Strawberry Cake

I have always liked the thought of strawberry cake but every time I make one, I cringe when I finally taste it because it tastes nothing like strawberries and usually leaves a weird after-taste. I am talking about a boxed strawberry cake. I am always so disappointed whenever I make one (which is usually twice a year for both my girls birthdays because they always want a pink cake). So when Allison's birthday rolled around again the hunt began for an actual edible strawberry cake recipe. I liked the ingredients in this recipe but I have one complaint -- it was a little crumbly. If you plan on freezing it than it shouldn't be a problem. I froze mine and they worked great. This was simple to make and tasted great. I only have a picture of the whole cake...not the inside but take my word for it...under that awesome white frosting is three layers of strawberry deliciousness.

2 cups white sugar

1 (3 oz.) package strawberry jell-o

1 cup butter, softened

4 eggs, room temperature

2 3/4 cup sifted cake flour

2 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 cup whole milk

1 tbsp. vanilla extract

1/2 cup strawberry puree made from strawberries (frozen or fresh)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour bottom of 2 or 3 nine inch round pans. ( I used round parchment paper and 3 pans).

In a large bowl, cream together the butter, sugar and dry strawberry gelatin until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Combine the flour and baking powder. Stir the flour mixture and milk into batter, alternating between them. Blend in vanilla and strawberry puree. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans.

Bake for about 20-30 minutes (depending on if you use 2 or 3 pans) or until a toothpick inserted into cake comes out clean. Allow cakes to cool in their pans over a wire rack for at least 10 minutes before tapping out to cool completely.

Serve with every one's favorite frosting. (Everyone who I have made it for anyway.) :)

1 8 oz. cream cheese (works better with cold cream cheese)

1 cup powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

Mix until no lumps remain in cream cheese

Slowly add in 2 cups whipping cream, scrapping sides of bowl, and mix on high for another 5-10 minutes until thickened. Frost and enjoy!

Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes

All I can say is, "SOOO GOOD." I was a little worried about putting whole strawberries in the cupcakes but they turned out so moist and with the perfect texture. I was looking for a cupcake recipe that had Strawberry lemonade flavor throughout both cupcake and frosting and this one is IT! This is perfect for a summer treat. ENJOY!!!

STRAWBERRY LEMONADE CUPCAKES

(adapted from Annie's Eats)

Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes
Yield: about 24 cupcakes for higher elevations (less for lower elevations)

Ingredients:
For the cake:
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
2 tsp. lemon zest
12 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
3/4 cup milk
2 cups fresh strawberries, chopped

For the lemonade syrup:
1 cup lemonade concentrate, thawed
3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar

For the frosting:
1 cup fresh strawberries, roughly chopped
12 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
18 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 2/3 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted (you may need more)
3 tsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. vanilla extract

For garnish:
Fresh strawberries
Lemon slices (sprinkled with sugar)

Directions:
To make the cupcakes, preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line muffin pans with paper liners. In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt and lemon zest. Stir together with a fork and set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter on medium speed until it is light and fluffy. Add the sugar and beat until well combined. Beat in the eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition. Add half of the flour mixture to the bowl and beat on low speed until just incorporated. Add in the milk and mix until smooth. Add in the remaining flour mixture and mix on low speed until just blended. Fold in the fresh strawberries with a spatula.

Divide the batter evenly between the paper liners, filling them about 3/4 full. Bake about 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Once the cupcakes have cooled, whisk together the lemonade concentrate and confectioners’ sugar in a small bowl to make the lemonade syrup. Poke several holes in the top of each cupcake with a skewer and pour the syrup over the cupcakes, allowing it to soak in. It may seem like you have too much but try to use it all up! (Place wax paper underneath your cooling rack so you don’t make a mess!)

To make the frosting, puree the strawberries in a food processor or blender. Strain the puree through a mesh sieve to remove the seeds, and set aside. Beat the cream cheese and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth and very fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the powdered sugar and mix until smooth. Add the lemon juice and vanilla extract and mix until incorporated. Mix in strawberry puree, a tablespoon at a time, until you achieve your desired texture and flavor of frosting (I added about 7 tablespoons of puree). Frost cupcakes as desired and garnish with fresh strawberries and lemon slices.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes

When I first saw these cupcakes, I have to admit that they sounded like they would be too sweet for me and that is sayin' something since I LOVE sweet things. Nothing is too rich or sweet for me. But these just didn't seem to grab my attention at first. Then I saw them around a couple of more times and decided that they were actually starting to look really good.

