Bake Me More

It has been yet another wonderfully busy, short summer. I did “my time” working at summer camp again which kept me from having the spare time to blog, so I have some catching up to do. I can’t say I didn’t have time to cook, because that is pretty much all I did for five weeks. However that cooking was in bulk… for upwards of 140 people a week. The only food pictures I took this summer were quick shots with my iPhone and nothing to write home about.

I am though, working on a menu for Sunday dinner today. We will be having a small family celebration of my daughter’s 14th birthday. Traditionally we are on vacation when her birthday comes (as we are again this year) but we like to have a little meal with the family. Today’s menu, at her majesty’s request, includes:

• London Broil: Montreal Steak Seasoned and Grilled
• Seasoned Potato Wedges
• Roasted Vegetables
• Caesar Salad

and for dessert:

• Cheesecake and Oreo Fudge Ice Cream Cake

Photos: (iPhone shots of my summer camp Friday morning baking routine. Yes, we serve breakfast in bed.)

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.

My family, immediate and extended, always seem to enjoy this recipe. It is straight forward, no extra’s, just potatoes, eggs, relish and mayo. Of course you can add onions, celery and other crunchies… but with a family of picky eaters, I still with the “if you like it that way, add it yourself” principle. (Is that harsh?) Oh, and I’m not really sure what southern style really means, but I live in the south, so I’m calling it southern.

Here it is:

Southern Style Potato Salad

• 1 (5 lb.) bag potatoes, russet or Idaho
• 8 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and chopped
• 1 cup light mayonnaise (more to taste and texture)
• 1/4 cup sweet relish (more to taste and texture)
• Salt & Pepper
• Paprika to garnish

Directions:

Peel and dice potatoes and boil in salted water until fork tender. Remove and drain. *If you like a chunky potato salad, allow potatoes to cool completely. I usually add the other ingredients to warm potatoes. Return potatoes to pot and add other ingredients. Stir lightly until all of the potatoes are covered. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm, or refrigerate until ready. Garnish with paprika and greens if desired.

Honestly, the amount of mayo and sweet relish are approximate. I add until I reach a smooth texture and to taste. I think the key is having enough to cover all of the potatoes well. And again, I like to prepare it with warm potatoes. Some of the potatoes end up mashing some, adding to the creaminess of the dish. Yum.

A 5 pound bag makes quite a bit, enough for at least 10 servings with leftovers.

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.

Quite a while back I made a breakfast roll with just a few ingredients. I wanted to post it again since it is such an easy sweet addition to breakfast or brunch, especially for a small group. The first time I made it, the recipe originated from a great food blog ~ My Kitchen Snippets ~ a blog worthy of bookmarking… check it out.

I prepared the roll with apples and cream cheese. I suppose any fruit that goes with cream cheese would be a great substitute. For the original recipe and great illustrations, click here.

Fruit & Cream Cheese Loaf

Ingredients :

• 6 oz cream cheese
• 1 egg, separated
• 3 tbsp of powder sugar
• 1/2 cup apple pie filling with cinnamon
• 1 (11 oz) tube of bread stick dough

Glaze:

• 1/2 cup of powder sugar
• 2 – 3 tbsp milk

Directions:

Preheat over to 350 degrees.

In a bowl combined soft cream cheese, powder sugar and egg yolk. Mix until well combined.

Unroll and separate the dough into two rectangles. On a lightly greased or parchment lined baking sheet, place the rectangles horizontally and press the steam together. Spread cream cheese mixture onto the center of the dough then dollop the fruit filling evenly over the cream cheese. Separate the dough perforations up to the cheese mixture (You might need a scissors for this) Slightly pull and stretch the dough strips. Start from one end of the loaf and alternate pulling the dough strips over the filling to form a “braid”. Make sure to tuck and seal both ends of the loaf.

Beat the egg white and brush it all over the loaf, sprinkle with sugar if desired. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown, remove and allow to cool.

For the glaze, combine the powdered sugar and 2 tbsp milk, adding more for desired consistency. Whisk until smooth. Drizzle all over the cool loaf before serving.

(Original recipe was posted on January 25, 2009)