Snickerdoodle Cake!

This cake was awesome! It was our first baking attempt of the year - it's definitely going to be interesting with no easily accessible kitchen! We made up the batter in our room and then ran it down to the kitchen next door to bake it... worked just fine! I see a lot of "no bake" items in our future though!

Okay so this Snickerdoodle cake is from pinterest and the picture looked incredible! So when we were trying to figure out what to make - I kept returning to that recipe and... well pretty soon it was in progress!

Ours wasn't nearly as pretty as the one in the original link - but it sure tasted fantastic!!!

Snickerdoodle Cake
Makes 1 9/13 or 2 round cakes (to layer)
Recipe from foodwithfamily

For the cake:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups cake flour (we substituted with 1 1/3 cups AP flour and 1/4 cup cornstarch)
1 Tbs baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 Tbs. ground cinnamon
2 sticks butter, softened to room temp.
1 3/4 cups fine or superfine sugar (we just used regular)
4 large eggs, room temp.
1 Tbs. vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups whole milk, warmed to room temp.

For the buttercream: (we made this up because we didn't have enough butter but it was still really good so i'll share it with you. Find the directions to the original recipe in the link above)
1 stick of butter
2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup of brown sugar
1/2 Tbs ground cinnamon
1/2 cup milk
These are REALLY rough estimates. We really just eyeballed it until it tasted/looked good :)

To Bake the Cake:

Preheat the oven to 235. Butter and flour your pan(s) (tip is to use the butter wrappers from the butter you're about to use!)

In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Set aside.

Cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy and pale in color.

Beat the eggs in one at a time, fully incorporating each egg and scraping down the bowl in between each addition. Beat in vanilla.

Add about 1/3 of the milk, beat to incorporate, then 1/3 of the flour mixture, again beating to incorporate.

Repeat this process, scraping down the bowl as necessary, until all of the milk and flour are mixed in evenly - starting and ending with the dry ingredients.

Pour the batter into the bans and bake, rotating midway through, for about 35 minutes (we did 40) or until it tests done.

Let the cakes cool in the pan on a rack for 5 minutes before turning onto the racks to finish cooling.

To Make the Buttercream:

Beat together butter, brown sugar and cinnamon until fluffy. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla and beat. Add milk to desired consistency.

Frost and you're good to go!

Oh My Gosh "Rolls"

You can't really call them rolls. But by calling them rolls, I forget about all the sugar that I am putting in my body. But I really don't care. BECAUSE THIS IS AMAZING.

Spencer has been bugging me to make these for weeks. He saw them on my pinterest and of all 300+ desserts on there - this is the one he kept requesting. I finally gave in and made them tonight. OH MY GOSH. CRESCENT ROLLS. MARSHMALLOWS. CINNAMON SUGAR. BUTTER. HEAVEN.

Okay so now that I have thoroughly convinced you to try this... here's how to do it.

Oh My Gosh "Rolls"
(Recipe from Eat At Allie's - she calls them resurrection rolls and tells her kids the Easter story - cute!)

1 can of crescent rolls
melted butter
cinnamon sugar
8 large marshmallows

Lay wax paper on a baking sheet. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lay out crescent rolls. Dip a marshmallow in the butter than roll it in the cinnamon sugar. Roll it up in the crescent roll and make sure to pinch the edges snug. Bake for 10-12 minutes and enjoy!

Peanut Butter Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies

These cookies...are incredible. And incredibly soft. And contain an incredible combination - peanut butter + bananas + chocolate.

Oh man.

Peanut Butter Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies
(Recipe from How Sweet It Is)

1 cup + 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
1 cup + 1 teaspoon whole wheat pastry flour (or you can just do all all-purpose flour)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons of unsalted butter, melted and cooled
6 tablespoons of creamy peanut butter, melted and cooled
1 cup loosely packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 egg yolk, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 ripe medium bananas, mashed
1 1/4 cups milk chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Prepare the butter and the peanut butter by measuring them melting them in the microwave - so that you can get it in the fridge and cooling.

Mix the flours, baking soda and salt in a bowl and set aside. In another large bowl, whisk together cooled butter and cooled peanut butter with both sugars until combined. Whisk in egg yolk and vanilla extract until smooth. Add in the mashed banana and mix until combined - mixture will not be smooth. Gradually add in the dry ingredients and fold in chocolate chips.

Using an ice cream scoop, shape the dough into the size of a golfball and place on nonstick baking sheet about 2 inches apart from each other. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the edges are golden and the middles are puffy - do not overbake! Let cool and then eat!!! 

