Category: Cakes

Breads · Cakes · Desserts

Sour Cream Pumpkin Coffee Cake

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If you are like me, your pantry has about 5-8 cans of pumpkin just sitting there waiting to be used in all types of new and exciting recipe this week. When I came across this one, it just yelled out to me, “make me, make me” so I did. It has a delicious streusel topping that just makes it even more delightful to serve for breakfast, coffee or dessert with a scoop of pumpkin ice cream or dollop of whipping cream.

1/2 cup butter

3/4 cup sugar

1 teas vanilla

3 eggs

2 cups flour

1 teas baking powder

1 teas baking soda

1 cup sour cream

1 3/4 cups (16 oz) can of Libby’s Solid Packed Pumpkin

1 egg slightly beaten

1/3 cup sugar

1 teas pumpkin pie spice

Streusel:

1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed

2 teas cinnamon

1/3 cup butter

1-2 cups chopped pecans (your preference)

Cream 1/2 cup butter, 3/4 cup sugar and vanilla in mixer bowl. Add 3 eggs and beat well. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and add these dry ingredients to butter mixture alternately with sour cream. Combine pumpkin, beaten egg, 1/3 cup sugar and pie spice.(DO NOT ADD THIS TO BATTER, YOU WILL BE SPOONING IT OVER THE BATTER). Spoon half of batter into a 9×13 greased baking dish. Spread to corners. Prepare Streusel as directed (see below). Sprinkle half over batter. Spread pumpkin mixture over streusel. Carefully spread remaining batter over pumpkin mixture. Sprinkle remaining streusel over top. Bake in slow oven at 325 for 50-60 min or until toothpick comes out clean.

Streusel: Cut 1 cup brown sugar, 1/3 cup butter and 2 teas cinnamon together with pastry blender until blended and looks like crumbs. Stir in pecans.

Cakes · Chocolate

Milk Chocolate Frosted Layer Cake

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  1.  1/4 cups cake flour
  2. 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  3. 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  4. 2 sticks unsalted butter
  5. 1/2 cup whole milk
  6. 6 large eggs, separated
  7. 1 cup sugar
  8. Pinch of salt
  9. 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
  10. 1 1/2 pounds milk chocolate, finely chopped
  11. Shaved milk chocolate, for garnish (optional)
  1. Preheat the oven to 325°. Butter and flour two 9-inch-square cake pans.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk the cake flour, cocoa and baking powder. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter in the milk over low heat. Transfer to a large bowl and let cool slightly. Whisk in the egg yolks and 1/2 cup of the sugar. Add the dry ingredients and whisk until smooth.
  3. In a clean bowl, beat the egg whites with the salt until soft peaks form. Gradually add the remaining 1/2 cup sugar and beat at medium-high speed until the whites are stiff and glossy. Fold the beaten whites into the batter until no streaks remain. Divide the batter between the pans and bake for 25 minutes, until the cakes are springy and a toothpick inserted in the centers comes out clean. Transfer the cakes to a rack and let cool completely.
  4. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, bring the cream to a simmer. Put the chocolate in a heatproof bowl and pour the hot cream on top. Let stand for 3 minutes, then whisk until smooth. Let the frosting stand at room temperature, stirring occasionally, until thick enough to spread, about 1 hour.
  5. Turn the cakes out of the pans and put one layer on a plate. Top with 1 cup of the frosting, spreading it to the edge. Top with the second layer and spread the remaining frosting over the top and sides. Let the cake stand at room temperature for about 30 minutes before cutting into squares.

This recipe came from Food & Wine Magazine. The frosting is like a milk chocolate ganache. Top it off with chocolate shavings and chocolate covered strawberries and you have a gorgeous centerpiece for a dessert table.

