Tag: homemade

Brown Butter Almond Cake with Chocolate Filling

With the holidays quickly approaching you may be looking for new recipes to share with your loved ones. Today I am bringing you a Brown Butter Almond Cake with Chocolate Filling that I personally wouldn’t say is ideal for dessert but better suited as a breakfast / brunch treat. Or for an afternoon watching holiday movies, decorating or wrapping gifts while enjoying your favorite warm beverage.

I started this cake by making brown butter. After letting it cool, I got to work on making the batter for the cake. I whisked the cooled brown butter with eggs, sugar and vanilla extract, until it was smooth. In another bowl I whisked together the dry ingredients – flour, almond flour and baking powder. I incorporated the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients in 3 batches alternating with buttermilk. While you can buy buttermilk, I always opt to make my own by combining whole milk and vinegar. Once the batter was ready, I poured half of it into my prepared pan and then topped it with diced almond paste and semi-sweet chocolate chips. I then topped it with the remaining batter and gently spread it with an offset spatula. Before placing it in the oven I sprinkled the top with sliced almonds. After the cake cooled I dusted it with Confectioners’ sugar before enjoying a slice.

You may be wondering why I said this cake wasn’t very dessert-y. Well, besides the fact that it wasn’t very sweet, the texture was more reminiscent of a muffin or scone to me. It did taste good, but I think the recipe title is a bit deceiving. I was really hoping the brown butter flavor would stand out more as it did in the batter – yes, I tried the batter raw – but it somehow melted away while baking. And while the title does say “Almond Cake”, adding almond flour to the batter didn’t really give the cake an almond flavor, that really came from the almond paste that was added to the filling along with the chocolate chips. The almond flour aided in making the cake extremely moist though – always a good thing when it comes to cakes. No one wants to eat a dry cake, regardless of how good it may be. It is possible that the brown butter and almond flour somehow cancelled each other out, both having a nutty flavor or that the almond past just overpowered everything. Maybe a better title for this cake would be Brown Butter Cake with Almond & Chocolate Filling. Apologies if I sound negative, as I mentioned, the cake was good just not really what I thought it would taste like based on the recipe title. I would be curious to try this recipe again by omitting the almond flour and increasing the amount of all-purpose flour. Maybe then the flavor of the brown butter would really shine through.

Brown Butter Almond Cake with Chocolate Filling

Ingredients:

1 stick unsalted butter

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup almond flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3/4 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

2 ounces almond paste, finely diced (about 1/3 cup)

1/2 cup sliced almonds

Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting

Directions:

Brown the butter: Place the butter in a medium saucepan and melt over low-medium heat, stirring constantly until the butter reaches a warm amber color, about 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to large bowl to cool.

Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray an 8-inch springform pan with baking spray and set aside.

In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, almond flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

Add the eggs to the cooled brown butter and whisk together until smooth. Whisk in the sugar and vanilla extract until combined. Add the flour mixture in three parts alternating with the buttermilk. Whisk until the batter is smooth.

Spread half the batter into the prepared pan. Scatter the chocolate chips and diced almond paste over the batter in an even layer right to the edge. Top with remaining batter and gently spread with an offset-spatula. Sprinkle the sliced almonds over the cake in an even layer.

Bake in the preheated oven for 40 to 50 minutes, until the cake is golden brown and springs back when pressed. Transfer to a wire rack to cool for 20 minutes. Run a knife along the edges of the cake to loosen from the springform ring. Remove the springform ring and let the cake cool completely before dusting with Confectioners’ sugar.

Recipe from Food Network

No Bake Passion Fruit Tres Leches

Memorial Day weekend is upon us… The unofficial start of the summer. The season to spend less time indoors and enjoy the great (hopefully) weather outdoors! It’s also a time where we are all looking for quick and easy recipes that don’t require us being in a hot kitchen for hours on end. That applies to desserts too. And today I have a great recipe that will require you to turn on your stove but not your oven. It’s a No Bake Passion Fruit Tres Leches Cake. Ladyfingers take the place of the traditional cake part and are then topped with a layer of passion fruit curd followed by layer of homemade whipped cream. YUM!

