#BundtBakers: Creative S’mores

September 17, 2015September 17, 2015 ~ lk529 ~ 26 Comments

It’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 Lauren of From Gate to Plate challenged our artistic side with the theme creative s’mores – seriously, how fun!?

The traditional s’more is a roasted marshmallow and a pip of chocolate bar sandwiched between two graham crackers. The possibilities to play around with or add to the classic sandwich are endless! Just check out the list of bundts that put a spin on this summer/fall favorite treat.

I decided to make a chocolate cake, substituting some of the flour with crushed chocolate graham crackers. For the marshmallow I used marshmallow creme and mixed in roasted strawberries. I decided to go with dark brown sugar instead of light brown sugar to add a subtle smokiness that can mirror that campfire feeling.

I swirled my marshmallow filling into the chocolate cake, but it completely disappeared (except for the roasted marshmallow coloring on the top/bottom). The roasted strawberry flavor definitely comes through and the extra filling I saved as a frosting.

I’m pleased to say my experimenting was a success. This cake is incredibly moist and rich in chocolate flavor. As usual, this cake came with me to game night on Monday and my husband was not too pleased. Before I left he tried breaking into the plastic wrap, even though I’d cut a generous slice for him already!

Chocolate Graham Cracker Bundt Cake with Roasted Strawberry Marshmallow Filling

Ingredients for filling:

18-20 strawberries, tops removed
scant 1/4 C sugar
3/4 tsp vanilla extract
1 container (7 oz) marshmallow creme

Ingredients for cake:

9 chocolate graham crackers, finely crushed
1 1/4 C flour
1/4 C cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
2 stick butter, softened
1/2 C sugar
1/2 C dark brown sugar
3 eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/4 C buttermilk

Steps:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
Make filling: Toss strawberries in sugar and vanilla extract. Place on foil lined baking sheet and roast for 25 minutes. Allow to cool. Place strawberries in a large bowl with the marshmallow creme and use a hand mixer to combine. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together chocolate graham cracker crumbs, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and baking soda.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and both sugars. Add eggs one at a time until incorporated. Mix in the vanilla extract.
Alternate the dry ingredients and buttermilk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients.
Pour batter into a heavily greased bundt pan. Swirl in the marshmallow filling. (I had ~ 1/3 C of the filling left over to use as a topping.)
Bake at 350 degrees F for 60 minutes, or until a knife inserted comes out cleanly. Allow cake to cool in the pan before removing.

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:

Autumn Bundt Cake by The Freshman Cook

Caramel Apple S’mores Bundt by Taking on Magazines

Carrot Graham Mini Bundts with White Chocolate Chips and Marshmallow Glaze by Passion Kneaded

Chocolate Bundt with Marshmallow Graham Filling by Basic N Delicious

Cookie Crumble Peanut Butter S’more Bundt Cake by Baking in Pyjamas

Deconstructed S’more Bundt Cake by Cali’s Cuisine

Graham Cracker Bundt Cake S’mores by Magnolia Days

Graham Cracker Bundt with Chocolate Ganache and Toasted Marshmallow Frosting by Food Lust People Love

Graham Cracker Peanut Butter Bundt with Marshmallow Topping by Our Good Life

Inside Out S’mores Bundt Cake by Liv for Cake

Key Lime S’more Bundt Cake by Patty’s Cake

Mexican Chocolate S’more Bundt Cake by Tartacadabra

Nutella Glazed S’more Bundt Cake by I Bake He Shoots

Nutella S’mores Bundt Cake by Brunch with Joy

Oreo Grasshopper S’more Bundt by A Day in the Life on the Farm

Pretzels Crown in a S’more Bundt Cake by Los Chatos Chefs

Pumpkin S’mores Bundt by Living the Gourmet

Pumpkin S’mores Bundt Cake by How to Philosophize with Cake

S’moreo Caramel Bundt Cake by Making Miracles

S’mores Bundt Cake by From Gate to Plate

S’mores Bundt Cake by La mejor manera de hacer

S’mores Bundt Cake by I Love Bundt Cakes

S’mores Graham Cracker Bundt Cake by The Spiced Life

Salted Marshmallow and Graham Crack S’more Bundt Cake by Faith, Hope, Love & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice

CIC: Cashews and Coffee

August 20, 2015August 18, 2015 ~ lk529 ~ 12 Comments

I can’t believe I am actually posting with the Crazy Ingredient Challenge today! I loved seeing the winning flavor combination of Cashews and Coffee but simply kept forgetting about actually making my dish.

