Tag Archives: Cakes & Pies

Tropical Angel Food Cake

11 Sunday Apr 2010

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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.

 

 

 

Tunnel of Fudge…cake (Fudge Ribbon Cake)

07 Sunday Mar 2010

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

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Today I was on a chocolate baking frenzy. I woke up early, too early. My body has an internal alarm clock that usually goes off around 4 am. So I took advantage of my time this morning and baked two different chocolate desserts. I needed on for our Bible study, and my oldest daughter was scheduled to bring “something sweet” also.

I spent a lot of time trying to decide what kind of cake I would make. Finding that I was completely out of powdered sugar pretty much sealed the deal on this cake. I would definitely make it again. It was easy to prepare and quite impressive! The cake is from the Eagle Brand milk people. The recipe call for sweetened condensed milk, hence, the reason they have it on their site! (duh!)

I was hesitant about how the “swirl” would take place with the described preparation. I was amazed though at how the cream cheese mixture dispersed all the way through the cake batter to the top of the cake (i.e. the bottom of the pan). There was a nice 1/2″ or so “tunnel” on the top of the finished product. Kudos to the Eagle Brand company for good directions!!!

The changes I made to the recipe were: 1) I used a dark fudge cake mix, and 2) The ganache… remember, I didn’t have any powdered sugar, so I had to compromise. I used a recipe from Anna over at Cookie Madness, one of my favorite daily blog visits. Check her blog out!

Fudge Ribbon Cake (via Eagle Brand Milk)

Cake Ingredients

  • 1 (18.25 oz.) box chocolate cake mix, plus ingredients called for on box
  • 1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened
  • 2 tablespoons butter, softened
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 1 (14 oz.) can Sweetened Condensed Milk
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Chocolate Ganache (from Cookie Madness)

  • 3 oz bittersweet chocolate (I used Ghirardelli Bars)
  • 1/3 cup heavy cream
  • 1/2 tablespoon corn syrup
  • 1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter

Heat oven to 350ºF. Spray 10-inch fluted tube pan with flour no-stick cooking spray.

Cake Directions:

Prepare cake mix according to package directions. Pour batter into prepared pan.

Beat cream cheese, butter and cornstarch in medium bowl until fluffy. Gradually beat in sweetened condensed milk, egg and vanilla until smooth. Pour evenly over cake batter. Bake 50 to 55 minutes or until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool 15 minutes; remove from pan. Cool. Drizzle with Chocolate Glaze or sprinkle with powdered sugar.

  

Ganache Directions:

In a small saucepan, bring the cream to a boil. In a heatproof bowl, combine the remaining 3 ounces of chopped chocolate with the corn syrup and butter. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and let stand until melted, about 5 minutes. Whisk until smooth. Let the ganache glaze cool until thick but still pourable, about 5 minutes.

Pour the ganache over the cooled cake.Let the cake stand until the glaze is set, at least 30 minutes, before serving. I set some of the ganache aside and once the first layer cooled, I topped it with some re-headed ganache lending a more decorative look.

**Looking back over this post, I noticed that I made an intial mention of sweets for my daughter… but didn’t mention what it was. I threw together a (lazy) Duncan Hines brownie mix together. It’s nice to have from scratch brownie recipes, but it’s also nice to have a quick fix that tastes great!

Chocolate Turtle Cake (Betty Crocker)

04 Thursday Mar 2010

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

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As a last-minute “birthday cake” I found this recipe on my iPhone while working out. Yes, I iPhone while on the elliptical…  Anyhow, one of my apps is a Betty Crocker recipe search. I was looking for a quick easy recipe to put together. I didn’t have a lot of time, or to be honest desire, so this recipe fit the bill. A plus was I had all the ingredients called for.

The recipe is highly rated on the Betty Crocker site. Some of the reviewers noted that the caramel hardened quite a bit once cooled, but I didn’t have that problem at all. The cake is very moist, but not “mushy”. It is very rich too, I do suggest adding whipped topping or ice cream to mellow out the richness of the cake a little. I served the cake warm with vanilla bean ice cream. It was wonderful.

