Chocolate Pecan Pie

Happy Thanksgiving!! 

This recipe is a family favorite from my grandmother Mary Ann. Every Thanksgiving, we make this pie as a family. Unfortunately, I missed the baking this year because I was at school. Fortunately, my friend Ali was awesome enough to throw a Thanksgiving Potluck Party at her apartment, and kindly offered to bake it with me :) 

I'm not going to claim that this pie is healthy. There are ways to make it healthy. But let's be very honest about Thanksgiving: it's one of those times when food is supposed to be very decadent, very special, and shared with a large group of other people so no one eats too much of one thing. So don't be afraid to dig in for a big Thanksgiving meal, as long as you share with the people who love you most in the world- your family. 

If you really feel compelled to work off one of the best meals of the year, sign up for a Turkey Walk/Run, or simply go for a family walk after your meal :) 

The Recipe: Chocolate Pecan Pie

Crust: 

• 1.5 cups Flour
• 1 stick Butter
• 2 tbsp Sugar
• Water

Filling:

• 1 cup Karo Corn Syrup (Light or Dark)
• 1/2 cup Dark Chocolate Chips
• 1/2 stick Butter
• 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
• 3 eggs

Topping:

• 1 cup roasted Pecans

The Process:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, mix flour and sugar for crust. 
3. Soften butter slightly and mince before stirring into dough. Your mixture should be rather chunky. 
4. Slowly add small amounts of water and stir, repeating this process until your dough forms one ball. 
5. Flour a hard surface. 
6. Roll out your dough to about 11 inches in diameter. this will allow you to fill a 9 inch pie plate and have enough dough to cover the sides as well.
   
   
   
    
7. Put your dough in the pie plate and pinch the sides of the crust in a desired pattern.
8. Keep crust chilled while you make the filling. 
9. Soften the butter in the microwave.
10. Melt the chocolate in the microwave, setting it for only 30 seconds or so and stirring before heating again. This is REALLY important, because the chocolate will burn and it is not easy to get burnt chocolate off of anything. 
11. Mix all ingredients (except pecans) together in a large bowl using a hand mixer. 
12. Pour into crust. 
13. Top with pecans. 
14. Bake for about an hour, watching and testing to see that it is finished. 
15. Allow to cool for an hour before serving. 
16. Allow yourself to indulge!

The Calories: 
Flour: 683 calories
Butter: 150 calories
Sugar: 96 calories
Karo: 1920 calories
Chocolate: 160 calories

Vanilla Extract: 6 calories
Eggs: 234 calories
Pecans: 684 calories
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TOTAL: 3933 calories

Granted, this is for an entire pie. It depends how large your slices are, but it should serve at least 8-10 because it is very rich, which means a serving is 492-393 calories per serving.

What went right:
         The pie was absolutely delicious and the crust was perfection.

What went wrong:
         The cooling time is very important. If you don't want a slight chocolate lava pie, allow it to cool completely. I cut it only just too early, but it was still very good.

Would I do this again:
         Absolutely. Only for a group of people, never for just me, but absolutely. I might even consider making a miniature version of the pie for personal consumption.

What would I do next time:
        Other than allow it to cool completely, nothing. This pie is a family favorite and personal favorite. There is nothing that should be added or taken away from it. Even whipped cream would take away from the amazing. However, if this pie is being served in smaller slices, a small scoop of vanilla bean ice cream is a tremendous complement.

Overall, this is my absolute favorite pie of all time hands down.

...and to that statement and to myself (and to all of you wonderful people!) I say: Challenge accepted. ;) 

Cookie Dough Brownie Cake

Yet another hall birthday cake day has come and gone, but not without enough sugar and chocolate to solve our global energy crisis.                  

Happy Birthday to Liljuan and Daniel K., hope you enjoyed our T3 celebration!! :) 

Thanks to Kevin for supplying some of the ingredients and helping me hold this program every month :)

Thanks to Nate for baking with me; you're a natural and I look forward to cooking together more often! I hope you had as much fun as I did :)

Thanks to Aunt Maggie, for the icing bag and tips that made our beautiful writing possible <3

...and to the Maintenance Staff for cleaning up after us the next morning. 