And while this recipe doesn’t require any baking, it does require some time to prep and assemble. Mostly inactive time though.  I started by making the passion fruit curd since it needed to chill and set in the refrigerator. While I am sure you could use 100% pure passion fruit from a bottle, or even extract the juice from fresh passion fruits I opted to use frozen passion fruit pulp that I defrosted in the refrigerator overnight. It takes the work out of using fresh passion fruits and I know for certain it’s only passion fruit pulp with nothing added in. I followed the same curd recipe I used to make a Passion Fruit & Coconut Cake a few years back and it was just as easy and delish!

While the curd cooled and set in the refrigerator, I prepped the tres leches cake. In a medium bowl I whisked together evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk and heavy cream until it was well combined. I then transferred the mixture to a large measuring cup (at least 4 cups) to make it easier to pour over the ladyfingers. I reserved 3/4 cup of the mixture in a small food storage container and refrigerated it. In an 8×8-inch baking dish I arranged ladyfingers in an even layer and then poured about 3/4 cup of the milk mixture over them. After letting it soak in for 15 minutes, I poured another 3/4 cup of the mixture over the ladyfingers again.

I then arranged a second layer of ladyfingers over the first. For the second layer I placed the ladyfingers in the opposite direction as the first layer to ensure that the cake would hold together when sliced.

As with the first layer, I poured 3/4 cup of the milk mixture over the ladyfingers and let it rest for 15 minutes before pouring another 3/4 cup over them. I then covered the dish with aluminum foil and refrigerated it for 3 hours so the ladyfingers could fully soak in the milk mixture and become soft.

After 3 hours, I poured the reserved milk mixture over the ladyfingers, re-covered the dish and refrigerated for an additional hour.

After an hour it was time to finish assembling the cake. I spread the passion fruit curd on top of the ladyfingers and then spread homemade whipped cream over the curd.

I thought about decorating the top with fresh strawberries strictly for picture purposes, but the week I made this the strawberries didn’t look that great at the supermarket. Instead, here is a side picture of the different layers.

While I was concerned that this No Bake Passion Fruit Tres Leches would be overly sweet as some Tres Leches cakes can be I was pleasantly surprised that it wasn’t. While the curd and whipped cream were sweetened and the sweetened condensed milk is of course sweet, using the ladyfingers, which aren’t that sweet, really helped to keep the sugary taste down.

If you love passion fruit, check out these desserts as well…

No Churn Passion Fruit Ice Cream

Passion Fruit Panna Cotta

Passion Fruit Pie

No Bake Passion Fruit Tres Leches

Ingredients:

For the Passion Fruit Curd:

1/2 cup passion fruit juice*

7 large egg yolks

1 cup sugar

10 tablespoons unsalted butter, sliced into tablespoons

Pinch of salt

For the Tres Leches Cake:

22-25 Ladyfingers

12.5 oz can of evaporated milk

14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk

1/3 cup heavy cream

For the Whipped Cream Topping:

1 cup heavy cream

2 teaspoons confectioners’ sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

*I used defrosted frozen passion fruit pulp

Directions:

For the Passion Fruit Curd: In a medium saucepan combine the passion fruit juice, egg yolks and sugar, stir to combine. Heat over medium heat and continue stirring until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture thickens, enough to coat the back of a spoon.

Remove from the heat and add a pinch of salt. Add the butter a tablespoon at a time, stirring between each addition to ensure the butter has melted. Strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve two times. The first time into a bowl and the second time into the container you plan to use to store the curd. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the curd, cover and refrigerate for 2-3 hours, until cool and thickened.

For the Tres Leches: In a medium bowl whisk together the evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk and heavy cream until well blended. Transfer to a large measuring cup to make it easier to pour. You should have about 3.5 cups. Reserve 3/4 cups in a separate bowl, cover and refrigerate.

