McCrory shares her favorite Christmas recipes

“There are two desserts that my family begs for me to bring to our holiday get-togethers which are my homemade cheesecake with a praline sauce and my triple chocolate cake with ganache,” said Dana Hardin McCrory of Bruce.
Besides substituting a homemade cheesecake with premade, you can also substitute the homemade buttermilk chocolate cake with a Duncan Hines Swiss Chocolate cake mix cake and frost with your homemade chocolate cream cheese frosting topped with homemade chocolate ganache, she said.

The pecan praline sauce can be used to top many of your favorite desserts, ice cream, or even a homemade biscuit, she added.
About the chocolate cream cheese frosting, she said, “My sons, Bailey and Brody, used to love adding their favorite color of food coloring to the vanilla frosting. I have spoiled my family with this frosting, they do not want a store-bought cake anymore.”

“To make your cupcakes look great, use a piping bag and swirl design along with your choice of sprinkles!”
The ganache can be used in numerous other ways such as a topping for cheesecake, brownies, ice cream, etc., she said.

Homemade Cheesecake
If you do not have the time or do not want to attempt to make the homemade cheesecake, buy a premade cheesecake and add the homemade pecan praline sauce.
Pecan Praline Sauce
2 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 1/2 cups evaporated milk
2 Tbsp. salted butter
1 1/2 tsp. real vanilla extract
1 cup chopped toasted pecans
Pinch of salt
Toast pecans on baking sheet in 350° oven, around 5 minutes (constantly check and turn the nuts. Oven times vary. It doesn’t take long at all. You just want them warm and aromatic). In small saucepan over low heat, combine brown sugar, evaporated milk, salt and butter. Cook and stir sauce until smooth and syrupy, or about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and toasted pecans. Sauce will thicken as it cools. Store leftover in refrigerator. (When I serve a piece of cheesecake, I slightly warm only the amount of sauce I need for “X” number of servings in microwave and pour over the cheesecake.)

The cheesecake recipe I use:
Paula Deen’s New York Cheesecake
Crust: 2 cups crushed vanilla wafer cookies
or graham cracker cookies
1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
6 tablespoons butter, melted
Batter: 5 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
2 cups granulated sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
5 large eggs
2 egg yolks
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream

Garnish: fresh raspberries
Preheat oven to 300°. Wrap outside bottom and sides of 10” springform pan with a piece of aluminum foil. Crust: In medium bowl, stir together all ingredients. Press mixture into bottom and 2” up sides of prepared pan. Bake 8 minutes. Let cool completely. Batter: In large bowl, beat cream cheese, granulated sugar, and flour with mixer at medium speed until fluffy. Add eggs and yolks, one at a time, beating just until combined after each addition. Stir in cream. Pour batter into prepared crust. Bake 1 hour. Turn oven off, and leave cheesecake in oven with door closed for 30 minutes. Remove from oven, and let cool completely on wire rack. Cover and refrigerate (still in springform pan) at least 4 hours before serving.

Buttermilk Chocolate Cake
3 cups sifted all-purpose flour
3 cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups cocoa powder (unsweetened)
1 Tbsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. salt
4 large eggs (bring to room temp before adding them)
1 1/2 cups regular buttermilk
1 1/2 cups warm water
1/2 vegetable oil
2 tsp. real vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350°. Butter and dust bottom and sides of cake pan with flour and tap out the excess. (use your choice of two or three round cake pans). Mix together sifted flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in stand mixer using low speed until combined. Add eggs, buttermilk, warm water, oil, and vanilla. Beat on medium until smooth. Divide batter evenly into cake pans. (If you are using three, it takes about 3 cups per pan). Slightly tap pan on counter to release bubbles in batter.) Bake 30-35 minutes in 350° oven until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Cool on wire racks (cake is still in pan) and allow to cool completely before frosting cake with chocolate cream cheese icing

Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
1 1/2 sticks of room temperature (very important to avoid lumps) real salted butter
1 1/2 blocks of room temperature 8 oz. cream cheese
1 1/2 boxes (16 oz.) powdered sugar or 3/4 of a bag of 32 oz.
1 1/2 cups of cocoa powder (unsweetened)
Approximately 1/4 cup of milk (add one tablespoon at a time until desired consistency)
Cream together cream cheese and butter. In separate bowl (for ease and convenience) sift powdered sugar and cocoa powder. Slowly add powdered sugar/cocoa powder mix to creamed butter/cream cheese mixture. Slowly add milk to thin to frosting consistency.
(For vanilla frosting, I use same recipe omitting cocoa powder and adding 1 1/2 tsp. of real vanilla extract at end of mixing process.)

Chocolate Ganache
8 oz. semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup heavy cream
Slowly heat ingredients in microwave (30-second intervals until warm and smooth) stirring between intervals. Pour desired amount on top of frosted chocolate cake.