I immediately though of a play on a frappuccino, because you hear coffee you think Starbucks (or at least I do since my best friend is a store manager). I really wasn’t sure how to make that happen and simply pushed it out of my mind. But then I saw a commercial for cashew milk last week and this month’s challenge came screaming back to me. To be that guy in the almond milk commercials, “I don’t know what it tastes like so I don’t want to try it.” It’s not that I don’t want to try it, it’s that I don’t want to be stuck with a half gallon of cashew milk if I don’t like it!

Back to the drawing board and I thought of brownies. I know a lot of people add instant espresso to their chocolate desserts to intensify that chocolate flavor. And I only have a measly two recipes for brownies on this site. It’s a dessert I tend to forget about, but absolutely adore when I have them. These rich, fudgy brownies are studded with salty cashews for a perfect late night craving buster.

Fudgey Cashew Brownies

Ingredients:

7 tbsp butter
8 oz semisweet chocolate chips
1 tsp instant espresso coffee
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 C sugar
1/4 C brown sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 C flour
1/2 C chopped cashews

Steps:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8×8 (or 9×9) pan with foil and spray with cooking spray.
Place butter, chocolate, espresso powder, and salt in a large glass bowl over a double boiler. Warm over low heat until butter and chocolate are melted together. Remove from double boiler (and heat).
Mix in the sugars until combined. Mix in the eggs and vanilla until smooth. Stir in the flour until there aren’t any lumps. Fold in the cashews.
Pour batter into prepared baking pan. Bake 22-25 minutes, until the brownies are set. Place pan on a cooling rack. Let brownies cool before cutting.

*This recipe is adapted from Yvonne at http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2013/10/one-bowl-espresso-cashew-brownies-recipe.html*

To see the other bloggers who participated in this month’s Crazy Ingredient Challenge click on the link below.

Blog-iversary 2

July 9, 2015July 9, 2015 ~ lk529 ~ 7 Comments

Today is my blog’s anniversary! This second year has flown by. In this past year I have gained an additional 77 followers and 357 Facebook friends.

I am still going strong with Secret Recipe Club and #BundtBakers (having missed only one month in each so far) and I continue to participate in Foodie Extravaganza and The Crazy Ingredient Challenge when my allergy restrictions allow it.

As if I didn’t have enough commitment on my plate I have added Blogger CLUE Society and The Sunday Supper Movement to my blogging community adventures. The latter has been a huge boost to not only my site’s traffic but also my social media accounts. If you’re a blogger looking for ways to venture out, I encourage you to join a group like these – the camaraderie you’ll find is more reward than you could imagine.

I feel like my blogging has grown over the past two years and my food photography has improved considerably (staying home with my son has definitely contributed to that as I now have natural light!), my photography editing skills have become second nature, and I think my story telling ability is on the rise. My efforts have even been rewarded when I was nominated for the Liebster Award!

For my blog-iversary I decided to try something that’s been on my culinary bucket list. Making marshmallow. I saw these adorable mini s’mores cheesecakes and knew that’s what I’d do to celebrate another blogging milestone. Unfortunately I don’t have a mini cheesecake pan – but how awesome is that?! – and didn’t think using cupcake liners would create the same impressive dessert. I decided to make a full size cheesecake. I increased the crust amount but didn’t think about the actual cheesecake, as a result my cake is very thin. However, the silky richness of the chocolate cheesecake doesn’t leave you feeling cheated. (If you want a thicker cake I’d suggest adding another 1/2 recipe to the filling.) To top this decadent cheesecake, homemade marshmallow frosting. If you have a blow torch I highly encourage you to take the s’mores factor to the next level. I simply garnished mine with extra graham cracker crumbs.

This cheesecake is sexy. Now there’s a word I’ve never used for food before! But seriously. Next time you want to impress your date make this cheesecake. It’s smooth, it’s rich, and it melts in your mouth.

