Honey Vanilla Pound Cake

Since Kristen posted her Easter chocolate cake, I thought I'd post an awesome pound cake that I made for our neighbors across the street (well and I kept half for our family which was gone in one day). This recipe is from Ina Garten's "Back to Basics" cookbook.


Ingredients

2 sticks unsalted butter (at room temp)
1 1/4 cups sugar
4 eggs (at room temp)
2 T honey
2 t vanilla extract
1 t lemon zest (I omitted and didn't miss it)
2 cups cake flour (I used all purpose flour)
1 t kosher salt
1/2 t baking powder

Preparation

Pre-heat oven to 350. Grease the bottom of a loaf pan. Cream the butter and the sugar on medium speed for 3-4 minutes. In a separate bowl put the eggs, honey, vanilla and lemon zest, but do not mix. With the mixer still on medium speed add an egg one at a time.

Sift together the flour, salt and baking powder. Add to the mixture. Finish mixing with a spatula. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until a tooth pick comes out clean (it took me 70 minutes to cook this baby). It might have been because I used all purpose instead of cake flour. Cool for 15 minutes on a rack.

This is delicious with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top!

Adriane's Chocolate Heathwix Cake

2	cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2	teaspoons baking soda
1/2	teaspoon salt
1 1/2	cups sugar
1/2	cup butter, softened
3	eggs
1	teaspoon vanilla
4	oz unsweetened baking chocolate, melted and cooled
1	cup buttermilk       (I use this dried buttermilk)
1	can (14 oz) fat-free sweetened condensed milk
1/2	cup caramel topping
1	cup Heath bits or chopped Heath candy bars
1/2	bag fun-size Twix bars, chopped

1.  Oven: 350ºF. Pan: 13x9x2 inches, greased with butter; lightly floured.

2.  Dry ingredients first: In medium bowl, mix flour, baking soda and salt (& buttermilk powder); set aside.

3.  In large bowl, beat sugar and butter with electric mixer on medium speed, scraping bowl occasionally, until fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until smooth and blended. Add vanilla. Stir in melted chocolate. Gradually beat in flour mixture alternately with buttermilk (or water if using dry buttermilk), beating after each addition until smooth. Pour into pan.

4.  Bake 35-40 min or until toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean. Immediately poke top of cake all over with toothpick or fork. Mix condensed milk and caramel topping; spoon over warm cake, allowing it to soak in. Sprinkle chopped Twix & Heath bits over cake. Cool cake as long as you can possibly wait before eating it.

adapted from this recipe- thanks, Betty.

Molten lava cakes

I love this time of year since we can eat and eat without it showing too much under our heavy winter sweaters and jackets. Rich desserts and favorite comfort foods sustain us through these wintery months. Last night we had a friend over for homemade pizza and molten lava cakes! These are to die for!!Recipe:

4 pieces (squares) Semi-sweet Baking Chocolate-I used 4 oz of semi-sweet chips
½ cups Butter
1 cup Powdered Sugar
2 whole Eggs
2 whole Egg Yolks
6 Tablespoons Flour
2 cups Real Whipping Cream (seriously It's So Much Better!!!)
2 Tablespoons Sugar

The to dos:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Spray 4 custard cups with Pam and place on cookie sheet.
Microwave chocolate and butter in large bowl on high for about 1 minute, until butter is melted. whisk until chocolate is also melted.
Stir in sugar until well blended. Whisk in eggs and egg yolks. Stir in flour.
Divide between cups.
Bake 13-14 minutes until sides are firm and center is soft. Let stand 1 minute.
Combine sugar and heavy cream and whip until stiff.
Invert cakes on dishes and top with whipped cream

Enjoy! I know we sure did!

p.s. I stole this recipe from "The Pioneer Woman Cooks." I love her blog!

chocolate pistacio cake

i wish i had a pic of this cake but i don't. it's so yummy. seriously, if you haven't tried it DO and you won't be sorry. i got this recipe from melanie bascom in our ward and it's a cake doctor cake. so easy and super yummy. i made if for alanna's bday yesterday and it was delish. as a testament to it's yumminess, dave doesn't eat many desserts but he LOVES this cake.