Arrange half of the ladyfingers in the bottom of an 8×8-square baking dish. Pour a quarter of the remaining milk mixture over the ladyfingers, about 3/4 cup. Let rest for 15 minutes and then pour another 3/4 cup of the milk mixture over the ladyfingers.

Arrange the remaining ladyfingers over the soaked ladyfingers. Pour another 3/4 cup of the milk mixture over the second layer of ladyfingers. Let rest for 15 minutes and then pour the remaining mixture over the ladyfingers. Cover with aluminum foil and refrigerate for 3 hours.

After 3 hours pour the reserved milk mixture over the ladyfingers. Cover and refrigerate again for about an hour.

For the Whipped Cream Topping: In medium bowl beat together the heavy cream, confectioners’ sugar and vanilla extract with a hand mixer on medium speed until stiff peaks form.

Finishing the Tres Leches: Spread the passion fruit curd in an even layer over the soaked ladyfingers. Then spread the whipped cream topping over the curd. You can now serve the Tres Leches or cover with wax paper and aluminum foil and refrigerated until ready to serve.

Recipe first appeared on Bead Yarn & Spatula

Chicken Lasagna Soup

It had been a few years since my neck of the woods had measurable snow fall, but last week that changed when a Nor’easter dropped a few inches of snow that required me to break out of my shovel and get to work. And unfortunately, it wasn’t the nice powdery snow that’s easy to shovel, it was the heavy wet snow that can be a bit of a back-breaker to clean. The snow also brought with it colder temperatures. The weekend before the snow it was in the 50’s, but after the snow it was in the 30’s with wind chills making it feel much colder. Thankfully, I had today’s delicious soup to enjoy on those cold days, a Chicken Lasagna Soup. I know the name might conjure up all kinds of ideas as to what it could be, but it’s pretty much a very fancy chicken noodle soup.

So, why a Chicken Lasagna Soup? Well, I have a recipe for a lasagna that I want to make, and I tend to purchase grocery items that I know I am going to need in the future when they are on sale, so I bought the lasagna noodles when they were on sale, only to reread the recipe and realize they were the wrong ones. I was supposed to buy no-boil ones, but I didn’t want them to go to waste so I started thinking of other things I could make with them and remembered seeing quite a few recipes for lasagna soup.

The soup came together rather quickly. I started off by poaching chicken breasts in seasoned chicken broth along with onions and mushrooms. Once the chicken was cooked, I removed it from the broth, shredded it and then added it back to the broth along with baby spinach, sun dried tomatoes, heavy cream and the lasagna noodles (already cooked). I opted to cook the noodles separately as opposed to cooking them in the soup to reduce the amount of starch added to the soup, which would have made the soup consistency thicker. Once the spinach was wilted, I added in cheeses and gave everything a good few stirs until they were melted and then it was ready to be enjoyed.

And this soup didn’t disappoint. It was flavorful and hearty, the perfect soup for cold winter days!

Chicken Lasagna Soup

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 1/2 tablespoons flour

1 yellow onion, chopped

2 cups sliced mushrooms (8oz. package)

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 teaspoons dried rosemary

1 teaspoon dried basil

2 teaspoons dried oregano

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon Kosher salt

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

6 cups low-sodium chicken broth

2 skinless chicken breasts (about 1 pound)

8 lasagna noodles, broken into pieces

1 5oz. bag baby spinach

1/3 cup sun dried tomatoes, sliced

1 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup shredded provolone cheese

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Directions:

In a large pot or Dutch oven melt the butter and flour together over medium heat. Add in the onions, mushrooms, rosemary, basil, oregano and garlic and stir everything to combine. Add in the chicken broth and stir again. Add the chicken breast along with the red pepper flakes, salt & pepper. Cover and cook for 20-25 minutes, until the chicken is cooked.

Meanwhile, cook the lasagna noodles in a separate pot per the package instructions. Drain and set aside.

