Best Ever Carrot Cake

This carrot cake was originally from a recipe somewhere online. I'm sorry, I don't have the website to give credit. If I find it, I will post the link. My mother-in-law made it and we all fell in love with it. It's the best carrot cake I've ever eaten. This carrot cake is loaded with healthy ingredients and tastes absolutely amazing! Both the cake and the frosting are not overly sweet like many cakes end up being. I'll include a few tricks and substitutions I have found that work well.

Best Ever Carrot Cake

From Grammy Terry Zachary

1 ¼ cups unsweetened applesauce (or 2 apples pureed in Vita-mix)

1 ¼ cups sugar (can also substitute coconut sugar)

3 eggs

2 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 ½ tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

2 cups grated carrots (buy a bag of shredded carrots from the grocery store to save time)

1 cup coconut (I've used unsweetened or sweetened. Both will work)

1 cup nuts, chopped (I use walnuts)

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup un-drained crushed pineapple

Bake 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes for 9x13 pan

25-30 minutes for 3, 8 inch round pans. Cool.

*This cake base would make excellent muffins as well.

Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting

1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream, whip by itself first. Remove to separate bowl.

8 oz. package cream cheese, softened

1 cup sugar, granulated

1 pinch salt

1-2 tsp vanilla

1.     In a mixing bowl whip the 1-1/2 cups whipping cream until stiff peaks form. (Move out of mixer).

2.     Beat together the cream cheese with sugar, salt and vanilla until smooth.

3.     Using a spatula fold in the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture.

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This frosting holds up well and doesn't melt like plain whipped cream does. It is easy to spread and can be used for carrot cake or regular cake as it doesn't have a super strong cream cheese flavor. It is really delicious!

Birthday Cake

I am pretty picky when it comes to cake. I like my cake moist and full of flavor. I typically avoid most store bought cakes because they usually don't taste that great and have a super sweet frosting that is just sweet but not flavorful. Whenever I make this cake, everyone seems to enjoy it. The best part is, it starts with a cake mix. I originally found this recipe on Allrecipes.com. It was called Too Much Chocolate Cake. I have since modified it to be vanilla as well as chocolate. Both work.

Birthday Cake (Too Much Chocolate Cake)
1 18.25 oz. package devil's food cake
1 5.9 oz package instant chocolate pudding mix
1 cup sour cream
1 cup applesauce (original recipe calls for oil but I substitute it with store bought or homemade applesauce and it works great! It doesn't matter if it has cinnamon or not. This step saves a lot of extra calories)
4 eggs
1/2 cup warm water
1-2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Mix all ingredients in a mixer until well blended. Here's some tips for getting FLAT cakes that turn out well from  your pans. Grease two 8 inch cake pans with Crisco. Cut parchment paper and lay across the bottom. I just cut a rectangle and lay it in the round pans. I don't bother trimming it to fit. Just push it into the edges as best you can. Pour half of the batter in each pan. Here's a tip that helps you get flat cakes. I learned it from a baker on a TV show. Take a spatula and shape the batter into a mound in the middle of each cake pan. The center of my cake batter is about 1/2-1 inch higher than the outside edges. It looks like a mini mountain. When it bakes, the cake flattens out and I end up with very flat cakes that don't need to be trimmed. It's weird I know but it totally works!
Bake the cakes about 25-35 minutes. Make sure the center doesn't jiggle when you take it out. Set a timer for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, run a spatula around the outside edge of the cake and then flip onto a cooling rack. Peel off the parchment paper. Since I have followed these steps, I almost always have perfect, round cakes that turn out so well and don't need to be trimmed to flatten them. I hope it works for you!

If you would prefer a vanilla or yellow cake you can use a white or yellow cake mix with vanilla pudding. Recently, I was making a cake and only had a yellow cake mix and chocolate pudding. That was all we had so we used it and it was delicious. It turned into a light chocolate cake.
* I have used this recipe with a boxed gluten free cake mix one time and it turned out excellent. I can't guarantee it will always work but I'd try it again for sure!

Frosting
There are two types of frostings that I typically use with the cake above. I either make a rich chocolate ganache or a whipped cream, cream cheese frosting. Both are delicious! I'll list the recipe for both frosting but only choose one for the cake.

