Watermelon Cake Balls

I know a lot of you food bloggers are already doing this, but you've got to check out pinterest.com. It's a really fun website full of ideas, and ways to file and bookmark your ideas for others to see. I've found a ton of great ideas, including these little babies.







I so wish I could have gotten a better picture of these, but when you're away from home and out of your element it doesn't always work out. The kids and I made these cake balls and they were as delicious as they were cute. I needed to hurry and post these because it's not too late, there's still two weeks left of summer, right? :)



Watermelon Cake Balls



Ingredients



1 strawberry cake mix, prepared according to directions

1 tub strawberry frosting, or vanilla frosting, colored red

1-1 1/2 chocolate chips

1 bag white almond bark

1 bad green chocolate melts (I like Wilton the best) or white chocolate colored green (be sure to add coloring BEFORE you melt it, otherwise the chocolate will seize)



Directions



Crumble cake mix into a large bowl. Add entire tub of frosting and chocolate chips, mix until completely combined. Roll into balls the size of a bouncy ball. Freeze for at least a half hour. Lay out a long sheet of wax paper on the counter. Melt your white chocolate (I usually melt the chocolate a third of the bag at a time). Using a spoon, completely dip the cake ball in chocolate, tapping off excess. Dry on wax paper. Repeat the same steps with green chocolate. Allow to dry and eat, after everyone admires the cuteness of course. :)

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Happy Day of Love my friends! Throughout my life, Valentine's day and I have gone through a wave of good times and bad.

It's great when you're six and collecting sugar filled Valentine's from your friends.

Bad when you're sixteen, single and watching all of your friends take home flowers from their boyfriends.

Amazing when you're nineteen and have found the love of your life that you plan to spend forever and ever with.

Horrible when you're twenty one and realize that plans have changed.

And it's elating when you're twenty-eerhf and you wake up to the man and children that really have become your forever and ever. I still don't know how I got so lucky to have such a sweet family, I just love them!

But being the broke students that we are, Valentine's day is one holiday that we don't celebrate much. Usually a nice dinner suffices. And after visiting some amazing food blogs for ideas, here is what I plan to make.

Kim, one of my favorite blog friends from Stirring the Pot, completely knocked my socks off with this Triple Pork Split Pea Soup. Thick flavorful bright soup filled with three different kinds of pork. And as you'll remember, I do love pig!



I just barely met Megan from Food and Whine, but I already love her blog. She has these fun Jello Hearts that I know my kids will go nuts for.


And for dessert I turned to Deborah from Taste and Tell, who devoted some time experimenting with red velvet. It was so hard to choose what to choose from her lineup, but I finally decided on these Red Velvet and Strawberry Trifles because my daughter loves strawberries. How pretty do they look!


And that is how I will be spending my evening with the people that I love. I hope you all have a wonderful day with your loved ones too!

Banana-Butterscotch Upside-Down Chocolate Cake

I recently bought this book, because if there's one thing I need, it's a cookbook dedicated to nothing but chocolate cakes, am I right?



I haven't made too many things out of it yet, mostly for the sake of my never-ending diet, but it did come in handy when I had a few bananas that were reaching the end of their lives. What is it about those last two or three bananas? We are never able to finish off that bunch. But when you get something like this as a result it's hard to complain too much. It was fun to make a cake so different like this, and my favorite part was the butterscotch sauce. The recipe is a bit extensive, but it's still a surprisingly easy cake to put together. Enjoy!

Banana-Butterscotch Upside-Down Chocolate Cake
By Chocolate Cakes

Ingredients

BUTTERSCOTCH SAUCE:
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup unsalted butter at room temp
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup golden corn syrup (I just used light)
3 large ripe but firm bananas, cut into 1/2 inches

CAKE:
1 cup cake flour
1/3 cup unsweetened dutch-process cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temp
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
2/3 cup buttermilk


Directions

1. Position a rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat to 350. Butter a 9-inch square baking pan with side 2 inches high. Line with a piece of aluminum foil long enough to extend over opposite sides of the pan.

2. To make the butterscotch sauce: In a medium saucepan, cook the cream, butter, brown and granulated sugars, salt, and corn syrup over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the butter and sugars are melted. Increase the heat to medium-high, bring the sauce to a boil, and boil, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Pour the sauce into the prepared pa n, tilting the pan if necessary to spread it evenly. Arrange the banana slices in rows over the sauce, placing them close together. Set aside.