Don't worry, there will be a workout at the end. Trust me, it's worth it. 

The Recipe: Layer 1- Brownies

• 4 oz unsweetened baking chocolate 
• 2 sticks butter
• 2 cups brown sugar 
• 4 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips

The Process:  Layer 1- Brownies

1. Pre-heat the oven to 325 degrees Celsius
2. On low-medium heat, stirring frequently, melt the unsweetened baking chocolate and butter together in a small saucepan. 
3. Whisk the flour, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract together in a large bowl. (Try to not cover the kitchen in flour while mixing ;) )
4. Once the chocolate and butter are completely melted and mixed, add this mix to the bowl, being careful not to burn yourself on the pot. 
5. Mix with a spoon. 
6. Mix in chocolate chips. 
7. Bake for about 23 minutes (depends on your oven, be sure to watch it carefully!)
8. Allow to cool completely (we stuck the pan in the freezer, because it was going to be there later anyway and this accelerated the cooling process). 

The Recipe: Layer 2- Eggless Cookie Dough (safe to eat without baking!)

• 1.5 sticks of butter
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3 tbsp milk
• 1.5 tbsp vanilla extract
• 1.5 cups all-purpose flour
• 1.5 cups chocolate chips

The Process: Layer 2- Eggless Cookie Dough

1. Soften butter in the microwave. (We put the butter in ceramic containers to microwave for a few seconds. Be careful you don't over-nuke it to the point where it explodes in the microwave)
2. Mix all ingredients together with a hand mixer. 
3. Spread over completely cooled brownies (This will take some teamwork and diligence...this recipe only JUST covers the whole pan we used). 

The Recipe: Layer 3- Chocolate Chips

• Chocolate Chips

The Process: Layer 3- Chocolate Chips

1. Spread chocolate chips over cookie dough as desired. I made the admittedly wonderful mistake of not specifying an amount, so SOMEONE decided to go ahead and dump the rest of the bag of chocolate chips on top. He got lucky that I'm from a family that believes you can never have too much chocolate ;) 

The Recipe: Layer 4- Cream Cheese Icing

• 4 oz Neufatchel Cream Cheese
• 1/8 cup butter 
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract

The Process: Layer 4- Cream Cheese Icing

1. Mix the butter and cream cheese with a hand mixer. 
2. Mix in vanilla extract. 
3. Mix in powdered sugar. 
4. At first it will not look like icing. Give it a minute, increase the power of the mixer, and you'll see the transformation before your eyes. 
5. Put icing into the icing bag with desired tip. 
6. Write, draw, design, personalize!
7. Be sure to hold the icing tip slightly higher over the chocolate chips than usual, so that they will not come off the cake. 
8. Put cake in freezer until it's time to eat. 

Finally...share with amazing friends!!

The Calories: 

Baking Chocolate- 568 calories

Butter- 375 calories

Brown Sugar- 1724 calories

Eggs- 368 calories

Vanilla Extract- 45 calories

Flour- 1138 calories

Chocolate Chips- 3200 calories

Sugar- 580 calories

Milk- 103 calories

Cream Cheese- 388 calories

Powdered Sugar- 233 calories

___________________________

TOTAL:  8722 calories

Mind you, this is for an entire pan. Now it needs to be divided by about 60....which makes 145 calories per serving. Not bad at all when you share it :) To be honest, most of the icing was not used on the cake  either, so most of the cream cheese and powdered sugar should be removed from the total, but we can just know that we're even healthier than we thought, but work off enough calories to cover it anyway!

What went right: 

         Everything. This cake is flawlessly rich and filling. Everyone who tried it loved it, and the energy and happiness cloud on our hall afterward was quite encouraging! 

What went wrong: 

         Yeah, so, it's not a healthy cookie. Whatever. For 145 calories, this cake is about as rich as any chocolate fudge cake or cheesecake for 200 calories less. Like I said, worth it! 

What would I do next time: 

         The only thing I would do next time is be prettier with the icing. We didn't have time to make it as perfect as I wanted to, but it still looked great! Otherwise, there is nothing that should be changed with this recipe. 

