Category Archives: Desserts

Oat Cake with Blackberries and Blueberries

Posted on by

A few weeks ago I had to take the Princess to her regular mammogram appointment. For those of you who do not know my mom had breast cancer about 5 years ago. She is cancer free now…yippee! But goes in every 6 months for her cancer screening.

Anywho…..I drove to Mom’s and picked her up and drove her to her appointment.

We got there in plenty of time and sat down to wait until it was her turn. On the table, in the waiting room, was a Martha Steward magazine. UMMM…maybe there is some recipes in there, I thought as I reached for the magazine.

That is when it happen!

Some crazy lady in the waiting room decided to start talking to me.

Clutching Martha Steward to my chest I sat back down and started looking through the magazine. Absentmindedly, nodding yes, occasionally looking up and smiling and telling her that I agree and yes it was ok to live in the Ozarks and drive to the big city for appointments cause the doctors are better and that Yes, McDonalds has the best tasting fries (if you do not like salt on your fries) around and who invented a machine that squishes your breast down like a pancake to get an xray….Still looking through the magazine I finally see a recipe that looks like one I would like to try. I really do not want to steal this magazine from the waiting room….I would never do that…cough cough…but I just wanted to write the recipe down real quick…..That is too bad to hear that you big toe hurt in those new shoes, I hate it when my feet hurt too….I really want this recipe. In the midst of all this talking, The Princess had already gone in and had her mammogram and was waiting on me. Desperation seized me, cause I really wanted this recipe….So I did what all 80’s Ladies would do….I pulled out my IPhone and took a picture of it!

I smiled to the crazy lady and mom smiled at her too and we waved goodbye  and went out of the waiting room.

Mom asked me who was that? I don’t know who she is but I bet she is kin to us cause we are kinda crazy too!

I know that this has happened to you in a waiting room…..and it was probably me doing the talking.

Most importantly, I have this moist delicious recipe to share with you.

I have made this cake twice now and everyone who has tried it loves it. The oatmeal in it gives it a rustic texture, the berries add so much tenderness and flavor and the sugar on top adds the crunch appeal!

This is all you need to make this recipe. Sorry you can’t see the quick cooking oats in the back, the sunlight was coming in too strong to get a good picture)

First thing, is prepare a 8 x 8 inch pan but putting butter on the inside and coating it with flour, shaking off the excess flour.

Measure out one cup of oats.

Add water to the oats to soften them up.

In a separate bowl, add flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder and cinnamon.

In a mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar and brown sugar.

Add one egg and mix.

Add vanilla and combine.

Add the flour mixture and gently combine.

Add half of the blackberries and blue berries.

Gently fold in the berries.

Spread batter evenly in pan.

Top it with some oats.

Some sugar. You can use regular sugar, sanding sugar or you can use what I used and it was unrefined sugar I got from the Amish store.

Lastly, sprinkle the rest of the berries on top and put in a preheated 350 degree oven.

It comes out looking like this. The berries have popped open and sunk in a bit and the sugar on top has added a crunch.

Take a look at the inside. It is full of berries. This cake is not too sweet either.

Ok…for all my crazy friend out there that wanted this recipe and to the crazy lady in the waiting room….I am honored to have you as my friends.

Till we meet again…in the waiting room or at Mickey D’s ordering French fries…just remember to ask for more salt!

Enjoy!

Becky

Here is the recipe

Oat Cake with Blackberries and Blueberries

Adapted from Martha Steward

Ingredients:

1 cup of quick cooking oats (plus 3 tablespoons for sprinkling on top of cake)

2/3 cup of water

1/2 cup of butter

3/4 cup of flour

1/2 teaspoon of baking powder

1/2 teaspoon of baking soda

1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon

3/4 teaspoon of salt

1/2 cup of brown sugar

1/2 cup of granulated sugar

1 large egg

1 teaspoon of vanilla

1 cup blackberries

1 cup blueberries

Directions:

Prepare  8 x 8 pan with butter and flour. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine 1 cup  of oats with water and let stand until softened.

In another bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.

In a mixing bowl, cream together the butter and the sugars. Add egg and vanilla.

Add flour mixture to the creamed butter mixture.

Fold in 1/2 cup of each blueberries and blackberries.

Spread batter evenly into prepared pan.

Sprinkle with 3 tablespoons oats, sanding sugar and the rest of berries.

Bake for 40 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean from the center.

Cool for 30 minutes and dig in!!

Going…Going…..

Gone!

MMMM….

Here are some recipe recipes you might enjoy trying.

                                       

Cornbread Salad                                  Praline Snickerdoodles                         Garlic Cheddar Biscuits

 

Cooking (blackberry cobbler) with Company

Posted on by

Have you ever tried to bake something with Company?

It can be a comical and yummy experience….if you are brave enough!

Last week, I went blackberry pickin with two of my retired teacher friends and I came home with almost 8 pounds of blackberries. you can read about it here. I did not want to waste one berry because I waited too long to either bake, freeze or make jam with them. Since black berry cobbler is one our favorite things to gobble up this time of year, I took the chance to bake with oldest grand girl and Company.