Ganache Frosting
2 cups of whipping cream
2 cups of semi-sweet chocolate chips

Pour a medium container of whipping cream into a small saucepan. It should be 2 cups of whipping cream. Heat until hot but don't boil. Add two cups of semi-sweet chocolate chips and stir until melted. Reserve a couple of chocolate chips to add at the end. Cool.
I used to have problems getting my ganache to set. Sometimes it would stay runny. Make sure to use just a little less than 2 cups whipping cream or a little more than 2 cups chocolate chips. You want there to be just a little more chocolate than cream. Also, I found out there are different ways that chocolate can temper (harden). It tends to follow the crystals that are in it. So, now, I throw a hard chocolate chip or two into the ganache as it's starting to cool. I think it helps the chocolate to form the right type of crystals and thicken well. Since I started doing this, I haven't had problems with my ganache anymore.

Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting

1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream, un-whipped

8 oz. package cream cheese, softened

1 cup sugar, granulated

1 pinch salt

1-2 tsp vanilla

1.  In a bowl whip the 1-1/2 cups whipping cream until stiff peaks form. (Move out of mixer into a separate bowl).

2.  In the original mixing bowl, beat together the cream cheese with sugar, salt and vanilla until smooth. Make sure the sugar isn't crystalized any longer. 

3.   Using a spatula fold in the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture.

The beauty of this recipe that it's not overly sweet and it holds up well in on the cake like a regular whipped cream frosting would not. It is a white frosting so you can easily color and decorate this frosting. 

Sour Cream Cake

If you want a super quick and easy cake that is super delicious, this is it. The first time I tasted this I was like, WHAT IS THAT!? It was so yummy. It doesn't look as good as it tastes. However, it tastes amazing! It takes about 10 minutes to throw this together and then has to bake for 30 minutes. It's great for a simple dessert for guests or just for the family. I got this recipe from my friend Sahara.

Sour Cream Cake
2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp cocoa powder
1 cup sugar
1 cup sour cream
1 cup cold water
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla

Mix all ingredients in a mixer. Pour into a greased 9x13 pan. Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Frosting Sauce (This is half of the original recipe. It is so tasty but it is more than enough!)
1 cup whipping cream
1 cup sugar
1 cube butter (1/2 cup)

Mix together in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and boil for 3-6 minutes. Remove from heat and add 2 tsp vanilla. Pour hot sauce over top of the hot cake. You can poke holes to help it sink in better if you'd like. Serve hot.

The Perfect Brownie

My friend, Carley, made these brownies and shared them with me. I have since tried other brownie recipes and even adjusted this one to try to make it healthier. However, nothing came close to how tasty these brownies are. Better than any boxed brownie I have ever tried and they come out perfect every time. I learned my lesson though and found that you cannot substitute applesauce for the butter (like I do in my chocolate cake recipe). Make these today! You won't regret it...your waist will, but your taste buds won't. 

INGREDIENTS:

1¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons dark unsweetened cocoa powder
11 ounces dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 cup (8 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
1½ cups granulated sugar
½ cup packed light brown sugar
5 eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter the sides and bottom of a 9x13-inch glass or light-colored baking pan. Line the pan with parchment paper.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, salt, and cocoa powder together.

3. Put the chocolate, butter and instant espresso powder in a large bowl and set it over a saucepan of simmering water, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate and butter are completely melted and smooth. Turn off the heat, but keep the bowl over the water and add the sugars. Whisk until completely combined, then remove the bowl from the pan. The mixture should be room temperature.

4. Add 3 eggs to the chocolate mixture and whisk until combined. Add the remaining eggs and whisk until combined. Add the vanilla and stir until combined. Do not overbeat the batter at this stage or your brownies will be cakey.

5. Sprinkle the flour mixture over the chocolate mixture. Using a rubber spatula (not a whisk), fold the flour mixture into the chocolate until just a bit of the flour mixture is visible.

6. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake in the center of the oven for 30 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking time, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the brownies comes out with a few moist crumbs sticking to it. Let the brownies cool completely, then lift them out of the pan using the parchment paper. Cut into squares and serve.