Photo from the Betty Crocker site

(I still have to photograph the dessert and post it, but I dislike posting recipes without pictures to influence you to make it!)

Chocolate Turtle Cake

A Betty Crocker Recipe -

Ingredients:

  • 1 box Betty Crocker® SuperMoist® devil’s food cake mix
  • 1 1/3 cups water
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 bag (14 oz) caramels
  • 1/2 cup evaporated milk
  • 1 cup chopped pecans
  • 1 bag (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips (1 cup) *I used Ghirardelli dark chocolate discs
  • Ice cream or Whipped cream, if desired
  • Caramel and chocolate topping, if desired
  • Chopped pecans, if desired

Directions:

Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pan). Grease or spray bottom of 13×9-inch pan.

In large bowl, beat cake mix, water, oil and eggs with electric mixer on low-speed 30 seconds, then on medium speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Pour half of the batter into pan. Bake 22 minutes (25 minutes for dark or nonstick pan). Refrigerate remaining batter.

Meanwhile, in 1-quart saucepan**, heat caramels and evaporated milk over medium heat, stirring frequently, until caramels are melted. Stir in pecans. Pour caramel mixture over warm cake in pan. Sprinkle with chocolate chips. Spread with remaining batter. Bake 25 minutes (29 minutes for dark or nonstick pan) or until cake springs back when lightly touched. Run knife around sides of pan to loosen cake. Cool at least 30 minutes. Serve with ice cream, drizzle with topping and sprinkle with pecans. Store loosely covered at room temperature.

**I microwaved the caramel according to the directions on the bag. It resulted in the same product a saucepan would have.

Birthday Bling & Buttercream

21 Sunday Feb 2010

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

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Today my oldest niece is celebrating her 17th birthday and since I can’t seem to sleep until a decent hour, I figured I could throw a cake together for her birthday. So at 5 this morning the oven went to 350 degrees…

I needed something easy, yet fun. I know I won’t win any prizes with this one… especially considering the icing was thrown together at the last-minute and the cake hauled around town all morning, with a maniac driver I might add. But I had fun, and my niece had fun. Hey, we all had fun.

The cake just a good ‘ole yellow cake mix, but the frosting is homemade. It is a classic buttercream (from Wilton), my go to frosting recipe. I’m not even sure I measure the sugar anymore, I just add until I get to my desired consistency. Though I wouldn’t recommend that. I do recommend the taste test. Add sugar until you reach your best taste – that could be extra sweet, or just minimally sweet. I tend to go to extra sweet!

A little food coloring and some Wilton decor later, I have this. Here’s to hoping my niece has a great day!

Classic Buttercream Frosting:

  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup shortening
  • 4 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla, clear if possible
  • 2 – 3 tablespoons milk

Directions:

Mix butter and shortening until creamy. Add vanilla, then add sugar about 1 cup at a time. Add milk until desired consistency.

I know, not much on the directions. For the whole story, check out the recipe at the Wilton site.

Coconut Cake with Raspberry Filling

25 Monday Jan 2010

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

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Preface: Before you look at the list of ingredients in this cake stop. The cake is really, really easy to prepare. Use whatever frosting you’d like, but try the cake…

After a weekend of being shut in with sick kids, the stir crazy feeling was overwhelming, so why not bake? I have been actively searching for coconut cake recipes to prepare for a friends upcoming birthday, and I am not brave enough to prepare a “first time” cake to be served publicly… score family.

 We don’t do coconut very often, yet no one, even the kids, will turn it down. The cake recipe is from one source, and the frosting from another with a little tweeking. Note, the cake batter uses powdered sugar. I have never seen this in a cake before, and was leery about it, but it was fantastic.

 Speaking of frosting. I had a very hard time deciding the best type of frosting. Supposedly the “classic southern” coconut cake uses a whipped/meringue type frosting, verses a buttercream, but I grew up southern and buttercream was on every cake I’ve ever eaten. Anyway, this recipe intrigued me and settled my frosting dilemma.

