Brown Sugar Pound Cake

Happy New Year 2013!! This is my first blog post for 2013.  I think it's good luck to have a sweet treat as a first post for the New Year, it's a sign that this year will be sweet for us all, not salty, not sour, not bitter, but a very sweet year, or as the kids like to say, "SWEEEEET".!!

Brown Sugar Pound Cake is a dense wonderful cake, perfect with tea, or accompanied with whipped cream and strawberries, as my daughter would prefer. This cake doesn't have a lot of extra liquid such as milk added to it, as other recipes call for, which makes it more like a bread than a light cake. It reminded me of a brown sugar cookie. It would also be nice drizzled with chocolate or caramel sauce.

Pound Cake:

• 1 cup - packed  Light Brown Sugar
• 1 cup - (2 sticks) butter, softened
• 4 - eggs
• 1 teaspoon - vanilla extract
• 1 3/4 cups - all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon - baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon - salt

Method:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour 9x5x3-inch loaf pan. In large bowl, beat sugar and butter until fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time. Add vanilla. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Gradually add to sugar mixture. Pour batter into pan. Bake one hour or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from pan and turn out on rack to cool completely. Top with whipped cream and fruit if you like.

Recipe adapted from Domino Sugar

Carrot Cake

This was the cake that I was supposed to have for my birthday. If you know me, you know that I am totally addicted to carrot cake, it is my favorite cake, the more carrots and nuts the better. This has been my favorite since I was a girl. Going through all of the recipes on the Internet, I made my favorite recipe from my Mom and Baby Wayne. This was the cake that we would make for parties and birthdays. When it was baking, all the memories of those parties started flooding back, my Mom and I with all the guys from the Floral Market. Since I told my daughter that I was going to make this cake and then made my Gingerbread Cake. She hadn't forgotten, and asked if I could make it when I got a chance. Since Amy's Annual Wreath Making Party was coming up, I thought this would be perfect for the party. Everyone loves Carrot cake.

 

Carrot Cake

Ingredients

2 cups flour

2 tsp baking soda

2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp cinnamon

2 cups sugar

1 1/4 cups vegetable oil

4 unbeaten eggs

3 cups grated carrots

Method

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease tube pan or two cake pans.

In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, sift these ingredients. Set aside.

In another bowl, cream oil, sugar and eggs. Add dry ingredients to the egg mixture. Add carrots. Pour batter into tube pan or two cake pans. Bake for 45 minutes in tube pan or 30 minutes in cake pans or until toothpick inserted in the center of cake comes out clean. Let cool for 10 minutes on cooling rack. Invert cake on to plate, let cool completely before frosting. 

Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients

1 stick butter- softened

8 oz cream cheese

2 cups powdered sugar

2 tsp. vanilla

1 cup chopped pecans ( optional)

Method

With a mixer or Kitchen Aid, blend butter, cream cheese, and vanilla. On low speed, add 1 cup of sugar, mix until blended, add another cup of sugar. Frost cakes. Sprinkle nuts on top of frosting.  

Easy Rum Cake

With the holidays coming up, I have been thinking about what desserts we had when I was a kid. My Grandma used to make this cake for Christmas and I thought it was so fancy and grown up. I couldn't wait until the cake was cooled to eat. Since Grandma isn't here to ask her for the recipe, I had to do some testing of recipes and I think this recipe is very close. After trying the first piece I could remember Grandma and Grandpa's fun Luau parties with all of the guests ending up in the pool. They loved having parties with great food and lots to drink and always wonderful desserts.

The trick for this cake is glazing it while it is hot out of the oven. The recipe for the glaze seemed like a lot to me so I halved it for my cake but you can use all of the glaze, it is your preference. I also chose to use walnuts for this cake and it really is a great combo with the vanilla and rum flavors. I used the cake mix with vanilla pudding in it and I also added another vanilla pudding. I know...really wild stuff for a Friday Night! Grandma and Grandpa would think I was a real dud!

Easy Rum Cake

• 1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts ( I used walnuts)
• 1 package yellow cake mix 
• 1 (3 3/4-oz.) package Jell-O vanilla instant pudding and pie filling
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup cold water
• 1/2 cup Vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup Captain Morgan Original Spiced Rum

Glaze:

• 1 stick butter
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup Captain Morgan Original Spiced Rum
• I halved this recipe

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. Grease and flour 10-inch tube or 12-cup Bundt pan.
3. Sprinkle nuts over bottom of pan.
4. Mix all cake ingredients together.
5. Pour batter over nuts.
6. Bake 1 hour.
7. Cool; invert onto serving plate. Prick top with fork.
8. Spoon and brush glaze evenly over top and sides.

