Baked Apple Cider Donuts

 

Are you team donuts or doughnuts? Either way, this dessert makes me go nuts - hehhh! This past October, Lewis and I went to Hoffman Farms Store  for their Harvest Festival. They had hayrides, corn mazes, pumpkins, and everything festive including fresh apple cider donuts! These freshly fried morsels were almost cake-like in texture and covered in cinnamon sugar goodness. They were so good that we had to go back and order more! 

Matcha Monster Cookies w/ Black Sesame Filling

 

I know what you're thinking -- yet another sesame dessert?!? The answer is YESame 😅

I combined some sesame butter with melted dark chocolate for the filling and oddly enough, it reminded me of peanut butter?! Supppper tasty but if you wanna skip the extra steps, you can just bake these sugar cookies without the filling and they are equally delicious! These cookies are everything that a great cookie should be - a crispy, chewy texture with perfectly balanced flavors. I made these for our Halloween party and they didn't last the night! 

Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes w/ Toasted Meringue Frosting

Happy Halloween goblins and ghouls! I originally planned on posting this recipe much earlier in the month but it's been a crazy couple of weeks. Lewis and I just got back from visiting our families in Florida and I was happy to return right before Halloween to enjoy a spooky night with the pups. I made these for a Halloween party and HAD to share this amazing frosting with the world. Not only do you get to play with fire while making it, but I would also choose it over buttercream any time of year. Scroll below for this special treat (no tricks).

Balsamic Strawberries with Biscuits & Cream

My local farmers market has been KILLING IT this summer! Some of my go-to binge eating items have been cherries, snap peas, and *drumrollllllll* strawberries. If you've never had locally grown strawberries, they're the bee's knees - they are smaller than what you might find in the grocery store but their vibrant color and compact size means that they are bursting with flavor!

National Chocolate Cake Day Recipe Roundup

I just discovered a list of National Days where it seems like everyday is dedicated to a different food or animal. I am not exactly sure how one goes about getting an official National Day approved but I certainly have a few suggestions. Tomorrow happens to be National Chocolate Cake Day so of course I had to round up a few of my favorite recipes that will make your weekend just a little sweeter.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Stuffed Cupcakes

Moist chocolate cake with a 'raw' chocolate chip cookie dough center and cookie whipped frosting

Chocolate Cake Baked Doughnuts

Classic chocolate cake doughnuts with vanilla sugar glaze

Pumpkin Pie Spiced Bread Pudding with Caramel Pecan Sauce

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #DelightfulMoments #CollectiveBia

Most people look forward to the traditional holiday beverages such as eggnog, hot chocolate, etc. but for me it's always the holiday coffee creamers!

I am one of those people who require a hefty dose of caffeine in order to begin my day. It's getting to the point where I've moved beyond drinking coffee to be cool, it's actually a necessity now (waking up at 5am on a regular basis will do that to a human). So to make getting up a little easier, it's always nice to switch it up with my coffee flavors.

I had never really considered using coffee creamer in any other fashion other than to accompany my daily cup o' joe but with so many unique flavors available, I was inspired to incorporate them into my holiday baking. My personal favorite is International Delight's Pumpkin Pie spice flavor, it's a little sweet with a creamy swirl of cinnamon and spices. I headed over to my local Walmart and picked up some festive holiday flavors including some single creamers which I always love keeping on hand at work.

I wanted to create something warm, comforting, and indulgent while also keeping in mind making it easy to throw together and serve a big group (because if your family is like mine, you can never have too many desserts on hand). Bread pudding is the ideal fix it and forget it dessert, you can easily make it a day in advance and stick it in the fridge until you are ready to bake and serve.

I wanted to add additional flavors to the pudding - so International Delight's Pumpkin Pie Spice was the perfect addition. Since the creamer provided some sweetness, I cut back the sugar and added additional spices to create the flavor profile I wanted. The result? A custard-like texture with hints of cinnamon and pumpkin (which of course makes your house smell ammmazing).

