Cherry Pie Gooey Butter Cake

 

 I saw this recipe on TikTok from a chef named Christina Tosi. She’s pretty amazing and I’ve seen her very often on cooking competition shows. She always makes food that I immediately want to eat. This gooey butter cake is no exception! I mean, who doesn’t love a gooey butter cake, right? 
 It comes together SO quickly with basic ingredients that you might already have in your pantry, and you don’t even need a mixer. 

 It's the perfect summer dessert and it was a big hit when I made it for my friends. 

Your friends will love it too! 

 


1 1/2 sticks butter
1 yellow cake mix
2 eggs
8oz cream cheese
2 cups powdered sugar
A pinch of salt
1 can cherry pie filling



Heat oven to 350º.
For the crust, melt 1 stick of butter in a mixing bowl. Add the cake mix and one of the eggs. Stir well to combine. Reserve 1/4 cup of this mixture.
Press dough evenly into a greased 9x13 baking dish. Set Aside.
For the filling, soften the remaining 1/2 stick of butter and cream cheese in the microwave, stir together until well combined. Add powdered sugar, a pinch of salt, the other egg, and the reserved dough. Stir well until combined. Pour over crust layer. Now drop spoonfuls of the pie filling here and there over the filling. Bake for 30-35 minutes. It will still be slightly jiggly in the center. Let cool completely and then chill before serving. For an extra pretty touch, dust it with a tiny sprinkle of powdered sugar over the top. So fancy!


Tip:

When you drop your spoonfuls of pie filling over the top, just do them here and there, as the recipe says. You don't want to completely cover the filling layer. You probably won't use the entire can of pie filling. 
This recipe lends itself to a million different variations. Since we were using cherry pie filling, I added a few drops of almond extract, since those two flavors are a match made in heaven. 

If you'd like to serve it for your 4th of July BBQ, you could add a few fresh blueberries on top for the red-white-and-blue of it all. Mix and match any flavor of cake mix with any flavor of pie filling and it will all work! With the yellow cake mix, I’m thinking peach, strawberry, blueberry,,, With chocolate cake mix, I think it has cherry written all over it. I think I’d even add a few chocolate chips over the top, because why not???? For Fall, it would be amazing to use a spiced cake mix with apple filling. Now THAT sounds heavenly! Do you make home made pie filling? Even better! You do you!

Joey's Classic Cheesecake

 

 I was given a version of this recipe about a million years ago by my sister-in-law, Janet. She had made it and brought it to one of our family events, and after one bite I decided that this was the best cheesecake I had ever tasted. As she was describing the recipe to me, she said it was originally a pumpkin swirl cheesecake and that she just omitted the pumpkin ingredients. I took it a step further and tweaked it ever so slightly. Now it's just perfect!

 Over the years, I've made it SO many times for cast parties, holiday parties, birthdays, you name it. And it's ALWAYS a big hit. At one point, I was making it so often that the corner store next to my apartment specially ordered 3 lb blocks of cream cheese just for me. I guess they were getting tired of having to restock their supply of cream cheese every time I baked a cheesecake. LOL (true story!)

 Full disclosure... I actually debated whether or not to share this recipe or keep it to myself, but then I figured it would be a shame not to share it. It's just so good. If you like a rich creamy cheesecake, then this is definitely the one for you. I honestly don't think you'll find anything better!




Crust:


2 sleeves graham crackers (they usually come 3 sleeves to a box)

2 tbs sugar

5 tbs melted butter

 



Preheat oven to 300ºF.


Using a food processor fitted with a metal blade, process graham crackers and sugar until finely crushed to crumbs. Add butter and process until well combined. Using the palm of your hand, press FIRMLY into bottom of a 10" spring form pan. Place in oven and bake for about 10 minutes or until lightly toasted. Remove from oven and set aside.

 



Cake:


6 (8oz) pkgs Philly cream cheese


1 1/2 cups sugar


3 large eggs


1 tsp. pure vanilla extract


1/2 cup sour cream


1/4 cup heavy cream



 

Combine all ingredients in the order listed, making sure to mix well after each addition. (be sure to mix eggs into batter one at a time). Pour onto prepared crust. (No need to cool the baked crust). Place in oven and bake for one hour. Without opening the oven door, (resist the urge to open it!!) turn the oven off and leave cake in oven for at least 2 more hours. I usually just leave it there until the oven cools and I can remove it without using oven mitts. Remove from oven and then remove the outer ring of the spring form pan. Allow to cool to room temperature, then put it in the fridge to chill. (This step is important because it'll crack in a huge way if you put it directly into the fridge from the oven). Once it is chilled, serve plain or with your desired topping. 

 To serve it as it's shown in the photo, top it with the prettiest strawberries you can find, then add a tbs of water to a little bit of jam, and brush it onto the berries for a shiny glossy finish!




Tips:


This is an extremely versatile recipe and you can change it to make whatever kind of cheesecake you'd like. You can add chopped oreos to it, mini chocolate chips, chopped snickers bars, really anything you can think of. You can take a portion of the batter and add chocolate syrup, or pumpkin and spices, or peanut butter, then swirl your flavored batter with the the plain batter for a swirled cheesecake, or just top it with your favorite fruits, or berries or even caramel. There's really no wrong way to do it and it turns out every time. I also like to play with different crusts. For a chocolate chip cheesecake, I make the crust out of oreos. For a peanut butter swirl cheesecake, I make the crust out of nutter butters. Most times I use graham crackers or vanilla wafers for the crust. Again, the sky's the limit on cake/crust combinations. Oh, and be sure all ingredients are at room temperature before you start. That's a biggie. It makes a HUGE difference, more than you'd think it would. The batter is smoother, the finished cake is creamier, and it helps reduce cracks on the top of the cake. And if your cream cheese is room temperature, you'll be less likely to burn out your mixer. (it used to happen to me all the time until I finally bought a Kitchen Aid!) Also, be sure to use the best ingredients. Do NOT use low fat this, or imitation that. If you're going to have cheesecake, then have REAL cheesecake. There's just no substitute!

Sweet Potato Cake Squares

 

Usually, when Autumn rolls around, I immediately jump into “pumpkin everything” mode. But this time, I thought, how about sweet potatoes instead? They’re pretty much interchangeable in baking, so I figured Why Not? Then I found a pumpkin cake recipe, gave it a few tweaks, and this is where I landed. It turned out perfectly! The flavors are very similar, but just the tiniest bit lighter, I think. And it came together in a snap.
 I made them for some of my dearest friends, and everyone absolutely loved them. I know your friends will love ‘em too! Enjoy!




For the Cake:
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice blend
1 tsp cinnamon
4 eggs
1 3/4 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups cooked sweet potatoes 

For the Icing
6 oz soft cream cheese
5 tbs soft butter
2 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract


Heat oven to 350ºF.
 In a medium bowl, sift flour, baking powder, salt, and spices. Set aside.
 In a mixing bowl, beat eggs and sugar.
Mix oil and mashed sweet potatoes into liquid mixture and beat until well mixed. Add sifted dry ingredients. Mix until just combined. 
Pour into a greased and floured 9x13 baking pan.
 Bake for 30 - 40 minutes or until cake tests done. 



