Category Archives: Cakes and Cookies

Browned Butter Frosting

Posted on January 8, 2013 | Leave a comment

I’ve been making the same pumpkin spice cake with chocolate chips for nearly ten years and until recently always held fast to the belief that it was so good on its’ own that it didn’t need a frosting. It really is, without frosting it goes from cake cake to more of a breakfast cake, fabulous with coffee in the morning. But then one day I thought that it would be good with browned butter, and off I went to find a recipe for browned butter frosting.

I ended up using a recipe from Martha Stewart and it is SO easy. I really love browned butter, it gives food a nutty taste and is so decadent. This frosting was super simple to put together, just make sure you put it on the cake quickly, it sets really fast and will end up looking a little gloppy. Hence the picture of one side of my cake! It was a huge hit despite that, I made it for Thanksgiving and my mother-in-law asked me to make it again for Christmas and for her upcoming birthday. I don’t know about you, but I’d call that a success!

Browned Butter Frosting

Browned Butter Frosting
Recipe from Martha Stewart

Ingredients:
4 tbsp butter
1 cup sifted confectioners sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1-2 tbsp milk, depending on desired thickness

Method:

In a small saucepan, cook the butter over medium heat, stirring often. It will start to bubble and brown, let it get a good golden brown and then remove from heat, around ten minutes.

In a bowl, combine the sugar, vanilla, butter (leave as much sediment in the saucepan as you can), and 1 tbsp milk. Mix until smooth, you may add more milk if needed. Use immediately.

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Posted in Cakes and Cookies, Desserts, Quick Fix

Cornbread Cake

Posted on October 15, 2012 | 1 Comment

I’ve never been a big fan of cornbread, or anything with cornmeal for that matter. If I’m having fried seafood, I want a flour batter not cornmeal. But my husband LOVES cornbread and I love him so I make it.

I saw this recipe on Pinterest (where else?!) and mentioned it to my dad. I was thinking I might like it since it’s mixed with cake mix. My dad took one for the team and tried out the recipe and he loved it. Of course he loves cornbread though. I finally gave it a try when I made some crockpot chili (recipe to come soon!) and I was very pleased. I’m not going to go crazy and say that I love cornbread now, but I’ll at least eat it with this recipe! And my husband and a few friends all loved it. It’s a little more fluffy than regular dense cornbread, and a bit sweeter. I think next time I’m going to try adding some diced onion and jalapeno.

Yeah that’s right. Next time. I’m going to make it again!

Cornbread Cake

Cornbread Cake
Recipe from The Sisters Dish

Ingredients:
2 boxes Jiffy Cornbread Mix
1 box regular yellow cake mix
all the things that these mixes call for

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix all of the mixes according to their package directions. To do this, I just emptied them into a large bowl, mixed them together then added the (many) eggs, oil and water that they called for. Mix well and pour into a greased 9×13 casserole.

Bake 30 minutes, then test for doneness by inserting a toothpick and if it comes out clean, it’s done. If it’s not clean, cook it longer. Mine was obviously not done yet, as the center was jiggly. I’d say it took about 35 minutes or so for mine.

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Posted in Breads, Cakes and Cookies

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

Posted on October 2, 2012 | Leave a comment

Towards the end of summer a friend asked if I would want to participate in her fantasy football league. My response? “Haha, NO.” For those that know me well, you know that I’m not sporty. And neither is my husband, I’m forever grateful that I’m not married to someone who makes me watch sports all the time. Yuck! I do enjoy a good sport related party or tailgate, just don’t much want to watch the actual event.

But my friend managed to convince me that it would be FUN. Hmm… we’ll see. I told her that I would only play if I could call it Fancy Football instead. So for our Fancy Football draft party, I showed up wearing pearls and a sparkly shirt made just for the event, and brought “Fancy Football Cupcakes.” Basically, football cupcakes with candy pearls on them. Everyone got a good chuckle out of it. I love my friends

Fancy Football Cupcakes with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
Recipe from Savory Sweet Life

Ingredients:
1 cup butter, softened
3.5 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp almond extract
4 tbsp heavy cream

Method:

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter until fluffy. Sift three cups of the powdered sugar and the cocoa powder into the bowl, then turn on the mixer to the lowest speed until they are well blended together. Once it’s all blended, increase the speed and add the remaining ingredients (except for the additional sugar). Beat until fluffy.