Pumpkin Spice Bread Pudding

serves 6

1 cup 2% milk
1/2 cup half and half
3/4 cup International Delight Pumpkin Pie spice creamer
1 15-ounce can pure pumpkin
1/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
10 cups 1/2-inch cubed French Bread (I used a wheat bread)

Caramel Pecan Sauce

1 cup (packed) dark brown sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1/4 cup whipping cream
1/4 cup International Delight Pumpkin Pie spice creamer
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup chopped pecans

For bread pudding:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Whisk half and half, milk, creamer, pumpkin, sugar, eggs, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon and vanilla extract in large bowl to blend. Fold in bread cubes. Transfer mixture to 11x7-inch glass baking dish. Let stand 15 minutes. Bake pumpkin bread pudding until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 40 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare caramel sauce:
In small pan, melt butter with brown sugar, stirring. Stir in heavy cream, creamer, and vanilla. Bring to boil, then simmer until thickened, 5 minutes. Let cool; stir in chopped pecans. Spoon over warm bead pudding

This has become my new favorite fall/winter recipe - not only is it easy to make but it captures everything I love about the holidays. What do you do to get into the holiday spirit? Check out International Delight’s page for their Spirit of the Season UGC contest. You can share what makes your holidays delightful for a chance to win their contest!

Chocolate Pudding Filled Dirt Cakes

I remember my first ever dirt cake, in fact, I'd like to think that every child would remember this classic - dirt you can eat?! It's like a bonafide mud pie.

The year was 1998, the place was a local restaurant in Gainesville, FL. I had never even heard of the concept before and my family rarely ever ordered desserts but I was so enthralled with the concept of "dirt cake" that I HAD to have it.

When I beheld the glorious crystal goblet of layered rich chocolate pudding, light and fluffy whipped cream frosting, and moist chocolate cake I was amazed. And of course, there's something about eating something that it supposed to be disgusting that is oddly satisfying.

These are my little tributes to a childhood favorite - it has the chocolate cake, the pudding filling, whipped chocolate frosting and of course, that classic topping of crushed Oreos (plus it's a bonus since you get to eat all the cream out of them). These would also make for the perfect Halloween treat, you could even dye vanilla pudding red for the filling for a "blood" center and add gummy body parts to the top if you wanna gross it up a little!

For the cake...

makes 12 large cupcakes

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 cup hot, bold coffee

1.Preheat oven to 350F/180C. Line muffin tin with cupcake liners. Set aside.
2.In a medium bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
3.In a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as necessary. On medium speed, beat in eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla extract and beat until combined. With the mixer on low speed, add half of the dry ingredients and beat just until combined. Beat in the milk until combined. Add the other half of the dry ingredients and beat slowly until combined. Add hot coffee and beat just until combined. Do not over mix – the less you mix, the lighter the cake will be. The batter should be liquid-y.
4.Divide batter evenly between cups, filling them about 3/4 full. Bake for 15-20 minutes (or 8-10 minutes if making mini cupcakes), until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs. Allow cupcakes to sit for 10 minutes, then remove from pan and allow to cool completely on a wire rack.

For the pudding...

recipe from Taste of Home

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup baking cocoa
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 tsp salt
4 cups milk
2 TBS butter
2 tsp vanilla extract

1.In a heavy saucepan, combine sugar, cocoa, cornstarch and salt. gradually add milk. Bring to a boil over medium heat; boil and stir for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat; stir in butter and vanilla. Chill, then spoon into center of cupcakes.

For the frosting...

1 cup confectionery sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 pint (2 cups) whipping cream - chilled
1/4 tsp salt

1.Place whipping cream in mixing bowl. Shift remaining ingredients together and add to cream.
2.Mix in gently, then beat on high until a thick, frosting-like consistency forms.

To Assemble

-Once cupcakes have cooled, carefully hollow out the center, making sure to reserve the cake. Place a dollop of pudding inside the center of each cake, then place the cut out bits on top, making the surface smooth for the frosting.

-Pipe frosting out in desired pattern, then top with crushed Oreo cookies (cream removed) and top with gummy worm.

German Recipes to try for a Festive Oktoberfest

Almost everyone is familiar with world renowned festival that began in late September in Munich, Germany. Even though we don't really get a fall here in the southern US, it has always been my favorite time of the year so why not celebrate it with great food, festivities, and a frothy pint of beer!?

1 - Oktoberfest Beer
2 - Braised Red Cabbage & Apples
3 - Sauerbraten
4 - Authentic Black Forest Cupcakes
5 - Marzipan Stollen
6 - Spätzle with Garlic Chives

While some of these probably aren't traditionally served during the festival, they're delicious at any time of year.
One of my favorites has to be the Authentic Black Forest Cupcakes, which are favored with coffee and cherry kirsch. Another more recent discovery is Spätzle which can be served as a side or put into soups!