3. To make cake, sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl and set aside. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the butter and granulated and brown sugars until smoothly blended, about 2 minutes. Stop the mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the eggs one at a time, beating until each is blended smoothly into the batter and the batter looks creamy, about 2 minutes. Mix in the vanilla. On low speed, add half of the flour mixture, mixing just to incorporate it. Mix in the buttermilk to blend it into the batter. Mix in the remaining flour mixture until it is incorporated and the batter is smooth. Scrape the batter evenly over the bananas. Gently smooth the top.

4. Bake just until the top feels firm when lightly touched and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake, but not the bananas, comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Cool the cake in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Invert the cake onto the rack. Carefully remove and discard the foil. If any bananas stick to the foil, replace them on the cake. Cool the cake thoroughly on the wire rack for about 1 hour. Transfer the cake to a serving plate.

Sometimes you win and sometimes you lose when trying new recipes. This chocolate peanut butter mousse cake was unfortunately a loss for me. The cake was too dry, the mousse was too sweet and the ganache was a bit bitter for my taste, such a bummer because it was SO MUCH WORK! Oh well, live and learn right! Here's hoping for a win on my next cake!

Strawberry Bundt Cake With Lemon Glaze

I always feel a bit like a cheater whenever I make something out of a boxed mix, especially cake. I mean, c'mon, we all do it, but I always feel that little voice in the back of my head squealing "you could be making this from scratch you lazy bum!"

That's why I'm grateful for recipes like this. It's been completely dolled up as a lovely homemade strawberry cake, swimming in sweet lemon glaze, just begging to be soaked up and licked off the plate. No one needs to know that it took about two minutes to mix up and cost about five dollars. It can be our little secret.

Strawberry Bundt Cake with Lemon Glaze
By Recipezaar

Ingredients

Cake
1 (18 1/4 ounce) box strawberry cake mix (Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe)
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 cup water
3 large eggs
2 tablespoons sour cream (heaping tablespoons)
2/3 cup strawberry (either fresh strawberries pulsed a few times with food processor or strawberry pie filling drained w)
1 dash cooking spray (Bakers Joy works best)

Lemon Glaze
1 3/4 cups powdered confectioners' sugar (or 2 cups if thicker texture desired)
5 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Directions

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray Bundt or tube pan with Bakers Joy (or spray two 8" pans with cooking spray to make layer cake).

2.Blend together cake mix, oil, water, eggs, and sour cream in large bowl on low speed for 1 minute then medium high speed for 2 minutes.

3.Pulse strawberries a few times until chopped (be careful not to puree them) then stir those into batter by hand then pour batter into Bundt pan (or round pans).

4.Bake for 35-40 minutes for bundt pan until done (bake 30 min for round pans). Remove from oven & let cool in pans on wire rack for 15 minutes before removing from pan.

5.Cool completely then glaze by combining the powdered sugar & lemon juice - whisk together until creamy then drizzle over top and sides of cake.

Molten Chocolate Cakes

Okay, I'm definitely holding my breath, but I think my trusty computer might make it after all. It has been requiring a bit more TLC than normal, but hopefully with a bit of pampering it will pull through for me afterall...please!

I love these cakes for so many reasons. They're rather impressive, a bit fancy and great for entertaining. But, they're also great when you're a lazy baker like me. They require very few ingredients, all thrown into the same bowl, mixed and poured into muffin tins, and voila! Delicious chewy cake on the outside, rich, molten chocolate pouring out of the inside. Serve with ice cream, and you'll have a happy crowd on your hands. Plus, the fact that they're fairly small won't make you feel TOO guilty when you have more than one!

Molten Chocolate Cakes
Great Food Fast, By Martha Stewart

Ingredients

4 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature, with extra for greasing muffin pan
1/3 cup granulated sugar, with extra for dusting pan
3 large eggs
1/3 cup all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 oz bittersweet chocolate, melted

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400F. Generously butter 4 cups of a standard muffin tin. Dust with granulated sugar, and tap out excess. Set aside.

2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and granulated sugar until fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. With the mixer on low speed, beat in the flour and salt until just combined. Beat in the chocolate (do not overmix). Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups.

3. Place the muffin tin on a baking sheet; bake just until the tops of the cakes no longer jiggle when the pan is lightly shaken, 8-10 minutes. Remove from oven; let stand for 10 minutes.