Here is how it went….

The first thing we did was round up all the ingredients. Whew…it was like….flour on first base, sugar on second, what’s in the grocery bag?…..(blackberries you ding dong….)

Grand girl takes charge and starts measuring out the flour to make the crust.

Next, Company takes over and adds in some baking powder.

Then adds in some sugar.

This is when it gets interesting.

Company takes over (again) and decided to measure the cinnamon.

Company was very exact when measuring.

Then…..

Company has to tap…tap…tap…tap….and tap (again) the cinnamon into the bowl. (it has something to do with the way company’s grand ma did it).

Grand girl, rereads the recipe and finds that we have left out the salt. She does not want to use table salt. so she spends 10 minutes looking for the sea salt.

They final let me help by whisking the dry ingredients together.

I think this is about the time that it was getting dark outside. My last working kitchen light bulb had gone out the day before and it was getting pretty dark in the kitchen. (did you notice all the shadows in the pictures?) Company decided to make a Walmart trip to replace the bulbs so we can finish up our cobbler.

So…..oldest grand girl and I wait…and wait….

40 minutes later…..company comes back with a bunch of light bulbs and in no time we have light!

Grand girl takes control (before Company can) and adds the butter.

She uses the pastry blender, to cut in the butter.

She carefully measures the milk (trying to impress company hehe).

Gently stir the crust together. They actually let me do this.

Right in the middle of us finishing up the cobbler crust, company pulls kit kat candy bars out of a Walmart sack. “What!? Are you hungry?”  “Yes…” ” We are going to be eating hot blackberry cobbler in about a hour.” Company smiles and asks….”Do you want a piece of my kit kat bar?”

“Well….Sure…”

Who can resist a piece of a kit kat bar?

Knead together the crust and roll out between two pieces of plastic wrap. I used a oval baking dish, so I was making sure the crust was the correct shape to fit. Put the crust in the fridge while you make the berry filling.

Measure out the blackberries in to a bowl.

Add the sugar.

Add the cornstarch next for a thickener.

Add the lemon juice.

We are moving a little faster now cause…..

I gave Company something to do while grand girl and I finished up.

Lastly we added some vanilla.

Stir the berries together with the sugar, lemon juice and the vanilla and pour into a prepared baking dish.

Put the chilled crust on top of the berries (tucking in the crust if it is a bit too big) Brush the top of the crust with cream (grand girl used milk).

Sprinkle the top with sugar.

I used this sugar, because it is bigger than regular sugar and has a nice flavor to it. Feel free to use regular or sanding sugar if you want. Put the cobbler in oven and bake until bubble and the crust is brown, about one hour.

While the cobbler was baking, oldest grand girl did magic tricks for us. She even has a levitating box trick.

 

Here is what ours looked like when it came out of the oven. If you need to cook yours longer but are afraid the crust will get too brown, just put a layer of foil on top of the cobbler.

You are suppose to wait for half and hour before eating the cobbler.

Did we wait????

Heck NO!

This is a juicy and tart cobbler. This would be perfect with a scoop of ice cream. Enough juice to swirl over your ice cream and tart enough to go with the sweetness of the ice cream

Did we have ice cream on ours.

Heck NO….cause Company does not like ice cream on his cobbler.

Sometimes, you have to make the Company happy.

Anywho…..if you have time to pick some fresh blackberries or just pick some up at the store, this is a easy and delicious cobbler.

It goes great with Company!

Enjoy!

Becky

Here is the recipe:

Blackberry Cobbler

Adapted from Back in the Day Bakery Cookbook

Ingredients:

2 cups flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

2 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt.

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

6 tablespoons cubed butter

3/4 cup of heavy cream (I used whole milk cause that was all I had)

Ingredients for the filling:

6 cups fresh blackberries

2/3 cups sugar

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon vanilla (optional)

Directions:

For the crust:

Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. With a pastry blender, cut in the butter. Gently stir in the butter. Knead together (do not over knead or it will make a tough crust). Roll out crust to desired shape (I put the crust in between two piece of plastic wrap) and place in the refrigerator while you make the filling.

For the filling:

Combined the berries, sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice and vanilla. Pour into a butter coated baking dish.

Place the chilled dough over the filling. Brush cream (I used milk) over the top of the crust and sprinkle with sugar.

Place in a preheated 350 degree oven and bake for about an hour.

Let the cobbler sit for 30 minutes before eating to give time for the crust to absorb some juice and the juice to thicken. (We could not wait…ooops)

It was great without ice cream too…..Company said so!

Have a great day!

Becky

 

Recipes you also might like:

                                       

Sour Cream Apple Pie                      Three Layer Strawberry Cake                       Poppy Seed Bread

Strawberry Cake

Posted on by

One of the highlights (at least for me) teaching summer school, is that our school does a Fun Food Friday.

We come up with a theme and all the teachers bring food in to share.

This is a fun time for me to try new recipes and have the teachers try them out.

Teachers eat anything….you know that don’t you? : )

On the first fun food day, I brought in this Strawberry Cake. I found the recipe in a Southern Cake Magazine, and it looked way too good to pass up from trying it out.