4th of July

Man, I can't believe it's already July! I must admit I am relieved that summer is trucking along, fall/winter can come at anytime now! 4th of July sort of snuck up on me this year, since we're away from family and friends we will probably just be spending this holiday around town eating delicious food and exploring some new places, possibly checking out the downtown firework show if the weather allows. I decided to do a red, white, and blue round up for your 4th festivities most of which are on the healthy side with a few indulgences (because after all, it is a holiday).

Blueberry Lemonade
Festive Fruit Trifle
Dark Sweet Cherry Mini Pies
Blueberry Muffins with Lemon Sugar Topping
Heirloom Tomato Tart
Chocolate Creme Brulee with Raspberry Sugar
Blueberry Cobbler Bars
Flag Cake
Watermelon Mojitos
Balsamic Strawberry Dressing
Berry Skillet with Oat Topping

Hope everyone enjoys their holiday weekend!

Sweet Basil Apple Crumble with Oat Topping

When I planted my new herb garden I was super excited to start experimenting with sweet herb recipes (and I still don't own an ice cream scoop so you can't judge me on my sloppy scoopin').

I have always been a HUGE fan of basil but in all the traditional ways...pizza, tomato sauce, pesto - all delicious but I am ready to bust outta my basil culinary comfort zone. When I was brainstorming about sweet n' savory combos I actually got this inspiration from the resemblance of basil and apple leaves - kinda weird I know, but in this case it ended up working.

Now this is sort of a recipe in progress, since I have never made this before nor tasted anything like it I wasn't exactly sure just how much basil to add - these amounts give just a hint without slapping you in the face, next time though I think I would add even more...or perhaps take it up a notch and make home made basil ice cream! Either way, the presence of basil added an interesting quality to the pie - it was like a sweet earthy taste but not earthy like dirty more earthy like fresh from the garden earthy.

Sweet Basil Apple Crumble with Oat Topping

For the basil syrup...
3-4 basil leaves (any type of basil would work but I used sweet basil)
1 cinnamon stick
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp dried basil
1/3 cup water

1 TBS dried ground cinnamon
4-5 large, firm apples

1.In small saucepan, combine basil leaves, cinnamon stick, sugar, and dried basil; bring mixture to a boil swirling pan until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat, cover and let syrup steep for 5-10 min. Remove fresh basil leaves and discard.

2.Pour syrup over apples and mix, add ground cinnamon and toss.

For the topping...
1/4 tsp fine salt
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup uncooked rolled oats
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 stick butter, chilled and cut into small cubes

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9" pie dish and set aside.

2.Mix together the brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, oats, and flour until evenly combined. With your fingertips, blend in the butter pieces until small clumps form and the butter is well incorporated, about 2 minutes.

3.To assemble, make an even layer of basil apple filling on the bottom of the pie pan and top evenly with crumble topping. Bake for 30-40 or until topping is lightly brown and apples are tender.

*Note - my filling was a little watery at first but after sitting out for 30 + minutes, it thickened up.

Still thinking about more recipes to try, I am thinking a strawberry basil pairing next, what do ya think? Any other suggestions?

Easter Recipe Ideas

Easter has always been a pretty cool holiday in my family, my mom always did the traditional Easter basket and hid some eggs around the house. I remember THE BEST Easter was when I got a gameboy game in my basket (man, I feel old). After that we would attend the sunrise service at our church which was always held outside in a field and we would watch the sun come up over the tree tops. Afterwards we would usually head over to my grandparents house and partake in the traditional hard boiled eggs and kielbasa (from my grandmother Polish side of the family).

Not all Easter Recipes have to be obnoxiously themed (even though I'm kind of a sucker for themes) I always try to base a menu around what is currently in season so I also included some easy to prepare springtime goodies that would impress any crowd.

From top left to right:
Key Lime Pie Cupcakes
Asparagus & Parmesan Crustless Quiche
Summer Berry Skillet With Toasted Oat Topping
Speckled Egg Italian Cream Cake
Coconut Lime Pops
Chocolate Carrot Garden Cupcakes

Chocolate Creme Brulee with Raspberry Sugar (For 2)

So, has anyone else noticed how fast 2015 is going or is it just me?

