Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Posts Tagged ‘Cake’

King Cake

Posted in Recipes, tagged , , , on February 4, 2013 | 2 Comments »

Mardi Gras is fast approaching (February 12th), so in order to celebrate, I made a King Cake!

“In the United States, Carnival is traditionally observed in the Southeastern region of the country, particularly inNew Orleans, Mobile, AL, other towns and cities of the Mississippi Gulf Coast, on the southeast Texas island of Galveston, and Louisiana. In this region, the king cake is closely associated with Mardi Gras traditions and is served throughout the Carnival season, which lasts from Epiphany Eve to Fat Tuesday.” (Source)

I filled my King Cake with apple pie filling, which isn’t a traditional filling, but what can I say- I’m a rebel! (yeah, right!)

Also, how great of a pastry is this? Purple, green, and gold sugar is sprinkled over the top! Yeah, I like colorful, sparkly things!

King Cake/Bake, Run, Live

Photo courtesy of Nick

I used this recipe from All Recipes.com, and the only thing I did differently was to use apple pie filling instead of the brown sugar-pecan filling the recipe provides.

King Cake/Bake, Run, Live

Made with love, not calories!

About these ads

Read Full Post »

Flourless Chocolate Cake

Posted in Recipes, tagged , , , , on January 9, 2013 | 6 Comments »

I would like to tell you that this is a “good for you” dessert, but as soon as you take a bite, you will never believe me!

Chocolate Cake!!

Not just any chocolate cake, though! This one contains no flour and is made with pure maple syrup instead of sugar. And of course it’s loaded with chocolate! While this cake is only about 1 inch high, don’t let that fool you. This is like eating a chocolate truffle- smooth, creamy, and oh, so rich. Small slices are advised! I served mine with a little salted caramel sauce and 2 small scoops of homemade vanilla ice cream. If you want to serve this for Valentine’s Day, a little strawberry or raspberry puree drizzled on the plate would be delicious (and festive)!

Flourless Chocolate Cake/ Bake, Run, Live

One Year Ago: Krave Puppy Chow

Flourless Chocolate Cake
Recipe lightly adapted from About.com

2 oz. unsweetened chocolate
4 oz. semi-sweet chocolate
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
2/3 cup pure maple syrup
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
3 eggs
1/2 cup cocoa
1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 8 inch springform pan with cooking spray. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper, then spray the paper with cooking spray. Set aside.

In a medium-sized saucepan, add the unsweetened chocolate, semi-sweet chocolate, and butter and melt over medium heat. Add in the maple syrup and sea salt and stir until well combined.  Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the eggs, one at a time. Continue to whisk until the eggs are completely incorporated and the mixture is smooth. Using a sieve, sift the cocoa into the batter. Whisk until all the cocoa has been well combined, then stir in the vanilla bean paste.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 20 minutes or until the center of the cake is just firm to the touch (the top of the cake will still be shiny). Do not overbake. Remove the cake from the oven and let cool for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, run a knife along the edge of the pan, then after releasing the springform clasp remove the edge and invert the cake onto a serving plate. Remember to remove the parchment paper if it sticks to the cake. Let cool completely. Serve as desired. Enjoy!

Flourless Chocolate Cake/ Bake, Run, Live

I’m linked at: Nutmeg Place, Cornerstone Confessions, Addicted to Recipes, Food Done Light, Simply Sugar and Gluten-Free, Taste and Tell, and Buns In My Oven.

Made with love, not calories!

Read Full Post »

Photo Friday

Posted in Photos, tagged , , , on August 17, 2012 | 2 Comments »

A cake I made for a baby shower! “Cute as a button” was the theme…

 

Nick and I took another trip to Mid-Ohio to watch to Honda Indy 200…

 

 

Beautiful blackberries from Rainbow Farms

 

Happy Friday!

Read Full Post »

Festive Chocolate Caramel Bars

Posted in Recipes, tagged , , , , on June 11, 2012 | Leave a Comment »

Flag Day is this week, so I am going to be sharing a couple of red, white, and blue desserts with you!

