Oven Delights

Sticky Buns

2012-01-27T18:33:00.000-08:00

I came across sticky buns earlier this week while browsing a blog. They looked really good. I didn't have all the ingredients for that particular recipe, so I used my cinammon roll recipe for the dough, and I used a topping recipe I found on Oprah.com. They turned out pretty darn good for being my first attempt.

Sticky Buns
Sweet Dough Recipe click here

Topping
3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
4 Tblsp. unsalted butter
3 Tblsp. honey
1 Tblsp. light corn syrup
1 1/2 coarse chopped pecans (I used walnuts)

Make your dough according to directions, and set aside to rise.

Combine all your topping ingredients except the nuts, in a sauce pot and heat just until melted, take off heat. Pour your sauce into a 9x13 baking pan and coat the bottom evenly. Sprinkle your nuts over the sauce. Set aside.

Take your dough after it has risen properly, and using your hands shape it into a rectangle on top of your floured counter.

Roll out into a 15x9 rectangle.

Spread the butter covering the dough, sprinkle the sugar, then the cinammon.

Roll into a log.

Cut into 12 slices.

Place your rolls into your baking pan. Cover and let rise until doubled in size about 1 hour.

Take your rolls and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

Remove your rolls from the oven using oven mitts.

Immediately invert your rolls onto a platter or tray, being carefull not to touch the syrup, its burning hot!

Note: Do not let your rolls cool before you invert them onto a tray, they will stick and not be able to come loose as easily.

Homemade Kahlua

2012-01-21T17:41:00.000-08:00

Homemade Kahlua was given to me by a co-worker as a Christmas gift many, many years ago. As soon as I went home I tried it, and was pretty impressed! It tasted just like the fancy one you buy in the dark bottle. Then I stored it away, and forgot about.

Then years later I came accross a recipe for Chocolate Kahlua Cake. I searched my pantry for all the ingredients and found my little bottle of Kahlua still there and smelling even more fabulous even after 5 years! I was a little nervous about using it in my recipe, I wasn't sure if I had stored it right, or had no clue if this could even go bad after a certain amount of time. It smelled and looked fine so I decided to go ahead and use it. My cake turned out soooo good! My bottle went back to my pantry and sat there another five years before I had use for it again. And again it came out of my pantry and into my Chocolate Kahlua cake! This stuff never goes bad!

Then last year I came across a Kahlua recipe. I went out and purchased all the ingredients except for the Vodka. I had this jug of Vodka that had been sitting in my pantry for at least 15 yrs. I have no clue where my husband got it from, it just ended up in my pantry. I couldn't find dark bottling bottles at the dollar store, so I ended up purchasing two pre-filled bottles of dark wine instead and poured the wine down the sink. Don't worry this stuff was pretty cheap, also from the dollar store. I set the corks aside and rinsed the empty bottles with a bit of Vodka just to get all the flavor and color of the wine out of the bottles.

I made my recipe cooled it and bottled it. Then made myself a drink using the Kahlua, heavy cream, milk and ice! Result? Delicious! Just like the store bought! But more affordable!

I plan on making these for gifts next Christmas if I can find the right bottling bottles. I still have my bottle my friend gave me as a gift 11 years ago, and I think of her each time I see it, and I remember all the laughs and good times we had when we worked together. I miss her and the old work crew. We had some pretty good times.

Homemade Kahlua
4 cups water
4 cups sugar
1/2 cup instant coffee crystals
1/4 c. vanilla extract ( I use the Costco brand, which I love, and is very affordable.)
26 ounces Vodka

3 26 oz. bottling bottles

Step 1. Bring water and sugar to a boil.
Step 2. Add to coffee crystals just enough water to dissolve them.
Step 3. Add coffee to water and sugar and boil for 5 minutes, being careful not to let it boil over.
Step 4. Cool completely, then add vanilla and Vodka.
Step 5. Mix well.
Step 6. Pour into your sterilized bottles and seal well with corks.

Note: Sterilize your bottles before use.

Tiramisu Cake

2012-01-20T01:00:00.000-08:00

This months Cake Slice Bakers selection is Tiramisu Cake from The Cake Book by Tish Boyle. This cake almost didn't happen this month. I made Tiramisu for the first time last week from the book "Cake Boss". My intention was to make only that recipe and make it my Cake Slice cake for the month. But then I fell in love with Tiramisu, and couldn't help myself from trying this recipe. I did follow the cake recipe, but decided to make the mascarpone filling the "Cake Boss" way. After researching this recipe in the past I don't ever recall anybody cooking the egg yolk mixture or adding gelatin. To me it just didn't seem right. So I skipped all this and did the tradional mascarpone filling. I also added coffee liqueur to the syrup and increased the amount of sugar, and swaped out the rum in the mascarpone filling for sweet marsala. I loved the turnout of the cake! It was tender and buttery, and soaked up all the syrup just lovely! This cake definatly moved up to the number one spot on my cake list!

Tiramisu Cake

CLASSIC GENOISE

1 c. sifted cake flour

1/2 tsp. salt

6 large eggs

3/4 c. granulated sugar

1/2 tsp. finely grated lemon zest (I left this out)

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

6 tblsp. unsalted butter, melted and cooled

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease the bottom and sides of two 9" round cake pans. Dust the pans with flour.

Sift together the flour and salt into a medium bowl. Whisk to combine, and set aside.

In a heat proof bowl place your eggs and sugar.

Whisk until sugar dissolved.

Set the bowl over a sauce pan of simmering water, making sure that the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water, and heat the mixture, whisking constantly, until the eggs are warm.

Transfer the mixture into your mixing bowl and using the whisk attachment, beat on high speed until the mixture has tripled in volume, about 8 minutes.

Reduce to low speed and beat in the vanilla extract.

Sift 1/3 of the flour mixture over the batter and gently fold it in with a rubber spatula. Sift in the reamining flour mixture in two more additions, again folding in gently. Transfer the melted butter to a small bowl if neccesary, and scoop about 3/4 cup of the batter into the bowl. Stir until blended. Fold this mixture into the remaining batter. Scrape the batter into the prepared pans.

Bake the cakes for 12 to 15 minutes, until the tops spring back when lightly touched and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean.

Cool the cakes in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Invert the cakes onto the wire rack and cool completely.

ESPRESSO SYRUP
1 c. brewed espresso
1/2 c. granulated sugar
1/4 c. coffee liqueur

Directions: Bring all ingredients to a simmer until sugar dissolved about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat and let the syrup cool.

MASCARPONE FILLING
4 extra-large egg yolks
1 pound mascarpone cheese
2 tblsp. sweet marsala
1 tblsp. coffe liqueur
1/2 c. granulated sugar
1 c. heavy cream

In a mixing bowl using a whip attachment whip the egg yolks, sugar, mascarpone cheese, sweet marsala, and coffee liqueur until light and airy about 7 minutes.

In a seperate bowl whip the heavy cream until soft peaks form and fold into mascarpone mixture until combined.

Place one of the cake layers onto a plate and brush with the espresso syrup, about 1/3 cup.

Place 1/3 of the mixture on top of the cake layer and spread evenly.

Place the second layer on top.

Repeat the steps with the espresso syrup and mascarpone cheese.

Frost the cake with the remaining mascarpone cheese.

Dust the top of the cake with cocoa powder

Refrigerate for at least 4 hours. Slice and serve.

Tiramisu....."Cake Boss" recipe!

2012-01-14T17:40:00.000-08:00

Tiramisu.....I have heard of this dessert, but had never had it. I was told it was made with Mascarpone cheese (which I had never tried before), that it was whipped with egg yollks, sugar, and rum and layered with lady fingers (also never tried them) soaked in espresso, and finished off with cocoa powder or shaved chocolate.

Sounded delightful! But never occured to me to give it a shot. Then last year I got myself a copy of Buddy Valstro's cookbook "Cake Boss", one of my favorite cookbooks, not just because of all the recipes he has shared, but because of all the stories he has shared with us.

One of the recipes that I booked marked was Tiramisu. Finally last week I decided it was time to give this a shot and stop wondering what this dessert tasted like. Not only did I fall in love with Tiramisu, but my new love with Mascarpone cheese has evolved! I will definately be experimenting with some of my current favorite desserts using this cheese.

I won't try to explain the flavor of this dish, I won't be able to do it justice. But if your a coffee lover, and love coffee liqueur, and mascarpone cheese. Then this dessert is for you!

Tiramisu

1 cup brewed espresso

1 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup plus 1 tblsp. coffee liquer ( I used homemade Kahlua )

4 extra-large egg yolks

1 pound mascarpone cheese

2 tblsp. sweet marsala

1 cup heavy cream

40 store- bought ladyfingers ( I made mine, but thats a total seperate blog!)

1/4 cup cocoa powder

Directions

Put the espresso, 1/2 cup of the sugar, and 1/4 cup of the coffee liqueur into a heavy saucepan, and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Whisk until the sugar dissolves, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and let the syrup cool.

Put the yolks, mascarpone, marsala, remaining 1/2 cup sugar, and remaining 1 tblsp. of coffee liqueur in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whip attachmnent and whip on mediem speed until light and airy, approximately 7 minutes. (If you don't have a stand mixer, you can use a hand mixer fitted with the whip attachments.) Transfer the mixture to another bowl and clean and dry the stand mixer bowl and the whip attachment, returning them both to the mixer.

Put the cream in the bowl of a stand mixer and whip until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the cream mixture into the marsala mixture.

One by one, dip the lady fingers in the espreso syrup and arrange a layer in the bottom of a 12x8 inch pan.

Spoon a layer of cream over the ladyfinger. Dip and arrange another layer of ladyfingers over the cream, with the second layer perpendicular to the first. Spoon the remaining cream over the top.

Dust the Tiramisu with cocoa powder. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or up to 3 days.

To serve, use a kitchen spoon to scoop out portions into small bowls or glass dishes.

Rosca de Reyes ( Three Kings Bread )

2012-01-12T13:00:00.000-08:00

Three Kings Bread is annual Mexican tradition enjoyed every year on the sixth of January. The bread is baked with a baby Jesus inside, then sliced and served. The winner of the baby Jesus gets to host a dinner party on Febuary 2nd, the day of the candle mass.

This year I was determined to make my own bread. The store bought version isn't what it use to be when I was growing up, and I miss that. Our local hispanic bakeries make this bread with candied fruit, which I don't care for, and they just don't seem to put alot of effort in the process, at least thats what the look resembles, not very apetizing. Taking all that in consideration and the inflation of the price for one of these babies ( $25.00 ) forced me to give this recipe a try.

The result was delicious, I used my concha recipe versus the traditional citrus version. It was soft and tasted awesome!