Icing:
Beat cream cheese and butter. 
Slowly beat in powdered sugar and vanilla extract until completely smooth. 
Spread over cooled cake and cut into squares.


Tips:
The two biggest things to remember: don’t over mix, and don’t over bake. Other than that, it’s all pretty straight forward!
Don’t have sweet potatoes? Use pumpkin or butternut squash instead!


Miss Dot's Pound Cake

 I was recently watching an episode of Home Town. If you’re not familiar with the show, it’s an HGTV show where home renovations are done in a small town in Mississippi. So, in this one particular episode, they were talking about the house being renovated, and that it used to belong to someone that everyone in the neighborhood knew simply as Miss Dot. And Miss Dot was famous for baking pound cake and bringing it to any new neighbors who happened move into the neighborhood. Well, during part of the renovation, they discovered the famous pound cake recipe and they even contacted Miss Dot to see if she’d bake a cake with them to give to the new homeowner. Awesome. Love it.
  So, of course, you know I wanted to try the recipe. I know, I know, shocker. I googled and found the recipe that the show posted on IG. I already had all the ingredients, so I made it that very day. It was SO good! delicious and buttery, and so moist you don’t need any icing at all.
 OK, so, I’m so thrilled with it, that I decided to call my sister Jeanie to tell her about it. Coincidentally, she had just baked her favorite pound cake recipe a day or two before. I said, “omg great minds, right???” And when I asked her what recipe she used, she said it’s her favorite pound cake recipe, and that it’s from Southern Living. (You know where I”m going with this, right?”)
Yup, as we compared recipes, we discovered that Jeanie’s Southern Living recipe was exactly the same recipe as Miss Dot’s! I think it’s pretty funny that Jeanie and I both decided to make the same pound cake at the same time and received the recipe from two different sources. Seriously, great minds think alike!
 OK, so, can we talk about the actual cake for a minute???? OMG it’s SOOO good! Like, seriously, you don’t need any other recipe after this one. This is THE only pound cake recipe you’ll ever need from here on out. It’s just that good. And it couldn’t be easier. You just mix up the ingredients, (which you probably already have on hand) pour them into a pan, and bake. That’s it!
And if you don’t own a bundt pan, this cake is reason enough to buy one. I think I need to bake another one because the first one’s already gone!



(all ingredients at room temperature)
3 cups flour
3 cups sugar
3 sticks butter
8oz bar of cream cheese
6 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt

Beat all ingredients well.
Pour into a greased and floured bundt pan.
Place in a cold oven.
Bake at 300ºF for an hour and a half.



Tips:
The most important thing s to make sure you let everything sit out until room temperature. Otherwise everything just doesn’t mix as well.
Even though the recipe includes a 1/2 tsp salt, I used salted butter. Full disclosure, I use salted butter for everything. I just think it tastes better.
And my best tip for a moist cake… double the amount of vanilla extract, and don’t over bake. You want to take it out of the oven as soon as it tests done with an inserted tooth pick.

Poppy Seed Almond Cake

 

   Since we're all spending much more time at home these days, I started doing what many people do... YOUTUBE. Seriously, is there anything that ISN'T on Youtube? Need to learn how to work your digital thermostat? There's a how-to video on Youtube. Wanna learn how to use a pressure canner? Youtube. Need to learn how to do a British accent? Youtube. (yes, I've literally done all of those things). And since I've started watching Youtube videos, (or as I call it, going down the Youtube rabbit hole) I’ve started to follow specific channels.
 This cake comes from Claire Staffitz, who was on Bon Appetit’s Test Kitchen channel, and now she has her own channel from her own home kitchen. She talks about many recipes from her book “Dessert Person”, and says that THIS cake is her most favorite. In her words: “It’s scented with almond extract and studded with poppy seeds, and it’s the most tender flavorful snacking cake. It’s is just a perfect cake…..It’s so easy you can bang this cake out and have it in the oven in 15 minutes.” I also love that she says “You don’t need an occasion to bake a cake.” So true! It actually reminds me of the kind of cake my Mom used to make. I noticed that the recipe uses 3 cups of flour, and I remember once upon a time, my Mom noted that using that much flour “makes a nice sized cake.” (I’m pretty sure she was talking about the favorite 7 Up Cake when she said that, and for some reason that always stuck with me).
 The other thing that makes this cake so great is the thin glaze that goes over the cake after it’s finished baking. So delicious and sweet. What’s not to love?
 Make this on a Sunday afternoon and have it with a cup of tea, for dessert, or whenever you want a late night something sweet. It really is a perfect cake!


For the Cake
2 1/3 cups granulated sugar
2 tbs poppy seeds
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1 1/3 cups vegetable oil
3 large eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp almond extract


Heat oven to 350ºF. Grease and flour your Bundt pan.
To make the batter, whisk together all the dry ingredients (the first 5 ingredients listed) in a mixing bowl. (In this case, the sugar is a dry ingredient, even though it’s technically classified as a wet ingredient.)
In a separate bowl, combine wet ingredients. Pour the combined wet ingredients into the dry. Mix well for a couple minutes. Pour into prepared pan. Bake for 80-90 minutes. Let cake cool in pan for 15 minutes before glazing.


For the Glaze:
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup orange juice
2 tb
s butter, melted
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract

While the cake is still warm, use a skewer to poke holes over the entire surface of the cake. Whisk together all of the glaze ingredients. Brush glaze all over the cake and let it sink in.




Claire’s Tips:
It’s best to use room temperature ingredients because the cake will bake more evenly. Don’t have a bundt pan? Use two loaf pans and bake them for almost the same time, 75-80 minutes.


Joey’s Tips:
Make sure you keep an eye on the baking time. All ovens are different! Mine was perfectly finished about 15 minutes earlier than expected. Remember, always to watch the cake, not the timer! Also, in the video, to prepare the pan, she brushes it with oil and then dusts the pan with flour. I just used a baking spray, which is basically the same thing. It’s non-stick oil spray that has the flour already in it. So much easier! Just be sure to spray it over the sink!

Cranberry Christmas Cake

 

 This week's recipe comes from my dear friend, Gina, who found it on a website called Barefeetinthekitchen.com. She said it was so good, it was already half gone as she was sending me the recipe! (btw, she also took the picture for me too! Thanx Gina!)
 I love how simple it is. Only a few basic ingredients that you probably already have on your pantry. And then the fresh cranberries (which are always stocked in my freezer, just like the author does.) Oh, and no need for baking soda or baking powder, just whip the eggs for the leavening. Cool, huh?
 So festive too. It screams Christmas, doesn’t it? Better add this one to the Christmas repertoire!

