Yum Yum Coffee Cake November 4, 2011

This is a go-to coffee cake for me.  My mom has been making it since I can remember.  It is a great recipe to make for a brunch or even could be used for dessert.   (If I remember right, my sister made this to bring over to a friend’s house as a dessert when I went to visit her in Nigeria a few years back…)  It’s really great any time of the day!

This week I was featured on a website called Be @ Home Best of the Web.  Head on over there to check it out!

So…my pictures out the most professional these days…sorry!  At least you get the idea of what it’s supposed to look like!

Yum Yum Coffee Cake

Cake:

1 cup softened butter

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

2 cups all-purpose flour (I have used half white and  half fine-stone ground whole wheat that I get from a cute little store in MI – the secret is ‘fine-stone’ – it doesn’t seem to change the texture as some whole wheat flours might)

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

1 cup sour cream (I have also used yogurt which turns out great also!)

1 tsp vanilla

Topping:

1/4 cup white sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1 cup chopped walnuts

Heat oven to 350 and grease a 9×13 pan.

Cream sugar and butter.  Add eggs one at a time until thoroughly mixed through.  Add the remaining ingredients and mix just until blended.

Mix topping ingredients together in a separate bowl.

Spread just less than half the batter in bottom of pan (it may slide around on the bottom as you try to spread, but it should eventually cover the bottom.  Sprinkle half the topping ingredients on top of the batter in the pan.  Dollop the remaining batter on top of the first layer of topping, spread as best you can trying not to bring the topping ingredients above the remaining batter.  Sprinkle remaining topping evenly over the batter. (it can be tricky, but no matter what your coffee cake will turn out great!)

Bake 30-45 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean!

Recipe from Mom V.

Pumpkin Spice Latte Cupcakes October 19, 2011

So I have to be honest, I have never had a Pumpkin Spice Latte from Starbucks, but really want to try one soon!  I’ve heard great things about them, I’m guess I am too cheap and after seeing a post about making your own syrup for them, why spend the $4?  In the meantime, I saw this recipe for Pumpkin Spice Latte Cupcakes.  They looked delicious!  I’ve been waiting for the right time to make them, when I could bring them somewhere or serve them to someone besides…myself.  This past week, I roasted up a pie pumpkin and baked some cupcakes!  A couple notes about them:

Texture:  Perfectly moist and lightly dense – texture was great!

Flavor of cupcake:  I expected a little more pumpkin flavor, but after reading some reviews on Annie’s blog, it seems that it had the perfect amount of flavor so that the coffee “latte” flavor wouldn’t be hidden.  If you want a pumpkin cupcake, I suggest going elsewhere, this recipe is to make you feel like you’re drinking a Pumpkin Spice Latte.  A touch of sweetness along with a touch of coffee flavor.

Flavor of frosting:  I used a frosting that Kerry at Bakgirl put on her Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes.  The cinnamon was a great addition to the buttercream frosting.  It is a very sweet frosting, I added some cream cheese to the original recipe.  Next time i would use less powdered sugar to tone down the sweetness and less milk to keep the consistency right.  I would suggest using Annie’s frosting to get the real Pumpkin Spice Latte feel.  That frosting is not the easiest to keep and take places in my experience, that is why I chose the buttercream, which actually overpowers the cupcakes a bit, but they’re still good!

Overall:  They were excellent cupcakes.  I would use a less overpowering frosting next time, but perfect dessert for a chilly fall day!  If you love your Pumpkin Spice Latte’s, you’ll love these things!  Wish I could share them with you!

Pumpkin Spice Latte Cupcakes – makes 12

1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/2 T espresso powder (I used instant coffee granules)

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Pinch of nutmeg

Pinch of ground cloves

1/2 tsp salt

7.5 oz pumpkin puree (half of 15 oz can)

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup oil

2 large eggs

1/4 cup coffee or espresso, for brushing

Preheat oven to 350.  Get cupcake pan ready with liners.  In medium bowl combine flour, espresso, baking soda, baking powered, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and salt.  Stir together and set aside.  In the bowl of an electronic mixer, blend together pumpkin, sugars and oil.  Add eggs one at a time beating well after each addition.  With mixture on low, add the flour in two additions, mixing until just incorporated.