Rosca de Reyes

2 1/2 tsp yeast
1/2 c.warm water
1/2 c. evaporated milk
1/4 c. plus 2 tblsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1/3 c. butter, melted
1 egg
4 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon (see tip below)

Tip: grind your cinnamon in a blender or coffee grinder. Do not use store bought cinnamon. You want more of a rough textured cinnamon versus the powder form.

Topping

2/3 c. sugar
1/2 c. butter ( 1 stick )
1 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. vanilla
1 egg yolk
Food coloring of your choice

Egg wash

1 egg
1/4 cp. water

In a large bowl, stir together the yeast and warm water. Mix in the milk, sugar, melted butter, salt, egg, and half the of the flour. Gradually mix in the remaining flour, and 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon. Turn the dough onto a floured counter to knead as soon as it pulls together enough.

Knead for 6 to 8 minutes, until smooth and elastic.

Place in a large greased bowl, and turn the dough to coat. Cover, and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.

When the dough is done rising, shape into a round ball, using your thumb make puncture in the center of the dough.

Stretch the center of the dough to form a ring like shape.

Place your ring on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (baking paper). At this point you would take your heat proof plastic baby Jesus and insert it into the dough.

Cover with plastic wrap to keep from drying out. Let the rings rise about 45 minutes.

While rings are rising make the topping. In a medium bowl, beat 2/3 c. sugar, 1/2. c butter, egg yolk, and vanilla until light and fluffy. Stir in the flour until the mixture is the consistency of thick paste. Divide into three parts and color with food coloring. Set aside.

After rings have risen, brush with egg wash.

Pat the topping into desired shape and place on top of the rings.

Bake in preheated oven at 375 degrees for 20 to 25 munites until golden brown. Cool 30 minutes, slice and serve paired up with traditional Mexican hot chocolate. Remind every one to hunt for there baby Jesus before eating!

Easy Lemon Squares

2012-01-02T18:32:00.000-08:00

This is one of my favorite bars. I first tried a lemon bar about ten years ago when a co-worker brought them in to work. Absolutely loved them. I never got the courage to ask for the recipe. I didn't own a computer at that time so I wasn't able to search the web for a recipe. I relied on magazines for my dessert recipes.

Then a few years later I was sitting in the waiting room of my childrens dentist office looking through magazines when I came accross this recipe for Lemon squares. I couldn't believe I had finally came accross a recipe! I tore the page out of the magazine and couldn't wait until I tried this out!

I was a little nervous that this recipe might not turn out like the Lemon bars my co-worker use to make since this recipe was from the magazine "Cooking Light", and to me that meant lighter, less butter, less sugar, less flavor. I figured it was a start, I could experiment.

Was I ever wrong! These turned out to be really, really awesome! They are a lighter version, but they have so much lemon flavor with a whole lot less sugar and butter than your normal Lemon bar. I think the added lemon zest in the filling mixture just makes this Lemon square burst with flavor.

Note: You may cook your squares the full 25 minutes for a firmer filling, or cook 20 minutes for a custard texture, which I prefer.

Printable Recipe

Spritz cookies

2011-12-12T20:07:00.000-08:00

One of my Holiday favorites!

Click here for the recipe.

Snickerdoodles

2011-11-27T18:59:00.000-08:00

Snickerdoodle cookie from Land O lakes.

Printable recipe here.

Butter and Jam Thumbprints

2011-11-27T18:54:00.000-08:00

Butter and Jam Thumbprints from Food Network Kitchens.

Printable recipe here.

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

2011-11-27T18:48:00.000-08:00

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies from William-Sonoma.

Printable recipe here.

Pecan Shortbread Cookies

2011-11-27T18:38:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite holiday cookies! This recipe comes from "Kraft foods".

Click here for the recipe.

Cinnamon Rolls

2011-11-27T18:16:00.000-08:00

This is my favorite cinnamon roll recipe! I saw the recipe on the Food Network in "2006". I printed the recipe and saved it to try later. I finally tested the recipe about a year ago when I saw it again on a friends blog. I wish I would have tested sooner, it really is good!

Please click here for the recipe.

Pumpkin-Cinnamon Streusel Buns

2011-11-27T17:36:00.000-08:00

I first saw these rolls on "Lick the bowl good". I just had to try them! Result? Amazing! Perfect for using up any leftover pumpkin puree from the fridge.

Please click here for the recipe.

Creamy Pumpkin Cheesecake With Ginger-Pecan Crust

2011-11-24T18:35:00.000-08:00

This months "Cake Slice" bakers selection was this awesome creamy pumpkin cheescake from "The Cake Book" by Tish Boyle! I'm a few days late making this recipe. I wanted to wait and make it for Thanksgiving. So what did I think of this recipe you may ask? It was just like the title says "creamy"! I also loved the pumpkin seeds! I had a little trouble with the crust since I don't own a food processor. I hope that all changes tonight when I go to "Kohls" for that awesome deal they have on the "Cuisinart" food processor, please wish me luck! I hope they have more than just one or two, and that I don't get trampled trying to grab one!

I want to wish everyone a wonderful Thanksgiving. Once again I have plenty to be thankful for.
Printable recipe link below.

Printable Recipe

Carrot Cake

2011-11-03T08:24:00.000-07:00

One of my family's favorite. Carrot cake with cream cheese filling and Italian buttercream!

Apple Cake with Maple Frosting

2011-10-20T00:01:00.000-07:00

This months "Cake Slice" bakers selection was "Apple Cake With Maple Frosting" from our new book "The Cake Book" by Tish Boyle. This book is filled with tons of great recipes which I'm super excited about!

This months recipe couldn't have been more perfect for this time of year. It filled my house with the aroma of fall spices!

The cake turned out very good, it was a perfect blend of spices, the frosting was my favorite, and the cake seemed to taste better the next day! For a printable copy of the recipe please click here.

San Diego Padres Cake

2011-10-15T15:54:00.001-07:00

"SanDiego Padres" Cake for a birthday.

Soccer Team Cake

2011-09-23T08:23:00.000-07:00

Soccer Theme Cake for a Birthday.

Blueberry Buckle

2011-09-20T01:00:00.000-07:00

Finally that time of year again when the "Cake Slice" bakers get to bake from a new book. This month is the last month we bake from "cake keeper Cakes". Instead of voting on a cake this month we got to pick out from the book any cake we want to bake! I've had my eye on a few recipes, I ended up choosing "Blueberry Buckle". Let me tell you I'm so glad I chose this one! Its bursting in blueberries! And the topping is just an added bonus! And was perfect with my Sunday morning coffee, what a real treat it was!

I have to say this is my favorite recipe from the book, the "Orange-Almond-Caramel Upside-Down Cake" is my second favorite, and the "Graham Cracker-Chocolate Chip Snacking Cake" is my third. My least favorite was the "Cinnamon Pudding Cake", quite honestly it was horrible!

Next month we will be baking from a new book, which I'm pretty excited about. I made a total of 8 out of 12 cakes with the "Cake Slice" bakers. Pretty good I think even though my oven was out for 3 months, what a nightmare that was! Lets see if I could get my numbers up just a little more this next round!

Bluberry Buckle from "cake keeper Cakes" by Lauren Chattman

FOR THE STREUSEL

1/3 c. unbleached all-purpose flour

1/2 c. packed light brown sugar

1/2 c. granulated sugar

1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp. salt

4 tbls. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into pieces

FOR THE CAKE

2 c. unbleached all-purpose flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

3 c. blueberries, washed and picked over

4 tbls. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

3/4 c. granulated sugar

1 large egg

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1/2 c. milk

MAKE THE STREUSEL

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a 9-inch round springform pan.

2. Combine the flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Add the butter; use an electric mixer to mix, on low, until it resembles coarse meal with some large crumbs. Transfer to a smaller bowl and refrigerate until ready to use.

MAKE THE CAKE

1. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium mixing bowl. Place the berries in a bowl and stir in 1/4 cup of the flour mixture to coat.

2. Combine the butter and granulated sugar in the large mixing bowl and cream with an electric mixer in medium-high speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping down th sides of the bowl once or twice as necesarry. With the mixer on low speed, add the egg and vanilla.

3. With the mixer on low speed, add 1/3 of the flour mixture and then 1/2 of the milk, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Repeat, alternating flour and milk and ending with flour. Stir in the berry and flour mixture with a large rubber spatula, trying not to mash too many of the blueberries. The batter will be stiff. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth into an even layer with a spatula.

4.Squeeze the sreusel through your fingers an onto the batter, distributing it evenly over the cake and making some large crumbs. Bake the cake until it is golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 55 to 60 minutes. Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Release the sides of the pan and use a large spatula to slide the cake from the pan bottom to a wire rack. Cool completely, cut into wedges, and serve.

5. Store uneaten cake in a cake keeper or wrap in plastic and store at room temperature for up to 2 days.

The streusel was pretty awesome!

Just look at those blueberries!

Ganache Cake

2011-09-17T08:13:00.000-07:00

This is my first attempt coating a cake with ganache. I learned that next time I need to make my ganache just a slight thinner. I was a afraid it would run off the sides too much, so I made it a little thicker. The cake is a chocolate cake with banana custard filling, whipped icing, ganache, and caramel drizzle. I hope my nephew really enjoys his birthday cake! Happy 15th Birthday Lisandro, I love you dearly!

Rubber Duckie

2011-09-10T18:52:00.000-07:00

This is my favorite cake so far! I combined two of my favorite cake designs into one. The top layer is a 8", bottom is a 12", for some reason my cakes always seem to appear smaller than they really are. I hope my customer found this cake as enjoyable as I did.

I love the contrast of the water!

Hungarian Coffee Cake

2011-08-20T01:00:00.000-07:00

This months "Cake Slice" bakers selection was a "Hungarian Coffee Cake". I was pretty eager to make this cake this month, since I've never seen Monkey Bread made this way before.

After making the cake I wasn't too impressed. I think it was because I had it while it was still warm, because the next day that I had a slice it seemed a whole lot better. Overall not a bad cake, different from my traditional Monkey Bread recipe, this one had more of a biscuit texture, but still a good cake. Now I have more ways to use up buttermilk from my fridge. For the recipe please click here. The changes I made were omitting the raisins, and I doubled the nuts.

Fresh out of the oven! Smelled pretty awesome!

Chocolate Cake

2011-08-19T08:41:00.000-07:00

I made this cake for a birthday. It was white cake with a chocolate custard, and iced with a chocolate whipped icing! Super yummy!

Vanessa's 5th Birthday!

2011-08-02T13:16:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was my baby's fifth birthday! I didn't have a birthday party planned for her, I figured we would probably end up just spending the evening at Chuck-e-Cheese or something. But then I decided last minute I would invite her cousins over and barbecue. So this was her last minute cake, my 13 yr. old baked it for me while I was at work, I just came home and put it all together. The cake turned out really yummy, it was white cake layered with fresh whip cream and fresh strawberries, and topped with chocolate covered strawberries!

