Chocolate Pecan Cream Cake

Beat egg whites until stiff; set aside. Beat egg yolks and icing sugar until thick and creamy; blend in cream cheese. Stir in chocolate and pecans; fold in beaten egg whites. Turn into 9 inch (23 cm) spring-form pan lined with wax paper. Bake in preheated oven 320°F (160°C) oven for 35 min or until toothpick inserted in centre comes out clean. Cool in pan 10-15 min before removing.
 

Over boiling water, melt white and dark chocolates. Stir in almond paste until combined. In saucepan, sprinkle gelatin over cold milk; let stand 1 min. Place over low heat; stir constantly until gelatin dissolves. Remove from heat. In large bowl, blend cream cheese and sour cream until smooth. Blend in chocolate-almond mixture. Gradually add gelatin and milk, blending thoroughly. Whip whipping cream in separate bowl. Fold whipped cream into milk mixture. Line a 9 inch (23 cm), 2.5 L capacity bowl with plastic wrap. Turn the filling into the lined bowl-top with cake layer. Cover with additional plastic wrap and chill until firm - about 4 hours.
 

Place prepared papaya, orange and lemon juices and sugar in food processor or blender; blend until smooth. To Serve unmould cake onto serving platter, remove plastic wrap. Pour sauce on bottom of plate; place cake slice on top. Garnish with chocolate curls.

Serve with Rum Cola Coffee Cocktail (1 ½ oz. Appleton Estate Rum, 6 oz. cold coffee and 4 oz. Coke; top with whipped cream).

Makes 20 servings

Cream Cheese Brownies

Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease the bottom of a 9x13 inch (23 x 33 cm) baking pan with butter. Cream butter at medium speed until fluffy. Add sugar and vanilla; beat until well blended (about 5 min). One at a time add egg whites and egg, beating well after each addition. Add cocoa and milk; beat well. In a separate bowl combine flour, baking powder and salt, stirring with a whisk. Add flour mixture to cocoa mixture; beat at low speed just until blended. Spoon batter into greased pan. For the topping; cream the cream cheese in a large bowl at medium speed until smooth. Gradually add remaining ingredients and beat until smooth. Spread evenly over batter. Bake for 35 min or until set. Cool in pan on wire rack.

Serve with Godiva Platinum Martini (1 oz. Godiva White Chocolate Cream Liqueur and 1 oz. vodka shaken or stirred with ice and served in a martini glass).

Makes 36 servings

White Chocolate and Cranberry Swirl Cheesecake

Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). To make crust, in a saucepan melt butter, stir in crumbs and sugar. Press on bottom and partway up the sides of a 9 inch (23 cm) spring form pan. Bake for 8 to 10 min.

To make filling, place cranberries, ¼ cup (50 ml) each of the sugar and orange juice in a saucepan. Cover, bring to a boil, stir frequently and crush cranberries. Reduce heat; simmer and stir frequently until a thick puree forms; cool.

In a saucepan or double boiler melt chocolate; set aside.

Sprinkle gelatin over remaining orange juice; let stand for 5 min or until softened. Heat for 1 min or until gelatin dissolves; set aside. Beat cream cheese in a bowl until smooth. Beat in remaining sugar, orange peel, vanilla, chocolate and gelatin; set aside.

In a bowl, beat whipping cream until soft peaks form. Stir ¼ of the whipped cream into cream cheese mixture. Fold in remaining whipped cream. Spoon half of the cream cheese mixture onto crust. Spoon ½ of the cranberry puree onto cream cheese. Top with remaining cream cheese and puree. Using a knife, swirl cranberries through cheesecake. Refrigerate until set.

Serve with Henriques and Henriques 10 year Old Bual Madeira (Portugal).

Makes 10 servings