4. To serve, turn out the cakes and place on serving plates, top sides up.

Mint and Chocolate Capped Brownie Bites

As I've mentioned, I really love this time of year. I love going to the mall and looking at how cute they've decorated it. I love the sparkling street lights. And I LOVE LOVE LOVE that you can buy all the mint chocolate you want! My favorites are the Hershey's mint kisses, with the candy cane ones coming in at a close second. They only come out at Christmas time, which I kind of like because it keeps them a real treat. Do any of you have your special treat that you only eat during the holidays?

Anyway, I found this recipe on the bag and I had to make them. After all, the only thing better than a mint chocolate truffle, is a mint chocolate truffle attached to a brownie. The fun thing about these is that you could really make them with any of the different flavors of kisses out there, cherry, coconut, almond, caramel, etc. They were fun to make and really tasty, the only thing I would do different next time is to just forget the little cupcake papers. They stuck to the brownie bites and just got in the way of eating them, otherwise, they're wonderful!

Mint Capped Brownie Bites

Ingredients

48 Kisses, flavor of your choice
2/3 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 tablespoon water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
powdered sugar

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350 F. Line 48 small muffin cups with paper or foil mini muffin cups. Remove wrappers from chocolate.

2. Beat butter, sugar, water and vanilla in a large bowl on medium speed of mixer until well blended. Add eggs; beat well.

3. Stir together flour, coca, salt, and baking soda. Gradually add to sugar mixture, beating on low speed just until blended. If necessary, refrigerate dough until firm enough to handle. Shape dough into 1-inch balls; place in prepared muffin cups.

4. Bake 11-13 minutes, or until cookie surface is set. Cookies will appear soft and moist. Do not overbake. Cook about 5 minutes on wire rack. Press chocolate piece into center of each cookie bite. Cool completely and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Pumpkin Roll

Well, since the consensus from last post is that nobody is getting sick of pumpkin, then I'm not going to feel too bad about posting two very similar things in a row! I actually did make this because I had SO much cream cheese frosting left over from the cake, that I desperately needed something to do with it. I had never made a pumpkin roll before, and in all honesty, they totally intimidated me with all the steps. I was so worried that I was going to put in all the work and then end up with a total disaster on my hands (it's happened once, or twice before!)

But, really it ended up being a pretty easy, I think following the directions well and not getting impatient is the key. If I was as thoughtful as many of you out there, I would have pictures of the whole process for you, but my brain isn't quite that forward thinking yet, I'll get there! My cake did crack just a bit on the top, but after it was sliced, it wasn't even noticeable. Once again, the thing that makes this roll so dang good is that cream cheese frosting, it's the perfect compliment to the pumpkin!

Pumpkin Roll
By Allrecipes.com

Ingredients

3 eggs
1 cup white sugar
2/3 cup canned pumpkin
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
confectioners' sugar for dusting

1 cup confectioners' sugar
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons butter, softened
8 ounces cream cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease a 15x10x1 inch baking pan and line with parchment paper. Grease and flour the paper.

2. In a large bowl, beat eggs on high for five minutes. Gradually add white sugar and pumpkin. Add flour, cinnamon, and baking soda. Spread batter evenly in pan. Sprinkle walnuts evenly on top.

3. Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 15 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touched. Immediately turn out onto a linen towel dusted with confectioners sugar. Peel off paper and roll cake up in the towel, starting with the short end. Cool.

4. To Make Filling: Mix confectioners sugar, vanilla, butter or margarine, and cream cheese together till smooth.

5. Carefully unroll the cake. Spread filling over cake to within 1 inch of edges. Roll up again. Cover and chill until serving. Dust with additional confectioners' sugar, if desired.

Pumpkin Spice Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Have we gotten sick of pumpkin yet? I hope not, because I sure haven't! The thing I love about pumpkin is how versatile it is. I've seen it in just about everything, including chili! It's fantastic, and good for you.

I liked this cake for it's "semi-homemade" quality. A boxed spice cake, and a few other ingredients, and you're made in the shade. It's a very soft, velvety cake which is the perfect canvas for that sinfully rich cream cheese frosting. Eat up!

Pumpkin Spice Cake
By Taste of Home Baking Book

Ingredients

1 package spice cake mix
3 eggs
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 package instant vanilla pudding (3.4 oz)
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped pecans (I used almonds, but I think pecans would be better)
Cream Cheese Frosting (recipe follows)

Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine the dry cake mix, eggs, pumpkin, water, oil, pudding mix and cinnamon. Beat on medium speed for 5 minutes. Stir in pecans.

