Its time to start baking again! its been so long, it always feels that way.
So I decided to try something easy, delicious and what Austin had asked for. He was eyeing the coffee cake at panera, and I just couldn't have that.
Then it was sooooo good, even my grandma called to thank me for it! so I doubled the recipe and made 2 batches for work. The 40 people in my office loved it too : ) lots came back for seconds.
Recipe! Enjoy!
Ingredients and tools
3 bowls, 1 small, 1 medium, 1 large
Beaters and a whisk
9 x 13 pan
Streusel:
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
1 cup All-Purpose Flour
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
6 tablespoons butter, melted
Cake:
3/4 cup butter, room temp.
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 large eggs
3/4 cup sour cream
1 1/4 cups whole milk
3 3/4 cups All-Purpose Flour
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9" x 13" pan, I LOVE Pam with flour!
Use the medium bowl to make the streusel by mixing together the sugars, flour, and cinnamon. Add the melted butter, stirring until well combined. Set the topping aside.
To make the cake: In a large bowl, beat together the butter, salt, sugars, baking powder, and vanilla until well combined and smooth. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
In a separate small bowl, whisk together the sour cream milk till well combined.
Add the flour to the butter mixture alternately with the milk/sour cream mixture, beating gently to combine.
Spread half the batter into the pan. Sprinkle half the streusel mixture over the batter. Spread the remaining batter over the streusel. Use a toothpick to swirl the filling into the batter, like you were making a marble cake. Sprinkle the remaining streusel over the batter.
Bake the cake until it's golden brown around the edges, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 45 to 50 minutes.
Remove the cake from the oven and allow it to cool for about 15 to 20 minutes before cutting and serving.
I found the recipe on southern with a twist and barely changed it, its so perfect : )
Have you ever been to one of those places where you eat a bunch of seafood off of a table with your hands?! Austin took me last year, and it was so much fun, and honestly, insanely delicious!
We had such a great time, and now with Austin living near a pier with fresh seafood I needed to try to make it myself. Luckily Austin's father gave me a Le Creuset french oven for Christmas, can you say PERFECT!?
Keep in mind this recipe looks quick, but the prep does take a bit longer. Its worth it to have everything cut and ready once you start,so be PREPared : ) And one of the best parts is, its a full meal! no need to make sides since there are corn and potatoes included right along with the seafood.
Here's the before picture; so much food!
This recipe is altered from Daniel Boulud's Clamblake Recipe. We don't really dig lobster, and felt we could cut down on some of the clams. 3Lbs is A LOT! Oh, and we added garlic, cause its my new love : )
Ingredients and Prep
• ½ lb - 1lb. of scallops
• ¼ lb. slab bacon, diced
• 5 gloves of garlic, minced
• ½ lb. cooked bratwurst, cut into 1.5" slices
• 1 lb. yellow onion, diced
• 1 medium leek, well rinsed and chopped
• 12 small new potatoes (about 1" diameter)
• 1 T red chili flakes
• 2 ears of yellow corn, sliced into rounds
• 2 cups dry white wine
• ½ lb. (2 sticks) unsalted butter
• 3 dozen small littleneck clams, scrubbed
• 2 dozen mussels, scrubbed, beards removed
• 1 lb. small shrimp, shells on
• 3 T chopped fresh parsley
• 2 lemons sliced
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Directions
Heat a 5-quart Dutch oven or large pot over medium heat and add the bacon. Cook, stirring, for 2 minutes, then add the cooked bratwurst and continue to cook until browned.
Add the onions, chopped leek, potatoes, and chili flakes, and cook, stirring, until leek is softened. Add the corn, wine, and butter, lemons, and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and simmer for about 10-15 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.
Check seasoning, and then add the clams. Cover, steam for 3 minutes, then add the mussels, shrimp, and scallops. Cover and continue to steam for about 4 minutes, until all the mussels and clams have opened. Then use the juice at the bottom of the pan to pour over. Sprinkle with the chopped parsley and serve family style. Serves 6-8.