3 eggs
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
12 oz fresh cranberries


Preheat oven to 350ºF.
With a mixer, beat the eggs with the sugar until slightly thickened and light in color, about 5-7 minutes. The mixture should almost double in size. The eggs work as your leavening agent in this recipe, so do not skip this step. The sugar and egg mixture should form a ribbon when you lift the beaters out of the bowl.
Add the butter and vanilla; mix two more minutes. Stir in the flour until just combined.
Add the cranberries and stir to mix throughout.
Spread in a buttered 9×13 pan.
Bake for 40-50 minutes, or until very lightly browned and a toothpick inserted near the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool completely before cutting into small slices.

Variations/Tips from the author:
Blueberries swap nicely for the cranberries. Adding nuts to the recipe works too.
The addition of orange zest, orange extract, or almond extract works nicely as well.
The cake can be made in a variety of different cake pans. It can also be made into cupcakes and mini loaves. Watch the baking time and adjust as needed. One of the most frequently asked questions is whether you can bake this in a bundt pan. I do not personally recommend that. Yes, many people have said that it works, and I’ve tested it in a bundt twice myself, however, it isn’t the same cake that way. (Once it fell apart on me and another time it worked fine.) If you do decide you must use a bundt pan, grease the pan HEAVILY with butter and then flour the pan generously.
The biggest downside to baking this cake in a bundt pan is that you will miss out on the best part, that lovely crust that forms on the top of the cake.

Apple Dapple Cake

 Have you ever heard of an Apple Dapple Cake? I must confess that until very recently, I had never heard  of it, but apparently it's a thing. Who knew? I searched and searched for the origin of the recipe, but unfortunately didn't find many answers. All I could find is that it's an old-timey recipe that has been around for decades, and everyone's Grandmom had her own version of it. Works for me!

It's basically an apple cake with chopped nuts and a caramel glaze. Sounds amazing, right? I found many versions, and all of them were very similar. There was only a slight variation here and there. Some use walnuts, some use pecans, one even added shredded sweetened coconut (which I wouldn't mind at all). It also seemed that everyone had a different version of the caramel glaze that gets poured over the top. Another variation in all of the recipes was the kind of pan in which it was baked. Some used a tube pan, some used a bundt pan, some used a 9x13 pan. I decided to use the tube pan because it reminded me of the apple cake my Mom always made. And as much as I usually don't like using a 9x13 pan for cakes, I can see how using one for this recipe might be the smartest choice. It would work kind of like a poke cake, where you pour the glaze over a still-warm cake, and then let it sink in. YUM.

 I chose this recipe from a blog called A Family Feast. And it's delicious! The diced apples make it SO moist and the nuts added a little extra crunch. And the caramel turned out really buttery and decadent. AMAZING. Also it's a really easy cake to make! Honestly, I think dicing the apples is the hardest part. You can handle that, right??  I will definitely be making this cake again. I think you should too!

Cake:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 whole eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 large Granny Smith apples (about 1 3/4 pound)
1 cup walnuts or pecans, coarsely chopped

Glaze:
3 tbs butter
3 tbs brown sugar
3 tbs granulated sugar
3 tbs heavy cream
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Grease and flour a 9×13-inch baking pan.
Preheat oven to 325ºF. Place rack in upper third of the oven. Sift flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in a medium bowl then sift a second time. In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, mix vegetable oil with both sugars until well mixed. With mixer running, add one egg at a time and once mixed, add vanilla and mix and scrape the bowl. Slowly add the dry ingredients with mixer running on low. Scrape the bowl again and mix. Peel, core and cut the apples into bite sized pieces and fold into the batter. Fold the walnuts into the batter then spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan. Bake in top third of the oven for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. As soon as the cake comes out of the oven, put all glaze ingredients into a small sauce pan and bring to a boil. Boil and stir with a wooden spoon continuously for one minute. Remove from heat and pour over the top of the warm cake.

 

Tips:
Full disclosure, I didn’t sift the dry ingredients as the recipe directs. I just whisked them all together in a bowl. And, like I said, I didn’t use a 9x13 pan.
I used pecans  and honey crisp apples instead of walnuts and granny smith apples, Why? Because I like them better! You do you!

 

Peanut Butter Cupcakes

  Recently, my niece Casey Case with the Pretty Face celebrated a milestone birthday, so of course I offered my baking skills for the party effort. I asked what her favorites are, and I was told that she love love LOVES peanut butter. OK, I can work with this! How 'bout if I make Peanut Butter Cupcakes? "Perfect! She'll love 'em!" But wait... then I realized.. I have no peanut butter cupcakes on my website. WHAT?? How is that even possible?? Well, we must find a go-to recipe right away!

 It didn't take me long to find just the perfect recipe on one of my favorite blogs, Sally's Baking Addiction. I don't think there is even ONE recipe I've tried from Sally's blog that wasn't absolutely perfect. And these cupcakes turned out perfectly! So there we have it. I did, however, make one slight change. Not to the cupcake recipe, but for this occasion, I decided to do a Peanut Butter Swiss Meringue Buttercream instead of the peanut butter icing that Sally posted. Honestly, the results were life changing. I don't even know how else to describe them. If you've ever made Swiss Meringue Buttercream, the recipe was the same, only I swapped out some of the butter for peanut butter. Sheer peanut butter heaven! And as My Kristin always says "the peanut butterier, the better."

 At the party, the cupcakes were a huge hit, and Casey loved them! I'd say that's a solid mission accomplished right there. And if you're also a peanut butter fanatic, you'll definitely want to make these. I'm telling you... LIFE CHANGING. Not even kidding.

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

1 cup packed light or dark brown sugar

1 large egg

1/3 cup sour cream

1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

3/4 cup whole milk

1/3 cup very finely crushed or chopped peanuts

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Line a 12-cup muffin pan with cupcake liners. Line a second pan with 2-3 liners because this recipe yields 14-15 cupcakes. Set aside.

Whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl. Set aside.

Using a handheld mixer, stand mixer fitted with a whisk or paddle attachment, or a whisk, mix the oil, peanut butter, brown sugar, egg, sour cream, and vanilla extract together in a large bowl. Add the dry ingredients, milk, and peanuts and whisk or beat together until completely combined. Avoid overmixing. Batter will be slightly thick. Pour/spoon the batter into the liners, filling only 2/3 full to avoid baking over the sides. Bake for 21-23 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the tops of the cupcakes spring back when gently touched.

For around 35 mini cupcakes, bake for about 11-13 minutes, same oven temperature. Allow the cupcakes to cool completely before frosting.

Tips:

It should be noted that the original recipe suggested that all ingredients should be at room temperature for better mixing. I didn't have time, so a few of my ingredients were straight from the fridge. Sorry Sally.

I also didn't have any peanuts to finely chop or crush, so I just left them out. I did, however, add an extra pinch of salt, just to drive home that salty peanutty flavor. Turned out great!