S’mores Cheesecake

Ingredients for crust:

9 full sheets graham crackers
3 tbsp melted butter
1 tbsp sugar

Ingredients for cheesecake:

12 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 C sugar
3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla paste (I used Nielsen-Massey)

Ingredients for topping:

2 egg whites
1/2 C sugar
1/8 tsp cream of tartar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Steps:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9″ springform pan.
Place graham cracker sheets, butter, and sugar in a food process. Pulse until the mixture looks and feels like wet sand. Press into the pan evenly. Bake 5 minutes.
Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees F.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Mix in the cocoa powder and salt until combined. Add the egg and vanilla paste, mixing until incorporated. The mixture will look like chocolate pudding. Spread cheesecake filling on the crust.
Bake 25-27 minutes, or until set. Turn off the oven and crack the door. Allow cheesecake to cool completely before chilling in the refrigerator.
Whisk egg whites, sugar, and cream of tartar over a double boiler until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is warm. Remove from heat. Beat using a hand mixer, starting on low and increasing speed to high, until mixture becomes white, thick, and sticky. Add the vanilla extract and beat until stiff peaks form. Gently spread over the chilled cheesecake.

*This recipe is adapted from Rachel at http://www.bakedbyrachel.com/mini-toasted-smore-cheesecakes/*

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Waffles

May 18, 2015May 13, 2015 ~ lk529 ~ Leave a comment

I have been eyeing one of Tara‘s recipes ever since she posted it; I actually almost made them for #SundaySupper last week. When she posted this recipe for Strawberry Waffles I had JUST polished off a container of strawberries. But honestly, it’s very rare that we get through the entire carton before the strawberries start to go bad (unless I clean, chop, and put them in a container in the fridge when I get home from the grocery store… which is a rare occurrence). So I knew that next time I had strawberries that were starting to go I’d puree them up and make Tara’s waffles.

Turns out the next strawberries I had in my fridge were those from my Mother’s Day Edible Arrangement! So, instead of strawberry waffles, I had chocolate covered strawberry waffles! (I almost sat on this recipe until Valentine’s Day but I just couldn’t wait!)

I’ve always wanted an Edible Arrangement, I just thought they were so fun! It’s been over 5 years of me wanting one and in those 5 years I developed an allergy to melon. I thought my chances of getting an Edible Arrangement were history. But – they had one with pineapple, strawberries, and grapes. Perfect! These arrangements are HUGE though! Or at least this one was. I knew we couldn’t make it through all of that fruit before it went bad, so some of those strawberries were transformed into waffles. Win-win.

I halved the recipe because I wasn’t anywhere close to 2 C of pureed strawberries. As is I had to supplement some of the puree for milk. This amount of batter was perfect for just me – it made 5 waffles, which I enjoyed over the course of two days.

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Waffles

Ingredients:

3-4 very large chocolate covered strawberries
1/4 C milk (if needed)
1 tbsp agave
2 eggs
1 C flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

Steps:

Place strawberries in a blender and puree. If you have less than 1 C of puree use milk to reach 1 C of total liquid.
In a bowl whisk eggs. Add the strawberry/milk mixture and the agave.
In another bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients. Pour batter into a hot waffle iron and cook until golden. Serve with whipped cream.

*This recipe is adapted from Tara at http://www.tarasmulticulturaltable.com/strawberry-waffles/*

#BrunchWeek: Vanilla Orange Scones

May 4, 2015May 7, 2015 ~ lk529 ~ 8 Comments

Welcome to the first day of the third annual #BrunchWeek hosted by Terri of Love and Confections and Shaina of Take a Bite out of Boca! To kick off the week I decided to try my hand at something that’s been on my culinary bucket list for quite some time – scones! For some reason I always had the impression that scones are difficult to make. No idea where I got that – not only was this an easy recipe, but it was quick, too! I was able to get my scones into the oven just as my little man was waking up from his short nap. (phew!)

Today’s recipe is adapted from my friend Tara’s blog, Tara’s Multicultural Table. Because we no longer live within 30 minute of each other (try 7.5 hours now) I have to make her pastries myself instead of being delivered delicious sweets.

Her recipe for Vanilla Orange Scones definitely called my name when Nielsen-Massey was announced as one of our #BrunchWeek sponsors. We were given a choice of extracts (almond, lemon, orange, chocolate, coffee, or peppermint; rose water or orange blossom water) in addition to their vanilla bean paste! My grandmother’s recipes utilize a lot of almond and lemon extracts, so I already had some in my pantry. I even had peppermint leftover from the holidays. I wasn’t sure how to use coffee or chocolate (although I’m greatly intrigued) but I knew I’d find plenty of uses for orange extract!

