cake

Buttermilk Coffee Cake with Jam

~ lk529 ~ 8 Comments

Last Fall I joined Mothers of Preschoolers (MOPS). Young moms – check out that link to see if there’s a MOPS near you! You won’t regret it, I promise. And no, I’m not being paid to say that.

I’d not actually realized that MOPS was a real organization, I just thought it was a group of women who had toddlers running around their homes gathering together.

And really, that’s kind of what it is. But it’s so much more than that.

It is a Christian organization developed to inspire moms and their kiddos in faith and companionship. Each meeting we have a fabulous speaker and our group has been seriously blessed with incredible, real women who have come to share their stories on friendship, parenting, faith, and freedom.

Joining MOPS is probably the best thing I’ve done as a mom! I just love the women I get to gather with every other Wednesday morning. Having breakfast provided is a huge perk, too!

Each meeting, the different tables take turns providing breakfast for the entire group. During our table’s turns I’ve brought Homemade Biscuits and Rolled Pancakes.

At our last meeting it was a “free for all” sign up sheet amongst everyone. I signed up to bring some sort of breakfast sweet.

Coffee cake.

Now, you all know I have a favorite coffee cake recipe that I mix up fairly often, changing out the Nutella filling for various fruits and adjusting the topping slightly to coordinate.

Today, I’m sharing with you a completely different coffee cake! WHAT!?!

IMG_6342

This recipe comes from Magnolia Days, a blog formerly written by my virtual friend Renee. She’s since handed over the reigns to Katie and I’m so glad she did because this Buttermilk Coffee Cake recipe gets to remain on the internet!

Buttermilk Coffee Cake with Jam

Ingredients:

  • 2 C flour
  • 1 tbsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 C + 2 1/2 tbsp buttermilk, divided use
  • 1/2 C sugar, plus more for sprinkling
  • 1/2 stick butter, melted
  • 1/4 jam (I used apricot-pineapple)
  • 1/4 C chopped walnuts
  • 1 C powdered sugar, sifted

Steps:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9″ x 9″ cake pan with parchment paper. Lightly spray with cooking spray.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
  3. In another bowl, whisk the eggs with 1 C buttermilk, and 1/2 C sugar. Add to the dry ingredients, stirring until combined.
  4. Pour batter into prepared cake pan. Top with spoonfuls of the jam and gently swirl into the batter. Sprinkle with walnuts and a little extra sugar.
  5. Bake 35-40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out cleanly. Let cake cool 5-10 minutes in the pan before removing to a cooling rack.
  6. Before serving, mix together the powdered sugar and 2 1/2 tbsp buttermilk until smooth. Drizzle over the cake.

*This recipe is adapted from Renee at https://magnoliadays.com/apricot-buttermilk-coffee-cake*

Buttermilk Coffee Cake with Jam for #CoffeeCakeDay from Sew You Think You Can Cook

Be sure to check out these other great coffee cake recipes:

Blueberry Lemon Buttermilk Coffee Cake by Girl Abroad

Blueberry Sour Cream Coffee Cake by Jolene’s Recipe Journal

Busy Day Blueberry Ginger Coffee Cake by A Day in the Life on the Farm

Butter Crumb Coffee Cake by Karen’s Kitchen Stories

Buttermilk Coffee Cake with Jam by Sew You Think You Can Cook

Chocolate Espresso Bundt Coffee Cake by Daily Dish Recipes

Cinnamon Nut Coffee Ring by Family Around the Table

Coffee Cake Donuts by Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks

Cookie Butter Coffee Cake by Strawberry Blondie Kitchen

Crumble Topped Nutty Coffee Cake by Culinary Adventures with Camilla

Meyer Lemon Coffee Cake by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings

Strawberry Rhubarb Coffee Cake by House of Nash Eats

Thank you, Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm, for hosting this Coffee Cake Day event.

#BundtBakers: Christmas Bundts

~ lk529 ~ 1 Comment

4ae7b-bundtbakerspost#BundtBakers is a group of bundt loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bundt cakes with a common ingredient or theme. This month Sneha of Sneha’s Recipe asked us to bake a Christmas Bundt.

Every year my husband’s office has an all floor potluck the week of Thanksgiving.

This event is massive.

Every conference room gets transformed into a buffet of delicacies.

Employees and their families are all encouraged to attend and participate. Everyone is given a room to start in and after that you’re allowed to checkout the other rooms.

The rooms all have a theme, too. There are two traditional Thanksgiving rooms (last year I brought Papa’s Sweet Potato Casserole ). There’s an American room (thinks barbecue, wings, and chili), and Asian room (which is most popular and I’ve yet to even pop my head into it!), a European room, two dessert tables, a kids room with hotdogs and pizza, and more.