Once cooked, remove the chicken from the pot and shred, then return to the pot. Raise the heat and bring the soup to a boil and add in the noodles, spinach, sundried tomatoes and heavy cream. Stir and allow the soup to lightly boil until the spinach wilts. Add in the cheese and stir until melted.

Store leftovers in the refrigerator in an airtight container.

Recipe adapted from Half Baked Harvest

Gingerbread Spice Chocolate Chip Cookies

Are you still in search of cookies to bake for the holidays? Or maybe you can’t decide between baking a holiday staple, gingerbread, or everyone’s favorite, chocolate chip? If so, why not make both with today’s recipe for a Gingerbread Spice Chocolate Chip Cookie.

I came across this recipe in the most recent issue of Food Network Magazine and knew immediately that I wanted to try it. Especially after making my Gingerbread S’more Blossoms and knowing how well gingerbread and chocolate go together. Although, I made a few tweaks to the original recipe. While the original recipe called for Gingerbread Spice, I didn’t feel like searching for an actual jar of McCormick’s Gingerbread Spice (it’s a real thing just like pumpkin spice), so I created my own with a blend of ground cinnamon, ginger and cloves. Alternatively, you could swap out the cloves for allspice. And I opted to use semi-sweet chocolate chips as opposed to milk-chocolate chips. The result was a cookie with all the flavors of gingerbread with just the right amount of chocolate. And while they are delicious just as they are, they are perfect to make winter ice cream sandwiches – which is what a friend of mine did after receiving a batch of them from me!

Gingerbread Spice Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 1/4 cups dark brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 teaspoons molasses

2 1/2 cups flour

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger

3/4 teaspoons ground cloves

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375F. Line 3 large baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, baking soda and salt, set aside.

In a large bowl beat the butter and both sugars with a hand mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Reduce the speed to low and beat in the flour mixture, gradually increase the speed to medium-high and beat until just combined. Add in the chocolate chips and continue beating until the chocolate chips are well incorporated into the dough.

Scoop the dough using a medium cookie scoop (about 1 1/2 tablespoons) and roll into balls and then place on the prepared baking sheets about 2 inches apart.

Bake in the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes, until the cookies are golden brown around the edges and soft in the center. Allow the cookies to cool completely on the baking sheets before transferring them to an airtight container.

Recipe slightly modified from Food Network

Pumpkin Bourbon Cream Cheesecake

Here it is… My first pumpkin recipe of the season! Not sure how many more are to follow. This could very well be the only pumpkin recipe I share this year. I’m just not into it this year as I have been in the past. I did get my fair share of pumpkin beverages from Starbucks last month during their BOGO promotion, so I am getting my pumpkin fill. Before we know it though, pumpkin will be replaced by peppermint and all the pretty fall colors will be replaced by holiday colors. I walked into a Lowe’s the other day and right smack in my face was a full Christmas display flanked by two very large Santa Clauses’. I had to stop and think for a moment what date it was and how long until Christmas is actually here. Don’t get me wrong I enjoy the holidays, but this year feels like it has flown by incredibly fast so savoring these last few months of the year and the remaining holidays would be nice. 

A few months ago, I received a bottle of bourbon cream from Nooku. They reached out to me on Instagram and offered to send me a bottle. I never tried bourbon cream before but was pleasantly surprised when I did. While the tasting notes are different, it reminded me of Irish cream. And while it is delicious to drink on its own chilled or at room temperature, I thought I could use it to make some sort of dessert. Initially I was thinking of making a bourbon cream cheesecake, but it being Fall and all I decided to give the cheesecake a Fall twist and add pumpkin to create a Pumpkin Bourbon Cream Cheesecake.    

So, with some bourbon cream, pumpkin puree and of course pumpkin spice (along with a few other ingredients) I ended up with a delicious cheesecake that’s perfect for these Fall days. And while I was initially thinking of topping the cheesecake with a chocolate ganache drizzle, I opted to go a simpler route and whipped up a small batch of bourbon cream whipped cream to pipe along the edges of the cheesecake which I then sprinkled with pumpkin spice (because you can never have too much of it).