Chocolate Cake with Cream Cheese Filling and Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

  Since I love to bake for my family and friends, it's not uncommon for me to occasionally receive a text from someone with a dessert idea. It's usually a picture of something FABULOUS along with a text that says some version of "you should make this!" (I know, I know..... what they're really saying is "you should make this FOR ME" LOL) I recently received such a text from my #1 Nephew, Dan, aka Daniel Boone.. His text didn't say "you should make this" but just left a link and a subtle message that his birthday is rapidly approaching hahaha. Daniel Boone, you know I will always make you a cake anytime, even when it isn't your birthday!
 So, I took a look at the recipe. TBH, it was almost exactly the same as Hershey's Black Magic Cake, which is always a favorite, but I wanted to try and share something new! So I figured, well, lets use the same idea of 3 layers of cake with 2 different kinds of cream cheese butter cream, and we'll try a different recipe for the cake itself. I happened to find THIS recipe on a website called Browneyed Baker (which I love), and it's called the Best Chocolate Cake. I have to say, it's right up there with some of the best chocolate cake recipes I've ever made! Usually the Black Magic Cake is my usual standard against which all other chocolate cakes are compared, but seriously, this recipe gives the BMC a run for its money. It uses coffee, which is a classic move to give it a deep rich chocolatey depth of flavor, and it also uses oil, which makes the most rich and moist cake you could ever want. That works for me! I gave the cake a test run for a few of my friends who were all too happy to be my taste testers. Thumbs up all around!
 So if you want to bake something for a birthday, or maybe for your sweetheart, give this one a try. You don't have to do all the fillings and butter creams, but if you do, it's perfectly decadent and over the top for your next special occasion!





For the cake: 
2 1/2 cups + 1 tbs all purpose flour 
3 cups granulated sugar 
1 cup + 1 tbs cocoa powder 
1 tbs baking soda 
1 1/2 tsp baking powder 
1 1/2 tsp salt 
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1 1/2 cups strong black coffee
3/4 cup vegetable oil 
4 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

For the Cream Cheese Filling:
8 oz cream cheese
6 tbs softened butter
1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
2-3 cups powdered sugar

For the Chocolate Cream Cheese Butter Cream:
3/4 cup butter
12 oz cream cheese
1 3/4 cups Hersheys cocoa powder
5 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup + 3 tablespoons whole Milk
2 tsp pure vanilla extract



 Make the Cake:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Generously spray three 8-inch round cake pans with baking spray. (Be sure it's the kind that has added flour). Otherwise just grease and flour your pans. Set aside.
 In the bowl of an electric mixer, sift together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, coffee, oil, and vanilla. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix for 2 minutes on medium speed. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl and mix for an additional 20 seconds (the batter will be very thin). Divide the batter evenly among prepared pans. Bake for 20 minutes and rotate the pans in the oven. Continue to bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of one of the cakes comes out almost clean (with a few moist crumbs), about 12 more minutes. Cool the cakes (in the pans) on wire racks for 20 minutes, then carefully turn them out onto cooling racks to cool completely. While the cake is baking, make the butter creams.

Cream cheese filling:
Whip the cream cheese and the butter with an electric mixer on high speed for about 30 seconds. Once combined begin adding in 1/2 cup of powdered sugar at time, making sure each half cup is fully incorporated before mixing in another 1/2 cup. Add in the vanilla extract & whip one last time for about 30 more seconds on high and beat one minute more until nice & fluffy. Set aside.

Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting:
In another large bowl, beat the butter and cream cheese with an electric mixer and begin adding in the powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time again. Add in the cocoa and the milk and vanilla. Whip all of the ingredients until they are thoroughly incorporated. Beat at high speed for about one minute or until fluffy.

Now assemble the cake:
Place the bottom layer on a cake plate. Spread 1/2 of the cream cheese buttercream filling over the bottom cake layer. Top with the second cake layer and repeat the process. Lastly, top with the third layer.  Finally, frost the top layer gently with the chocolate cream cheese butter cream & all over the sides of the cake.



Tips:
Ok, I know it looks like A LOT of steps, but it's really pretty straight forward. Just follow the recipe!
If you'd like MORE of the cream cheese filling (instead of just the two filling layers), double the amounts of the cream cheese filling recipe, and then frost all three layers, making sure to smooth the top layer. Chill it for about an hour, and then cover the whole cake with the chocolate frosting.
To make buttermilk, add a tbs of vinegar or lemon juice to 1 cup of whole milk. Microwave it for 30 seconds. The milk will curdle, which is exactly what you want. Works perfectly!
Btw, the inspiration and the buttercream recipes are from a blog called My Incredible Recipes!

Invisible Apple Cake

 Have you ever heard of an Invisible Apple Cake?? I must say I had never heard of it until recently when I was browsing apple recipes. Apparently it's a thing! Now, don't quote me on this, but I believe it's a French thing, and it's now very popular in Japanese cuisine. Who knew? 
 Ok, so what exactly is it? Well, it's lots and lots of VERY thinly sliced apples that are coated and baked with the tiniest amount of very thin batter. Sounds good, right? So, wait... does that mean the cake is invisible or the apples? Seems to me that all you see are the apples and they're being held together by an invisible cake. Yup. I'm going with that. Alrighty then! It's fun to find a new something to bake, isn't it?
 I found many versions... some baked in a loaf pan, some with regular granulated sugar, some with sliced almonds on top... but I decided to try this one from a blog called Seasons and Suppers. I'm sure all the other versions are delicious too, but I liked the idea of using brown sugar and baking it in a round pan.
 Make this for a special occasion, or holiday, or just because you love apples. Serve it at room temperature, chilled, or better yet warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Or whipped cream. Or homemade caramel sauce. Or all of the above! I have yet to meet an apple dessert that I don't love, and now I have another one to add to my repertoire! I'm pretty sure the real reason it's called INVISIBLE is that it will disappear in no time! YUM.



6 large Golden Delicious apples peeled 
2 large eggs 
1/4 cup brown sugar 
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 Tbsp butter 
6 1/2 Tbsp milk 
1/2 cup + 1 Tbsp all-purpose flour 
1 tsp baking powder 
Pinch of salt



 Preheat oven to 400 F.
 Line the bottom of an 8-inch spring form pan with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray.
In a large bowl, beat the eggs with the sugar and vanilla until very light and fluffy (about 3 minutes). Melt the butter in saucepan or microwave bowl. Add the milk and stir well to combine. Allow to cool slightly, then add to the egg/sugar mixture. Mix to combine.
Sift together the flour and baking powder, then sprinkle over the egg/sugar mixture. Mix just until combined.Quarter the peeled apples and remove the core. Use a mandoline to slice each quarter into thin slices. (if you don't have a mandoline, just use a very sharp knife to slice them very thinly by hand.) Add the apple slices to the batter. Gently stir the apples in the batter to ensure all apples are coated. Pour into prepared pan, making sure to fill in all gaps between apples. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until set. If desired, you can turn on the broiler for a minute to brown up the top of the cake. Leave in pan to cool, then run knife around edges and remove outer spring form pan ring. Dust with icing sugar, if desired.