Final thoughts? The cake is a keeper. Big time! The frosting was interesting. The original recipe was good, but not very “sweet” so I added some powdered sugar. I think it helped also to thicken the frosting slightly. I will definitely put the cake in my top favorites list, but will probably do a buttercream frosting next time. I just really want to find the “perfect” combination.

Has anyone tried the 7 minute frosting method? What did you think? Was it meringue like?

  

 Coconut Cake with Raspberry Filling

 Cake Ingredients:
  •  3 cups (297g) sifted cake flour (sift before measuring)
  •  2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup butter, room temperature
  • 1 pound (450g) powdered sugar
  • 4 egg yolks, well beaten *Beat until well combined, about 1 minute
  • 1 cup coconut milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 teaspoon almond extract (or coconut)
  • 1 cup shredded coconut
  • 4 egg whites, well beaten

Cake Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 2 – 9″ round cake pans with baking spray.

Combine the cake flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Sift these ingredients 3 times. In a mixing bowl, cream butter thoroughly; add sugar gradually. Continue creaming until light and fluffy. Add the egg yolks and beat well. Add flour mixture alternately with the milk, beating well after each addition. Stir in coconut and vanilla. Fold in egg whites gently until well combined.

Bake for about 30 minutes, or until a wooden pick or cake tester inserted in center comes out clean. Makes two 9-inch layers, or three 8-inch layers. (The original recipe link states to make it in 8″ pans, I used 9″ pans and sliced the layers in half.)

Frosting Ingredients:

  • 1 cup Milk
  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp coconut extract
  • 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
  • Raspberry Preserves (at least 1 cup) *choose a good quality
  • 1 1/2 cups coconut

Frosting Directions:

In a saucepan, use a whisk to blend 1 cup milk into 3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly. Reduce heat, and cook and stir two minutes more. Remove from heat. Cover the surface with plastic wrap. Cool to room temperature without stirring.
In a medium mixing bowl, beat butter, sugar, and extracts until light and fluffy. Add cooled milk mixture to butter mixture a quarter cup at a time, beating on low-speed after each addition until smooth. **Add powdered sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, beating well afterward. Beat until mixture is light and fluffy. Add more powdered sugar if necessary to desired thickness.
Final Preparation:
Slice each layer in half. Spread a thin layer of preserves between the sliced layers*. Alternate preserves and frosting between the layers then frost the top and sides of the cake. Sprinkle coconut on top and sides of the frosted cake. Slice and serve!
*Note, on the layers that I placed the preserves, I also added a thin layer of coconut.

Pecans Pie – Lyle’s Golden Syrup

26 Saturday Dec 2009

Posted by in Cakes & Pies, Recipes

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Pecan Pie

Another homemade baking first for me (joining the pecan roll) is this beautiful pie. I never realized how simple pecan pies were to make. I looked for a trusted recipe from other bloggers and found this one from The Traveler’s Lunchbox. Since I had a jar of Lyle’s Golden Syrup that I have yet to use, I knew this was the recipe to try. I loved the way this pie turned out and the compliments innumerable. If you like pecan pie, try this recipe.

Perfect Pecan Pie (Recipe from The Traveler’s Lunchbox)

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups (200g) shelled pecan halves
  • 1 cup (250ml) golden syrup, or if you must, white corn syrup
  • 1 cup (200g) firmly packed dark brown sugar (the darker the better)
  • rounded 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 5 tablespoons (75g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3 large eggs, at room temperature, slightly beaten
  • 9-inch unbaked deep-dish pie shell
  • unsweetened whipped cream, for serving

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Spread the pecans on a large baking sheet and toast in the oven until just fragrant, about 10 minutes. Remove and let cool.

