Weeks 36-52: Wow, really?

Holy smokes, I am so far behind on my blog that I've forgotten many of the things I've made.  Sorry, pals.  I'm still baking every weekend, and have made a variety of brownies, cakes, and other treats the last few months.  I can't believe it's been a year since I started my weekly baking habit. Time sure flies when you're eating sweets.

Here are a few pics of random treats from the past few months:

Cherry Blueberry Crisp

Bourbon Brownies with Chocolate Bourbon Frosting

Dark Chocolate Brownies with Chevre

And here are recipes I've promised to type up for a group of folks:

Sex in a Pan

Crust:
1 stick butter (melted)
1/4 cup sugar
2 cups graham cracker crumbs

Filling/topping:
8 oz cream cheese (room temperature)
1 cup powdered sugar
12 oz Cool Whip
small box chocolate instant pudding
small box vanilla instant pudding
3 cups milk
Optional - unsweetened cocoa powder and/or cinnamon
Combine crust ingredients and press into 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 for 8 minutes. Cool completely.

Blend cream cheese and powdered sugar til smooth (1-2 minutes with hand mixer). Stir in 4 oz Cool Whip. Spread over cooled crust. Mix puddings and milk, beat 2 minutes with hand mixer. Pour over cream cheese mixture. Top with 8 oz Cool Whip. Optional - sprinkle cinnamon and/or cocoa powder over top. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Variations:
1. Add a layer of sliced strawberries between cream cheese and pudding layers.
2. Swap out chocolate pudding for other flavors (e.g. butterscotch, banana, pistachio)


Cherry dump cake

1 can (20 oz) crushed pineapple, undrained

1 can (21 oz) cherry pie filling (can substitute peach, apple, or whatever else you like)

1 package (18.25 oz) plain yellow cake mix

12 tbls (1 1/2 sticks) butter, melted

1/2 cup grated coconut
1 cup chopped pecans

1. Place rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350.

2. Spoon the pineapple evenly over the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Cover the pineapple with pie filling. Pour the dry cake mix evenly over the fruit mixture so that it reaches all the sides of the pan. Drizzle the entire pan with the melted butter. Sprinkle the coconut and pecans over the top of the cake. Place the pan in the oven.

3. Bake the cake til it is deep brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake topping comes out clean, 55-60 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and place it on a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes.

Aztec brownies

12 oz semisweet chocolate chips

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

1 cup sugar

3 eggs
1 tbls instant espresso powder
1 tbls vanilla
3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1-2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup sliced almonds

1. Preheat oven to 350. Spray 13x9 pan with cooking spray. Linea pan with foil and spray foil (I skipped this step).

2. Place chocolate chips and butter in medium microwaveable bowl; microwave on high 30 seconds.  Stir until mixture is smooth. (If lumpy, microwave 10 seconds and stir again.

3. Whisk eggs, espresso powder, and vanilla in medium bowl til well blended.  Stir in warm chocolate mixture; set aside to cool 10 minutes. Whisk flour, baking powder, cinnamon, chili powder, and salt in large bowl; stir in chocolate mixture until well blended. Pour into prepared pan.

4. Bake 15 minutes; remove pan from oven and sprinkle with almonds. Bake 20 minutes longer or until top is no longer shiny and toothpick inserted into center comes out almost clean. (Do not overbake.) Cool completely in pan on wire rack before cutting into squares or triangles.

Key lime pie

Filling:

4 large egg yolks
4 tsp grated fresh lime zest
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup fresh lime juice (4-5 regular limes or 20 key limes)

Timing is important for this recipe; make the filling first, then the crust.

Graham cracker crust
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/3 cup sugar
6 tbls melted butter

Mix all ingredients and press into a 9 inch pie plate. Bake for 6-8 minutes at 325.

1. For the filling: Whisk egg yolks and zest together in a medium bowl until the mixture has a light green tint, about 2 minutes. Whisk in the condensed milk until smooth, then whisk in the lime juice. Cover the mixture and set aside at room temperature until thickened, about 30 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, prepare and bake the crust. Transfer the pie plate to a wire rack and leave the oven at 325. (The crust must still be warm when the filling is added).