Now, We ate it right away, yummmmm. Then refrigerated it and 2 days later, heated it up and it was still delicious!
Ok, who doesn't love Chocolate Oranges? My sister and I have spent probably too much of our lives searching for these. (the best places are target and world market)
ANYWAYS! My coworker Nichole came back from a 1 month work trip and I just had to bake something! So here is my Chocolate Orange mini cupcakes. Really Easy to make, just 4 different components so it may take a chunk of time. I did these on a Saturday, so I took a lovely lazy approach and spent all day working on them.
I definitely enjoyed having this be one of my own creations! Using my chocolate fun and cupcake recipe from my Chocolate Covered Strawberry with a TWIST post.
Recipe and Pics Below
Ingredients for Chocolate Decorations
White Chocolate Chips (6oz or so)
Frosting (I cheated on this and used Duncan Hines Mix in frosting, orange flavor of course!)
Ingredients for Chocolate Cupcake
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tspn baking powder
1/4 tspn salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 tspn vanilla extract
1/2 cup sour cream
Ingredients for Orange Chocolate Glaze
1/4 cup butter
1 tsp. orange zest
1 1/2 tsp. light corn syrup
2 tblspn orange juice (I just juiced the orange I used for the zest, room temp)
2 tblspn heavy whipping cream (Room temp)
2-3 oz dark chocolate chips
1 cup powdered sugar
Ingredients for Orange Whipped Cream
2 tblspn orange juice
1 tbspn orange zest
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1 tblspn powdered sugar
Instructions for Chocolate Decorations
Line the cookie sheet with the parchment paper.
Melt the chocolate in a bowl, 10 seconds at a time with stirring in between intervals. only needs 2-3 times.
If you want a color, add the color a little at a time until the desired color is reached.
Pour chocolate into the piping bag and pipe your designs onto the lined cookie sheet. (do this fast, the chocolate starts to harden pretty quickly) I made white circles, however when I slammed it down to get the air bubbles out, they turned into ovals, so I decided I would freeze them for 5 mins take them out and cut them into shapes with my cookie cutter (work fast, and have a few you extra to practice on, they melt so fast)
Put in Freezer for 15 mins.
Once they are completely frozen place frosting in a piping bag and pipe your wording or shapes onto the chocolate.
I made these 2 days before assembling the cupcakes, and they stayed perfectly, I just left them on the cookie sheet in the freezer after I piped the writing on them.
Instructions for Chocolate Cupcakes
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a mini muffin tin with paper liners.
Into a medium bowl, sift together cocoa, flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each, then beat in vanilla.
With mixer on low speed, add flour mixture in two batches, alternating with sour cream and beginning and ending with flour.
Pour batter into cups (I do a tablespoon's worth of batter, and these cupcakes barely rise, so its better to do a fuller tablespoon so they are easy to dip into the glaze)
Bake until a toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean, about 13 mins.
Cool in pan 5 minutes; transfer to a wire rack to cool completely
Instructions for Chocolate Orange Glaze
Melt the butter, orange zest, corn syrup and vanilla in a small pot on medium heat
Whisk the orange juice and whipping cream into the mixture
Lower the heat and add the chocolate and whisk until melted
Take mixture off the heat and whisk in the sugar
To Glaze: dip the cupcake topside down (this is why we want the cupcake above the liner rim) lift and twist slightly as you turn it right side up (this will stop the glaze from dripping)
Now my cupcakes were mostly below the rim of the line :( So i placed the remaining glaze in a piping bag and just piped it onto the cupcake, its a thicker result, but maybe even more delicious!)
Let them cool for about 10 mins and place back in fridge for 20 mins
Now to add an element of fun (and because I had so much of the orange frosting leftover, I decided to do a drizzle pattern on top of the glaze after it chilled)
Instructions for Orange Whipped Cream
Whip the cream until soft peaks form
Stir in the orange juice, orange zest, and powdered sugar
Continue whipping until peaks are firm
Place into piping bag with star tip and place a small amount in the center of each cupcake. (the whipped cream is great because it is not too sweet since the glaze is extremely sweet. Also just do a dollop of the whipped cream on each cupcake since the point of it is to hold the chocolate decoration in place)
Take chocolate decorations and place on top of whipped cream, make sure to place back in fridge for at least 10 mins before transporting so that everything can set.
