Check this out...
Never made it but it sure sounds good!
Linda C

Here is a link that might be useful: Chocolate espresso cheesecake

Hi Sands,it's good to have you back! Where have you been? Joe's Chocolate-Cherry Mascarpone Bundt Cake is calling my name. We also do a New Years Day party and I think this will be on my must make list!
Can you share the recipe for your brownie trifle, please?

Here is a link that might be useful: Joe's Cake

Wow Linda, that looks sooo good! Copying that one.

Sands, at this time a year after all the Holiday goodness I like to have something with fresh fruit. Since you are already well versed in making trifle, maybe switch it up a bit and make a fresh fruit one? Use some really nice and different fruit. Some wonderful lush pears, kiwi sliced nice and thin, star fruit for extra special [on the top or against sides so you can see them], and some pomegranate seeds, fresh pineapple would be nice too. Layer it with lady fingers, or sponge cake or angel food chunks and custard and whipped cream. Even just the fruit layered with some custard and whipped cream would be good.

Okay, Linda's post of the espresso cheesecake got me hungry. Now I want cheesecake and trifle. lol.

I know this one looks like a calorie bomb but perhaps not as much as it seems since it uses quark (fresh cheese) in part rather than all cream.
If you are careful to align the cookies as you add them in layers, the cut open striped effect is very effective.

Oreo Fridge Cake

1 3/4 cups (450 ml) whipping cream
1 lb quark (just under 500 grams) or use ricotta or substitute
2 TBS sugar (or more to taste
2 teasp vanilla "
1 teasp grated lemon zest
32 Oreo chocolate cookies (not split)

- loaf pan measuring across the opening: 9" long(23 cm), 5" across(13 cms), 2 1/2" high (6 cm)
- tin foil to line loaf pan

1. Beat cream and add quark, sugar, vanilla and zest, beating until thick but not overly done.

2. Spread a layer of whipped mixture onto bottom of lined pan and add 8 cookies, evenly spaced. Add more whipped mixture.

3. Continue until you have made 4 cookie layers. Top with more whipped mixture. Save a couple of tablespoons of the whip mixture in a closed container for retouching the cake the next day.

4. Cover loosely with a foil hat and refrigerate overnight or longer.

5. Turn out onto long plate or platter, carefully removing the tin foil.
Retouch any bare spots with the saved whipped mixture, using small spatula.

6. Decorate if desired with a sprinkle of cocoa powder shaken through a sieve and a few chocolate shavings (use potato peeler on a bar of chocolate). Pink icing rosebuds would be nice for a special occasion too.

7. Slice downwards and use pie server to carefully separate each piece when serving. Serve very cold.

Photos of the steps in making it:

SharonCb (My own recipe.)

Hi Sands, welcome back. Here are a few that might work for you.

Home Cookin Chapter: Recipes From Thibeault's Table

Cassata Cake (Sicilian Ricotta Cheesecake)
==========================================

Source: Bonnie Stern, Toronto

Cake Base

1 cup unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
5 eggs
2 cups cake flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons lemon juice (Brandy, orange ligueur or Amaretto)

Preheat oven to 325F. Butter a 9 x 5 loaf pan.

Cream butter until light and add sugar gradually.

Beat eggs in one at a time.

Add vanilla and flavorings

Stir or sift dry ingredients together and stir into egg mixture quickly. Pour into pan and bake 1 1/4 or 1 1/2 hours.

Note: This cake improves with age and freezes well.

Filling, Icing and Final Assembly

1 pound ricotta cheese
2/3 cups sugar
2 teaspoon vanilla
2 ounces of liqueur (Orange, Cognac, Amaretto, your choice)
2 oz. semisweet chocolate grated
1/4 cup candied fruit

Icing,

2 cups whipping cream
1/4 cup sifted icing sugar
2 oz liqueur (use the same as above)

Beat the sugar into the cheese. Add vanilla, liqueur, fruit and chocolate.

Slice the cake into 3 or 4 layers and spread each with some of the cheese mixture reshaping the cake into a loaf as you proceed. Finish with a layer of cake. The cake will keep, well wrapped, two days at this point.

A few hours before serving whip the cream until light and add the sugar and liqueur. Continue beating until quite stiff.

