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Posts Tagged ‘Cake’

Pear Spice Cake with Walnut Praline Topping

Posted in Breakfast, Cake, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on January 8, 2012 | 3 Comments »

HAPPY (belated) NEW YEAR!!!!  

I know it’s been some time since my last post and I apologize.  I took some time off during the holidays to spend with family and travel Ohio for Christmas gatherings and a baby shower.  When we got back I was totally exhausted getting back into the work week that I took a bit longer than expected off from the blog.  I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season and are looking forward to 2012 as much as we are!

While I was home we spent many hours in the kitchen!  I love baking and cooking with my family!  It’s always fun and I always guarantee to make a mess.  I felt so bad for my parent’s carpet.  I bet there is dried batter in more places than they care to know about.  Oops!  On the menu Christmas morning was this Pear Spice Cake I found over on Joy’s blog.  I love spice cake and knew that a pear one would make a perfect treat on that special day.

Original plan was to eat around 11:30am.  Well, an hour and a half past that we were finally sitting down.  The prep work turned out to be a bit more involved than I originally planned, or maybe it was because I was simply enjoying making it and not rushing through the steps.  Regardless, this spice cake is well worth it!  It was AMAZING!!!  Perfect flavor, texture, spice, and the praline topping was pure heaven!  The idea of turning this into a repeat Christmas cake was not only mentioned, but I’m pretty sure demanded.  This would make a great addition to any brunch menu, holidays or not.  Did I happen to mention it reheats very well…added bonus!!

(Printable Recipe)

Pear Spice Cake with Walnut Praline Topping

Recipe from Joy the Baker

Pear Spice Cake Ingredients

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 1/2 tsp ground allspice
  • 1 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 3 large eggs, separated and at room temperature
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 3 pears, peeled, cored, and diced into 1/2-inch pieces (about 1 to 1 1/4 cups)
  • 3/4 – 1 cup walnuts, toasted, cooled, and finely chopped

Walnut Praline Topping

  • 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1/4 cup whipping cream
  • 1/2 cup walnuts, toasted and roughly chopped

Pear Spice Cake Directions

1.  Make sure rack is in the middle position and preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Butter and flour bundt pan.  Set aside.

2.  In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.  Set aside.

3.  In a large bowl, beat together butter, sugar, cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until fluffy, about 4-5 minutes for a hand mixer and about 3 minutes in a stand mixer.  Be sure to scrape the bowl every few minutes.  Add yolks 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.  Beat in vanilla extract.  Reduce speed to low, add flour mixture and buttermilk in alternating batches, starting and ending with the flour mixture.  Mix well after each addition.  Fold in pear pieces and chopped walnuts.

4.  In a separate bowl with cleaned beaters, beat egg whites until they just hold stiff peaks.  Gently fold whites into batter until fully combined.

5.  Spoon batter into prepared bundt pan, smoothing top, and bake until a wooden pick or skewer comes out clean, 40 to 50 minutes.  Cool cake in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes.  If serving warm, start walnut praline topping while cake is cooling.  Invert onto rack to cool.

Walnut Praline Topping Directions

1.  In a medium saucepan, combine brown sugar, whipping cream and 1/2 cup butter over medium-high heat until smooth.  Boil for 3 minutes, stirring often.  Stir in walnut pieces.  Spoon warm topping over cake.

Notes:

  • I reduced the amount of walnuts in both the cake and topping due to personal preference.  
  • When topping is first placed over cake it will run down the sides, this is ok.  It forms a wonderful pool in the middle that is absolutely divine.  If you prefer to have more topping on the cake itself, allow topping to cool slightly before spreading on cake.  Next time I think I will let it cool for a bit.  
  • This cake is delicious with pear, but would also be good with apple pieces as well.

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Brown Sugar Toffee Cake

Posted in Cake, Desserts, tagged , , , , , on September 17, 2010 | 1 Comment »

I’m not sure if my love for toffee candy has come through on the blog yet…but I LOVE toffee bars!!!  Love, Love, Love!  I can’t remember if it was my mom or dad that always had it around or if it was a shared love between them.  But I remember every time it was stashed away in the fridge door, I would always sneak a few pieces.  I couldn’t take the first bite and I couldn’t take too big of bites for fear someone would notice.  I like to think I mastered the art of sneakiness, but I doubt it.