Extras for the boyfriend for his visit this weekend :P
So as you can see by now I love baking for my coworkers. Now Erin had been asking for cheesecake for some time so I figured her birthday would be the perfect opportunity.
I took this recipe from the baking queen herself Martha Stewart and adapted it just a bit.
You will need
9" spring form pan
Rimmed rectangle baking sheet
Ingredients for Cake
1 package (9 ounces) chocolate wafer cookies
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
4 bars (8 ounces each) cream cheese, room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 large eggs
1 cup sour cream
8 ounces semisweet chocolate, melted
Ingredients for Ganache
1/4 Cup heavy whipping cream
4 oz. chopped semisweet chocolate
Baking Instructions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Assemble the 9" spring form pan with the raised side of the bottom facing down.
Now let me tell you how hard it was for me to find chocolate wafer cookies, i COULDN'T! So I bought yummy fudge cookies : )
In a food processor, pulse cookies until finely ground. Add the melted butter and pulse to moisten.
Transfer crumbs to the 9"pan. Press firmly and evenly into the bottom. Place the pan on a rimmed baking sheet; bake for 10 mins then set aside.
Clean out food processor, then add cream cheese, sugar and salt, blend until smooth (now when I made this I had no large food processor, so while I could make the crust in parts, I had to use a hand mixer to whip this all together, worked just as well)
With the motor running add eggs, then sour cream, and finally the melted chocolate. Blend filling until smooth, scraping down sides as needed
Pour filling into the baked crust and bake until just set, 1 hour. Turn oven off, and let cheesecake set 1 hr in the oven without opening. Now as my cheesecake was baking it puffed up to twice the height of the pan! I was terrified. ITS OK, it will go down as it sits for that second hour
Take the cheesecake out and run a knife around the edge to loosen and prevent cracking. Leave it in the pan and cool completely in the fridge, 6 hours or overnight. Make sure to cover loosely (I used a kitchen towel)
Ganache Instructions
Place chocolate chips in a small bowl. In a small pot, bring the cream to a simmer. Pour the cream over the chocolate pieces and let sit about 5 minutes
Whisk the ganache until smooth and shiny
Assembly Instructions
Take cheesecake out of fridge and remove from mold (I left it in the mold because i had to transport it to work)
Pour Ganache into center of cake. (I put it in a piping bag because i just felt it was cleaner and easier to control that way.) There is a natural dip there so it should build up nicely to the outside of the cake
For the wording I totally cheated. I bought the "make it yourself icing" since it was only for 4 words. It worked wonderfully. Make sure to put the ganached cheesecake back into the fridge for at least 30 mins so it can set before you pipe on it. Everyone loved it just the same!
HAPPY 4th of July Everyone!! If you are anything like me, you know a holiday is just another reason to bake. Holidays are especially great because you can bake wacky things and get away with it : )
So here are my Red White and Blue cupcakes with a Red White and Blue strawberry on top.
