Lemon Cupcakes—Baking Chez Moi—Tuesdays With Dorie

These cupcakes were so fun to make and were a hit with everyone who ate one.  Wish I would have doubled the recipe.  It made exactly twelve cupcakes and the frosting was the perfect amount.  Dorie’s recipe was for Limoncello Cupcakes and since that is an alcohol, I made them just using fresh lemon juice in place of the limoncello.  An option was to put lemon (or orange) marmalade in the middle of the cupcakes, but I decided not to do that.  The cupcakes out of the oven are brushed with a lemon syrup.  To make sure the lemon flavor was kicked up enough, I poked holes over the tops of each cupcakes with a toothpick while they were still hot so the syrup seeped into the cupcakes more. 

The frosting was simple and delicious.  Again, I replaced the limoncello with lemon juice and also used a little milk to get the consistency I wanted. 

The cupcake batter has a bit of cardamom added, which was a great little addition.  Dorie also suggested in place of that some black pepper.  Both just make you ask, “Hmm, what is in there?”  I received quite the compliments on these cupcakes and even though I didn’t taste them and they didn’t have chocolate (ha), I will use this recipe when I need lemon cupcakes again.

Want the recipe?  Get Dorie’s book, Baking Chez Moi.  I’m loving being a part of Tuesdays With Dorie again.  Good times.  Great recipes and yummy treats to share.  Check out the Tuesdays With Dorie link to see everyone else’s cupcakes this week.

Gingerbread Buche de Noel—Tuesdays With Dorie—Baking Chez Moi

Wait—before the year is over, I must post about this Tuesdays With Dorie recipe we made in the group over Christmas!  I’m a little late on posting it.  The date was for the Tuesday before Christmas, but I wanted to make it for Christmas Eve, so didn’t get it posted—until now—all the sudden it’s New Year’s Eve!  I did make this for Christmas Eve and I must say, though it was a huge labor of love and there were many steps to follow, I have learned that with Dorie’s recipes, if I do just that—follow all directions, the recipes always turn out great.  That said, I followed all the steps perfectly, except I decided to try making it gluten free and used organic cane sugars. 

Oh, look, two skinny little ends cut off.  I had to taste them for quality control!

I had high hopes that since the cake only called for 3/4 cup of flour that changing it to a gluten free flour blend would probably be okay.  I was going to retype the recipe as I made it, but I really didn’t change anything except the flour (I happened to have some Pamela’s Gluten Free Baking Mix, so that is what I used) and I used organic cane sugar and organic brown sugar.  All the many involved steps to the recipe were not changed at all.  And though I say it was a labor of love and there were what seemed like many steps involved, it was SO worth it.  I would certainly make this cake again for a special occasion.

The gingerbread flavor was not too strong, so I think this cake could be made year round.  And even if it was a strong ginger flavor, I would not be against making this in the summer if I really felt like it.  ; )

The cake roll worked perfectly—that’s always a worry that it will not roll up nicely.  This rolled perfectly with not even any cracking.  The filling is a nice cream cheese/butter filling that isn’t sweet at all and then the delicious egg white/sugar syrup frosting is a perfectly sweet addition to the cake.  Also loved the pecan praline crunch that was in the filling and on the top of the cake. 

This cake was my big holiday splurge and I won’t tell you how many pieces of it I ate (not all in one sitting).  I took the cake to a family Christmas Eve celebration and it was well liked by everyone who ate some of it.  Nice thing about those big family get-togethers—so many desserts that I was able to bring a little bit of the cake home to enjoy later.

I wish you all a wonderful, Happy New year!  Thanks for still sticking around here with me.  It’s almost been seven years since I started my blog and while I’m not in it for the fame and money, I love sharing with my readers the happiness I get from baking and sharing with all those around me.  While how often I blog has changed over the years and even the kinds of things I blog, I’m happy you’re still here.  I wish you all health and happiness in the new year!

You are in luck if you want this recipe, it can be found on the internet from some of the promotions done with Dorie’s new book.  You can find the recipe HERE.  I think you should just get Baking Chez Moi!  My link at the top for Tuesdays With Dorie has everyone else in the groups’ posts for their Buche de Noel cakes.  Check them out!  We’ll be starting the year out more healthy with some granola bars, coming soon! 

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Chocolate Texas Sheet Cake

Do y’all love Texas Sheet Cake like most everyone I know?  Been needing to get this one posted for a couple weeks now.  It would be a perfect treat for the upcoming holiday.  I know, it’s not red, white and blue for 4th of July, but when you have a chocolate cake that is this good, does it matter if the color matches the holiday?  Yeah, didn’t think so. 

I posted on Facebook about a Texas Sheet Cake I’d made for a family get together last month and that cake is good, but my friend, Paige, who blogs amazing food at For Love of the Table, told me about one she makes so I tried her recipe for my family reunion the next week.  It is quite similar to the other one I’d made, which is the recipe made most all over the internet, except that this one has double the amount of cocoa, making it more chocolaty!  You certainly can’t go wrong there.

Most Texas sheet cakes also have the cocoa and melted butter mixed in a saucepan with hot water added and this one is just a bit easier since you just use cold water and it doesn’t have to come to a boil on the stove.  Easy and delicious!  I snuck a little bite of this one.  Had to, for quality control, you know. This will definitely be my go-to Texas sheet cake from now on.  Try it.  You’ll love it!  I think I’ll make it again for our 4th of July festivities on Friday with some friends.  It also helps since I still have some buttermilk to use up in the fridge.