Pumpkin Bourbon Cream Cheesecake

Ingredients:

For the Graham Cracker Crust:

12 graham crackers

1 tablespoon sugar

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

For the Cheesecake:

3 8oz blocks of cream cheese, at room temperature

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1/4 cup sour cream, at room temperature

15oz. can pumpkin puree

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

3 large eggs, at room temperature

1/3 cup bourbon cream*

For the Bourbon Cream Whipped Cream:

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

1 tablespoon bourbon cream*

1 tablespoon confectioners’ sugar

Additional pumpkin pie spice to sprinkle on top of cheesecake

*I used Nooku Bourbon Cream

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 325 F.

In the bowl of a food processor process the graham crackers into fine crumbs. Add the sugar and melted butter and pulse a few times until the mixture is combined. Transfer to a 9-inch springform pan and press the crumbs into an even layer along the bottom of the pan and up the sides. Set aside.

In a large bowl beat the cream cheese and both sugars with a hand mixer on medium speed until well combined. Add in the sour cream, pumpkin puree, vanilla extract and pumpkin pie spice until beat until just combined. Add the eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Finally beat in the bourbon cream.

Transfer the cheesecake filling to the prepared pan and bake in the preheated oven for 50-55 minutes. The cheesecake should be set but the center a bit wobbly.

Leave the cheesecake in the oven with the door open and allow the cheesecake to cool as the oven cools, about 30 minutes. Finish cooling on a wire rack and then cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or overnight.

Before serving make the whipped cream topping. In a medium bowl beat the whipped cream, bourbon cream and confectioners’ sugar on medium speed until stiff peaks form. Transfer the whipped cream to a piping bag fitted with a large star tip. Carefully remove the ring from the cheesecake and drop dollops of the whipped cream along the edge of the cheesecake. Finish by sprinkling pumpkin pie spice over the whipped cream. If you don’t have piping bags and/or tips, you can use a large resealable bag. Snip one of the corners and drop dollops of the whipped cream on the cheesecake. 

Store leftovers in the refrigerator.

Recipe first appeared on Bead Yarn & Spatula

Cheddar Bay Biscuits

If you’ve been to a Red Lobster I think we can agree that one of the best things about going is the Cheddar Bay Biscuits. Granted the food isn’t bad either; depending on the one you go to. Unfortunately, not all chain restaurants are the same. The biscuits are so popular that Red Lobster sells a mix that you can buy to make them yourself at home, although I can’t say how good it is as I have never tried it. There are also a ton of recipes floating around the internet to make them from scratch. I know I tried one or two and I wasn’t that impressed. I recently came across today’s recipe while scrolling Instagram and it sounded simple and delicious, so I flagged it. And on a recent rainy Saturday I decided it was the perfect excuse to stay home and try a few recipes and this was one of them and it didn’t disappoint.

The texture of these biscuits was spot on. They were light and airy and the garlic butter on top was perfection. I initially thought that maybe the garlic butter would need more salt, but I opted against adding more than the recipe called for and I am happy that I did. Most recipes I have seen call for using yellow cheddar cheese while this one used white cheddar cheese, I am not sure if that made a huge difference in the flavor, but it did make a difference in the color of the biscuits. As one would expect, the yellow cheddar gives the biscuits a slight orange hue while the white cheddar didn’t do that which made them a tad bit more appealing on the eye. Truth be told we do eat with our eyes before our taste buds.

These are so quick and easy to make that you could whip up a batch and store them in your freezer and reheat them to enjoy with a hearty soup throughout the Fall/Winter. That’s exactly what I am planning on doing. I froze half of the ones I made and already tested reheating them in the oven and they were just as good as the day I made them.

Copycat Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuits

  • Servings: 12 biscuits
  • Print

Ingredients:

For the Biscuits:

4 ounces (1 cup) shredded sharp white cheddar cheese*

1 stick unsalted butter, melted

3/4 cup buttermilk

2 cups flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder

1 1/2 teaspoons Kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

For the Garlic Butter:

1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted

1/2 teaspoon dried parsley

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/8 teaspoon Kosher salt

*I opted to shred the cheese myself from a block of cheddar as opposed to buying it already shredded

Directions:

For the Biscuits:

Preheat oven to 450 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

Stir together the melted butter and buttermilk and set aside.