(you may see a few red ones, I did a red white red cupcake for my Canadian coworker isay4real)
Recipe and Pics Below
Ingredients for the Cake
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup milk
Ingredients for the Strawberries
1 tub of Strawberries (it will be 1 strawberry per cupcake)
1 package of White Chocolate Chips
2 table spoons Vegetable oil
Blue Sprinkles
Instructions for the Cupcakes
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F
Line your cupcake tin with cupcake papers
In a medium bowl cream together the sugar and butter
Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then stir in the vanilla
Sift the flour and baking powder and add to the creamed mixture
Stir in the milk until the batter is smooth
Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes so batter thickens
Split batter evenly into 3 bowls
Use the gel food coloring to color one batter Red and another one Blue, leave one white
Using a teaspoon put 1 teaspoon of red batter into each cupcake liner, then spread around to cover the whole bottom with your finger. I used a circular motion and it worked great
Next gently put one teaspoon of white batter on top of the red, and again smooth out with your finger so that no red is showing. BE PATIENT! and do not push down or the batters will mix
Top it off with a teaspoon of the blue and again, make sure it covers the white layer completely (i did red again for the Canada Day cupcakes)
Place in the over for 12-13 minutes, use a toothpick to see if it is ready. If it is ready it will come out clean
(cross section of cupcake)
Let cupcakes cool in the pan and start the strawberries
Instructions for the Strawberries
First wash the strawberries and dry off with a paper towel
Line the baking sheet with the foil
Take a small bowl and pour in the blue sprinkles
Pour the white chocolate into a bowl and stick in the microwave on 15 second intervals, stirring for 10 seconds in between each time until fully melted
Add the vegetable oil, stir until combined
Dip the strawberries in 2/3 of the way and run the back along the edge to take some of the chocolate off (it will sit better on the baking sheet)
Let it drip for 10-15 seconds then dip 1/3 of the way into the blue sprinkles
Place on baking sheet
Place in fridge for 1 hour
Assembly
Make sure the cupcakes are completely cold (I actually placed them in the fridge while making the strawberries)
take some of the white chocolate and dab a little on the top of the cupcake and stick a chocolate covered strawberry on top
Place back in the fridge until ready to eat
Because of the strawberries, these only last for a day or 2 and should really be kept somewhere cool. I had them in my office on a table, but with ice packs around it all day
How can Chocolate Covered Strawberries have a twist?! Well, I took the flavors and made a mini cupcake form : )
So image, a rich chocolate cupcake with a strawberry frosting. I knew they would be great! I made these a while ago for Valentines Day and also created some chocolate decorations to make them cuter. The frosting is the version the Sprinkles owner showed Martha Stewart.
Recipe and Pics Below
You Need
White chocolate chips (as many as you want, I used a full bag)
Piping bag (or ziplock bag)
Size 3 tip
Food Coloring (I use Wilton gel icing colors)
Cookie Sheet
Parchment paper
Instructions
Line the cookie sheet with the parchment paper.
Melt the chocolate in a bowl, 10 seconds at a time with stirring in between intervals. only needs 2-3 times.
Add the color a little at a time until the desired color is reached.
Pour into the piping bag and pipe your designs onto the lined cookie sheet. (do this fast, the chocolate starts to harden pretty quickly)
Put in Freezer for 15 mins. I made these the night before assembling the cupcakes, and they stayed perfectly, i just stacked them all together in a tupperware and kept in the freezer.
I made 3 different colors, however there is no need to go as overboard as I did : )
Next I made the Mini Chocolate Cupcakes
Ingredients
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tspn baking powder
1/4 tspn salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 tspn vanilla extract
1/2 cup sour cream
Ingredients for Sprinkles Strawberry Frosting
1/2 cup whole frozen strawberries, thawed
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, firm and slightly cold
Pinch of coarse salt
3 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions for Chocolate Cupcakes
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a mini muffin tin with paper liners.
Into a medium bowl, sift together cocoa, flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each, then beat in vanilla.
With mixer on low speed, add flour mixture in two batches, alternating with sour cream and beginning and ending with flour.
Pour batter into cups, I do a tablespoon's worth of batter.
Bake until a toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean, about 10-15 mins minutes.
Cool in pan 5 minutes; transfer to a wire rack to cool completely
Instructions for Frosting
Place strawberries in the bowl of a small food processor; process until pureed.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or with a hand mixer, beat together butter and salt on medium speed until light and fluffy.
Reduce mixer speed and slowly add confectioners' sugar; beat until well combined.
Add vanilla and 3-4 tablespoons strawberry puree. mix until just blended.
Do not over mix or frosting will incorporate too much air. Frosting consistency should be dense and creamy, like ice cream.
My Problem was I added too much of the strawberry puree because i wanted a stronger flavor, so my frosting appears a bit grainy, still very delicious!