Surprisingly, this recipe turned out to have the perfect amount of sweetness to it. The recipe is a little time consuming but if you are looking for an end product to "wow" than this is it.

CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE DOUGH CUPCAKES

originally from Annie's Eats

Ingredients:
For the cupcakes:
3 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
1½ cups light brown sugar, packed
4 large eggs
2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. salt
1 cup milk
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup chocolate chips (semisweet or bittersweet)

For the filling:
4 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
6 tbsp. light brown sugar, packed
1 cup plus 2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
7 oz. sweetened condensed milk
½ tsp. vanilla extract
¼ cup mini semisweet chocolate chips


For the frosting:
3 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
¾ cup light brown sugar, packed
3½ cups confectioners' sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
¾ tsp. salt
3 tbsp. milk
2½ tsp. vanilla extract

For decoration: (optional)
Tiny chocolate chip cookies (just use your favorite recipe)
Mini chocolate chips

Directions:
To make the cupcakes, preheat the oven to 350° F. Line two cupcake pans with paper liners (24 total). In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and brown sugar. Beat together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Mix in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Stir together to blend. Add the dry ingredients to the mixer bowl on low speed, alternating with the milk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients, mixing each addition just until incorporated. Blend in the vanilla. Fold in the chocolate chips with a spatula.

Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cupcake liners. Bake for 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the cookie dough filling, combine the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl and cream on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the flour, sweetened condensed milk and vanilla until incorporated and smooth. Stir in the chocolate chips. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until the mixture has firmed up a bit, about an hour.

To fill the cupcakes, cut a cone-shaped portion out of the center of each cupcake. Fill each hole with a chunk of the chilled cookie dough mixture.

To make the frosting, beat together the butter and brown sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until creamy. Mix in the confectioners' sugar until smooth. Beat in the flour and salt. Mix in the milk and vanilla extract until smooth and well blended.

Frost the filled cupcakes as desired, sprinkling with mini chocolate chips and topping with mini chocolate chip cookies for decoration.

German Apple Pancake

I love apples. I can pretty much eat anything made with apples. Apple pie. Apple muffins. Apple bread. Apple strudel. Apple dumplings. Apples and chicken. Apple bars. Apple jelly. Apple butter. I mean the list could really go on and on. Last fall I bought two boxes of apples. I was very motivated to make something, or a lot of somethings, with apples. I bought Fuji's because they are sweet. And Granny smith because they are tart and great for cooking. And according to my sources a mix of sweet and tart makes the best apple fillings.

My very patient and understanding husband proceeded to help me cut up 40 lbs. of apples. I mixed all my recipes with a 50/50 mix of both types of apples. I made 4 apple pies, apple muffins, apple bread, apple strudel, caramel apple turnovers and canned 8 jars of apple pie filling and then I was pretty much done with apples. I froze most of the baked goods but I was done looking at apples for awhile and even done looking at my kitchen for a while. The problem was that I had about 10 lbs. of apples left and I didn't know what to do with them. So I just cut them up, flash froze them, put them in freezer bags and hoped for the best. A few months went by and I saw this recipe. It was from America's Test Kitchen. They have amazing recipes! And this one looked really good and different. I decided it was time to try out my frozen apples. I made it. And it was, well, awesome!

If you like German Pancakes and you like cooked apples, then you will love this recipe.

German Apple Pancake adapted from America's Test Kitchen

** You will need either a 10 in. or 20 in. (if you douple the recipe) dutch oven skillet or a pan that can go from the stove to the oven.

1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour (2 1/2 ounces)
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon table salt
2 large eggs
2/3 cup half-and-half
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/4 pounds Granny Smith apples and/or Fuji apples (3 to 4 large apples), peeled, quartered, cored, and cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
1/4 cup light brown sugar or dark brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon lemon juice
confectioners' sugar for dusting
Favorite Syrup

Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position; heat oven to 500 degrees.

Whisk to combine flour, granulated sugar, and salt in medium bowl. In second medium bowl, whisk eggs, half-and-half, and vanilla until combined. Add liquid ingredients to dry and whisk until no lumps remain, about 20 seconds; set batter aside.