There was not a crumb left over from this cake.

I have even been asked by a couple of teachers to make it for them and they will pay me.

Woohoo….money in the bank!

Anywho, before I left for vacation in Branson, I made this cake again for a teacher friend of mine. She is paying me to make it for her Aunt’s birthday party.

How cool is that?

I am always humbled when I get asked to cater something or make a cake. Cooking and baking is just something I love to do.

Now I wish I could say that about cleaning the kitchen.

Below, is a shorten, step by step instructions on how to make this cake.

These are the ingredients you will need to make this show stopping cake.

First thing you need to do is  make the strawberry curd filling. You will need to cook, egg yolks, sugar, corn starch and drained frozen strawberries, until thick. Then add in butter and strawberry extract.

Next,  you need to make the cake batter. Take butter and sugar and cream together. Add vanilla. The alternate flour, baking powder and salt mixture with the buttermilk.

Next whip up 5 egg whites until stiff.

Fold in the egg whites with the cake batter.

This what the cake batter looks like when you get all the egg whites and cake batter folded together.

 

Spread batter evenly in three 9 inch round cake pans and bake till done.

Remove cakes from pans, and cool completely. Then spread strawberry curd on top of the two of the cakes.

This is what it looks like all layered with the strawberry puree filling.

To make the yummy strawberry icing, cream together butter and cream cheese. Add some strawberry peree, extract and powdered sugar.

Now you can spread that yummy frosting

Now, decorate with some cut strawberries.

Then watch it dissapear.

How much would charge if you made this cake for hire?

I would love to know!

I never know how much to charge.

Here is the recipe for this beautiful and deliscious cake.

 Strawberry Cake

Adapted from Southern Cake Magazine

You will need to make a strawberry curd filling, three white cakes and a strawberry frosting.

First make the Strawberry Curd (so it can cool)

Ingredients

1–15.5 ounce package of frozen sliced strawberries in syrup. Please thaw and drain the juice.

1/2 cup sugar

2 tablespoons cornstarch

3 egg yolks

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/4 cup butter

1 teaspoon strawberry extract

Directions:

In a food processor  or blender, process the drained frozen strawberries. Resever 1/2 cup for the frosting.

In a s heavy sauce mix together sugar and cornstarch. Add puree, egg yolks and lemon juice. Cook until very thick, whisking the mixture all the time. This should take around 8 minutes.

Remove from heat and whisk in butter and strawberry extract. Let mixture cool.

Cake Batter Ingredients:

1 cup butter sofened

2 cups of sugar

1 teaspoon vanill extract

2 and 3/4 cups all purpose flour

2 and 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup whole buttermilk

5 egg whites

Directions:

In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar together (I used my stand mixer) until they are fluffy. Add vanilla and mix together.

In a different bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and alt. Add the flour mixure to the butter mixture, alternating it with the butter milk.

In another bowl, whip the egg whites until they form stiff peaks.

Fold in the egg whites, a third at a time with the cake batter.

Divide the batter between the three pans and bake until the centers are done. This took around 20 minutes in my oven.

When the cakes are baked, cool on a cooling rack  and remove from pans and cool completely.

Strawberry Frosting Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 (8 ounce) package of cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup of the reseved strawberry puree (it is what you saved from the strawberry curd recipe)

1 teaspoon strawberry extract

6 cups f confectioner’s sugar (I call this powdered sugar)

Directions:

In a large bowl, beat the butter and cream cheese together until it is very smooth. Add the strawberry puree and the strawberry extract, mixing them together with the butter and cream cheese mixture. Gradually add the confectioners’ sugar, beating until smooth and spreadable.

To Assemble the cake:

              

Spread the strawberry curd on top of one cake. Put a cake on top of it, and spread strawberry curd on the top of the cake. Place the third cake on top of that one. Frost the cake with strawberry frosting. Add a finishing touch of sliced strawberries to the top of the cake.

Here is what the cake looks like all finished.

Tell me how you like this cake!

Here are links to a few other cake recipe you might like to try.

                           

The Best Chocolate Cake                 Dad’s Key Lime Cake                                Banana Bars

Enjoy!

Becky

 

 

The Best Chocolate Cake

Posted on by

A couple of months ago I was approached ta work to make a small dinner for our science department.

The department chair wanted to treat her department to a little TLC with having a dinner catered for them.

At first I was a little surprise to be asked. I cook a lot for my school, but it is always for a club activity or a hospitality room.

This was a PAYING job.

Waawhoo….

After I picked myself off of the floor and agreed to make the dinner, the first thing I wanted to make was a great dessert.

I remembered this chocolate cake I made last year. It  was so moist and rich and covered with a layer of chocolate ganache and topped with chocolate curls.

This cake has the WOW factor.

Here is the top of the cake when  I made it the for the first time last year. The one I made this year I put strawberries on it instead of raspberries.

This is how fast this cake will disappear.

You will not believe how simple this cake really is to make. It starts out using a deviled food cake mix , a bunch of chocolate chips, sour cream, a pudding mix and some oil. It takes a total of 3 bags of chocolate chips to make this cake. On for the cake, one for  the ganache and one for the chocolate curls.