Looks perfect, huh?  Still has the same simple chocolate icing that is poured over the still-warm-from-the-oven cake.  Did I mention how easy it is?  I’m telling you, go right now and make this cake.  It doesn’t have to be for a celebration.  Cake is acceptable anytime.  ;  )

Chocolate Texas Sheet Cake, by Katrina, Baking and Boys!, adapted from Paige, For Love of the Table

1/2 cup buttermilk

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup (3 ounces) natural cocoa powder

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

1 /2 cup canola/vegetable oil

1 cup tap water

2  1/4 cup (9 ounces) all purpose flour

2 cups (14 ounces) granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs

1  1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Spray a 10x15 inch baking sheet pan with cooking spray.  Set aside.  Mix together the buttermilk and baking soda in a bowl big enough for it to expand a bit(it will foam up). Let sit while you prepare the next ingredients.  Whisk together the cocoa powder, melted butter and oil in a large bowl.  Add the water and whisk to combine.  In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar and salt.  Add the dry ingredients to the cocoa mixture and stir to combine.  Beat in the eggs and vanilla until well combined, then stir in the buttermilk mixture.  Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 20 minutes.  Remove from oven.

While the cake is baking, prepare the frosting--

Texas Sheet Cake Frosting

1 pound powdered sugar (almost 4 cups)

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1/4 teaspoon salt

4 tablespoons (20 grams) natural cocoa powder

7 tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Sift the powdered sugar into a big bowl to remove any lumps.  You don’t want lumps in this frosting.  Melt the butter in a medium sized saucepan.  Once it is just about melted, add the cocoa powder, salt and milk.  Stir to  combine.  Bring to a boil.  Once it is at a good boil, remove from the heat and add the powdered sugar.  Stir until well combined and no lumps remain.  Stir in the vanilla.  By this time the cake should have just been taken out of the oven for a few minutes.  Pour the frosting over the cake and smooth out evenly, working quickly.  Let sit until firm and the cake has cooled.

Easiest Pineapple Cake

This really is one of the easiest cakes I’ve ever made.  And I love that it was even easier than making a box mix cake and definitely not full of so many things you can’t even pronounce and shouldn’t eat!

I’ve made this cake three times in a couple of weeks and it’s been liked and popular by everyone who has eaten it.  I made it for my sister-in-laws birthday and everyone liked it.   Then I made a cake for the funeral of a neighbor’s dad and someone who went and had some took the time to message me and say how yummy it was.  I also made one for a family reunion we just had—but we had so many desserts, it wasn’t even touched.  So I took some of the cake to the friend who praised it after the funeral and she again said it is delicious, and that was after the cake was a couple days old (I’d had it sitting in our fridge waiting for the reunion for a couple days).  I also gave more of it to my sister-in-law.  I have to admit, I took a little bite of the cake, even though I’m not eating gluten and sugar, I needed to know if it really is good.  It is!

It was a cinch to whip up and make and is perfect for any occasion, especially a group get together, party or holiday!  I found this cake at my blogging friend, Mary’s blog, Bunny's Warm Oven.  When I think of cakes, I definitely think of her blog as one of the first places to look for ideas and great recipes.  But check out her blog for plenty more goodies as well as delicious-looking savory food now and then. 

I love that the cake also has no oil or butter and is still moist and tasty.  With the usual baking ingredients like sugar and flour, you just add a can of crushed pineapple (in it’s own juice).  So simple.  And you certainly can’t beat a cream cheese frosting and nuts on top!  I didn’t even notice until writing this up that the recipe actually says to frost the cake while it’s still warm (making it even faster)!  I waited until it was completely cool.  You choose what works best for you.

 

Easiest Pineapple Cake, very minimally adapted by Katrina, Baking and Boys! from Mary at Bunny’s Warm Oven

2 cups (240 grams) all purpose flour

2 cups (400 grams) granulated sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1—20 ounce can of crushed pineapple (in it’s own juice, NOT syrup), undrained

Cream Cheese Frosting

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

8 ounces cream cheese, softened (I used 1/3 less fat kind)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

pinch of salt

1  1/2 cups (165 grams) powdered sugar, sifted

1 cup walnuts, lightly toasted and chopped (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Spray a 9x13 inch cake pan with cooking spray.  Set aside.  Whisk together in a large bowl the flour, sugar, salt and baking soda.  Add the eggs, vanilla and pineapple and stir with a spatula until well combined.  Pour into the pan and bake for 35-40 minutes, until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Cool on a wire rack.

To make frosting—Beat the butter, cream cheese, vanilla and salt in an electric mixer until creamy.  Gradually add the powdered sugar and beat until smooth and creamy.  When the cake has cooled, spread the frosting evenly over the cake.  Sprinkle with nuts.

I need to find a way to try this gluten free and refined sugar free.

Best Homemade Chocolate Fudge Cupcakes and Chocolate Fudge Frosting and Split Pea Soup with Mushrooms—The Secret Recipe Club

Could you just look at and drool over this cupcake all day?  I could.  I practically did the day I made them.  Proud to say I didn’t even taste a cupcake.  Proud and sad.  I am not currently eating gluten and sugar, as many know, but I love making things with those ingredients for others.  And I will admit, I tasted the frosting.  It needed to be done.  Quality control, you know. 