Vanessa loving her cake!

Loved her presents!

Baby Girl Cake Dress

2011-07-23T15:47:00.000-07:00

This cake is for my cousins baby shower today. She's having her fourth child, and this is her first baby girl! I really hope she likes her cake!

Zebra Cake

2011-07-20T21:52:00.000-07:00

This months "Cake Slice" bakers voted for this cool "Zebra Cake". I was very excited to try this new recipe. I loved how the stripes turned out, and the flavor of the cake was pretty good. I normally don't care for marlbled cake, but this recipe had a bit more flavor than I'm used to, the chocolate flavor really stood out! I will try to post the recipe by this weekend.

Right out of the oven.....it smelled so yummy!

Love the swirls!

Baptism Cake

2011-07-16T14:57:00.000-07:00

Baptism Cake for a little girl

Love the Roses!

May she rest in Peace......

2011-07-14T15:23:00.000-07:00

Maria M. Lopez , Oct. 31, 1928 - July 9, 2011. Survived by 14 children, 60 granchildren, & 86 great-grandchildren.

My grandma past away last week weekend. A memorial service was held in her memory this morning followed by a family and friends reception. Everyone was asked to bring their favorite dish to share, I decided to make a cake with her portrait, everyone loved it!

I have so many wonderful memories of her growing up. I wish her illness hadn't taken her memory, and that she would of had the time and chance to get to know my children. Now its up to me to keep her memory alive through my children. She will be missed dearly.

Baptism Cake

2011-07-03T11:55:00.000-07:00

This cake was for a "Baptism". I love how all the flowers turned out! Flavors were "Tres leches" for the bottom tier, and white with strawberry filling for the top tier.

Lady Bug

2011-06-27T07:28:00.000-07:00

This cake was for a birthday. Had lots of fun making it!

Quincenera Cake

2011-06-12T21:28:00.000-07:00

Made this cake for a "Quincenera" (sweet 15).

Loved the butterflies!

Baseball Cake

2011-06-11T19:58:00.000-07:00

I made this cake for my son's baseball team. They scored 2nd place this year!

Baby Shower Cake

2011-06-11T19:51:00.000-07:00

"Baby Shower" cake. One of my favorites!

"Mary Jane" baby shoes, made of fondant.

Wedding Cake

2011-06-11T19:47:00.000-07:00

Fondant "Wedding Cake". Flowers were added on the cake at the reception by the wedding party.

First Communion

2011-05-27T23:12:00.000-07:00

First Communion cake for a little girl.

Better late than never.......

2011-05-22T16:29:00.000-07:00

My daughter's birthday was las month. My oven was out and I could not make her birthday cake. I decided to go ahead and make it today, I didn' want to put it off any longer. I think she really loved her cake this year!

I wanted to mention that I got the idea from the "Cake Boss" cook book I got for my birthday last November. I couldn't wait for it to be April, so I could make it for my daughter, but then my oven went out. Happy 14th Birthday Daisy, I love you dearly!

First Communion Cake

2011-05-21T18:42:00.000-07:00

This cake was for a "First Communion" for a both a boy and girl. I had the decorations all planned out for this cake, then I made the trip to the cake supply store just to find out they were all out of "First Communion" cake decorations! I had no choice but to do buttercream decorations. I hope next year the cake store stocks up on supplies, I was a little irritated I couldn't decorate the way I planned.

Orange-Almond-Caramel Upside-Down Cake

2011-05-20T21:04:00.000-07:00

I would like to start with saying that my oven is finally fixed! I don't know how I ever survived without it! With that said, this months "Cake Slice" bakers selection was this upside-down cake. I actually just finished the cake this evening and just had a warm slice! Yummm! It was really buttery and moist and had just the right amount of orange zest. This cake reminds me of the Cranberry cake we did last winter, it really looks alot like it, but way different in flavor. This recipe is an absolute keeper! For the recipe please click here.

I almost forgot to mention this recipe makes plenty of batter for a 10" round cake pan, I wouldn't try pouring it all in the 9" pan it calls for. I also cooked my topping for about half the time required, one of our "Cake Slice" bakers had her caramel over harden in the baking process and I wanted to prevent this from happening to my cake. Thank you "Lick the Bowl Good" for the tip!

My first "Wedding Cake"!

2011-05-14T15:12:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to share this with you, its my first wedding cake! I really hope the bride is happy!

Beef Teriyaki Kabobs

2011-04-23T21:46:00.000-07:00

I know this recipe is out of the normal for me to post, but my oven is still out and since my dinner was absolutely delicious I have decided to share this recipe with you. I found the beef teriyaki recipe in a "Healthy Cooking" magazine, and decided to turn this into kabobs. I needed to find a side dish to go along with this, and it couldn't have turned more perfect than choosing "Arroz Verde" (green rice) to go with the kabobs. I had made green rice before and it didn't turn out so well. But, just the other day I saw this dish on my friend Leslie's cooking blog. I was determined to give her recipe a shot, and let me tell you it was awesome! I did substitute the poblano chile with green bell pepper, I think thats the reason for my rice not turning out so green. My family really loved the rice to my surprise, I was expecting to see frowns when I served their plates. The kabobs were also great, I can honestly say these have been the best I have made so far. Please click here for my friend Leslie's rice recipe.

Grilled Sirloin Teriyaki from "Healthy Cooking"

3 Tbsp. reduced-sodium soy sauce
4 1/2 tsp. brown sugar
1 Tbsp. rice vinegar
1 1/2 tsp. minced fresh ginger root
1 garlic clove, minced
1/8 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1 beef top sirloin steak (1 in. thick and 1/2 lb.)

1. In a large resealable plastic bag, combine first six ingredients. Add the steak; seal bag and turn to coat. Refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight. * see note
2. Drain and discard marinade.
Moisten a paper towel with cooking oil; using long-handled tongs, lightly coat the grill rack. Grill beef, covered, over medium heat or broil 4in. from the heat for 4-5 minutes on each side or until meat reaches desired doneness (for medium-rare, a meat thermometer should reach 145 degrees; medium, 160 degrees; welldone,170 degrees).

Note: For kabobs, I went ahead and cut my meat into squares and marinated only for 30 minutes. Assemble your kabobs with veggies of your choice. And grill turning constantly to prevent burning until done.

My first Cake Pop!

2011-03-20T17:04:00.000-07:00

Today is my husband birthday, and I had to think of something I could make that didn't require baking. I knew I was going to buy him a ceramic "Starbucks" traveling mug since he happend to break his yesterday and he apparently can't live without it! I was stumped for ideas since my oven is broken I can't bake anything. I dropped that idea for a moment while I googled "Cookie Pops" on "YouTube". My co-worker brought some to work the other day that she purchased from "Starbucks", and I fell in love with them! I started viewing one of the clips and realized they were super easy to make and there was no special mold required, just crumbled cake stirred with frosting, molded into balls, dipped in ganache or melted candy. Great right? One problem, I have no oven. Then I had this brilliant idea to purchase store bought pound cake and use that instead! Yay! I rush to the store and to find they were out of pound cake and I really didn't feel like driving all over town in search for it. Then I got another brilliant idea to use cake donuts instead! So thats exactly what I did! OMG! They turned out really good! I ended up dipping these into a cappucino ganache and sprinkled them with chocolate sprinkles.

I do want to thank Monica from "lickthebowlgood" for sending me these awesome cappuccino baking chips last November! What a sweet thing for her to do! These also arrived with this awesome "Nordic Ware" pumpkin molded loaf pan! I tell you, she must have been sent from the heavens above, she has a way of touching our hearts that makes us want to give back just the same! And for this my friend, I carry a little part of you everywhere I go.

I used 8 crumbled cake donuts and eyeballed the chocolate frosting about 1 cup.

Mix the mixture and mold into balls, refrigerate 30 min.

Melt your candy or chocolate under a double boiler, I melted mine with whipping cream to make into a ganache

Take balls out of fridge and dip your sticks into ganache and insert into center of the ball about half way. Dip your pops into ganache and gently tap excess coating off. Coat with sprinkles.

Place your pops into a styrofoam until set

Happy Birthday honey! I love you dearly!

Chocolate Cream Pound Cake

2011-03-20T01:00:00.000-07:00

This months "Cake Slice Bakers" selection was a chocolate pound cake.Most of you know by now that my oven has been out for a month, which kept me from making last months cake. I really didn't want to miss out baking with the group this month so I ended up going to my sisters to use her oven, which I felt was really sweet of her to let me come over considering she just had a baby and she hasn't had much rest the last few weeks. Plus the kids were excited to have someone come over and bake for them.

I was a little dissapointed with the cake. I've never made a pound cake before, and I guess I was hoping this would turn out super fabulous. The cake ended up sinking in the middle after I pulled it from the oven. I had a slice of it when it was warm and wasn't impressed, all I tasted was sugar, and expected a nice fudgy taste. The next morning I had a cold slice, which was better, but nothing to drool over.The only thing I really liked about this recipe was the batter, it was like mousse and so good, thats why I was so dissapointed with the outcome. I have never baked with dutch processed cocoa, so I'm not quite sure how the flavor of the cakes are supposed to turn out. I guess I expected an intense flavor of chocolate. I ended up using regular whipping cream instead of heavy cream, and I'm not sure if I purchased the correct cocoa. The container stated it had a mix of fine cocoa including dutch processed, if any one has a suggestion on a different brand I could easily purchase at the grocery store your tip would be greatly appreciated.

Did I purchase the correct cocoa?

I didn't care for the texture of the cake

For the recipe please click here! Hopefully you'll have better luck than I did!

Now I can't mention my new baby niece without sharing pictures! She's so adorable!

Baby Emma, two weeks old!

Baby Emma just a few hours old! Born 2/28/11

Baby Emma and me!

Strawberry Jell-O Salad

2011-03-16T18:05:00.000-07:00

If you haven't heard, my oven is out! I had ripe bananas on my counter and I normally make banana bread to use them up. I remembered I saw this dessert on "lickthebowlgood" that called for ripe bananas. This is really simple to make and all you need is ripe bananas, canned pineapple, frozen strawberries, sour cream and a box of jello. I had to leave the frozen strawberries out since I didn't have any, and I added sugar to the sour cream. I'm definately going to make this dessert throughout the summer, I always have ripe bananas I hate to throw out.

For this delicious recipe click here!

Fondant Baby Shower Cake

2011-02-15T19:18:00.000-08:00

I'm pretty excited about this cake! Its my first fondant cake ever. I did practice making a dummy cake out of fondant one time but never had the courage to actually make one. Its also my first time making fondant baby shoes as well. I don't think I did to bad for being my first time!