Tips:
Instead of Golden Delicious apples, I used Honeycrisp. Why? Because they're my favorite! This dessert is not overly sweet, so you definitely want to use a sweeter variety of apple instead of, say, a tart Granny Smith. That would be another reason to serve it with caramel sauce or ice cream, otherwise it doesn't really feel like a DESSERT.
This cake has none of the usual spices in it, but if you're all about the cinnamon and nutmeg, GO FOR IT! You can even use an apple pie spice blend, if you'd like. I think a teaspoon would be plenty! Also I may or may not have been a little heavy handed with the vanilla extract. (I make my own vanilla extract with bourbon, and a little extra bourbon in an apple dessert is definitely not a bad thing!)

Piña Colada Ice Box Cake

  If you follow my blog at all, it's very easy to see how obsessed with pineapple I am. I'm pretty sure I never met a pineapple I didn't like. It's literally the number one flavor of jam in my canning repertoire, and I've paired it in jam with everything from apples to berries and even fresh basil. I've also pickled it, which is my new favorite thing on the planet. It's just so good with everything! So, of course, anytime I see a recipe for a pineapple dessert, I have to try it.
 I made this "cake" for a family shindig a few weeks ago, and it was a big hit! It's the perfect time saver for any occasion because it's a 'must-do-ahead' sort of a thing, and then it sets up into a rich and creamy dish of fabulous that will always get rave reviews!
 Btw, the reason that I said "cake" is that it's really not a cake at all. The graham crackers soften to a cake like texture as it chills in the fridge, just like they do with the Eclair Cake that I shared a while back. Make sense?
 So there you have it. Sweet. Simple. Perfect. Love it. Definitely give this one a try!





1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon rum extract
1 can (13.66 ounces) coconut milk, divided
1 package (3.4 ounces) instant vanilla pudding mix
1 container (8 ounces) frozen whipped topping, thawed
15 whole graham crackers
1 can (20 ounces) crushed pineapple, drained
1 cup sweetened shredded coconut, toasted



 In a large bowl, beat cream cheese, confectioners' sugar and extract until smooth. Gradually beat in 1 cup coconut milk. Add pudding mix; beat on low speed until smooth. Fold in whipped topping. 
 Pour remaining coconut milk into a shallow dish. Quickly dip half of the graham crackers into milk; allow excess to drip off. Arrange in a single layer in the bottom of a 13x9-in. baking dish, breaking to fit as needed. Layer with half each of the cream cheese mixture, pineapple, and coconut. 
Repeat layers. Refrigerate, covered, at least 4 hours before serving.

For golden color and a nutty coconut flavor, toast the 1/2 cup of coconut that goes on the top layer.

To toast coconut, bake in a shallow pan in a 350° oven for 5-10 minutes or cook in a skillet over low heat until golden brown, stirring occasionally.



Tips:
Instead of using canned, I used fresh pineapple. I just like it better! And most supermarkets sell fresh pineapple already prepped and cut into chunks. That makes it SO much more convenient! I also probably used more than you'd get from a 20 oz can. I probably added more coconut too.
More is more! 
 

Hot Milk Cake

  I like to think of myself as being pretty knowledgeable about cakes. I can tell you why a 1-2-3-4 Cake is so named. I know that German Chocolate Cake is not from Germany at all. I can tell you the difference between a Swiss Meringue Buttercream and an Italian Meringue Buttercream. I know that all Jelly Rolls are Roulades, but not all Roulades are Jelly Rolls. I've heard of mayonnaise cake, tomato soup cake, potato cake, even sausage cake. (yes, that's really a thing.) I've baked King Cakes, Cheesecakes, Carrot Cakes, Red Velvet Cakes, Hummingbird Cakes, Tres Leches Cakes, even Wedding Cakes!  So I seriously can't even express how excited I get when I discover a new kind of cake! Well, actually, this is not new at all. New TO ME,  of course, but this cake goes back over 100 years! Nothing like standing the test of time, huh?
 I first read about it in an article about Depression Era foods, which talked about recipes that used simple ingredients that were stretched as far as a dollar could stretch. I love the idea of going back to basics and making foods that our grandparents and great grandparents made. Hmm... maybe I'll have to look into that a bit more and see what other delicious ideas I can discover.... but I digress...
 Lets talk about this cake! The flavor is a light vanilla, not unlike a pound cake, but the texture is much lighter and fluffier, and the crumb is much more delicate. You can enjoy it just as it is, maybe with a little powdered sugar over the top, you can bake it in layers or even in a bundt pan, or you can do a 9x13 pan and top it with berries and whipped cream frosting like I did. It's perfect for any holiday or special occasion because it feeds a crowd, and it's DELICIOUS!!! I think that pretty much covers all bases, right?
 So there you have it. As much as I love coming up with new recipes, I love going back to revisit some of the old and tried and true. Just like the song says, Everything Old Is New Again! You probably already have all the ingredients on hand anyway, so why not give it a try?
 It's definitely a keeper!


4 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups flour
2 1/4 tsp baking powder
1 1/4 cups milk
10 tbs butter


In a large bowl, beat eggs on high speed for 5 minutes or until thick and lemon-colored. Gradually add sugar, beating until mixture is light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla. Combine flour and baking powder; gradually add to batter; beat at low speed until smooth. In a small saucepan, heat milk and butter just until butter is melted. Gradually add to batter; beat just until combined. Pour into a greased 13x9-in. baking pan. Bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.


 Tips:
Originally, I was gonna top the cake with cream cheese frosting, but decided that would be a bit too heavy. So I decided to do a whipped cream cheese frosting instead. Just mix a bar of cream cheese with a cup of sugar VERY well until it's smooth, then fold in whipped heavy cream and a tsp of vanilla extract. Easy!
Oh, one other thing.. I almost forgot to mention that this recipe is from Taste of Home. I found several recipes, and they were all quite similar, but this one seemed to be pretty easy and straight forward, so I went with it! 

Blueberry Lemon Cake

OK, first, lemme just say that I made this cake a few weeks ago with the intention of posting it for Mother's Day, but then schedules got crazy and life got in the way and things got pushed to the back burner, so to speak. Ah well, what can you do? But the good news it's here NOW and it's definitely worth the wait!
 I found this cake on a blog called Natasha's Kitchen. It's light and tasty, so it's just the perfect thing to have with a cup of tea for an afternoon treat. Doesn't that just sound lovely?
 I also love the fact that the recipe uses an entire pound of blueberries. I'm kind of a stickler for that sort of thing. If I'm making something that has a specific flavor, I want A LOT of that one key ingredient, know what I mean? In other words, if I'm gonna make, say, a peanut butter cookie, I want a recipe that uses A LOT of peanut butter! (Hence the Whole Jar of Peanut Butter Cookies.) It makes sense, right? And that's what we have here! LOTS of plump delicious blueberries. Yum. Btw, this cake is also a snap to throw together, so it's the perfect thing when you need something to sweeten your day. Hope you like it!