Heat butter in 10-inch ovenproof nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until sizzling. Add apples, brown sugar, and cinnamon; cook, stirring frequently with heatproof rubber spatula, until apples are golden brown, about 10 minutes. Off heat, stir in lemon juice.

Working quickly (but carefully), pour batter over the apples starting on the outside of the pan and moving toward the center so as to evenly displace all batter and not push the apples out of the pan. Place skillet in oven and immediately reduce oven temperature to 425 degrees; bake until pancake edges are brown and puffy and have risen above edges of skillet, about 18 minutes.

Using oven mitts to protect hands, remove hot skillet from oven and loosen pancake edges with heatproof rubber spatula. You can leave the pancake in the pan or invert pancake onto serving platter. Dust with confectioners’ sugar, cut into wedges, and serve. You can serve with syrup if you would like, but you don't have to. We served with the following syrup.

Buttermilk Carmel Syrup
From Our Best Bites
3/4 c. buttermilk
1 1/2 c. sugar
1 stick real butter
2 Tbsp. corn syrup
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla

Combine buttermilk, sugar, butter, corn syrup, and baking soda in a LARGE pot...it will bubble over.

Bring ingredients to a boil and reduce heat to low (as long as it’s still bubbling, you’re okay). Cook, stirring very frequently, for 8-9 minutes.

When it’s done, it should take on this luscious golden-brown color. Remove from heat and add vanilla. There will be foam on top. It tastes just as good, but it’s not super pretty. If you’re into aesthetics, you can skim it off; otherwise, just give it a good stir.

Hot Fudge Sauce

What more can I say but DELICIOUS!! So easy and so good. No reason to buy hot fudge anymore when you can make it easily and cheaply at home! We served this at Asher's blessing dinner with brownies and ice cream and everyone thought is was awesome! Have I convinced you to try it yet?!

1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
4 (1 ounce) squares semisweet chocolate
2 tablespoons butter (no substitutes)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a heavy saucepan, combine the milk, chocolate and butter. Cook and stir over medium-low heat until chocolate is melted. Remove from the heat; stir in vanilla.

Rocky Road Pizza

This was soo yummy! It was gobbled up at the family reunion with rave reviews! Plus it is soo easy!







1 roll of pre-made chocolate chip cookie dough (you can use home-made)
1 cup miniature marshmallows
1/2 cup salted peanuts
1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
1/3 cup caramal topping

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 12 inch pizza pan. In pan break up cookie dough and press evenly in bottom of pan (flouring your fingers may help). Bake 12-17 min or until light golden brown.

Sprinkle marshmallows, peanuts, and chips evenly over crust. Drizzle with caramel. Bake 8-10 min longer or until topping is melted. Cool completely. Cut into wedges.

You can also experiment with different toppings.

Fresh Cherry Crisp

I was craving a recipe with fresh cherries and since it was Sunday and I couldn't go to the store I made this one because I already had all the ingredients on hand. I am not a huge fan of crisps to begin with but this was very good. I loved the fresh cherries in it. And it was awesome with the vanilla ice cream.

4-5 cups fresh cherries, pitted (we use a dowel to pit our cherries and it works great)

1 1/4 cups white sugar

4 tbsp. flour

1 1/2 cups flour

1 cup old fashioned oats

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup butter

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a 9x13 pan, combine cherries, 1 1/4 c. sugar and 4 tbsp. flour. In a medium bowl, combine 1 1/2 cups flour, oats and brown sugar. Cut in butter until crumbly. Sprinkle over cherries. Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes until topping is golden brown. Serve with vanilla ice cream!

BuckEye Cake

This recipe made it to my husbands list of top 5 desserts and he said maybe even top two! This is pretty good considering I make at least 3 new dessert recipes each month. This recipe is done in a couple of steps but it is so worth it. It is very rich (even for me and I love rich desserts). You can either serve it in very small slices and savor every bite or you can serve it with whipped cream or ice cream. It also tastes best the next day but same day is great too!


CAKE
2 large eggs
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
3 packets (1 oz. each) NESTLÉ TOLLHOUSE CHOCO BAKE Pre-melted Unsweetened Chocolate Flavor
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
PEANUT BUTTER LAYER
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup powdered sugar
GANACHE
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels

1/3 cup Peanut Butter & Milk Chocolate Swirls (or you can just mix PB chips with chocolate chips)

PREHEAT oven to 350º F. Grease 9-inch-round cake pan. Line bottom of pan with parchment paper; grease.