Tara made a beautiful vanilla bean glaze for her scones, but I saw an opportunity to use another product from a generous sponsor. Pacari sent a great selection of their chocolate products: dark chocolate covered golden berries, banana, and cacao nibs; cherry, passion fruit, and lemon verbena chocolate bars; and a sample of their raw 70% cacao. I used the latter to create a glaze that complimented these scones beautifully. I coated the tops of 5 of them, drizzled the chocolate over another 5, and the last two received a half-dip into the chocolate!

Vanilla Orange Scones

Ingredients for the scones:

2 C flour
1/3 C Dixie Crystals granulated sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3 tbsp cold butter, cubed
1 egg yolk
1 C milk
1 tsp orange extract
1 1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste

Ingredients for the glaze:

1/2 C 70% cacao chips
2 tbsp butter
2 tsp light corn syrup
1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste

Steps for the scones:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Place flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a food processor fitted with a dough blade and pulse to combine. Add in the cubed butter and pulse until a crumb-like texture is achieved. (Alternately you can do this by hand, with knives, or a dough cutter.)
In a small bowl whisk together the egg yolk, milk, orange extract, and vanilla bean paste.
Add the wet ingredients to the food processor and pulse until combined.
Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead until smooth. Divide the dough in half and form each half into a disk 3/4″ thick. Cut the dough into 6 wedges, giving you a total of a dozen scones.
Place scones on prepared baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes. Allow scones to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a cooling rack. Allow scones to cool completely before glazing.

Steps for the glaze:

Melt chocolate, butter, and corn syrup over a double boiler.
Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla.
Glaze cooled scones.

*The scone recipe is adapted from Tara at http://www.tarasmulticulturaltable.com/vanilla-orange-scones/ and the glaze is adapted from Ginger at http://allrecipes.com/recipe/satiny-chocolate-glaze/*

Don’t forget to enter our giveaway and be sure to check out the other bloggers who posted more brunch recipes today:

BrunchWeek Beverages:
Blueberry Sangria from Love and Confections
Spring-Infused Lemon Drop from Culinary Adventures with Camilla.
Bloody Margarita from The Suburban Soapbox

BrunchWeek Egg Dishes:
Caramelized Onion, Swiss Chard, Mushroom and Alpine Cheddar Croissant Strata from Taste Cook Sip.
Crab Cake Eggs Benedict from The Redhead Baker.
Fried Eggs with Kale and Mushrooms from Hip Foodie Mom.
Chimichurri Breakfast Sandwich from Healthy Delicious.
Asparagus, Brie and Smoked Salmon Omelet from girlichef.
Braised Leeks with Poached Eggs from Jane’s Adventures in Dinner.

BrunchWeek Breads, Grains and Pastries:
Savory Pancetta and Cheddar Waffles from The Little Ferraro Kitchen.
Avocado Toast Bar from Sarcastic Cooking.
Mocha Nut Granola from greens & chocolate.
Chocolate Hazelnut Croissants with Bourbon Sauce from {i love} my disorganized life.
Berry Cacao Nib Scone Cakes from The Spiffy Cookie
Spiced Pear Oatmeal from Making Miracles.
Overnight Cinnamon Bread French Toast from That Skinny Chick Can Bake.
Nutty Chocolatey Oatmeal Muffins from A Day in the Life on the Farm.
Vanilla Orange Scones from Sew You Think You Can Cook.
Sour Cream and Dark Chocolate Oat Bread from Bread Booze Bacon.
Cherry Vanilla Almond Granola from Cupcakes & Kale Chips.
Mini Chocolate Chip Muffins from My Catholic Kitchen.
Macadamia Nut Crusted French Toast with Spiced Pineapple Syrup from Cooking in Stilettos.
Maple Cinnamon Scones from Pink Cake Plate

BrunchWeek Main Dishes:
Breakfast Wraps from Big Bear’s Wife.
Brunch Charcuterie Cheese Board from Quarter Life (Crisis) Cuisine.

BrunchWeek Fruits, Vegetables and Sides:
Whipped Yogurt and Ricotta with Figs and Honey from Take A Bite Out of Boca.
Gluten Free Swiss Chard and Mushroom Galette from It Bakes Me Happy.

BrunchWeek Desserts:
Mini Creamsicle Bundt Cake with Vanilla Bean Glaze from It’s Yummi.
Lemon Bars from Chelsea’s Messy Apron.
Chocolate Walnut Macarons with Salted Caramel from Baking a Moment.