Graham Cracker-Chocolate Chip Snacking Cake

2011-01-20T01:00:00.000-08:00

This months "Cake Slice Bakers" selection was this graham cracker cake. I ended up doing a light version of the cake. I used only 1/2 a stick of butter, used 1 egg and 1 egg white, and for the frosting just used the marshmellow fluff. The result? Pretty darn tasty! The cake was really light and fluffy, not dense like I've heard from the some of the bakers. I'm really glad I went with the light version of this cake, I felt way less guilty about having a slice and I still managed to have a weight loss this week! Yay! Please click here for the recipe.

Perenial Barbie

2011-01-06T22:24:00.000-08:00

Today was my twin nieces Birthdays! The family had a little get together at Chuck-E-Cheese for pizza and cake! I thought I would get away with making them their cakes as part of their gift, but they reminded me last night not to forget to buy them a present (which I thought was hilarious)! We had nice time, and I hope they enjoyed their cakes (and dolls which I had to buy last minute on my lunch)!

Tyalor and Audrey

The twins with Chucky!

Cranberry Cake

2010-12-20T01:00:00.000-08:00

This months "Cake Slice" bakers cake choice was "Cranberry Cake" from the book "cake keeper Cakes" by Lauren Chattman. I almost didn't make this month's selection due to being so overwhelmed with the holiday preparations. Am I ever glad I did! I know its only the third cake we have baked out of our new book, but this is my favorite so far, and I have a feeling its going to be hard to top!

I didn't have any problems making this cake, everything was pretty simple, and the batter was so lovely and yummy! I loved everything about this cake, and definately will be making this again. For the recipe click here!

Love the bright red cranberries throughout the cake. The streusel topping was pretty delicious!

Gorilla Bread

2010-11-25T09:41:00.000-08:00

Finally! I found this recipe in 2006, and I finally got around to making it! And now I'm upset that I didn't make it sooner! I needed to make something for Thanksgiving morning, and I wanted something special, but at the same time I didn't want to spend alot of time on it. This worked out perfect! My family and I devoured every crumb, and it kept us satisfied until dinner.

My husband loved the cream cheese center in every bread ball, I myself think this bread would be just as good without it. We both loved the nuts and the brown sugar glaze. I can't urge you enough to try this recipe its absolutely devine!

Gorilla Bread from Paula Deen

1/2 c. granulated sugar

3 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 c. butter (1 stick)

1 c. packed brown sugar

1 (8- ounce) package cream cheese

2 (12-ounce) cans refrigerated biscuits (10 count). I used a cinnamon roll dough recipe instead of the biscuits, any sweet dough or bread recipe will work just as well.
1 1/2 c. coarsely chopped walnuts

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Spray a bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray. Mix the granulated sugar and cinnamon. In a sauce pan, melt the butter and brown sugar over low heat, stirring well; set aside. Cut the cream cheese into twenty equal cubes. Press the biscuits out with your fingers and sprinkle each with 1/2 tsp. of cinnamon sugar. Place a cube of cream cheese in the center of each biscuit, wrapping and sealing the dough around the cream cheese. Sprinkle 1/2 c. of the nuts into the bottom of the bundt pan. Place half of the prepared biscuits in the pan. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar, pour half of the melted butter mixture over the biscuits, and sprinkle on 1/2 c. of the nuts. Layer the remaining biscuits on top, sprinkle with the remaining cinnamon sugar, pour the remaining butter mixture over the biscuits, and sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 c. of nuts. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool for 5 minutes. Place a plate on top and invert.

Cinnamon Pudding Cake

2010-11-20T01:00:00.000-08:00

This months "Cake Slice Bakers" selection was "Cinnamon Pudding Cake" from "cake keeper Cakes" by Lauren Chattman.

This was a cake was a BIG thumbs down for me! The cake just seemed to bland for me, and ended up being dry. I realized some of our group bakers were having trouble with it as well. I did bake the cake for 30 minutes, hoping I would over come the dryness of the cake. It didn't help. Plus my glaze ended up stuck on the pan when I inverted the cake on to the plate! I had one slice warm and was not impressed, then I had another slice cold with coffee, second slice was better, though I feel it was due to me dunking the cake into the coffee.

I honestly have no desire to redo the cake. I just hope next month's cake selection doesn't up being a disaster. If you would like the recipe please click here.

I was really dissapointed, the cake looked really good at this point.

My inverted cake!

Glaze stuck to pan!

Kahlua Cake

2010-11-14T11:12:00.000-08:00

I'm so happy to share this recipe with you. I first tried kahlua cake about 7 yrs. ago. My sister had a coworker who would bring this to work. Iwas running errands one day and showed up at her work and it just happend that her friend had taken some to work that day. My sister snuck out a slice for me to try, let me tell you it was love at first sight (or love at first taste)! I savored every crumb in my mouth, she could plainly tell by the look on my face how much I loved it! She ran back inside and I kid you not, snuck out a huge chunk of the cake. I pleaded with her to please get me the recipe. She did. And just like I fell in love with the cake, I did with the my copy of the recipe. I don't know exactly where her coworker got the recipe from, its was either from her mother or mother in law. I actually got a photo copy of the actual written recipe, not sure who wrote it out, but it was done in the most pretty handrwriting I've seen in a long time. Its so neatly done. I've kept the recipe like is all this time, and don't feel like it needs to be rewritten its so pretty to look at, and I feel like their was love put into it as she wrote it.

I highly urge you to make to make this recipe, its moist, fudgy and dense like a brownie with a hint of kahlua liquor. Trust me, you'll love it.

Soooo moist and fudgy!

This is my copy of the recipe, If you have trouble reading this or have questions please do not hesitate to ask me. Good luck!

21 st Birthday Cake!

2010-10-30T14:57:00.000-07:00

I also made this cake this morning, chocolate cake with fresh bananas and vanilla custard, iced with whipped icing! Believe it or not I was so stressed over this cake this morning, I had to take some of my anxiety medication just to get through it! I'm pretty happy on the turn out of the cake. I'm not sure if your able to tell, but I airbrushed pink shimmer all over the cake, makes it look really pretty.

Halloween Cake

2010-10-30T14:50:00.000-07:00

This is a tres leches cake iced with real whip cream, and filled with vanilla custard. Its actually for the Halloween B-day party we were invited to, I just have to figure out what I'm going to go as!

I also made 2 dozen cupcakes to go along with the cake!

Magnolia's Vanilla cupcake and Italian Meringue Buttercream

2010-10-28T23:16:00.000-07:00

So I finally made the vanilla cupcake recipe from the "Magnolia" bakery. Let me tell you, its really a nice cupcake! I really like the buttery taste! I also iced these cupcakes with "Italian Meringue Buttercream", also my first time making this frosting. I really enjoyed the flavor and texture of the buttercream, so different than our traditional american buttercream. This buttercream is not so sweet, very light, and creamy! Its definately going to be my new cupcake frosting!

Mummy cupcakes!

2010-10-27T19:54:00.000-07:00

I made these cupcakes for Halloween one year, the kids really liked them!

Pancake mix Cake

2010-10-24T11:46:00.000-07:00

I first had this cake about 15 years ago. My good friends mom owned a catering wagon and had this cake on her menu. Years later, my aunt passed on her version of the recipe, basically all the ingredients are the same except hers increases the pancake mix and an extra egg. I found her recipe to be a little lighter/fluffier than my old recipe. I'm not sure were this recipe originated from, it was also passed on along to her.

I've heard of people adding orange zest and substituting orange juice for the milk. I haven't tried it myself, but heard it works well. I normally bake this cake in a bundt mold, and drizzle my cake while its still warm with condensed milk. My family loves this cake warm with a big glass of milk, let me tell you this hits the spot every time!

Pancake Mix Cake

2 1/2 c. complete pancake mix ( I use Krusteaz complete buttermilk pancake mix, I have used generic brands before and worked well)

1 c. sugar

5 whole eggs

1 c. oil

1 c. milk

Mix all ingredients with a mixer about 2 to 3 minutes. Pour into a greased and floured bundt cake mold and bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 45 minutes.

Test with wooden skewer for doneness.

Drizzle with condensed milk while still warm, slice and serve.

Pumpkin-Chocolate Chip Pound Cake

2010-10-20T01:00:00.000-07:00

This month we are baking from a new book called "cake keeper Cakes" by Lauren Chattman. Our first cake from this book is "Pumpkin-Chocolate Chip Pound Cake"! How perfect can that be for the month of October! This was my first time making a pound cake, and I think it turned out well. I decided make this cake as soon as it was announced. I heard their was a pumpkin shortage, and I didn't want to have to hunt or over pay for canned pumpkin, plus I wanted to be on the safe side since this was the same rumor going around last year. I left for the grocery store feeling confident I would find the canned pumpkin, and to my surprise I find their is a shortage! I was only able to purchase the small 15 oz. cans for $1.78, the larger cans are on backorder and are expected to be in by Thanksgiving. I will go back next week and purchase a few more cans just to be on the safe side.

The cake turned out good, I omitted the nuts (wasn't really in the mood for them) and didn't feel like the cake needed them. I enjoyed the combination of the spices with the chocolate! I had a slice of the cake and water as my lunch, and really wished I would have had coffee instead! Well, thats what happens when your counting calories! Hopefully next month I can see the sacrifice!

Click here for a copy of the recipe!

Hello Kitty

2010-10-11T13:11:00.000-07:00

This is a cake I did about 2 years ago for my daughter Daisy. I never got around to posting it up. This is one of my favorite cakes I've made, she loved it!

Spaghetti Sauce

2010-10-09T19:54:00.000-07:00

This recipe is pretty simple to make. You can use it in a variety of recipes, from pasta dishes to pizza, or simply as a marina sauce. My husband isn't a fan of spaghetti sauce, he ends up with heartburn after dinner. I'm not sure if its all the spices it has in it that trigers the discomfort. After googling many recipes I have found this suites him the best. Its really mild, and doesn't have a strong taste of oregano and spices he dislikes.
If you have not already attempted to make your own sauce at home, I highly encourage you to make the attempt, its so much better than the store bought jars!

Spaghetti Sauce

3 tbls. olive oil
6 large garlic cloves (crushed or finely chopped)
1/2 tsp. dried crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
1 28-ounce can of crushed tomatos
1 15-ounce can of tomato sauce, or 1 6-ounce can of tomato paste*(see note)
1 to 3 tsp. of sugar
1 1/2 tsp. dried basil
3/4 tsp. oregano

Using a large pot, add olive oil and heat to medium heat.
Add garlic and saute.
Add either the tomato paste or tomato sauce, saute for 1 to 2 minutes.
Add the crushed tomatos, basil, oregano, sugar, and pepper flakes.
Cover and simmer on low heat for 30 minutes.
Serve over your favorite pasta.