FOR CAKE: COMBINE eggs and sugar in large bowl. Stir in flour, melted butter, Choco Bake, vanilla extract and salt until smooth. Pour into prepared pan. BAKE for 25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool on wire rack for 5 minutes. Run knife around edge of cake; cool for an additional 10 minutes. Invert cake onto serving platter. Remove pan and parchment; cool completely.

FOR PEANUT BUTTER LAYER: BEAT peanut butter, butter and vanilla extract in medium mixer bowl until combined. Gradually beat in powdered sugar. Spread mixture on cake. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

FOR GANACHE: HEAT cream in small saucepan to boiling; remove from heat. Add semi-sweet morsels; let stand 5 minutes. Stir; refrigerate for 30 minutes or until mixture is spreadable. Spread chocolate on top and sides of cake.

MELT peanut butter & milk chocolate morsels in resealable plastic bag on MEDIUM-HIGH (70%) power for 30 seconds. Knead bag to mix. If necessary, microwave at additional 10- to 15-second intervals until melted. Cut a small hole from corner of bag; squeeze to drizzle over cake. Store in refrigerator. Let stand for 30 minutes before serving.

Cookies and Cream Freeze
(courtesy of Kraftfoods.com)


4 squares BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Baking Chocolate
14 OREO Chocolate Sandwich Cookies, divided
1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened (I used Neufchatel)
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 tub (8 oz.) COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, thawed
MELT chocolate as directed on package; set aside until ready to use. Line 8-1/2x4-1/2-inch loaf pan with foil, with ends of foil extending over sides of pan. Arrange 8 of the cookies evenly on bottom of pan. Crumble remaining 6 cookies; set aside.
BEAT cream cheese, sugar and vanilla in medium bowl with electric mixer until well blended. Stir in whipped topping. Remove about 1-1/2 cups of the cream cheese mixture; place in medium bowl. Stir in melted chocolate.
SPREAD remaining cream cheese mixture over cookies in pan; sprinkle with crumbled cookies. Gently press cookies into cream cheese mixture with back of spoon; top with chocolate mixture. Cover. Freeze 3 hours or until firm. Remove from freezer about 15 min. before serving; invert onto serving plate. Peel off foil; let stand at room temperature to soften slightly before cutting to serve.

Creamy Layered Fruit Sensation

Such a great dessert for the summer! AND So DELISH!


Prep Time: 25 min
Total Time: 2 hr 25 min
Makes: 16 servings, 1/2 cup each

1 pkg. (9 oz.) angel food cake, cut into cubes
3 Tbsp. orange juice
1/4 tsp. almond extract
2-1/2 cups cold fat-free milk
2 pkg. (4-serving size each) Vanilla Flavor Fat Free Sugar Free Instant Pudding
1-1/2 cups thawed Whipped Topping, divided
2 pkg. (12 oz. each) frozen mixed berries, thawed, well drained

PLACE cake cubes in large bowl. Mix orange juice and extract. Drizzle over cake; toss to coat.

POUR milk into another large bowl. Add dry pudding mixes. Beat with wire whisk 2 min. or until well blended. Gently stir in 1 cup of the whipped topping.

RESERVE a few berries for garnish; set aside. Place half of the cake cubes in 2-qt. glass serving bowl or round casserole dish; top with layers of half each of the remaining berries and pudding mixture. Repeat layers. Cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 2 hours. Top with remaining 1/2 cup whipped topping and reserved berries just before serving. Store leftovers in refrigerator.

The ingredients in this recipe can all be changed with regular, fat-free, lite or sugar-free ingredients! Enjoy!

Black Forest Cake

I have made this dessert for a couple of large Holiday parties and everyone who ate it said they loved it! And it looks pretty too!