In a large bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, garlic powder, Kosher salt and baking soda until well combined. Add in the buttermilk mixture and using a rubber spatula gently stir together until a soft dough forms. Add in the shredded cheese and continue stirring until the cheese is incorporated into the dough.

Use a 1/4 cup measuring cup to measure out 12 portions of the dough. Roll each portion into a ball and place on the prepared baking sheet 2-inches apart.

Bake the biscuits until they are golden brown, about 10-12 minutes.

While the biscuits are in the oven make the garlic butter.

For the Garlic Butter:

In a small bowl combine the melted butter, parsley, garlic powder and salt, stir together until well combined.

As soon as the biscuits come out of the oven generously brush each with the garlic butter. Serve immediately.

Make ahead: Prep the biscuits – make the dough and then shape them – and then place on a baking sheet in the freezer until frozen. Transfer to a resealable bag and keep in the freezer up to 2 months. Bake straight from the freezer, adding a few minutes to the baking time and then brush the garlic butter and serve.

Storing: Leftover biscuits can be stored in an airtight container for 3 days or frozen in a resealable bag up to 2 months. Reheat in a 350 F oven until warmed through, about 10 minutes.

Recipe from The Kitchn

Tennessee Whiskey Cake

Happy Fall! So, I am switching things up this year. I normally welcome Fall with a pumpkin recipe, but I haven’t baked anything with pumpkin yet. I have one or two recipes that I want to make but just haven’t gotten to them yet. Instead, I am bringing you a cake that is just as equally perfect for the Fall, a Tennessee Whiskey Cake. (Although, I made it with bourbon, but you could use either.) There is also a decent amount of chopped pecans in the cake that I find reminiscent with Fall baking.

One thing I loved about this cake is that it only required one-bowl and came together rather quickly. I thought about foregoing toasting the pecans to save time, but I went ahead and did it. I can’t say for sure if it added another layer of flavor to the cake though. What I mainly tasted was hints of the bourbon, which wasn’t a bad thing. A slice of this cake is the perfect accompaniment to a nice hot cup of tea (or coffee if that’s your thing!). Perfect after a day of raking leaves, leaf peeping, apple picking or whatever Fall activity you may be doing.

Tennessee Whiskey Cake

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cup pecan halves, plus additional for topping

2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

5 large eggs, at room temperature

1/4 cup whiskey or bourbon*

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 cups flour

*I used Jim Beam’s Bourbon

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 F. Spread the 1 1/4 cups of pecans on a baking sheet and bake 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent the pecans from sticking and/or burning, until toasted and lightly browned. Allow to cool and then chop the pecans.

Reduce the oven temperature to 325 F and spray a 9x5x3-inch loaf pan with baking spray.

In a large bowl beat the butter, both sugars and vanilla extract together with a hand mixer on high speed until light and fluffy.

With the mixer on low, add the eggs one at a time, beating after each.

Next, beat in the whiskey/bourbon, the baking powder, baking soda and salt. Reduce the mixer to low and stir in the chopped pecans and then the flour until just incorporated.

Spread the butter into the prepared pan. Smooth the top and then place pecan halves on top.

Bake in the preheated oven until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, about 50 minutes to 1 hour.

Cool the cake in the pan on a wire rack for 30 minutes. Remove from the pan, place on the wire rack and cool completely. For best flavor store airtight for one day at room temperature before serving.

Recipe from Elizabeth Alston’s Best Baking

Sour Cream-Chocolate Chip Pound Cake (and a few other things!)