This recipe for these awesome, perfect Best Homemade Chocolate Fudge Cupcakes and Chocolate Fudge Frosting is from my Secret Recipe Club blog assignment this month.  I had the pleasure of having Angela’s blog, Spinach Tiger this month.  I got to make something from her blog last year, too, as I filled in for someone at the last minute who wasn’t able to do so.  Last October I was in a hurry to pick something to make and made her delicious Banana Bread.  This month, since her blog was my “real” assignment, I spent a lot of time looking through all her posts and trying to decide what to make.  I actually chose her Split Pea Soup with Mushrooms.  It was on my list to make for a few weeks.  Then I noticed one of her more current posts for Shaved Raw Brussel Sprout with Raw Beet Pesto.  I had everything to make that salad except the Brussel spouts.  So I went out and got the sprouts.  And I haven’t had the chance to make the beet pesto and salad yet—but don’t worry—I WILL.  Everything about it sounds so good to me. 

I have been a little low on energy lately and all the sudden was freaking out last week that I still hadn’t made the soup or salad from Angela’s blog.  What did I do about that?  Instead of just making one of those things, I looked through her blog again for more ideas.  I’m so silly that way—or am I?  While checking out her desserts, since that is really what I love the most, I ran into these cupcakes and can’t believe I missed them before.  I eat quite healthy, tons of fruits and vegetables, very little meat and only gluten free, refined sugar free desserts, but I really do prefer to make, bake and post desserts.  Maybe it’s because I feel like I get better pictures of things like cupcakes and cookies and photographing a bowl of soup just doesn’t do much for me.

I decided to get to work and make what Angela has claimed as the “Best Homemade Chocolate Fudge Cupcakes and Chocolate Fudge Frosting”.  I am so happy I did—see, not so silly.  Now I have a perfect chocolate cake recipe that was simple and I had all the ingredients on hand and most often do have them.

Since she mentioned that the recipe made a lot of cake, I decided to cut it in half.  The half recipe still made 20 cupcakes.  I made the full recipe of frosting since she also mentioned you can never have too much frosting.   The day I made them, I only frosted nine cupcakes.  I froze the rest of the cakes and have refrigerated the frosting to use next week.

“One of these things is not like the others,
One of these things just doesn't belong,
Can you tell which thing is not like the others
By the time I finish my song?”

(Remember this song from Sesame Street?)

If you guessed the cupcake in the middle, you’d be right.  Why would anyone want to eat a cupcake with such a small amount of frosting?  Only if you’re my husband who doesn’t really care much for cake and really doesn’t like frosting.  So that was his cupcake and I frosted eight more the correct way for the boys (they each got two).  The cupcakes and frosting were a big hit with the boys and the little bit of frosting I tasted was delicious.

Besides cutting the recipe in half, I didn’t change a thing about Angela’s recipe.  So if you’re looking for a great chocolate cake recipe, run, don’t walk to go get it on her blog--Best Homemade Chocolate Fudge Cupcakes and Chocolate Fudge Frosting.

These baked perfectly in 18 minutes and came right out of the pan (sometimes if a little of the top of the cupcake went over the sides, it sticks with other cakes I’ve made).  That did not happen here. 

The only thing I would mention about the recipe, which is silly of me to have not done completely is to always use room temperature ingredients—including things like buttermilk.  My butter and eggs were room temperature, but I used cold buttermilk, which I was worried about when I saw the butter kind of chunk back up a bit.  Never fear—this recipe is also so easy that you just mix all the ingredients and beat them like crazy (in a mixer) for 3 minutes.  Though I was still worried about the little bits of butter I saw in the batter, I baked them anyway and there was no trace of unincorporated butter in the cupcakes.  (Yay!)  I would still suggest to make sure to use all room temperature ingredients.  I made sure all the ingredients for the frosting was room temperature and that is some delicious frosting!

Angela suggested for the frosting to begin with 3/4 cup of cream and to just use enough until you like the consistency of the frosting.  I ended up using 1/2 cup before I was satisfied.  The half recipe made 20 cupcakes and I made the full recipe of frosting.  After frosting eight cupcakes, it will be enough to frost the remaining dozen when I get them out of the freezer in a few days. 

So the cupcakes were/are awesome!  A couple days ago, my ten year old stayed home from school sick (just a little cold).  I mentioned to him that I’d been really wanting to make split pea soup.  When I told him it has mushrooms in it he was no longer interested.  I made the soup anyway, but instead of adding the mushrooms, I just left them to spoon into my own bowl.  He got what he wanted, soup, split pea soup, with no mushrooms and I FINALLY got to make Angela’s Split Pea Soup with Mushrooms.

I halved this recipe and wish I wouldn’t have so I’d have more to eat.  I’m usually the only one here who will eat split pea soup.  Taylor (the one who was sick) likes all kinds of soup and was excited to try this (minus the mushrooms).  He really liked the soup, even without mushroom and croutons (they were gluten free) and asked me when I was going to make it again.  The half recipe was just enough for the two of us for lunch and for me to have for dinner the next day.

