Category Archives: Cakes & Pies

Pumpkin “Bundt” Bread

28 Sunday Nov 2010

Posted by in Baking, Breakfast, Cakes & Pies, Dessert, Muffins & Quick Breads, Recipes, Sweet Breads

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This is our favorite pumpkin bread recipe. Normally it bakes very well as a quick bread in a loaf pan, but I needed a large brunch size quantity. If you need a large volume of this quick bread, a Bundt pan is a great option for baking. The baking time was of course longer than a regular loaf pan, but it turned out wonderfully.

Here is the recipe and a link to my previous Pumpkin Bread recipe posts.

Pumpkin Bread (doubled for three 8″ pans)

  • 3 cups + 4 Tbsp All Purpose Flour
  • 3 cups sugar 
  • 1 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp nutmeg
  • 1 cup oil
  • 4 eggs slightly beaten
  • 2 Cups Canned Pumpkin
  • 2/3 Cup Water

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare three 8″ loaf pans with baking spray.

Sift together dry ingredients, set aside.

Beat together eggs, oil, water and pumpkin. Make a well in dry ingredients and add wet mixture. Stir with spoon just until all ingredients are wet. Pour into greased pan(s), fill pan 2/3 full.

Bake for 1 hour or until toothpick comes out clean. (mine took exactly one hour)

Makes three 8″ loafs.

Pound Cake with KA Cake Flour

03 Wednesday Nov 2010

Posted by in Baking, Cakes & Pies, Dessert, Recipes

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My go-to recipe for Sour Cream Pound Cake has always been a sensation. Whether drizzled with fresh strawberries, layered with butter cream or “eau natural” you won’t go wrong preparing this delicacy.

Last week my husband embarked on another decade and we celebrated with this, one of his favorites. To enhance the flavor and texture of the recipe, I used a higher grade butter and flour. Money isn’t an issue when you roll into another year is it?

These two changes rendered what my husband said was the best cake yet; moist with a tight crumb. King Arthur definitely lived up to his name in this cake, well worth the extra dollar :) .

Here’s the recipe again:

Sour Cream Pound Cake

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup butter, room temp (I used Grade A Irish Butter)
  • 3 cups granulated sugar
  • 6 eggs
  • 3 cups all purpose flour (I used KA Unbleached Cake Flour)
  • ¼ tsp baking soda
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp almond or lemon extract
  • 8 oz. sour cream

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Coat desired pans with baking spray. (1 Bundt pan, 3 (8″) round pans, 2 (9″) round pans, or loaf pans)

In a separate bowl, combine flour, soda and salt, set aside. Cream butter and sugar; add eggs one at a time. Add vanilla and lemon extract. Add flour mixture and sour cream alternately ending with flour. Spoon batter into pans. Bake loaf and round pans 45 – 60 minutes,  and bundt pan 60 to 75 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean. For loafs you may add 3 -5 cups of chopped pecans.

For Frosted Layer Cakes - Note: I doubled for this cake

Buttercream Frosting:

  • ½ cup softened butter (Irish, grade A)
  • ½ cup butter flavor shortening
  • 16 oz. powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 2 -3 Tbls milk

Cream butter, Crisco until smooth, slowly add powdered sugar, add vanilla and milk to desired consistency.

*I frosted the inner layers with strawberry buttercream frosting and a layer of fresh strawberry preserves.

Vanilla Rich Chocolate Chip Cake

15 Sunday Aug 2010

Posted by in Cakes & Pies, Dessert, From a Mix, Recipes

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Surprisingly enough, photo’s taken with my iPhone while driving down the road!

 

Last minute cake, literally…

Earlier in the week I volunteered to prepare a cake to sell in a fundraiser. I thought about many options for a “go to cake” and just couldn’t settle on one. I needed something sturdy, climate safe and eye-appealing. This cake kept coming up, but it wasn’t until about 6:00 this morning, (2 hours before it was due) that I finalized the selection. Of course this required a store run… At any rate, long story short this cake is easy to prepare, and delivers a simple, yet beautiful cake. It is moist and rich, but not overly sweet. I chose to just dust it with powdered sugar versus a glaze.