You like chocolate, right?

It even has a filling of premade chocolate frosting.

 With a rich chocolate ganache and topped with chocolate curls and  decorated  with berries of your choice, this cake is pure decadence.

 

Here is the one I made with stawberries.

 Are you ready to make one yet?

I know you can!

Here is your grocery list and step by step instructions.

 Here is everything you need to make this cake except for a tub of ready to use chocolate frosting. I have already made the chocolate curls and you can see my step by step instructions on how to make them here.

         

The first thing you need to do is put the cake mix and the pudding mix in a large mixing bowl.

         

Next add your sour cream and the vegetable oil to the cake mix.

         

Crack four eggs in to a small bowl and beat with a fork.

         

Add the beaten eggs and vanilla into the mixing bowl with the cake mix.

         

Now, add the milk. The fun starts now. With your mixer, combine all the ingredients.

         

Combine all the ingredients until the batter is nice and thick.

         

Here is where you use the first bag of chocolate chips. These are semi sweet miniature chocolate chips. Add the whole bag ; )

Is this beautiful batter or what?

         

Evenly pour batter into two 9 inch round cake pans. I have the bottoms of the pans covered in parchment paper and the sides are coated with butter then flour. I hate it when a cake sticks in a pan.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for around 35 to 40 minutes, or until a tooth pick comes out clean. I use a cake tester. It looks likes I am taking the temperature of the cake.

         

Use another smaller cooling rack to invert your cake on to get it out of the pan to cool on a larger cooling rack. Cool completely.

         

When the cakes are totally cooled frost the top of the bottom layer.

Place the top cake round onto the frosted bottom layer. It is starting to look like a layer cake. Don’t you agree? Now, just leave the cakes alone for a bit while you make the ganache. Leave the cake on the cooling rack. You will see in a bit why.

Here is the part where you use chocolate chip bag number two. In a double boiler, melt the chocolate chips and the whipping cream together. You can do this in the microwave too. Just put the chips and whipping cream in a microwave safe bowl and heat for a minute at a time until all the chips are melted. Let the ganache cool slightly before you pour it over the cake.

Put a baking sheet under the cooling rack with the cake on it. Slowly pour the ganache over the cake until it is completely covered. I did mine a couple of times to get the thickness I wanted. The baking pan underneath will catch the dripping ganache.

Now you use the third bag of chocolate chips. While the ganache is still moist, (so the curls will stick to the cake) decorate the top of the cake with chocolate curls. I posted step by step directions on how to make chocolate curls here.

Decorate with your choice of berries. Then try not to eat the whole cake. At least wait until no one is looking. I won’t tell….promise!

If you think this cake is too hard. It really isn’t. Just allow plenty of time and make the curls the day before. I always put the cake in the fridge overnight to firm it up before I put it on a cake plate.

Surprise someone in your life with a beautiful and delicious cake.

Everyone loves a beautiful cake.

They will love you for it.

Here is the recipe

The Best Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:

Chocolate Curls:

1 – 11.5 ounce package of semi sweet chocolate chips

Cake:

1 box devils food cake mix

1 package of instant chocolate pudding mix

1 cup of sour cream

1 cup of vegetable oil

4 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 – 11.5 ounce package of semi sweet miniature chocolate chips

Middle frosting:

I tub of ready to use chocolate frosting

Ganache:

1-11.5 ounce package of  semi sweet chocolate chips (I have used dark chocolate chips too and it taste great also)

1 cup of whipping cream

Berries for decorations is optional

Directions:

Preheat you oven to 350 degrees.

For the Cake:

In a large mixing bowl, mix together the cake mix, pudding mix, sour cream, vegetable oil, eggs, milk and vanilla. Mix together. The batter will be thick. Add the chocolate chips and mix in. Pour the batter evenly between two 9 inch prepared cake pans. Bake for approximately 35 to 40 minutes or until a tooth pick comes out clean. When the cakes are baked. Cool fior 10 minutes and remove the cakes from the pan and cool completely on a cooking racks. When the cakes are cooled. Frost the top of the bottom layer with the ready to use chocolate frosting. (you will not use the whole tub….though I did try too)

Leave the cake on the cooling rack.

To make the ganache:

Slowly melt together the chocolate chips and whipping cream. Put a baking sheet under the cooling rack the cake is on.  Pour the ganache evenly  over the layered cake. The ganache will drip down into the baking sheet. Make sure you get all the sides of the cake covered.

To decorate the cake with curls.

Using the curls you made earlier (you can find the directions for the curls here) decorate the top of the cake while the ganache is still moist. This will help secure the curls to the top of the cake. Decorate with berries if you desire.

I cannot even put into words how moist and delicious this cake is.

Do not be intimidate by this cake. You can make it!!

Go for it and let me know what you think.

There is a reason why it is named, “The Best Chocolate Cake.”

It is.

Becky

Here are some other post you might enjoy reading:

        Key Lime Cake                                    Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake                                        

                                   

‘

 

 

 

Going Bananas

Posted on by

We love to eat bananas at our house.

I bet you do too.

But sometimes you can’t eat them all before they start turning a little brown. Right?