Angela mentioned that her mother said you should never eat split pea soup without croutons.  I don’t think I’d ever eaten it WITH croutons.  I was excited to have the end piece of some gluten free bread I’d made left.  I cubed it up and toasted it in a sauté pan with a little olive oil.  After they’d nicely browned on each side, I sprinkled a little garlic salt on them.  Awesome.  My soup (in the photo) had the sauteed mushrooms in it and was topped with croutons and some shavings of parmesan cheese.  It was a great vegetarian soup.

Split Pea Soup with Baby Bella Mushrooms and Croutons, by Katrina, Baking and Boys!, adapted from Angela at Spinach Tiger

1 cup dried split peas

4  1/2 cups water

1 small shallot, finely chopped

1 medium sized carrot, finely diced

1 rib celery, finely chopped

1 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

juice and zest of about 1/4 of a lemon

8 ounces baby bella mushroom, chopped

dash of crushed red pepper

half a bay leaf

salt and pepper to taste

parmesan cheese, for top of soup

In a soup pot, add the olive oil and over medium heat, sauté the carrots, shallot and celery until soft.  Add the split peas, water, basil, bay leaf, lemon juice and zest.  Simmer for 35 minutes.  Add some salt and pepper and taste and adjust seasoning.  Remove the bay leaf.  You might want/need to add a little water here.  I added about 1/2 cup.

While the soup is simmering, sauté the mushrooms in a little olive oil.  Let them get nicely browned.  Add a little salt once they are done.  You can add them all to the soup when it is just about done, or add them to individual bowls if you are feeding some who don’t like mushrooms. 

Make croutons by toasting some cubed bread (I used some homemade gluten free bread) them with a little olive oil in a sauté pan.  Move them around and flip them on to each side until they are browned.  Sprinkle them with some garlic salt. 

Serve bowls of soup with croutons and shredded or shaved parmesan soup. 

Delicious food over at Spinach Tiger.  Check out Angela’s blog.  I will make that Shaved Brussels Sprouts with Red Beet Pesto SOON!

Guiltless Carrot Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting—Secret Recipe Club

Nope, feeling no guilt here.  But doesn’t that cupcake look decadent and delicious.  I know you’re dying to sink your teeth into it.  I was.

These cupcakes are low in fat and have a brown sugar I made with natural cane sugar and molasses in them.  They are also made with whole wheat flour, unsweetened applesauce and a carrot puree (instead of grated carrots).  I decided to make these for some of the Easter desserts we had with family when I saw them on my assigned Secret Recipe Club blog this month.  I was assigned Miranda’s blog, Biting Life.  I had not heard of her blog before and enjoyed looking through it.  Besides lots of yummy recipes, she also blogs about reviews on books she’s read, and all the things going on in her life. 

She made these Guiltless Carrot Cupcakes and used Splenda for the sugar substitute.  I decided to use cane sugar, which I also used for the brown sugar in the recipe and made my own brown sugar with cane sugar and molasses.  I love doing that!

I just took half a cup of cane sugar and added 1/2 teaspoon of molasses to it and kept mashing it together with a fork until it was all combined and looked just like brown sugar!  You can also do that with regular granulated sugar.  If you’d like a dark brown sugar, add a little more molasses.  The recipe also only had egg whites and instead of breaking open three eggs, I used some powdered egg whites that I have a couple big cans of and need to use more often.  The egg powder is just mixed with warm water and whisked until it is the consistency of egg whites.  Love it!  I have never been able to tell a difference and have even used it for some meringue cookies!  It’s perfect for times when I don’t want to have egg yolks with no use and I hate just throwing them away.  Also in Miranda’s recipe, it calls for regular skim milk, but I decided to use lowfat buttermilk.  So the only fat in the actual cupcakes is from the little bit of lowfat buttermilk.  You really wouldn’t even know they are so low in fat.  Especially after you top them with a cream cheese frosting—that of course, I made a little lower in fat with the 1/3 less fat cream cheese, just a little butter, and skim milk. 

Yep, I am calling these pretty guiltless!

I was happy with how these baked.  I wasn’t sure since they have so many different ingredients from regular cupcakes.  Then I was a little worried that they would also stick to the cupcake liners.  But after they were totally cool, they came off the papers great!

Guiltless Carrot Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting, by Katrina, Baking and Boys!, adapted from Miranda at Biting Life

1  1/4 cup (150 grams) whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

3 egg whites (I used powdered egg whites)

1/2 cup brown sugar (I used homemade with cane sugar and molasses)

1/4 cup cane sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

8 ounces carrots, peeled and cut into chunks

1/2 cup plain unsweetened applesauce

1/2 cup lowfat buttermilk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Line cupcake pan with paper liners (or spray the pan with cooking spray if you aren’t using paper liners).

Boil carrots in saucepan with water covering them for about 10 minutes, until tender.  Remove from heat and drain.  Put the carrot in the bowl a food processor and pulse to mash the carrots into a puree.  Let sit while you prepare the rest of the cupcake mixture.

Combine in a bowl the whole wheat flour, baking soda, salt and spices.  Whisk to sift together.  Stir together in a separate bowl the egg whites, sugars, and vanilla. 

Add the applesauce and buttermilk to the carrot puree and pulse to combine.  Add the carrot mixture to the egg white mixture and whisk together until all combined.  Stir in the dry ingredients with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until well combined.   

With an ice cream scoop, fill each cup with batter.  Bake for 20-30 minutes (I forgot to write down how long they baked, probably around 25 minutes.)  Remove from oven and let cool in cupcake pan for a few minutes.  Then move each cupcakes to a wire rack to cool completely.  Pipe frosting on to cupcakes.  Makes 12.