9. Glaze:

1. Melt butter in saucepan. Stir in water and sugar.
2. Boil for 5 minutes, stirring constantly, and remove from heat.
3. Stir in rum. You may decorate with whipped cream before serving.

Recipe from Duncan Hines

Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars

I think I went a little overboard with my purchasing of canned pumpkin. Is that even possible? I bought a case. I really love pumpkin and have had a hankering for Pumpkin Cheesecake. I have been seeing so many gorgeous Cheesecakes on Pinterest. But the thing is, you have to refrigerate your cheesecake and I needed these bars for a party tonight! In my travels, I stumbled upon a very easy recipe for Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars. Now when I tell you easy, I mean EEEE-Z. Not easy like you open a pouch of ingredients and add water, I mean easier than a cheesecake easier. Although if you double this recipe, you can actually make a cheesecake if you place all ingredients in a spring form pan. I happened to have all of the ingredients on hand, which makes me happier than all get out. I planned on bringing these to a dinner party at Lily's home, but they were gone in a flash. Note to self, double this recipe next time! These bars are perfect for a snack, dessert or in my case breakfast. I used  chopped walnuts, but you can use pecans or choose to go nut free. Either way, these are a perfect Holiday Bar.

 

 

Here's what you need: flour, brown sugar, butter, chopped walnuts, cream cheese, sugar, pumpkin, eggs, cinnamon, allspice, and vanilla.

Combine flour and brown sugar in a medium bowl. Cut in butter to make a crumb mixture. Stir in nuts. Set aside 3/4 cup mixture for topping. 

Press remaining mixture into bottom of 8x8x1 1/2 inch baking pan. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 15  minutes. Cool slightly.

Combine cream cheese, sugar, pumpkin, eggs, cinnamon, allspice, and vanilla in  large mixer bowl. I used my Kitchen Aid. Blend until smooth. 

Pour over baked crust. Sprinkle with reserved topping. Bake an additional 30-35 minutes. Cool before cutting into bars. Makes 12 bars. If you double the recipe and put it in a spring form pan, it makes a wonderful cheesecake ( increase baking time)

Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars

1 c. all purpose flour
1/3 c. packed golden brown sugar
5 tbsp. butter, softened
1/2 c. finely chopped pecans or walnuts
1 (8 oz.) pkg. softened cream cheese
3/4 c. sugar
1/2 c. Libby's solid pack pumpkin
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground allspice
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Combine flour and brown sugar in medium bowl. Cut in butter to make a crumb mixture. Stir in nuts. Set aside 3/4 cup mixture for topping. Press remaining mixture into bottom of 8 x 8 x 1 1/2 inch basking pan. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 15 minutes. Cool slightly. Combine cream cheese, sugar, pumpkin, eggs, cinnamon, allspice, and vanilla in large mixer bowl. Blend until smooth. Pour over baked crust. Sprinkle with reserved topping. Bake an additional 30-35 minutes. Cool before cutting into bars. Makes 12 bars. If you double recipe and put in a spring form pan it makes a wonderful cheesecake (increase baking time).

Recipe adapted from Cooks.com 

Apple Pie

I have been wanting to bake since we arrived home from NJ and Philly. I was so happy to see everyone was safe and  sound  after Hurricane Sandy. Baby Ray had surgery today and is on his way to recovery. Sweetest Baby Boy! Thank you for all of your prayers and kind words. All of your prayers have made a difference.

This is a very simple recipe for Apple Pie. It's hubs favorite and since he picked the last batch at the apple orchard, had to make it. If you want your kitchen to smell like heaven, I think this is pretty close to it.

 

Apple Pie

Ingredients

• Pie Crust (for a double crust pie)
• 2 1/2 pounds  apples, sliced ( I am so lazy, I don't peel apples!)
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 to 3 Tablespoons flour
• 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 2 Tablespoons butter
• sugar and cinnamon for sprinkling

Instructions

1. In a large bowl combine the apples, sugar, flour, lemon juice, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon.
2. Give everything a toss and let stand for 15 minutes, stirring a few times.
3. Meanwhile roll out your pie crusts.
4. Fill the crust with the apple mixture. Scatter the butter over the top of the pie.
5. Cover the top with the second crust. See, you can’t even tell how ugly my bottom crust is.
6. Cut a few slits in the top to let steam escape. Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon.
7. Bake the pie for 30 minutes in a preheated 425 degree oven. Slip a baking sheet underneath of it, and reduce the heat to 350 degrees. Bake until the fruit feels just tender when you poke a knife through one of the steam vents. The juices will thicken and they will bubble through the vents.  It should take another 30 to 45 minutes more. Foil edges of crust so that it doesn't get as brown as mine did.
8. Recipe adapted from Baked Bree.

