Election Night Celebration - or Commiseration

Happy Election Tuesday everyone! I hope you've all gone out and voted (or plan to vote) in this extremely significant election! Whether or not your candidate wins is irrelevant when it comes to dessert...you can eat either way. So today we have 3 election-y fun desserts to honor this very important historic event.

Oreo Cheesecake Brownie Bars
Elise Strachan

Ingredients
Brownie Batter:

• 13 tablespoons (185 g or 6½ ounces) unsalted butter, cubed
• 7 ounces (200 g) good quality dark chocolate, chopped
• 3 large eggs
• 1 1/3 cups (270 g or 9½ ounces) granulated sugar or superfine sugar
• 2/3 cup (90 g or 3.2 ounces) all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup (40 g or 1½ ounces) unsweetened cocoa powder
• Nonstick cooking spray

Cheesecake Batter:

• 16 ounces (2 bricks) cream cheese, softened
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 3 large eggs
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

• 48 Oreo cookies, broken into chunks
• 1 package mini Oreo cookies

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 320°F.
2. Make the brownie batter: In a saucepan over medium heat, add the butter and bring to a gentle boil. Turn the heat OFF and then add the dark chocolate, stirring intermittently until the chocolate has melted. Remove the pan from the heat and allow it to cool slightly.
3. In a large bowl, add the eggs and sugar and beat with an electric mixer until they have almost doubled in size and are super light and fluffy, at least 7 minutes.
4. Pour the chocolate mixture into the egg mixture and gently fold the two together using big round figure-8 movements. Stop mixing as soon as you no longer see white streaks through the chocolate batter.
5. In another bowl, sift the flour and cocoa powder together. Sift the cocoa flour mix directly over the top of the chocolate mixture so it falls evenly. Fold together, again using big round figure-8 movements.
6. Spray a 9-inch x 13-inch pan with the cooking spray and line the base with parchment paper. Pour half of the brownie mixture into the prepared pan and par-bake for 15 minutes. 
7. Meanwhile, make the cheesecake batter: In a large mixing bowl, add the cream cheese, sugar and cornstarch and beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until creamy.
8. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating in between each addition.
9. Stir in the cream, vanilla and 1½ cups of the crushed Oreo cookies.
10. Remove the partially cooked brownie from the oven. Pour the cheesecake mixture over the par-cooked brownie and bake for 20 minutes.
11. Remove the tray from the oven and gently spread the remaining brownie batter over the cheesecake layer. Cover the brownie with chunks of crushed Oreo, adding some whole and halved mini Oreos throughout before returning to the oven for a further 20 minutes. The top should start to look a little flaky and the middle should spring back lightly when touched.
12. Cool completely in the pan (or preferably, chill overnight) before cutting into bars.

Flag Cake

Ina Garten

Ingredients

• 18 tablespoons (2 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
• 3 cups sugar
• 6 extra-large eggs at room temperature
• 1 cup sour cream at room temperature
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 3 cups flour
• 1/3 cup cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda

For the icing:

• 1 pound (4 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1 1/2 pounds cream cheese at room temperature
• 1 pound confectioners' sugar, sifted
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

To assemble:

• 2 half-pints blueberries
• 3 half-pints raspberries

Directions

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Butter and flour an 18 by 13 by 1 1/2-inch sheet pan.
3. Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on high speed, until light and fluffy. On medium speed, add the eggs, 2 at a time, then add the sour cream and vanilla. Scrape down the sides and stir until smooth.
4. Sift together the flour, cornstarch, salt, and baking soda in a bowl. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture to the butter mixture until just combined. Pour into the prepared pan. Smooth the top with a spatula. Bake in the center of the oven for 20 to 30 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool to room temperature.
5. For the icing, combine the butter, cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mixing just until smooth.
6. Spread three-fourths of the icing on the top of the cooled sheet cake. Outline the flag on the top of the cake with a toothpick. Fill the upper left corner with blueberries. Place 2 rows of raspberries across the top of the cake like a red stripe. Put the remaining icing in a pastry bag fitted with a star tip and pipe two rows of white stripes below the raspberries. Alternate rows of raspberries and icing until the flag is completed. Pipe stars on top of the blueberries.
7. I serve this cake right in the pan. If you want to turn it out onto a board before frosting, use parchment paper when you grease and flour the pan.

Election Cake

Melissa Gaman

Ingredients

• Two .25-ounce envelopes dry active yeast
• 1 cup warm, but not hot, water (about 105 degrees F)
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus extra for greasing the pan
• 1 cup mixed dried fruit, such as golden raisins, cranberries and pittedprunes, chopped if large
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar
• 1/3 cup American whiskey, bourbonor rye
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 3/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• 2 tablespoons milk

Directions

1. Sprinkle the yeast over the warm water in a medium bowl. Stir a few times and let stand to allow the yeast to dissolve and begin bubbling, 1 to 2 minutes. Sift 1 1/2 cups of the flour into the bowl and stir until mostly smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm place for about 30 minutes. The mixture will expand, loosen in texture and will have large bubbles on the surface. 
2. While that sits, generously butter a 12-cup Bundt pan and set aside. Place the dried fruit, 2 tablespoons of the brown sugar and all of the whiskey in a microwave-safe bowl. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Heat in the microwave until hot and bubbling, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir and set aside to cool. In a medium bowl, whisk the remaining 1 1/2 cups flour with the cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg and salt. 
3. Beat the butter with the remaining 1/2 cup brown and the granulated sugar with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until combined (the mixture may look slightly curdled at this stage), and then add 1 teaspoon of the vanilla. Beat in the yeast mixture and then reduce the speed to medium-low and gradually beat in the flour mixture. Add the plumped dried fruit with any remaining liquid and beat on medium speed until the fruit is well blended. The dough should be soft and elastic at this point. 
4. Transfer the dough to the prepared Bundt pan and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place until the dough fills the pan about three-quarters of the way, about 2 hours. When is the cake is almost done rising, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. 
5. Bake the cake until golden brown and a skewer inserted comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. Cool for 30 minutes in the pan on a wire rack. Loosen the sides with a small metal spatula and turn onto the wire rack to cool completely. 
6. Before serving, stir the confectioners' sugar with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon vanilla and 1 tablespoon milk. Gradually add as much as needed of the second tablespoon of milk to make a thick glaze that will just gently run. Spoon over the top of the cake, allowing the glaze to slowly run down the outside and inside of the cake. 

Cook's Note: This cake is great made a day or two in advance. Just hold off on the glaze until you are ready to serve.

Happy election baking!