*Note:
For a light marina sauce you can omit the tomato paste or tomato sauce. I normally leave out both the tomato paste and sauce when using it for my lasagna. You can play around with this recipe and add other ingredients like sliced sauted mushrooms or even add parmesan cheese for a twist. The sky is the limit when it comes to making spaghetti sauce, you can also try using italian seasoning if you find this to mild for your liking. Or simply use what you have in your pantry, you can't go wrong when making homemade sauce. Trust me, once you have this down you'll never buy store bought again!

Mexican Conchas!

2010-10-09T10:59:00.000-07:00

So happy to finally share this recipe with all of you! This was my 4th attempt making these babies! The first time I made them I killed the yeast by overheating the water. Second time around they turned out pretty good, but the topping spread out way too much or ended falling off. Third time around I thing I made the dough way too stiff by over adding flour, they didn't rise properly. Fourth time around, I think I nailed it! I was a little worried this morning after rolling out my portions and adding the topping, they weren't rising fast enough. It was a little chilly this morning so I figured it was the room temperature. After heating my oven to warm, I placed them inside to rise. I had to be carefull not to over heat the oven since I didn't want the topping to melt off. An hour later that seemed to do the trick.

I have too be honest with you I'm not a huge fan of conchas, they seem too be too dry for me. But after making them at home its a whole differerent level of flavor and texture. My family seems to enjoy them paired up with mexican hot chocolate!

Conchas after rising, aren't they pretty? I found this recipe on allrecipes.com. The only slight change I made was decreasing the baking time between 12 to 15 minutes. Ovens do vary so you might want to monitor while they are baking. I also yielded about 16 conchas versus 12.

Printable recipe.

Fresh Apple Cake with Brown Sugar Glaze

2010-09-20T01:00:00.000-07:00

Before I begin I would like to apologize for not baking with "The Cake Slice" for the last four months. Honestly I don't have a good excuse. I'm really going to make an effort not to fall of the wagon like that again. I really did miss baking with group and would hate to miss out.

This months Cake Slice choice is "Fresh Apple Cake" from "Southern Cakes" by Nancie Mcdermott.

I really like the cake its nutty and moist from the diced apples. The glaze was perfect and not overly sweet. I did make a few changes to the recipe. I only used half of the oil it called for and doubled the cream in the glaze. I wasn't really sure what kind of apples to use, so I went with granny smith. It was my first time using apples in a cake and was worried my family would not like it. No one complained and asked for seconds!

I will post the recipe in the next few days. I 've been doing fall cleaning all weekend long and I'm exhausted! Dont' forget to check back in a few days, I should have it up by then.

I almost forgot to mention that the "Cake Slice" baking group is now accepting new members. Any one wishing to join the group may contact Katie at appleandspice@hotmail.co.uk with "The Cake Slice Member" as the subject by October 20th 2010. Include your name, blog name, and blog url. We will be starting to bake from a new cookbook in October. You don't have to purchase the cookbook, the monthly recipes or posted on the "Cake Slice" blog every month. For more info and rules please contact Katie.

Cowboy Cookies

2010-09-05T21:18:00.000-07:00

These are by far the best Cowboy cookie I have ever had! I just had four of these babies with a tall glass of iced milk! Yummmm! I made a big breakfast this morning and I wasn't about to make dinner tonight. So instead I made these yummy cookies . For this yummy recipe you'll have to visit my friend Monica's food blog "Lick the Bowl Good" . Just a warning though, you might not want to visit her food blog until you have plenty of time. I can spend a whole evening just sifting through her recipes! Her pictures alone make your mouth water! I made only a slight adjustment to this recipe by using walnuts instead and 1/2 the amount of chocolate morsals. I do intend on remaking the recipe using the pecans it originally calls for. This recipe is absolutely going to replace my old cowboy cookie recipe!

Oreo Cookie Cake

2010-08-14T14:13:00.000-07:00

This cake is for my grandmas birthday today. I didn't want to spend all morning decorating, so I kept it simple. I'm not quite sure if she likes oreo cookies, but I'm quite tired of strawberry filling. I decided on white cake with orea cookie custard, one of my favorites! I'll try to snap a picture of the cut cake if I get a chance tonight. Hope this cake is a hit, all my kids seem to love it!

Banana Nut Muffins

2010-08-01T12:03:00.000-07:00

This recipe came from Mini Baker's blog. She was so right about this recipe! The only little change I made was adding nuts and making them into muffins. Please visit Mini Baker for the recipe!

Banana Nut loaf

Mermaid Cake

2010-07-31T16:32:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is Vanessa's 4th birthday. Per her request I made her a "purple" mermaid cake. She's been so impatient the last few days waiting for her birthday! With her cake out of the way I should be able to relax the rest of the evening. Happy Birthday Vanessa, I love you dearly!

Baby shower cake

2010-07-31T14:29:00.000-07:00

This was a cake for a baby shower. I was short on ideas since I was only told they wanted a blue and brown cake. I surfed cakecentral.com for decorating ideas, but most of the blue and brown cakes were made in fondant. I'm not too excited on the turn out of this cake, wish I could of made something a little more fun and incorporated other colors. I had a basket weave idea that would of went well but they wanted the cake decorated in whipped icing. I hope they at lease find the cake yummy!

Fresh strawberry and bananas!

Disney Princess Castle Cake

2010-06-12T23:03:00.000-07:00

I had two cakes to make today. One was this castle cake the other was a skateboard cake. I was up at 5 am this morning baking the cakes. It took me three hours to bake all the cakes and another seven to make the fillings, and frostings. I also ended up airbrushing the other cake. I will post it as soon as I get the pic for it. I really like how this castle cake turned out, it was a 12x24, and a 9x13. Both tiers were strawberry cake with vanilla custard and fresh strawberries.

Here's a side view of the cake.

Fresh Cherry Cobbler

2010-05-31T18:05:00.000-07:00

This weekend I had this HUGE baking itch! I thought I almost made through, but I remembered I had a full flat of fresh cherries! I didn't want them to go bad so I headed out to Bed,Bath & Beyond for a cherry pitter. It took me about 1 1/2 hours to pit all of those cherries. I had enough for this cobbler and 2 pies. I'm supposed to be loosing weight for my sisters wedding so I skipped dinner and just had the dessert! It could of been worse right? I could of had dinner plus the dessert! Anyways I feel better telling myself this!

Fresh Cherry Cobbler

7 to 8 cups of fresh pitted cherries
1/2 stick of butter (cold)
2 tsp. almond extract
1 c. sugar
1/2 c. corn starch

Topping:

1 c. flour
1 c. oats
1/2 c. sugar
5 tbls. cold butter

Using a large mixing bowl, combine fresh cherries, almond extract, sugar, corn starch. Mix well until combined. Place mixture in a 9x13 baking dish. Dot with the cold butter.
To make the topping, combine all ingredients except the oats in a food processor and pulse until mixture reflects coarse cornmeal. Mix in oats and sprinkle on top of cherry mixture and bake at 350 degrees for one hour until browned and bubbly. Remove from oven and cool. May serve warm over icecream.

Baby Shower Cake

2010-05-26T17:23:00.000-07:00

This is my favorite cake by far! This is one of my earlier cakes I made right after I completed all of the Wilton cake courses. This cake was for my cousins babyshower.Her baby happens to be 2 yrs. old now! I love this cake!

4 Birthdays!

2010-05-15T15:20:00.000-07:00

This was a cake for my bff from highschool, her fiance, her 15 yr. old son, and 9 yr. old step daughter. Cake was chocolate with a cookies-n-cream custard filling and whipped icing. It was a last minute cake and had a hard time deciding how to decorate it. It was my first time making a drunk elephant and plan to make a cake with pink elephants with champagne/martini glasses instead of the beer cans. How cute is that!

Meatball Sandwich

2010-05-13T19:07:00.000-07:00

This has become one of my family favorites! You can add any of your favorite toppings such as peppers, onions, olives,tomatoes, lettuce, jalapenos, its endless! My kids like them toasted and sprinkled with parmesan cheese. This meatball recipe also goes well with spaghetti.

Meatballs

1 lb. ground pork
2 lbs. extra lean ground beef
2 eggs
1/2 c. parmesan cheese
1 c. italian seasoned bread crumbs
1/4 c. fresh chopped parsely
Garlic salt
1 jar of spaghetti sauce

1. Mix all ingredients except sauce in a large mixing bowl (use only enough garlic salt to season lightly). Do not over mix your mixture, meatballs will result tough and chewy.

2. Shape your meatballs about 1 1/2" round.Place your meatballs in a preheated skillet using about 1 tblsp. oil (you want only enough oil to coat your pan to prevent sticking). Brown
them evenly for about 5 minutes.

3. Place the sauce and meatballs in a large pot, cover and simmer on low heat for about 10 to 15 minutes. This will finish cooking your meatballs through. Be carefull not to over cook your meatballs, they can end up tough.

4. Serve over toasted subs with your favorite cheese or over sphagetti noodles.

Mothers Day Cakes

2010-05-09T15:11:00.000-07:00

I had a total of five cake orders for Mothers Day! Each cake had 20 daffodil's, made from royal icing. Cakes were carrot with cream cheese.
I don't know what gets into me sometimes? Instead of relaxing or treating myself on Mothers Day, I end up over working myself!

Tinker Bell

2010-04-27T07:44:00.000-07:00

This cake was an order. I wish I would of learned how to cake decorate sooner, I feel my older kids missed out on all these fun cakes!

Banana Cake with Chocolate Frosting

2010-04-20T01:00:00.000-07:00

This months "Cake Slice Bakers" voted on "Banana Cake with Chocolate Frosting" from Southern cakes by Nancie Mcdermott. I really can't give an honest opinion about this cake. I burned the top of the inside of my mouth with hot food and I was left with this huge blister that wouldn't heal! Every time I took a bite of the cake it stung and hurt so bad I couldn't savor the cake!

The frosting recipe is another story! I don't know what I did wrong, I completely ruined the frosting! As the frosting was cooking over the heat the melted butter seperated from the chocolate mixture. I continued to let it simmer for the five minutes hoping it would all come together but it just didn't happen. I don't know if I over mixed while cooking or if substituting the evaporated milk/half-and-half for light milk made the difference. I was too frustrated and tired to attempt another batch. I ended up just making a basic thin chocolate icing instead.

Hopefully I have better luck next time! Click here for the printable recipe.