This year I told my husband to sign us up for a dessert so that I could share a bundt cake! He sent me the massive spread sheet and I searched for a dessert that I could fill with this month’s theme. Lemon bundt cake was my answer. I wasn’t originally thinking lemon, but I made it work!

I made a Cranberry Surprise Inside Lemon Bundt.

I unloaded about half a can of Pam into my beautiful bundt pan and it still stuck! I did my best to piece it together, crossed my fingers, and had my husband pick up a store bought lemon bundt cake as back up.

Come the morning, the cake had set together well enough that I figured, why not just bring it anyway. The boys and I, naturally, had to taste it first and it passed all approval ratings.

In my indecisiveness on bringing the cake or not I ran out of time to make a frosting, but, as you know by now, I don’t like frostings anyway.

Lemon Cran Bundt (kids)

Cranberry Surprise Inside Bundt Cake

Ingredients for the cake:

  • 1 bag (12 oz) fresh cranberries
  • 2 1/2 C sugar, divided use
  • 4 eggs
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 6 tbsp milk
  • 2 tbsp lemon zest
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 3 C cake flour
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 3 1/4 sticks butter, cubed, at room temperature

Ingredients for syrup:

  • 1/4 C sugar
  • 1/2 C lemon juice

Steps:

  1. In a pot, heat cranberries and 3/4 C sugar over medium-high heat until it reduces down to 1 1/4 C, 15-20 minutes. Let cool.
  2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Heavily grease a 10 C bundt pan.
  3. In a small bowl, whisk the eggs, yolks, milk, lemon zest, and vanilla. Set aside.
  4. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the flour, remaining 1 3/4 C sugar, baking powder and salt. Beat in the cubed butter. Add the wet ingredients in 3 batches, mixing until incorporated, scraping the sides of the bowl.
  5. Fill bundt pan 2/3 full with batter. Spoon in the cranberry filling, making sure it doesn’t touch any of the edges. Top with remaining batter. Bake 60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out cleanly.
  6. In a small saucepan, dissolve 1/4 C sugar in 1/2 C lemon juice over medium-low heat. Set aside.
  7. Poke the cooked cake, still in the pan, with a skewer and pour the syrup over the top. Let cool at least 10 minutes before unmolding onto a cooling rack. Let cool completely, wrap, and set overnight.

*This recipe is adapted from https://www.keyingredient.com/recipes/153248/lemon-cranberry-bundt-cake/*

Lemon Cranberry Inside Bundt Cake for #BundtBakers from Sew You Think You Can Cook

You can see all our of lovely Bundts by following our Pinterest board. Updated links for all of our past events and more information about #BundtBakers, can be found on our home page.

And don’t forget to take a peek at what other talented bakers have created this month:

Almond Nougat Bundt Cake by Nunca es demasiado dulce

Bundt de Noel by All That’s Left Are The Crumbs

Baileys Hot Chocolate Bundt Cake by Making Miracles

Cinnamon Bun Bundt by Living the Gourmet

Chestnut Praline Coffee Bundt Cake by The Queen of Scones

Christkindl Gluhwein Bundt Cake by I Love Bundt Cakes

Eggless Semolina Tutti Fruity Cake by Sneha’s Recipe

Gingerbread Bundt Cake by Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice

Italian Cream Bundt Cake by Palatable Pastime

Mini Chocolate Ganache Bundts with Peppermint Crunch by Cookaholic Wife

Maple Walnut Bundt Cake by Bizcocheando

Pineapple Upside Down Bundt by A Day in the Life on the Farm

Polenta Bundt Cake by Katin špajz

Rich Chocolate Bundt Cake with Cake Truffles by Sweet Sensations

Sorrel Mini Bundts by Passion Kneaded

Spicy Gingerbread Bundt by Food Lust People Love

Xmas Bundt Cake by La mejor manera de hacer

#AppleWeek: Apple Pie Bread

~ lk529 ~ 6 Comments

21273153_1652451198122390_4333485463855047882_o

Welcome to the final day of #AppleWeek hosted by Carlee of Cooking with Carleee! Over 2 dozen bloggers have been celebrating the humble apple and elevating it into over 80 sensational recipes.

For my final offering of the week, I went with a dessert. While, the recipe title says “bread,” there’s no fooling. This “bread” is a cake. It starts by creaming together butter and sugar. Don’t be fooled by the loaf pan, you’re having cake for breakfast and it’s fantastic.

