Tag: Cake

Cranberry-Maple Pudding Cake

This is a wonderful cranberry dessert that is perfect any time of of the year, especially during the holidays. I don’t remember when we actually made this dessert for the first time, but I do remember the little “catastrophe” that followed….
My husband, Matt and I were over at my parents’ house back in 2010 for a Sunday lunch. My dad normally grills out when we come over, and I remember my mom, sister and I put together this delicious cranberry-maple pudding cake at the last minute.  After a satisfying lunch, we were ready to go home. With leftover food in his hands, Matt carried out the pudding cake, car keys, and some of my “stuff” to the car. Unfortunately, the dessert would never make it home…
The cranberry dessert slipped from Matt’s hands, and fell to it’s final destination, the concrete driveway, producing broken casserole dish pieces galore. Okay, I may be exaggerating a little, but we were certainly not going to eat the leftovers in fear that we might swallow some broken glass! Disappointed as we were, I guess we saved ourselves some calories that night, and the next few days as well!
For Christmas this year, we thought we’d whip up this lovely dessert once again. This time, there was no clumsiness and I fully enjoyed leftover cranberry-maple pudding cake for the next week.
As far as taste, this dessert is sure to please those that like cooked fruit (not my dad). The maple syrup calms down the tart cranberries and creates a slightly sweet and delectable flavor.  I am reminded of a cobbler with a sweet cornbread taste, juicy fruit, and an interestingly irresistible texture. Top it with a simple squirt of Reddi-wip, a dollop Cool Whip, or my favorite… a scoop of vanilla ice-cream, and you’ve got yourself a crowd pleaser.
Enjoy!

Cranberry-Maple Pudding Cake

Ingredients
2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
1 cup pure maple syrup (grade B or grade A dark amber)
2/3 cup heavy whipping cream
3/4 tsp. finely grated orange peel
pinch plus 1/2 tsp. salt
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup yellow cornmeal (preferably stone-ground)
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 large egg
3 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Creme fraiche, softly whipped cream, or vanilla ice cream

Directions
1. Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 400 degrees F. Combine first 4 ingredients and a pinch of salt in medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat and simmer 1 minute. Remove from heat.
2. Whisk flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and 1/2 tsp. salt in medium bowl.
3. Whisk egg and sugar in another medium bowl. Whisk milk, melted butter, and vanilla into egg mixture. Add flour mixture to egg mixture; whisk to blend.
4. Pour warm cranberry mixture into 11 x 7 x 2-inch or 8 x 8-inch glass or ceramic baking dish. Pour batter over.
5. Bake cake until golden and cranberry mixture bubbles at edges, about 28 minutes. Cool 15 minutes. Serve cake warm topped with creme fraiche whipped cream, or vanilla ice cream.

Yield: 6-8 servings
Recipe from: Gourmet Magazine

Fresh Apple Cake with Brown Sugar Glaze

I’ve been craving a fall-like dessert using apples such as apple pie, apple bars or apple crisp, but I wanted something easy-to-make, semi-healthy, and didn’t call for a lot of ingredients. I love apple pie, but the crust has so much butter, aka fat, that I really didn’t want to eat it for fears of “getting fat!” In addition, most apple pie recipes call for 6-8 apples, and I was not in the mood to peel and slice that many apples!
My search was over when I discovered Lick the Bowl Good‘s new blog posting of Fresh Apple Cake with Brown Sugar Glaze. The cake was described as moist and buttery, despite there only being 3 tablespoons butter in the recipe.  She said that the glaze settled in nicely as it slightly soaked into the cake and reminded her slightly of a caramel apple. I had to make it!
This past Sunday, we had friends from Dublin, Ireland come and visit. My mom decided to make her famous “secret ingredient brownies“,  and I decided to make this cake just in case someone didn’t like chocolate (fat chance, right?  I just really wanted to bake that apple cake!) 
Well, we were all in luck! The cake turned out wonderfully and is now one of my new favorites. Tony, the Irishman who stayed with us, had two slices of my cake! I probably had 2-3 slices before Sunday was over, and the cake was gone by today!  I strongly encourage you to bake this cake. It is extremely easy, there is little clean-up, and more than likely, you’ll have all the ingredients in your pantry. Enjoy!
Peel, core and finely chop 1 1/2 cups of  apple.

Mix together eggs, oil, vanilla. Stir in flour mixture until combined. Fold in apples and nuts (optional).

Pour batter into greased 8-inch square pan. Bake for 35-40 minutes in a 350 degree oven until browned and toothpick comes out clean from the center of the cake.

Meanwhile, heat brown sugar, butter, vanilla, and heavy cream in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a gentle boil.

Pour glaze over hot cake. Let cool completely before serving.

Enjoy!