I have a file full of unpublished drafts that seem to agree with me. I think I was a tad overzealous with my Valentines Day recipes - the plan was, of course, to get these posted BEFORE the big day but you should celebrate your sweetie all year round am I right? Ya...we'll go with that.

Seriously though, who said we had to confine indulging in delicious chocolate delicacies to just the 14th of February? Not me! If wanting your chocolate fix all year long is wrong I don't wanna be right!

This was my first time making chocolate creme brulee, usually I always use Alton Brown's recipe and it never fails me, however, with my recent trip to Savannah, GA and the purchase of this magnificent sweet + tangy raspberry sugar from The Spice & Tea Exchange, I was encouraged to widen my creme brulee horizon. I made this recipe to make exactly two brulees so I wouldn't have to have five by myself annnd it takes way less time. I just loved the rich indulgence of this creamy custard paired with the slight tang of the raspberry sugar - it was dangerously delicious.

Chocolate Creme Brulee with Burnt Raspberry Sugar

serves 2

9 fluid oz heavy cream
1/2 cup sugar
2 TBS unsweetend cocoa powder (sifted)
1/4 leveled semi sweet chocolate chips
1/4 tsp almond extract
3 egg yolks

1.In a mixing bowl whisk the egg yolks and set aside.
2.In a sauce pan add cream, sugar, and almond extract and heat on medium low heat, stirring until sugar has dissolved. Add chips and cocoa powder and stir until smooth.
3.Pour a little bit of chocolate mix into egg mix and whisk (you want to temper the eggs so they don't end up scrambled) pour the rest of the chocolate mix into bowl, then strain into 2 ramekins and place in fridge for at least two hours.
4.Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. In a water bath, place ramekins and carefully place in oven (you can also pour in water once the pan is in the oven instead, some consider this to be easier) and bake for 30-40 min. or until custard is set and jiggles slightly in the middle.
5.Cool, then top with sugar and torch until burnt and crisp, wait 5 min. then enjoy.

*Please note you cannot torch a brulee using a candle lighter (believe me I've tried). If you're a serious foodie I would suggest investing in a Brulee Torch you can use it for other cool stuff like toasting meringue, marshmallow, searing tomato skins and bell peppers and other cool stuff.

Festive Desserts to try This Christmas

Here are some of my favorite recipes from last year, I must say I am especially partial to the Toffee Pecan Bars, Scottish Oat Squares, Cranberry Lemon Tart, and the Cherry Snowball Cookies but heck, they are all delicious!

From top left to right

Coconut cherry snowball cookies
Strawberry moscato cupcakes
Cranberry lemon tart
Scottish oat shortbread squares
Candy cane crisp cookies
Lemon & cream cheese chocolate dipped cookies
Snowball cookies
Toffee shortbread pecan bars

Death By Black Friday Cupcakes (chocolate cupcakes with chocolate espresso cream filling and chocolate whip frosting)

It is time. That time every retail/food service worker has feared, ladies and gents Black Friday is upon us. Only in the great country of America can we justify waking up at the crack of dawn and trampling the young and weak to buy stuff the day after being thankful for what they already have.

Nah, I'm not bitter...

...but you know what IS bitter? And sweet, and rich, and sinfully delicious? These cupcakes (see what I did there?)

In order to boost moral and ease our suffering I decided to make cupcakes, but not just any cupcakes!
when designing such a cake, I knew it had to have three components:
Coffee - for energy and sustainability
Chocolate - for the soul
and a bit of booze - for obvious reasons

These cupcakes were super delicious. The cake itself is moist and rich which is offset by the hint of the cherry kirsch (aka my favorite alcohol to use in desserts, you might remember THESE). Also, I added coffee to the batter (to enhance that chocolate flavor) as well as the frosting, because you can never have too much coffee!!

If you're running low on time, you don't necessarily have to make the filling because the cupcakes are moist on their own, it's just a personal preference.

For the cupcakes...

makes 12 regular sized cupcakes, recipe adapted from Pretty.Simple.Sweet

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 cup hot, bold coffee

Directions:

1.Preheat oven to 350F/180C. Line muffin tin with cupcake liners. Set aside.
2.In a medium bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
3.In a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as necessary. On medium speed, beat in eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla extract and beat until combined. With the mixer on low speed, add half of the dry ingredients and beat just until combined. Beat in the milk until combined. Add the other half of the dry ingredients and beat slowly until combined. Add hot coffee and beat just until combined. Do not over mix – the less you mix, the lighter the cake will be. The batter should be liquid-y.
4.Divide batter evenly between cups, filling them about 3/4 full. Bake for 15-20 minutes (or 8-10 minutes if making mini cupcakes), until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs. Allow cupcakes to sit for 10 minutes, then remove from pan and allow to cool completely on a wire rack.