Normally this recipe just calls for a yellow or white cake mix. However, Pillsbury has a Funfetti cake mix that has red, white, and blue sprinkles (and stars) in it, so I decided to use that instead!

One quick note: I always line my baking pans with aluminum foil. In this recipe, be aware that the caramel sticks to the foil and it doesn’t peel away cleanly. There were comments left on the Betty Crocker site, saying that the bars release much better if you just bake directly in the pan (vs. using aluminum foil). Keep this in mind when preparing your baking pan!

Festive Chocolate Caramel Bars
Recipe Adapted from Betty Crocker
Prep time: 15 minutes     Bake time: 32-37 minutes

1 box (18.9 oz.) Pillsbury Stars and Stripes Funfetti cake mix (or any yellow or white cake mix)
1 jar caramel topping (ice cream sauce)
2/3 cup butter, softened
1 egg
2 cups quick-cooking oats
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 13 x 9 inch baking pan with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray. Set aside.

In a small bowl, combine the caramel sauce with 1 tablespoon cake mix (without the sprinkles). Stir to combine. Set aside.

In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine the cake mix, butter, and egg. The mixture will be thick and crumbly. Stir in the oats and the cake sprinkles and mix well. Reserve one cup of the mixture. With the remaining mixture, press it evenly on the bottom of your prepared pan (lightly greasing your hand, using a disposable glove, or using a piece of plastic wrap, will all help in smoothing the mixture). Bake for 12 minutes or until lightly golden.

Remove from the oven and sprinkle on the chocolate chips. Evenly pour the caramel over the chocolate chips, leaving about 1/2 inch along the edges. Crumble on the remaining cake/oat mixture. Return the pan to the oven and bake for an additional 20-25 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool. Enjoy!

Made with love, not calories!

Read Full Post »

Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Frosting

Posted in Recipes, tagged , , on May 2, 2012 | 2 Comments »

Chocolate cake!

Chocolate Cake!!

CHOCOLATE CAKE!!!

Oh sorry, I got a little excited!

I’m currently reading “The Sweet Life in Paris” by David Lebovitz, and it’s all I can do not to finish each chapter and race into the kitchen to make the recipe he’s given. His stories make me laugh, but his descriptions of Paris food make me drool!

I gave in to the “make me” demand for this chocolate cake recipe. And if you saw my kitchen, you would have to laugh that I am making another chocolate dessert. One cupboard is full of leftover Easter candy and M&M’s. My baking cupboard is over-flowing with half empty bags of stuff (85% of that “stuff” is chocolate). One counter is full of plastic containers filled with cookies- yes, they all have chocolate in them. So, do I really need to make another chocolate dessert?

YES!

I am making another chocolate dessert! It’s really a bad habit!

So Nick saw the chocolate cake cooling on the counter and asked what it was for. I told him I made it for no reason and that I was thinking of having some ice cream with it later on in the evening. He asked if I was going to frost it, and I said no, that the recipe didn’t call for frosting (just a nice, rich, chocolate cake). He told me it is a chocolate cake- it has to have frosting! So I made chocolate frosting (I still had some ice cream with it!)!

Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Frosting
Chocolate cake recipe from “The Sweet Life in Paris“
Chocolate frosting recipe lightly adapted from here 
Makes 1- 9 inch cake
Prep time: 20 minutes     Bake time: 20-25 minutes

Chocolate Cake:
9 oz. bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
1 stick (8 tablespoons) butter
1/3 cup sugar
4 eggs, separated
2 tablespoons flour
pinch of salt

Chocolate Frosting:
5 oz. bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
1/4 cup water or heavy cream
6 tablespoons butter, softened

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 9 inch cake pan by spraying with cooking spray, then line the bottom with parchment paper, then spray the parchment paper. Set the pan aside.

In a large microwave-safe mixing bowl, combine the chocolate and butter. Microwave for 30 second intervals, stirring after each, until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth. Add in half of the sugar (doesn’t have to be exact) and the egg yolks, whisk until combined. Add in the flour and whisk.