7. Store at room temperature in an airtight container or wrap with plastic wrap for up to 3 days.

Source: http://www.browneyedbaker.com/2010/10/08/the-baked-brownie/

Newton’s Sugar Cookies

This recipe is from a friend of mine from college. They are super delicious sugar cookies and some of my friends call them the "best sugar cookies in the world." I love making these in circle shapes (easier to frost and so versatile to decorate). I'll often make a double batch and freeze a bunch of them either frosted or plain. Then, when I want to take cookies to someone, I can just pull out however many I need, frost them if they need it and I'm good to go. These cookies are great anytime but I love them after the frosting has been on for 24 hours and the frosting has dried and the cookie has softened just a little from the frosting. 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

1 cup butter

1 cup sugar

1 large egg

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 cups flour

Roll to about 1/4 inch thick. Maybe just slightly thicker. 

Bake @ 400 degrees about 7-8 minutes. They should not be brown when you take them out. If I see one cookies edge start to brown, I remove the tray.

Icing

1 cup powdered sugar

2 teaspoons milk *

2 teaspoons light corn syrup *

* I usually add extra milk and corn syrup until it’s a smooth runny consistency. You don’t want to fight to have to spread it on the cookies. Add a few drops extra at a time. 

Dessert

**If I double the batch of cookies, I usually use three eggs instead of two to make it moist enough. If you make a single batch and it's a little dry, you can always add another egg. Don't add the extra egg unless it needs it. 

Cinnamon Rolls and Orange Rolls

Growing up, almost every Sunday morning before church, our family would sit down to a breakfast of hot cinnamon or orange rolls. We would wake up and my parents would preheat the oven and throw a pan of cinnamon rolls in the oven. We'd get dressed and by the time we were ready, the rolls were coming out of the oven and quite often my mom would have whipped up a batch of frosting for the top of them. What good memories I have of those days.

I have decided to start a family tradition of gifting cinnamon and orange rolls to my neighbors and friends at Christmas time. What a fun gift to give that can either be eaten immediately, frozen and saved or eaten for Christmas morning. My family enjoys walking around to each of our neighbor's homes and delivering the rolls with a little note that includes reheating instructions and Christmas blessings.

Now, when I make cinnamon rolls, I go back and forth between using my mom's recipe and Pioneer Woman's recipe. They're both good and turn out about the same. When I use Pioneer Woman's recipe, I don't heat it on the stove like she says to do. I just use hot milk and mix in my mixer. It's a big recipe for my little mixer but I make it work. One recipe of Pioneer Woman's makes about 7-8 pans of rolls. One recipe of my mom's rolls makes about 3 pans. Here's the recipe I grew up with. It's called Army Sweet Basic Dough because it's a recipe that was used in the Army for their sweet rolls.

Army Sweet Basic Dough

*Set 2 sticks of butter out to soften for later*

In a small bowl, mix and let stand until foamy:
3/4 cups hot water (as hot as you can get your tap water and not burn yourself)
2 packages yeast (4 1/2 tsp)
1 Tablespoon sugar

In large mixing bowl: cream together (with cake beater):
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup margarine
1/2 teaspoon salt

After creaming above mix, add and cream together:
2 eggs
1/4 cup milk

Add yeast mixture and:
2 cups flour

Mix well. Switch to a dough hook.
Add:
2 cups additional flour (knead for a long time to break down gluten). I usually add another 1-3 cups of flour at this stage until the dough pulls away from the wall of the bowl. There shouldn't be flour in the bowl that can't be absorbed but if it's sticking to the walls of the bowl, you can add more flour. Don't go crazy with it though. If it sticks a little, it's okay.

Preheat oven to warm for 5 minutes. Grease the bowl, flip the dough to coat both sides with oil (prevents drying out). I generally just spray it with my aerosol spray. Cover with a cloth. Let rise 2-3 hours until doubled. Punch down the dough and let rise for 10 minutes. (If you try to roll it out right away it'll tend to pull back in on itself due to the gluten. Allow the gluten to rest for a short while and it'll be much easier to roll).

Get 2-3 cake pans ready. In each pan put 1/4 cube of melted butter in each pan and 1/4 cup of brown sugar (sugar is optional...butter is not).

Pour dough onto floured pastry cloth or work surface. Using a large, sharp knife, press to cut dough in half. Return half to your bowl. Shape other half into a rectangular shape with your hands and then roll out evenly. At this point, the dough should not be sticky. Use enough flour to make sure it doesn't stick to your work surface or rolling pin. You shouldn't have to add much if you added enough prior to rising. Work the corners out so you don't end up with an oval. You want a large rectangle.