For the filling...

1 TBS cherry kirsch (optional)
1 cup heavy cream
About 3 cups icing sugar (depending on how sweet you like it)
1 pinch salt

Directions:

In a bowl start beating the heavy cream, either by hand (you're crazy) or with a whisk attachment. While beating slowly add the sugar, salt and kirsch until light and fluffy.

For the frosting...

1 cup confectionery sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 pint (2 cups) whipping cream
1-2 TBS coffee, cooled
Pinch of salt
chocolate covered espresso beans for garnish

Directions:

1.Place whipping cream in mixing bowl. Shift remaining ingredients together and add to cream.
2.Mix in gently, then beat on high until a thick, frosting-like consistency forms.

To assemble: take cool muffin and cut a small hole out of the center (I would recommend getting one of these), add filling then plug it back up with the cake. Add frosting and devour.

Vanilla Bean Sugar Cookies (why vanilla beans are my fav)

I am pretty sure you can add vanilla beans into anything and it would be delicious...

I mean come on, who would choose imitation vanilla over the heavenly scent and flavor of vanilla beans?!? If you're sitting there thinking man, I have never had these fabled beans before well then I highly suggest insist that you do so as soon as possible. While they are on the pricey side, if you ever happen to come across a Cost Plus World Market, they sell them for an astonishing $2.99 for a pack of two which is an amazzzinngg price, needless to say I bought five and I intend to put vanilla beans in allll the things!

I never realized just how good a sugar cookie can be until it was sprinkled with vanilla bean sugar (aka magic dust). It truly took these cookies to the next level, they're slightly crisp yet chewy with a warm and comforting vanilla goodness.

In case you were wondering here are some other awesome things you can do with vanilla beans.
-Take a bunch of vanilla beans, cover them in vodka, let soak and BOOM you have vanilla extract!
-Make a vanilla bean syrup and use it to flavor coffee, frostings, cakes, etc.
-Vanilla sugar (listed below) simply mix contents of bean with sugar. This is also really good atop a creme brulee.


Vanilla Bean Sugar Cookies

makes 36 cookies

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 cup softened butter
1 3/4 cups white sugar
1 tsp salt
1 egg
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 to 4 TBS buttermilk

for vanilla sugar...

1/2 cup sugar
1/2 a vanilla bean, split and scraped

Directions:

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2.In a small bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Set aside.

3.In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in the egg and vanilla. Gradually blend in dry ingredients. Add enough of the buttermilk to moisten the dough and make it soft, not wet.

4.Roll rounded teaspoon of dough into balls and carefully roll the top of each cookie in the vanilla sugar, then place sugar side up on a lightly greased cookie sheet, flattening the top of each cookie slightly. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until slightly golden. Let stand for 2 minutes before removing to cool on a rack.

Pumpkin Donut Bites with Salted Caramel Glaze

Just look at all that glazey goodness...

Well, it's that time of year again! That time of year when shorts turn into pants, lemonade to hot cocoa, and a little bit of pumpkin goes into everything! I don't know if this is an extremely foodie nerd thing to say but, there's just something about that first smell of raw pumpkin that's so comforting. It's a little bit sweet with a hint of earthiness and a whole lotta love.
I also finally had the opportunity to use this awesome fall themed baking mold I received as a gift years ago. I used my former Pumpkin Donut Recipe but decided to switch up the topping and whip up a glaze, it also gave e a chance to use some leftover vanilla bean syrup and let me tell you, this glaze completes this muffin. I wanted to take a bath in this stuff! It's semi-sweet but also has elements of butterscotch and of course that little bit of saltiness takes it to the next level.

For the Donuts...

makes 12 regular sized muffins or 24 mini muffins

recipe adapted from Martha Stewart

10 TBS (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter (room temperature)
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/3 cup buttermilk
1 1/4 cups pure pumpkin puree (from a 15-ounce can)
3/4 cup light brown sugar
2 large eggs

For the Glaze...