Less Guilt Cream Cheese Frosting, by Katrina, Baking and Boys!

1 tablespoon softened unsalted butter

2 ounces 1/3 less fat cream cheese

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

pinch of salt

2-3 cups powdered sugar

2-3 tablespoons skim milk

In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter and cream cheese.  Beat until smooth.  Add the vanilla, salt and powdered sugar.  Start the mixer and add a tablespoon of milk at a time until frosting is desired consistency.  You can start with just two cups of powdered sugar and add more if you’d like. 

Apple Spice Cake with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

Apple Spice Cake with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

I’ve wanted to make this cake for a while now and with the it being autumn and perfect timing, I also realized it was perfect timing because I got the recipe for this (and the pleasure of first tasting it) from Paige and today is her birthday!  Happy Birthday, Paige!  She is the chef I took classes from in Kansas before we moved.  I’ve said it before, but how I miss her/her classes.  Every couple weeks I got to watch her cook and teach and then eat the things she made for the class.  Could anything be better?  And with every class, we were provided with the recipes.  I have a big 3-ring binder full of Paige’s recipes and I use many of the recipes often.  I don’t have to be the only one (well, me and all the others who took/take her classes) to have her expertise and recipes in my arsenal—she has a wonderful blog!  If you haven’t seen it—go!--For Love of the Table.  If you stop by today, wish her a happy birthday! ;)

One of the pleasures of her classes was every couple of months, she’d have a special date night class that was a full three course meal and was only allowed about eight couples.  I “dragged” Kevin to one of those classes and he liked it so much that during the time we were still in Kansas, I don’t think we ever missed one after that.  One of the date night meal classes we took had this cake for dessert and I loved it.  Not to mention, Kevin, who doesn’t really care for cake and really doesn’t like frosting, actually really liked the cake, too.

I ended up deciding to make this cake for Kevin’s birthday celebration we recently had with some of his family.  He still got his usual, traditional cheesecake, but I also made this cake and a few other things as well, like the Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies I posted a few days ago. 

This cake is perfectly spiced and instead of having chunks of apples, has applesauce which makes for a great moist cake.  The maple cream cheese frosting—well, pardon the pun, IS the icing on the cake.  You’ll want this cake/recipe in your box.  I even think you might want to make it—today.

Apple Spice Cake with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting, by Paige Vandegrift

2 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon allspice

3/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

1  1/2 cups granulated sugar

2 large eggs, at room temperature

1  1/2 cups unsweetened applesauce

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Grease a 10-inch round cake pan, line with a round of parchment paper and grease the parchment.  Flour the pan!  Set aside.  Sift the dry ingredients together and set aside.

Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter with the sugar until light and fluffy, stopping the mixer once or twice to scrape down the sides.  This will take 2 to 3 minutes at medium-high speed.  Beat in the eggs one at a time, scraping down the sides after each addition.  Increase the speed to medium-high and briefly beat until the mixture lightens in color and expands in volume.  By hand, fold in the dry ingredients alternately with the applesauce (add the vanilla with the first half of the applesauce), beginning and ending with the dry ingredients.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.  Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean—about 40 to 45 minutes.  Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 to 15 minutes.  Loosen the sides of the cake by running a thin knife around the edge of the pan.  Turn the cake out of the pan.  Cool the cake on a wire rack.  Frost with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting.

Frosting:

4 ounces unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons powdered sugar (4  1/2 ounces)

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

8 ounces cream cheese

2 tablespoons pure maple syrup

Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter with the powdered sugar, salt and vanilla until light and fluffy—about 2 to 3 minutes.  Add the cream cheese and beat until incorporated, about 20 seconds.  Scrape down the sides, drizzle in the maple syrup and beat until smooth, about 15 seconds.  (Paige has adapted a recipe from Maria Helm Sinskey’s The Vintage Kitchen)

Oh, and because it’s also another friend/neighbor’s birthday today, too, I made one and a half times the recipe and baked one 9 inch cake and two 6 inch cakes.  Then I weighed all the batter and put half of it in the nine inch pan and a quarter of it in each of the two 6 inch pans.  I stacked the two small cakes and have a great apple spice layer cake to deliver to my friend today!  Happy Birthday, Jackie!

And again, Happy Birthday, Paige!  (Thanks for having such a great impact on my culinary life, your wonderful classes, sharing your recipes and for being my friend!)

Pumpkin Bars---Happy Birthday, Shelby from The Life and Loves of Grumpy’s Honeybunch—Virtual Party!

Pumpkin Bars for Shelby’s Birthday!

Today is Shelby’s birthday---you know, the mastermind, baker and cook extraordinaire from The Life and Loves of Grumpy's Honeybunch.  HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SHELBY!  Shelby is a fun gal who blogs mostly about the delicious food she makes for herself and her husband, Grumpy.

A few of her fellow blogger friends and I got together (virtually) and thought it would be fun to surprise her with a virtual birthday party, just to show her a little bloggy linky love and besides that if/when I ever meet Shelby in person, she’s the type of person who would be like my BFF ;), or we’d at least be fellow food-lovers and we have just having boys in common.  Shelby has raised two boys who are in their 20’s. I learn a lot from her wisdom.  We all decided to make something from Shelby’s blog.  YUM!