2. Pour into a greased and floured 10-inch fluted tube pan. Bake at 350 for 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of cake comes out clean. Cook for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completely. Frost cake or serve with whipped cream. Store in the refrigerator.

Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients

6 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
5-6 cups powdered sugar

Directions

In a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, butter, vanilla and salt until smooth. Gradually beat in confectioners sugar. Store in fridge.

Strawberry Banana Trifle

I went to the park today with my kids and the air had that beautiful fall crispness to it that felt so good. I love summer, but I really love fall, so I'm welcoming it with open arms. However, I have loads of summer recipes from the previous months that I really want to share before it's too late!

I think trifles are fun. I love assembling them with their colorful and delicious layers that look so pretty when it's all put together. It's an impressive looking dessert that requires little effort, my favorite kind!

Strawberry Banana Trifle
Found in Taste of Home, Picnics, Potlucks and BBQs

Ingredients

1 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
3 tablespoons strawberry gelatin powder (Jello)
1 cup cold water
1 pint fresh strawberries, sliced
1 3/4 cup cold milk
1 package (3.4 oz) instant vanilla pudding mix
3 medium firm bananas, sliced
1 tablespoon lemon juice
6 cups cubed angel food cake
2 cups heavy whipping cream, whipped
additional strawberry and banana slices for garnish

Directions

1. In a saucepan, combine the sugar, cornstarch and gelatin; stir in water until smooth. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for two minutes or until thickened. Remove from the heat. Stir in strawberries; set aside.

2. In a large mixing bowl, combine milk and pudding mix. Beat on low speed for 2 minutes, set aside. Toss bananas with lemon juice, drain and set aside.

3. Place half of the cake cubes in a trifle bowl or 3-qt serving bowl. Layer with half of the pudding, bananas, strawberry sauce and whipped cream. Repeat layers. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Garnish with additional fruit if desired.

S'mores Cakeballs, and Going on Vacation!

Sorry about the picture, I was too busy shoving them in my mouth to take a good photo!

Hello my friends! Can you believe it's almost August, where does the time go? We are getting packed and ready to take a three week vacation with my family, one week in San Diego, and two weeks in Idaho. After that, we're coming home to be greeted by Glenn's parents up until school starts back up. Whew, what a month! I'm very excited, I just hope our kids survive all the traveling and the nonstop schedule. So, because of our month ahead, I decided that it would probably be easier on everyone if I just took a month off the blog as well. I'm not even sure if I'll have access to the computer during that time, and I'd really like to devote every second I get to my family. I'll definitely be back in September, and hopefully with a lot of fun recipes cooked up by me and my mom during our trip! I'm going to miss you guys and I'll definitely look forward to catching up when I get back!

So, I figured since I'm the cakeball crazy, I may as well take off with my last cakeball creation. A while ago my friend suggested that I try s'mores cakeballs, and it didn't take long at all for them to materialize. They were so yummy and had all the delicious flavor of s'mores, sans the campfire. The one thing I would not do again is roll them in graham crackers. It tastes good the day they are made, but they soften over time and add an undesirable texture. Enjoy!

S'more's Cakeballs

Ingredients

1 devil's food cake mix, prepared according to directions
1 large container marshmallow fluff
1 cellophane package graham crackers, ground into crumbs
1 bag milk chocolate chips
1 scoop Crisco, if desired

Directions

Crumble the cake into a large bowl. Add entire jar of marshmallow fluff, as well as graham cracker crumbs, and mix until completely combined. Roll into small balls, just a little bigger then marbles, place on plate. Freeze for 1-2 hours. Melt chocolate chips and Crisco, either in microwave, or over a double boiler. Put cakeball into chocolate and spoon chocolate over cakeballs. Use spoon to scoop up cakeball and tap off excess chocolate. Place on wax paper to dry and cool. Store in the fridge.

Have a wonderful month everyone and I'll see you in the fall!!

Lemon White Chocolate Cakeballs

I would tell you that this will be my last cakeball post, but that would be lying, and my mama taught me to be honest. I'm obsessed, it's an illness, I'm okay with it.

I really liked this combination of lemon and white chocolate. I used an almond bark (does almond bark qualify as white chocolate? it all tastes the same to me), which made a beautifully crisp shell to encase the soft tangy lemon filling. The white chocolate was also a lot easier to dip for some reason, I think because it was thinner when melted.

