Chocolate curls, chocolate sprinkles, or halved maraschino cherries.

If using heavy cream, whip the cream until very frothy; add sugar and vanilla extract, and continue whipping until fairly stiff peaks form.

Spread one half tablespoon whipped cream or topping on each wafer. Begin stacking wafers together (on a long oval or rectangular serving platter) and stand on edge of platter to make a 14-inch log. Neatly frost with remaining whipped cream or topping. Chill for four to six hours, or freeze, covered with plastic wrap - thaw in refrigerator for one hour before serving. Garnish with chocolate curls, chocolate sprinkles, or maraschino cherries, and slice at a 45 degree angle so each serving has zebra stripes.

[Rei-chan]

Please keep in mind that this is a "seat of your pants" type recipe, that I replicated from something DH's Grandma makes, that I put together from 2 recipes I found when internet searching.  For the originals, go to:

http://www.journalnow.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=WSJ%2FHTMLPage%2FWSJ_HTMLPage&c=HTMLPage&cid=1031774378353

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Cherry-Cheese-Pie-I/Detail.aspx

Cherry YumYum

4 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 1/2 sticks butter
1 8oz pkg cream cheese
1/2 white sugar
2 cups Cool Whip
1-2 cans cherry pie filling (16 oz) (This depends on the size of the dish you use and how much cherry you like)

Melt butter and mix with graham cracker crumbs.  Spread an even amount over the bottom of a small casserole dish.  (I am not sure what size mine is, but it is a square dish, not a rectangle)

Blend cream cheese (softened), sugar and cool whip.  It is much easier to do with an electric mixer.  This should be creamy and thick, with no clumps.  Spread a good layer of this mix over the crumbs.  Add a layer of cherry pie filling, and repeat this process until all mix is gone, leaving the top layer as pie filling. 

Refrigerate 30 minutes to set, and serve.  From what DH tells me, I have come really close to his Grandma's original!   

[AdakAK]

I bought a silicone pan that looks like the Cathedral Pan from Nordicware.  I make this in it, then just dust it with the powdered sugar.  The kids think it looks like snow on the rooftops.     I made it for a teacher's birthday one year and she liked it so much she was eating it for a long time.  I really hope she froze pieces or something.

Lisa's Chocolate Kahlua Cake

1 box Betty Crocker chocolate fudge (pudding type) cake mix  (I think I subbed in Butter Recipe Chocolate)
8 oz. sour cream
2 eggs
1/2 cup Kahlua
1/4 cup oil
12 oz. chocolate chips

Mix all ingredients together well (1-2 minutes on low with mixer).
Pour into greased bundt pan and bake at 350 degrees for 45-50
minutes or until skewer inserted comes out clean. Cool completely,
turn out onto plate and sprinkle with confectioner's sugar.

[AbbyW]

My grandmother had a really awesome dessert called Zebra Pie. It's so easy to make, and it's a nice light dessert after a huge meal.

Our family just calls it the Refrigerator Dessert.  You can even make it the night before.  We always think its better the second day.  The longer it sits, the softer the wafers are.  Everyone just loves it! 

[blarg314]

For simple and good invest in some good quality vanilla ice cream - the kind made from cream, eggs, sugar and vanilla and not much else. Top with diced fresh fruit - mango is particularly good, as are fresh peaches, and both go well with a few bluberries.  Raspberries or good (in season) strawberries.   Add a drizzle of passionfruit syrup on top.