Princess Birthday Party

2010-04-11T21:22:00.000-07:00

This weekend was crazy! I had a "Princess Castle" cake order plus "Bell" and "Aurora". I made all the royal icing flowers on friday night, which took me 2 hours. On Saturday I baked all the cakes, that took 3 hours. That same night I decided to go ahead and make Bell & Aurora, that took 2 hours. Sunday morning I made the castle, which took 3 hours. Thats a total of 10 hours of labor I put into these cakes! Needless to say It was all worth it! The birthday girls loved their cakes, mom was pretty happy too!

Princess Castle

Bell

Aurora

Birthday girls, Alondra and Genesis.

Easter

2010-04-04T20:13:00.000-07:00

This year we were rained out for Easter Sunday! I managed to keep the kids busy, they had easter eggs to dye and cupcakes to decorate! I just want to add that this is the first time the kids help decorate cupcakes. I know what your thinking, how can this be ? Well I do admit I feel bad and I'm going to make an effort to let my kids participate a little more with my baking projects. It was nice to see the kids have a good time! I did make and ice the cupcakes myself, the kids helped add the colored coconut and robin eggs. I think they turned out cute!
This is Ivan my 10 yr. old!
Vanessa my 3 yr. old
My working bees!
Look mommy all by myself!
Oh wait, I have a call coming in!
Vanessa and Daisy(13 yrs. old)
Is it done mommy?

Rubber Duckie

2010-04-01T18:01:00.002-07:00

Here's another version of a "Rubber Duckie" cake. I made this for a co-worker who had a baby shower today. Cake was chocolate cake with chocolate custard.

Tres Leches

2010-03-20T12:11:00.000-07:00

Today is my husbands 41 st. birthday! And of course I had to make his all time favorite "Tres Leches" cake! Poor guy, he's been drooling over the recent cake orders I've had and I kept promising him I would make him one. Well I hope it was worth the wait! I used a vanilla custard for the filling and topped it with fresh strawberries and almonds. Happy Birthday honey you still rock!

Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

2010-03-20T01:00:00.000-07:00

This months "Cake Slice Bakers" choice was pineapple upside-down cake from "Southern Cakes"! I have made pineapple upside down cake before using cake box mix, never again! I really liked the home made taste and it wasn't overly sweet. I was a little worried though due to the amount of butter called in the recipe, it didn't seem like it would be enough. Another thing I found strange was not calling for creamed butter somehow it worked and turned out good. I will definately make this cake again. My family really enjoyed it and wished their would of been enough for seconds. I'm a little lazy tonight so click here for the printable recipe!

Tiered Baby shower Cake

2010-03-14T12:33:00.000-07:00

This cake was for a baby shower. I learned a few things making this cake. I will definately not use whip cream for the decorations, it was too soft. I had alot of whip cream left over and I didn't want to waste. Lesson learned!

Birthday Cakes

2010-03-05T22:11:00.000-08:00

Top cake was for a cake order. Bottom cake was for a co-workers Birthday. Both also Tres leches Cake.

Tres Leches Cakes

2010-03-05T21:56:00.000-08:00

The top cake was for a memorial anniversary. The bottom cake was for a birthday. Both are iced in "real whip cream" and royal icing flowers.

Buffalo Wings

2010-02-22T19:03:00.000-08:00

Buffalo Wings is one of my family's favorite! Its fast, easy and super yummy! Their perfect with that friday night movie or game night! I normally make them with "Franks Red Hot Wings" sauce, but you may use any other sauce of your choice. I also use a cast iron skillet for a deep fryer, I like the conduction of heat I get with this pan. I've used fancy electric deep fryers before and I don't really care for them. I don't recommend tephlon pans either, your better off using a stainless steel pot. I also like to melt half a stick of unsalted butter into my sauce, but this is optional.

Buffalo Wings

1 family pack of whole chicken wings ( about 15 whole wings)

1 12 ounce bottle of " Franks Red Hot Wings" sauce

3 cups flour ( enough to coat chicken with)

1/2 stick melted unsalted butter (optional)

Cooking oil, for frying

Directions:

Preheat cooking oil to 350 degrees. Rinse and pat dry the chicken. Cut tips of chicken off and discard, cut chicken wing in half at joints. Coat chicken with flour and shake off excess.

Drop 7 to 9 pieces of chicken into hot oil and cook for 10 minutes, turning once for even cooking.
Remove chicken from oil and place into a large heat proof bowl.

At this point you may add the melted butter to your sauce and mix well, this is optional.

Pour 1/4 to 1/3 c. of sauce over cooked chicken and toss to coat evenly. Repeat with remaining chicken.

Serve with your favorite sides!

Mississippi Mud Cake

2010-02-20T18:35:00.000-08:00

Mississippi Mud Cake was this months "Cake Slice" recipe choice. I had never had or heard of mississippi mud cake until now. I wasn't too excited about the selection this month, but it turned out pretty good. The cake part turned out like a dense brownie and the frosting is super sweet! I plan on having this tonight with a scoop of vanilla icecream, hopefully that will cut on the richness of the chocolate. I would definately make this again with a few adjustments on the frosting! I'm sure my kids are going to love it just the way it is!

Mississippi Mud Cake

Cake

1 c. butter, cut into big chunks
1/2 c. cocoa
4 eggs, beaten well
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 c. sugar
1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1/8 tsp. salt
1 c. chopped pecans or walnuts

Mississippi Mud Frosting

1 16-ounce box ( about 3 2/3 cups) confectioners sugar
1/2 c. cocoa
1/2 c. ( 1 stick) butter, melted
1/2 c. milk or evaporated milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
4 c. mini marshmellows or 3 c. marshmellows, quartered

TO MAKE THE CAKE, heat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 13x9 inch pan. In a medium sauce pan, combine the butter and the cocoa and cook over medium heat, stirring now and then, until the butter is melted and the mixture is well blended, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the beaten eggs, vanilla, sugar, flour, salt, and pecans, and beat with a wooden spoon or spatula or with a mixture at low speed until the batter is well combined and smooth, and the flour has dissapeared.
QUICKLY POUR THE BATTER into the prepared pan and bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes, until the cake springs back when touched gently in the center and is beginning to pull away from the sides of the pan.
PREPARE THE FROSTING while the cake bakes, so that you will be ready to pour it over the hot cake. In a medium bowl, combine the confectioners' sugar and the cocoa, and stir to mix them well. Add the melted butter, milk, and vanilla, and use a large spoon or a mixer at low speed to beat everything together well. Set aside until the cake is done.
REMOVE THE CAKE, from the oven, scatter the marshmellows over the top, and return the cake to the hot oven for about 3 minutes, to soften the marshmellows.
PLACE THE CAKE, still in the pan, on a wire rack or a folded kitchen towel. Por the frosting all over the marshmellow-dotted cake, and cool to room temperature. Cut into small squares and serve.

Bridal Shower Cake

2010-02-20T01:39:00.000-08:00

This cake was for a bridal shower. I felt I did better on my scroll work on this cake than the practice wedding cake I did last week. I just have to keep on practicing till I get it right!

Practice Wedding Cake

2010-02-14T12:39:00.000-08:00

I did this cake just for practice! It sure wasn't as easy as I thought it was going to be! My frosting was way to thin for my scroll work and I had a hard time keeping my hand steady. My buttercream would not set fast enough for me to smooth out. I also spent the whole afternoon baking and cooling the cakes! I had a little trouble with one of the layers not baking correctly.I really do look at cake decoraters from a different perspective now, its not as easy as it looks. It takes alot of practice and talent to be good. And with practice I hope to get there!

Churros

2010-01-29T20:00:00.000-08:00

I absolutely love homemade Churros! These take me back to my childhood when my family and I use to take the yearly vacation down to Jalisco,MX. Every morning my parents would get up really early and make the daily trip to the mercado to buy fresh veggies and meat for the day. I loved waking up early to go with them and buy the hot crispy churros! Let me tell you these are nothing like those churro sticks you buy from a cart here in the states! My mission is to one day go back and research a more authentic recipe. I have even talked with my husband about opening a authentic churro stand. Well for now thats just a dream hoping one day to come true!

Churros

1 c. water
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 c. butter
1 c. flour
4 eggs
oil, for frying

Topping: 3/4 c. sugar, mixed with 1 tblsp. cinnamon

Combine water, salt, sugar and butter in a large saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring until butter melts. Increase heat and bring mixture to a rolling boil. Add flour, all at once, then remove pan from heat. Beat with wooden spoon until mixture is smooth and thick and pulls away from sides of pan. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. If time allows, set aside to cool. Using a deep fryer or electric skillet, heat enough oil to reach depth of 1 1/2 " in pan to 375 degrees.

Spoon 1/2 of dough into pastry bag fitted with large star tip. Squeeze ribbon of dough 7" to 8" in length into hot oil. Slice off dough with sharp knife or scissors.

Cook until well browned on both sides.

Remove with slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar on both sides.

Enjoy!!

Red Velvet Cake

2010-01-20T01:00:00.000-08:00

This months "Cake Slice" cake was Red Velvet Cake. I have made red velvet in the past and this recipe totally surpasses my old one! I was going to visit my brother's newborn twins that afternoon and I needed to hurry, so I decided to make cupcakes. I also didn't follow the instructions step by step. Instead of making the paste, I added the cocoa powder and baking soda to my dry ingredients and the food coloring to the whipped butter and sugar, and added the vinegar to my buttermilk and vanilla mixture. I was in a hurry and did not want to dirty any more bowls than I had to! I also used my own cream cheese frosting recipe to frost the cupcakes, I'll have to try the original frosting recipe some other time when I'm not so rushed. The cupcakes turned out really delicious! I don't know if their honestly would of been a difference if I would of added the baking soda and vinegar mixture at the end of the recipe, or if I had made the paste like I should have. This recipe was clearly a winner! My brother absolutely loved them!

Red Velvet Cake from Southern Cakes by Nancie McDermott

Cake

2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 c. buttermilk (see note)
2 tbls. cocoa
One 1-ounce bottle (2 tblsp. red food coloring)
1 c. 2 sticks butter, softened
2 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tbls. of cider vinegar or white vinegar

TO MAKE THE CAKE, heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease two 9" round cake pans generously, and line them with wax paper or kitchen parchment. Grease the paper and flour the pans.
PREPARE THREE SEPERATE MIXTURES for the batter: combine the flour and salt in a medium bowl and use a fork to mix them together well. Stir the vanilla into the buttermilk. Combine the cocoa and red food coloring in a small bowl, mashing and stiring them together to make a thick, smooth paste.
IN A LARGE BOWL, beat the butter with a mixer at low speed for one minute, until creamy and soft. Add the sugar, and then beat well for 3 to 4 minutes, stopping to scrape down the bowl now and then. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each one, until the mixture is creamy, fluffy, and smooth. Scrape the cocoa-food coloring paste into the batter and beat to mix it in evenly.
ADD ABOUT A THIRD of the flour mixture, and then about half the milk, beating the batter with a mixer at low speed, and mixing only enough to make the flour or liquid disappear into the batter. Mix in another third of the flour, the rest of the milk, and then the last of the flour in the same way.
IN A SMALL BOWL, combine the baking soda and vinegar and stir well. Use a wooden spoon or spatula to quickly mix this last mixture into the red batter, folding it in gently by hand. Scrape the batter into the prepared pans.
BAKE at 350 degrees F. for 20 to 25 minutes, until the layers spring back when touched lightly in the center and are just beginning to pull away from the sides of the pan.
COOL THE CAKES in the pans on wire racks or folded kitchen towels for 15 minutes. Then turn them out on the racks or on plates, remove the paper, and turn tops side up to cool completely.