In a large bowl, whisk together the golden syrup, sugar, salt, butter and vanilla until smooth. Whisk in the eggs. Pour the mixture into your 9-inch unbaked pie shell. Sprinkle the cooled pecans over the top. Place on the center rack in the oven and bake for about 1 to 1 1/4 hours, or until the center puffs slightly and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. If the crust begins to brown too much, cover it with foil.

Serve warm or at room temperature, with a dollop of unsweetened whipped cream.

 

  

Caramel Pecan Logs

25 Friday Dec 2009

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

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 Two things brought on this recipe. One was the fact a friend gave me 4 quart size bags of fresh picked Georgia pecans. The second, being that I had to find something to do with 4 quart size bags of fresh picked Georgia pecans! So, amongst the millions of choices, I went with two holiday favorites. Pecan pie and one of my brother’s favorites, pecan logs.

I have never made a homemade pecan pie before, I have only cheated and bought a prepared Cracker Barrel pie (which is quite good, by the way). I searched several million sites for a recipe and narrowed it down. My final decision was based on the syrup used in the recipe. I bought some Lyle’s Golden Syrup from World Market and had yet to use it. So this recipe was perfect. Check out the link for the entire recipe and a great blog… **post with pics to follow**

The other recipe I chose, the pecan logs, was a first too. Like I said, my brother really likes these rolls. Anytime we eat out at Cracker Barrel, I am pretty sure he buys one. I found this Taste of Home Recipe while just browsing a cookbook and went with it. It IS a winner! It really was not difficult and just slightly time consuming. Oh, and I burnt my fingers a couple of times on the candy and the caramel, so be careful. By the way, this candy is VERY sweet, so you don’t need much to satisfy!

Enjoy the pictures and if you choose to prepare either recipe, enjoy. Merry Christmas!

Holiday Pecan Logs (A Taste of Home Recipe)

Ingredients:

  • 2 teaspoons plus 1/2 cup butter, softened, divided
  • 3-3/4 cups confectioners’ sugar
  • 1/2 cup nonfat dry milk powder
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup light corn syrup
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 package (14 ounces) caramels
  • 1 tablespoon milk or half-and-half cream
  • 2 cups chopped pecans

Directions:

Butter an 8-in. square pan with 2 teaspoons butter; set aside. Combine confectioners sugar and milk powder; set aside. In a heavy saucepan, combine 1/2 cup butter, sugar and corn syrup; cook and stir until sugar is dissolved and mixture comes to a boil. Stir in confectioners’ sugar mixture, about a third at a time, until blended.

Remove from the heat; stir in vanilla. Continue stirring until the mixture mounds slightly when dropped from a spoon. Spread into prepared pan. Cool. *Let it cool enough to handle, but not completely, or you will have to re-heat it.

Cut candy into four strips; cut each strip in half. Shape each into a log; wrap in waxed paper and twist ends. Freeze or refrigerate until firm.

Meanwhile, in a microwave, melt caramels with milk, stirring often. *Heat for 3 minutes, stirring every minute. You will have to reheat it a few times too.  logs in caramel mixture, then in pecans. Wrap in waxed paper. Store at room temperature in airtight containers. Cut into slices with a serrated knife. Yield: about 3-1/4 pounds.

*Suggestions:

  1. Make sure you roll the candy while it is still warm. I waited until the candy was completely cool before rolling and it was hard as a rock. I heated it in the microwave for just about 30 seconds and it was then easy to roll.
  2. Use a medium to large sized bowl to heat the caramels. Cover the roll with caramel but leave the ends open. Once you have covered the sides with pecans, dip the ends in the caramel then dip in the pecans. Otherwise you have nothing to hold on to and your precious fingers will burn!

Chocolate Truffle Dessert

04 Friday Dec 2009

Posted by in Brownies & Bars, Cakes & Pies, Recipes

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This is actually remarkably easy to prepare. It is taken from Taste of Home and is their ”make-over” version. Made over meaning time and preparation, not fat unfortunately. I used Ghirardelli Dark Chocolate Fudge Brownie for the base, and their dark chocolate chips in the mousse. Otherwise, I prepared the dessert exactly as instructed.