It’s been a bit quiet around here. Almost two months since my last post. Partly because this summer has been way too hot to turn my oven on to bake anything and because I was gone for about 10 days in late July / early August. I finally made it across the pond! I went to Barcelona for two days and then headed out on a Mediterranean cruise which made stops in Mallorca, Marseille, La Spezia (Florence), Civitavecchia (Rome) and Naples. Since I was on a cruise, I really didn’t get the opportunity to try a lot of the local food, but while in Marseille I did try a traditional cookie called a Navette (it wasn’t to my liking) and while in Lucca I enjoyed pizza and gelato (both were delish!).

And not food related whatsoever, but too beautiful not to share a few pics of the Mediterranean and a few sunrise and sunset pics from the ship. 

A few weeks after getting back I finally turned my oven on to bake something as I was planning to visit family and wanted to bring dessert. I opted to make a Sour Cream-Chocolate Chip Pound Cake that I had flagged in a cookbook quite some time ago but hadn’t gotten around to making. I really need to go through my cookbooks and see what else I have flagged that I haven’t made! Truthfully, I felt out of sorts while prepping the batter for the cake. It was almost like I was tripping over myself. Don’t get me wrong, I have been cooking for myself even though I wasn’t baking but I never realized that I had developed a rhythm of sorts while baking.

Thankfully, my out of sorts feeling didn’t translate into the cake… It turned out delicious! The recipe called for a cinnamon sugar topping which I thought to be a bit odd, but I went with it and am happy that I did. The cinnamon flavor really added to the flavor of the cake. You could taste it, but it wasn’t overpowering.

One thing to note, the flavor of this cake gets better with time. I suggest making it a day or two ahead of time and then wrapping it tightly to keep it fresh and let the flavors develop.

I think I am finally getting my baking legs back! I baked a Blueberry Crumb Cake that came out delish – although I did have to mix my dry ingredients twice. I flipped the measurements for salt & baking soda and added in more baking soda than the recipe called for and I didn’t want to end up with metallic soapy flavored cake. Maybe that isn’t a good example. I did bake up some treats (cookies and cheesecake brownie bites) last week along with a birthday cake that all came out perfect! I even decorated the cake… It’s been a while since I have done that. So, I guess I am getting back into the swing of things. Perfect timing to with Fall and the holidays just around the corner.

Sour Cream-Chocolate Chip Pound Cake

Ingredients:

1 cup plus 4 tablespoons sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 3/4 stick (14 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

4 large eggs, at room temperature

3/4 cup sour cream

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 1/4 cups flour

1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 325 F. Spray a 9x5x3- inch loaf pan with baking spray then line with aluminum foil, leaving an overhang, then spry with additional baking spray. Set aside.

Cinnamon Sugar Topping- In a small bowl mix 2 tablespoons of the sugar with 1/4 teaspoon of the cinnamon and set aside.

In a large bowl beat the butter, vanilla extract and the remaining sugar together with a hand mixer on high speed until pale and fluffy. Reduce the speed to medium and add the eggs one at a time, beating after each. Beat in the sour cream, baking powder, baking soda, salt and the remaining cinnamon. Scraping the sides of the bowl as needed. With the mixer on low, add in the flour until almost combined. Finally add in the chocolate chips and continue mixing on low until the batter is well combined.

Transfer the batter to the prepared pan. Tap the pan on the counter a few times to release any air bubbles and then sprinkle the cinnamon sugar topping on top of the cake.

Bake in the preheated oven until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 70 – 75 minutes.

Allow the cake to cool in the pan on a wire rack for 30 minutes. Then using the overhang lift the cake out of the pan and place on the wire rack to cool completely. Remove the foil and serve or wrap tightly in plastic wrap and leave at room temperature until ready to serve. For best flavor, let the cake sit for 1 day before serving.

Recipe from Elizabeth Alston’s Best Baking

No-Churn Coffee Ice Cream

I’m not a coffee drinker. I’ve tried it once or twice, but the flavor is just not appealing to me. I will enjoy a Caramel Frappucino once in a while from Starbucks, but the caramel and whipped cream really mask any coffee flavor. And in the Fall, I may get a Pumpkin Spice Latte, but the flavor of coffee is still there which makes it a bit hard to swallow so half a cup and I’m good. One coffee item that I do enjoy without any reservations is coffee ice cream. Yes, the coffee flavor is there, but it’s not that strong and thanks to the sweetness of ice cream it’s tolerable. So, to kick off Summer 2023 I am sharing a recipe for a No-Churn Coffee Ice Cream.