Prep Time: 20 min
Total Time: 4 hr
Makes: 16 servings, one slice each

1 pkg. (2-layer size) devil's food cake mix
1 cup boiling water
1 pkg. (4-serving size) JELL-O Cherry Flavor Gelatin
1/4 cup cold water
2/3 cup Sour Cream
2/3 cup powdered sugar
1 tub (8 oz.) French Vanilla COOL WHIP, thawed (If you can't find French Vanilla you can add a little vanilla flavoring to the regular kind)
1/3 cup drained maraschino cherries, divided (I love the ones that you get a Costco)
1 square BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate, melted

PREPARE and bake cake mix in two 8- or 9-inch round layers as directed on package. Run knife or metal spatula around sides of pans to loosen cakes. Cool in pans 15 min.
STIR boiling water into dry gelatin mix at least 2 min. until completely dissolved. Add cold water. Pierce cakes with large fork at 1/2-inch intervals. Carefully pour half of the gelatin mixture over each cake layer. Refrigerate at least 3 hours.
MIX sour cream and powdered sugar; gently stir in whipped topping. Dip one cake pan in warm water 10 sec.; unmold onto serving plate. Spread with 1 cup of the whipped topping mixture. Reserve a few cherries for garnish. Chop remaining cherries; sprinkle over frosted layer. Unmold second cake layer; carefully place on cake layer on plate. Frost top and side of cake with remaining whipped topping mixture. Drizzle with melted chocolate. Garnish with reserved cherries. Store in refrigerator.

Apricot Upside Down Cake

This is another recipe using Apricots that was SO YUMMY...once again, I don't even like Apricots but this recipe is very good!




Prep Time: 15 min
Total Time: 50 min
Makes: 12 servings

1 cup all-purpose baking mix
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup Sour Cream
1 egg
2 Tbsp. water
1/8 tsp. almond extract
6 Tbsp. butter
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 lb. apricots (about 7 medium apricots), pitted, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
2 Tbsp. Sliced Almonds (optional...I made one with and one without and they were both good)

PREHEAT oven to 350°F. Place baking mix, granulated sugar, sour cream, egg, water and extract in large bowl. Beat with electric mixer on low speed just until moistened, stopping frequently to scrape bottom and side of bowl. Beat on medium speed 2 min.; set aside.
MELT butter in small saucepan on medium heat. Add brown sugar; cook 1 min. or until completely dissolved, stirring constantly. Pour into 9-inch round cake pan. Top with apricot slices; sprinkle with almonds. Cover with batter.
BAKE 30 to 35 min. or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Immediately run knife or metal spatula around rim of pan to loosen cake; invert onto serving plate. Cool completely.

Apricot Crumble Pie

I don't even really like Apricots but I loved this pie...


Prep Time: 30 min
Total Time: 1 hr 20 min
Makes: 10 servings W

2-1/4 lb. apricots, peeled, sliced (about 6 cups)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup MINUTE Tapioca
1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) cold butter or margarine, cut up
1/2 pkg. (15 oz.) ready-to-use refrigerated pie crusts (1 crust)

PREHEAT oven to 400°F. Toss apricots with granulated sugar and tapioca. Let stand 15 min. Mix flour and brown sugar in medium bowl. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs; set aside.

PREPARE pie crust as directed on package for unfilled 1-crust pie, using 9-inch pie plate. Fill with apricot mixture; top with crumb mixture.

BAKE 45 to 50 min. or until juices form bubbles that burst slowly. Cool.

Chewy Choco-nut Triangles

If you love peanut butter you will LOVE these...

Prep Time: 20 min
Total Time: 45 min
Makes: 32 servings, one triangle each

3/4 cup (1-1/2 sticks) butter, softened
1-1/2 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
2 eggs
1-1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. Baking Powder
1 pkg. (6 squares) BAKER'S White Chocolate, divided
1 cup Salted Peanuts, coarsely chopped
1 square BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate

PREHEAT oven to 350°F. Line 13x9-inch baking pan with foil or parchment paper, with ends extending over sides of pan. Spray with cooking spray; set aside. Beat butter and brown sugar with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Blend in eggs, flour and baking powder. Chop five squares of the white chocolate; stir into batter with peanuts. Spread into prepared pan.
BAKE 20 to 25 min. or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan.
MICROWAVE remaining square of white chocolate in microwaveable bowl on HIGH 1 min., stirring after 30 sec. Drizzle over baked rectangle. Melt semi-sweet chocolate in microwaveable bowl on HIGH 1 min., stirring after 30 sec. Drizzle over baked rectangle. Lift from pan, using foil handles. Cut into triangles.

