“A Taste of the Islands” Pound Cake

Chris and I just returned from another AMAZING Caribbean get-a-way! The 2009 Buckeye Cruise for Cancer Proceeds from the Buckeye Cruise benefit the Stefanie Spielman Fund for Breast Cancer Research at Ohio State's James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute. Join us on the 2009 Buckeye Cruise to help fight breast cancer! Check it out!

While on the ship, Chris discovered his love for pound cake. He claimed he has never tasted it before this trip. When I informed him I could easily make this at home he was very excited. This recipe for Pound Cake was adapted from Williams-Sonoma Collection Series, Dessert, by Abigail Johnson Dodge (Simon & Schuster, 2002 ).
I decided to bring a little of the Caribbean into our home to remind us of an amazing time had last week. The mix of flavors is wonderfully fruity, yet subtle. I baked mine in a dark pan and it turned out just fine (the recipe suggests glass).

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
12 Tbs. (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter,
at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon rum flavored extract
1/2 teaspoon butter flavored extract
1/2 teaspoon lemon extract
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2 eggs, at room temperature
8 ounces sour cream, at room temperature
Directions:
Preheat an oven to 325°F. Lightly grease an 8 1⁄2-by-4 1⁄2-inch loaf pan, preferably glass, and dust with flour.

In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt until blended. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together the butter, sugar, and all extracts on medium to medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition until just blended. Sprinkle half of the flour mixture over the egg mixture and stir until both are just incorporated. Stir in the sour cream, then sprinkle with the remaining flour mixture and stir until evenly distributed.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and tap gently on the counter to even out and settle the ingredients. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 70 minutes, or longer if using a metal pan. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool for 15 minutes.

Run a thin knife around the inside of the pan, invert the cake onto the rack and lift off the pan. Place the cake on one of its sides and continue cooling. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Cheating....It tastes so good! A Cinamon Roll Cake

I'm not talking about the "cheating" on a diet type cheating (I don't diet). As a self-proclaimed choc-a-holic, it felt like "cheating" when I told Chris that this chocolate-less cake may just be "the best cake I have ever made!" It's true. This is absolutely delicious!

Inspired by my FAVORITE cinnamon roll, Cindy's Cinnamon Rolls, this cake is moist and surprisingly light with nice buttery edges. It has a deliciously cinnamon swirl throughout and the icing is... well....for lack of a better word "the icing on the cake". If you like cinnamon rolls you will LOVE this cake.

These basic, buttery yellow cake and sugar frosting recipes are both ones my grandma gave me years ago. I added the cinnamon sugar layering effect to the cake and cinnamon to the frosting to create a cake that tastes like a Cindy's Cinnamon Roll. :) I like to microwave my piece for 20 seconds before eating. Mmmm...Enjoy!

CINNAMON ROLL CAKE

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, softened
2 cups white sugar
4 eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup sour cream

2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1 cup brown sugar

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour a 13x9 inch pan or 9 inch Bundt pan. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
Mix together the cinnamon and brown sugar.
In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well with each addition, then stir in the vanilla. Add the flour mixture alternately with the sour cream; beat until well blended. Spread half of the batter into the prepared pan.
Sprinkle cinnamon and sugar mixture over the batter in the pan, leaving only a small amount in bottom of bowl. Spread the rest of the batter into the pan and sprinkle any remaining sugar mixture over the top.
Bake in the preheated oven for 50-60 minutes for 13x9 inch pan (check at 50 minutes- mine took 55 minutes) or 60 to 70 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. For Bundt pan, allow to cool for 10 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.

CINNAMON FROSTING:
2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup butter
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons milk (Add 1/2 tablespoon at a time)
DIRECTIONS
Cream sugar, butter, cinnamon, and vanilla. Add a small amount of milk (1 to 2 tablespoons). Beat until fluffy. If frosting is too sweet add a little more milk.

Cake from Scratch

Today was Chris' 24 hours off this week and since it was dark and rainy outside we spent a cozy day inside. I decided to brighten our day with cake. This was the best from-scratch cake I've made. I found the recipe on a foodnetwork.com search just before making it.

Please disregard Chris' fork marks in the photo :) He was literally standing over me begging me to give him his piece of cake back.

Colettes’ White Cake Recipe
From Foodnetwork.com

1 cup all-purpose (original recipe calls for 9 ounces)
1 cup cake flour (original recipe calls for 9 ounces)
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
3 cups sugar (21 ounces)
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup egg whites, room temperature
1 1/2 cups milk, room temperature

Directions
Pre-heat the oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour 2 (9)-inch round pans. Sift together the flours and baking powder.

Cream the butter and sugar in a large mixer bowl until fluffy. Add the salt and vanilla and mix well. Add the eggs, scraping the sides of the bowl, and mix until light and fluffy. Add the flour mixture in 3 batches alternating with the milk, mixing after each addition and ending with the flour. Mix just until combined. Do not overmix.

Pour the batter into the prepared pans. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool the cakes in the pans on wire racks for 15 minutes. Invert the cakes onto the racks and remove the pans. Let the cakes cool completely. Wrap and refrigerate before decorating.