I had a hard time deciding, but thought since it’s her birthday, it would be fun to do one of the cakes she has posted.  There were a lot to choose from, but fitting for the time of year and the fact that Shelby changed the cake she originally took this recipe from and made it a little healthier, I decided on these pumpkin bars.  For my own good, I halved the recipe she posted.  Good thing, because the bars are really good and I would be stuck eating a whole 15x10 sheet pan of pumpkin bars! ;)  Just kidding.  But my boys won’t eat it, Kevin will though, and probably Scott.

 

When I saw that the pumpkin bars were made in a 15x10 sheet pan, I knew it would be easy to halve the recipe because I have a 1/4 sheet pan.  In case you didn’t know, the 15x10 sheet pans are called 1/2 sheets.  Get the link above to look at Shelby’s pumpkin bars and the recipe, I didn’t change anything.  Okay, well, something small—it was just with the cream cheese frosting—I added more powdered sugar.  But other than that, I followed the recipe (halved) exactly.  Those pumpkin bars are great!  I was tempted to add chocolate chips or nuts.  But wanted to stay true to the recipe.  I will be kicking it up with both the next time I make this super-easy cake.  As bars in a sheet pan, this is perfect for a crowd and they came out of the lightly sprayed pan like a dream.

Check out all the other posts on behalf of sweet Shelby’s birthday!

Megan from Megan's Cookin'

Jenny from Mad Rantings of Andrew's Mom

Suzanne from Thru the Bugs on My Windshield 

Pam from Living Rancho Delux 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SHELBY!

Homemade Fudge Rounds Recipe (Similar to Little Debbies)

If you like Little Debbie Fudge Rounds, like Kevin does, you’ll be happy to have this recipe for a copycat version of them.  I made a batch of them for Kevin for Valentine’s Day.  I just have the hardest time buying manufactured cookies (or anything else).  As a “tradition”, Kevin usually gets beef jerky and Little Debbie Fudge Rounds for all holidays.  He expects them.  It has become sort of a joke now that those are all he gets for the holidays.  He does like the Little Debbie Oatmeal Creme Pies (I’ll have to try to make those next), too, but the Fudge Rounds are his favorite and he prefers them either chilled or even frozen. 

I don’t eat them and am not sure when the last time I even tasted one was, but did a little looking to see if I could find a recipe and sure enough, I did.  Kristan from Confessions of a Cookbook Queen had just what I was looking for.  I did adjust the recipe a bit and I only made half of it as well.  The half recipe made ten Fudge Rounds.  The boys always like when Kevin gets a box of them as well and he usually shares with them.  He shared the homemade ones last night.  They all liked them and I liked that they weren’t processed food.  Kevin said they are very similar, not quite exactly the same (is anything?) and I’m sure they’ll be gone soon!

Homemade Fudge Rounds, adapted by Katrina, Baking and Boys!

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup granulated sugar (150 grams)

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1  1/4 cups all purpose flour (150 grams)

6 tablespoons cocoa powder (30 grams)

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Cream together the butter and sugar in the bowl of a mixer.  Once it is light and fluffy (about 2 minutes), add the egg and vanilla and mix well until creamy.  In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt and whisk together.  Add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture and beat just until combined. 

Scoop rounded ball of dough onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper.  Bake for 9 minutes.  Let cool on baking sheets for a couple minutes before moving to a wire rack to cool completely.  (Makes 20 cookies/10 sandwich cookies.)

Make the filling:

1/4 cup trans-fat free shortening (48 grams)

1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened (2 ounces)

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons cocoa powder

2 pinches of salt

1  1/2 cups powdered sugar (165 grams)

2 tablespoons warm water

Beat together the shortening and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer until smooth.  Add the vanilla and mix well.  Add the cocoa powder and powdered sugar and beat just until combined.  Add water and beat on medium high for at least 2 minutes until light and fluffy.  When cookies are cooled, put the filling in a piping bag (or plastic zip top bag with the corner snipped off) and top half the cookies with a dollop of filling.  Press cookies on top of each to make sandwich cookies. 

For the chocolate stripes on top of each sandwich cookie:

1/4 cup milk chocolate chips (1  1/2 ounces)

1/2 teaspoon canola oil

Melt together in a microwave safe bowl in 15 second intervals until smooth. 

Put the melted chocolate in a plastic zip top bag and snip a little corner off and drizzle on top of each sandwich cookie.  Refrigerate until chocolate is set.  Store cookies in an airtight container.

By the way, I love the filling recipe.  I could almost just pipe that right into my mouth.  I didn’t!  It would be a great cupcake frosting.

Only thing I might do different next time is use a dark cocoa in the cookie dough.  I know I’ll be making these again here!  Sandwich cookies always seem so daunting, but these really weren’t hard at all.  Give them a try if you love Little Debbie Fudge Rounds or if you’re just looking for a nice fudgy sandwich cookie.  I think they’d also be fun to make smaller, ooh, with a peanut butter filling!  Yum!

Homemade Cream Puffs and Pastry Cream Recipes

It was our friend, Bob’s birthday last week.  He’s more like family around here.  He comes to all our family things and is always here Christmas Eve and spends the night to see the boys on Christmas morning.  We “adopted” him in to our family back when we lived in Arizona (before Kansas) and he just keeps showing up wherever we go. ;)  We sometimes call him Uncle Bob. 