Coconut-Pecan Icing

1 c. milk

2 tbls. of all-purpose flour

1 c. (2 sticks) butter, softened

1 c. sugar

1 tbls. vanilla extract

1 c. sweetened shredded coconut

1 c. finely chopped pecans or walnuts

TO MAKE THE ICING, combine the milk and flour in a small or medium sauce pan. Cook over medium heat, whisking or stiring often, until the mixture thickens almost to a paste 2 to 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and scrape it into a small bowl to cool completely.

MEANWHILE, beat the butter with a mixer at high speed, until light and fluffy. Add the sugar in thirds, beating well each time, until the mixture is creamy and farely smooth. Add the cooled milk-and-flour mixture and beat for 1 to 2 minutes, scraping down the sides now and then, to combine everything well. Using a large spoon or your spatula, stir in the vanilla, coconut, and pecans, mixing to combine everything well and into a thick, fluffy, nubby icing.

TO COMPLETE THE CAKE, place one layer, top side down, on a cake stand or a serving plate, and spread icing on the top. Place a second layer, right side up, on top. Frost the sides and then the top of the cake. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or more to help the icing set.

NOTE: If you don't have buttermilk, stir one tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice into one cup of milk and stand for ten minutes.

Simple Drop Biscuits

2009-12-27T18:40:00.000-08:00

I'm not really good at receiving presents, I get really embarrased! But when I get gifts related to cooking, I jump for joy! I'm not even joking, it could be as simple as a flour container or measuring spoons! My sister got me a baking book for Christmas. I was so happy!! Its funny but I had never heard of America's test kitchen. Let me tell you this makes a great present for anyone! It has step by step instructions for every recipe, plus pictures!
This morning I'm laying in bed trying to decide what to make for breakfast. I had no eggs or milk in the fridge so I'm debating whether I should just go to a drive-thru window! I honestly try to avoid drive-thru windows, besides being costly the food really isn't all that great and I just end up regreting it. Its amazing what you can come up with when put your mind to it! So, I decide on bacon, hashbrowns, biscuits and gravy! The kids did'nt even miss the eggs! The biscuit recipe is the best I've tried! They were so light and buttery! So even if your not in the mood to whip up a large breakfast, the biscuits alone are awesome!

Simple Drop Biscuits by America's Test Kitchen

MAKES 12
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. sugar
3/4 tsp. salt
1 cup buttermilk,chilled
8 tblsp. unsalted butter, melted and slightlty cooled, plus extra for brushing

Note: A 1/4-cup spring loaded ice cream scoop (#16 scoop) makes portioning these biscuits particularly easy. You will need about 2 tablespoons melted butter for brushing the tops of the biscuits.

1. Adjust oven rack to the middle position and heat oven to 475 degrees. Line a baking sheet with a parchment paper.
2. Wisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt together in a large bowl. In a medium bowl, stir the chilled buttermilk and melted butter together until the butter forms small clumps. Stir the buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture with a rubber spatula until just incorporated and the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
3. Using a greased 1/4 cup measure, scoop out and drop mounds oof dough onto the prepared bajing sheet, spacing them about 1 1/2 inches apart. Bake until the tops are golden brown and crisp, 12 to 14 minutes, rotating the pan half way through baking.
4. Brush the baked biscuits with extra melted butter, transfer to a wire rack, and let cool for five minutes. Serve warm.

Test kitchen tip: CLUMPY BUTTER
When you stir slightly cooled melted butter (cool for about five minutes) into cold buttermilk, the butter will clump. Although this might look like a mistake, it's one of the secrets to this recipe. The clumps of butter are similiar to the small bits of cold butter in biscuits prepared according to the traditional method and help guarantee a light and fluffy interior.

I poured homemade white gravy over mine, but are also great plain or with jelly! Enjoy!

Rubber Duckie

2009-12-20T21:47:00.000-08:00

I love this cake!!! I saw it on a cake website and fell in love with it! Wer'e having a baby shower for a co-worker tomorrow and I volunteered to make the cake! I really hope she likes it!

Homemade Pizza

2009-12-17T20:20:00.000-08:00

Its Thursday morning and I'm at work and I can't get my mind off of what to make for dinner tonight. Groceries are pretty much all gone being its almost the end of the week and I don't really want to stop at the grocery store after work or the drive-through window at a fast food joint! So I tried to think up of a decent meal with whatever is left in the fridge or pantry, and I was able to come up with homemade pizza! I hurried home on my lunch and made the pizza dough and left it to rise, so afterwork when I got home all I did was roll it out and added the rest of the ingredients. If you have never made pizza at home before your really missing out! It's cheap, easy, and delicious!

Pizza Dough Ingredients

1 package Dry yeast

3 tblsp. melted butter, cooled slightly or 3 tbls. olive oil

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1 c. warm water

1 tblsp. sugar

2 1/2 c. flour

Instructions:

To the cup of warm water add the sugar and dry yeast. Let stand 10 minutes.

Add the butter, salt and flour. Stir well, turn out and knead until dough is smooth.

Cover and allow to rise in a warm place until doubled in size about 2 to 3 hours.

Punch dough down, and knead for a minute or so until smooth. Roll dough out to desired thickness. You may cook your pizza on a pizza tray or just a plain piece of baking paper.

Spread pizza sauce of your choice.

Add shredded cheese.

Add toppings of your choice.

Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.

Slice and enjoy!!

Amish Freindship Bread

2009-12-07T21:21:00.000-08:00

One of my aunt's passed this recipe along with the 1 cup bread starter. I was pretty skeptical at first and I had no idea what to expect. To be honest I had never heard of the Amish Bread recipe and didn't even think about google'n the recipe, I just went along with the whole thing and after the 10 days baked my bread. It was good, very good actually! The only problem was I had no one to pass the Bread Starter to. None of my friends bake or have enough interest to go through with the steps. I read somewhere on line that you can freeze the left over starter batter in case you find yourself in the same situation. I hope this is not the case for you and you find someone to share this with.

Amish Friendship Bread Starter

Ingredients:
1 (.25 ounce) package active dry
yeast
1/4 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
3 cups all-purpose flour, divided
3 cups white sugar, divided
3 cups milk ,divided

Directions:

1.In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in water. Let stand 10 minutes. In a 2 quart container glass, plastic or ceramic container, combine 1 cup flour and 1 cup sugar. Mix thoroughly or flour will lump when milk is added. Slowly stir in 1 cup milk and dissolved yeast mixture. Cover loosely and let stand until bubbly. Consider this day 1 of the 10 day cycle. Leave loosely covered at room temperature.

2.On days 2 thru 4; stir starter with a spoon. Day 5; stir in 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar and 1 cup milk. Days 6 thru 9; stir only.

3.Day 10; stir in 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar and 1 cup milk. Remove 1 cup to make your first bread, give 2 cups to friends along with this recipe, and your favorite Amish Bread recipe. Store the remaining 1 cup starter in a container in the refrigerator, or begin the 10 day process over again (beginning with step 2).

Note: You may also use a gallon size ziploc bag to store and mix your starter batter, I find this a little easier. You will have to open it up and release the air (gas) out of the bag everyday.

Amish Friendship Bread

1 cup Amish friendship bread starter

2/3 cup oil

3 eggs

2 cup flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 cup sugar

Preheat oven to 350°F.

In mixing bowl, combine all ingredients.
Grease and flour well 2 9″x5″ bread pans. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes.

Variations: Add 1/2 cup of one or more of the following - raisins, chopped apples, crushed pineapple, candied fruit, coconut, chopped dates, nuts or chocolate chips, 8 oz. box vanilla pudding (+ 1/2 c. milk). Mix with in with other ingredients.

Note: You may also coat your greased baking pan with cinnamon sugar or top of cake before baking.

Biscotti

2009-12-05T21:48:00.002-08:00

So here's the story behind these. My town had the annual Christmas Parade today and I baked these up and made little baskets for all my friends that attended the parade. They were alot of work but they were worth it! I made a Almond Anise Biscotti and a Peanut Butter and Chocolate Biscotti. One of my blogger friends (Lick the Bowl Good) had the recipe for the Peanut Butter ones and I searched the web for the Almond Anise Biscotti. Their is no words to describe how good these are! I loved them and can't wait to make more!

Almond Anise Biscotti recipe from Land O' Lakes

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup LAND O LAKES® Butter, softened
3 LAND O LAKES® All-Natural Eggs
1 tablespoon anise seed, crushed
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon anise extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 cups slivered almonds, chopped
1 egg white, beaten
1/4 cup coarse grain sugar

Heat oven to 375°F. Combine 1 cup sugar and butter in large bowl. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until creamy. Add eggs, anise seed, vanilla and anise extract; continue beating until well mixed. Reduce speed to low; add flour and baking powder. Beat, scraping bowl often, until well mixed. Stir in almonds.Divide dough in half; shape each half into 11-inch log. Place 4 inches apart onto greased cookie sheet. Flatten each log to 2-inch width. Brush tops with egg white. Sprinkle with coarse grain sugar. Bake 25 minutes or until lightly browned and set. Cool 15 minutes on cookie sheet.Reduce oven temperature to 325°F. Carefully place logs onto cutting surface. Cut into 1/2-inch diagonal slices with serrated knife. Place, cut-side down, onto ungreased cookie sheets. Return to oven. Bake 9 minutes; turn slices. Continue baking for 8 to 10 minutes or until dry and crisp. Recipe Tip Anise seed and anise extract can be purchased in the baking aisle of your supermarket. Extracts provide a concentrated flavor without adding volume or changing consistency. Store extracts in a cool, dark place.