          However, if I were making this for my little brother, I would make peanut butter cookies and melt the chocolate on top, so that it would be a Reese's cake. 

Overall, a fantastic cake, entirely worth the calories, and so much fun to make :) 

Now the workout...

So, we need to burn at least 145 calories. There are a few easy ways to do so: 

1. Run 1.5 miles at 10 minute pace. 
2. Walk for an hour at a moderate pace. 
3. Crunches for 15 minutes (45 calories), Squats for 15 minutes (70 calories), Kneeling Pushups for 15 minutes (60 calories). This should be done in intervals, but these are the totals necessary. 
4. 15 minutes yard work (75 calories) and 15 minutes of walking up and down stairs (100 calories). You'd be surprised how easy it is to spend 15 minutes doing stairs in college! 

But in all reality, as long as this is your only dessert for the day, there's really no need to worry! 

German Apple Cake

Guten tag und willkommen! 

This post was inspired by my want to make a cake today and an abundance of apples in the fridge. The recipe comes from pinterest, and it's one I've wanted to make for a long time just so I could try it. 

While the cake was cooling, I sent a photo to a couple friends in Germany, and one asked why he'd never seen something like it before. To be honest, I was wondering the same thing, since I'm German and Austrian by blood. I did a little research on the topic, assuming it has a German name. Lo and behold, the recipe I found is an adaptation of Weiner Apfelkuchen. Now that I've found a more traditional recipe, I will definitely be trying that as well, despite the traditional sugar and fat content.

A German Apple Cake is essentially four layers. 

The Recipe: Layer 1: The Cake

• 1.5 cups Flour
• 3/4 cup Sugar
• 1 stick Butter
• 2 Large Eggs
• 1 tsp Baking Powder
• 3/4 cup Milk
• 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract

The Process: Layer 1

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. 
2. Blend all cake ingredients and pour into desired pan. (I used a glass casserole dish. The original recipe recommends a 9 x 13 baking dish. Next time I make this dish, I would like to use a shorter dish, because it took a very long time for mine to bake.)

The Recipe: Layer 2 

• 3-4 Apples, peeled and thinly sliced

The Process: Layer 2

1. Lay the apples on the cake layer in your desired pan/dish. Be sure to cover the whole area. (Mine covered a much larger area.)

The Recipe: Layer 3

• 1 cup Butter
• 1 cup Flour
• 1 cup White Sugar

The Process: Layer 3

1. Combine the three ingredients in a small bowl. It will be very crumbly even after mixed. 
2. Spread over the apples (Layer 2). 

The Recipe: Layer 4

• 1.5 tablespoons White Sugar
• 1.5 tablespoons Cinnamon

The Process: Layer 4

1. In a small bowl/plate, combine the Cinnamon and Sugar. 
2. Carefully sprinkle this on top of the whole of Layer 3. 
3. Bake for about 40 minutes. (Mine took much longer! Be sure to watch and test to see when your cake is finished.)

The Calories: 

Flour- 1138 calories

Sugar- 589 calories

Butter- 2430 calories

Eggs- 147 calories

Baking Powder- 2 calories

Milk- 65 calories

Vanilla- 6 calories

Apples- 380 calories

Cinnamon- 2 calories

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TOTAL: 4759 calories

Yes, this seems bad. However, the cake that I made is very very thick, meaning half a slice is about all you need to be full, as it is extremely rich. Assuming the cake is about 10 servings (which would change if you made a thinner, larger cake), each serving is 475.9 calories. Admittedly, this is not a healthy cake. 

What went right:

          The cake was magnificently delicious, and even more delicious after it was refrigerated. 

What went wrong:

          Because I used such a thick pan, baking took a long time, and I don't think I completely finished baking it by the end, because the middle was slightly soft. This did not make it taste any worse, but altered the texture. I would like to try making it in a different pan and see if that makes it better. 

Would I make this in college:

           This is one of those cakes that takes a very long time to make by yourself, but would be fun and easy to make with a group of people because there are so many tasks that can theoretically happen all at once. Therefore, I would make this cake as a Month Birthday Cake for sure, but not necessarily just for the sake of making a cake. 