What may not be so great for snacking, a over ripe banana is great for cooking.

I wanted to make some kind of goodie goodness for my baby college girl when she came home for her birthday, while making enough to make into a couple of little goodie boxes for a couple of wonderful ladies at school. These two ladies  helped so much with furneral of our custodian at school when he passed away. You can read my little dedication to him here.

When I saw how many bananas I had that I needed to make into something, I started thinking of different ways to use them up instead of making the traditional banana bread.

Remember those Chocolate Shortbread Blondies with Macaroons that I made a couple of weeks ago? Well anywho, in that same magazine there was this recipe for banana bars.

MMMMM…..that sounds good.

I looked the recipe over and decided to change it up a bit and came up with a Banana Bar with Maple Frosting. This recipe will drive your taste buds bananas with it’s smack your lips maple icing and the perfectly moist banana bar it sits on.

You can make these up in a jiffy. They cut into perfect bars which makes them great for gifts boxes or to take to that potluck supper when you don’t know what to make.

Here are your step by step instructions.

This is all you need to make these bananalicious bars.

    

Put the stick of butter into a mixer bowl and cream.

    

Add the sugar and the baking powder.

    

Add the baking soda. Cream together the butter, sugar, baking powder and baking soda.

    

Add the smashed bananas and the eggs That is grand girl putting in the eggs. She loves to crack the eggs.

    

Add the sour cream and the vanilla. I forgot to add the salt earlier so I had to add it now. OOPS….nobody is perfect : D   Cream all the wet ingredients together.

    

Add the flour and mix with the wet ingredients until just mixed together.

Now it is time to get your pan ready.

I bought a new pan for these bars….but you do not have too.  I found this cute pan at Bed Bath and Beyond for a try me price of $9.99

I was really looking for a new jelly roll pan and found this smaller pan and I thought I would try it out. It worked great!!

    

One thing that good pans mention is that even though they can go into the dishwasher they recommend that you wash them by hand so you do not get a residue on them. They also recommend that you do not use cooking spray but instead grease your pan the traditional way but using butter or Crisco and put a thin layer on the pan. The you coat the pan with a thin layer of flour.

This is how great cooks have been doing it for years….so why use cooking spray that can gum up on  your pan?

    

Pour batter into pan and bake at 350 degrees until a toothpick comes out clean.

While it cools, it is time to make the yummy maple frosting.

    

Put the soften butter into a mixer bowl and cream until smooth.

     

Add 3 cups of powdered sugar and beat in.

    

Add in maple flavoring and vanilla.

I love using real vanilla. The only thing I love more is using pure vanilla bean paste. I love this stuff and will often use it in icing when I want a more intense flavor. And, of course I love those little specks of vanilla beans you get to see. You can use either one and this icing will turn out just fine.

    

Add another 3 cups of powdered sugar and enough milk to make reach a spreading consistency.

This looks perfect. It taste perfect too.

Spread frosting over the cooled bars.

Decorate with dried banana chips.

See how easy they are to make? Your family will go bananas over this recipe.

I hope you do too!

Enjoy,

Becky

Here is your recipe:

Banana Bas with Maple Frosting

Adapted from Better Homes and Garden

Ingredients for Banana Bars:

1/2 cup of butter, softened

1 and 1/3 cups of sugar

1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 egg

1 and 1/3 cup mashed bananas (about 3 medium bananas)

1/2 cup sour cream

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups of all purpose flour

Ingredients for Maple Frosting:

1/3 cup of softened butter

6 cups of posdered sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla

1/2 te aspoon maple flavoring

enough milk to make the frosting reach a spreading consisitency

Banana Chips are optional

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 15 x 10 x 1 inch baking pan.

In a large mixing bowl beat butter with an electric mixer. Add the sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Beat until ingredients are combined. Add the egg, mashed bananas, sour cream and vanilla until all the ingredients are mixed together. Mix in the flour until it is mixed in without over mixing it.

Pour batter into prepared pan. Spread evenly. Bake for about 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Cool.

While the bars cool, make the frosting.

In a mixing bowl beat butter until smooth. Add 3 cups of powdered sugar, beating well. Beat in vanilla and maple flavoring. Gradually beat in the remaining 3 cups of powdered sugar. Add enough milk to have the frosting reach a spreading consistency.

Spread frosting on cooled bars. Decorate with banana chips if your desire.

 

You Got Chocolate On My Peanut Butter!

Posted on by

Don’t you love those old commercials?

This cake reminded me of the old Reeces Peanut Butter Cup commercial, “You got chocolate on my peanut butter”.

If you are too young to remember or if you are young at heart, go here to watch it.

I don’t know if there is more chocolate than peanut butter in this cake, or if there is more peanut butter than chocolate.

It is a peanutty question.

I only know it has the PMMF factor. That’s right, the PMMF factor, “Pass Me My Fork.” I really should say the PMMFN factor. “Pass Me My Fork Now,” factor.

It has a rich cake like brownie, baked with peanut butter cups, bottom, filled with a light peanut butter and whipped cream mousse, covered in a decadent ganache and topped with more peanut butter cups, then drizzled with more ganache.