Fancy Football Cupcakes with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

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Posted in Cakes and Cookies, Desserts

Peanut Butter Buttercream Icing

Posted on June 13, 2012 | Leave a comment

My name is Christen and I’m a peanut butter addict. I come by my addiction honestly, it seems to be genetic. My dad and brother both share my love for this sweet condiment. As soon as I conjured up the plans to make this cake, I was thinking about how perfect it would be as a Father’s Day dessert.

I actually tried a new cake recipe to go with the icing, but it was nothing to write home about. I’m yet to find a homemade cake recipe that I like, I find the box mixes are just more moist. If you have a good homemade one then let me know, I’ll try it out. But in the meantime, I’ll just keep making this fabulous icing and slapping it on my box mix cakes

Special Note: I doubled the recipe for the icing/frosting. Below is the doubled recipe.

Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter Buttercream Icing

Peanut Butter Buttercream Icing
Recipe from Barefoot Contessa

Ingredients:
2.5 cups powdered sugar
2 cups creamy peanut butter (I used Planters brand)
2 sticks butter, softened/room temperature
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp kosher salt
2/3 cup heavy cream

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl or the bowl of a mixer. Mix on medium-low speed until well-mixed and fluffy. Make sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Spread on cake as desired.

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Posted in Cakes and Cookies, Desserts

Buttermilk Blueberry Breakfast Cake

Posted on June 6, 2012 | 1 Comment

Yesterday my daughter and I went with some friends to pick blueberries. E was very excited about it, but being a 3-year-old I didn’t have great expectations of the day going well. She’s just not one with nature. She takes after her mama! Surprisingly, she totally embraced blueberry picking and didn’t want to leave, she kept saying “I’m not done!” when I would try to guide her to the car. All in all, we picked one gallon of fresh, sweet blueberries.

My Blueberry-Picking Cowgirl!

On the ride home, she was super excited about doing something with our blueberries. We decided things like cake, muffins, scones and yogurt covered blueberries would be made, and we would also freeze some. By the way, if you plan to freeze fresh blueberries, don’t wash them first. Anyway, after looking at Pinterest’s “blueberry” search results, I decided on this Buttermilk Blueberry Breakfast Cake. It was easy to make and the flavor was superb! I just love when you combine blueberry and lemon, what a great flavor combo! The only thing I can say bad about it is that mine was a bit crumbly, I’m going to cut back the flour a little next time and see what happens. I’ll definitely make it again though, the cake didn’t even make it to breakfast, it was half gone before dinnertime!

Buttermilk Blueberry Breakfast Cake

Buttermilk Blueberry Breakfast Cake
Recipe from Alexandra’s Kitchen

Ingredients:
1 stick butter, softened
zest from one large lemon
3/4 cup plus 2 tbsp sugar
1 additional tbsp sugar (for sprinkling on top)
1 egg, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour (see my comments above, I’d go with maybe 1 and 3/4)
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp kosher salt
2 cups fresh blueberries, washed and patted dry
1/2 cup buttermilk

Method:

Preheat oven to 350.

Using a mixer, cream together the butter, lemon zest and sugar. Once fluffy and mixed, add in the egg and vanilla, beat just till mixed.

Toss the blueberries with 1/4 cup flour. In a separate bowl, whisk together the rest of the flour, salt and baking powder.

Slowly add the flour mixture and the buttermilk to the butter mixture, alternating each one just a little at a time. Fold in the flour-coated blueberries.

Spread batter into a greased 8×8 pan and sprinkle that reserved tablespoon of sugar over the top. I didn’t use a whole tablespoon, but that’s your choice. Bake 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool 15 minutes before serving.

What one gallon of blueberries looks like!

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Posted in Breakfast, Cakes and Cookies, Desserts

Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies

Posted on May 16, 2012 | Leave a comment

Did you know yesterday was National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day? Apparently everything gets its’ day. So you know, I had to SACRIFICE and make a batch, since it was that day and all. Of course I had two three-year-olds at my house, so they happily went along with the plan.

I found this recipe on Pinterest, it was really simple and delicious. The cookies were so soft and fluffy, I’m embarrassed to say they are almost all gone. Of course I only ate a few, I DID have two three-year-olds here. And some hungry men in the family. I used French Vanilla instant pudding, but I think it would be fun to play around with different flavors, see what you can come up with!

Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies

Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies
Recipe from Two Peas & Their Pod

Ingredients:
2 sticks butter, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white granulated sugar
1 3.4 oz. package instant pudding mix, I used French Vanilla
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups chocolate chips

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In the bowl of a mixer, cream together the butter and sugars. Add in the eggs, vanilla and pudding mix.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and baking soda. Add the dry ingredients to those in the mixer and mix until well-incorporated. Add in the chocolate chips, mix well and drop by rounded spoonfuls onto a cookie pan covered with a silicone mat or parchment paper.

Bake 10-12 minutes, and allow to cool on a wire rack.

Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies

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Posted in Cakes and Cookies, Desserts

Strawberry Cake with Fresh Buttercream Icing

Posted on April 4, 2012 | 2 Comments

Nothing says “Hello, Spring!” like strawberries. A bakery here in my town makes fresh strawberry cakes, using strawberries in the batter and the icing, it is to die for. I decided to try to do something like that, only using buttercream icing. Sort of strawberries and cream, if you will.

This cake was so easy to make, I didn’t end up using fresh strawberries, I used frozen as the recipe called for. But it made a truly delicious, moist cake and I already knew I’d love the buttercream icing, I’ve made it many times before. I hope you enjoy this as much as our friends did!

Strawberry Cake with Fresh Buttercream Icing

Strawberry Cake with Fresh Buttercream Icing
Cake recipe from Paula Deen, see post on icing here.

Cake
Ingredients:
1 box white cake mix
1 (3-oz) pkg strawberry flavored instant gelatin
1 lb. package frozen strawberries, thawed and puree’d
4 large eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease two 9-inch cake pans.

Mix the gelatin powder and the cake mix together. Using a mixer, add the rest of the ingredients and beat until smooth. Pour equal amounts into each pan and bake for 20-30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Set aside on cooling racks. When fully cooled, ice with desired icing. Here is my buttercream icing:

Buttercream Icing Recipe seen on Confections of a Foodie Bride, originally from Williams-Sonoma Yields

Ingredients:
2 sticks butter, room temperature
6 cups powdered sugar
5 tbsp milk (I used 2 percent)
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp almond extract
pinch of salt
1 tsp meringue powder

Place all ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer and with the paddle attachment (scraper if you have it), beat on low until the ingredients are just mixed. Turn the speed up and whip the icing until it’s light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. If you don’t have the paddle scraper, then you will need to stop once to scrape the sides and bottom.

Strawberry Cake with Fresh Buttercream Icing

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Posted in Cakes and Cookies, Desserts, Easter

S’mores Cookie Bars

Posted on March 9, 2012 | Leave a comment

For some reason, I’ve been craving s’mores like crazy lately. And want to hear something shocking? I only recently had my very first s’more. Love.

I needed a dessert for an event recently and started looking through my bookmarked “to-make” recipes and landed on this one. Yum! It was pretty easy to make, the only hard part was spreading the crust part on the top and bottom. I suggest spraying some nonstick spray on your fingers and then doing it, works much better! Also, the two chocolate bars didn’t quite cover the whole dish, so I am going to make it three chocolate bars.

S'mores Cookie Bars

S’mores Cookie Bars
Recipe from Lovin’ From the Oven

Ingredients:
1 stick butter, softened
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white granulated sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3 king-sized Hershey’s Milk Chocolate bars
1.5 cups marshmallow fluff (the jar kind, not regular marshmallows)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In the bowl of a stand mixer (or a large bowl with a hand mixer), cream the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add in the egg and vanilla.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, graham cracker crumbs and salt. Add to the bowl with the butter mixture and blend well.
Divide the dough in half and press one half of it down into the bottom of a greased 8×8 casserole. It helps to spray your fingers with nonstick spray to do this. Break the chocolate bars into pieces and place over the top of the dough, covering completely. Spoon the marshmallow fluff in, spreading to cover the chocolate (it’s easy if you spray the back of the spoon with nonstick spray also!). Press the remaining half of the dough into flat squares and cover the top of the casserole.
Bake 30-35 minutes, or until turning golden. Cool completely before cutting and serving.