What would I do next time:

          Like I said, I would like to try the more traditional version of this cake, and try making it in a different pan. 

Overall, this cake was delicious, but not healthy. 

So......

The workout that accompanies this cake is an elliptical workout. In one hour, I burned 500 calories by doing an interval workout that alternated between 9, 11, and 13 crossramp, with 1 resistance. Essentially, I did high knees for an hour. It was easier than it sounds; once you get into a rhythm, it's easy to hold it even when the crossramp increases. 

Geneissen!!

Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Oat Cookies

...if the name alone isn't a tantalizing mouthful, how about this mouth-watering photo?

And this is a healthy cookie!! 

The credit for this recipe goes to pinterest, which continues to inspire delicious smells and delighted smiles. 

The inspiration for this recipe came from my Bio lab instructor, Dr. K. I was early for lab last week, and we were talking about food. I mentioned that I like to cook, he asked if I bake, and I, of course, said yes. He jokingly requested cookies, I excitedly said, "Sure!". At that point, my lab group had arrived and jumped at the excuse to bake cookies together. Thanks to Caroline, Caitlin, and Hunar (Team Hunar) for baking and doing labs with me, and overall being amazing. I look forward to lab every week just to hang out with you all <3

The following week, the night before lab, we met at my dorm. Everyone brought some ingredients, we made the batter together (feeling intense deja vu, as if we were once again in the lab together, measuring starch and amylase) and while it was baking, we worked on our lab reports. 

Being the geek that I am, I decided it would only be fitting to write today's post like a lab report. Happy Incubating! 

Objective: Bake stunning, delicious, flour-less, butter-free Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Oat Cookies

Hypothesis: Cookies will be primarily held together by the oats and peanut butter. They will rise because of the baking soda, be chewy because of the brown sugar, flavorful because of the vanilla extract, and appease chocoholics with chocolate chips. 

Prediction: This cookie will become a new healthy, addictive favorite!

Materials: (Makes 30 servings)

• 1.5 tbsp Vanilla Extract (22.5 grams)
• 2 Large Eggs 
• 1 cup Peanut Butter (236.6 grams)
• 2/3 cup Rolled Oats (156.1 grams)
• 1 tsp Baking Soda (4.9 grams)
• 2/3 cup Brown Sugar, packed (156.1 grams)
• 1 cup Milk Chocolate Chips (236.6 grams)

Protocol:

1. Preheat the oven to 176.7 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit for those of us in the US). 
2. Combine Baking Soda and Rolled Oats in a small bowl. 
3. In a large bowl, combine Vanilla Extract, Eggs, Peanut Butter, and Brown Sugar. 
4. Mix with a hand mixer for approximately three minutes, or until the batter matches this picture: 
   
   5. Add the dry ingredients to the large bowl. 
   6. Mix in the dry ingredients with a spoon until the batter is relatively homogeneous (completely mixed). 
   7. Fold in chocolate chips using the same technique. 
   8. Using your hands, roll batter into 1 inch diameter balls and place approximately an inch away from all other cookie balls on a non-stick cookie sheet. There is no need to use butter or oil, as the peanut oil from the peanut butter will allow the cookies to separate from the pan. Do not be surprised if your hands become slick and covered with peanut oil while you form the cookie balls; the oil separates in most peanut butter because the peanut oil contained is not pure. 
   
   
   
   
   
   9. Bake for about 10 minutes in the middle of the oven. The cookies will bubble while the separated oil touching the pan cooks, you will think there is something very wrong, worry not! The cookies expand in the second half of the baking process, and will end up looking like this: 
   
   11. You will know the cookies are done if you poke one in the middle with a fork and it comes out clean. Be sure to observe the base of the cookies as well, to see if they have burned. 
   10. If the smell that extends throughout the entire first floor doesn't cause a stampede of hungry college students, suddenly very interested in your affairs, allow to cool for 1-2 minutes before eating to avoid a burnt tongue. 
   12. Try not to eat them all before lab! (This is the most difficult step...we decided to eat the small pan and bring the full pan to lab.)
   