1 cup packed light brown sugar
4 TBS butter
1/2 cup half and half
pinch of sea salt
2 TBS of vanilla bean syrup*

*If you do not have this, you can use 1 TBS light corn syrup and 1 tsp vanilla extract

Method:

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease two doughnut pans (or muffin pans, or fancy pans) with cooking spray. Set aside.

2.In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, pumpkin pie spice, and cinnamon. In a small bowl, whisk together buttermilk and pumpkin puree. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, scraping down bowl as needed. With mixer on low, add flour mixture in three additions, alternating with two additions pumpkin mixture, and beat to combine.

3.Bake the doughnuts for 15-18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

In the meantime, prepare the Salted Caramel Glaze
Combine all the ingredients in a sauce pan and whisk over medium low heat until sugar granuals have dissolved and mixture has thickened (about 4-5 minutes).
Dip the cooled donuts in the glaze and serve.

Banana Bourbon Upside Down Cake

If you ask me, some of the best desserts always contain fruit...and when you add alcohol to the mix that doesn't hurt either..

There's something so thrilling about making an upside down cake (was that a totally chef nerd thing to say?) you wait in anticipation while it's in the oven and then there's that moment before you flip it over to reveal the beautifully aligned fruit with the caramelized sugar juices slowly drizzling down the side. It's a beautiful sight.
The cake itself is super moist and the baked bourbon bananas create a sinfully delicious combo. This cake is best served straight from the oven but it will remain moist for about five days after.


Bananas Bourbon Upside Down Cake

Recipe adapted from Food.com

1 cup brown sugar (packed)
1/4 cup plus 1/2 cup butter
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 TBS bourbon
3 bananas (large, yellow but firm with green tips, sliced diagonally into 1/4-inch pieces)
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
11/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup sour cream

Directions:

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place brown sugar, 1/4 cup of the butter and cinnamon in a small saucepan. Heat over medium low heat until butter is melted and mixture is smooth, stirring occasionally. Stir in bourbon and pour into a 9-inch round cake pan.

2.Arrange banana slices in circles over brown sugar mixture.

3.Place remaining 1/2 cup butter and sugar in a large bowl; beat at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating will after each addition. Beat in vanilla.

4.In a medium bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.At low speed, beat in flour mixture in parts alternating with sour cream, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Spoon and gently spread batter over bananas.

5.Bake 45-55 min or until cake is golden brown and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack 15 minute. Run small knife around edge of cake; carefully invert cake onto serving plate. Serve warm.

Ooey Gooey Black & White Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake

What's better than chocolate chip cookies? How about a bunch of cookies molded into one? Slightly crispy on the outer edges with a soft chewy center - heaven.

A bunch of our friends were coming to visit us this week so I wanted to make a group friendly dessert and I haven't met a person who didn't like a good chocolate chip cookie (if you don't - I apologize for your lack of soul). This was super easy to serve, offering everyone a warm and chocolaty slice. I decided to mix it up a little and use both white and chocolate but you can use toffee, butterscotch chips, or peppermint chocolate for the Christmas times.

Ooey Gooey Black & White Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake

Recipe adapted from Sally's Baking Addiction

3/4 cup (170g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1 cup (200g) light brown sugar
1 large egg + 1 egg yolk*
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp cornstarch
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup dark chocolate chips
1/2 cup white chocolate chips

Directions:

1.Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Spray a 9-inch pie dish or tart pan with nonstick spray. Set aside.

2.In a large bowl using mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat the butter and brown sugar on medium speed until creamy, about 1 minute. Mix in egg, egg yolk, and vanilla on medium-high speed until combined. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.

3.In a separate bowl, combine flour, cornstarch, baking soda and salt. On low speed, slowly mix into the wet ingredients until combined. The cookie dough will be quite thick. Add 1 and 1/4 cups chocolate chips and mix for about 5 seconds until evenly disbursed.

4.Press the cookie dough evenly into the prepared pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the cake is lightly golden brown (could be up to 30 minutes, depending on your oven). You may want to cover the cake loosely with aluminum foil after 15 minutes to avoid heavy browning around the edges. Remove from the oven and set the pan on a wire rack to cool completely. Once cooled, use a sharp knife or metal spatula to loosen the sides of the cookie cake from the pan and transfer to a serving dish. (Or use can serve directly from the pan.)

This cookie is best served straight from the oven, preferably with a scoop of vanilla ice cream (just saying).