However, these weren't my favorite. I liked them enough to eat them and share them, but there have been several others that I like a lot more. I think the milk and dark chocolate make for a much more flavorful shell. But, if you more into the citrus flavors rather then chocolate, you might find these a refreshing change!

Lemon White Chocolate Cakeballs

Ingredients

1 box lemon cake mix, baked according to directions
1 tub lemon frosting
1-1/2 bars almond bark
1 scoop Crisco (if desired)

Directions

After cake cools, crumble in a large bowl. Add entire tub of frosting, mix until evenly combined. Roll into small balls, freeze for 1-2 hours.

Melt white chocolate and Crisco either in the microwave or over a double boiler until thin. Place cakeball in white chocolate and use a spoon to pour chocolate over each cakeball until coated. Use spoon to scoop up cakeball and tap any excess chocolate on the side of the bowl. Lay on wax paper to cool and dry.

Store in the refrigerator.

Today is our sixth year anniversary! Check us out, all young and thin and naive!
Aw, I love my Glenn!

Also, I'm going to be MIA for a few days, my family is taking a camping trip up by Niagara Falls! I'm so excited, we haven't gone camping with the kids yet, so it should be an adventure! I look forward to catching up with you all when we get back!

Almond Joy Cakeballs

Have you gotten sick of the cakeballs yet, because I sure haven't! I am so in love with these little treats that they've almost become the only dessert I want to make. I am constantly thinking of new combinations and ways to make them, and they are just so delicious!

These have been my favorite so far. I love the Almond Joy candy bar, I could eat one after every single meal and be happy. It turned out to be the perfect thing to copy in a cakeball, and it was just as delicious.

This was actually the first time that I preferred dark bittersweet chocolate to milk chocolate when dipping these. The coconut cake filling is so sweet and rich that the dark chocolate is a beautiful contrast.

And after making cakeballs as many times as I have, I would recommend making these the day before you actually plan to serve them. They seem to taste so much better the next day and especially right out of the fridge!

Almond Joy Cakeballs

Ingredients

1 coconut cake mix, prepared according to directions on the box
1 tub cream cheese frosting
1-2 teaspoons coconut extract
1 cup shredded coconut
1 cup sliced almonds, toasted (to toast almonds, place in dry saute pan, stir constantly on medium heat until browned)
2-3 cups preferred chocolate for dipping
1-2 tablespoons of Crisco, optional

Directions

Crumble cake mix into a large bowl, cutting off the sides of the cake if you don't want the brown spots of the sides. Stir coconut extract into tub of frosting until you reach a desirable strength. Stir into cake mix until evenly combined. Stir in coconuts and almonds until evenly combined. Freeze for an hour until hardened.

The Crisco helps to thin chocolate out, which makes it easier to dip, and hardens the chocolate shell, but is not necessary. Combine chocolate and Crisco and melt either in the microwave or over a double boiler. Dip each cake ball with two spoons, using the spoon to tap off any excess chocolate. Lay on wax paper to cool and harden. Store covered in the fridge.

Butterfinger Cake Balls

There is a reality to be faced. It is summer, time to party, don't want to eat healthy. There, I said it. So, rather then apologizing everytime I post something scandalous, such as this, let's just face the facts, I love my treats!

I am a bit obsessed with cakeballs at the moment. I actually lay awake at night thinking of different combinations I can do with them. They are such a fun, different and delicious dessert to serve to guests, and there are about a million different combinations.

This combination was really yummy. I loved the yellow cake mix with chocolate frosting, and the Butterfinger on top was just another delicious bonus. I still maintain that milk chocolate is the best for dipping, as I tried that and semi-sweet again. The only thing I would do differently is adding chopped Butterfinger right on the cake itself, as well as on top. Next time right?

Ingredients

1 yellow cake mix
1 tub chocolate frosting
1 large bag milk chocolate chips
3-4 large Butterfingers bars crumbled

Directions

Bake yellow cake according to directions. Once mostly cooled, crumble into a bowl. Stir in chocolate frosting until completely combined into a dough. Roll into small balls. Insert toothpicks for easy dipping and freeze for 1-2 hours.

Once the cake balls are hardened, melt your chocolate. I have melted it in a double boiler, and I have melted it in the microwave, and I can't tell much of a difference, you just want to move quickly. Right after dipping them in chocolate, dip the tops in the candy, and place on wax paper, candy side down, for at least an hour to dry.