Fill cupcake liners 3/4 full.  Bake until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean 15-20 minutes.  Transfer pan to rack and cool 10 minutes.  Remove cupcakes and brush coffee/espresso two or three times allowing coat to soak before repeating.  Cool completely.

Recipe from Annie’s Eats

Cinnamon-Vanilla Frosting – covers 12-16 cupcakes

1/4 c + 1 T butter, softened

1/4 cup shortening

1/4 cupish cream cheese, softened

1 tsp vanilla

Pinch of Salt

3 3/4 cup powdered sugar

1/4 cup milk

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Beat butter, shortening and cream cheese together until light and fluffy.  Scrap down bowl.  Add vanilla and salt and mix until incorporated.  Add powdered sugar slowly scraping down sides after each addition.  Add milk and mix at hight speed until light and fluffy.  Add cinnamon and mix until thoroughly blended.  Frost cupcakes!

Recipe from Bakegirl

Chocolate Peanut Butter Ball Cake September 14, 2011

I really don’t think I have to say much about this recipe.  The title pretty much says it all.  It’s a yummy chocolate cake (one that I’d say is going to be my go-to chocolate cake recipe b/c it is a super-moist scratch cake which is hard to find!) with yummy ganache pipped into the cake itself and a layer of sweet peanut butter frosting (almost reminds me of a peanut butter cup) and drizzled with again, the chocolate ganache.

This recipe started out as cupcakes, from a show called Cupcake Wars.  I made it into a 9×13 cake that stayed in the pan when I frosted.  I probably used 1/4 less peanut butter frosting and 1/2 less ganache than the recipe says.

Want the recipe?  Find it here at the Food Network site. Mmmm…you’re going to need a glass a milk to drink with this one.

Strawberry Cupcakes with Whipped Strawberry Frosting April 26, 2011

Thanks to the ladies on the GOTR 5k committee for letting me share these delicious cupcakes with you!

If you live in NW Indiana and are looking for a non-competitive 5k to walk/run, come join us on May 21 in Highland.  Check out more details here.

Easter April 18, 2011

Are you looking for a fun dessert to serve on Easter?  Try making some bunny cupcakes!  No piping necessary (although if you do have the euipment, I’m sure they would be even cuter piped).  If you try them, be sure to send me pictures, I would love to see them!

Spring Cupcakes April 7, 2011

We’ve had little signs of spring over the last few weeks and I’m ready for more!  Last week I got out my cake decorating equipment and went to work.  Chocolaty cupcakes with a perfect butter cream frosting tinted with spring colors and piped.  I’ll admit, it’s not quite professional work, but that’s ok, I had fun :)

March’s Daring Baker’s Challenge! March 27, 2011

The March 2011 Daring Baker’s Challenge was hosted by Ria of Ria’s Collection and Jamie of Life’s a Feast. Ria and Jamie challenged The Daring Bakers to bake a yeasted Meringue Coffee Cake.

When I went to the Daring Baker’s website to check out what the challenge was this month I was pumped.  One, because I had all the ingredients and tools in my house and two, I haven’t done a challenge in a while…and knew I was going to this month!  So the next day I went ahead and started at it.  The Meringue Coffee Cake turned out to be a pretty simple baked good to make.  It did involve a little bit of time and skill between the dough rising and baking but overall it wasn’t to difficult.  I made Jamie’s version with the sweet filling. I didn’t have dark chocolate so used semi-sweet, which was probably a bit sweet for a morning breakfast, but still yummy!

As the instructions say, it is best eaten the same day it is baked so I guess I would suggest putting it together the day before and baking the next morning if you want it for a morning treat.  Otherwise you’d have to wake up at the crack of dawn.  If you don’t eat it the same day, I’d suggest refrigerating it and maybe microwaving it just slightly before serving.

You can find the recipe at either Ria of Ria’s Collection and Jamie of Life’s a Feast.