So of course I had to try this recipe out.  Who could resist the words brown sugar and toffee and cake all together in one glorious description.  Not this girl…..and I am so glad I didn’t.  The cake itself is soft and airy and when topped with a plethora of chopped toffee candy, it is just wonderful.  I took it to a get together this week and it was a huge hit!!  I had a feeling it would be a winner so I saved a piece to take some pictures.  Well that….and I knew Brent would want other slice.  And if you are anything like me, you may want to grab 4 toffee bars.  Somehow pieces seem to disappear while chopping.  It’s the darndest thing.  Happy Weekend!!!  Thanks for stopping by!!

 

(Printable Recipe)

Brown Sugar Toffee Cake

Recipe from vegetariantimes.com

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 tsp baking soda
  • 1/8 tsp baking powder
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • 6 tbsp butter, softened
  • 1 cup dark brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs, room temperature
  • 1/4 cup cold strong coffee
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup fat-free plain yogurt, room temperature
  • 3-4 milk chocolate-toffee bars, such as Heath

1.  Preheat oven to 325°F. Coat 9-inch round cake pan with cooking spray.

2.  Whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in large bowl. Set aside.

3.  Beat butter, brown sugar, and sugar with electric mixer until smooth in separate bowl. Beat in eggs one at a time, and then beat in coffee and vanilla extract. Add 1/4 cup yogurt, and beat until smooth. Add half of flour mixture, and beat until smooth. Beat in remaining 1/4 cup yogurt, then remaining flour mixture. Beat 2 to 3 minutes, or until batter is smooth and creamy.

4.  Spread batter in prepared cake pan, and bake 35 to 40 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes.

5.  Meanwhile, pulse milk chocolate-toffee bars in food processor 8 times, or until crushed into bits. (It’s OK if some bits are larger than others.) Unmold cake from pan, and set on wire rack. Sprinkle chocolate-toffee bits on top of cake while hot. Cool completely before serving.

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Chocolate Basil Cake

Posted in Desserts, tagged , , , on September 1, 2010 | 8 Comments »

Well guys….I finally did it!!  I finally did some baking with basil!!!  That only took about a year.  I’m not sure why I got the major slant going on.  Usually the middle of the cake sinks??  But that’s neither here nor there.

When I started Baking with Basil, I never actually knew you could do such a thing.  I always assumed it was for pesto, margherita pizza, sandwiches and so on.   The title was just my quirky spin on posting recipes about baking and cooking.  So I set out to find a recipe that was truly a sugary and sweet baked good.

Now, I’m not a huge fan of chocolate cake.  If I had my choice it would be plain ol’ vanilla or strawberry and loaded with frosting.  I was that girl at birthday parties that would ruin the cake by swiping my fingers across the frosting.  OK – not really, I think I was too shy to do something like that, but I was always tempted to.  I think the reason I’m not too keen on chocolate cake is because it doesn’t really have a rich chocolate flavor.  It’s like a weak hot chocolate – just not worth the calories.  I’m getting way off track……

This cake is definitely worth sparing a few calories or running a few extra minutes.  The chocolate cake is wonderfully flavored and moist (I HATE that word – but it really is the best way to describe it).  And the chocolate ganache adds an extra layer of depth.  The directions call for you to add sugar and basil to a food processor and pulse until combined.  The mixture turns into this gorgeous green sand that smells amazing!  I was surprised by how much the chocolate over powered the basil in the cake.  You could tell there was basil in it but there was a subtleness that was very pleasant.  Who knew basil and chocolate would make such a great couple!  Know somebody that loves chocolate cake, switch it up this time and try this one!  I took sample size bites into work and it got rave reviews.  Hope you are having a great week!!

 

(Printable Recipe)

Chocolate Basil Cake

Recipe adapted from Enlightened Cooking

Cake Ingredients

  • Nonstick baking spray with flour
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup packed fresh basil leaves (plus addition leaves for garnish)
  • 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch process)
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 and 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup hot water

Chocolate Ganache Ingredients

  • 8 oz bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
  • 3/4 cup heavy cream
  • 2 tbsp butter, cut into cubes

1.  Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 9-inch round cake pan with nonstick baking spray with flour.

2.  Place the sugar and basil in a food processor. Process until basil is chopped fine and uniformly green in color (it will look slightly wet).  Take a moment for a deep breath…..so summery!

3.  In a large bowl whisk the melted butter, cocoa powder and basil sugar until well-blended. Whisk in the eggs, 1 at a time, until blended and smooth. Stir in the baking soda, vanilla, and salt.

4.  Gradually add flour to bowl, stirring just until blended (do not overstir). Add hot water to mixture, stirring just until blended. Pour batter into prepared pan.

5.  Bake 22-25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes on a wire rack. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Cut into squares. Cool completely.