   
   Data Collection: 
   
   
   The Calories:
   Vanilla Extract- 17 calories
   Rolled Oats- 240 calories
   Baking Soda- 3 calories
   Brown Sugar- 547 calories
   Chocolate Chips- 805 calories
   Eggs- 147 calories
   Peanut Butter- 1518 calories
   ____________________________
   TOTAL: 3277 calories
   
   
   Because the recipe made 30 cookies, each cookie is about 109 calories. 
   
   
   The peanut butter looks like a problem, because it contains a high amount of fat. However, it contains mostly unsaturated fat and a high amount of protein. Regular butter is 100% saturated fat, which is more dense than unsaturated fat. (If you're interested in the science behind this concept, please click here!)
   
   
   Discussion:
   What Went Right:
   Everything about these cookies was so right. They're exceptionally delicious; the class loved them, we loved them, and most importantly, our instructor loved them! Plus, we had a great time baking together and working on our lab. 
   
   
   What Went Wrong:
   The total prep time for these cookies is at most 10 minutes. The total bake time for these cookies is at most 10 minutes. That means from start to finish, 30 delectable cookies can be made in only 20 minutes. Need I say more? 
   Follow-Up "Experiment":
   There's nothing in particular these cookies NEED. This is one cookie recipe that I don't particularly want to change. It's wonderful the way it is and really should stay that way. 
   That said, we discussed the potential of combining them with two other cookie recipes we found: Apple Spice Cookies and Boyfriend Cookies. In the spirit of fall, it would be great to try adding diced apple to the recipe, and potentially caramel. I think these would add to the texture and flavor well.The Boyfriend Cookies contain M&Ms, pecans, a few different kinds of chocolate, and pudding mix. I think this is a bit extreme and eclectic, and would take away from the pure warmth of this recipe that blends together so beautifully. 
   Otherwise, I think it would be safe to exchange the milk chocolate for dark chocolate chips or raisins, if you wanted them to be that much more healthy. Exchanging the chocolate for raisins would make each cookie about 99 calories, so it's only worth it if you don't like chocolate. 
   Final Comments:
   Overall, this was a highly worthwhile endeavor which will be duplicated with a different "experiment" next week...stay tuned for more Lab Reports ;) 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

Deceptively Healthy Dessert: Garden Party Berries in Custard

Hello Healthy Dessert Lovers! 

My mom was recently the Chair (and founder) of our local garden walk. 

The night before the event, we had a preview party for the garden owners and volunteers as a sort of orientation for what our guests would experience and how each garden would be set-up. Additionally, it allowed the garden owners and volunteers to experience the garden walk, as they would not be able to do so otherwise. 

The main house for the pre-party was my family's; if you've ever been to our house, you know, the garden is the best part. Especially in Spring/Summer. If you haven't been, it is entirely landscaped with flagstone paths, two patios, a fountain, and we are working on having it designated as a wildlife preserve. 

Being the main house, we were responsible for the majority of the refreshments. My contributions included brownies (less healthy dessert, recipe and workout to follow) and a little invention inspired by Party City's tiny plastic cups and tiny plastic spoons...I love tiny utensils!

The Recipe: Garden Party Berries in Custard

Layer 1: The Custard (Special thanks to Martha Stewart)

• 1 1/4 cups heavy cream
• 1 1/4 cups milk
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 6 large egg yolks
• 1/2 cup sugar

Layer 2: The Berries (Your ratio and amounts will be determined by how many servings you want to make)

• Raspberries
• Blackberries
• Blueberries

Layer 3: The Cocoa Whipped Cream (Make as many servings as necessary...I needed two)

• 2 tbsp Hershey's Cocoa Powder
• 1 cup Heavy Whipping Cream
• 1/3 cup Powdered Sugar
• 1 tbsp Vanilla Extract

Layer 4: Shaved Cocoa Beans from Granada (So you probably won't be able to do this exactly...any chocolate shavings will do if you don't have time to take a little vacation to find the real deal ;) ) 

The Process: 