Disclaimer: Thank you to #BrunchWeek Sponsors: Bob’s Red Mill, Cabot Creamery Cooperative, California Walnuts, Dixie Crystals, Grimmway Farms/Cal-Organic/True Juice, KitchenAid, Le Creuset, Nielsen-Massey Vanillas, Pacari Chocolate, Stonyfield Organic, Vidalia Onions, and Woot Froot for providing the prizes free of charge. These companies also provided the bloggers with samples and product to use for #BrunchWeek. All opinions are my own.

#BundtBakers: Hidden Surprise

April 16, 2015April 20, 2015 ~ lk529 ~ 37 Comments

This month #BundtBakers issued quite the challenge but the result is a great collection of beautiful bundts! #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’s theme is Hidden Surprise and our creative host is Anshie of SpiceRoots.

When I told my mom the theme she laughed and asked what I was going to do! I’ve been very forth coming in my bundt baking failures – most of which had to do with attempting to put something inside the cake. Cherry pie filling didn’t stay in the middle of the pan but sunk to the bottom creating a pseudo-frosting in my All-American Chocolate Cherry Pie Cake. My attempt at an “upside down” bundt using orange segments for a Mimosa Cake ended up having almost dissolved citrus randomly strewn about the cake. The white chocolate chips I placed in my Green Velvet cake sunk to the bottom and created a catastrophe in trying to dislodge the cakes from the pans.

The plan for this month was to find a cake recipe with a hidden surprise that is supposed to be baked in a bundt pan. I wasn’t about to get all creative this time around! A hidden surprise cake is creative enough with trying to invent my own. I’m not a professional baker or cake recipe developer! And you know what, it worked! Well… kinda… some of the cake stuck to the pan but I was able to get enough to take some pictures. And no one would know, except that I just told you. I brought my slightly mangled cake to a potluck and no one seemed to mind. I was surprised to find that I was only bringing two pieces of cake back home with me – good thing I left a slice for my husband! And hey, on the bright side, I didn’t have to make a frosting. Sure, a frosting would have definitely covered up the imperfections, but my filling acted like a frosting for me. And I don’t care for overly sweet desserts and this cake did not need the extra frosting. But, by all means, go ahead and make some chocolate frosting for a more beautiful bundt.

Chocolate Cheesecake Filled Peanut Butter Bundt

Ingredients:

1 C peanut butter
2 1/2 C sugar, divided use
6 eggs, divided use
2 tsp vanilla extract, divided use
2 tsp baking powder
2 C + 2 tsp flour, divided use
1/2 C milk
8 oz cream cheese
2 tbsp cocoa powder

Steps:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Heavily grease a bundt pan.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together peanut butter with 2 C sugar until combined. Add in 1 tsp vanilla extract and 5 eggs, one at a time. Mix in the baking powder. Add 1 C of flour and mix until combined. Add the milk. Once combined add the remaining 1 C of flour.
In a large bowl, use a hand mixer to combine the cream cheese, cocoa powder, remaining 1/2 C sugar, 1 egg, 1 tsp vanilla, and 2 tsp flour.
Pour half of the cake batter into the prepared bundt pan. Top with the chocolate cream cheese filling, be sure not to touch the edges. Cover the filling with the remaining batter.
Bake cake 60 – 70 minutes, or until a knife inserted comes out clean. Allow cake to cool before removing from the mold.

*This recipe is adapted from Miriam at http://overtimecook.com/2014/03/25/peanut-butter-bundt/*

If you are a food blogger and would like to join us, just send an email with your blog URL to foodlustpeoplelove@gmail.com. All recipes and photographs can be found on our individual blogs, on our Pinterest board, and the #bundtbakers homepage.

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

Almond Crunch Cake by Renee at Magnolia Days

Balsamic Strawberries Bundt Cake by Terri at Our Good Life

Banana Maple Bundt Cake with Chocolate Star by Samantha at Un Mordisco Un Pecado

Black and White Surprise Bundt Cake by Patricia at Patty’s Cake

Chocolate and Vanilla Polka Dot Bundt by Kelly at Passion Kneaded

Chocolate Bundt Cake with Oreo Cheesecake Filling by Mary at Recipes, Food and Cooking

Citrus Raspberry Bundt by Tara at Noshing With The Nolands

Confetti Zebra Cake by Julie at Eat, Drink, Be Mighty

Cookie Dough Bundt Cake by Olivia at Liv for Cake

German Mozarthupf by Jelena at A Kingdom for a Cake

Graham Cracker Bundt Cake with Key Lime Cheesecake Swirl by Tux at Brooklyn Homemaker