6.  Prepare ganache:  Place chopped chocolate and butter in a large bowl.  In a saucepan, heat heavy cream over medium high heat.  Stirring frequently until cream starts to boil.  Remove from heat and pour over chocolate.  Stir until chocolate and butter melt and mixture is smooth.  Allow ganache to cool, stirring occasionally until thickened but not pasty, about 10-12 minutes.

7.  Spread over cake and garnish with basil leaves, if desired.

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Lemon-Poppy Seed Pound Cake

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , on April 23, 2010 | 1 Comment »

I am discovering a new fondness for lemon flavored desserts!  I love the freshness it gives to anything you add it to.  This tangy, zesty pound cake has all the flavor of a sinful dessert without all the fat and calories.  Based on some reviews, I increased the lemon zest and also added a bit more lemon juice to the icing.  It was bursting with lemon flavor!!  I wish I would have doubled the icing and coated the top and sides.  It was soo good!!  But then again I’m that girl who tries to get a corner piece of cake just so there is more frosting.  This would be a great spring-y dessert to make for your wonderful, hard- working momma!!   Not too early to start planning the Mother’s Day menu.    ;)

Have a great weekend everyone!  Thanks for stopping by!!

Lemon-Poppy Seed Pound Cake

Recipe adapted from myrecipes.com

Ingredients

  • 1 tsp all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/3 cup butter, softened
  • 2 large egg whites
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 tbsp grated lemon zest
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 tbsp poppy seeds
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp baking soda
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • 3/4 cup low-fat buttermilk
  • 2/3 cup powdered sugar
  • 4-5 tsp lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Coat an 8×4 inch loaf pan with cooking spray; dust with 1 tsp flour.  Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together 1 2/3 cups flour, poppy seeds, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat granulated sugar and butter at medium speed until well blended (about 4 min).   Add egg whites and egg, 1 at a time; beating well after each addition.  Beat in lemon zest and vanilla.  Add flour mixture to sugar mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture.  Pour batter into prepared pan.

Bake for 50-60 minutes or until wooden pick inserted comes out clean.  Cool in pan 10 minutes on a wire rack.  Remove from pan and allow to cool completely.

Icing:  Combine powdered sugar and lemon juice in a small bowl with a whisk.  Brush over warm cake.  Allow cake and icing to cool completely.

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Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Posted in Desserts, tagged , , on April 5, 2010 | 1 Comment »

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!!! (I wonder what he wished for?!?) :)

What a great weekend at home for Easter filled with food and family.  We were in the kitchen what seemed like most of the time – which I didn’t mind.  On Saturday I made Roasted Asparagus from TwoPeasandTheirPod.  I went back for seconds and there was 1 lonely asparagus left. It was a hit!!  The asparagus was roasted with balsamic vinegar and olive oil which gave the perfect flavor.  And then on Sunday, I made my dad a carrot cake for his birthday.

I made this last year on his birthday and forgot how quick and easy it is to mix up.  I think grating the carrots took longer than mixing all the ingredients together.  I love that it uses oats, baby food and reduces the oil to make the cake a bit more nutritious.  This cream cheese frosting has been my “go-to” since last year as well.  It is just as good on pumpkin bars or apple cupcakes.  I forgot my spring form pan at home so I used one my mom’s square pans.  Come to find out, my great-grandma used that exact pan 30+ years ago to make coffee cake every Sunday.  Very, very cool!

Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Recipe from Cooking Light

Ingredients

Cake:

  • 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup quick cooking oats
  • 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup canola oil
  • 1 (2 1/2 ounce) jar carrot baby food
  • 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1 1/2 cup finely grated carrot
  • 1/2 cup raisins, optional

Frosting:

  • 1/3 cup (3 ounces) 1/2 less-fat cream cheese, softened
  • 1 tbsp butter, softened
  • 1 1/4 cup powdered sugar, sifted
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/4 cup flaked sweetened coconut, toasted (optional)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

To prepare cake, lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups, level with a knife.  Combine flour and next 5 ingredients (through salt) in a food processor; pulse 6 times or until well blended.  Place the flour mixture in a large bowl.  Combine granulated sugar, canola oil, and eggs; stir with a whisk.  Add to flour mixture; stir just until combined.  Stir in grated carrot and raisins, if using.  Spoon batter into an 8-inch square baking pan coated with cooking spray.

Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Cool in pan on a wire rack.

To prepare frosting, combine cream cheese and butter in a large bowl.  Beat with a mixer at high speedy until creamy.  Gradually add powdered sugar and vanilla, beating at low speed until smooth (do not overbeat).  Spread over cake; sprinkle with coconut, if using.   Cover and chill.

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