I would suggest serving this cake with a cold glass of milk, or for a more delicate occasion, a nice cup of tea would do well. I rank this “cake mix” cake in my top 5, maybe even top 3… Try it!

Vanilla Rich Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake (adapted from a McCormick recipe)

What you need:

  • 1 box (18.25 oz) yellow cake mix
  • 1 box (4 serving size) vanilla pudding
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup miniature chocolate chips

Directions:

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 12-cup Bundt pan with baking spray.

Beat all ingredients except chocolate chips in a large bowl on low to moisten, then on medium for 2 minutes. Stir in chocolate chips and pour into pan.

Bake in the center of the over for 50 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes then invert cake onto wire rack. Cool completely. Sprinkle with powdered sugar or glaze (powdered sugar and milk mixture).

*Note: Using miniature chocolate chips ensures that the chips are evenly dispersed throughout the cake. You can also dust the chips with a little cake batter before adding to the batter.

 

Cinnamon Brunch Cake

20 Sunday Jun 2010

Posted by in Breakfast, Cakes & Pies, Dessert, From a Mix, Muffins & Quick Breads, Recipes

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Cinnamon Brunch cake

 

This cake originates from a cake mix that is doctored to produce a wonderful breakfast dessert. The recipe comes from Duncan Hines Cake Mix Magic Cookbook that a friend loaned me. I prepared the cake this morning because I was bored… actually I woke early and decided to bake. Plus I thought it would be a nice Father’s day treat. The cake is dense, yet moist. I didn’t have almonds so I used recently picked Georgia Pecans.

Incidentally, I am excited to use my new cupcake plate. I actually painted it myself during a recent visit to a local pottery store with my youngest. I love the way it turned out!

Cinnamon Brunch Cake

Duncan Hines Cake Mix Magic, page 82

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
  • 2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 3/4 cup fine chopped almonds (pecans)
  • 1 box white cake mix
  • 1 box instant vanilla pudding (4 serving size)
  • 4 eggs
  • 3/4 cup vegetable oil (see note)
  • 3/4 cup water
  • 1 tsp almond extract (I used vanilla)

Directions:

Pre heat the oven to 350. Spray a 10 inch Bundt pan with baking spray.

Combine the brown sugar and cinnamon, set aside. Sprinkle nuts evenly in the bottom of the Bundt pan. Combine the remaining ingredients and beat for two minutes.

Spread half of the batter in the pan and sprinkle the cinnamon sugar evenly over batter. Pour remaining batter into pan.

Bake for 45 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool about 15 minutes and remove from pan.

Glaze cake if desired. To prepare glaze, combine 1 cup of confectioner sugar with 1 – 2 tablespoons of milk. Stir until desired pouring consistency.

Note: To reduce some of the oil, I suggest using 1/2 cup of unsweetened applesauce, 1/2 cup of oil, and 1/2 cup of water. Or any combination of this reaching 1 1/2 cups of liquid. The applesauce renders a moister crumb.

Chocolate Chip Marble Bundt Cake

31 Monday May 2010

Posted by in Cakes & Pies, Dessert, Recipes

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I was drawn to the original post of this recipe by the its title “Stupid Delicious“. Obviously it must be pretty good to earn that title. I prepared this for a Memorial Day Cookout we attended today – which by the way was a pool party and the beautiful weather of this three-day holiday weekend ended at 3:00… the time the party began. Being a native Floridian however, I know that in 30 minutes, the sun will probably be shining, so we waited… and waited… The sun never came out, but the lightning stopped, so the kids got their swim in.

Anyway, I digress. I hesitate to take new recipes to parties, but after reading this post, I felt strongly it would be good. It was. The oohs and aahs were strikingly exclaimed. Try it, you will not be disappointed.

Don’t be afraid of the larger amount of ingredients, it is actually very easy to prepare, and once it’s in the oven, your work is done. No layers, no frosting, nothing but a beautiful, rich chocolaty cake ready to be devoured.