Fresh Apple Cake with Brown Sugar Glaze

Ingredients
Apple Cake:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 eggs
1/2 cup canola oil
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups finely chopped apples
1/2 cup pecans or walnuts, chopped (optional)

Brown Sugar Glaze:
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
3 Tbsp butter
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 Tbsp heavy cream

Directions
For the cake:
1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 8-inch pan (round or square) and set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Stir with a whisk to mix everything together.
3. In a large bowl, mix the eggs with a hand mixer (I used a stand mixer with paddle attachment) until light in color and foamy. Add the oil and vanilla and beat well.
4. Stir in the flour mixture with a spoon and continue stirring the batter until the flour disappears. Add the apples and nuts (if using) and stir to mix them into the batter.
5. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
6. Place the hot cake on a wire rack. While it’s still hot, prepare the glaze.

For the glaze:
7. Combine all the ingredients into a saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until the mixture comes to a gentle boil.
8. Spoon the hot glaze over the still hot-from-the-oven cake. Let the glazed cake cool completely before serving straight from the pan.

Yield: 9-12 servings
Lick The Bowl Good

Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake

Happy Father’s Day weekend!  Today I wanted to show you a recipe for Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake.   I thought it very fitting for this special weekend, because what “Dad” doesn’t like cookie cake?
My family is notorious for making cookies.  You can probably find 20 different cookie recipes on my blog!  In the back of my mind, I’ve always wondered how to bake a cookie cake without it getting too crispy or overdone?  I like my cookies gooey and soft, and always err on the side of underdone.  In Flo Braker’s cookbook, Baking For All Occasions, my mom discovered this cookie cake recipe and we were curious to try it.  The batter is like any regular cookie dough batter.  The only difference is the baking time.  Instead of baking cookies for 10 minutes in a 350 degree F oven, this cookie cake is baked for 30 to 40 minutes.  Honestly, I don’t know why you couldn’t transform your favorite cookie dough batter into a cookie cake?  Someone test it out and let me know!
I know a lot of people who hate “cake”, but love cookies.  I’m not a big fan of the “cake” myself…the only reason I eat it is for the icing!  Here, you can have the best of both worlds…cake and icing!  Decorate your cookie cake for Father’s Day, Birthdays, Congratulations, or just leave it plain like we did.
Either way, enjoy this Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake
Ingredients
2 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup light brown sugar
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon or 1/2 tsp ground cardamom
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 large egg
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts, or a combination

Directions
1.  Center a rack in the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.  Butter a 9 x 13-inch pan and set aside.
2.  In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the flours, sugars, salt, cinnamon (if using), and baking soda and mix on the lowest speed until just blended.  Add the butter and continue to mix until small, moist crumbs form that look similar to streusel, about 1 minute.  Add the egg and vanilla and beat on low speed until the mixture begins to form a cohesive dough.  Increase the speed to medium and add the chocolate chips and nuts.  Beat just until they are incorporated, 20 to 30 seconds.
3.  Spoon dollops of the thick dough evenly over the bottom of the baking pan with a rubber spatula.  To distribute the dough evenly, lay a sheet of plastic wrap or parchment paper over the dough and pat it evenly with your fingertips.
4.  Bake the cake until it is golden brown and feels more solid than soft when pressed in the center, 30-40 minutes.  Be careful not to overbake, it will firm as it cools.  Transfer to a wire rack and let cool in the pan for 30-35 minutes.
5.  Slip a thin metal spatula between the cake and the pan and run the spatula along the entire perimeter of the pan.  Lift the pan, tilt it slightly, and tap it on a counter to help release the cake.  Invert the cake onto a wire rack and lift it out of the pan.  Invert so it is right side up and let cool completely.

Yield: one 9 x 13-inch pan
Baking For All Occasions by Flo Braker

Texas Sheet Cake

Texas sheet cake, the official state cake of Texas, is a huge, pecan-topped chocolate cake with three distinct layers of chocolaty goodness.  It has a diverse range of textures created when the sweet chocolate icing is poured over the hot cake.  When the cake has cooled, you’re left with an icing layer, a fudgy layer where the icing and hot cake have melded together, and a bottom layer of moist cake.  This cake is easy to make (no mixer is required) and is great to take to potlucks and parties because as the name suggests, it’s baked in a sheet pan and serves a crowd.
My sister, Brittany made this recipe for her boyfriend and his Oklahoma State University teammates after (not before, or else they’ll get sick in their 2 mile race!) they run in the Track & Field:  Big 12 Championships in Norman, Oklahoma.  I know they will love Texas sheet cake, just like our whole family. My husband likes to call these “brownies with icing,” but Texas sheet cake really tastes more like cake, just like the name implies.  Brownies are denser, and heavier.  These are lighter, and cakey in texture, but no less chocolaty than brownies.  Leave these in the refrigerator for a more intense flavor.
Enjoy!