They will stay very soft because of the banana - even after a couple of days. 

We made our cookie into ice cream sandwiches - they were amazing!!!

Lemonade Cake

I know you're saying, "what?! lemonade in a cake?!" 

Yeah. I did too. So I made it. And woah. Woah. WOAH. 

Lemonade Cake

Cake:

1 1/3 cups granulated sugar

6 Tbsp. butter, softened

1 Tbsp. grated lemon rind

3 Tbsp. thawed lemonade concentrate

2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 large eggs

2 large egg whites

2 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/4 cups fat-free buttermilk

Cooking spray

Frosting:

2 Tbsp. butter, softened 

2 tsp. grated lemon rind

2 tsp. thawed lemonade concentrate

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

8 oz. 1/3-less-fat cream cheese

3 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Serve with raspberries and yogurt ice cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

To prepare cake, place sugar, butter, lemon rind, lemonade concentrate and vanilla in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended (about 5 minutes). Add eggs and egg whites, 1 at at time, beating well after each addition. Combine flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda; stir well with a whisk. Add flour mixture; beat well after each addition. 

Using wax paper, trace two circles of the bottom of a round 9-inch cake pan and cut out. Place into the bottom of the pan and it will really help the cake to come out cleanly after it is baked. Pour batter into 2 (9-inch) round cake pans coated with cooking spray; sharply tap pans once on counter to remove air bubbles. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until tooth pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans for 10 minutes on a wire rack, remove from pans. Cool completely on a wire rack and remove wax paper from bottom once cooled. 

To prepare frosting, place 2 tablespoons butter, lemon rind, lemonade concentrate, vanilla extract and cream cheese in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at high speed until fluffy. Add powdered sugar, and beat at low speed just until blended (do not overbeat). Chill 1 hour. 

Place 1 cake layer on a plate; spread with 1/2 cup frosting. Top with remaining cake layer. Spread remaining frosting over top and sides of cake. Store cake loosely covered in the refrigerator. 

Peanut Butter S'mores Bars

At Spencer's request I made these yummy bars :) They were very easy and quite delicious! 

Peanut Butter S'mores Bars
(Recipe from The Sweet Life)

Makes: 16 large/20 small squares

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 1/4 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup graham cracker crumbs
• 16 peanut butter cups, regular size
• 1 1/2 cups marshmallow fluff

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Line an 8×8 baking dishing with parchment paper; coat lightly with cooking spray (don't forget the sides).
2. In a large bowl of the bowl of stand mixer, beat butter and sugars until fluffy.  Beat in egg and vanilla until combined.  Scrape down the sides.  With the mixer on low, stir in the flour, baking powder, salt, and graham cracker crumbs until mixed.
3. Spread 2/3 of the dough on the bottom of the prepared baking dish.  Lightly press the peanut butter cups into the dough, then spread marshmallow fluff on top.  Press the remaining dough on a non-stick surface into the shape of an 8×8 square.  Place the square on top of the fluff and press down lightly.
4. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the edges just begin to brown.  Allow to cool for at least two hours* to give the bars a chance to set, then remove from the pan and cut into squares with a large, sharp knife.

*We only let them sit for an hour or so because we were too hungry :) They were great warm but also very good the next day once they had set in the refridgerator.

Strawberry Shortcakes with Lemon Cream

Made these for our first BBQ of the summer! They were delicious! A perfect summer dessert!

Strawberry Shortcakes with Lemon Cream
(Recipe from Food and Wine Magazine)


Recipe says it makes 6 - but it made 8 for me. Granted mine were probably smaller than the recipe called for. 

BISCUITS

1. 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
2. 3/4 cup cake flour
3. 3 tablespoons sugar
4. 2 teaspoons baking powder
5. 1/2 teaspoon salt
6. 6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cubed, plus 1 1/2 tablespoons melted butter
7. 1 cup heavy cream
8. 1 1/2 tablespoons turbinado sugar (buy it - it's totally worth it! Makes them really good!)