Chocolate Truffle Dessert

Ingredients:

  • 1 package fudge brownie mix (8” square size)
  • 3 cups semisweet chocolate chips (1½ bag)
  • 2 cups heavy whipping cream, divided
  • 6 tablespoon butter, cubed
  • 1 tablespoon instant coffee granules
  • 3 tablespoons vanilla extract
  • 14 to 16 Pirouette cookies, cut into 1½ inch pieces

 Directions:

 Prepare brownie batter according to package directions. Spread into a greased 9-in. spring-form pan. Place on a baking sheet. Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.

 Place chocolate chips in a food processor; cover and process until finely chopped. In a small microwave-safe bowl, combine 1 cup cream, butter and coffee granules.

 Microwave, uncovered, on high for 1 to 1½ minutes or until butter is melted; stir until smooth. With food processor running, add cream mixture to chocolate chips in a slow, steady stream. Add vanilla; cover and process until smooth.

 Cut a small hole in the corner of a pastry or plastic bag. Fill with ¼ cup chocolate mixture; set aside for garnish. Transfer remaining chocolate mixture to a large bowl.

 Remove sides of spring-form pan. Spread about ½ of the chocolate mixture over the top and sides of the brownie layer.

 In a small bowl, beat remaining cream until soft peaks form; fold into remaining chocolate mixture. Spread over chocolate layer. Gently press cookies into sides of dessert.

 Pipe reserved chocolate mixture on top. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.

 

 *Afterthoughts: I took this to a small party and found that the kids were far less interested in this dessert than the adults. I believe this is mainly due to the addition of the coffee granules. If you want a “less adult” dessert, leave those out. This was very, very rich but went over great!

Bite Size Carrot Cakes

07 Saturday Nov 2009

Posted by in Cakes & Pies, Recipes

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“Why is it called Carrot Cake? Are there carrot’s in it?’ That was my daughter’s question, and my reply was a wee bit of a lie. “No I said, it’s just because it’s orange”. Ok, I lied, but I wanted her to taste it. A week later now and she caught me. The fact that she initially thought carrots were not involved didn’t change her distaste of this flavor though. I think our taste’s adapt as we mature… I guess hers aren’t ready to accept vegetables in her cake.

So nothing spectacular here. Just a carrot cake recipe that I tweaked from several others, and a good cream cheese frosting all bundled into a bite size treat.

Carrot Cake (Bite Size)

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp baking soda
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1½ tsp cinnamon
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 cup packed brown sugar
  • ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce
  • 1 cup canola or vegetable oil
  • 2 tsp vanilla 
  • 3 cups shredded carrots
  • 1 cups raisins

Directions:

Pre-heat to 350 degrees. Prepare three 8” pans, or two 9” pans with flour cooking spray. (In this case I used 2 mini muffin pans, 48 total)

Stir together dry ingredients, set aside. Beat the eggs at medium speed until frothy (about one minute). Gradually add sugars and beat until batter is thick – about four minutes. Add oil in a steady stream, add applesauce and vanilla.

Stir in dry mixture, just until incorporated. Then stir in carrots.  Pour batter into pans and bake. Baking time depends on pans used. Approximately 25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pans for 10 minutes and remove to cool completely. Frost with cream cheese frosting. (adjust cooking time if preparing cupcakes or mini-cupcakes)

Cream Cheese Frosting (I halved this for the mini’s)

  • ½ cup unsalted butter (slightly soft)
  • 2 (8oz) boxes cream cheese (remove from fridge about 10 mins ahead)
  • 2 (boxes)  Powdered Sugar (16 oz each)
  • 2 tsp vanilla

Combine butter and cream cheese, beat until fluffy, several minutes. Add sugar in three parts, then vanilla. Beat until smooth. Will more than cover a three layer cake. **Refrigerate leftovers.

Adding nuts is optional, as is pineapple. These were for a friend that doesn’t care for the nuts however.

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