2 large eggs 

1 cup granulated sugar  

1 cup sour cream (8oz) 

1/2 cup vegetable oil  

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/4 tsp salt  

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder  

1 medium lemon zest and juice, divided 

1/2 tbs corn starch  

16 oz fresh blueberries

Powdered sugar to dust the top, optional

Preheat Oven to 375˚F.
Lightly butter a 9-inch springform pan and line the bottom with parchment.
Beat eggs and sugar with whisk attachment on high speed 5 min, or until light in color and thick. Add sour cream, oil, vanilla extract, and salt, and whisk on low speed until well combined. Whisk together the flour with the baking powder, then add to batter 1/3 at a time, whisking to incorporate with each addition (DO NOT OVERMIX). Finally, add 1 tbs lemon juice and 1/2 tbs zest.
  Rinse blueberries and drain well. In a medium bowl, toss blueberries with 1/2 tbs corn starch and 1 tsp lemon juice, stirring until well combined and no dry white cornstarch remains.
 Pour half of batter into prepared springform pan and spread evenly. Top with half of the blueberries. Spread with remaining batter then sprinkle the rest of the blueberries evenly over the top, pushing them slightly into the batter (about halfway). Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cake rest in the pan 15-20 min then remove ring and cool until room temp or just warm. Serve dusted with powdered sugar.




Tips:
Full disclosure, the blueberries are supposed to stay suspended in the cake, but as you can see from the photo, mine sank to the bottom. Tbh, I didn't even mind it. But if you want yours to stay suspended, I've always had better luck tossing the blueberries with a tbs of flour, instead of tossing them with cornstarch.
Be sure to include the lemon zest. It really bumps up the lemon flavor in a cake without adding any liquid to the batter!
 Also, I used a 9" tart pan with a removable ring instead of the springform pan and it worked beautifully!

 

Mini Eggnog Cupcakes

  Usually around Christmas time, my focus always goes right to finding cookie recipes, but full disclosure, I don't always have the best luck with making cookies. (I guess that's my Achilles heel.) So for this week's recipe, I decided to go with cupcakes instead! I made these little bites of heaven last year for my family's Christmas party, and everyone loved them! Making small bites for a big dessert table is always a good idea because then you can sample several things without having to commit to a giant piece of cake, etc. Know what I mean? This recipe is from a blog called Life Love and Sugar, and it's SUPER easy. Easy to mix, easy to bake, always a big hit. Sounds like the perfect party dessert, dontcha think? Yum.

1 2/3 cups all purpose flour

1 cup sugar

1 1/4 tsp baking powder

3/4 cup salted butter, room temperature

3 egg whites

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

3/4 tsp nutmeg

3/4 cup egg nog

1/4 cup milk 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Whisk together flour, sugar and baking powder in a large mixing bowl. Add butter, egg whites, vanilla, nutmeg, eggnog, and milk and mix on medium speed just until smooth. Do not over mix. Fill cupcake liners a little more than half way. Bake 12-14 minute or until an inserted tooth pick comes out clean. Makes 48 mini cupcakes or 12-14 regular cupcakes. 

Tips:
To make it easier to fill your cups, use a cookie scoop!

If you're making regular sized cupcakes, use a 2 oz ice cream scoop, and then bake them for 18-22 minutes or until they test done.
For extra egg nog flavor, add a tsp of rum extract!

Use any kind of buttercream or cream cheese icing you want. I made Martha Stewart's Swiss Meringue Buttercream and added eggnog, nutmeg, and rum extract. Also added an extra sprinkle of nutmeg on top!

Pumpkin Dream Cake

Ok, so, you may be wondering "what is a Dream Cake?" Honestly, I have no idea, so basically I'm asking the same question. At first, I guessed that it's a cake that uses Dream Whip, which is a brand of whipped topping mix. But then I saw many recipes (like this one from a website called The Novice Chef) that don't include it. So that made me wonder what exactly constitutes a "Dream Cake." Is it the structure? or maybe the amount of layers? Nope. Some dream cakes have two layers, some have three, some have four, or even more. Some are baked in a 9x13 pan, and some are baked in a tube or Bundt pan. Is it the frosting? Nope. The frostings vary too.. some are whipped toppings, some are cream cheese, some are chocolate, and on and on.
Not the structure, not the layers, not the frosting. Hmm..
 So I guess the only thing that makes it a Dream Cake is the fact that you love it so much that it could be described as "dreamy." I know. I know. It's a little bit weak, but actually, do we really care? I mean, all we really care about is how good it is, am I right??? And yes, let me tell you, this cake is good enough to be described as dreamy! I mean, we're not talking Zac Efron Dreamy or anything, but still... this cake is pretty darned dreamy. And it's perfect enough for your next special occasion. Add this one to your holiday repertoire! And in the meantime, if you find out what a Dream Cake is, please let me know, OK? Great then.



Cake:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 (15 oz) can pumpkin
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup milk

Frosting:
12 oz (1 1/2 packages) cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons cinnamon
6 cups powdered sugar



For the cake:
Preheat oven to 300°F.
Grease 3 8-inch round cake pans. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, mix flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl/stand mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in vanilla, pumpkin and vegetable oil. Beat in the flour mixture alternately with the milk. Divide batter evenly into prepared pans. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool completely or chill before frosting.


For the frosting:
In a large bowl, cream butter and cream cheese until smooth. Beat in maple syrup, vanilla, and cinnamon. Add confectioners' sugar and beat on low speed until combined, then on high until frosting is smooth. Assemble the 3 layers with a thick layer of frosting in between each layer. Then apply a thin crumb coat on the top and sides. Pop back in the freezer to harden the crumb coat for about 10 minutes. Apply one final thick and even layer around the outside of the cake. Store in the fridge until ready to serve.



Tips:
 I'm sure you can bake this in 2 9" layer pans instead of 3 8" pans. I would just keep an eye on it while it's baking, just to be sure!

Pineapple Strawberry Skillet Buckle

 Have you ever heard of a buckle? Basically it's a kind of fruit dessert that sort of falls into the same category as many other baked fruit desserts, each of which has its own defining characteristics:
 A crisp or a crumble has fruit on the bottom and a streusel topping and is baked in the oven.
A grunt or a slump is basically the same as a crisp or crumble, but it is cooked on the stove top.
A brown betty is the same but it has a buttered bread crumb topping.
A pan dowdy has fruit on the bottom and pie crust on the top.
Cobblers require a bit more discussion, but most will agree that it's basically fruit on the bottom with a biscuit topping, giving it a cobbled appearance.
 But wait.. I've gotten off track.. I was about to tell you about a buckle, right? Yes, a buckle is similar to all of those other desserts, but it has more of a cake batter. The Boston Examiner defines it as a "single-layer cake with a streusel topping" saying "as the cake bakes, the dense batter sinks to the bottom of the pan, which makes the streusel buckle on top." Others describe a batter that collapses a bit or "buckles" as it cools.
 Basically, it's a fruit coffee cake, and it's absolutely DELISH! It's a cinch to throw together and it screams for a scoop of vanilla ice cream. I found this recipe on a blog called Afropolitan Mom and it was just the perfect thing to make when a gang of friends came over for a little baking fun.
It's not a huge dessert, so it's just the perfect thing for a Sunday afternoon tea or a light lunch with friends. Btw, usually when I try a recipe, I like to tweak it a little here and there. But with this one, it's perfect just as it is! Definitely give it a try!