KitKat Surprise Bundt Cake by Shilpi at Simply Veggies

Lemon Blueberry Van Halen Bundt by Stacy at Food Lust People Love

Orange and Strawberry Jam Bundt Cake by Deepti at Baking Yummies

Pear and Blue Cheese Bundt by Jane at Jane’s Adventures in Dinner

Polka Dot Bundt Cake by Linda at Brunch with Joy

Raspberry Filled Lemon Bundt by Wendy at A Day in the Life on the Farm

Real Nutella Bundt Cake by Laura at Baking in Pyjamas

Savory Monkey Bread Stuffed Bundt by Andrea at Adventures in All Things Food

Sour Cream Boozy Hazelnut Bundt Cake by Pam at Sidewalk Shoes

Spring Break S’mores Cake by Margaret at Tea and Scones

Strawberry Cheesecake Bundt Cake by Kathya at Basic N Delicious

Strawberry Twinky Bundt Cake by Beatriz at I Love Bundt Cakes

Strawberry Swirl Cream Cheese Pound Cake by Kris at Big Rigs ‘n Lil’ Cookies

Surprise Bundt by Esti at Mummy & Cute

Surprise Filled Chocolate Bundt Cake by Anna at Media Ración Doble, Por Favor

Surprise Inside Carrot Bundt Cake by Rebekah at Making Miracles

Triple Lemon Bundt Cake by Avril at Baking and Creating with Avril

Tropical Surprise Bundt Cake by Anshie at Spice Roots

Mudslide Cheesecake for #FifteenCheesecakes

March 25, 2015March 27, 2015 ~ lk529 ~ 29 Comments

I think the thing that has surprised me most about blogging is how social it really is. There’s a great network of support from other foodies and it’s fun when we can come together to celebrate important milestones.

Today we’re celebrating the 15th wedding anniversary of Camilla and her husband. Camilla is always hosting some kind of party on her site, Culinary Adventures with Camilla, and they’re always fun! Instead of traditional cake at their wedding, they served cheesecake. She asked some bloggers to help celebrate this milestone with delicious cheesecake.

I quite enjoy cheesecake but rarely ever have it. In fact, I’ve only made cheesecake once! I started looking through my favorites save on foodgawker. While I wanted to push that little heart all over again on just about every cheesecake I couldn’t pull my eyes away from this mudslide cheesecake. Kahlua, yum. Bailey’s, yum. Chocolate, yum.

Instead of making a chocolate sauce to top my cheesecake, I decided to use chocolate graham crackers in the crust. I really think that decision makes the cake. Well, the kahlua and bailey’s don’t hurt anything. I used my homemade Irish cream and some homemade kahlua I got from one of my bowling teammates. This cheesecake is so rich and smooth that there’s no way it needs a sauce. Even my husband, who thinks he doesn’t like cheesecake, devoured a slice or two of his own.

Congratulations on 15 years of marriage, Camilla!

Mudslide Cheesecake

Ingredients:

1 3/4 C chocolate graham cracker crumbs (I got this from about 9 crackers)
1 1/4 C sugar, divided use
6 tbsp melted butter
24 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
3 eggs, at room temperature
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1/3 C Kahlua
1/3 C Bailey’s

Steps:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place a casserole dish full of water on the bottom rack.
In a bowl, mix together graham cracker crumbs, 1/4 C sugar, and the melted butter. Press crumbs into a 9″ springform pan, pressing up the sides. Bake 8-10 minutes. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the cream cheese and sugar. Add the eggs, one at a time. Mix in the vanilla extract.
Divide filling into two bowl. Mix the Kahlua into one half of the filling and the Bailey’s in the other.
Pour the Bailey’s filling into the springform pan. Top with the Kahlua filling. Bake 40 minutes. Turn off the oven and crack the door for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool completely before placing in the refrigerator to chill for several hours before serving.

*This recipe is adapted from Jenny at http://www.thebrunettebaker.com/2014/03/kahlua-mudslide-cheesecake_17.html*

Check out this list, that’s much longer than #FifteenCheesecakes to help Camilla celebrate!

Berry Cheesecake Bars by Baking and Creating with Avril

Cherry Cheesecake Bites by Cookaholic Wife

Chocolate Caramel Cheesecake by Dancing Veggies

Chocolate Cheesecake by My Hobbie Lobbie

Chocolate Topped Peppermint Cheesecake by Amy’s Cooking Adventures

Classic Cheesecake with Strawberry Puree by Making Miracles

Cookies & Creme No-Bake Cheesecake by Hapa-tite!