Layer 1: The Custard

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees. 
• Place 4-6 coffee cups in tall baking pans and fill the pans halfway with water.
• Mix cream, milk, and vanilla into a saucepan on medium heat and allow to boil. 
• Whisk yolks and sugar in a bowl until fluffy. 
• Slowly add cream, milk, and vanilla mixture to the yolks and sugar, whisking simultaneously. 
• Once completely combined, pour mix into cups evenly (the more cups you use, the faster your custard will bake).
• Bake on a low rack for 30-40 minutes (depending on your oven...when you lightly shake the pans, the custard should only move slightly, like jello rather than like sloshing liquid). 
• Allow to cool for 30 min-1 hour. 
• Spoon about 1 tbsp into each of 40 small cups. (If you are making fewer cups, feel free to make less custard, or use more per cup). 

Layer 2: The Berries

• Mix all berries in a large bowl.
• Fill each cup with berries almost to the top. 

Layer 3: The Cocoa Whipped Cream

• Chill a bowl (while you fill cups with berries, or while you are waiting for the custard to cool).
• Mix all ingredients and beat until fluffy. 
• Spoon about 1 tbsp onto each cup. 

Layer 4: Cocoa Shavings

• With all cups arranged on a plate, shave evenly over them. 

Finally....

• Chill entire plate of desserts until you are ready to serve.
• Indulge! :) 

The Calories: 

Because this recipe is so variable based on how much you make versus how much you use, I've decided to calculate only the amount per serving, since that's all we really care about: 

1 Tbsp Custard: 22 calories

1/4 cup Berries: 25 calories

1 Tbsp Whipped Cream: 52 calories

(Negligible calories of cocoa shavings)

__________________________________________________________

TOTAL: 99 calories

A light, but decadent dessert for under 100 calories? I think yes. 

What went right: 

        Everything! These were a huge hit at the party and a lot of fun to make. 

What went wrong: 

        This is a time consuming process, but that might just be due to the sheer volume of servings I made. Making a smaller amount would take much less time to prepare. 

What I would do next time: 

        For a smaller group of people, it would be far more efficient to make the recipe into a tart. Granted this would involve a crust as well, but adding a graham cracker crust would not hurt the nutritional value that significantly, and would be absolutely delicious. 

         Other variations might use different fruits, like peaches, strawberries, kiwi, or bananas. If you're adventurous (and feel like a workout while the custard cools) you might try adding toffee and chocolate instead of fruit, or chocolate dipping strawberries, bananas, and kiwi for the fruit. 

Would I make this in college: 

         Yes and no. I have yet to make custard in college, since it does take a lot of time. If I do, it will probably be a single serving for a single person...namely me...or for a close friend if I meet someone who prefers custard to oreo balls covered in chocolate. 

Overall, this was a great collaboration between me, my mom, Party City, and pinterest. It definitely goes down in my list of specialties. It's a relatively simple recipe once the custard is complete, and it is easy to manipulate any of the layers for personalization. Additionally, it's a great no-guilt treat to share on a hot summer day :) 

M&M Eclair Cake

Hello Decadent Dessert Connoisseurs!

Today's recipe was shared with my entire hall as the birthday cake for October. Happy birthday to my hallmates, Emma, Clarissa, and Kyle :) Thanks to Emmy, Lauren, and Liljuan for baking with me! 

The recipe was originally adapted from the girl who ate everything's Eclair Cake, and a Pinterest photo of a cake covered in M&Ms. However, due to some complications with the instant pudding not solidifying properly in a four hour time period, we had to make some changes to the original plan. Thankfully, it still tasted fantastic and our hall -quite literally- ate it up! 

The Recipe: M&M Eclair Cake

The Crust: 

• 1 cup of all-purpose flour 
• 1 stick of unsalted butter
• 1 cup of water
• Four large eggs

The Filling:

• 1 large box of Vanilla Instant Pudding
• 8 oz cream cheese
• 3 cups milk

The Whipped Cream:

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/3 cup powdered sugar (can be substituted for 3 tbsp granulated white sugar)
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

The Decorations: 

• 1 bag of Dark Chocolate M&Ms

The Process: 

The Pudding: ****Must be made the night before or you will not have firm pudding!!****

• Beat pudding mix and milk for 3 minutes.
• Boil pudding-milk mix on the stove. 
• Put in the fridge until set. 
• Also chill a separate bowl for your cream cheese.