If you’ve never made ice cream at home, you are missing out. It’s super simple, you can control how sweet it is, what the ingredients are and you can get quite creative with the flavors. Initially I was using an ice cream maker to make ice cream, but, once I discovered no-churn ice cream I haven’t broken out that machine since. I just beat all of the ingredients together, transfer it to a loaf pan and then freeze it overnight.  

This coffee ice cream tasted just as good as my favorite store-bought one. If you like your coffee on the stronger side, you could use an extra half or full tablespoon of the coffee granules.

No Churn Coffee Ice Cream

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons instant coffee granules

1/4 cup boiling hot water

2 cups heavy cream

1 14oz. can sweetened condensed milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

Line a 9×5-inch loaf pan with wax paper leaving an overhang and set aside.

In a measuring cup stir together the coffee and water and let cool for a few minutes.

In a medium bowl beat the heavy cream with a hand mixer on medium speed until stiff peaks form. Add in the cooled coffee, condensed milk and vanilla extract and beat together on low speed until well combined.

Pour into the prepared loaf pan and cover tightly with a piece of wax paper and aluminum foil and freeze at least 8 hours or overnight.

Recipe first appeared on Bead Yarn & Spatula

Orange Pistachio Loaf Cake

I’ve posted quite a few loaf cakes this year. They are just so easy to make, and you get so much so flavor without having to do too much, i.e. decorate. And most of them are perfect for any time of the day… As a treat for breakfast, a snack in the middle of the day or for dessert in the evening. Today’s Orange Pistachio Loaf Cake is no exception to any of this. The citrus flavor of this loaf cake makes it perfect for the warmer months ahead when you want something sweet but not too heavy. And you don’t have to whip out your hand or stand mixer to make it. Simply whisk the dry ingredients together in one bowl, the wet ingredients in another and then whisk both together before folding in the pistachio nuts. That was a bit out a mouthful, but rest assured this cake is easy to make.

And once the cake is baked and cooled it’s time to make the glaze. Previously, I would skip adding glazes to my baked items. Whenever a recipe included it, I just assumed that it would add too much sweetness, but I have come around and realized that what it really does is enhance the flavor, well sometimes. For this cake I decided to add an orange glaze and top it with chopped pistachios to really kick up the overall flavor of the cake.

Orange Pistachio Loaf Cake

Ingredients:

For the loaf cake:

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice (2-3 navel oranges)

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup sour cream

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Zest of 1 orange

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup chopped pistachios

For the glaze:

1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar

1 teaspoon orange zest

1 – 2 tablespoons fresh squeezed orange juice

2 – 3 tablespoons chopped pistachios

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray a 9 x 5 – inch loaf pan with baking spray and set aside.

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

In a different medium bowl whisk together the orange juice, vegetable oil, sour cream, eggs, vanilla extract and zest until combined and then whisk in the sugar until well combined. Add in the dry ingredient and whisk together until just combined. Finally fold in the chopped pistachios.

Transfer the batter to the prepared loaf pan and bake for 45-55 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing and cooling completely on a wire rack.

Once the loaf is cool prep the glaze. In a small bowl whisk together the confectioners’ sugar, orange zest and orange juice. Start with a tablespoon of orange juice and add more as needed. The glaze should be pourable but thick. For an easier clean-up, line a rimmed baking sheet with wax paper and place the wire rack with the loaf cake on top of the wax paper. Drizzle the glaze on top of the cake then sprinkle the chopped pistachios on top. To set the glaze quickly, place the cake in the refrigerator for 15-20 minutes.

Slice and enjoy!

Store cake in an airtight container at room temperature.

Recipe first appeared on Bead Yarn & Spatula.