Creme Brulee Cheesecake Bars by Tara’s Multicultural Table

Easter Basket Mini Cheesecakes by Little Bit of Everything

Everyday Cheesecake by Things I Make (for Dinner)

Irish Cream Cheesecake by A Day in the Life on the Farm

Layered Cinnamon Streusel Cheesecake Cake by Famished Fish, Finicky Shark

Lowfat Blackberry Cheesecake by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures

Matcha-Yuzu Cheesecake with a Meyer Lemon Glaze by Culinary Adventures with Camilla

Mini Churro Caramel Cheesecake by Cheese Curd In Paradise

Mini Maple Pecan Cheesecakes by Join Us, Pull up a Chair

Neapolitan Cheesecake by PicNic

No-Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake by Angels Homestead

Ricotta Cheesecake with Shortbread Crust by Living the Gourmet

Samoa’s Cheesecake by Goodie Godmother

Sopapilla Cheesecake Bars by The Savvy Kitchen

Sopapilla Puff Pastry Cheesecake by Pink Cake Plate

Skinny Vanilla Bean Cheesecake by Renee’s Kitchen Adventures

Twix Cheesecake Brownie Torte by Making Memories With Your Kids

#BundtBakers: Chocolate

February 19, 2015February 19, 2015 ~ lk529 ~ 32 Comments

4ae7b-bundtbakerspost Could there be a more perfect theme to February’s #BundtBakers post? I think not! This month we’re talking chocolate. All things chocolate – in any shape, color, or form. #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’s host is Tanya of Dessert Stalking.

I often pair the theme with some sort of chocolate cake so I wanted to “branch out”, if you will. And with Valentine’s Day I thought I’d embrace the holiday. I had the most amazing cake pictured in my head. A White Chocolate Chip Studded Red Velvet Cake with a Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting.

It still makes me cry a little inside when I look at the cake that I ended up making. I’ve tried to embrace it by giving my cake a clever title: How the Grinch Stole Valentine’s Day.

Let me give you a little background:

I made my grocery list for the long weekend. I do this in two stages. I first make a list in the order of my weekly menu. I put question marks next to items I need to doublecheck. I then rewrite the list in an order that follows the grocery store floor plan (all produce written together, dairy together, meat, etc.). There was a question mark next to “red food coloring.” I completely missed it. I did not check the status of my red food coloring. Turns out, red was the only color no longer in my possession.

And it was snowing. Not only does this Florida girl prefer to wait to leave the house until the roads have been treated but taking a 7 month old to the grocery store for a quick trip doesn’t exist. And taking a 7 month old to the grocery store in the snow for a quick trip just doesn’t seem smart. Or worth it!

I asked my personal red velvet cake expert (my friend Tara) what the batter would look like without food coloring. Because there’s so little cocoa powder in the batter I didn’t think it’d look particularly pretty. She told me it’d probably be a pinkish brown. In retrospect, that might have been better!

I messaged my husband saying it looked like I was making a velvet cake. Little did he know that I’d already started brainstorming other ideas. I’ve seen blue velvet cakes all over the internet and they’re stunning. (Come football season I’ll be giving it a shot with some orange frosting!) But then I thought about doing green velvet. With St. Patrick’s Day being the next holiday I figured, “why not?” I put out a vote to my fellow #BundtBakers and green was winning by a long shot. What sealed the deal was my husband saying “Use a different color! Oh do green do green!”

I’m pretty sure there are recipes out there for green velvet cake – you might start to see a lot of them in March. I didn’t look for one and followed the recipe I’d planned on using for red velvet. I am challenged when it comes to using food coloring – always have been. Unfortunately I didn’t use enough dye to make a green in the shade I was hoping for. Sure, it’s a “shamrock” green but with my brown chocolate cream cheese icing it looked pretty drab.

I also ran into a chocolate chip problem! (Notice, I didn’t put them in the recipe – if you know the trick to incorporating them please share it with me!) The white chocolate chips all fell to the bottom/top and stuck to the pan. Thankfully I was using my Bundt Duet Pan and one of the two cakes still came out nicely.

The rest of the batter I used to make 12 cupcakes. Those poor babies have missing bottoms and probably should have been turned into cake pops. (If I were still living in FL I would have called my baking buddy Kate and something magically creative would have unfolded, I have no doubt.)