2 sticks of butter, softened
1 cup of sugar 
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp of baking powder
1/4 tsp of salt
1 tsp of vanilla extract
1/2 cup of buttermilk or milk
1 cup strawberry, diced
1 cup pineapple, diced

Topping:
1/2 cup flour
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
5 tsp of butter, room temperature


Preheat oven to 375°F.
Grease a 10″ cast iron skillet generously. Cream butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in egg. Mix flour, baking soda, salt in a small bowl. Add to the butter mixture; mix well. Fold in the pineapple and strawberry. Pour batter into prepared skillet; set aside. For topping, combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a bowl. Cut butter into topping mixture until coarse. Sprinkle topping evenly over batter. Bake for 45-55 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.




Tips:
Instead of buying buttermilk, make your own! Add 1 tbs of lemon juice or vinegar to 1 cup whole milk. Microwave it for about 30 seconds on high. It will make the milk curdle, which is exactly what you want! Don't have a microwave? Just sit your milk mixture on the counter until it comes to room temperature. It will eventually curdle. The microwave just speeds up the process!
 Don't have strawberries or pineapples? Use another kind of fresh fruit! Actually, it's traditional to use blueberries when making a buckle, but as you can see from this recipe, you don't always have to stick with tradition! Try it with diced peaches and raspberries! Yum.

Pineapple Carrot Cake Trifle

 I was recently invited to dinner with a group of friends, and of course, my first question to Marie, (who is quite the hostess) was "what can I bring?" She said she wanted something chocolate. Perfect. So I decided I would make a deliciously decadent chocolate trifle with layers of cake and chocolate whipped cream. The perfect showstopper dessert! But then Marie said "I'd kill for caramel brownies." Ok, I'll make them, but they weren't the showstopper I was looking for. After taking a quick survey of the ingredients I had on hand, I thought OH! A carrot cake trifle!! Great idea! But baking an entire cake would have been more than I needed for the dessert. So then I found this recipe for carrot cake squares on a blog called Eat Cake For Dinner, and decided to layer them with spiced pineapple and cream cheese whipped topping. THIS was the showstopper I had been looking for! HUGE hit!!  Everyone loved it!
 Now, if you don't want to make a trifle, you can easily just make the squares, cover them with cream cheese icing and call it a day. They're fabulous all on their own! But if you're looking for a showstopper, this is it!

For the carrot cake squares:
1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour 1 tsp. baking powder 1/4 tsp. baking soda 1 1/4 tsp. cinnamon pinch of nutmeg, opt. 2 eggs, slightly beaten 2 1/2 c. shredded carrots 3/4 c. packed light brown sugar 1/4 c. sugar 1/2 c. canola or vegetable oil 1 tsp. vanilla
Preheat oven to 350ºF.  In a large bowl combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg; set aside.  In a medium bowl combine the eggs, shredded carrots, brown sugar, sugar, oil, and vanilla and mix until well blended.  Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir together until just combined.  Do not overmix.  Pour batter into a greased 9x13-inch baking pan and spread out evenly.  Bake for 20 minutes or until top springs back when lightly touched and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely.

For the trifle:
Drain a 20oz can of pineapple chunks, then chop them up a bit smaller. Place them in a small bowl and add 1 tsp of pumpkin pie spice and 1 tbs of sugar. Set aside.

In a mixing bowl, combine 1 large container of Cool Whip (or your favorite store brand non-dsiry whipped topping) and an 8oz package of cream cheese.

Now make layers in a trifle bowl or any high-sided glass bowl:
Start with a little bit of the whipped topping mixture on the bottom. 
Then do 3 layers of cake then pineapple then topping. (refer to the picture if you need to!)
Chill until ready to serve!

Tips:
Instead of using the spiced pineapple, you can just use a jar of pineapple preserves. Just add a tbs of water to loosening it up a bit. You can also use crush pineapple, or chopped fresh pineapple, or any combination. It will all work!
When you're making your layers, take extra care to make perfectly clean layers around the outside of the bowl. This will make it a showstopper!
Btw, when I made the carrot cake squares, I used pumpkin pie spice instead of just cinnamon and a pinch of nutmeg. why? because I like it!!!

Chocolate Cake with Whipped Peanut Butter Frosting

  Ok, I know I already have several chocolate cake recipes, but can you really have too many?? I think not! So here we go.
 I recently made this for a dinner at the request of my niece, Terri. Actually, when she first showed me this recipe (that she found on a blog called Ready Set Eat) she said "you can use whatever cake recipe you want. I really just want the whipped peanut butter frosting." Ha! Normally, my go to chocolate cake recipe is Hershey's Black Magic Cake, but I compared the two, and they're very similar, so I figured I'd go with it.
  And guess what?!? It's just as good! It's rich and moist and very deep with chocolate flavor. I think the secret is the cup of coffee. It makes any chocolate cake SO much more rich! (It doesn't actually make the cake taste like coffee, it just makes it taste like a deeper chocolate!) Clever, huh?
 For this cake, I did most of the decorating myself, but then I got an assist from Terri's youngest, Grace. I must say I'm kinda sorta proud of the drip design. It can be a little tricky to get just right! And yes, yes, I know it's piled with A LOT of candy, but when you have a 4 year old helping you, you just keep going. I think it makes it all the more fun and everyone loved it!
 Definitely make this the next time you want a showstopper for a special occasion, or you can just make it because your niece wanted an excuse to have whipped peanut butter frosting.

Cake:
Baking Spray
1 cup hot coffee
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup whole milk
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups unsalted butter, softened, divided
2 cups granulated sugar

 Frosting:
1 cup creamy peanut butter
4 tbs heavy cream
2 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

 Ganache:
1/4 cup milk chocolate morsels
2 tbs heavy cream

Reese's cups, Hershey's Kisses, and/or Reese's Pieces for decorating, if desired



Preheat oven to 350°F.
  Spray two 9-inch round cake pans with baking spray. Stir together coffee and cocoa powder in medium bowl; set aside to cool. Stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in another medium bowl; set aside. Whisk milk, eggs and vanilla into cooled cocoa mixture until well blended.
   Beat 1/2 cup butter and sugar with an electric mixer on medium high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce mixer speed to low and gradually beat in the egg mixture until well blended, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Gradually beat in flour mixture until just combined. Divide batter evenly between cake pans. Bake 30 to 35 minutes, until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool on wire racks.
   Meanwhile, place remaining 1 cup butter, peanut butter and 4 tablespoons heavy cream in large bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until light and very fluffy, at least 5 minutes. Reduce mixer speed to medium and beat in powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time until well blended.
   Invert one cake layer out onto serving plate and press lightly to secure it in place. Spread about 1 cup of frosting evenly on top of first layer. Invert second layer onto frosting, make sure the layers line up evenly and then lightly press down to secure top layer in place. Frost entire cake with a light layer of frosting; refrigerate 15 minutes.
  Meanwhile, microwave 2 tablespoons heavy cream in small microwave safe bowl 30 seconds, until hot. Stir in chocolate chips until melted. Frost cake with a thick layer of frosting. Drizzle with chocolate sauce and decorate with peanut butter cups or other candy.