Turn over so balls are candy side up and devour. Try to stop at just one, I dare ya!

Chocolate Chip Cake

A few weeks ago we celebrated my sons birthday by going to visit some friends who lived a few hours away. After a few "discussions" about what kind of cake we should make for our boy (yeah, a couple that argues over baked treats, can you imagine!) I finally just let my husband decide, and he chose this one. I didn't know until after the fact that it had a layer of cinnamon and chocolate. I love those two ingredients separately, but I've never been a huge fan of them together, so I was a bit skeptical.

This cake is also not intended to be frosted, but when I told my friend that, he jumped out of his seat "what, no frosting? I don't care if a cake is made entirely of frosting, you still frost it!" Lol, so he pulled out a tub of frosting and the cake got a nice, last minute, layer of chocolate frosting.

Oh my gosh, this was a DELICIOUS cake. It really could be pulled off without the frosting, but it was so rich and delicious and I didn't mind the cinnamon-chocolate combo at all. The cake part itself has the consistency of a very soft pound cake, and it is YUMMY.

Here is a picture of my little boy being sung happy birthday too. Has any child ever looked so terrified?

Chocolate Chip Cake
Found in Taste of Homes Baking Book

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter, softened
1-1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup (8 oz) sour cream
3/4 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (this could easily be omitted)

Directions

1. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and 1 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder and baking soda; add to the creamed mixture alternately with sour cream, beating well after each addition.

2. Spread half of the batter into a greased 9-inch square baking pan. Sprinkle with chocolate chips. Combine cinnamon and remaining sugar; sprinkle over chips. Spread with remaining batter. Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool.

Nutty Orange Coffee Cake

Great Scott, I have hit the coffee cake jackpot! Paula Deen has done it again with this cream cheese miracle. I'm not a huge fan of the canned biscuits, I'd definitely rather make them myself, but in this case, they work out perfectly. These biscuits are stuffed with cream cheese, soaked in butter, dredged in orange flavored sugar and pecans, baked, and then glazed. I'll give you guys a moment to compose yourself.


My favorite part was eating them warm and enjoying the melted cream cheese gushing from each little roll. I would consider these more of a monkey bread then a coffee cake, but that doesn't mean that I still wouldn't eat it for breakfast!

Nutty Orange Coffee Cake
By Paula Deen

Ingredients

3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup chopped pecans (I used almonds, they were great)
2 teaspoons orange zest
2-12 oz cans refrigerated biscuits
1 8 oz package cream cheese
1 stick melted butter
1 cup confectioners sugar
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a small bowl, combine the granulated sugar, nuts,, and zest; set aside. Separate the biscuits. Place about 3/4 teaspoon cream cheese in the center of each biscuit. Fold each biscuit in half over the cheese, pressing the edges to seal. Dip the biscuits in melted butter, then dredge in the granulated sugar mixture. Place the biscuits, curved side down, in a single layer in the hollows of a lightly greased 12-cup bundt pan, spacing them evenly (do not stack). Place any remaining biscuits around the tube, filling any gaps. Drizzle any remaining butter over the biscuits, and sprinkle with any remaining sugar mixture. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until golden brown. Immediately invert the cake onto a serving platter. Combine the confectioners sugar and orange juice, stirring well; drizzle the glaze over a warm cake. Serve warm.

Strawberry Chocolate Cakeballs

If I ever want to lose weight, it's very important that I never make these again...yeah right!

Have you ever visited Bakerella's blog? If you are even remotely interested in baking, it's very important that you check out her site, her amazing pictures and recipes will have you drooling for days. She also makes the CUTEST cake pops that you have ever seen. And with her step by step directions, they seem so simple! I have no doubt that I'll be trying several variations of these magnificent little treats, but for my first time, I started very simply.

These were inspired by Melissa's strawberry cakeballs at Schweet 'N Savory, definitely check her blog out too, this girl's got such a headstart being such an accomplished cook at such a young age! I loved her idea of the strawberry cake wrapped inside a chocolate shell.

These were so simple and a lot of fun to make. It was nice having something to keep my hands busy while watching Arrested Development! I tried to drizzle them with white chocolate, but it just did not work out for me this time, better luck next time. They were also SO tasty, very creamy and almost reminded me of a truffle rather then cake. I can't WAIT to make these again.