Cakes · Chocolate · Desserts

Mini Peanut Butter Cheesecakes

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I love any recipe that has the word “mini” in it. It makes me think that even if I eat them, it will make me “mini”, no matter how much butter or cream cheese are in them. My neighbor, Nancy, has given me a couple of folders in which she and her twin sister have gathered recipes for years. I am so honored that they have allowed me to look through them and pick out ones I want to use. These are the same ladies who took me to the Pasadena Ladies club you might have read about in the blog. Sally, one of the twin sisters, has written a couple of cookbooks and is such a great hostess.  So when I saw this recipe, I knew it was a good one to try.

Makes 24

1 pkg (9.5 oz) Keebler Fudge Shoppe Peanut Butter Filled cookies (now, after seeing the first ingredient, you know these are going to be good)

2  (8 oz) cream cheese, softened

1 1/4 cups sugar

1 cup creamy peanut butter

1 tsp vanilla

3 large eggs, at room temp

Chocolate Glaze:

3 oz semisweet baking chocolate

2 tables unsalted butter

2 tables light corn syrup

1/4 cup roasted peanuts, chopped

Heat oven to 325. Line muffin pans with 24 paper baking cups.

Break cookies into a food processor. Pulse until fine moist crumbs form. Press about 1 tables crumbs into each muffin paper liner and spread over the bottom of liner. Freeze while you are preparing the cheese mixture.

Beat next 4 ingredients in a large bowl with mixer on medium until smooth. On low speed, beat in eggs, 1 at a time, just until blended. Spoon about 2 1/2 tables into each cup.

Bake 20 min or until puffed. Some may crack on top but that’s ok. Cool completely in pans on a wire rack.

Meanwhile, prepare glaze. Melt the chocolate, butter and syrup together in small saucepan until smooth. Do not boil. Cool slightly. Peel liners off each cupcake. Place on a foil-lined baking sheet. Spoon glaze over tops. Sprinkle with nuts. Refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving to give glaze a chance to set and cheesecakes to be cold.

Cakes · Desserts

Pumpkin Pound Cake

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This weekend will be ever so busy and I needed a cake I could bake now and freeze for Sunday so I wouldn’t have to bake all weekend. Found this on Land O Lakes Butter web site. With six eggs and butter, how can it not be good?

Pound Cake

3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice*

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups sugar

1 1/2 cups Land O Lakes® Butter, softened

6 Land O Lakes® All-Natural Eggs

3/4 cup canned pumpkin

3/4 cup milk

Glaze

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

3 tablespoons Land O Lakes® Butter, softened

4 to 6 teaspoons milk

Heat oven to 350°F. Combine flour, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda and salt in medium bowl. Set aside.Combine sugar and 1 1/2 cups butter in large bowl. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until creamy. Continue beating, adding eggs one at a time, until well mixed. Add pumpkin; continue beating until well mixed. Reduce speed to low. Beat, gradually adding flour mixture alternately with 3/4 cup milk, until well mixed.

Spoon batter into greased and floured 12-cup Bundt® pan. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pan. Cool completely.

Combine powdered sugar, 3 tablespoons butter and enough milk for desired glazing consistency in small bowl. Glaze cooled cake.

*Substitute 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger and 1/4 teaspoon each ground nutmeg and cloves.

Cakes · Chocolate · Desserts

Linda Cooper’s Pralines

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Bunco is at our house tonight so thought I would surprise the ladies and make some fudge and pralines. Linda Cooper gave me this recipe in the 80’s and we have made it ever since for holidays and have given away plates of them. They are easy to make, you don’t need a candy thermometer, just a chair to sit on while you stir it for 20 minutes.

This recipe is scrumptious as a filling on a layered chocolate cake which you then pour chocolate ganache over the top.

2 cups sugar

2 cups chopped pecans

1 cup  Pet Evaporated Milk

3 tables white Karo syrup

3 tables butter

1 teas vanilla

In heavy saucepan, bring to a boil the milk, sugar and Karo. When mixture begins to boil, set timer for 20 min ,stirring constantly (even when you are waiting for it to boil) and cook for the 20 min. (on a really low humid day, I only cook  mine for 18 min because I don’t want it to get too hard). When mixture has boiled for 18-20 min, take off heat and add the butter and vanilla. Stir and beat until the mixture starts to get thick. At this point, add the pecans and continue stirring until mixture is beginning to firm up. At this point, drop by teaspoons full on a sheet of waxed paper. Allow to cool and take to the TV room and eat as much as you want.