Tips:
The key to making the perfect drip design is to make sure the cake is very cold. You should also make sure the ganache is not too hot, but still warm enough to pour. Then when you drizzle it around the perimeter of the cake, the cold cake will chill the ganache and stop it in its tracks, and that's what keeps it from dripping all the way down.

Glazed Cranberry Bundt Cake

 If you're looking for an easy dessert that screams HOLIDAYS, this is it! I found this recipe on the back of a bag of fresh cranberries and immediately set it aside. I cut it out, and stuck it to my fridge with a magnet for a year until I was ready to try it. Well, I finally tried it! OMG, it's seriously delicious. The cake is dense but light, and it's so moist, I'd say this is one for the books. Add a few fresh cranberries and an orange glaze and you have the makings of a showstopper!
 TBH, the cake was supposed to bake in a 9x13 pan, and the recipe said nothing of a glaze. But I like how a Bundt looks, and I love a rich and creamy glaze drizzled over the top, so I went with it!
 At first I couldn't decide if this was more of a Thanksgiving thing or a Christmas thing, but basically decided that it's great for both! Yes, it's red and white and looks very Christmasy, but Thanksgiving is the official holiday season kickoff, right? So, it works there too!
 Regardless of when you decide to make it, or in what pan you decide to bake it, one thing is absolutely certain.. Everyone will love it! Definitely add this one to your holiday repertoire!


3 large eggs
2 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup butter (1 1/2 sticks)
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
1 (12oz) bag fresh cranberries

Heat oven to 350ºF.
Beat the eggs and sugar until slightly thickened and the mixture has almost doubled in size, about 5-7 minutes. Add softened butter and vanilla extract and mix for 2 more minutes. Stir in the flour until just combined. Add the rinsed cranberries and stir until mixed throughout. Spread into greased and floured Bundt pan. Bake 50-60 minutes or until lightly browned and an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Let cool almost completely in the pan before turning out onto a plate.

For the glaze:
1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup heavy cream (plus more, if needed)
1/4 tsp orange extract

Using a wire whisk, combine all glaze ingredients until smooth. Add more heavy cream if needed to make just the right drizzling consistency. I like to use a big spoon to scoop big blobs of the glaze across the top and then just let it ooze down the sides.
Yup. blobs and ooze. definitely culinary terms.



Tips:
 -To keep your cranberries from sinking to the bottom of the cake, take a 1/4 cup of the flour for the recipe, and toss the cranberries with it until they're coated. Then stir them into the batter as directed. The flour coating will help them stay suspended in the cake!
-I think the next time I make this, maybe I'll add a little almond extract. Just sayin!
-If you'd like to bake it in a 9x13 pan, you only need to bake it for 40-50 minutes. And instead of the glaze, you could use any other favorite icing (cream cheese icing maybe?) or just simply dust with powdered sugar.
-Oh, another thing that's worth noting.. Yes, you read the ingredients correctly. This recipe has no leavening agent in it. No baking soda, no baking powder, no vinegar or lemon juice, no ingredient that will make the cake rise (which is why it comes out so dense and fabulous). It's that first step of whipping the eggs and sugar the gives rise to the cake. Make sure you don't skip it!!

Caramel Pumpkin Poke Cake

  Whenever I start to blog about a recipe, I always try to find something creative to add to the story. It could be where/how I happened to find the recipe, or maybe it was for a specific event or something seasonally festive. But somehow my blogs all wind up sounding the same "this recipe is so easy!" or "it's the perfect recipe to make ahead of time!" or "it's so delicious!" and of course "You should try this!"
 But here's the thing.. Those are my FAVORITE kinds of recipes! I mean, that's pretty much the best kind of recipe, right? One that is easy, convenient, and delish!! So I'm making no apologies for sometimes sounding like a broken record. There. I said it.
 So this brings me to this week's recipe! It's SUPER easy to make, it's a total do ahead, and you won't even believe how delicious it is!! (you knew I was gonna say that, right?).
 I made this for Anthony, one of my dearest friends in the whole wide world, and he texted me the very next day saying "I NEED to try to make this cake! It's my new favorite thing!" hehehe That works for me! I also shared some with my friend Michelle and she immediately asked me for the recipe. So there you go. This one meets all of the CWJ criteria and I'm owning the fact that I often say the same thing about my recipes because it's all still true!
Oh, and one more thing... You should definitely try this!!!!!


Cake:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice blend
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup whole milk

Caramel Topping:
1/2 cup caramel sauce
1/2 cup heavy cream
pinch of salt


Whipped Cream Frosting
1/2 cup cold heavy cream
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract


Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease an 8x8 square pan.
In a large bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, spice blend, and salt. In another large mixing bowl, beat together on medium speed the oil, sugar, and brown sugar until combined. Beat in the egg until smooth. Beat in the pumpkin and vanilla. Add the flour mixture alternately with the milk, adding the flour in 3 additions and the milk in 2 additions (begin and end with dry ingredients). Spread the batter into the pan and bake 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, combine the caramel sauce with the cream and pinch of salt. While the cake is still warm, poke roughly 16 holes into the cake (4 rows of 4 holes each) with the bottom of a long and round handle of a wooden spoon or similar object.  Pour caramel mixture over the cake, making sure to fill the holes. Let the cake cool completely. Stir the powdered sugar and vanilla into the heavy cream until dissolved, then whip into stiff peaks. Top your chilled cake with whipped cream (be sure to fill up the holes!) and serve.

Tips:
  If you want to use a 9x13 pan, just double everything! Then you'll be able to use up the whole can of pumpkin instead of using just a cup and then having nothing to do with the rest. The can of pumpkin may be just shy of the doubled amount, but I think it'll be close enough that you can get away with it. Don't forget to double the caramel mixture as well!
If you like, you can add a little extra salt to the caramel and cream. Because, well, salted caramel.
  As always, whenever I'm baking something in a pan, I like to line it with parchment paper with a couple inches hanging over the edge. Then I can use the paper as a sling to lift the whole thing out of the pan at once. In this case, I left it in the pan, poured the caramel sauce over everything, then chilled it in the fridge before removing it from the pan.