Strawberry Chocolate Cakeballs

Ingredients

1 box strawberry cake mix
1 tub strawberry frosting
1-2 bags chocolate chips (I tried both milk chocolate and semisweet, I definitely preferred milk chocolate)

Directions

Prepare cake according to directions. Combine cake with frosting and mix in a bowl until completely combined (I actually felt that it was easier doing with while the cake was still slightly warm to help soften the frosting a bit). Once cake and frosting are mixed into a slurry, shape into balls, or whatever shapes you want. Chill for a few hours in the fridge or freezer (I blasted mine in the freezer for an hour). Melt chocolate chips. Dip each cake ball into the melted chocolate and coat completely. Lay on wax paper to cool and dry. Devour!

To get much better instructions and "how-to" pictures, check out Bakerella, she's the pro at these!

Lemon Curd Marbled Cheese Cake

I really wish I could take credit for this thing of beauty, yet alas, the credit for this marvelous cheesecake goes to another friend of mine. My only regret is that I didn't get a picture of the whole thing, it's so pretty.

I like cheesecake, but I don't love it. Usually it's too thick, or it's too rich and I can't eat much of it. But I could honestly eat this cheesecake all day and then dream about it at night. It has the perfect consistency, it's rich, but not overwhelming, and don't even get me started on how much I love the lemon/berry combination.

This recipe comes from Epicurious.com, and my friend clued me in on a few changes. She didn't add salt to the crust, to keep it from tasting like a pretzel (as some reviewers claimed it did). She also changed the baking time to a full hour, turned off her oven and let it sit for 20-30 minutes. She said to bake until the outer edge is firm and the center is wobbly. She also said that it's very important to run your lemon curd through a sieve to get out any lumps or rogue pieces of zest. Thanks again lady, it was to die for!

Lemon Curd Marbled Cheese Cake

Epicurious

Ingredients

For lemon curd
1 teaspoon finely grated fresh lemon zest
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

For crust
1 1/3 cups finely ground graham cracker crumbs (5 oz)
1/3 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

For filling
3 (8-oz) packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
3/4 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
Special equipment: a 9- to 91/2-inch (24-cm) springform pan
Accompaniment: blueberries (or any berry you prefer)

Directions

Make lemon curd:
Whisk together zest, juice, sugar, and eggs in a 2-quart heavy saucepan. Add butter and cook over moderately low heat, whisking frequently, until curd is thick enough to hold marks of whisk and first bubbles appear on surface, about 6 minutes.

Force lemon curd through a fine-mesh sieve into a wide shallow dish, scraping bottom of sieve, then cover surface with wax paper. Cool completely, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes.

Make and bake crust:
Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Invert bottom of springform pan (to make it easier to slide cake off bottom), then lock on side. 3Stir together crust ingredients in a bowl, then press onto bottom and 1 inch up side of springform pan. Place springform pan in a shallow baking pan and bake 10 minutes, then cool crust completely in springform pan on a rack.

Make filling and bake cheesecake:
Reduce oven temperature to 300°F.

Beat together cream cheese and sugar in a bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Reduce speed to low and add eggs 1 at a time, beating until incorporated. Beat in sour cream and vanilla until combined.

Pour two thirds of cream cheese filling into crust, then spoon half of lemon curd over filling and swirl curd into filling with a small knife. (Avoid touching crust with knife to prevent crumbs getting into filling.) Repeat with remaining filling and curd.

Bake cheesecake until set 1 1/2 inches from edge but center trembles when pan is gently shaken, about 45 minutes. (Center of cake will appear very loose but will continue to set as it cools.) Transfer springform pan to a rack and immediately run a knife around top edge of cake to loosen. Cool completely, about 2 hours, then chill, uncovered, at least 4 hours. Remove side of springform pan before serving.

Chocolate Almond Sheet Cake

My birthday was a few weeks ago, and while I'm not necessarily a big fan of getting older, it is fun to have a day (or two) to eat lots of yummy foods with minimal guilt. After all, nothing seems to justify erratic behavior like the phrase "it's my birthday!" Last year for my birthday my sweet husband made me this chocolate almond sheet cake, and it was so good that I ate half of it before he could even get candles on it (hey, it's my birthday!). This is a picture from last year, and you can't really tell, but the back half the cake is missing!