See I told you…..the PMMFN factor.
Allow yourself plenty of time to make this cake. I made the mistake of not starting this cake until 8:30 pm. Also, make sure your dishwasher is empty and ready to fill with all the bowls you will use for this cake.

It will be worth it.

Remember is has the PMMFN factor.

Chocolate and Peanut Butter….together….the perfect romance.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Becky

Here is what you will need, except I forgot to get the eggs in the picture. I was too busy drooling over the peanut butter cups. OOPS

Place the chocolate in a microwave safe dish and very carefully melt the chocolate. In a bowl stir together the flour, salt, baking soda and cocoa.

     

In a mixing bowl, mix together the sugars and butter together until fluffy.

     

Add the eggs and mix in.

     

Add the melted chocolate and the vanilla.

     

Alternate adding the milk and flour cocoa mixture.

     

You end up with this rich beautiful batter. Stir in the peanut butter cups.

    

Spread batter evenly in a parchment lined 10 round baking pan. Place in preheated oven and bake.

Now it is time to make the ganache.

    

Heat up whipping cream and butter. Do not boil. When the whipping cream is very hot and the butter has melted, add the chocolate chips.

Stir the ganache until all the chocolate chips have melted. Set aside to cool. The ganache will thicken when it cools.

Time to make the mousse.

    

In a mixing bowl, mix together the cream cheese and the peanut butter. When smooth, add the powdered sugar and mix together until it is smooth, light and fluffy.

    

In another mixing bowl, with a whisk attachment, whip the whipping cream. Fold in the peanut butter mixture into the whipped cream. Be careful not to deflate the whipping cream in the process.

Now it is time to assemble the cake. YIPPEE!

    

When the cake has cooled completely, run a sharp knife around the inside of the cake and scoop out the middle of the cake. Do not go all the way to the bottom. Save the cake pieces.

    

Fill the inside of the cake with half of the peanut butter mousse. Top the mousse witht the broken cake pieces.

    

Spread the rest of the peanut butter mousse over the cake top, covering the cake pieces. Now, pour the cooled and thicken ganache over the cake. I put my cake on a cooling rack with a cookie sheet under it to catch the drips of ganache. Make sure to cover all the edges of the cake with ganache. Save some ganache for a drizzle.

     

While the ganache is still soft place the rest of the peanut butter cups on top of the cake. Drizzle the rest of the ganache over the peanut butter cups.

Here is the finished cake. Sorry about the light glare. It is 11 pm at night and I had to have the light on. : )

This is truly a beautiful cake.

Don’t be afraid to make this cake! It does take a bit of time. But the oohs and ahhs you will get will be worth every minute.

Here is the recipe!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Mousse Cake

Serves 12

Adapted from Blue Eyed Bakers Web Page

Ingredients for the cake:

1 1/2 ounce unsweetened chocolate, chopped. (I used semi sweet)

1 1/2 cup cake flour (I used regular flour and it was fine)

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

9 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup light brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs, at room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup buttermilk (I used powdered buttermilk with water)

30 minuture peanut butter cups (15 goes in the cake batter, the other 15 for the topping)

Ingredients for the Ganache:

1 cup cold whipping cream

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 to 10 bittersweet chocolate chips (I used dark chocolate chips)

1 teaspoon vanilla

Ingredients for the Peanut Butter Mousse:

6 ounces cream cheese at room temperature

3/4 cup cream peanut butter

3/4 cup powdered sugar (confectioners)

1 cup cold whipping cream ( the colder it is the more it will whip up)

1 teaspoon vanilla.

Directions for the cake:

Preheat teh oven to 350 degrees. Butter the bottom and sides of a 10 inch round cake pan. Line the bottom with parchment paper. Butter the parchment paper too.

Melt the unsweetened chocolate in the microwave in a microwave safe container. This will only take 30 seconds or so. Be careful not to burn it. Set the melted chocolate aside for later.

In a mixing bowl, mix together the four, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Set this aside for later.

With an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugars together until smooth and creamy. this will take about 3 to 5 minutes. Add the eggs and thoroughly mix in, scraping the bowl as needed. Add the vanilla. On low speed, slowly add in the melted chocolate.

Add the flour mixture, alternating with the buttermilk, to the butter and sugar mixture. be careful not to over mix.

Stir in 15 miniature peanut butter cups.

Bake the cake until the top feels firm about 40 to 45 minutes. I would check it at 35 minutes to be on the safe side.

Cool the cake on a wire rack until cool enough to invert onto a a wire rack to cool completely.

Now to prepare the ganache. In a medium sauce pan, heat the cream and butter over low heat until hot but not boiling. Add the chocolate chips. Let stand for 30 seconds and then stir to fully melt the chocolate chips and blen the cream together. Add the vanilla. Set aside to cool and thicken.

To make the mousse, mix together the cream cheese and the peanut butter until smooth. Slowly add the powdered sugar until light and fluffy. In another bowl, using the whisk attachment on the electric mixer, whip the whipping cream and vanilla until stiff peaks form. Add 1/3 of the whipped cream to the peanut butter mixture to lighten it up. Gently fold the the lighted peanut butter mixture to the rest of the whipped cream. Do not over mix to deflate the mousse.

To assemble the cake, put the cake, top side up onto a serving plate. Leaving a 1 inch edge all the way the cake, use a sharp knife to cup out the center of the cake to create a cavity. Scoop out the middle of the cake but do not go all the way to the bottom of the cake.

Spread half of the mousse in to the cavity. Take the broken cake pieces and place them on top of the mousse. Spread the remaing mousse over the entire top of the cake. Refrigerate the cake until the mousse is firm, about 30 minutes.

Using a spatula, spread the thickened ganache over the entire cake and sides. Top with the remaining 15 miniature peanut butter cups. Drizzle the top with left over ganache.

Keep refrigerated for up to two days.

Apple Sour Cream Crumb Pie–Take Two

Posted on by

 

Have you ever heard of the saying, “Second times a charm?”

Well, with this pie, there almost wasn’t a second time.

About a month ago my baby college girl, was home for the weekend. As parents of college students already know, when college students are home they want to eat all their favorite home cooked foods.

This meant I had to make an apple pie.

A friend of mine at work gave me the November 2012  issue of Martha Steward “Living,” magazine. It has some pretty amazing looking pies with the recipes in the issue. I found one pie that intrigued me, it was Apple Sour Cream Pie. I thought this pie would, fill the bill, for helping baby college girl get over her apple pie craving. We went to the store and bought 6 golden delicious apples (yes, golden ones not those old Granny ones) and some sour cream. Luckily I had every thing else at home.

I really thought I read the recipe correctly .

But when I took it out of the oven 45 minutes later, it came out all soupy looking. I ended up having to bake it longer.

The pie all had part of the butter from the crumb topping spill over and burn in the emergency catch pan underneath the pie.

The crumb topping was so baked on, I  even had to soak my brand new pie plate to get it clean….that was the last straw. I need Martha’s Stewarts number. Something was wrong with this recipe!

Don’t worry, I did not call Martha Stewart. I could not fit her into my schedule : )

I did look carefully over the recipe again, the picture in the magazine looked so divine, and even though it was a soupy looking pie, it still tasted great.  What could have possible gone wrong?…..mmmm….. I read the recipe a second time……it said to do this, bake the apple filling first for 45 minutes (really) and then it said to do that, after you bake the apple filling add the crumb topping on top of the apples and bake for another 35 to 40 minutes, (no way)….how did I overlook these two important things….

OOPS!

It pays to read the whole recipe even when it goes on over to the next column. Sorry Martha!

So, to redeem myself and this apple pie recipe, I decided it was time to make Apple Sour Cream Crumb Pie again and serve it on Turkey Day.

I re-bought the apples, I was glad they were still on sale for .99 cents a pound.

Peel, quater and slice 6 medium size golden delicious apples.

         

In a medium size mixing bowl combline, sugar, flour and cinnamon.

         

Add the vanilla, beaten eggs, and lastly the sour cream.

         

Mix all the filling ingredients together, pour over the apples and mix until all the apples are coated.

         

In a pie plate, place pie dough in it for a bottom crust. Add the sour cream apple filling and pop the pie into the oven. I put my big old catch pan underneath the pie, just in case I had any boil overs.

    

 While the pie is baking, make your crumb topping.  (I did not add the walnuts in the topping because my son does not like nuts)

 Top the apple pie with the crumb topping. Place pie back into the oven and bake for another 35 to 40 minutes or until the topping is brown.

         

It came out beautiful. Look at the emergency catch pan….not a drop of burnt butter on it. Success…relief….uh….apologises to Martha.

Take Two, Apple Sour Cream Crumb Pie came out perfect.

Tasted great too!

Second time is a charm!

Apple Sour Cream Crumb Pie

Recipe adapted from Martha Stewards Living Magazine Nov. 2012 issue.

Filling:

1 cup of granulated sugar

1/2 cup flour

2 teaspoons cinnamon

pinch of salt

16 ounces sour cream

2 eggs, room temperature and lightly beaten

2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

6 golden delicious apples, peeled, cored, and sliced into 1/4 inch wedges.

Crumb Topping:

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 stick (1/2 cup) butter cut into small pieces

1 cup chopped walnuts

Pie Crust:

I used a store bought refrigerated pie crust. I rolled it out on a slightly floured surface to enlarge it to fit my10 inch pie plate.

Directions:

Place store bought pie crust in the pie plate to form a bottom crust.

Prepare the filling by mixing together the sugar, flour, cinnamon, salt, sour cream, eggs and vanilla.

Pour the filling over apple slices. Stir together to coat the apples.

Pour the apple filling the in the crust.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until the apples are golden brown and the filling is bubbling.

While the pie is baking prepare the crumb topping. With a fork combine the brown sugar, granulated sugar, flour, cinnamon, salt, walnuts and butter. Refrigerate until the pie comes out of the oven. You want the mixture to be cold when you put it on top of the hot pie.

When the pie comes out of the oven, crumble the crumb topping evenly over the  pie. Bake until the topping is set and the apples are tender, about another 35 to 40 minutes.

I did make changes to this recipe. I increased the amount of cinnamon that goes into the apple filling. I  decreased the amount of butter for the crumb topping to 1 stick. Lastly, I decreased the baking time for the crumb topping to 30 to 40 minutes.

Oh! and I almost forgot! I used a store bought refrigerated pie crust……I mean…not everyone can be Martha Stewart!

If you don’t succeed the first time…try, try, again…..it does work like a charm!

Enjoy,

Becky

 

Key Lime Cake

Posted on by

      You are never to old to plant a lime tree. My 94 year old dad proved that by planting a lime tree 6 years ago. On a family vacation to Florida six years ago, my dad bought a little lime tree that came in a box at a souvenir shop. He carried that little box home and told everyone he was going to plant a lime tree. We did not remind him that we live in Missouri, and lime trees do not exactly grow in Missouri. Anywho, my dad planted this little tree in a pot and six years later…..ShaZaam…he has limes.

 

He hauled his lime tree outside in the summer and hauled it back inside in the winter….for six years. Last year he had four limes, but this year

he had about a dozen. Guess who got the limes……yeppers….me!

Now, that I had Dad’s limes, I needed to find a great recipe using lime juice. I had recently watched a show featuring Trisha Yearwood’s lime cake. Ding, Ding, Ding..lime cake it is.

First, for the glaze,  you need to squeze the limes to get the juice out. You might try microwaving them for 10 seconds and then rolling them on the table before squeezing to get more juice out. I still needed to buy more lime juice at the store to make up the difference. Save the juice to make the glaze.

In a mixing bowl, add lime jello. Then add the sugar to the lime jello. See that little speck of green…that is the lime jello : )

Next, add the flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Stir and mix well. Next, add the eggs, oil, orange juice, lime juice and vanilla.

Next, mix together until combined. Don’t you love the green color from the lime jello??

Prepare your pans. You can bake this cake in a 9 by 12 sheet cake pan or bake it in two layer pans. Since we were celebrating Dad’ harvest from his lime tree, I decided to make a layered cake. I alway spray my pans lightly with a vegetable spray and cover the bottom of the pans with parchment paper. I never have to worry about losing half my cake from geting stuck in the pan.

Put even amounts of batter into each pan. Place in a preheated 350 degree oven and bake for 35 minutes.

While the cake is baking, it is now time to get out all that lime juice.. In a mixing bowl, mix the lime juice and confectioners sugar together. I had to microwave mine to get all the sugar to dissolve.

When the cakes come out of the oven, cool the cakes for 5 minutes. Remove cakes from pans and place on a cooling rack.

While cake is still warm, pierce the cake with a fork or skewer and pour the glaze over the cakes. Allow cakes to cool completely.

Time to make the cream cheese icing. Cream the butter and cream cheese together in a mixing bowl.

After you are finished creaming them together, add the powdered sugar.

Almost done!!! Time to ice the cake.

I always ice a cake passed the edge of the cake. It makes it easier to ice the sides. Place the other cake on top, and ice top and sides.  All finished!

Now, it was time to pack up the cake and take it to Mom’s and Dad’s for our dessert. My Dad bought me an antique cake carrier for Christmas, and it was perfect to take the cake for the drive to Mom’s and Dad’s.

All packed up! Kinda like putting a baby in a car seat : )

Who gets the first piece?

Dad does!

Key Lime Cake recipe adapted from Trisha Yearwood’s recipe

Ingredients:

For the Cake:

1 – three ounce package of lime flavored gelatin

1 1/3 cup of sugar

2 cups sifted all purpose flor

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup vegetable oil

3/4 cup orange juice

1 tablespoon lime juice

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

5 large eggs, slightly beaten

For the Glaze:

1/2 cup key lime juice (it takes about 25 key limes or 4 large limes)

1/2 cup confectioners sugar

For the Icing:

1/2 cup butter at room temperature

one 8 ounce package of cream cheese room temperature

one pound box confectioner’s sugar

NOTE: I doubled the icing recipe because I was making a layered cake. I did have left over icing so try making 1 and 1/2 recipes of icing)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

In a large mixing bowl, mix the gelatin, granulated sugar, flour, salt baking powder and soda. Stir to mix well. Add the oil, orange juice, lime juice, vanilla and eggs. Mix until well combined. Pour the batter evenly i the pan and bake for 35 minutes. Be sure and check you cake often at the end, the cake tends to get very brown on top. When done, cool the cake in the pan for about 5 minutes and then place on a cooling rack.

For the glaze: While the cake is still hot, mix the lime juice and confectioners sugar together. If you are having a hard time getting the sugar to dissolve try microwaving the glaze for a minute. Pierce the cake and while the cake is hot, pour the glaze over the layers. Let cool completely.

For the icing: Cream the butter and cream cheese. Beat in the confectioners sugar until mixture is smooth. (I added some vanilla paste, just cause I love those little specks of vanilla beans). Spread the icing on the top of the bottom layer of cake. Place the top layer on and ice the top and sides.

This cake was moist and tangyingly good! So different and so divine!

Pucker up with lime cake!

Enjoy,

Becky

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...