Chocolate pistachio cake

½ cup chopped pecans ( I left this out)
½ cup choco chips ( I left this out too)
1 package plain white cake mix (NOT THE KIND WITH PUDDING IN IT ALREADY)
1 package (3.4 oz) pistachio instant pudding mix
½ cup sugar
1 cup water
½ cup veg. oil
4 large eggs
½ cup choco. Syrup


1. preheat oven to 350* . lightly mist bunt pan with veg. oil spray then dust with flour. Shake out excess flour. Sprinkle pecans and choco chips in bottom of pan.
2. Mix cake mix, pudding, sugar, water, oil and eggs together. Blend with an electric mixer on low for 1 minute. Scrap sides of bowl with spatula. Mix again on medium for 2 minutes, batter should be thick and smooth. Remove one cup batter and mix it with ½ cup choco syrup, until well combined. Set aside.
3. Pour regular batter into pan. Pour choco batter over the top, trying to keep the chocolate away from the edges. Swirl the chocolate batter into the regular batter with dinner knife.
4. Bake the cake until it is golden brown. 55-60 minutes (I NEVER COOK IT THAT LONG. I DO 50 MIN AND IT'S A TEENY BIT UNDERCOOKED BUT THAT'S HOW I LIKE IT)
5. Remove from oven and let cool 20 minutes. Run a long sharp knife around the edge of cake and invert it onto a rack to cool completely. To serve, place the cake onto serving platter and glaze with Shiny chocolate glaze.

Shiny chocolate glaze:

2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/ 4 cup heavy whipping cream
1 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

1. melt butter in small heavy sauce pan over low heat. Add cocoa powder and cream and stir until mixture thickens, 2 minutes. DO NOT BOIL. Remove from heat and stir in the powdered sugar and vanilla until mixture is smooth.
2. Spoon glaze over the cooled cake.

candy cane bundt cake

as served at richard & erica's Christmas party last night:
idea from hostess with the mostess, white cake recipe from the joy of cooking

CANDY CANE CAKE:
preheat oven to 375
have all ingredients at room temperature
grease & flour 12C bundt pan

sift together twice:

• 3 1/2 C flour
• 1 Tb + 1tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt

combine:

• 1 C milk
• 1 tsp vanilla

in a large bowl (kitchenaid mixer bowl), beat until creamy:

• 2 sticks (1lb) butter

gradually add & beat on high speed until lightened in color & texture, 3-5mins:

• 1 2/3 C sugar

add the flour mixture in 3 parts, alternating with the milk mixture in 2 parts, beating on low speed or stirring with a rubber spatula until smooth & scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary. (this will be really really thick.) in another large bowl, beat on medium until soft peaks form:

• 8 egg whites (YES EIGHT)
• 3/8 tsp cream of tartar

gradually add, beating on high speed until stiff (but not dry) peaks form:

• 1/3 C sugar

use a rubber scraper to fold in 1/4 of egg whites into the butter mixture (have fun, this is not fun), then fold in the remaining whites.

take 3/4C batter out of the bowl. add to it:

• 1/2 tsp peppermint extract
• 1/2 tsp red food coloring

pour 1/2 of the regular batter into prepared pan. carefully pour red/peppermint batter over white batter in pan. top with remaining white batter. bake until a toothpick comes out clean - about 40-60minutes. let cool for 10mins in pan & then remove from pan onto cooling rack & let cool completely (about an hour).

FROSTING:
1 C powdered sugar
1 Tb milk
1/2 tsp vanilla
whisk together until smooth & runny-ish. drizzle over cooled cake & top with (2) crushed candy canes.

p.s. for a much faster/easier version of this cake, you can cheat like hostess with the mostess & use a white cake mix instead!

Cinnamon-Apple Cake

this was a favorite dessert my college roommate NICOLE used to made all the time! (thanks nicole & cooking light!!) as served at book club last night for cry the beloved country at kashann's (& also at richard & erica's first-ever BATTLE OF THE SEXES PARTY on 6/8/07).

you can also double this and cook in a 9x13 pan... recipe calls for "springform pan," but lets get serious: I don't have one of those. so I used my lovely favorite ever williams-sonoma pie pan (thank you wedding gifts) and it worked out fine.

1 3/4 cups sugar, divided (I use raw turbinado sugar)
1/2 cup butter, softened (I used smart balance)
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
6 oz. fat-free cream cheese, softened (I used 1/3 less fat neufatchel cheese)
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (I use 1 C white, 1/2 C white whole wheat)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp ground cinnamon
3 C chopped peeled apples
Cooking spray

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°.