So this year to keep the tradition alive, I asked my husband for the same cake. He made me the entire recipe this time, so I wasn't able to eat half of it before he put the candles on, but I was able to get a good chunk out of it. You can see the part missing in the corner. He was able to get the cake away from me in time to have room left for the abundance of candles that it needed!


This cake is rich chocolatey goodness! I think was sets it apart from regular chocolate cake is the almond flavoring, it adds such a lovely depth. Also, since it's a sheet cake, the cake to frosting ratio is much more balanced then in normal cake, and I LOVE rich fudgey chocolate frosting.
Yes, this is a horrible picture, do you like all the pink candle wax, mmm waxy!

Chocolate Almond Sheet Cake

Ingredients

3/4 cup butter
1 cup water
1/4 cup baking cocoa
2 1/2 cups baking flour
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
FROSTING:
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup milk
3 cups confectioners sugar
1/4 cup baking cocoa
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. In a saucepan, bring the butter, water and cocoa to a boil over medium heat. Remove from the heat and cool the room temperature.

2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt. Beat in cocoa mixture. Add the eggs, buttermilk and extracts; mix well.

3. Pour into a greased 15-in. x 10-in. baking pan. Bake at 375 for 20-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack.

4. For frosting, place butter and milk in a saucepan. Cook and stir over medium heat until butter is melted. Remove from the heat; add remaining ingredients and beat well. Carefully spread over warm cake. Cool completely.

German Chocolate Cheesecake

This is a recipe I found on Priscilla Bakes, a wonderful food blog with gorgeous recipes. Shortly afterward I needed a good dessert to take to a baby shower, and this one instantly came to mind. I ended up being too sick to even go to the shower, but I still got great reviews on the cake, thanks Priscilla! The cream cheese filling is a great addition and even with all the layers, this is still a simple cake to prepare. I highly recommend this one, especially if you are a German Chocolate fan!

German Chocolate Cheesecake

Ingredients

1 package (18-1/4 ounces) German Chocolate cake mix
2 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
1-1/2 cups sugar
4 eggs, lightly beaten
FROSTING:
1 cup sugar
1 cup evaporated milk
1/2 cup butter, cubed
3 egg yolks, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2-1/2 cups flaked coconut
1-1/2 cup chopped pecans (my husband is allergic to pecans, so I would probably sub almonds, just FYI)

DIRECTIONS

Prepare cake batter according to package directions; set aside. In a small bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add eggs; beat on low speed just until combined. Pour half of the cake batter into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. Gently pour cream cheese mixture over batter. Gently spoon remaining batter over top; spread to edge of pan. Bake at 325° for 70-75 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack for 1 hour. For frosting, in a heavy saucepan, combine the sugar, milk, butter and egg yolks Cook and stir over medium-low heat until thickened and a thermometer reads 160° or is thick enough to coat the back of a metal spoon. Remove from the heat. Stir in vanilla; fold in coconut and pecans. Cool until frosting reaches spreading consistency. Frost cooled cake. Refrigerate leftovers.

Yield: 16 servings.

Pumpkin Cake with Caramel Sauce

I know that the season for pumpkin has passed, but please, is there really ever a bad time for pumpkin baked goods? I didn't think so. I loved this recipe because the cake itself literally takes five minutes to throw together and have in the oven, but then you make the caramel sauce right before serving it and you feel like you are serving up a very fancy dessert. The caramel sauce is a bit thinner, and tastes more like a "brown sugar sauce," that soaks into your cake, but I liked it a lot because it gave the cake a very old fashioned taste, very moist and full of flavor. If I was more of a forward thinking person, I would have had whipped cream, or vanilla bean ice cream to serve it with, but even by itself, it was delicious!

Pumpkin Cake with Caramel Sauce

Found in Taste of Home, Baking Book

Ingredients

2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
4 eggs
1 can (15 oz) solid pack pumpkin
1 cup vegetable oil

Caramel Sauce:
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
3 tablespoons all purpose flour
Dash salt
1 1/4 cups water
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions

1. In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking soda, nutmeg and salt. In another bowl, beat the eggs, pumpkin and oil until smooth; add to the dry ingredients. Mix until well blended, about 1 minute.

2. Pour into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking pan. Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.

3. For sauce, combine the brown sugar, flour and salt into saucepan. Stir in water and butter. Bring to a boil over medium heat; boil and stir for 3 minutes. Remove from the heat; stir in vanilla. Cut cake into squares and serve with warm sauce.