Once you have your rectangle, spread 1/4 cup or so of soft butter over the surface with a spatula. Sprinkle liberally with cinnamon, sugar and sprinkle with raisens. The cinnamon and sugar should cover the entire surface. Roll up and cut in half. Keep cutting your sections in halves until you have the size rolls you want. This helps you end up with even sized rolls. Mine are usually only about 1 inch wide when I place them in my pans. *(be sure to put them in pans with butter/sugar on the bottom). Remember, they will rise and spread. I usually end up with 24-36 rolls depending on how I cut them. Don't crowd your pans. I will usually put 6-8 rolls/pan. Think about the size of your family when you place your rolls. If you have 4 people, maybe make pans of 8. We used to use some larger cake pans and put 12 rolls in them so we'd each get 3 rolls to eat. The point is, it's flexible. There's no perfect number.

Place pans in a warm oven and let double in size for 30-60 minutes. The rolls should fill the pan at this point. Remove from oven and preheat oven to 350.

Because we usually weren't eating them right after we made them, we cooked them and then reheated them later which is what the following directions are for. We would always bake our rolls for about 15 minutes until cooked through. (They're a little undercooked at 15 minutes bit still edible. If you want to fully cook them, I'd leave them in for 20-25 minutes). Lay out about 2-2 1/2 feet of tinfoil and flip pan upside down on to the center of the tinfoil. Scrape any remaining sugar from the bottom of the pan and roll up the sides of the tinfoil to close. Turn and wrap with one more layer of tinfoil on the other side. Allow to cool and then you can freeze the rolls in the tinfoil and then just thaw, and bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes while still in the tinfoil. This way, you have your pans free for other uses. After you reheat the rolls, unroll the tinfoil, place a plate on the bottom and flip over. Your rolls are now face up and ready for frosting.

Basic Icing:
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 Tablespoon milk
Drop of almond extract
(Personally, I always like a good cream cheese icing but this one's easy and works good as well)

Variation: Orange Rolls
My mom would switch back and forth between cinnamon and orange rolls. As a child, I preferred the cinnamon rolls but now I really enjoy the orange rolls as well.
Make everything as normal but instead of cinnamon, sugar and raisens, use the following filling and a different icing to create orange rolls.

Orange Filling:
3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons grated orange rind
Stir together and sprinkle over buttered dough

Orange Glaze Icing:
3/4 cups sugar
2 tablespoons orange juice
1/2 cup melted butter
1/2 cup sour cream

I hope you have fun making cinnamon rolls for your family and make many wonderful memories!

Sahara & Megan's Sow Your Own Oats Cookies

There's a local bakery that makes DELICIOUS (but expensive) breads and pastries. Earlier this week, my friend, Sahara, came over to my house and brought a couple of their delicious oatmeal cookies. After enjoying them together, we decided to try to knock-off these cookies. Today, I purchased another of their oatmeal cookies called "Sow Your Oats Cookie" and we "dissected" the cookie and attempted to recreate it. Let's just say what we ended up with is extremely close to original cookie. We were both very impressed with ourselves that they turned out so close to the original. So, if you'd like to try a hearty, oatmeal cookie chalk full of goodness, make these today!

Cream:
1 cup butter
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
2 eggs

Mix in:
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 to 2 cups flour

Add:
2 cups oatmeal (try to use old fashioned oats or thick rolled oats)
3/4 cup sunflower seeds
2 tablespoons flax seeds
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
1/2 cup chopped, pitted dates

Form into 1/4 cup balls of dough. Slightly flatten with hand. Only put four cookies per cookie sheet as they will spread.

Bake 350 degrees for 15-18 minutes until edges turn brown.

Recipe makes 13-15 extra large cookies.

Coconut Whipped Cream

If you like coconut and you like whipped cream, you're going to love this! I had heard about it and thought it was an interesting idea but I absolutely LOVED it when I tried it.

Buy a can of Coconut Milk. It needs to be full fat and preferably not generic (the generic ones are too thin). I buy the Thai Kitchen ones at Vitamin Cottage. They cost less there than my regular grocery store. Leave the can in the fridge for awhile and then open it and scoop off the thick, white part on top. Do NOT shake it before you open it. Save the clear liquid part for smoothies or to drink.

Put the thick part of the coconut milk in your blender and beat until fluffy. Add a small amount of vanilla and a little sugar if you'd like. Serve on pumpkin pie, smoothies or anything else that floats your boat. This stuff is SO good. It saves well for a few days so just put the rest in the fridge for later.