Place 1 1/2 cups sugar, cream cheese, butter, and vanilla in a large bowl (GO KITCHENAID, WOOHOO); beat on medium speed until well blended (about 4 minutes). Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt, stirring with a whisk. Add flour mixture to cream cheese mixture, beating at low speed until well blended.

Combine remaining 1/4 cup sugar and 1 tsp cinnamon. Combine 2 TABLESPOONS of cinnamon mixture and chopped apple in a bowl, and stir apple mixture into batter. Pour the batter into an 9-inch springform pan coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with the remaining cinnamon mixture. Bake at 350° for 60-75min (I cooked it 75min) or until cake pulls away from the sides of the pan. Cake will look pretty "done" on the outside, but will be delicious and moist on the inside! Cool cake completely on a wire rack. Cut into 12 wedges, using a serrated knife. (This can be served warm or cold.)

12 servings
Nutritional Information: CALORIES 281(28% from fat); FAT 8.7g (sat 1.8g,mono 3.7g,poly 2.6g); PROTEIN 4.8g; CHOLESTEROL 39mg; CALCIUM 89mg; SODIUM 234mg; FIBER 1.2g; IRON 1.1mg; CARBOHYDRATE 46.3g (COOKING LIGHT 1997)

Strawberry fields forever..

Our family signed up for the veggie CSA share through Native Offerings farm this year, but sadly didn't sign up for the fruit share. The other day we headed out to Greg's U-Pick in Clarence, NY to pick strawberries! For $3 a quart it was worth it! These are the best strawberries I've had all season and they are totally better than anything I've picked up at Wegmans.



Here is my recipe for strawberries with yellow cake and whipped cream:

Jacob trying his first strawberry

1.) First, thoroughly wash the strawberries. Soak in a large container and allow all the dirt and sentiment to settle to the bottom then drain the water.

2.) Trim off the tops of the berries and cut into quarters.

3.) Roll up your sleeves and start baking. Today we are making a yellow cake recipe (from Better Homes and Gardens cookbook).

Ingredients:
21/2 cups flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup butter
1 3/4 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
2 eggs
1 1/4 cups milk


Directions:
Grease either 2 8x1 cake pans or one 13x9x2 baking pan. Combine flour, powder and salt then set aside.

In a large mixing bowl beat butter with a mixer for 30 seconds. Add sugar and vanilla beat till well combined. Add eggs, one at a time beating 1 minute after each. Add dry mixture and milk alternately to beaten mixture.

Bake at 375 for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool cakes and then place on a wire rack.

Make whipped cream by beating heavy cream with sugar (to taste) and vanilla.

Assemble cake by topping with whipped cream and strawberries. Dig in and enjoy!!


P.S. Christy and Kristen we should start swapping some yummy recipe ideas for all of the greens we get each week. Jay's been making some yummy kale dishes that I'll have to post asap!

Carrot Cake

this is the cake from crew's bday party. thanks to everyone that came!! we had a great day!

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 cups flour
• 1 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 cup oil
• 4 beaten eggs
• 3 cups grated carrots

Mix all ingredients except carrots until fluffy. Add carrots and combine until well mixed. Bake at 375 for 1 hour.

Cream cheese frosting

• 1/3 cup margarine (room temp)
• 1 8oz package cream cheese
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3 cups powdered sugar

Beat all ingredients well.

Could this recipe be any easier!! :) haha

Banana Cake

From the Kitchen of Jenny Guthrie
We had a taste of this at a Buffalo Ward Enrichment

1 Yellow Cake Mix
1/3 Cup of Oil
½ Tsp. Baking Soda
1 Cup of Buttermilk (instead of Water)
3 Ripe Bananas – Mashed – sometimes I use more if I have them
3 Eggs
Mixer
Pam – Buttered Flavor
9 x 13 Pan

Preheat oven to 325°

1. Mix the above ingredients.
2. Spray bottom of pan with pam.
3. Pour into pan

Bake at 325° for 30 minutes or until the cake is done. I test it with toothpicks. Do not over bake. It is better to take out earlier than later.

Recipe For ~ Fabulous Frosting

1 Stick of Butter
1 # Powder Sugar ½ Bag
1 tsp. Vanilla
add 1 scoop of Cool Whip until Fluffy

Mix the above ingredients to taste. I personally like the cake plain without the frosting.