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Posted in Cakes and Cookies, Desserts

Praline Coated Oreos

Posted on February 21, 2012 | Leave a comment

Happy Mardi Gras, ya’ll! Today is Fat Tuesday and in its’ honor I bring you a special treat – praline coated oreos. I spotted this on Pinterest recently and after checking out the attached recipe, I decided to do it my own way.

I’m kind of weird about my pralines. I don’t like those hard, dark-colored ones. The pralines we (my mom and I) make are soft and creamy. So rather than try someone else’s recipe and risk being disappointed, I stuck with what I know. These were pretty simple to make, just make sure you let your praline “sauce” (for lack of a better word) thicken some. I did some before it really thickened and they were a sticky mess. Still tasted good though! But the ones I did once it thickened were perfect. So make sure to reach that soft ball stage and beat a little!

Note: do not attempt pralines on a rainy day!

Praline Coated Oreos

Praline Coated Oreos

Ingredients:
1 stick butter
3 cups white sugar
1 can evaporated milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 pkg oreos
chopped pecans for topping – I used honey sugared pecans for a little extra fun

Method:

In a large heavy-bottomed pot, bring the butter, sugar and evaporated milk to a boil, stirring well to incorporate. Continue stirring often until it gets to the soft ball stage, then remove from heat and add the vanilla. Start whipping the liquid until it thickens some, then quickly begin dipping the oreos and placing them on waxed paper. Make sure no kids are around because this stuff is HOT!

Before they start to harden, sprinkle the chopped pecans on top of each cookie.

Praline Coated Oreos

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Posted in Cakes and Cookies, Christmas, Desserts, Holiday, Mardi Gras, Regional Louisiana

Sugar Cookies with Royal Icing

Posted on February 8, 2012 | Leave a comment

I love having parties at my house. I love being a host. Sure, it can be stressful at times but I think it’s just so much fun to think of the menu and decorations and favors. When I knew I was going to be hosting Michelle’s bachelorette party/lingerie shower at my house, I couldn’t wait to put some plans into action.

Despite having a cake, I wanted to have something the guests could take home. What better than cookies? I had been wanting to try the “flooding” technique to decorating sugar cookies, but the only problem is that often those cookies are fairly gross. The cookies aren’t that great and taste like cardboard and the icing is just blah. So I set out to make these cookies look cute and taste great too, and I succeeded.

Bra and Panty Sugar Cookies with Royal Icing

Sugar Cookies with Royal Icing

Sugar Cookie Recipe
Recipe from: allrecipes.com

Ingredients:
1.5 cups butter, softened
2 cups white granulated sugar
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
5 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt

Instructions:
In the bowl of your stand mixer, cream together butter and sugar. Add in the eggs and vanilla, then mix in the flour, baking powder and salt until well-incorporated. Remove the bowl and cover and place in the refrigerator for at least an hour, preferably overnight.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Break off sections of dough and roll out on a floured surface until 1/4-1/2 inch thick. Cut shapes out with your desired cookie cutter and place on the cookie sheet one inch apart. Bake 6-8 minutes. Let cool a few minutes before removing to a wire rack. Cool completely before decorating.

* To make the bras and panties, I used a heart shaped cookie cutter and simply cut in half under the two rounded tops and the bottom triangle. I then took a spoon and cut out little half moons for the legs of the panties from the triangle.

How to cut the bras and panties apart

How to scoop out the leg holes for the panties

Tasty Royal Icing
Recipe adapted from Elly Says Opa, originally from Good Things Catered

Ingredients:
4 cups powdered sugar, get the sifted 10x one
2 tbsp meringue powder
small splash of almond extract
small splash of butter extract
5 tbsp water

Instructions:

Mix all ingredients until no lumps remain and it is smooth. If a color is desired, use gel color (available in the cake decorating section) using a toothpick. Continue adding a little and mixing well until desired color is reached. Put a little in a pastry bag with a small round tip for piping. Pipe the outline of each cookie, until all are done.

Once all the cookies are outlined, you’ll add a little more water to thin the icing out a little. You don’t want it watery, just runny enough that you can spread it with a toothpick. Spoon some into a squeeze bottle and gently squeeze some onto the cookie, using a toothpick to smooth it out inside the outlined area (this is called flooding, you can find tutorials online for the technique). At this point I also added little candy pearls for the bras and panties. Repeat with remaining cookies.

Allow this icing to harden overnight if you’ll be decorating with more icing details on top.