Persimmon Pudding

I absolutely love Fall {who doesn't} and all the tasty treats that come with it. Here is one that I haven't made for awhile but definitely would like to make this season if I can find ripe persimmons in the grocery store. Although it is called "pudding" it really reminds me of dark gingerbread. My mom would make it and serve it with whipped cream. I think I'm going to have to try it with coconut whipped cream because I'm sure that would be incredible with this. 

Preheat oven at 350 degrees.

1/3 cup melted butter

1 beaten egg

1 cup sieved ripened Persimmons

½ teaspoon vanilla

½ cup milk

1 cup sugar

1 cup flour

 2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon salt

Combine the two mixtures. Stir thoroughly, pour into buttered baking dish and place in shallow pan of hot water, cover and bake at 350 for 1 hour. Remove, cover, and brown for 10 more minutes. Serve with cream.

*Prepare one recipe at a time. Do NOT double!

Pumpkin Pie Spiced Smoothie

I was hanging out with my friend, Kendall, and she asked if I wanted a pumpkin smoothie. At first it sounded strange to me but I was up for trying anything new and then I thought of how much people love Starbucks Pumpkin Latte's and such. She made this pumpkin smoothie out of her Vita-mix cookbook. The original recipe can be found here on their website. (Just look for Pumpkin sp-Iced treat)

Kendall was out of cream cheese so she replaced it with yogurt and it was still extremely delicious! If you want a taste of Fall but it's still hot where you are, you should definitely give this drink a try. The best part is, it's pretty healthy!

Ingredients

1/4 cup (60 ml) low fat milk or soy milk
1/2 pie pumpkin baked, flesh removed or 1 cup (240 ml) solid pack canned pumpkin
1/4 cup (60 g) light cream cheese
3/4 cup (165 g) brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
6 cups (1.4 l) ice cubes
On top of the smoothie, Kendall dropped a dollap of coconut whipped cream. It is SO GOOD!! She also served it to me with pumpkin pie. The combo of coconut and pumpkin is absolutely amazing!!
1. Place all ingredients into the Vitamix container in the order listed and secure lid. 2. Select Variable 1. 3. Turn machine on and slowly increase speed to Variable 10, then to High. 4. Use the tamper to press ingredients into the blades. 5. In about 30-60 seconds, the sound of the motor will change and four mounds should form. 6. Stop machine. Do not overmix or melting will occur. Serve immediately.

Health Classification: Low Fat, Low Sodium, Low Cholesterol, Heart Healthy, Vegetarian

Meal Type: Desserts/Toppings

Chocolate Peanut-butter Cookies

As I mentioned in one of my previous posts, I've been craving a combination of chocolate peanut-butter. One night while I was craving this combo, I searched on allrecipes.com (my favorite place to look for ingredient based recipes) and came across this recipe called "Outrageous Chocolate Chip Cookies." I made them and thought they were as good as everyone else thought. Try them for yourself!

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a medium bowl, cream together the butter, white sugar and brown sugar until smooth. Stir in the peanut butter, vanilla and egg until well blended. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; stir into the batter just until moistened. Mix in the oats and chocolate chips until evenly distributed. Drop by tablespoonfuls on to lightly greased cookie sheets.
3. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven, until the edges start to brown. Cool on cookie sheets for about 5 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

Cran-Yam Crumble

My sister gave me this yummy twist on traditionally unpopular sweet potatoes! You can mash the sweet potatoes or leave them whole, depending on your texture preference.

2 17oz. cans of yams, drained (I could not find this size, so I used 29 oz and added a little pureed pumpkin)
1 cup flour
1 cup oats
1 cup brown sugar
2/3 cup butter
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 bag of cranberries
handful or so of mini marshmallows

Mix together the flour, oats, brown sugar, and cinnamon and then cut into it the butter. Mix in the cranberries. Reserve about half of the mixture to use for a topping. Mix all together with the yams and place into a 9x13 glass baking dish. Then put the reserved mix on top. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 min. adding the marshmallow to the top during the last 10 min. of baking.

Chocolate Peanut Buddy Bars

This dessert was brought to me by my friend, Aubrey, after I had Brecken. I must admit I ate almost the whole pan by myself since my husband doesn't like peanut buttery foods. Since it was a whole pan and I didn't want to eat it in 2 days, I cut the bars into single servings, wrapped them in plastic and froze them. Then, when I wanted a treat, I would take one out and eat it frozen or slightly thawed. They were DELICIOUS! Thanks Aubrey!