LEMON CREAM

1. Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
2. 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice, preferably from Meyer lemons
3. 2 1/2 tablespoons sugar
4. 1 large egg
5. 1 large egg yolk
6. Pinch of salt
7. 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
8. 1 cup heavy cream

STRAWBERRIES

1. 2 pints strawberries, quartered
2. 2 tablespoons sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 375°. In a large bowl, whisk the all-purpose and cake flours with the sugar, baking powder and salt. Using a pastry blender or 2 knives, cut in the cold butter until it is the size of small peas. Stir in the cream until a shaggy dough forms.
2. Turn the dough out onto a very lightly floured surface and knead 2 or 3 times, just until it comes together. Roll the dough into a 7-inch round, about 3/4 inch thick. Using a 2 3/4-inch or 3-inch biscuit cutter (or a cup!), stamp out 5 biscuits. Gently gather the scraps and reroll them; cut out 1 more round so you have a total of 6 biscuits.
3. Transfer the biscuits to a baking sheet and brush with the melted butter. Sprinkle the turbinado sugar on top and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the biscuits are golden. Let cool.
4. Set a strainer over a medium bowl. In a small saucepan, combine half of the lemon zest with the lemon juice, sugar, egg, egg yolk, salt and 1 tablespoon of the butter. Cook over moderate heat, whisking constantly, until thickened, about 5 minutes. Immediately strain the curd into the bowl. Whisk in the remaining lemon zest and 2 tablespoons of butter. Press plastic wrap directly onto the surface and refrigerate until cool, about 15 minutes.
5. In a medium bowl, softly whip the cream. Fold the lemon curd into the whipped cream and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes.
6. In a medium bowl, toss the strawberries with the sugar and let stand for 15 minutes.
7. Split the biscuits in half and arrange the bottom halves on plates. Mound the lemon cream on the biscuits, top with the strawberries and their juices and replace the tops. Serve right away.

MAKE AHEAD The biscuits can be stored in an airtight container overnight. Recrisp them in a warm oven and let cool before serving. The lemon curd can be refrigerated for up to 2 days. The lemon cream can be refrigerated for up to 2 hours.

Cookie Dough Cupcakes

I'm on a baking spree! I've only got a floor full of hungry college students for two more days so I'm taking advantage of it while I can!

I had some left over cookie dough in my freezer so I thought I'd try combining my favorites - cookie dough and cupcakes!

Cookie Dough Cupcakes
(idea from Ice Cream Before Dinner)

Frozen cookie dough - you don't need too much, maybe 10 cookies worth?
Vanilla cake mix
3 eggs
1 cup water
1/3 cup oil
Frosting

First, thaw your cookie dough so that you can reform it into little balls - about the size of a marble, maybe just a little bigger. And then refreeze.

I cheated and used a cake mix (sorry!!) but it was quicker and I could use my meal points. Make the cupcakes according to the instructions on the box and then when you fill the cupcake liners, do just a little bit less than normal. Not too much, but the cookie dough ball will take up some of the volume. Plop a cookie dough ball right in the middle and bake for 18-21 minutes!

They should come out looking just like normal cupcakes and your guests will have no idea what surprise is in store for them! Once cooled, frost the cupcakes (again I just used a store bought :/) and garnish with some cookie crumbs! (I baked the left over cookie dough and then broke up the cookies to put on top)

Nutella Cheesecake Bars

I leave for home in 4 days! In the meantime, I have lots of mealpoints to spend and lots of time to procrastinate from studying! I saw this recipe and remembered that the little grocery store on campus (where you can use meal points) sells nutella, cream cheese and mini oreos! Perfecto!

Nutella Cheesecake Bars
(Recipe from Tide and Thyme)


2 cups Oreo crumbs (1 8oz pgk of mini oreo bites is equivalent)
1/2 stick unsalted butter, melted
16 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
2 eggs, at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup Nutella


Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Butter an 8×8 baking dish and line with parchment paper, making sure that the parchment is well pressed in the corners.  Set aside.


Now you can do this two ways 1) with a food processor or 2) with a mixer. The original recipe calls for a food processor but as I am limited on cooking items in my dorm kitchen I just used my hand mixer. 

So in a food processor, pulse Oreos until they become crumbs or crush the oreos in a baggie with a ladle :D. Add in melted butter to food processor and pulse until moistened or put the oreos and the melted butter in a bowl and beat until moistened. Press Oreo mixture evenly into the bottom of your baking dish.  Bake crust until set, about 12 minutes.  Set aside to cool.


Clean out the food processor or your bowl. Add cream cheese, eggs, sugar, ¼ cup heavy cream, and vanilla. Pulse or beat until smooth.  Put 2/3 of the cream cheese mixture in a bowl and set aside.  Add Nutella and 1 tablespoon of heavy cream to the remaining 1/3 cream cheese mixture in the processor or bowl and pulse or beat until smooth.  

To assemble: spread the plain cheesecake mixture over the cooled Oreo crust, being careful of the crust. Then pour the Nutella cheesecake layer on top of the plain cheesecake layer and spread evenly. Be careful to pour the Nutella part all over so you don't mess up the layers when making it even. Bake on the center rack of the oven for about 35 minutes, or until the center jiggles slightly.  Remove from the oven and cool completely on a cooling rack.  Refrigerate for at least 3 hours.