Ours did not set, and we ended up pouring the liquid into the crust and refrigerating the whole cake, it still didn't completely set after four hours, and we poured out the liquid, topped it with whipped cream, and ate a slightly less thick cake.

After reading the directions on the actual pudding box rather than the online recipe for this cake, I realized it was missing a crucial step: boiling the pudding-milk mix before putting it in the fridge. We did not do this, but I added it in just for you.

The Filling:

• Whip cream cheese into the chilled bowl
• Slowly add pudding and whip until there are no lumps. It must be thick before being added to the cream cheese. 

The Puff Pastry:  

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Lightly grease a regular baking sheet
• In a medium saucepot, slowly melt butter in water until it boils. Remove from stove. 
• Put flour in bowl, add water/butter mixture, and stir. 
• Completely mix in one egg at a time (this is the part where it's so much easier to have two people!)
• Spread mixture evenly onto the pan, covering the bottom and sides. It should be relatively wet, like cake batter, rather than thick like cookie batter. 
• Bake until golden brown. (Ours took about 30 minutes.) Remove from the oven and allow to cool without covering it. 

The Whipped Cream: 

• Using a separate chilled bowl, or the chilled bowl from your filling, mix cream and sugar for 1-2 minutes on high. 
• Add vanilla and beat for an additional couple minutes. It should look fluffy rather than thick. 

Putting it all together:

• Once your crust has cooled, pour in the filling. 
• Top with whipped cream. 
• Arrange M&Ms in a pattern, or cover the whole cake, as desired! 

The Calories:

Flour: 455 calories

Butter: 810 calories

Water: 0 calories

Eggs: 312 calories

Pudding: 480 calories

Milk: 309 calories

Cream Cheese: 776 calories

Cream: 821 calories

Powdered Sugar: 154 calories

Vanilla Extract: 6 calories 

M&Ms: 3120 calories

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TOTAL: 7243 calories

However, I'd say 80% of the milk, pudding, and cream cheese were not in the cake, so subtracting:
7243-[.80*(480+309+776)]= 5991 calories

The cake made about 60 servings, and was shared between 30 people. This means a single serving was about 100 calories. At an average of 2 servings each, that makes a single person's consumption only about 200 calories. (Looks a lot better, doesn't it!!)

While this is far from a healthy dessert (workout included at the end), one of my friends made a wise, biological observation grounded in 100% scientifically proven fact: Calories don't count on your birthday! ;) 

So keep this treat as a birthday favorite, or be sure to share it, as we all deserve a treat sometimes :) 

What went right:

         Most people loved the cake and the puff pastry was perfect; it ended up tasting relatively like a crepe. It's definitely necessary to have the M&Ms for texture and taste, and I think this would be true regardless of the filling concentration.

What went wrong:
        The filling, as mentioned, did not set easily. It would have been nice to know about that earlier. Maybe our fridge just isn't as cold as it should be, but at least now we know for next time.

What I would do next time:
         Make the pudding the night before. I also might try making a custard instead of pudding, since that way I know for sure it will set in a given bake time.

Will I make this again in college?: 
         Given that we all decided we would like make the cake together again, I'd go with yes on that one, as long as it's with my friends :)

Overall, a great cake despite the contents. Made with the full recipe, it definitely needs a work out, but not if you only eat two servings of the one we ended up making.

My personal favorite way to get over college calories is a dance party! Dancing is a fantastic workout, when done full-out. It's a great ab work out, and if you dance in three inch heels like I do, you get some extra leg toning too!

If you're not up for a dance party, do the following rotation three times:
50 crunches
50 reverse crunches
50 oblique crunches
20 leg lifts on one side
20 bridges
20 leg lifts on the other side
20 squats

This should take about 15-20 minutes and you'll burn about 100 calories, depending on your initial weight.