Reine De Saba January 25, 2011

Reine De Saba means Queen of Sheba.  Still trying to figure out the meaning behind the cake, but this is a chocolate and almond cake.  The recipe called for either rum or brewed coffee, which I think are two very different flavors.  I went with the rum.  I served it to some friends we had over on Saturday night and they all enjoyed it.

Reine De Saba

Cake

4 oz semisweet chocolate chips

2 T rum

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temp

2/3 cup plus 1 T sugar

3 large eggs, separated

Large pinch of salt

1/3 cup almond meal (ground almonds)

1/4 tsp almond extract

3/4 cup minus 1 1/2 T sifted flour (or 3/4 cup cake flour)

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350.  Butter and flour 8-inch round cake pan with 2 inch high sides.  Combine chocolate and rum and melt in microwave 20 seconds at a time stirring until melted and smooth.  Cool chocolate, stirring occasionally.

Using electric mixer, beat butter and 2/3 cup sugar in large bowl until fluffy and pale.  Add egg yolks and beat until blended.

Using clean dry beaters, beat egg whites and pinch of salt in medium bowl until soft peaks form.  Add 1 T sugar and beat until stiff but not dry.

Fold chocolate mixture, then almond meal and almond extract into yolk mixture.  Fold in 1/4 of whites to lighten batter.  Fold in 1/3 of remaining whites.  Sift 1/3 of flour over and fold in.  Fold in remaining whites alternately with flour in 2 more additions each.  Transfer batter to prepared pan.  Push some batter 3/4 inch up sides of pan with rubber spatula (batter will slip down).

Bake cake until puffed and gently set in center and tester inserted into center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, about 25 minutes.  Cool cake in pan 10 minutes.  Cut around pan sides and carefully turn cake out onto rack.  Cool completely, about 2 hours.

Chocolate Butter Icing

1 oz semisweet chocolate chips

1 T rum

3 T unsalted butter, room temp

Combine chocolate and rum and metal in microwave in 20 minutes increments until melted and smooth.  Beat in butter, 1 T at a time, until icing is smooth.  Place bowl over medium bowl filled with ice water.  Continue to beat until icing is cool and thickened to spreading consistancy.

Place cake on platter.  Scrape icing onto top center.  Using small offset spatula, spread icing evenly and thinly over top and sides of cake.

Recipe from August 2009 Bon Appetit (Julia Child)

Recipes to my below desserts December 2, 2010

Go here for the Caramel Pumpkin Gingersnap Cheesecake.  The two changes I would make to this recipe would be to leave the caramel off the gingersnap crust.  Parts of the crust ended up pretty much caramelized and not really chewable…I would add the extra caramel to the top of the cheesecake after baking and also probably leave the sugar out of the crust.

Apple Pie

3/4 cup  sugar

1 heaping Tablespoon cinnamon

6-8 granny smith apples, sliced

1 1/2 Tablespoon butter

2-3 Tablespoons flour

unbaked pie shell

Topping:

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 cup flour

Heat oven to 400 degrees.  Mix sugar, cinnamon and flour.  Add apples and mix so all apples get coated.  Heap into unbaked pie shell.  Dot with butter.  Mix topping ingredients with a pastry blender.  Sprinkle on top of apples.  Bake 45-55 minutes.  (Next time I would cut my apples thinner and maybe bake a touch longer, my apples still had some crunch to them.)

Recipe from Mom who adopted it from Prized Recipes to Cook and Savor by PRCS

What I made for Thanksgiving.. November 29, 2010

Dessert!  That’s what I was in charge of, and if any of you know me, it was perfect because I love my sweets.  Although Thanksgiving dinner is such a delicious meal all together with the turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes, I love it!

I made Apple pie and a Caramel Pumpkin Cheesecake with Gingerbread Crust.  Overall they both turned out very good.  I would make a few changes to both the next time I make them and I will note those changes when I post the recipes in a few days.  For now, here are pictures:  Apple Pie before baking and Pumpkin Cheesecake…sorry a bit blurry.