Butter Cream Frosting

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 tablespoon vanilla
4 tablespoons milk, or as needed
3 cups confectioners' sugar (1 box)

Place butter and vanilla in a mixing bowl. Using a hand or stand mixer, gradually mix in the sugar, and when it starts to get thick, incorporate milk one tablespoon at a time until all of the sugar is mixed in and the frosting is thick and spreadable. Beat for at least 3 minutes for it to get good and fluffy.

A Housewarming Gift....All the way from Alaska! And the "Homemade Boxed Cake Mix"

My wondeful friend, Deb, sent me a cake all the way from Alaska! Well...actually she sent me a beautiful, hand-painted mixing bowl by Pamela's Cottage. The bowl contained a cake mix, container of frosting, and a wooden spoon. This was such a cute gift! (Thanks, Deb!)

I decided to use this gift as an opportunity to share a "secret" I have been using for about a year to doctor up store-bought cake mix and frosting to make them taste more homemade. Once you try it you will never follow the directions on the back of the box again!

The More Homemade Tasting Boxed Cake Mix

Ingredients:
1 box cake mix
2 eggs
1 stick butter
1 1/4 cup buttermilk (*or I substitute 1 1/4 cup milk + 1 tablespoon lemon juice)

Combine butter, eggs, and milk in bowl and mix well 1-2 minutes. Add cake mix and mix to combine. Pre-heat and bake cake as directed on box.



The More Homemade Tasting Store-Bought Frosting
1 container favorite frosting
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup powdered sugar

Mix frosting and sugar using a hand or stand mixer until frosting doubles in size.

A quick use of overripe bananas...

Not So Homemade Banana Cake


This was such an amazing cake...and since the box of cake mix was on sale for $1.00 it was inexpensive too!! I was inspired to make this cake because I recently learned you can substitute bananas for eggs when making a cake.


Recipe:
1 Box of Betty Crocker Supreme Banana Cake Mix
1/4 cup oil
3 overripe bananas, mashed
1 1/4 cup water

Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 350. Grease a 13x9 inch cake pan. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Pour in to prepared pan and bake for 50-55 minutes (or until a toothpick inserted in to the center of cake comes out clean). Cake will darken slightly-but remains a light, golden brown color.


Notes:
This was even better the second day! Very moist and full of flavor.
To serve: top with whipped cream or nothing at all.

I'm bored...let's make a Lemon Cake!

Chris is working today...the cleaning is done... and it is WAY to hot to stay out by the pool (I spent a few hours there this morning), so I think I will bake! I was feeling creative and decided to create my own "Lemon Cake". It turned out delicious! I can't wait for Chris to taste it.




Cake:
Mix together the following:
1 box Betty Crocker Lemon Cake Mix
2 eggs
1/3 cup oil (about 1 teaspoon less then 1/3 cup actually)
1 teaspoon lemon extract
1-2 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 cup milk
1 8-ounce container cream cheese

Grease 9x13 inch pan (I used a glass pan). Bake in pre-heated oven at 325 for 45-50 minutes. Remove from oven and cool at room temp.


Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting:
4 ounces cream cheese
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar

Mix together ingredients using hand mixer until it reaches a creamy, spreadable consistency. (You may need to add more sugar to thicken.)

Top cooled cake and enjoy!

Oreo Cheesecake

My husband loves Oreos! So I made him an Easter treat :)

OREO Cheesecake

1 cup crushed OREO cookies (about 12 cookies)
1 Tbsp. butter or margarine, melted
4 pkgs (8-oz. each) cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
4 eggs
20 OREO cookies, quartered

**NOTE: Regular OREO cookies are recommended, the cheesecake will not set as well with Double Stuffed.

1. PREHEAT oven to 325 degrees if using silver springform pan (or 300 degrees if using a dark non-stick springform pan). Mix crushed cookies and butter; press onto bottom of 9-inch springform pan. Bake 10 minutes.

2. BEAT cream cheese, sugar and vanilla with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing on low speed after each addition just until blended. Gently stir in quartered cookies. Pour over crust.

3. BAKE 1 hour or until center is almost set. Run knife or metal spatula around rim of pan to loosen cake; cool before removing rim of pan. Refrigerate 4 hours or overnight. Garnish with additional cookies, if desired.

Source: Nestie Lalabee0425

Strawberry Diet Coke Cake

I am not a member of Weight Watchers, but I heard about their delicious cake idea! My husband and I love this cake! It is so moist and yummy! Take a prepackaged cake mix (from any grocery store, Betty Crocker, Pillsbury, etc) and instead of using the ingredients listed on the back like eggs, oil, and water, simply mix in a can of diet coke. For whiter mixes, such as vanilla or lemon cakes, you can use diet beverages such as diet Sprite or 7up.

Our favorite so far: Diet Coke + Strawberry Cake Mix + My Strawberry Frosting

Strawberry Frosting Recipe

3 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup mashed strawberries, some juice drained off
In a large bowl combine butter, confectioners' sugar and the remaining half of the frozen strawberries. Beat on high speed until creamy.