Chocolate Cake with Orange Buttercream and Ganache

 

This is one of my go-to chocolate cake recipes because it always come out perfectly.  It is a dense, moist, delicious chocolate cake with a layer of flavored buttercream frosting and chocolate ganache over the top.  Does that sound complicated?  Well, it's really not - if you've never really attempted a good homemade cake, this is a great one to try. 

The originial recipe called for making an espresso buttercream layer, but I much prefer the taste of orange with chocolate. You can make whichever flavor you like. The ganache top layer is super easy - you just heat all the ingredients together and let it cool for a little while until it is thick enough to pour over the cake but yet still thin enough that it will run down the sides. 

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Caprese Chicken Meatball Skewers with Spinach Almond Pesto

When we were on the Amalfi Coast last year, one of the best food memories by far was eating the fresh mozzarella that is so famous in that area of Italy. It’s soft and creamy and was on every pizza we ordered. That’s the kind of mozzarella cheese you want to use. Years ago, you were out of luck if you wanted anything close to that kind of cheese at home. But now we have Galbani® Mozzarella Fresca™ in the grocery stores and it’s what I use when I need fresh mozzarella.

Galbani Mozzarella Fresca is made right here in the United States and is made in the traditional fior di latte method that they use in Italy. This mozzarella is soft, moist and melts perfectly on top of pizza. It was listed by the editors of Saveur Magazine as one of their favorite fresh mozzarellas. I use it in this delicious Two Tomato and Mozzarella Pasta recipe. I use it in my pizza-making classes. And, of course, I use it for the traditional Caprese salads in the summer. They have two types of fresh mozzarella: in tubs, packed in water and vacuum sealed without water. The kind in water is softer and the kind that is vacuum-sealed is a little firmer.

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Homemade Popsicles

Here is a fun summer treat that's easy to make and doesn't require popsicle molds.  These fun homemade popsicles are made in little dixie cups.  I've made them with three layers - two fruit purees, one blueberry and the other strawberry, and a white layer of cream cheese and yogurt.  They will be great for the Fourth of July.  Pass around a platter of these to your guests.  

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