Vegan Pumpkin Bread

Vegan Pumpkin Bread

This was supposed to be a weekend of catch up. But life doesn't always work like that.  Since there is a world record  storm coming up this way, FRANKENSTORM, worst storm since 1938, that is a priority. So we have been buckling down, getting the generator ready, putting away boats, furniture, draining pipes, and I have been been baking up my own kind of storm. Since I used most of my flour last week, I cut this recipe for Vegan Pumpin Bread in half, unfortunately, because this is such a delicious moist pumpkin bread, no eggs, no dairy, perfect storm bread!  The only ingredient that I switched was walnuts for pecans, still very good! If you would like the recipe for Vegan Pumpkin Bread, make sure to check out Joy the Baker Cookbook for so many amazing recipes including this one. Nettie

SWEET POTATO CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE < Sunday's With Joy >

 I have been baking sweet potato pies. We had a lovely Pie Festival here in our little town in Maine. I won the MOST BEAUTIFUL PIE CONTEST with my Raspberry Peach Pie Crumble last year and I was asked to donate a pie for the auction this year. My pie was sold at auction for $35.00, can you believe it?? I was shocked! I hope the buyer really enjoys their sweet potato pie a LOT!! Since I keep using up the sweet potatoes for baking and cooking, I am a bit behind in posting JOY THE BAKER'S Sweet Potato Chocolate Chip Cookie post. This is a delicious cookie, I think it is more like a muffin cookie, a flatter muffin. I really like the combination of chocolate and sweet potato for a cookie, it's really quite brilliant. If you would like the RECIPE, CLICK HERE.

Banana Spice Cake

When I was a little girl, my favorite cake to bake was a Spice Cake. I thought it sounded so fancy, with lots of  exotic spices. Of course I baked a lot of cakes using cake mixes, it was easy for me to do by myself, add water, oil and an egg. 20 minutes later, you have a cake! Miracle of miracles. I haven't thought about spice cakes in years. But today, something just triggered that memory as I was looking at my very ripe bananas. BANANA SPICE CAKE....this tiny little girl's voice said to my brain! It has been rainy and cold and when it is rainy and cold, baking is my emotional therapy. It grounds me and makes me feel like all is well in my little world. The aroma of the spices bring me back 40 years. Wait 40 years? Yes, 40 years! It's time to make a Banana Spice Cake. This is long overdue. This cake is a tribute to the little girl who loved to bake cakes. This is a treat for me who loves to eat Banana Spice Cake! 

Cream butter and sugar with a hand mixer or a Kitchen Aid.

Mix dry ingredients and spices together.

Add mashed banana, milk,vanilla and eggs to butter sugar mixture.

Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients until flour mixture is completely wet. Bake in a greased pan for 25-30 minutes at 350 degrees . Let cake cool for 10 minutes before taking it out of the pan and placing it on a cooling rack. You can frost this cake if you like but I prefer to sift powdered sugar over the cake.

 

 

Banana Spice Cake

Ingredients:

• 4 ounces butter, softened
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
• 1 large egg
• 2 to 3 bananas, mashed, about 3/4 cup
• 1/4 cup buttermilk or sour milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 scant teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Preparation:

Heat oven to 350°. Grease and flour an 8- or 9-inch square pan. In a large mixing bowl with electric mixer, cream butter and brown sugar. Beat in egg, milk, vanilla, and mashed banana until blended. Combine remaining dry ingredients and spices. Stir the dry ingredients into the first mixture until moistened. Spread in prepared pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until cake springs back when lightly touched with finger. 

Frost with a cream cheese frosting or sprinkle with powdered sugar. 