Peanut Butter and Chocolate Biscotti recipe from Food Network Kitchens

10 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick plus 2 tablespoons)
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
3 large eggs
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup smooth natural peanut butter, room temperature
1 1/4 cups dry roasted peanuts
1 1/4 cups chopped dark chocolate or chocolate chunks (about 6 ounces)

Directions
Position racks evenly in the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper.
Melt the butter over medium heat, swirling the pan occasionally. Continue to cook until the butter browns and gets a nutty aroma, about 5 minutes. Let cool slightly.
Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl.
Beat the eggs in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until light and pale yellow, about 2 minutes. Gradually add the sugar while beating. Then slowly add the butter and vanilla until evenly mixed, about 30 seconds more. Add the peanut butter and mix until combined.
While mixing slowly, add the dry ingredients to the wet, in 2 additions, mixing just until absorbed. Fold in the peanuts and chocolate pieces.
Divide the dough evenly into thirds, and put each portion in the center of a baking sheet. Shape the dough with slightly wet hands into logs about 2-inches wide and 15 inches long. Bake until set and brown around the edges, about 25 to 30 minutes. (For even baking take care to rotate the pans-- top to bottom and front to back--about half way though.) Cool logs on the baking sheets for about 10 minutes.
Lower the oven temperature to 325 degrees F. Carefully transfer the logs to a cutting board. Cut logs crosswise, with a long serrated knife at about a 45 degree angle, into 1/2-inch thick cookies. Place cookies cut side down on the baking sheets. Bake until crisp, about 8 minutes. Flip the cookies over and bake until golden brown, about 8 minutes more. Cool biscotti on the baking sheets. Serve.
Store cookies in a tightly sealed container for up to 3 days.

Baptism

2009-11-30T20:40:00.000-08:00

Here's a cake I did for a baptism this summer. The bottom was a 4" 1/2 sheet cake, top layer was cross made from a Wilton cake pan. I learned a lot making this cake and hopefully my second won't be so time consuming.

Cheesy Potatoes

2009-11-27T22:51:00.000-08:00

These tators are a hit every year at Thanksgiving! I only make them once a year! I feel it makes it special and all my guests are dying to dive in to one! Warning, make sure you make extra they go pretty fast!

Cheesy Potatoes

7 lbs. potatoes
24 oz. sour cream
1 lb. bacon
1 lb. mild cheddar cheese, grated
2 tsp. salt

1. Wash potatoes and place on a cookie sheet, bake at 350 degrees for 1 to 1-1/2 hours until baked through. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.
2. Fry bacon until crisp. Set aside and crumble once cooled.
3. Take potatoes and cut in half, lenghtwise. Using a teaspoon scoop out the potatoe being carefull not to break the shell, reserve shells. Place the scooped potatoe into a extra large bowl or mixer. Add the crumbled bacon, sour cream, cheese, and salt. Whip until mixed through.
4. Fill your reserved potatoe shells with the whipped potatoe mixture and place back on cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes until bubbly and lightly browned. Enjoy!

Pecan Pie

2009-11-21T17:20:00.003-08:00

I'm so excited! This is my first Pecan Pie I have ever made. I was cleaning out the pantry earlier this afternoon and came across the corn syrup bottle with a pecan pie recipe on the back. Since I had all the ingredients "Pecan Pie" it was!

Pecan Pie
1 cup light corn syrup
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
2 tblsp. melted butter
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups whole pecans
1 unbaked 9" deep dish pie crust

Stir the first five ingredients thoroughly using a spoon. Mix in pecans.
Pour into pie crust.
Bake at 350 degrees for 55 to 60 minutes. Cool 2 hours.

Burnt Sugar Cake

2009-11-20T01:00:00.000-08:00

This months "Cake Slice Bakers" selected the Burnt Sugar Cake from the book "Southern Cakes". This cake truly was different from any other cake I have made. I loved the flavor of the batter, I licked the bowl clean! I like the way the cake color turned out. My husband and the girls at the daycare gave me a thumbs up on the cake! I was coming down with a cold and I didn't really get to enjoy it. The only little problem was the icing coming out too thin. I plan making this cake again with a couple of changes to the frosting. Over all the cake was good and had a great homeade taste to it.

Burnt Sugar Cake

Burnt Sugar Syrup:
1 cup sugar
1 cup boiling water

Burnt Sugar Cake:
3 cups flour
1 tblsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup milk
1 cup butter ( 2 sticks), softened
1 3/4 cups sugar
4 eggs

Burnt sugar frosting:
3 3/4 cups powder sugar
1/2 cup Burnt Sugar Syrup
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, softened
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 to 3 tblsp. evaporated milk or milk

TO MAKE THE SYRUP, heat the sugar in cast-iron skillet, or in another heavy pan with a broad bottom and high sides, over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar melts into a clear, brown caramel syrup, about the color of tea. Carefully add the boiling water, pouring it down the side of the pan so that if the syrup foams and bubbles up, you'll be protected. Continue cooking, stirring often, until the water joins the caramel in a handsome brown syrup. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool. Store the cooled syrup in a sealed jar until needed.

TO MAKE THE CAKE, heat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two 9 inch round cake pans. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, and stir with fork to mix well. Stir the vanilla into the milk.

IN A LARGE BOWL, beat the butter and sugar with a mixer at high speed for 2 to 3 minutes, until they are very well combined, stopping now and then to scrape down the bowl. Add the eggs, one by one , beating well each time. Pour in 1/2 cup of the burnt sugar syrup, and beat well. Add about a third of the flour mixture, and then about half of the milk, beating at low speed just long enough, after each addition, to make the flour or the milk disappear into the batter. Mix in another third of the flour, the rest of the milk, and then the last of the flour in the same way.

DIVIDE THE BATTER between the cake pans and bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes, until the cakes are golden brown, spring back when touched gently in the center, and begin to pull away from the sides of the pans. Let the cakes cool in the pans on the wire racks or folded kitchen towels for 15 minutes. Then turn out the cakes onto wire racks or plates to cool completely, top side up.

TO MAKE THE FROSTING, in a large bowl, combine the powder sugar, the remaining half cup of the burnt sugar syrup, the butter, and the vanilla. Beat with a mixer at medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes, scraping down the bowl now and then to bring the ingredients together. Add 2 tblsp. of evaporated milk and continue beating until the frosting is thick, soft, smooth, and easy to spread. Add a little more sugar if it is thin, and a little more evaporated milk if it seems to thick.

TO COMPLETE THE CAKE, place one layer, top side down, on a cake stand or serving plate, and scoop about 3/4 cup of the frosting onto the cake. Spread to the edges and place the second layer over it, top side up. Frost the sides of the cake , and then the top, covering it evenly.

Cinnamon-Pecan Coffee Cake

2009-10-20T12:53:00.000-07:00

I just recently joined a Blogger baking group callled "The Cake Slice". Once a month the group bakes a recipe that we voted on. We get to blog about it on the 20th of every month.

This month's recipe was "Cinnamon-Pecan Coffee Cake". I was really looking forward to this being my first time baking with group and never making coffee cake before.

I have this horrible habit of making two batches of a recipe that I've never tried! I read the recipe and looked easy enough not to mess up. And since I expected company that morning I went ahead and made two batches. Big mistake with this one!

Where should I start? I found the batter to thick to spread. The bottom layer wasn't too bad, the top layer was difficult to spread. I didn't care for the raisins. I should have chopped the pecans finer too. The topping, I felt was too dry it definately needed more melted butter. I don't know if I over baked it because the next day I found was too dry. Next time around I'm leaving the raisins out and adding more butter to the topping. By the way this wasn't a winner with the kids and hubby. I ended up throwing out most of the second cake. I hate wasting! My hubby said it had too much cinnamon for his liking. I suppose I'll have to cut the cinnamon back too. Hopefully you'll have better luck with this recipe than I did.

"Cinnamon-Pecan Coffe Cake" from Southern Cakes by Nancie McDermott

Cinnamon-Raisin Filling:

1 1/2 c. light brown sugar

3 tbls. flour

3 tbls. ground cinnamon

1 1/2 c. raisins

1 1/2 c. coarsely chopped pecans

3/4 c. (1 1/2 sticks) butter, melted

Coffee Cake:

3 c. flour

1 tbls. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 c. milk

1 c. (2 sticks) butter, softened

1 c. sugar

2 eggs

Heat the oven to 350 degrees and grease and flour a 13x9 inch pan.

To make the filling, combine the light brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon in a medium bowl, and stir with a fork to mix everything well. Combine the raisins and pecans in another bowl and toss to mix them. Place the cinnamon mixture, the nut mixture, and the melted butter by the baking pan.

To make the coffee cake batter, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl, and stir with a fork to mix them together well. Stir the vanilla into the milk. In a large bowl, combine the butter and sugar, beat with mixer at high speed, stopping to scrape down the bowl, until pale yellow and evenly mixed, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs and beat for another 2 minutes, scraping down the bowl now and then, until the mixture is smooth and light.

Using a large spoon or spatula, add about a third of the flour mixture to the butter mixture, and stir only until the flour disappears. Add about a third of the milk and mix it in. Reapeat two more times with the remaining flour and milk, stirring just enough each time to keep the batter smooth.

Spread half the batter evenly over the bottom of the prepared pan. Sprinkle half the cinnamon mixture over the batter, followed by half the melted butter. Scatter half the raisins and nuts over the batter. Spread the remaining cinnamon mixture, butter and nut mixture, covering the cake evenly.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes, until the cake is golden brown, fragrant, and beginning to pull away from the sides of the pan. Cool the cake in the pan for 5 to 10 minutes on wire racks or a folded kitchen towel, and then serve in squares right from the pan. The cake is delicious hot, warm or at room temperature.

Wilton Cake

2009-10-18T19:24:00.000-07:00

I love making this cake! The first time was in the Wilton class. I made this cake for Rosemary's birthday, she own's the daycare my daughter goes to. Vanessa absolutely adores her! Happy Birthday Rosemary!!

Strawberry Muffins

2009-09-20T20:22:00.000-07:00

These are perfect for breakfast or brunch. You may also use any type of berries. Just remember not to over mix your batter!

Strawberry Muffins

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

3/4 cup sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1 1/2 cup buttermilk

2/3 cup vegetable oil

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups fresh strawberry's, diced

Crumb topping:
3 tablespoons cold butter
3 tablespoons sugar
3 to 5 tablespoons flour

To make topping cut butter into flour and sugar until crumbly, set aside.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease muffin cups. Set aside (I use cupcake liners and skip this step).

In a large bowl whisk together the egg,buttermilk,oil,and vanilla extract.

In another large bowl combine flour,sugar,baking powder,baking soda,and salt. Gently fold in strawberry's. With rubber spatula fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir only until combined. Do not over mix the batter.

Using a icecream scoop fill each muffin cup.

Top with 1 tablespoon of crumb topping.

Bake for 16 to 20 minutes. Transfer to wire rack and cool for five minutes before removing.

Makes 12 regular size muffins

Sesame Street Cupcakes

2009-09-12T20:22:00.000-07:00

I had a great time making these for Vanessa's 3rd Birthday. All the kids at the daycare loved them.