*If you use this as a filling for chocolate layer cake, I would only cook no longer than 18 minutes. As it begins to firm up as you are stirring it after you have taken it off the heat. Pour it on the bottom layer of a chocolate cake. When it has hardened, put the top layer of the cake on top and then pour your favorite recipe of ganache over the top. (You don’t want the filling to be as hard as the candy, so I wouldn’t cook it as long if you are using it as a filling.)

Breads · Cakes · Chocolate

Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake

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Went to a brunch this morning and had the most delicious and moist coffee cake I think I have ever had. The middle of the cake had melted chocolate chips, combined with sugar and cinnamon and it looked like it had a layer of fudge right there in the middle of the cake. So naturally I had to come home to see if I could find a recipe that sounded like what I just ate. So after surfing the web, (maybe if I surfed in the water, I might loose a pound or two) AllRecipes.Com had this one that sounds and looks just like the one we had. So am sending it your way. Am going to bake it and take to art class on Friday. Am so excited to make it and well, actually I’m a little more excited about having a whole one to myself than making it, but will share it with others since I really do only surf the web.

INGREDIENTS

  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 1 cup white sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
  • 1/2 cup white sugar
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

DIRECTIONS

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) grease and flour a 9×13 inch pan.
  2. In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder and soda. Set aside.
  3. In a large bowl, cream the butter and 1 cup of sugar. Add eggs, sour cream and vanilla. Mix well.
  4. Add the flour mixture and combine. Batter will be thick.
  5. In a separate bowl, combine chocolate chips, 1/2 cup sugar and cinnamon. Set aside.
  6. Spread half of the cake batter in prepared 9×13 inch pan. Sprinkle half of the chocolate chip mixture over the batter. Repeat with the remaining batter, and then the remaining chocolate chip mixture.
  7. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.

Cakes · Desserts

Dream Whip Cake

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A very popular cake in the 70’s and 80’s, this cake is extremely “fluffy” and moist. It is simple, but very very good and because it rises so high, makes a beautiful layered cake on a pretty cake plate.

Preheat oven to 325

1 cup milk

4 eggs

1 teas vanilla

1 teas almond extract

1 teas butter, softened

1 package dry dream whip (you can find it on the grocery shelves over by the cake mixes)

1 small box instant pudding (I use chocolate pudding for the chocolate cake and french vanilla for every other flavor)

1 Duncan Hines Cake Mix (flavor of your choice)

Combine all ingredients and mix for 4 minutes.

Bake at 325 in 2 (9″) layer cake pans which you have greased and floured. Bake until toothpick comes out clean when inserted in middle of cake (usually about 25-30 min, depending upon your oven.

Perfect Buttercream Frosting

1/3 cup milk (I like to use half and half or whipping cream)

1 teas vanilla

1 teas butter flavoring

1 stick butter

1 box of powdered sugar (1 lb)

Combine ingredients and mix until any lumps are out of butter and sugar.

Cakes · Chocolate · Desserts

A Super Duper Chocolate Cake

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This is a perfect chocolate cake to bake and have around the house for the weekend. Every time you go through the kitchen, just slice another bite or two off to treat yourself for cleaning the windows, changing the sheets, bathrooms, etc…..this chocolate cake is the perfect amount of cocoa and satisfies that chocolate craving.

Then end that perfect Saturday night grill meal, with a big piece with cinnamon ice cream along side it in a bowl.