I usually bake, and while I will try a little, but usually i'm so sick of seeing the item I can't really bring myself to eat it. This is a whole different story. This cake is amazing.
Do you like S'mores? WHO DOESN'T!?
I say try it! It might be a bit time consuming, but it is beyond worth it. The original recipe is here but I adapted it, and I think mine is better :P
Recipe and Pics Below
Graham Cracker Crust Ingredients
18 large graham crackers (the whole rectangle=1)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
12 Tblspn. unsalted butter.
Prepare two 9″ rounds with parchment paper rounds and non-stick baking spray. Make sure the paper covers all the edges or the crust will stick to the pan
Melt the butter and cook on low until the butter is a golden brown. This takes about 10 mins, so keep your eye on it, but start it before you crush the crackers.
In a food processor, pulse the graham crackers with the sugar and the salt until the crumbs are really fine. Pour the crumbs into a medium bowl.
Pour the butter over the graham crackers and gently mix together until it is a uniform damp crumb.
Divide the graham cracker crumbs between the two prepared pans, pressing them down firmly with a spatula. Set aside
Cake Ingrediants
2 cups boiling water
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup sweetend coca powder
1 cup soft unsalted butter
2 cups white sugar
4 large eggs
1 Tbs vanilla
2-3/4 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Put the coco powder in a small bowl, and pour the boiling water on top of it. Whisk the water and coco together until smooth, and then set aside until cooled.
In a mixing bowl or standing mixer, beat the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy. I find it helps to cream the butter alone first, then slowly add the sugar in.
Add the vanilla and the eggs one at a time until they completely combined.
Sift all of the dry ingredients together in a separate bowl. DO NOT SKIP THE SIFTING! SIFTING IS THE HELP FROM THE GODS!
Gently add half of the dry ingredients to the batter and half of the chocolate. Mix to combine.
Repeat with the remaining ingredients and mix into a smooth batter.
Divide the batter between the two pans. I decided to make one layer smaller than the other, so I had to bake the first layer for 30 mins and the second one for about 40/45 mins. You know it will be done when you stick the toothpick in the center and it comes out clean.
Be so careful when removing these, The cracker crust is so fragile. I advise not moving them out of the pan until they are completely cooled.
After these are completely cooled, make the Ganache.
Ganache Ingredients
2 cups heavy cream
1lb dark chocolate chips, or chocolate bar, whatever : )
Place chocolate chips in a small bowl. In a small pot, bring the cream to a simmer. Pour the cream over the chocolate pieces and let sit about 5 minutes.Whisk the ganache until smooth and shiny. Set Aside
place bottom layer on whatever plate or carrier you will be transporting or serving the cake on. slather on some ganache to just the top. i like to cut the tops off of cakes to make them flat.
then place the second layer on top.
Place cake in the fridge for 15-20 mins for ganache to "glue" together the layers. Leave the rest of the ganache out on the counter, you will need it.
Take it out of the fridge and cover in Gnache and place back in fridge while making the marshmallow topping.
tip: i placed strips of parchment paper under the cake so that the tray stayed clean.
Marshmallow Frosting Ingredients
3 egg whites at room temperature
¼ tsp salt
1/3 cup sugar
1 cup karo corn syrup
2 Tbs water
1 Tbs vanilla extract
In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and salt on low/medium speed until it is able to have peaks for 3 seconds, only takes about 2 mins.
Then, heat the sugar, corn syrup, water and vanilla extract. Heat over medium flame until the sugar is dissolved and just simmering, about 5 minutes.
With the mixer on medium speed, add a tiny bit of the hot sugar mixture to the egg whites at a time. (Temper the eggs- don’t scramble them!)
Eventually all of the sugar will be added and then turn the mixer up to high. Beat the mixture on high for about 5 minutes or until very stiff and shiny.
Now take the cake out of the fridge and remove the parchment strips. Then pipe on one layer of the marshmallow to the top of the cake.
Then "dump" the rest of the frosting on top and use a spatula to create peaks.
I then used a blow torch to create the "toasted marshmallow" on top
I left this out on the community food table all day at work and it was fine :)