Chocolate Chip Marble Bundt Cake

From Shauna at Piece of Cake 

  • –       2½ cups sugar, divided
  • –       ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder 
  • –       ¼ cup light corn syrup
  • –       2½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract, divided
  • –       2 2/3 cups flour
  • –       2 teaspoons baking powder
  • –       ½ teaspoon salt
  • –       1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • –       4 large eggs, at room temperature
  • –       1 cup milk, at room temperature
  • –       1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (I like Ghiradelli)

1.) In a small saucepan, whisk together 1/2 cup of the sugar, the cocoa powder and corn syrup with ½ cup hot water. Bring just to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in ½ teaspoon of vanilla. Set aside.

2.) Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat it to 350 degrees. Butter and lightly flour a 12-cup bundt pan.

 3.) In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.

4.) In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter with the remaining 2 cups sugar until light in color and fluffy, about two minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time until thoroughly incorporated. Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl. Beat in the remaining 2 tsp vanilla.

 5.) Reduce the mixer speed to low, and beat in a third of the flour mixture just until the flour begins to disappear into the batter. Beat in half the milk. Beat in another third of the flour, then the rest of the milk, and finish with the remaining flour until the batter is smooth. Stop the mixer and gently fold in the chocolate chips.

 6.) Scoop out a third of the batter into a medium bowl, whisk in the chocolate syrup and set aside.

7.)  Pour another third of the batter into the prepared bundt pan and smooth it with a spatula. Evenly top this layer with the chocolate batter. Finish by pouring the last third of the vanilla batter over the top.

8.) Lightly swirl the batters with a wooden skewer or knife to give a “marble” effect–a continuous figure-8 motion while going around the pan works well.

9.) Bake until a toothpick inserted comes out clean and the cake springs back lightly when touched, about 60-70 minutes.

10.) Cool the cake in the pan on a wire rack. Invert the cooled cake onto a serving platter and dust lightly with powdered sugar before serving if desired. Store any leftovers in a cake dome at room temperature for 4-5 days, maybe more.

*I didn’t have time to wait till the cake was completely cooled and turned it onto a plate while still slightly warm. There was a very minor amount of thin cake layer remaining “here and there” in the pan, so if you can’t wait, it should be ok.

 

Chocolate Cherry Cheesecake Layer Cake

09 Sunday May 2010

Posted by in Brownies & Bars, Cakes & Pies, Dessert, From a Mix, Recipes

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Today I came across a wonderful cake that incorporates a little bit of this and that. While surfing for a cake to prepare for a birthday party I found this recipe at Picky Palate. I love Jenny’s site and her recipes. I had nearly all of the ingredients so after a quick trek to the store, I was off to bake. The differences that I made were not using the brownie layer (more on that in a minute) and adding a layer of cherry pie filling under the cheesecake layer. For the frosting I prepared a chocolate buttercream frosting from Recipezaar. With over 300 positive reviews I knew I could count on this recipe. I doubled it for this cake.

Now as for the brownie layer in the cake, I had to omit it due to the massive size of the cake. I’m sure that it would make a wonderful addition, but next time I will bake the brownie layer in two pans, so I can easily only use a layer of 1/2 the height. So I am going to make brownie pops tomorrow with the brownie batch.

So, now for the how to:

Chocolate Cherry Cheesecake, Cake
Adapted from Double Chocolate Cheesecake Layered Cake @ Picky Palette
  • 2 – 8 oz packages softened cream cheese
  • 1/2 Cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 brownie mix 9×13 inch size (I baked but didnt use in this cake)
  • 1 chocolate cake mix
  • Chocolate Frosting Recipe, prepared

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place cream cheese and sugar into a stand or electric mixer bowl. Beat until softened. Beat in the eggs until smooth. Pour into a wax paper lined and greased 9 inch springformpan. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until middle is set and not jiggly. Remove and let cool completely. Refrigerate overnight or for 2-3 hours. Carefully remove sides and transfer to wax paper. **I placed the cheesecake in the freezer for about 30 minutes before removing from pan.

Prepare brownie mix according to package directions and divide evenly into a wax paper lined and greased 9 inch cake pan. Bake for 25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean from center. Let cool completely then carefully turn over onto wax paper; set aside.