Blueberry Buckle

Blueberry Buckle
(Courtesy of Alton Brown)

For the cake:
Nonstick cooking spray
9 ounces cake flour, approximately 2 cups
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
2 ounces unsalted butter, room temperature
5 1/4 ounces sugar, approximately 3/4 cup
1 large egg
1/2 cup whole milk
15 ounces fresh whole blueberries, approximately 3 cups
For the topping:
3 1/2 ounces sugar, approximately 1/2 cup
1 1/2 ounces cake flour, approximately 1/3 cup
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg 2 ounces unsalted butter, chilled and cubed
For the cake: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Spray a 9 by 9-inch glass baking dish with nonstick spray and set aside.
In a medium mixing bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and ground ginger. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, approximately 1 minute. Add the egg and beat until well incorporated, approximately 30 seconds. Add 1/3 of the flour mixture and beat on low speed just until incorporated and then add 1/3 of the milk and beat until incorporated. Repeat, alternating flour and milk until everything has combined. Gently stir in the blueberries and pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish.
For the topping: In a small bowl combine the sugar, flour and nutmeg. Add the butter and work into the dry ingredients using a fork to combine. Continue until the mixture has a crumb-like texture. Sprinkle the mixture on top of the cake. Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 35 minutes or until golden in color. Cool for at least 10 minutes before serving. (I tasted it hot out of the oven and cooled slightly and it definitely tastes better cooled...the ginger is much stronger at a hotter temperature.)

Philly Brownie Cheesecake

Philly Brownie Cheesecake
(courtesy of kraftfoods.com)

1 pkg. (19 to 21 oz.) brownie mix (13x9-inch pan size)
4 pkg. (8 oz. each) Cream Cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup Sour Cream
3 eggs
2 squares BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Baking Chocolate

PREHEAT oven to 325°F. Spray 13x9-inch baking pan with cooking spray. Prepare brownie batter as directed on package; pour into prepared pan. Bake 25 min. or until top of brownie is shiny and center is almost set.

MEANWHILE, beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add sour cream; mix well. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing on low speed after each addition just until blended. Gently pour over brownie layer in pan. (Filling will come almost to top of pan.)

BAKE 40 min. or until center is almost set. Run knife or metal spatula around rim of pan to loosen side of dessert from pan; cool. Refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.

MELT chocolate as directed on package; drizzle over cheesecake. Refrigerate 15 min. or until chocolate is firm. Cut cheesecake into 16 pieces to serve. Store any leftover cheesecake in refrigerator.

Snicker Bar Trifle

Here are a couple of new recipes we have tried. The first one I forgot to take a picture of...but it is made with snickers so how can you go wrong. For those of you who don't already know, I try at least 1 new recipe every week (sometimes 2-3 new recipes). If they make them on the blog then my family thought they were pretty good. We also cook for families on average once a week, so a lot of these recipes were also tried by others who also liked them. So I would love for you to try them too and then let me know what you think.

Snicker Bar Trifle
1 angel food cake (I used the rectangular one)
2 cups heavy whipped cream (or you can use Cool Whip)
2 jar caramel ice cream topping
1 large package of chocolate pudding
4 regular snicker bars (I actually used 5)

Whip cream until stiff (if using heavy cream). Fold in jar of caramel. Make pudding according to directions. Chop snickers bars. Put half of cake cubes in bottom of trifle bowl. Layer half of whipped cream, pudding and snickers. Repeat. Can be eaten immediately or refrigerated.

No-Melt Sundae Pie

No-Melt Sundae Pie
(courtesy of kraftfoods.com)

15 OREO Chocolate Sandwich Cookies, crushed (about 1-1/2 cups crumbs)
3 Tbsp. butter, melted
1 tub (8 oz.) COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, thawed, divided
1 cup cold milk
1 pkg. (4-serving size) JELL-O Vanilla Flavor Instant Pudding & Pie Filling
2 squares BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Baking Chocolate, melted
1/3 cup canned sweetened condensed milk

MIX cookie crumbs and butter; press firmly onto bottom and up side of 9-inch pie plate. Reserve 1/2 cup of the whipped topping. Refrigerate until ready to use.

POUR milk into large bowl. Add dry pudding mix. Beat with wire whisk 2 min. or until well blended. Gently stir in remaining whipped topping. Spoon into crust. Mix melted chocolate and condensed milk until well blended. Spoon over pie. Cut through chocolate mixture several times with knife for marble effect.