(These are way less time consuming to make than cookies.)
1 cup creamy or chunky peanut butter
6 Tbsp. butter or margarine softened
1 1/4 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup flour
1/4 tsp salt
chocolate chips as many or few as you want!
Bake at 350 degrees until brown around the edges, use 13 X 9 pan

Boston Cream Pie

This recipe makes a beautiful and very tasty cake. It looks like it could be difficult to make but it really doesn't take very long and is not hard to make. The most difficult part is slicing the cake in half and moving the top off and back on without breaking it. Try it for a special occasion! Makes a great birthday cake. This recipe can be made and eaten immediately although I think it's best after it's been chilled for awhile so the chocolate on the top is hard and cold.

From the kitchen of Laurie Reynolds from Lee Hake
Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Cake
1 ¼ cups all purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 ½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
¾ cups milk
1/3 cup shortening
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla

Split cake to make two layers. Fill bottom layer with cream filling. Place top layer on cream and spread the chocolate glaze over pie. Refrigerate.
Grease and flour 9 inch cake pan. Mix all ingredients in bowl. Beat batter on low speed for 30 seconds. Beat on high speed scraping bowl occasionally for 3 minutes. Pour into pan and bake until a wooden toothpick comes out clean, approximately 35 minutes. Cool on cake rack.

Cream center
1/3 cup sugar
2 Tbsp cornstarch
1/3 teaspoon salt
1 ½ cup milk
2 egg yolks, slightly beaten
2 tsp vanilla

Mix sugar, cornstarch salt in quart pan. Stir in milk gradually. Cook over medium heat stirring constantly until mix thickens and boils. Boil 1 minute stirring constantly to avoid burning. Stir at least half of hot mix into egg yolks very gradually. Blend into hot mixture in saucepan. Boil another 1 minute stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla and cool to room temperature.


Chocolate Glaze
2 squares unsweetened chocolate
3 Tbsp margarine or butter
1 cup powdered sugar
¾ tsp vanilla
Approx. 2 Tbsp hot water

Melt chocolate and margarine over low heat until melted. Remove from heat and stir in sugar and vanilla. Stir in water 1 Tbsp at a time until right consistency.

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

I found this recipe easy to make and it turned out great! Not as tasty as a cream cheese frosting but it was a good frosting. I love peppermint frosting and I'm sure you can replace the vanilla with peppermint.

This recipe is used at a bakery although I'm not sure where online I originally found this recipe.

The vanilla buttercream we use at the bakery is technically not a buttercream but actually an old-fashioned confectioners’ sugar and butter frosting. Be sure to beat the icing for the amount of time called for in the recipe to achieve the desired creamy texture.
Makes enough for one 2-layer 9-inch cake or 2 dozen cupcakes*

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
6 to 8 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/2 cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Place the butter in a large mixing bowl. Add 4 cups of the sugar and then the milk and vanilla. On the medium speed of an electric mixer, beat until smooth and creamy, about 3-5 minutes. Gradually add the remaining sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating well after each addition (about 2 minutes), until the icing is thick enough to be of good spreading consistency. You may not need to add all of the sugar. If desired, add a few drops of food coloring and mix thoroughly. (Use and store the icing at room temperature because icing will set if chilled.) Icing can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

*Note:
If you are icing a 3-layer cake, use the following recipe proportions:
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter
8 to 10 cups confectioners’ sugar
3/4 cup milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Almost Too Much Chocolate Cake

This is a recipe I found on Allrecipes.com. It's super easy to make and tastes delicious. It calls for a bundt pan and it tastes great made that way without frosting. However, my favorite way to make this cake is in two cake pans. I then frost the cake with homemade peppermint frosting. It's so delicious this way as it's such a moist cake and the peppermint and chocolate just go so well together.

1 (18.25 ounce) package devil's food cake mix
1 (5.9 ounce) package instant chocolate pudding mix
1 cup sour cream
1 cup vegetable oil (I usually use applesauce)
4 eggs
1/2 cup warm water
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

In a large bowl, mix together the cake and pudding mixes, sour cream, oil, beaten eggs and water. Stir in the chocolate chips and pour batter into a well greased 12 cup bundt pan.