3. Pour the thickened filling into the warm pie crust. Bake the pie until the center is firm but jiggles slightly when shaken, 15-20 minutes. Let the pie cool slightly on a wire rack, about 1 hour, then cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate until the filling is chilled and set, about 3 hours.

Week 35: Oreos!

A couple years back, one of my cowkrers told me about a homemade Oreo recipe that was delicious.  She passed it along, but I never got around to making it.  Reading through my Martha Stewart's Cookies cookbook, I discovered she had a recipe for homemeade Oreos as well (though she calls them "Cream-Filled Sandwich Cookies).  I call them yum.  I planned ahead and made a double batch so I'd actually have some to take to work tomorrow.

Check out this crackly goodness:

And even better, with cream filling!

And better yet...a table full of cookies!

The first batch I put in the oven were HUGE.  I decided that no one would eat them if I created sandwich cookies out of them.  Well, I would eat them.  But I suspect quite a few of my coworkers would shy away from eating a giant cookie sandwich.  So instead, I made some open-faced Oreos. Mmmm.

Lessons learned and recipe thoughts:

1. Do not substitute a 2" ice cream scoop for the 1 1/4" the recipe calls for.  Unless, of course, you want giant cookies.  If so, carry on.

2. Oreos are great.  But homemade Oreos are amazing.

3. I know I sound like a broken record, but this recipe is EASY.

Martha Stewart's Cream-Filled Chocolate Sandwiches

Ingredients

Makes about 30.

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 cups sugar, plus more for flattening cookies
10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 large egg, room temperature

Directions


1.Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Into a medium-size bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

2.In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream sugar and butter until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add egg; beat to combine. With mixer on low speed, gradually add the flour mixture; continue beating until dough is well combined.

3.Using a 1 1/4-inch ice cream scoop, drop dough onto parchment-lined baking sheets about 2 inches apart. Dip bottom of a glass in sugar; press to flatten cookies to about 1/8 inch thick. (You may need to carefully remove dough from glass with a thin metal spatula.)

4.Transfer to oven, and bake until cookies are firm, about 10 to 12 minutes, rotating baking sheets halfway through. Transfer baking sheets to wire racks to cool completely.

5.Place cream filling in a pastry bag fitted with a coupler, and pipe about 1 tablespoon filling onto the flat side of half the cookies. Place remaining cookies on top, and gently press on each to squeeze filling to edges. Filled cookies can be stored in airtight containers at room temperature up to 2 days.  
 
 
Vanilla Cream Filling

Ingredients


Makes about 1 cup <--- I did the math, and it's impossible for this recipe to only make 1 cup.  I made just a single batch of the filling to go with my double batch of cookies, and it was plenty.

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup solid vegetable shortening
3 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

Directions


1.In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and shortening until well combined. With mixer on low speed, gradually add the confectioners' sugar, and continue beating until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the vanilla, and beat to combine. Set aside at room temperature until ready to use.

Weeks 30-34: Lots of baking, not much typing

I knew I was behind on my blog, and coudln't quite remember what or when my last post was.  I laughed out loud (yes, lol) when I realized that my last post was the chocolate hazelnut disaster zone cake.  Not to worry, that disaster didn't prevent me from baking the next weekend.  Or any weekend since.  So here's what you've missed:

Week 30: Mardi Gras cupakes (yellow pound cake cupcakes with a simple glaze & SPRINKLES!)

Week 31: Ginger cheesecake bars (silly easy recipe, and a great one for ginger fans - check it out at http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/ginger-cheesecake-bars)

Week 32: Chocolate Rum icebox cake (oh my lord...so delicious & pretty! And I redeemed my whipped-cream-based filling disaster from hazelnut week!  Surprisingly easy to make.)

Week 33: Cinnamon streusal cake (holy crap, this might be one of my favorite cakes ever. EVER! It's basically a yellow cake with cinnamon streusal on top each layer and a generous coat of cream cheese frosting. YUM. I know I keep saying this, but this really was an easy recipe. Here's a pic of what was left after the Falzone clan dug in at my father-in-law's birthday party. This hunk made it's way into the office.)

Week 34: Smores bars (I was feeling tired & lazy, and didn't want to make anything that required effort. Huzzah, this was perfect!  Very few things are easier than this. Seriously...make a double recipe graham cracker crust & press on bottom of pan, then add a cup of chocolate chips & a cup of chopped nuts, pour a can of sweetened condensed milk over that, and then bake for 25 minutes at 350. Drop marshmallows on top & bake for another 2 minutes or til browned. I told you it was easy!)

Lessons learned and recipe thoughts:

1. I've typed too much.  All of the above = yum.

If you want any of the recipes, let me know!

Week 29: Chocolate hazelnut disaster

I got a new cookbook a couple weeks back (The Whimsical Bakehouse: Fun-to-Make Cakes That Taste as Good as They Look), and one of the recipes immediately caught my eye - Hazelnut cake with nutella whipped cream filling.  I love nutella, so wanted to give this one a try.

Disaster #1: our grocery store does not carry hazelnuts.

Plan B: bake a chocolate cake with nutella whipped cream filling and a nutella buttercream frosting. 

The assembly was going great for the first layer.  I created a nice dam of nutella buttercream around the edge of the layer, then filled it with nutella whipped cream.  "This is easy!" I thought to myself.  But I also thought..."huh, I used less than half of the whipped cream.  Maybe I should put extra on the next layer." 

Disaster #2: layer 2 was cracked.  Usually not a big deal if your filling is a nice, firm buttercream.

And now we're at disaster #3: if you put extra whipped cream and then press another layer of cake on top, everything will ooze out the side.  Everything.

Disaster #4: if layer 2 has cracked and part of it is no longer attached to the rest of the layer, it will ooze out in the "everything" ooze.

Disaster relief plan #1: use buttercream to pull the cake back together.  Fail.

Disaster relief plan #2: cut off the half of the cake that is broken and oozing, and push it onto a plate.  Plate cake = we'll just eat this at home.

And now I'm tying to sort out exactly what to do with the cake on the left.  It looks really bad.  No, seriously...it's bad.  Just look at it!

The sad part is, this cake is ridiculously delicious.  But I just don't know if I can bring myself to take it to the office.

Lessons learned and recipe thoughts:

1. Don't put extra whipped cream between layers.

2. I think part of the issue is that my whipped cream wasn't stiff enough.  Next time, I'll whip it a little longer.

3. This might work better as a two-layer cake.

4. Sigh.

Week 28: Peanut Butter Surprises

One of Brett Jr's favorite foods is peanut butter.  He eats it with just about everything.  And he loves it even better when it's combined with chocolate.  So when I saw this recipe for peanut butter cupcakes with chocolate frosting, I knew I had to make them.

Brett's review: "Mmm...I'd like to eat these again someday."

My review: "Holy smokes, these are yummy!"

So you start with a super simple peanut butter cupcake dough (a yellow cake mix with peanut butter added to the list of usual ingredients).  Before popping it in the oven, you drop a Hershey's kiss on top of each cupcake like so:

After they've cooled, you top with a chocolate buttercream, and then chopped peanut butter cups:

The Hershey's kiss drops to the bottom of the cupcake and makes a lovely little chocolate surprise:

Lessons learned and recipe thoughts:

1. Super simple cupcake recipe.

2. A great one to make with kids (they can place the Hershey's kiss on top of each cupcake, and help decorate the tops with chopped peanut butter cups).

3. Did I mention this recipe is super simple and delicious?

Peanut Butter Surprises (from Cupcakes from the Cake Mix Doctor)

Makes 22-24 cupcakes

24 Hershey's Kisses
1 package (18.25 ounces) plain yellow cake mix
1 1/3 cups water
1/3 cup smooth peanut butter
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
8 Reese's Peanut Butter Cups (.75 ounce each)

1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 24 cupcake cups with paper liners. Set the pans aside. Unwrap 24 Hershey's Kisses and set them aside.

2. Place the cake mix, water, peanut but­ter, oil, eggs, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed until blended, 30 seconds. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat for 2 minutes longer, scraping down the sides again if necessary. The batter should be well blended. Spoon or scoop 1/4 cup batter into each lined cupcake cup, filling it two-thirds of the way full. (You will get between 22 and 24 cupcakes; remove the empty liners, if any.) Gently place 1 Kiss on top of each cupcake. Do not press the Kiss into the batter. Place the pans in the oven. Meanwhile, place the Peanut Butter Cups in the freezer for at least 30 minutes.

3. Bake the cupcakes until they are golden and spring back when lightly pressed with your finger, 18 to 20 min­utes. Remove the pans from the oven and place them on wire racks to cool for 5 minutes. Run a dinner knife around the edges of the cupcake liners, lift the cup­cakes up from the bottoms of the cups using the end of the knife, and pick them out of the cups carefully with your finger­tips. Place them on a wire rack to cool for 15 minutes before frosting.

4. Meanwhile, prepare the Chocolate Buttercream. Remove the Peanut Butter Cups from the freezer and coarsely chop them.

5. Place a heaping tablespoon of frosting on each cupcake and swirl to spread it out with a short metal spatula or metal spoon, taking care to cover the tops. Garnish with chopped Peanut Butter Cups. The cupcakes are ready to serve.

Store these cupcakes in a cake saver or under a glass dome at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Or freeze them wrapped in aluminum foil or in a cake saver for up to 6 months. Thaw the cupcakes overnight in the refrigerator before serving.

Chocolate Buttercream

8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter; at room temperature
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3 cups confectioners' sugar; sifted
3 to 5 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Place the butter and cocoa powder in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed until the mixture is soft and well combined, 30 seconds. Stop the machine and add the confectioners sugar, 3 tablespoons of the milk, and the vanilla. Blend with the mixer on low speed until the sugar is incorporated, 1 minute. Increase the speed to medium and beat until light and fluffy, 1 minute more. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons more milk if the frost­ing is too stiff.

Week 27: Stout Cupcakes

I had a cold back in week 26, and Chuck suggested that my coworkers might appreciate it if I didn't bake that weekend.  He's a smart man.  On to week 27 and a recipe that I've been wanting to try for a while now - Martha Stewart's stout cupcakes.  Chuck's a fan of Guinness, so I thought this was a cupcake he'd enjoy.

True story: I hate beer.  And I'm not a huge molasses fan.  So I was a little worried about baking a cupcake for which both beer & molasses play key roles.  Now I know I shouldn't have worried...I love these cupcakes!

They're not especially pretty...but they sure taste good.

One step Martha recommends is placing a cookie sheet below the wire rack before spooning glaze over the cupcakes.  This is what happens if you fail to do that:

Lessons learned and recipe thoughts:

1. I've never tried Guinness, but Chuck says he never would have guessed it was in this cupcake if I hadn't told him.  So if you're hesitating to make these because of the whole Guinness thing...don't be.

2. This cupcake was the perfect texture - moist & delicate.

3. A relatively easy recipe to make.

4. Next time, I'll place cookie sheets under the wire rack.


Stout Cupcakes (from Martha Stewart's Cupcakes)


•3 3/4 cups flour
•1/2 t plus 1/8 t baking soda
•1 3/4 t baking powder
•1 1/4 t salt
•1 T cinnamon
•1 1/4 t freshly grated nutmeg
•1 1/4 cups vegetable oil
•1 1/4 cups unsulfered molasses
•1/2 cup plus 1 T light brown sugar
•2 whole eggs plus 1 egg yolk
•1 T plus 1 t orange zest
•1 1/4 cups (10 oz) Guinness, poured and settled

Directions

1.Preheat oven to 350°. Line standard muffin tin with paper liners.

2.Whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

3.With an electric mixer on medium-low speed, beat oil, molasses, brown sugar, whole eggs, yolk, zest, and stout until combined. Reduce speed to low. Gradually add flour mixture, beating just until combined.

4.Pour batter, filling each 3/4 full. Bake, rotating tins half way through, for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Place onto wire racks to cool completely before adding glaze.

Glaze

•2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
•1/4 cup Guinness, poured and settled

Whisk together until combined.  Use immediately (spoon over cooled cupcakes and let set).

Week 25: Eggnog cake with spiced cream cheese frosting

I made this cake for the Falzone Christmas Eve gathering, and this moist, delicious cake was a huge hit there.  I have been craving it ever since.  Despite receiving several new baking cookbooks for Christmas, each of which is filled with new treats I could bake, I decided to make another triple-layer eggnog cake.  This time, I doubled up on the bourbon that I brushed on each layer.

This is a very easy cake & between the egg nog, bourbon, and nutmeg, it is full of holiday goodness.

Lessons learned and recipe thoughts:

1. The original recipe calls for apricot preserves as the filling, but that didn't sound good to me (though I might try it next year).  Instead, I made extra frosting & filled the layers with that.  But I didn't make quite enough extra.  Next time, I'll fully double the frosting recipe.

2. This is a really easy cake.  Seriously, you drop everything in a mixing bowl & mix it.  If you're intimidated by layer cakes, you can just as easily make this in a 9x13 pan.  Just increase the baking time to 35-45 minutes.

Recipe (from the Cake Mix Doctor Returns):

INGREDIENTS:

•1 package (18.25) yellow or vanilla cake mix, plain or with pudding
•1 1/4 cups eggnog
•1/4 cup vegetable oil
•1 teaspoon vanilla extract
•1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg (1 tsp if freshly ground)
•4 large eggs
•3 tablespoons bourbon (optional), for brushing the tops of the cake layers

Apricot filling:
•1 jar (10 ounces) apricot all-fruit spread
•1 tablespoon bourbon or water

Spiced cream cheese frosting:
•4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter, at room temperature
•4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
•3 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
•Heaping 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg (1/2 tsp if freshly ground)
•1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

PREPARATION: Place rack in center of oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly mist three 9-inch round cake pans with vegetable oil spray, then dust them with flour. Shake out the excess flour; set pans aside.

Place the cake mix, eggnog, oil, vanilla, nutmeg and the eggs in a large mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed until the ingredients are incorporated, 30 seconds. Stop the machine and scrape down the side of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase mixer speed to medium and beat for two minutes longer, scraping down the side of the bowl again, if needed. The batter should look well blended. Divide the cake batter evenly among the three prepared cake pans, about 11/2 cups of batter per pan, smoothing the tops with the rubber spatula. Place the pans in the oven. If your oven is not large enough to hold three pans on the center rack, place two pans on that rack and one in the center of the rack above.

Bake the cake layers until they are golden brown and the tops spring back when lightly pressed with a finger, 18 to 20 minutes. The cake layer on the higher rack may bake faster, so it for doneness first. Transfer to wire racks and let cool for 5 minutes. Run a sharp knife around the edge of each cake layer and give the pans a good shake to loosen the cakes. Invert each layer onto a wire rack, then invert it again onto another rack so that the cakes are right side up. If desired, brush the cakes with the 3 tablespoons of bourbon, using 1 tablespoon for each; set aside to cool, 15 minutes longer.

Meanwhile, make the filling: Place the fruit spread and 1 tablespoon of bourbon or water in a small bowl and stir until well combined.

Make the spiced cream frosting: Place the butter and cream cheese in a medium-size bowl and beat with an electric mixer on low speed until well combined, 30 seconds. Stop the machine and scrape down the side of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Add the confectioners’ sugar, nutmeg and cinnamon and beat with the mixer on low speed until the ingredients are well incorporated and the frosting has a spreading consistency, 1 to 2 minutes.

To assemble cake, transfer one layer, right side up, to a cake plate. Spread half of the filling to the edge of the first layer, about 1/2 heaping cup. Place a second cake layer, right side up, on top of the first and spread the remaining filling over it. Place the third layer on top, right side up, and frost the top and side of cake, working with smooth, clean strokes. To make slicing easier, place the uncovered cake in the refrigerator until the frosting sets, 20 minutes.

Store in a cake saver or loosely covered with waxed paper in the refrigerator for up to one week. Freeze the cake, wrapped in aluminum foil, for up to six months. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving.

Make 12-16 servings.