Prepare cake mix according to package directions and pour into 2 wax paper lined 9 inch cake pans. Bake for 25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean from center. Let cool completely then carefully turn over onto wax paper; set aside.

Kittencal’s Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
Doubled from the original recipe

  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 3/4 cup cocoa
  • 1 tbl vanilla
  • 1/2 – 2/3 cup milk
  • 5 1/3 cup powdered sugar

Cream the butter in stand mixer. Add the cocoa and vanilla. Add the powdered sugar and milk alternately ending with the sugar. depending on the consistency you are looking for, you may not need 2/3 cup of milk, so don’t dump it all at once.

Putting it all together: (without the brownie layer)

Trim domed part of both cakes. Place one layer of cake, trimmed side down on serving plate and frost. Place a thin layer of the pie filling on top of frosting then top with cheesecake layer. Add another layer of pie filling then a layer of frosting. Place other cake layer cut size down, on top of the cake and finish frosting completely. Refrigerate to set the cake. Keep leftovers refrigerated.

…May Flowers

01 Saturday May 2010

Posted by in Cakes & Pies, Dessert, From a Mix, Recipes

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Baking is one of the few things (if not the only) where I find myself indecisive. That is to say that I have bookshelf of baking recipes (cakes, bars, cookies…) on my ever-growing ”to do” list. This recipe was no different. Oh yeah, plain and simple aren’t in my repertoire. What starts quick and easy often escalates to something bigger and better. Enough rambling. I made these for my daughter’s 9th birthday party. There was no real theme to this party, so my decision wasn’t eased any.

My final decision for this cupcake was made just a few hours before the party. It was a last-minute epiphany that originated from recipes of Kraft and Betty Crocker magazines. The recipe uses a standard cupcake and frosting, but makes it bigger and better with a few marshmallows and some sprinkles. I was more than pleased with the result.

 

What you need:

  • 24 prepared cupcakes
  • Frosting, any of choice
  • 24 large marshmallows
  • Sprinkles
  • Jelly Beans or other round candy for the center
  • Here’s how to do it:

Frost the cupcakes, I colored mine green to match the tablecloth. Cut the marshmallows into 4 slices. Cut on the width, not the length of the marshmallow. Dip the sticky side of the marshmallow into sprinkles and place on top of the frosting. Arrange on top of frosting and place a jelly bean in the center. I suggest you refrigerate the cupcakes until the frosting has set completely, or the marshmallows may slide (depending on the consistency of the frosting).

You can create a more 3-D look by using 5 cut marshmallows and overlapping them on the cupcake top. That’s what I started doing, but they kept slide down the side and I didn’t have a lot of room to place the candy in the middle, so I dropped to 4 slices on each cupcake.

Five Ingredient Dessert (never let em see you sweat)

25 Sunday Apr 2010

Posted by in Cakes & Pies, Dessert, Recipes

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Ha, lame title I know. Truth is this dessert is so easy, sweating will have to be reserved for post dessert exercise. This is a Kraft recipe, probably so well known I am just burning my wordpress memory to post it, but hey, it’s that good. The recipe is taken directly from the Kraft site. If you go to the link, you can also watch a video on how to prepare the cake.

Oreo & Fudge Ice Cream Cake

  • 1/2 cup hot fudge ice cream topping, warmed
  • 1 tub  (8 oz.) Cool Whip Whipped Topping, thawed, divided
  • 1 pkg. (3.9 oz.) Jello Chocolate Instant Pudding
  • 8  Oreo Cookies, chopped (about 1 cup) see note below
  • 12 vanilla ice cream sandwiches

Directions:

Pour fudge topping into medium bowl. Whisk in 1 cup Cool Whip. Add dry pudding mix; stir 2 min. Stir in chopped cookies. 

Arrange 4 ice cream sandwiches, side-by-side, on 24-inch-long piece of foil; top with half the Cool Whip mixture. Repeat layers. Top with remaining sandwiches. Frost top and sides with remaining Cool Whip. Bring up foil sides; double fold top and ends to loosely seal packet. I didn’t do that, it didn’t really work. So I just placed it in the freezer uncovered and covered the remaining cake after dessert.