Angel Food Cupcakes with Strawberry Buttercream

I know. How perfectly amazing does that sound?

It's getting pretty warm here in St. Louis and that makes me excited for summer - which makes me excited for yummy summer treats! And what is more summery than angel food cake?

Well, I thought I'd try making angel food cupcakes since I had never heard of anybody making them before! They turned out great! Especially with the strawberry buttercream :)

Angel Food Cupcakes with Strawberry Buttercream

Cupcakes:
1 box angel food cake
Strawberry jam

Strawberry Buttercream:
(Recipe from Baked Perfection)

2 sticks of butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup strawberry filling (strawberry jam or preserves can be substituted)
pinch of salt
6 cups powdered sugar
2-3 tablespoons milk
Fresh strawberries for garnish

I used a box of angel food cake (gasp! sorry, limited on baking ingredients in my dorm) and just poured them into the muffin tins. Be sure to use cupcake liners! It gets sticky!

Optional, but amazing - fill the cupcakes with strawberry jellly!
Once cupcakes are cooled, use a teaspoon to scoop out a hole in the top of the cupcake. Take that part out but keep it, no eating! Scoop some jelly into the hole and cover it up with the top! Now frost the cupcakes!

Then for the buttercream,
Beat butter and vanilla until creamy. Mix in strawberry filling and salt. Add powdered sugar 1 cup at a time, beating until combined. Add milk 1 tablespoon at a time until you reach desired consistency.

Top with fresh strawberries!

Salted Caramel Cupcakes

Moist chocolate cake filled with homemade caramel... topped with vanilla butter cream and seasalt? What could be better?!!

I am in love with salted caramel anything - chocolates, cupcakes, cookies, ice cream, you name it!

This is one of my favorite salted caramel concotions - they are my go-to "need to take cupcakes to a party" cupcakes and they are always a hit!

I made them last weekend because I had told so many people here at school about them, but hadn't made them yet! They are on the complicated side - with lots of ingredients - so it's been hard to find the time and all the ingredients! But with classes behind me and reading week ahead of me - I went for it! My floor and all my friends loved them!

The chocolate cake that I use is pretty incredible too. So if you're just looking for a basic chocolate cupcake recipe - try these out!

Salted Caramel Cupcakes – Makes 36


Cupcakes
2 C. flour
1 C cocoa powder
1 ½ tsp baking powder
1 ½ tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
2 C granulated sugar
1 cup milk
1 stick melted butter
2/3 c melted chocolate
2 tsp vanilla
1 C sour cream


Chardonnay Caramel Sauce (Store bought caramel works just as well)
1 C sugar
1 stick butter
½ C heavy whipping cream
1/4 C oak vatted Chardonnay


Butter Cream
2 stick butter
1 tsp vanilla
6 C powdered sugar
3-5 tbsp milk



Make the caramel sauce first and stick it in the fridge; it will still pour just fine after being in there and won't be completely absorbed by the cake when you fill the cupcakes.


Caramel Sauce
Heat sugar and on medium high (any hotter and you'll have sugar flying all over your kitchen!) in heavy 2 quart saucepan and stir. When the sugar starts to boil (and all the sugar is melted) add butter to pan and whisk until melted. Remove pan from heat and let cool about 5 seconds. Whisk in cream. (It will foam and that’s good) Whisk until smooth. Add Chardonnay while hot and whisk together. Remove from pan into a glass jar to store. Can be premade. 

CupCakes
Preheat oven to 350. Line Muffin Tins with Cupcake Liners. Sift together Flour, Cocoa Powder, Baking Soda, Baking Powder and Salt. Beat eggs and sugar. Add Milk, Butter, Chocolate, Vanilla and Sour Cream. Add Dry ingredients. Beat at medium for 2-3 minutes. Pour Batter 2/3 full in muffin tins. Cook for 8-12 minutes until toothpick comes out clean. The cake is pretty fine (read: crumbles easily) and the less you handle the cake the better.


Butter Cream
Cream butter and vanilla. Add Confectioner’s Sugar in 1 cup increments. Add Milk to desired thickness. Beat on high about 4 minutes


Assembly
Once cupcakes are cooled, use a teaspoon to scoop out a hole in the top of the cupcake. Take that part out but keep it! No eating! Pour caramel sauce into the hole. Replace the top and then frost the cupcakes! Drizzle caramel sauce over the top if you'd like and sprinkle with sea salt. Enjoy!