Apple Pie Bread

Ingredients:

  • 1 stick butter, at room temperature
  • 2/3 C sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 C flour
  • 1 3/4 tsp baking powder
  • 1/3 C brown sugar
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg
  • 1/8 tsp allspice
  • 1/8 tsp cardamom
  • 1 apple, peeled and chopped
  • 1/2 C milk

Steps:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9″ loaf pan with parchment paper.
  2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Add in the eggs and vanilla until fully incorporated. Add in the flour and baking powder, mixing until combined. Add the milk until the batter is smooth.
  3. In a small bowl whisk together the brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and cardamom.
  4. Pour half of the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Top with half of the brown sugar mixture and half of the chopped apple. Repeat with the remaining batter, brown sugar, and apple.
  5. Bake 40 – 45 minutes.

*This recipe is adapted from Ashely at https://wishesndishes.com/cinnamon-apple-pie-bread/*

Apple Pie Bread for #AppleWeek from Sew You Think You Can Cook

When I received the Sandwich Hero knife from Chicago Cutlery for #AppleWeek I knew my final recipe just had to be a bread (okay, cake) of some kind. This knife has all sorts of hidden special talents and can handle most any task in the kitchen. For the use of cutting this bread/cake, it handled the mission wonderfully. I could cut through the sweet treat without crushing it or mashing the apples into the crumb.

Don’t forget to enter the giveaway for a knife block from Chicago Cutlery, and check out some great apple recipes:

Apfelstrudel Recipe (Apple Strudel from Scratch) from House of Nash Eats
Apple and Onion Cornbread from A Day in the Life on the Farm
Apple Butter Cheesecake from The Redhead Baker
Apple Chicken Stew from Jolene’s Recipe Journal
Apple Cider Dark & Stormy from The Crumby Kitchen
Apple Mincemeat Pie from Palatable Pastime
Apple Pie Bread from Sew You Think You Can Cook
Apple Pie Pancakes from 4 Sons ‘R’ Us
Apple Praline Bread from Family Around the Table
Apple Stuffing Crusted Pork Chops from Caroline’s Cooking
Battered Chocolate Caramel Apple Slices from The Freshman Cook
Caramel Apple Pull Apart Bread from Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
Apple Crack Slaw Eggrolls from Dad What’s 4 Dinner
Cinnamon Apple Donuts from Daily Dish Recipes
Diminutive Caramel Apples from Culinary Adventures with Camilla
Easy Caramel Apple Butter from Grumpy’s Honeybunch
Fast and Easy Peanut Butter Yogurt Fruit Dip from Cooking With Carlee
Mom’s Apple Cake from Books n’ Cooks
Oatmeal Applesauce Muffins from Amy’s Cooking Adventures
Roasted Butternut Squash and Apples from Simple and Savory
Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Apples from Feeding Big
Savory Apple Turkey Brie Galette from Bear & Bug Eats
Swiss Vegetarian Autumn Lasagna With Apples & Squash from All That’s Jas

Disclaimer: Thank you to #AppleWeek Sponsors: Rodelle, Dreamfarm, Casabella, Flahavan’s Irish Oatmeal, Pryex, Chicago Cutlery, Rainier Fruit, and Veggie Wash for providing prizes for #AppleWeek free of charge. These companies also provided the bloggers with samples and product to use for #AppleWeek. All opinions are my own.

#BundtBakers: Strawberry Bundts

~ lk529 ~ 11 Comments

4ae7b-bundtbakerspost

I have been sitting on this cake for months! And that is not an exaggeration. Tammy of Living the Gourmet is hosting and announced the theme of “Strawberry Bundts” back in spring and I baked this beauty in early June.

#BundtBakers is a group of bundt loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bundts with a common ingredient or theme. We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme or ingredient.

We eat strawberries by the pound here. They’ve been my kids’ favorite food/fruit for well over a year now. With a weekly Farmers Market across the street dishing out California fresh berries year round, we’re never without these red beauties.

And yes, this is my fourth strawberry recipe since my “break“. Told you we like strawberries around here!

boys want cake

When I think of using strawberries in a creative way I immediately go to balsamic vinegar. So, is that really creative? Meh. It’s a delicious combination either way.

This cake has a lot of moving parts. Cake. Frosting. Drizzle. Berries. And is it all worth it? Yes! Will I do it all again? Yes! I have some of the frosting in the freezer and Firecracker can’t stop talking about baking a strawberry cake with Tilly when she comes to visit. (Update: He forgot all about baking anything once she was here. We kept busy creating his Homeschooling corner, hanging artwork that’s been leaning against the wall for the past 16 months, going to the beach and the tide pools, and even sewing!)

Strawberry Balsamic Bundt Cake for #BundtBakers from Sew You Think You Can Cook

Strawberry Balsamic Bundt Cake

Ingredients for the cake:

  • 2 sticks butter, softened
  • 1 C dark brown sugar
  • 1 C granulated sugar
  • 5 eggs
  • 1 tbsp vanilla bean paste
  • 3 C cake flour
  • 1 tbsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 1/4 C buttermilk

Ingredients for the frosting:

  • 1 lb fresh strawberries, chopped
  • 1 C + 6 tbsp sugar, divided use
  • 2 tsp balsamic vinegar
  • 4 egg whites
  • 3 sticks butter, softened

Ingredients for the garnish:

  • 1 lb fresh strawberries, finely diced
  • 3 tbsp sugar
  • 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
  • 1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Ingredients for the drizzle:

  • 1/2 C balsamic vinegar
  • 2 tbsp dark brown sugar

Steps:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Heavily grease a bundt pan.
  2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugars until smooth. Add the eggs, one at a time, and the vanilla, mixing until fully incorporated after each addition.
  3. In a large bowl, whisk together the cake flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the mixer, alternating with the buttermilk. Pour batter into prepared bundt pan. Bake 60 minutes, until a cake tester comes out cleanly.
  4. For the frosting, put the chopped strawberries, 2 tbsp sugar, and balsamic vinegar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the berries are soft, 5-8 minutes. Let cool slightly before transferring to a blender to puree until smooth. Chill.
  5. Also for the frosting, whisk the egg whites and the remaining sugar in a large heatproof bowl over a pot of simmering water. Whisk consistently until a thermometer measures 160 degrees F and the sugar is dissolved. Transfer to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and beat on medium-high speed for 8 minutes, until stiff peaks form. Reduce speed to medium and add in the softened butter 2 tbsp at a time, until fully incorporated, and frosting is thick and smooth (it will most likely curdle during the process, just keep going and keep trusting!). Add in the cooled strawberry puree until fully incorporated.
  6. Make the garnish: Stir together the diced strawberries, sugar, vinegar, and vanilla in a bowl. Let macerate 20-30 minutes.
  7. For the drizzle: Reduce the balsamic and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat down to 4 tbsp. Set aside.

*This recipe is adapted from Annie at http://www.annies-eats.com/2013/06/07/strawberry-balsamic-cupcakes/*

Strawberry Balsamic Bundt Cake for #BundtBakers from Sew You Think You Can Cook

You can see all our of lovely Bundts by following our Pinterest board. Updated links for all of our past events and more information about #BundtBakers, can be found on our home page.

And don’t forget to take a peek at what other talented bakers have created this month:

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Poke Bundt by Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice

Freeze Dried Strawberry Bundt with Cream Cheese Glaze by Sweet Sensations

Jam Strawberry Bundt Cake by Bizcocheando

Lemon Strawberry Poke Bundt by A Day in the Life on the Farm

Neapolitan Zebra Bundt Cake by All That’s Left Are The Crumbs

Strawberry Balsamic Bundt Cake by Sew You Think You Can Cook

Strawberry & Cream Bundt Cake by Patty’s Cakes

Strawberry Crunch Bundt Cake by Cookaholic Wife

Strawberry Bundt Mousse Cake by Sneha’s Recipe

Strawberry Bundt Cake with White Chocolate Ganache by The Queen of Scones

Strawberries & Cream Naked Bundt Cake by Living the Gourmet

Strawberry Key Lime Cheesecake Bundt by The Crumby Kitchen

Strawberry Orange Bundt Cake by I Love Bundt Cakes

Champagne Cupcakes

~ lk529 ~ 2 Comments

The 3rd (and final) installment of my champagne week is definitely a dessert. There isn’t really any getting around it. These cupcakes do not qualify for breakfast. 

“But you could try…” as my son says when he asks me to sing a song I don’t know any of the words to. Sorry, kid, it’s just not gonna happen!

img_2318

I’ve always found that the flavor of champagne doesn’t always come through in baking. That is not the case with these cupcakes! These cupcakes, literally, taste like a glass of champagne. There’s even reduced champagne in the frosting to really boost the flavor.

These cupcakes are perfect for celebrating an anniversary, birthday, or holiday.

This recipe makes 12-15 cupcakes.

Champagne Cupcakes

Ingredients for cupcakes:

  • 1 stick butter, at room temperature
  • 1 C sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 3/4 C flour
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/2 C sour cream
  • 1/2 C champagne

Ingredients for frosting:

  • 1 C + 1 tbsp champagne
  • 2 sticks butter, at room temperature
  • 2 1/2 C powdered sugar
  • pinch of salt

Steps:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a cupcake tray with liners.
  2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar. Add in the eggs one at a time along with the vanilla.
  3. In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In a measuring cup, combine the sour cream and champagne. Alternating, add the dry ingredients and the wet ingredients to the stand mixer, beginning and ending with dry ingredients.
  4. Divide batter among prepared cupcake tray. Bake 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Transfer cupcakes to a cooling rack.
  5. In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, simmer the 1 C of champagne until it reduces down to 2 tbsp. Cool completely.
  6. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, cream together the butter and powdered sugar. Add the reduced champagne and the 1 tbsp champagne.
  7. Frost cooled cupcakes.

*This recipe is adapted from Haley at http://www.ifyougiveablondeakitchen.com/2014/12/29/cocktail-cupcakes-champagne-cupcakes/*

Champagne Cupcakes | Sew You Think You Can Cook | http://sewyouthinkyoucancook.com

#BundtBakers: Birthday Bundts

~ lk529 ~ 10 Comments

4ae7b-bundtbakerspostToday is the first #BundtBakers post of the new year! #BundtBakers is a group of bundt loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bundts with a common ingredient or theme. We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme or ingredient.

The first theme of the year is quite fun – birthday bundts. A big thank you to Sue of Palatable Pastime for this creative theme. You’ll be sure to find a cake recipe or three to help celebrate a year of birthdays.

My first thought was Funfetti. Nothing says Happy Birthday quite like sprinkles! And it looks like a few bakers went in that direction.

My second thought was, hey, it’s my husband’s birthday! And not just any birthday. The big 3-0! (Earlier this month, not today.)

My husband greatly enjoys Oreos and will order a cookies and cream milkshake over any other flavor 90% of the time. There’s a reason we don’t buy those cream filled chocolate cookie sandwiches – they’d be gone in two days!

I knew a cookies and cream birthday cake would be quite appropriate. But that meant I had to buy that blue package of cookies. Without hesitation, my husband opened up the seal. I told them the cookies were for his birthday cake, a cookies and cream cake! His response was priceless, “No, I’m just going to have regular cake because there won’t be any Oreos.”

With funfetti still on my mind, I simply added some rainbow sprinkles to the cake! So fun. If you have an Oreo lover in your family, this Cookies and Cream Sprinkle Bundt Cake is sure to please on their special day.

Decorating cakes is not my strong suit – another reason I love bundt cakes, the cake mold is typically all the beauty a cake needs. But, we’re talking birthday cake and birthday cake requires frosting. I used my simplest bundt mold and my novice frosting skills. I thought it’d be fun to put sprinkles on the outside of the cake to reflect the funfetti nature inside, but the result was a cake that looked like a donut. Not that donuts are bad (they’re not!). So I scraped it off, mixed in some more sprinkles and refrosted. I decided to top the cake instead with some extra crushed up Oreos. I was much happier with the new finished result.

oreo-sprinkle-bundt-cake

There are two comments I’m going to make about this cake that I don’t think I’ve ever made before. 1 – This cake tasted better after two or three days than it did day of baking. 2 – I liked the frosting more than the cake! Seriously, that last comment blows my mind. Frosting is my least favorite part of cakes and why I don’t normally make one for my bundts. But, you guys, this frosting is amazing! I still have the extras in the fridge and I’m seriously tempted to dip some Oreos into for a serious sweet tooth fix.

Cookies and Cream Sprinkle Bundt Cake for #BundtBakers from Sew You Think You Can Cook (2)

Cookies and Cream Sprinkle Bundt Cake

Ingredients for cake:

  • 1 stick butter, softened
  • 1/2 C canola oil
  • 2 C sugar
  • 3 C flour
  • 1 tbsp baking powder
  • 3/4 C buttermilk
  • 1/4 C heavy cream
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 5 egg whites, beaten to soft peaks
  • 7 Oreo cookies, chopped
  • 4 tbsp rainbow sprinkles

Ingredients for frosting:

  • 2 sticks butter, softened
  • 4 – 4 1/2 C powdered sugar
  • 1 – 2 tbsp vanilla extract
  • 3 – 4 tbsp heavy cream
  • 6 Oreo cookies, chopped
  • sprinkles (optional)

Steps:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Generously grease a bundt pan.
  2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter, oil, and sugar.
  3. Sift flour and baking powder into a large bowl.
  4. Combine buttermilk, heavy cream, and vanilla extract in a measuring cup.
  5. Alternate adding the dry ingredients and the liquid ingredients to the stand mixer, beginning and ending with the dry. Remove the paddle attachment and fold in the egg whites with a spatula. Fold in the crushed Oreos and the sprinkles. Pour batter into prepared bundt pan.
  6. Bake 60 – 65 minutes, until a cake tester comes out cleanly. Allow cake to cool at least one hour before unmolding.
  7. Make frosting: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, mix together all of the ingredients until desired consistency and sweetness is reached. Frost cooled cake. Garnish with extra Oreos.

*This recipe is modified from Monique at http://divascancook.com/homemade-cookies-n-cream-cake-recipe-oreo/ *

Cookies and Cream Sprinkle Bundt Cake for #BundtBakers from Sew You Think You Can Cook

You can see all our of lovely Bundts by following our Pinterest board. Updated links for all of our past events and more information about #BundtBakers, can be found on our home page.

And don’t forget to take a peek at what other talented bakers have baked this month:

Banana Bundt Cake with Vanilla Caramel Glaze from All That’s Left Are the Crumbs

Birthday Buttered Rum Cake from Faith Hope Love and Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice

Bundt Cake de Bollo, Canela y Nutella from La Mejor Manera de Hacer

Confetti Birthday Bundt Cake fromPalatable Pastime

Confetti Lime and Cheese Bundt Cake from Bizcocheando

Doughnut Funfetti Bundt Cake from Kids and Chic

Eggnog Bundt with Hot Buttered Rum Sauce from A Day in the Life on the Farm

Lemon and Prosecco Bundt from Food Lust People Love

Piñata Birthday Bundt Cake from Patty’s Cake

Piñata Bundt Cake from I Love Bundt Cakes

Sugar Cookie Bundt Cake from Cookaholic Wife

Tropical Birthday Bundt Cake from Basic N Delicious

Countdown to 2017: Dessert

~ lk529 ~ 6 Comments

unnamedToday’s countdown though is all about dessert. Desserts are definitely the highest grossing posts on Sew You Think You Can Cook.

I actually make a fair number of sweets, too. Thanks to #BundtBakers.

This blogging countdown party is hosted by Sarah at Fantastical Sharing of Recipes.

My sweet tooth returned with a vengeance after Treat’s birth near the end of 2015 and I’m becoming a chocolate lover. The desserts I’m sharing as my favorites are those that I ate way more of than I care to admit.

Apple & Peanut Butter Bundt Cake

Apple Oat Crisp

Cherry Chocolate Brownie Pie

Egg Free Mint Gelato

Honey and Walnut Pear Bundt Cake

Best Dessert of 2016 | Sew You Think You Can Cook

To see a bunch of other dessert round-ups click here: An InLinkz Link-up

Poppy-Seed Cake (Makowiec)

~ lk529 ~ 4 Comments

Today’s recipe comes from Rose Petal Jam: Recipes and Stories from a Summer in Poland. I received this beautiful cookbook for Christmas last year.

Poppy-Seed Cake | Sew You Think You Can Cook | http://sewyouthinkyoucancook.com

We were invited to a party for the Opening Ceremonies of the Summer Olympics with the request to bring a cultural dish. Unfotunatley, we weren’t able to make it due to a long day at work for my husband.

Yea, remember the Games? Did you forget that happened this year?! Not going to lie, I kinda did, too. But I wasn’t able to watch much of them due to my current time zone combined with those little children of mine.

Anyway.

I knew I wanted to bring a Polish dish and decided on trying this Poppy-Seed Cake.

This cake uses a LOT of poppy seeds.

It’s probably a good thing I ended up not sharing this cake at the party because with my luck one of the guys would’ve been randomly drug tested the next day. I was seriously nervous about the poppy seed concentration when I thought my 2 year old was acting a little loopy. If you’re concerned about your intake of poppy seeds, check out this article, which provides a guideline to poppy seed consumption limits.

I had some dilemmas with the recipe, though. And actually, the photographs I’m sharing with you today are from my second attempt. Attempt number 1 is in my freezer, as it’s still quite edible, just far from beautiful.

The recipe called for a pound of poppy seeds. Do you have any idea how many poppy seeds make up a pound!?! I’m still finding stray poppy seeds in the corners of my kitchen!

My food processor couldn’t break down the tiny seeds into a paste, so I recommend getting a spice grinder and working in batches. Because my poppy seed texture wasn’t quite right, I had a lot of extra liquid which caused seepage out of the cake roll.

I had so much left over filling that I decided to simply try again! The second time I (sorta) followed a different method for the cake I found on YouTube.

I would honestly suggest halving (or quartering!) the filling recipe, but I’m leaving it as written.

Poppy-Seed Cake (Makowiec)

Ingredients for the filling:

  • 1 lb poppy seeds
  • 3 C milk
  • 1/2 stick butter, melted
  • 1 C superfine sugar
  • 1 C chopped walnuts
  • 1 C slivered almonds
  • zest of 1/2 lemon
  • 1/2 tsp almond extract
  • 2 egg whites, beaten

Ingredients for the cake:

  • 1 stick butter, softened
  • 2/3 C superfine sugar
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 1 C whole milk, warmed to 105-110 deg F
  • 2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
  • 4 C bread flour
  • 2/3 C golden raisins
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • Ingredients for the glaze:
  • 3/4 C powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp almond extract
  • milk, as needed

Steps:

  1. Heat poppy seeds and milk in a pot over medium low heat for 10 minutes. Cover and let sit over night.
  2. Drain the seeds, place in a food processor, and pulse until they form a paste. Add the sugar, nuts, zest, and extract, and pulse a few seconds. Remove to a bowl and fold in the egg whites.
  3. Allow yeast to proof in the warm milk, 10 minutes.
  4. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar. Mix in the egg yolks, stirring until combined. Add the milk and yeast. Add some of the flour and mix. Switch to the dough hook and slowly add the remaining flour and the raisins. Knead until the dough forms around the hook.
  5. Roll out the dough on a floured surface into a large rectangle. Spread the filling over the dough and roll lengthwise. Place cake on a parchment lined, rimmed baking sheet. Cover and let rise an hour.
  6. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  7. Brush cake with the egg. Bake 45 minutes.
  8. Meanwhile, make the glaze: Whisk together the powdered sugar, almond extract, and milk until smooth and runny. Pour over cake while still warm.

Poppy-Seed Cake (Makowiec) | Sew You Think You Can Cook | http://sewyouthinkyoucancook.com

#BundtBakers: Winter Wonderland

~ lk529 ~ 20 Comments

4ae7b-bundtbakerspostIt’s that time of month for me to share a bundt cake with you alongside #BundtBakers. #BundtBakers is a group of bundt loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bundts with a common ingredient or theme. We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme or ingredient. This month Laura of Baking in Pyjamas picked a festive theme of “Winter Wonderland” that allowed our imaginations and personalities to shine through our baking.

When I think Winter Wonderland I’m picturing white, glittering snowy hills dotted with snow capped evergreen trees. Maybe some people skiing.

I wanted to pick a cake that was white, yet still seasonally appropriate. And I thought of eggnog.

Eggnog and cranberry, it turns out, is a match made in heaven. And this cake is exquisite for your holiday table.

Cranberry Eggnog Bundt Cake for #BundtBakers from Sew You Think You Can Cook

Sorry – there’s no time for a story today. As I was wrapping presents I remembered I had less than two hours to get this post finished (aka started… and finished)! Then I realized I had to marinate a whole chicken for tomorrow’s dinner, and book a rental car for our vacation before the 30% off deal expired. Now I’m standing at my computer shuddering at the pile of dishes in the sink and the mound of packages awaiting some pretty paper! (For the record, I LOVE wrapping presents, so I’m itching to get back to that task.)

Cranberry Eggnog Bundt Cake

Ingredients:

  • 2 C fresh cranberries, chopped
  • 2 C flour, divided use
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 1/3 C sugar
  • 1/3 C vegetable oil
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 C eggnog, plus more for glaze
  • powdered sugar, for glaze

Steps:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Heavily grease a bundt pan.
  2. In a small bowl, toss the cranberries with 2 tbsp flour.
  3. In a large bowl, whisk together the remaining flour, baking powder, and salt.
  4. In another large bowl, beat the eggs with the sugar. Mix in the oil and vanilla. Add half of the dry ingredients, then the eggnog, and then the rest of the dry ingredients, mixing to combine after each addition. Fold in the cranberries.
  5. Pour cake batter into prepared bundt pan. Bake 50-60 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Allow cake to cool in the pan for an hour before unmolding onto a cooling rack.
  6. Make glaze: Whisk powdered sugar and eggnog until a desired consistincy is reached. Option to add a little vanilla extract, too.

*This recipe is modified from Abby at http://www.manilaspoon.com/2015/12/cranberry-eggnog-espresso-chocolate.html*

Cranberry Eggnog Bundt Cake for #BundtBakers from Sew You Think You Can Cook

You can see all our of lovely Bundts by following our Pinterest board. Updated links for all of our past events and more information about #BundtBakers, can be found on our home page.

And don’t forget to take a peek at what other talented bakers have baked this month:

Amaretto Winter Bundt Cake from Making Miracles

Candied Fruit Bundt Cake from I Love Bundt Cakes

Chile Hot Chocolate Mocha Bundt Cake from All That’s Left Are The Crumbs

Coconut Snowball Mini Bundts from Food Lust People Love

Cranberry Eggnog Bundt Cake from Sew You Think You Can Cook

Cream and Rum Bundt Cake from La Mejor Manera de Hacer

Holiday Gingerbread Bundt from Living the Gourmet

Orange Blossom Bundt Cake from Bizcocheando

Orange Cranberry Bundt Cake from Tartacadabra

Peppermint Pine Forest Bundt Cake from Baking in Pyjamas

Rainbow Christmas Wreath from A Day in the Life on the Farm

Spicy Gingerbread Bundt with Caramelized White Chocolate Ganache from Brooklyn Homemaker

Tropical Winter Wonderland Bundt Cake from Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice

#CranberryWeek & SRC: Cranberry Upside Down Cake

~ lk529 ~ 20 Comments

newsrcbanner

Today’s  Secret Recipe Club post comes with a little good-news-bad-news.

Do you want the bad news first?

The bad news as that this post is the final Secret Recipe Club reveal day. I’ve spent 2 1/2 years with this wonderful group of people and I’m sorry to see it come to an end. I’ve made great friends, some even in-person! I know there will be other blogging opportunities that will cross paths with a lot of these wonderful bloggers.

Ready for the good news?

Today’s SRC post helps me kick of #CranberryWeek! Because I don’t want to steal the show from honoring my last SRC assigned blogger, I’ll delve into the brains behind #CranberryWeek tomorrow. (Hope you understand Caroline and Christie), but you can search #CranberryWeek to keep up to date and follow the #CranberryWeek Pinterest board for more cranberry inspiration.

cranberry-week-logo

I had no problem finding a recipe that would be the perfect kick-off to #CranberryWeek from my assigned blog this month. Heather of Join Us, Pull Up a Chair happens to love cranberries about as much as I do and my secret Pinterest board had 4 great contenders (and 11 non-cranberry recipes) saved to it! On the cranberry front I debated between Upside Down Cake, Shortbread Cookies, and Muffins. Heather’s Kung Pao Chickpeas and Hot & Sweet Chicken Thighs tempted my savory pallet.

So who is this Heather behind all of those delicious looking recipes? Heather is busy mom of two with a full time job in marketing as well as running an independent sales consultant gig. She started her blog to help organize her recipe hording lifestyle. I can completely relate as the magazine pages tend to pile up in my home, too. Heather grew up helping her mom in the kitchen and has passed on that love of cooking and baking to her kids. She says having her kids in the kitchen helps them be more adventurous in trying new foods – I hope Firecracker will end up being that way, but at age 2 it’s not quite as successful.

The Cranberry Upside Down Cake I settled on was a huge hit. So popular in fact, I made it twice! And it had nothing to do with the fact that I got pulled away from it and didn’t upend it on time and had a non-photography worthy cake. Instead of getting frustrated, I got excited that I’d be getting to make the cake again! The second time, I didn’t allow the kids to derail me and I flipped that cake when the time went off. A successful endeavor for a dessert I brought to the church to support their ministry of feeding the hungry once a week. (But not before stealing just one more piece for myself. I mean, I did need to do a quality check before serving others!)

Cranberry Upside Down Cake

Ingredients:

  • 8 tbsp butter, softened, divided use
  • 1 C sugar, divided use
  • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp ground allspice
  • 1 3/4 – 2 C fresh cranberries
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 1/4 C flour
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/2 C milk

Steps:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Spread 2 tbsp softened butter along the bottom and sides of an 8″ round or 8×8″ square cake pan.
  3. In a small bowl, combine 1/2 C sugar with the cinnamon and allspice. Pour evenly into the prepared cake pan. Arrange the cranberries in an even layer in the cake pan.
  4. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the remaining butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla and mix until incorporated.
  5. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
  6. Add half of the dry ingredients to the stand mixer, mix until combined. Add the milk, mixing until incorprated. Repeat with the remaining dry ingredients.
  7. Pour batter into the prepared cake pan. Bake 30-35 minutes, until a knife inserted comes out cleanly. Let cake cool on a wire rack for 20 minutes. Run a knife along the edges and carefully flip out onto a plate.

*This recipe is adapted from Heather at https://joinuspullupachair.com/2011/11/20/cranberry-upside-down-cake/*

Cranberry Upside Down Cake for Secret Recipe Club and #CranberryWeek from Sew You Think You Can Cook

To see the other bloggers who participated in the final Secret Recipe Club click here:

But don’t stop your recipe stumbling there! Check out all of these great cranberry recipes to kick of #CranberryWeek:

Cranberry-Apple Sauce from The Chef Next Door

Cranberry Cornbread from Cindy’s Recipes and Writings

Cranberry Maple Delicata Squash Galette from Caroline’s Cooking

Cranberry Orange Baked Brie from Books n’ Cooks

Cranberry Palmiers from The Bitter Side of Sweet

Cranberry Rosemary Cornbread from Life Currents

Cranberry Snack Cake from Cooking With Carlee

Cranberry Upside Down Cake from Sew You Think You Can Cook

Noreaster from Family Around The Table

Pork Shashlyk and Tkemali from Culinary Adventures with Camilla

Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Cranberries from A Day in the Life on the Farm

Slow Cooker Cranberry Brisket from Palatable Pastime

Stuffed Endive with Blue Cheese, Walnuts & Cranberries from Full Belly Sisters

Upside Down Cranberry Cake from Hostess At Heart