Using a stand mixer, beat the egg whites with the salt until there are soft peaks. With the mixer still running, slowly add in the remaining sugar and mix until you have stiff peaks (when you stop the mixer and pull up the beater, you are left with a peak that stays straight up).

Take 1/3 of the egg whites and stir them into the chocolate batter. Once incorporated, gently fold in the remaining egg whites until there are no streaks of egg whites. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Place in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the top looks set. Do not overbake.

Remove from the oven and let cool completely before frosting.

Chocolate Frosting:

In a microwave-safe, medium-sized bowl, combine the chocolate and water (or heavy cream). Microwave for 30 second intervals, stirring after each, until the chocolate has melted. Add in the butter and whisk until all the mixture is smooth. Set aside until you are ready to frost the cake.

Notes:
1. For the chocolate cake, I used 3 oz. semi-sweet chocolate and 6 oz. of 60% dark chocolate chips
2. For the frosting, I halved the original recipe. For the chocolate, I just used semi-sweet chips. I also used water, but next time will use the heavy cream instead. I think the cream adds a richness that I did not get with the water. Also, the frosting (made with water) was more of a thick glaze. Once I put it in the refrigerator, it thickened up.

Made with love, not calories!

Read Full Post »

Daring Bakers’: Armenian Nutmeg Cake

Posted in Recipes, tagged , , , , on April 27, 2012 | 6 Comments »

The Daring Bakers’ April 2012 challenge, hosted by Jason at Daily Candor, were two Armenian standards: nazook and nutmeg cake. Nazook is a layered yeasted dough pastry with a sweet filling, and nutmeg cake is a fragrant, nutty coffee-style cake.

Our challenge for this month was to make one of the items that Jason shared with us. However, after reading through the recipes, both of them were intriguing and I had all the ingredients on hand- so I made both recipes! Today I am sharing the recipe for the nutmeg cake, and on Sunday I’ll share the Nazook!

The nutmeg cake is really easy to put together. The mixture that you make for the crust actually gets double-duty. Half is used for the crust and the other half is used for the cake! You can play around with the spices, depending on what you prefer (I backed off a little on the nutmeg and added some cinnamon). Also, Jason’s recipe calls for nuts on top of the cake- I left those off, but some of the other pictures I saw had anything from pecans, to sliced almonds!

Armenian Nutmeg Cake
Makes: 12 servings
Prep time: 20 minutes     Bake time: Recommended: 30-40 minutes (mine went to 45 minutes)

1 cup milk
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 cups brown sugar, firmly packed
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 egg
1 teaspoon nutmeg*
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon*
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a small bowl, whisk together the milk and baking soda. Set aside.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour and baking powder. Stir in the brown sugar. Add in the butter and using a fork or pastry cutter, incorporate the butter until the mixture resembles coarse sand. Take 1/2 of this mixture and press it into the bottom of a 9 inch springform pan.

In a medium-sized bowl, combine the egg, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Whisk until frothy (about 2 minutes by hand). Add in the milk/baking soda mixture that you made earlier. Whisk until it is well incorporated. Pour this egg/milk mixture into the large bowl (that contains the remaining half of the crumb mixture). Whisk until everything is well combined. Pour this over the crust. Sprinkle on the nuts (if you are using).

Bake for 30-40 minutes (though I had to take mine to 45 minutes), or until the top is set and the toothpick test comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let cool. Note: after 10 minutes, run a knife along the inside of the springform pan. This will help it to release better once the cake has cooled completely. (I did not do this and my crust gave me a little hassle once I tried to remove it from the springform pan!) Cool the cake completely, and enjoy!

*Original recipe note: Jason’s directions call for 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons nutmeg. I’m not used to nutmeg being the primary spice in baked goods, so that’s why I went 1 teaspoon nutmeg and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon.

Crust

Batter poured on top of the crust.

Missing a few slices!

Stay tuned…Sunday I will be sharing the Nazook recipe with you!

Made with love, not calories!

Read Full Post »

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 201 other followers

%d bloggers like this: