Tag Archive for: cake

Strawberry Pie

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It is such a beautiful day outside, and the weather is supposed to stay like this for a while.  I love spring time.  It makes me feel like we will be at the beach in no time at all- which of course is a wonderful and horrifying thought all at the same time.  Everything is so fresh and bright, and a strawberry pie pretty much describes my mood and this weather exactly.  Here is a favorite easy recipe that will put you in a good mood even if winter is trying to hang on in your area!

Strawberry Pie

Ingredients:

1 (9 inch) pie crust, baked
1 quart fresh strawberries
1 cup white sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

Directions:

Arrange half of strawberries in baked pastry shell. Mash remaining berries and combine with sugar in a medium saucepan. Place saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil, stirring frequently.
In a small bowl, whisk together cornstarch and water. Gradually stir cornstarch mixture into boiling strawberry mixture. Reduce heat and simmer mixture until thickened, about 10 minutes, stirring constantly. Pour mixture over berries in pastry shell. Chill for several hours before serving. In a small bowl, whip cream until soft peaks form. Serve each slice of pie with a dollop of whipped cream.

Sometimes You Just Need Chocolate

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When it is someone’s birthday at the Library Society where I work, we all sign a card and pretend that it is not their birthday until about 12:30 when we assemble for cake and then finally say happy birthday to said person.  It is kind of funny since there are only about 8 of us who work here, so we all know what is going on.  But despite our quirky birthday traditions, we are all excited because we get cake.  It is Susan’s birthday today, and we had chocolate cake.  It was just a regular store bought small birthday cake, but maybe because I have been fighting a cold, or maybe because it is Wednesday, it was just delicious.  Sometimes  you just need chocolate.  Here is a great recipe for a very decadent chocolate cake that will satisfy all of your chocolate needs!

Extreme Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:

2 cups white sugar
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water
 3/4 cup butter
1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
5 1/3 cups confectioners’ sugar
2/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour two 9 inch cake pans.
Use the first set of ingredients to make the cake. In a medium bowl, stir together the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add the eggs, milk, oil and vanilla, mix for 3 minutes with an electric mixer. Stir in the boiling water by hand. Pour evenly into the two prepared pans.
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes in the preheated oven, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to cool completely.
To make the frosting, use the second set of ingredients. Cream butter until light and fluffy. Stir in the cocoa and confectioners’ sugar alternately with the milk and vanilla. Beat to a spreading consistency.
Split the layers of cooled cake horizontally, cover the top of each layer with frosting, then stack them onto a serving plate. Frost the outside of the cake.

Poofy German Pancake

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One of the easiest and best breakfasts is to make a German pancake.  First they are delicious, second they poof which is fun to watch at any age, but especially for kids (I am talking really poofy if you are lucky), and third you can serve it with anything- fruit, syrup, powdered sugar, nutella etc.  We did try to make one once when we were up in the mountains, and the altitude was a problem and the pancake did not poof which was rather disappointing.  However- if you are not way up in the mountains, this is a fun tasty breakfast idea.

German Pancake

Ingredients:

1/4 cup butter
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
6 eggs, lightly beaten
1/8 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Melt butter in a medium baking dish. In a medium bowl, mix flour, milk, eggs and salt. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish- try to pour slowly so that the batter goes on top of the butter and not underneath (this will help the pancake poof better). Bake on center rack in the preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes, until golden brown.

Great New Cookbook- 25 Quick & Easy Gluten Free Desserts

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gluten free recipesI feel very fortunate to be able to eat wheat or flour or whatever it is that causes people Celiac disease, and  I have not had much experience with eating or cooking gluten free.  However, after spending some time with friends who suffer from Celiac disease, I thought I should add some gluten free recipes to the repertoire.  I got this fantastic on-line cookbook for my Kindle, and it is perfect for when I need a sweet treat that I know is delicious and everyone can eat!  The almond butter cookies are my favorite.  Here is the to get it for yourself- definitely a great addition to your cookbook library- http://www.amazon.com/Quick-Gluten-Desserts-Holidays-Foolproof-ebook/dp/B00HHKS6JI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1390780124&sr=8-1&keywords=foolproof+cook.

Nutella Mug Cake

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I did not grow up with Nutella, and  I actually only tried it about two years ago.  It was ok, but I didn’t love it.  I have never bought Nutella nor made anything with Nutella and to be honest, I don’t really get it.  Is it healthy chocolate because friends I know who are real health nuts feed their children Nutella sandwiches- which is just a chocolate sandwich right?  However, I think I will change my tune because this Nutella Mug Cake looks so easy, so yummy and you can just make one when you need a chocolate fix and top it with ice cream, whip cream or whatever you desire- so perfect.

Nutella Mug Cake

Ingredients (makes 2 servings):

1/4 cup self rising flour

1/4 cup white sugar

1 egghttps://thesouthwillrise.com/wp-admin/post-new.php

3 tbsp vegetable oil

3 tbsp milk

2 tbsp cocoa powder

2 tbsp Nutella

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

Stir self-rising flour, sugar, egg, vegetable oil, milk, cocoa powder, chocolate-hazelnut spread, salt, and vanilla extract together in a large mug until batter is smooth.
Cook in microwave oven on full power until the cake has risen in the mug and is set in the center, 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 minutes.

Turkey Cupcakes

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I can’t believe it is Thanksgiving week already!!  We are headed up to the mountains tomorrow, and thanks to Mother Nature, it looks like it will be absolutely freezing up there with hopefully some snow.  My sister and her family are driving down from New York, and Walker can’t wait to see his cousins.  He is especially excited because we bought my two nieces Rainbow Looms as an early Christmas present and as a good way to take up a lot of time in the house when it is too cold to go outside.  Walker, as a ten year old boy, does not want a Rainbow Loom for himself, but he is super excited to play with his cousin’s new loom.  If you have not heard of a Rainbow Loom- it is the new fad way to make bracelets out of little rubber bands.  I am amazed at the huge amount of add ons that you can buy for your Rainbow Loom- loom cases, extra bands, carry cases to carry you loom case- it goes on and on.  In addition to the Rainbow Looms, I was digging around to find fun kitchen projects for the kids, and these Turkey cupcakes looked perfect. (Picture from FamilyFun Magazine and recipe from www.spoonful.com)

Turkey Cupcakes:

First, make cupcakes according to the directions of your favorite box brand and frost with chocolate icing.

Ingredients for Decorations:

3 oval shortbread cookies
6 to 10 candy corn pieces
White icing
Black decorators’ gel
Red fruit leather (fruit roll ups work well)

Directions:

Frost the cupcake, then press in a cookie head and 2 cookie wings.  Press in a row or two of candy corn tail feathers.  To make an eye, add a small dot of white icing to the head, then add a dot of black decorators’ gel for a pupil.  For a beak, cut the white tip from a piece of candy corn and press it in place.  To make the wattle, cut a 1-inch square of fruit leather. Roll it into a tube and stick it in place over the beak.

Mississippi Mud Pie

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Walker spent four days out at Camp St. Christopher on Seabrook Island with his grade- 75 10 year olds.  I don’t think you could have paid me to be a chaperone for that field trip.  They had a ball playing in the mud pit and learning more about the lowcountry natural life.  They had to keep a journal and when they got back, they had to right a paragraph on all of the senses- what they heard, saw, tasted, smelled, felt.  I think if Walker could have written about the Mississippi Mud Pie they had for dessert one night for all of the senses he would have- instead he just used it for taste.  Here is my favorite Mississippi Mud Pie recipe- enjoy!

Mississippi Mud Pie

(from www.foodnetwork.com)

Ingredients
For the crust: 9 chocolate graham crackers (1 sleeve)
1/3 cup chopped pecans
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

For the filling: 1 stick unsalted butter, cut into pieces
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Pinch of salt
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
2 tablespoons coffee-flavored liqueur
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 large eggs

For the topping:
1 1/2 cups cold heavy cream
1 tablespoon confectioners’ sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons finely chopped pecans
Chocolate sauce, for drizzling (optional)

Directions:

Make the crust: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Pulse the graham crackers and pecans in a food processor until finely ground. Add the melted butter and process until moistened. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the chocolate crumb mixture for topping, then press the rest into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch pie plate. Bake until set, about 10 minutes; transfer to a rack and let cool.Meanwhile, make the filling: Melt the butter and chocolate in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring. Remove from the heat, then stir in the flour and salt until smooth. Stir in the sugar, corn syrup, coffee liqueur and vanilla. Add the eggs, one at a time, stirring until smooth. Pour the filling into the prepared crust and bake until set and cracked on top (like a brownie), about 30 minutes. Transfer to a rack and let cool slightly, about 2 hours (the pie should still be slightly warm).

Make the whipped cream: Beat the heavy cream, confectioners’ sugar and vanilla with a mixer until soft peaks form. Top the pie with the whipped cream, pecans and reserved chocolate crumb mixture. Drizzle with chocolate sauce.

Lemonade Stands and Lemon Trifle

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Walker and his two friends have spent a lot of time this past spring working on a pushable lemonade cart so they can better sell lemonade to the masses in Charleston.  Since they have all been gone all summer, yesterday was the first day they were able to try it out.  They went down to White Point Gardens with their stand and a cooler of lemonade and several hours and a Brazilian couple who had never seen a lemonade stand before, they concluded it was a success.  In honor of their lemonade success, I made a lemon trifle for dessert last night.  I love this recipe because it is simple, sweet and delicious.

Lemon Trifle

Ingredients:
1 package angel food cake mix – prepared according to instructions on package
1 1/4 cups sugar
4 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 cups water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup butter
1 cup lemon juice – with zest
12 ounces whipped topping

Directions:

Prepare the angel food cake mix as instructed on the package. Allow it to cool completely.
Combine the sugar, cornstarch, water, and salt in a saucepan and stir until the cornstarch is dissolved.
Cook these ingredients over medium heat until the mixture is clear and has thickened. Cook it until it just comes to a boil.
Remove from the heat and add the butter; stir until melted.
Pour in the lemon juice and stir until completely mixed.
Allow it to cool and then refrigerate the mixture so that it thickens a little more. It should be about the consistency of pudding.
Remove the lemon mixture from the refrigerator and begin to layer all the ingredients. Begin by putting a layer of torn pieces of cake on the bottom of a trifle bowl. Use a little less than half the cake.
Spread half the lemon mixture over the cake and then sprinkle this with coconut.
Add half of the whipped topping and spread out evenly.
Repeat the layers of cake and lemon mixture. You will probably end up with a little of the cake leftover.
Next add the rest of the whipped topping and spread out so that it covers the entire top except for about an inch around the outer edge.
Sprinkle coconut over the entire top of the trifle.
Serve the trifle immediately or it can be refrigerate for a few hours before serving.

Carrot Cake Doughnuts

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This past weekend we spent Friday night out at the Sanctuary at Kiawah Island- a “staycation” if you will.  It was absolutely wonderful.  I felt like I had been on vacation for a week and we weren’t even there 24 hours.  We arrived on Friday afternoon.  It had been raining the whole day in Charleston, but just 45 minutes away, it had not rained at all.  We sat by the pool for a cocktail and then met some friends on the beach.  After that, we had drinks in the lobby bar with some other friends we ran into who were doing the same thing.  We then walked up  to The Ocean Room, sat at the bar and had a fabulous dinner.  Corby got the steak and I had the pesto gnocchi- delicious!  We were then “talked” into getting dessert.  It was going to be a very tough decision but fortunately they had a dessert trio which included the two things I wanted to try- the carrot cake doughnuts and the chocolate and malt. I can’t remember what the third was but I am sure I enjoyed it.  However, I do remember the carrot cake doughnuts very well.  Amazing.  They were served with cream cheese ice cream and a caramel sauce.  And of course since it was a carrot cake doughnut, that means it was healthy because of the carrot- right?  Either way, they were really special.  The next morning we went for a long walk on the beach and then sat at the pool for many hours until it was time to go home and pick up the dog.  It really was a phenomenal night/day/vacation.  Now, Walker is finally home after two and a half months of being away and school starts tomorrow- how has the summer gone by so quickly?  I dug around this morning to find a recipe for the carrot cake doughnuts that might make the first morning of school a little more bearable.

Carrot Cake Doughnuts

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 stick butter, softened
2/3 cup light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 whole egg
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2/3 cup plain yogurt
2/3 cup crushed pineapple, drained, reserve 4 tablespoons juice for the frosting
2/3 cup finely shredded carrots

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375. Lightly grease the doughnut pan; set aside.
In a medium sized mixing bowl sift together the flour, ground cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, and baking soda; set aside.
In a large mixing bowl cream together the butter, light brown sugar, and salt. Add egg, vanilla, and yogurt; beat until smooth. Add flour mixutre. Stir in pineapple and carrots.
Spoon the mixture into a ziploc bag and pipe batter into prepared pan, filling only 1/2 way up the doughnut cavities.
Bake for 10 minutes.
Cool doughnuts in pan for 10 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack.

Double Coffee Tiramisu

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We are finally home in Charleston, and while we had a great time, it is so good to be back.  The last week we spent up in Linville, NC, getting ready for the Fancy Dress Ball.  This year, instead of family with us, we had some of our closest friends up to participate in the fun.  We all had a great time, and Walker was quite the motivator as Saturday wore on, and we had no plan for what to do.  We ended up coming up with a very funny and very short skit that my brother, who was up with us, MC’d wonderfully.  While we didn’t take home first prize, we did take home 4th, which for the amount of effort we put in (minimal), we were all incredibly happy.  Saturday evening turned into very early Sunday morning quickly, and by the time we all went to bed, we knew the rest of Sunday was going to be a bit rough.  I don’t drink coffee, which is a problem on these mornings, and I was trying to find something that would help me on our long drive home.  I did not find this recipe until today, but I think if I had had the forethought to make this on Saturday in anticipation of Sunday, this would have been a nice little breakfast treat!

Double Coffee Tiramisu

Ingredients:

1 (8-oz.) package cream cheese
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups whipping cream
1/2 cup hot water
1 tablespoon instant coffee granules
1/4 cup coffee liqueur
2 (3-oz.) packages ladyfingers
1/2 cup grated semisweet or dark chocolate

Directions:

Beat cream cheese and sugar at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy.
Beat whipping cream with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Fold into cream cheese mixture.
Stir together 1/2 cup hot water and coffee granules until dissolved. Stir in 1/4 cup liqueur.
Arrange ladyfingers evenly around sides of 8 (6-oz.) coffee cups or ramekins. Drizzle ladyfingers with coffee mixture. Spoon or pipe cream cheese mixture into center of ramekins. Sprinkle with grated chocolate. Cover and chill 2 hours.
Note: To serve the tiramisù in a single dish, prepare recipe as directed through Step 3. Arrange half of ladyfingers in bottom and up sides of a 2-qt. serving bowl. Drizzle evenly with half of coffee mixture. Top with half of cream cheese mixture. Repeat layers once. Sprinkle with grated chocolate. Cover and chill 2 hours.