Texas Sheet Cake
Ingredients
Cake
2 cups (10 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
2 cups (14 ounces) granulated sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2 large egg yolks, at room temperature
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup sour cream
8 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
4 Tbsp (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
3/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup (1 1/2 ounces) Dutch-processed cocoa powder

Chocolate Icing
8 Tbsp (1 stick) unsalted butter
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup (1 1/2 ounces) Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1 Tbsp light corn syrup
3 cups (12 ounces) confectioners’ sugar
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
1 cup toasted pecans, chopped

Directions
1.  For the cake:  Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease an 18-by-13-inch rimmed baking sheet.  Combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.  Whisk the eggs, yolks, vanilla, and sour cream in another bowl until smooth.
2.  Heat the chocolate, butter, oil, water, and cocoa in a large saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until smooth, 3 to 5 minutes.  Whisk the chocolate mixture into the flour mixture until incorporated.  Whisk the egg mixture into the batter, then pour into the prepared baking sheet.  Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes.  Transfer to a wire rack.
3.  For the icing:  About 5 minutes before the cake is done, heat the butter, cream, cocoa, and corn syrup in a large saucepan over medium heat stirring occasionally, until smooth.  Off the heat, whisk in the confectioners’ sugar and vanilla.  Spread the warm icing evenly over the hot cake and sprinkle with the pecans.  Let the cake cool to room temperature on the wire rack, about 1 hour, then refrigerate until the icing is set, about 1 hour longer.  Cut into 3-inch squares.  Serve.  (The cake can be wrapped in plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to 2 days.  Bring to room temperature before serving.)

Yield:  24 servings
The Best of America’s Test Kitchen 2009

Collins Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

This may throw you off your weight watcher’s diet compared to the salad I posted yesterday!

Here is another dessert my sister made for a freshman Oklahoma State cross country runner for his 19th birthday.  The freshman runner loved this cake and quotes, “It was the best cake I ever had!”  The chocolate cake recipe is from the Peach Tree Cookbook by Cynthia Collins Pedregon, and the chocolate buttercream frosting is from The Perfect Cake by Susan G. Purdy.

My sister made a two-layer cake and decorated the top with colored sprinkles.  The cake was extremely rich with chocolate flavor, and was very moist.  It took her a week and sifting through over ten cookbooks to finally decide on this recipe!!

Half of the cake was gone in a matter of minutes, complements of the seven people eating on it.  By day two, the cake had disappeared.  Enjoy!

Collins Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
4 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate
1 cup butter or margarine
1 cup brewed coffee
2 cups sugar
2/3 cup buttermilk
1 tsp baking soda
2 eggs
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
Directions
1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 
2.  In  large saucepan, combine chocolate, butter, or margarine, and coffee.  Heat, stirring constantly, until chocolate and butter are melted.  Add sugar and continue cooking over low heat until sugar is dissolved.
3.  Combine buttermilk, soda, eggs, cinnamon and vanilla.  Stir into chocolate mixture.
4.  Stir in flour, blending well.  Pour into 9 x 13-inch pan that has been greased and floured.  Bake for 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.  Frost with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting (see below)
Serves:  12
The Peach Tree Family Cookbook by Cynthia Collins Pedregon
Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
Ingredients
1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick; 110 g), softened but not melted
1 large egg yolk (optional)
Pinch of salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 to 4 1/2 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar (16 ounces; 454 g)
5 or 6 tablespoons heavy cream or milk, or as needed
4 to 6 ounces melted semisweet chocolate
Directions
1.  In an electric mixer or food processor, cream the butter until soft, then beat in the egg yolk if using it, the salt, and the vanilla.  With the mixer on low speed or pulsing the processor, add about 1/4 cup of the sugar.  Beat in the 4 to 6 ounces of melted and cooled semisweet chocolate.  Alternately add cream and remaining sugar, blending smooth between additions.  (Use only as much cream as necessary to reach spreading consistency).  Scrape down sides of bowl.  Add more cream if too stiff, chill to harden if too soft.
Quantity: About 2 1/2 cups, to fill and frost an 8- or 9-inch 2 -layer cake.
The Perfect Cake by Susan G. Purdy

One Year Anniversary Cake



Well it was my husband and my 1st year anniversary yesterday so we celebrated by grilling out bison burgers and eating the top of our one year old cake. Here is a picture of the cake…it was extremely pretty, but after 1 year, the icing had crystallized, so it wasn’t very good. The cake part was fine…it was champagne flavored. Apparently when we were cake sampling a year ago, I liked this flavor….now I wished it was carrot cake, oh well!