 

3/4 cup butter

3/4 tsp baking powder

3 eggs               1/2 tsp salt

2 cups all-purpose flour   2 cups sugar

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder         2 tsp vanilla

1 tsp. baking soda                                          1 1/2 cups milk

 

Allow butter and eggs to get to room temperature. (about an hour)

Lightly grease (or spray with Pam) the bottoms and sides of 3  (8 1/2″)round or square cake pans.

Set pans aside.

Preheat oven to 350. In medium bowl,stir together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

 

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Scrape sides of bowl and beat on medium another 2 minutes. Mixture should be very light and sugar dissolved completely. Add eggs, one at a time, beating for about 1 min after each egg. Stir in vanilla.

 

Alternately mix in flour mixture with milk, on low until both have been mixed in the butter mixture until well combined. Divide and spread cake batter into the 3 cake pans.

Bake for 30-33 min or until toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean. Be sure to watch very closely as you do not want a dry chocolate cake. When the middle of the cake looks a little glossy, it is either usually done or within a 1-2min of being done.

 

Frost with Chocolate Frosting:

In large saucepan, melt 2 cups (12 oz bag) of semisweet chocolate pieces with 1 stick of butter, over low heat.  When melted, cool for 5 min. Stir in one 8 oz sour cream. Gradually add 1 (1 lb) box of powdered sugar (4 1/2 cups). Beat on medium speed until mixture is smooth. Add 1 teas vanilla and mix well. Spread between cooled cake layers and on sides and top.

Cakes · Desserts

Fresh Peach and Praline Trifle

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Yesterday I posted the Colonial Pound Cake that I told you I would be posting a trifle using the cake. Well, here it is and it is a winner.

1/2 cup honey

1/4 cup brandy (opt)

6 fresh peaches, peeled and sliced

3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

3 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream, divided

3 tables butter

1 cup chopped pecans

1 teas vanilla

1 recipe Colonial pound cake, cubed (recipe for pound cake is posted on July 23 or under the title, Colonial Pound Cake)

In a small saucepan, combine honey and brandy over medium heat. (If you leave the bourbon out, substitute vanilla or amaretto syrup). Bring to simmer and cook 2 min. Cool completely.

In a medium bowl, combine peaches and honey mixture. Cover; chill 4 hours.

In a medium saucepan, combine brown sugar, 1/2 cup cream and butter. Over medium heat, cook 3-4 min, stirring constantly until sugar dissolved. Stir in pecans and vanilla extract. Cool completely.

In a large bowl, being sure no grease is present on bowl, using electric mixer on medium, beat 3 cups whipping cream until soft peaks form.Add brown sugar mixture, beating until stiff peaks form.

To assemble, layer cubed cake, cream mixture and peaches in a large serving bowl, repeating layers as needed. Chill, covering bowl,  at least 4 hours until ready to serve.

Cakes · Chocolate

Raspberry-Filled Chocolate Pound Cake

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From Southern Lady comes a wonderful cake that combines two great flavors, raspberries and chocolate.

2 1/2 cups sugar

1 cup butter, at room temp

6 eggs, separated

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

3/4 cup cocoa

1/4 teas  baking soda

pinch of salt

1 cup sour cream

1 teas vanilla

1 teas almond extract

1/2 seedless raspberry jam

In large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar together. Add egg yolks, beat well.

Sift flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt together  into a separate bowl .

Add flour mixture and sour cream, alternately to butter mixture, beating well after each addition and scraping sides of bowl. Add flavorings, beat well.

Beat egg whites until stiff and add to batter. Fold in gently, using a rubber spatula.

Pour half of batter into a buttered and floured bundt pan.

Stir raspberry jam to soften. Evenly distribute jam over center of first layer of batter, keeping jam away from sides of pan.

Pour remaining batter into pan. Bake in preheated 325 oven for 1 hour & 20 min or until knife inserted into middle of cake comes out clean (you might get a little jam on the knife, but be sure that there is no cake batter on knife.)

Cool on a wire rack for at least 15-20 min and then invert onto serving platter. Drizzle a chocolate glaze or ganache over cooled cake.