So I have to admit it--this picture of Bob is from his birthday last year.  I stink and didn’t take any people pictures this time.  I really feel horrible about that.  I was more in the mode of finishing the cream puffs and snapping a few photos before they got eaten up.  I’m going to be better about taking more pictures of people and not just food!

At Christmastime, Bob told me he wanted cream puffs for his birthday.  Tall order—for a couple reasons.  I don’t like making cream puffs and I don’t like eating them.  BUT—I always love a challenge and I was up for this one.  I don’t mind making things I don’t care to eat, since that means I won’t be tempted by them.  I just think the cream puff shells don’t really have a taste and I don’t care for the texture.  Then besides that Bob told me he wanted REAL pastry cream, none of this fake pudding stuff (that I really like!).  Well, I don’t really like pastry cream either.  It’s too eggy.

But I was game for Bob’s birthday “order”.  After looking over a few different recipes, I settled on making the cream puffs from the Joy of Baking website.  I’ve always been a little intimidated by pate choux.  But this went off without a hitch.  The recipe, which you can get from the link that I made exactly as written, made 12 regular sized cream puffs and about two dozen mini size ones. 

  They turned out perfectly hollow inside ready for filling.  I ended up making the pastry cream recipe from Joy of Baking as well.  I followed it with the directions for using vanilla extract since I don’t have any vanilla beans.

I drizzled some of them with chocolate ganache.

I also filled all of the mini puffs and some of the regular ones with whipped cream.  We went to Bob’s apartment and served these to him and a bunch of his neighbors.  I was happy with how they turned out and everyone ate them up.  I didn’t taste a single one.

At the last “minute” that morning, Taylor and I decided to make a cake also to take for Bob’s birthday.  I’m glad we did!  I think we would have run out of cream puffs with all the guests and the chocolate cake (though, shhh, it was from a box mix) was well received and eaten up!

Taylor did a great job frosting the cake.  I used this Chocolate Buttercream Frosting recipe from Savory Sweet Life.  It was great, I might have tasted a lick or two of the frosting. ;)

Frosting a cake pretty is not my biggest strength, so between Taylor crumb coating it and my smoothing it out, I thought we did a pretty good job!

Check out this fun picture of Taylor on our way to Bob’s place (it’s a 45 minute drive).  I turned around and saw he was watching a movie in the car like this--

Kills me.  Happy Birthday, Bob, we’re happy to have you around!

Mini Dessert Burgers

Doesn’t that look like a delicious burger?  I’m not a big burger/meat fan, but these are really good!   Why?  Because they are made with Nilla Wafers and chocolate burgers, then garnished with green coconut “lettuce” and ketchup and mustard frosting!  These just might be the cutest, funnest things I’ve ever made. 

Taylor checked out a book at the school library that had all kinds of fun foods to make in it.  We made a couple things in it as he rechecked it out for three weeks!  It was called Fun Stuff Silly Snacks and is by “Editors of Favorite Brand Name Recipes”.  These burger cookie treats were in the book and we finally made them today.

They really look like real mini burgers.  I love how they look!  The recipe made 24 burgers.

They taste pretty good, too! 

Hungry?  Want one?  Or ten?  Taylor had a great time helping me.  He put all the condiments on after I got the patties on the bun.  I would say if anything, the chocolate wafer mixture for the burgers was the hardest thing to deal with.  I would just tweak it a little when I make them again.  The “meat” was a little too wet, so I would use less chocolate/milk mixture, which is added to crushed Nilla wafers and some powdered sugar.  I just happened to have some buttercream left over in the fridge from earlier in the week, so I tinted it really red for the ketchup and I had some yellow decorator’s icing premade that made a perfect mustard.  After tinting some coconut green, we were all set.  The sesame seeds on top of the “buns” were a perfect ending to really make these look just like real burgers!

Mini Dessert Burgers, adapted by Katrina, Baking and Boys!

1 box (12 ounces) vanilla wafer cookies, divided use

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/4 cup milk (original recipe says 1/3 cup, which I think is too much)

1/2 cup sweetened flaked coconut

1/2 teaspoon water

3 drops green food coloring

red and yellow decorator’s frosting (in tubes)—or homemade in plastic zipper bag with the corner snipped off

1/4 cup powdered sugar—for glaze to make the sesame seeds stick (optional)

1 tablespoon water

1 tablespoon sesame seeds (optional)

Reserve 48 wafers for bun tops and bottoms.

Place remaining wafers in large resealable bag.  Crush into small pieces using a rolling pin.  Combine wafer crumbs (about 1  1/2 cups) with 1/2 cup powdered sugar and salt in a medium bowl.

In a microwave safe glass bowl, combine the chocolate chips and milk and melt in 20 second intervals, stirring in between each time until all combined and smooth (takes about 1 minute).

Pour chocolate mixture into wafer mixture and stir until combined.  Cool until mixture is easy enough to handle and roll into balls that fit on the wafer/buns.  (Recipe says cool 10 minutes, but I ended up putting it in the fridge for a good 20 minutes hoping it would set up more, it was way too goopy to form into balls, but worked fine to scoop with a spoon onto the buns—and there is quite a bit of the chocolate mixture left over.)  Once the balls/burgers are on the buns, flatten slightly to form patties, as you make them, place them on a cookie sheet lined with waxed paper.