FREEZE 6 hours or until firm. Remove pie from freezer 15 min. before serving. Let stand at room temperature to soften slightly. Top with the reserved whipped topping.

Chocolate Rhapsody

Here are some more recipes! There is a lovely Valentine dessert (I know it is a little late for Valentines but maybe next year)! It looks a little hard but there are just a lot of steps...its not hard. I also made another dessert that was awesome...but usually if it has an Oreo crust it is pretty good in my book. I also made another Chicken dinner that my whole family liked. Chris said I should definitly make it again. I have made other stuffed chicken recipes before and this is the only one that he wanted again. Enjoy!

Chocolate Rhapsody
(courtesy of verybestbaking.com)

CAKE LAYER
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup granulated sugar
6 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup milk

CHOCOLATE LAYER
2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream

RASPBERRY MOUSSE LAYER
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen raspberries in syrup, thawed, pureed and strained
3 bars (6-oz. box) NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Premier White Baking Bars, broken into pieces
1 3/4 cups heavy whipping cream, divided
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Sweetened whipped cream (optional)
Fresh raspberries (optional)

Directions:
PREHEAT oven to 350° F. Grease 9-inch springform pan.

FOR CAKE LAYER:
COMBINE flour, baking powder and salt in small bowl. Beat sugar and butter in small mixer bowl until creamy. Beat in egg and vanilla extract. Alternately beat in flour mixture and milk. Spread into prepared springform pan.

BAKE for 15 to 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool completely in pan on wire rack.

FOR CHOCOLATE LAYER:
MICROWAVE morsels and 3/4 cup cream in medium, uncovered, microwave-safe bowl on HIGH (100%) power for 1 minute; STIR. The morsels may retain some of their original shape. If necessary, microwave at additional 10- to 15-second intervals, stirring just until morsels are melted. Cool completely.

FOR RASPBERRY MOUSSE LAYER:
COMBINE sugar, water and cornstarch in medium saucepan; stir in raspberries. Bring mixture to a boil. Boil, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Cool completely.

MICROWAVE baking bars and 1/2 cup cream in medium, uncovered, microwave-safe bowl on MEDIUM-HIGH (70%) power for 1 minute; STIR. The bars may retain some of their original shape. If necessary, microwave at additional 10- to 15-second intervals, stirring just until bars are melted. Cool completely. Stir into raspberry mixture.

BEAT remaining cream and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until stiff peaks form. Fold raspberry mixture into whipped cream.

TO ASSEMBLE:
REMOVE side of springform pan; dust off crumbs. Grease inside of pan; reattach side. Spread 1/2 cup chocolate mixture over cake layer; freeze for 5 minutes. Spoon raspberry mousse over chocolate; freeze for 10 minutes. Carefully spread remaining chocolate mixture over raspberry mousse. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or until firm. Carefully remove side of springform pan. Garnish with whipped cream and raspberries.

Luscious Four-Layer Pumpkin Cake

Holiday Recipe #2 (courtesy of Kraft Foods, again)
This was good and it turned out similar to the picture...I was a little scared about that. This is not as hard as it looks...


Luscious Four-Layer Pumpkin Cake
Prep Time: 20 min
Total Time: 1 hr 42 min
Makes: 16 servings, one slice each

1 pkg. (2-layer size) yellow cake mix
1 can (15 oz.) pumpkin, divided
1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup oil
4 large eggs
1-1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice, divided
1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tub (8 oz.) COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, thawed
1/4 cup caramel ice cream topping
1/4 cup chopped PLANTERS Pecans

PREHEAT oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round cake pans. Beat cake mix, 1 cup of the pumpkin, the milk, oil, eggs and 1 tsp. of the pumpkin pie spice in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Pour evenly into prepared pans.

BAKE 28 to 30 min. or until wooden toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 min. Remove from pans to wire racks; cool completely. Beat cream cheese in small bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until creamy. Add sugar, remaining pumpkin and remaining 1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice; mix well. Stir in the whipped topping.

CUT each cake layer horizontally in half with serrated knife. Stack layers on serving plate, spreading the cream cheese filling between layers. (Do not frost top of cake.) Drizzle cake with caramel topping just before serving; sprinkle with the pecans. Store leftover cake in refrigerator.