Spread a coating of cream over the sides and top of the cake. Place the remaining cream into a piping bag and decorate the cake. It could be garnished with pistachio nuts , chocolate curls or strawberries. This cake is very rich so serve think slices.

Notes: This cake ban also be iced with chocolate icing and it can be made into a round instead of in a loaf.

My Notes: I usually add extra chocolate to the filling and leave out the candied fruit.

Home Cookin Chapter: Recipes From Thibeault's Table

White Chocolate Cream cheese Raspberry Tart
===========================================

Shortbread Tart Pastry
======================

1 cup butter, room temperature

1/2 cup Icing sugar (powdered sugar)

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

Place the flour and icing sugar in the bowl of a food processor. Cut the butter into pieces and add to the bowl. Using the pulse function process the mixture until it forms a ball.

White Chocolate Cream Cheese Filling

8 ounces white chocolate melted
(I melt in the microwave on medium low heat in 20 to 30 second intervals) Stir in between. Chocolate should not be hot.

8 ounces cream cheese room temperature
2 large eggs
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 white sugar
2 to 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
Fresh Raspberries

(enough filling for two pies)

Preheat oven to 425°F.

Prepare the crust first.

Divide dough into 4 equal pieces and place in the bottom of a tart pan with
removeable bottom. Using your fingers pat the dough evenly along the sides
and bottom of the pan. Prick with a fork and put in the freezer for 15
minutes. Prick again. Place on a cookie sheet and bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until crust is
golden. Check after the first 6 or 7 minutes and if the pastry is rising
up, flatten gently with a fork. Remove from oven and let cool on a rack.

Lower the temperature to 350°F

Filling

Beat the cream cheese with sugar until soft and creamy. Add the eggs and
continue to beat. Beat in melted white chocolate,cream and vanilla.

Decorate tart shell with raspberries. Slowly pour the cream cheese filling
around the berries. Bake for approximately 25 to 30 minutes or until the filling is set.

Let cool on rack. May be decorated with melted chocolate.

Note, enough filling for two pies.

Home Cookin Chapter: Recipes From Thibeault's Table

Praline Cheesecake
==================

1-1/4 cup crushed graham crackers
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup finely chopped pecans toasted
1/4 cup butter melted
3 - 8 oz packages cream cheese
1 cup packed brown sugar
2/3 cup evaporated milk NOte: I used coffee cream
2 Tablespoons all purpose flour
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 eggs
1 cup pecan halves toasted.

Caramel Sauce topping

1 cup corn syrup - dark
1/4 cup cornstarch
2 Tablespoon Brown sugar
1 Tablespoon vanilla

Nnte: I use my regular caramel sauce instead of the one mentioned above:

Caramel Sauce

1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup cream
pinch of salt
2 teaspoons vanilla

Mix all the ingredients together and simmer for about 5 or 6 minutes.

Serve over Bread and butter pudding, apple pie and icecream, warm gingerbread, etc..
. Combine graham crackers, sugar, pecans and stir in melted butter.
Press mixture over the bottom and 1 1/2 inches up sides of a 9" ich
spring pan.

Bake at 350°F for 10 minutes.

Beat cream cheese, 1 cup brown sugar, evaporated milk, flour and
vanilla. Add egss and beat until just blended. pour into crust. Bake
50 to 55 minutes or until set.

Cool in pan for 30 minutes. Loosen sides and remove rim. Cool
completely. Arrange toasted pecans on top of cake decoratively.

Make Topping by combining corn syrup, cornstarch and brown sugar in a
small saucepan. Cook and stir until thickened. Remove from heat and
add vanilla.

To serve cake, Pour sauce over top and serve remaining sauce in a
pitcher at the table.

NOTE: I baked the cake in a Baine Marie. I wrapped foil around the
outside of the springform pan to prevent any water from seeping in to
the cake.

(Toronto Star Newspaper: 1981)

Well, compumom beat me to it.

My old potluck standby dessert was my Chocolate-chip Apple Cake.

Now, it's the Chocolate-Cherry Mascarpone Cake that compumom posted.

Both are easy, yummy and, most importantly, they travel and last well.

Joe

Holy cwap! Dem be some very decadent desserts people, I passed out in a diabetic coma just reading them!

Thank you for all the choices! I have several in mind - gotta check the pantry... geez how else am I gonna pick people?? lol