Freeze at least 4 hours.

Note: I didn’t want to buy a whole package of Oreo’s (as no one here needs them!). So I purchased one snack pack of Mini Oreo’s. It was the perfect amount.

 

Black Bottom Cupcakes

13 Tuesday Apr 2010

Posted by in Cakes & Pies, From a Mix, Recipes

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I really didn’t plan the heart on the cupcake, but it turned out to be my favorite one. These cupcakes are easy to prepare and once baked, require no additional steps, other than eating it of course. This is another cake mix creation that has a long history in internet recipes. Some of the recipes include a cake baked from scratch and many from a basic cake mix. I would love to prepare the from scratch cake, but time did not afford that today.

This “cupcake”, may also be considered a cheesecake, or perhaps it is even muffin-like. No matter what you consider it to be, it is still a rich, luscious dessert that will meet any choco-holics expectations. I recommend a tall glass an ice cold milk in accompaniment. The cupcake itself starts with a basic devil’s cream cake base then a couple dollops of a cream cheese mixture are placed in the center of the batter. The end result are these beautiful decadent mini cakes. Hope you enjoy them!

Black Bottom Cupcakes (AKA Cheesecakes)

  • 1 box of Devil’s Food Cake Mix, or a homemade recipe like this one (at CookieMadness.com)
  • All ingredients as listed on the cake mix
  • 1 block (8 oz.) Philadelphia Cream Cheese, softened
  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips (or any size desired)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 (or as directed by the recipe). Place 24 cupcake liners in a regular size muffin/cupcake pan(s).

Prepare cake mix as directed. Fill cupcake liners about 2/3 full. If you fill each one evenly, you should have the perfect amount of batter with none leftover.

In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar and egg and mix until well blended. Stir in chocolate chips. Using a small ice cream or cookie scoop (about 1 tsp), drop 1 – 2 rounded teaspoons of cream cheese mixture into the center of the cupcake batter. I ended up with 2 tsp in each cupcake.

Bake according to directions for regular cupcakes. Remove and allow to cool. Serve warm, or refrigerate until ready to serve. Because of the cream cheese, you should store these in the refrigerator.

 

 

 

 

Tropical Angel Food Cake

11 Sunday Apr 2010

Posted by in Cakes & Pies, From a Mix, Recipes

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Looking for an easy dessert that won’t make you feel like you just wolfed down a block of chocolate lead? It won’t get much easier than this one. Only two ingredients lead to a satisfying dessert that you won’t walk away from feeling like you need to head to the gym for an hour. Unless of course the preceding dinner warrants it!

This cake recipe can be found just about anywhere on the web and then some. I haven’t made it in a while and remembered it when choosing a dessert to go with tonight’s seafood (fresh caught fish mind you) dinner. I served it with some leftover Key Lime Pie… very fitting to welcome the warmer weather. I love spring and I love the hints that the weather gives of the upcoming summer season.

Enough jabbering, here’s the recipe.

Tropical Angel Food Cake

  • 1 Box Angel Food Cake Mix
  • 1 (20 oz.) can crushed pineapple

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a tube pan, Bundt or 9 x 13″ pan with cooking spray.

Combine the cake mix and pineapple and stir until well blended. Pour into prepared pan. Note, to remove the air pockets that will food big craters in your completed cake, use a long skewer or butter knife and “poke” around in the cake before baking.

Bake according to the box directions as to the pan size you are using. When done, the cake will spring back when pressed. Remove from the oven and quickly turn the pan upside down to cool. Once cool remove from the pan. (This can be done by sliding a thin knife or spatula around the edges of the cake). Serve plain, with whipped topping and/or fresh fruit. Store at room temperature tightly covered.

Notes:

*I have always used either a Bundt pan, or an actual Angel Food Cake pan. I suppose if you used a 9 x 13″ you wouldn’t have to remove it, but you should still turn it over too cool.

*I use Duncan Hines… almost always when using a boxed mix

*You can use pineapple packed in any type of syrup, but to keep the “light” in this cake, I suggest not using the can with heavy syrup.