Combine coconut, water and green food coloring in small, resealable plastic bag.  Seal bag and shake to coat evenly with color.

Top each wafer and burger with some coconut, then squeeze red and yellow frosting on top.  Top with remaining wafers for the bun tops.  Brush tops of wafers with powdered sugar glaze made with powdered sugar and water–it can be pretty runny, it just acts as a great glue to hold the sesame seeds in place.  Sprinkle with sesame seeds, if desired. 

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Sink your teeth into one of these big juicy burgers!  Now THAT is my kind of burger!

Banana Chocolate Marble Bundt Cake

Please pass another slice of this bundt cake!  Finally writing this post after making this cake a couple weeks ago and seeing these photos makes me really want to make the cake again.  What?  You say my birthday next week just happens to be on National Bundt Cake Day, November 15.  Well, then making another bundt must be in order!  Check out the link for Mary, at The Food Librarian and her 30 days of bundt cakes leading up to her favorite “holiday”, National Bundt Cake Day.  This is her 3rd year in a row (and she says her last)—it’s amazing the amount of bundts you can turn to for ideas there.  Yet despite that, I made one up!  This is a task I have not always been able to do, so it’s kind of fun to actually create my own recipe, especially when it turns out well!

Why the half chocolate and half vanilla glaze over the cake?  I did that just for my one son who doesn’t care for chocolate.  No, he didn’t eat half the cake.  ;)  Besides, I think it looks pretty cool!  I’ll be making it that way again.  And that chocolate glaze—best chocolate ganache glaze icing frosting I’ve ever had.  It wasn’t quite what would be ganache (just chocolate and cream), but I’ll be making it this way for many things from now on.

I found this chocolate glaze recipe on the Food & Wine website.  I only made half a recipe, since I would only be glazing have the bundt cake with it—and it’s a good thing I did that because I would have eaten way too much of the leftovers with a shovel spoon.  Here’s the half recipe as I made it.

Dark Chocolate Glaze, adapted from Food & Wine

1 ounce dark, bittersweet chocolate, chopped

1  1/4 ounce unsweetened chocolate, chopped

6 tablespoons heavy cream

7 tablespoons granulated sugar

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

pinch of salt

Place the chopped chocolates in a medium bowl.  In a small saucepan, combine the heavy cream with the sugar and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until the sugar dissolves.  Pour the warm cream over the chocolate and let stand until melted, about 2-3 minutes; whisk until smooth. Whisk in the butter, vanilla and a pinch of salt. Let the dark chocolate glaze cool until slightly thickened, about 15 minutes.  (Double this recipe to glaze a whole bundt cake.)

Which would you prefer—the chocolate side or vanilla?  I have to admit, I don’t believe I even tasted the half with the vanilla glaze.  The boys helped me gobble this whole cake up, which is always nice.

Banana Chocolate Marble Bundt Cake, by Katrina, Baking and Boys!

1  1/2 cups all purpose flour (180 grams)

1  1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour (180 grams) (You could use all 3 cups all purpose flour)

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks) Bestlife buttery baking sticks (or any butter substitute or regular butter would be fine)

1  1/2 cups granulated sugar (300 grams)

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 large eggs

2 cups pureed banana (about 5 small or 495 grams)

1 cup plain fat free Greek yogurt (227 grams)

4 ounces dark chocolate, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Be ready to spray a preferably non-stick bundt pan with cooking spray (but don’t spray it until just before putting the cake batter in the pan).  Set aside until that time.

Begin by melting the 4 ounces of chocolate in a microwave safe glass bowl in 20 second intervals until smooth.  Set aside to cool while making the batter.

Combine the flours, baking soda and salt in a medium sized bowl.  Whisk to combine.  Set aside.  In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter for a minute or two.  Add the sugar and continue to beat for another 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy.  Beat in the eggs one at a  time and then the vanilla.  Mix in the pureed banana and beat until combined.   Scrape the sides of the bowl.  Add 1/3 of the dry ingredients and mix until combined, then add half of the yogurt and beat until combined.  Continue alternating with another 1/3 of the dry ingredients, the rest of the yogurt, and ending with the dry ingredients, just until combined.

Take half the batter (about 600 grams or 3 cups) and put it in a separate medium sized bowl.  Fold in the melted chocolate.   Spray the bundt pan well with the cooking spray.  Add the two batters by heaping spoonfuls alternately around the pan in layers until both batters are used.  Swirl all the way to the bottom of the pan carefully with a knife to marble the cake.  Don’t swirl too much!  Bake the cake for 50-60 minutes or until a sharp knife inserted into the center of the cake comes out mostly clean with just a few crumbs on it.  Set the cake on a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes.  Then turn the cake out of the pan onto the rack to cool completely.

You could serve it as is, or with just a dusting of powdered sugar—but both the dark chocolate and vanilla glaze and fantastic!

 Vanilla Powdered Sugar Glaze, by Katrina, Baking and Boys!

3/4 cup powdered sugar (82.5 grams)

8 teaspoons heavy cream

pinch of salt

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon unsalted butter, melted

Combine the powdered sugar, salt and vanilla and begin adding the cream a couple teaspoons at a time, whisking to combine.  When you get a consistency you like, whisk in the melted butter.  Drizzle the glaze over half the bundt cake.  (Double the recipe if you want to glaze the whole cake.)

Seriously—a great bundt cake!