Bake for 50 to 55 minutes or until top is springy to the touch and a wooden toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool cake thoroughly in pan at least an hour and a half before inverting onto a plate. If desired, dust the cake with powdered sugar.

Alterations:
There are times when I don't have the exact ingredients and need to alter the recipe a little. I always use a chocolate cake mix of some sort whether or not it's a devil's food cake. If I don't have chocolate pudding, I've used vanilla before. Also, I've used white chocolate chips when I run out of semi-sweet chocolate chips. It's always turned out great!

Crepes

We just made these for a delicious summertime treat. It was a perfect ending to a great day!

This crepe recipe is from my Vita-mix cookbook. It is so quick and easy to make and can be made in any blender.

4 eggs
1 cup skim evaporated milk
1 Tablespoon sugar or other sweetener
1 cup flour

Blend. Pour a small amount into lightly greased pan. Move pan around so it spreads the crepe mixture thin. Cook for a minute until it dries out enough to flip. Flip and cook until slightly browned. Remove and fill with your favorite toppings.

For a sweet crepe, I love homemade whipping cream and fresh berries (strawberries, raspberries, blackberries) or whatever you like.

TIP: I also use this crepe recipe to make manicotti. It is delicious and cuts down on prep time because you can put a spoonful of filling in and roll it up rather than having to stuff the pasta shells with the cheese.

Pampered Chef Lemon Blueberry Trifle

1 frozen prepared pound cake (16 oz)
2 lemons
1 1/2 cups milk
1 container (8oz) sour cream
1 container (8 oz) frozen whipped topping, thawed, divided
2 packages (3.4 oz each) lemon instant pudding and pie filling
1 pint fresh blueberries (about 2 cups) (or 1 can blueberry pie filling)
1 square (1oz) white chocolate for baking

1. Cut pound cake into 1-inch cubes; place in large colander or bowl. Using a lemon Zester, make several lengthwise scores in one lemon, top to bottom; slice into 6 slices. Cut each slice in half and set aside for garnish. Zest remaining lemon using short strokes; set aside. Juice lemon. Sprinkle lemon juice over pound cake; toss. (I feel like this step is unnecessary as the lemon zest is overpowered by the lemon pudding. I leave it out of the next step as well)

2. In a bowl, combine milk, sour cream, half of the whipped topping and reserved lemon zest; whisk until smooth. Add pudding mix; whisk until mixture begins to thicken.

3. Set aside 12 blueberries for garnish. To assemble trifle, place 1/3 of the cake cubes into bottom of chilled trifle bowl or clear glass bowl. Top with 1/3 of the blueberries. Grate 1/4 of the chocolate over blueberries. Top with of the pudding mixture, pressing lightly. Repeat layers 2 more times, reserving the remaining grated chocolate for garnish. Spread remaining pudding over entire top of trifle, creating a smooth surface.

4. If desired, decorate top with whipped topping by piping 12 rosettes around edge of bowl. Place one lemon slice between rosettes and one reserved blueberry on each rosette. Or, spread remaining whipped topping over top. Place lemon slices and blueberries on top. Grate remaining chocolate in center. Chill until serving.

Yield: 10 large servings or 20 sample servings

An-Jell-o Food Cake

This is a family favorite on my husband's side, and he always asks for it for birthdays. It is super easy so I never complain!

1 angel food cake, baked (store-bought is just fine!)
1 3 oz. pkg Jell-o (we always use strawberry but other flavors would be great too)
1 8 oz tub Cool Whip, thawed

Slice cake in half horizontally. Fold Jell-o mix into cool whip until blended. Spread 1/3 of the Cool Whip mixture over bottom layer of cake, cover with top layer. Frost top and sides with remaining Cool Whip mixture. Better if refrigerated a couple hours but can also be eaten immediately. Garnish with fresh berries, if desired.

Stacy's Brownies-Rich, homemade brownies

In college, I used to go to a Friday night Bible Study each week. One of the girls who came to the study was Stacy. Stacy frequently brought homemade quickbread or brownies. Both were super delicious and both would be gone within minutes usually. These brownies are super rich but also super delicious. If you want a special treat, make this recipe. I've never had better.

Stacy's Brownies
1 cup flour
2 cups sugar
9 tablespoons cocoa
pinch salt
3 eggs
1 cup melted butter
Mix all ingredients together
Add 1 bag chocolate chips
Bake 20-25 mins