Best Chocolate Sheet Cake

It's Judy's Surprise Birthday and I have been wanting to make this incredible cake ever since I saw it on The Pioneer Woman Cook's Blog. She says it's The Best Sheet Cake Ever, and I trust her. Everything that I have made from her blog has been delicious and my kids have asked me to make it all the time! Well she was right! Friends were going back for second and third pieces! I wanted to make a delicious cake for Judy and her friends, since I didn't know how many people were going to be there to surprise the HECK out of her, I thought that a sheet cake would be perfect! I read every single one of the comments on TPWC Blog, which is saying a lot ( she usually gets around 800 comments or MORE per post) and so many people commented that this cake was really difficult to mess up. I thought of this the whole time that I was talking to my best friend while trying to make the cake and frosting. Do you ever do that? Leave out an ingredient while you are having a serious conversation on the phone? I have, sugar , while making pies, not good at all!I didn't leave out any ingredients for this cake, but my mind was really concentrating on two things at one time. I recommend this if you are feeling lazy and need to be challenged! Talking and Baking!

This sheet cake is wonderful warm after just being freshly frosted or perfect the day after for breakfast, or as a late snack, or before lunch, or after a hike! My kids are asking me to make another sheet cake since this one was whisked away for the party, okay kids, for your birthday! Make sure to decorate the cake if you like, I am in no way a skilled baker-ess, I drew out JUDY and a Heart, but it was still hard to tell what that exactly was...

As we were all hiding waiting for Judy and Tom to come back from their date night, Judy's Mother called Judy from the back room asking her if she could show her something on the computer, the lights were off, we were quiet as mice, we all jumped out and yelled SURPRISE!! Thank goodness, Judy is young and has a very strong heart, I would have collapsed, don't yell at me and come jumping out at me from a dark room, years will come off my life! You are an amazing sport Young Judy!!

Judy still trying to recover, you did a great job Tom keeping it a secret!

Ingredients

FOR THE CAKE:
2 cups Flour
2 cups Sugar
1/4 teaspoon Salt
4 Tablespoons (heaping) Cocoa Powder2 sticks Butter
1 cup Boiling Water
1/2 cup Buttermilk
2 whole Beaten Eggs
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1 teaspoon Vanilla

FOR FROSTING:
1/2 cup Finely Chopped Pecans
1-3/4 stick Butter
4 Tablespoons (heaping) Cocoa
6 Tablespoons Milk
1 teaspoon Vanilla
1 pound (minus 1/2 Cup) Powdered Sugar

Preparation Instructions

Note: I use an 18x13 sheet cake pan.
In a mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, and salt.
In a saucepan, melt butter. Add cocoa. Stir together.
Add boiling water, allow mixture to boil for 30 seconds, then turn off heat. Pour over flour mixture, and stir lightly to cool.
In a measuring cup, pour the buttermilk and add beaten eggs, baking soda, and vanilla. Stir buttermilk mixture into butter/chocolate mixture. Pour into sheet cake pan and bake at 350-degrees for 20 minutes.
While cake is baking, make the icing. Chop pecans finely. Melt butter in a saucepan. Add cocoa, stir to combine, then turn off heat. Add the milk, vanilla, and powdered sugar. Stir together. Add the pecans, stir together, and pour over warm cake. Enjoy! Take this sheet cake to your next party, you will make lots of friends! Nettie This post has been linked up to these fabulous blogs!

Peanut Butter Cookies

Somehow I imagined that my daughter and I would be baking peanut butter cookies for her Girl Scout Troop Meeting, but the days get away from us and I ended up baking them, which really is such a therapy for me. I really love to bake, I feel like all is well with my world. Plus, I know that when we are having snow blizzards in a couple months, we will be having lots of mother/daughter bake -a - thon's going on!

Peanut Butter cookies are one of my favorite cookies. One reason is that they are very easy to make, the other reason is that I always have all of the ingredients on hand. My family loves PB & J  and PB & Fluff sandwiches. Have you ever seen an exploded PB & Fluff sandwich? Don't leave it in your locker all day! I have used Natural peanut butter to make these wonderful cookies. Peanut butter cookies are instantly recognized for their crisscross pattern . I used crunchy peanut butter for these cookies, but you can use smooth peanut butter if that is what you prefer. P.S. In case you were wondering, the Girl Scouts loved them! 
Peanut Butter Cookies

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar (firmly packed)
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 cup peanut butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour

Directions:

1.Mix butter and sugars together using a hand mixer or Kitchen Aid. Add in all remaining ingredients and mix until combined.
2.Roll the dough into small 1 inch balls and place on cookie sheet. Squish to about 1/4 inch thick using a fork, making a crisscross pattern.
3.Bake for 10 minutes at 375 degrees. Let cool on baking sheet for 2-3 minutes, transfer to a cooling rack. Makes 3 dozen cookies.
Inspired from The Joy Of Cooking Cookbook. This post has been linked up to these fabulous blogs:

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