The cake, while ugly, was perfectly moist and tasted as red velvet cake should.

How the Grinch Stole Valentine’s Day

Ingredients for the cake:

1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 C sugar
1 C vegetable oil
4 eggs, whites and yolks divided
1 1/2 tbsp vanilla extract
1 tsp white vinegar
food coloring
3 C cake flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 C buttermilk, at room temperature

Ingredients for the frosting:

1 pkg (8 oz) cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 stick butter, at room temperature
1 tbsp vanilla extract
3 C powdered sugar
1/2 C cocoa powder

Steps for the cake:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together the butter and sugar until creamy. (It’ll get fluffy first – keep mixing.) Add in the vegetable oil until combined. Add the egg yolks and vanilla. Add the vinegar and food coloring.
In a large bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, cocoa powder, and salt.
Add 1/3 of the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients until combined. Add 1/2 of the buttermilk. Repeat and finish with the last 1/3 of the dry ingredients.
Whisk the egg whites until white and foamy. Gently fold into the batter.
Pour cake batter into well greased cake pan(s). Bake according to chart:

7. Allow cake to cool in the pan.

Steps for the frosting:

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together cream cheese and butter until combined. Mix in the vanilla extract, sugar, and cocoa powder. Beat until combined and fluffy.
Frost cakes when they’re completely cooled.

*The cake recipe is adapted from Sally at http://sallysbakingaddiction.com/2015/02/09/red-velvet-layer-cake-with-cream-cheese-frosting/ and the frosting recipe is adapted from Caroline at http://chocolateandcarrots.com/2014/07/chocolate-cream-cheese-frosting*

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

Apricot Almond Bundt Cake with Dark Chocolate Ganache by Cassandra at Cassie’s Kitchen

Blackforest Bundt Cake by Anshie at SpiceRoots

Chocolate and Almonds Bundt Cake by Kathya at Basic N Delicious

Chocolate and Lavender Bundt Cake by Aisha at La Cocina de Aisha

Chocolate and Rose Bundt Cake by Lara at Tartacadabra

Chocolate Buttermilk Bundt Cake by Beatriz & Mara at I love Bundt Cakes

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Bundt Cake by Julie at Eat, Drink, and Be Mighty

Chocolate Crumb Bundt by Catherine at Living the Gourmet

Chocolate Custard Floating Island Bundt Cake by Jelena at A Kingdom For a Cake

Chocolate Honeycomb Bundt by Sue at Just Sew Sue

Chocolate Irish Cream Bundt by Anne at From My Sweet Heart

Chocolate Orange Bundt Cake by Tux at Brooklyn Homemaker

Chocolate Pound Cake by Renee at Magnolia Days

Chocolate Strawberry Pound Cake by Wendy at A Day in the Life on the Farm

Cider White Chocolate Bundt Cake with White Chocolate Glaze by Patricia at Patty’s Cake

Dark Chocolate Pomegranate Bundt Cake by Linda at Brunch with Joy

Devil’s Food Chocolate Bundt Cake by Tanya at DessertStalking Blog

Double Chocolate Sour Cream Bundt Cake by Carola at En La Cocina de Caro

False Chocolate Bundt Cake by Anna at Media RaciÛn Doble, Por Favor

Guava and Chocolate Bundt by Kelly at Passion Kneaded

Kickin Chocolate Bundt Cake by Kaylin at Keep it Simple, Sweetie

Lemon Glazed White Chocolate Cream Cheese Pound Cake Mini Bundts by Laura at The Spiced Life

Mars Bar Bundt by Tara at Noshing With The Nolands

Marshmallows Chocolate Bundt Cake by Shilpi at SimplyVeggies

Quadruple Chocolate Bundt by Stacy at Food Lust People Love

Red Velvet Bundt with White Chocolate Roses by Laura at Baking in Pyjamas

Sacher Bundt Cake by Esti at Mummy & Cute

Spicy Chocolate Mini Bundt Cake by Rocio at Kids & Chic

Triple Chocolate Buttermilk Bundt Cake by Teri at The Freshman Cook

Tunnel of Fudge Bundt Cake by Rebekah at Making Miracles

White Chocolate & Raspberries Bundt Cake by Samantha at Un Mordisco Un Pecado

White Chocolate Amaretto Fondue

February 13, 2015February 10, 2015 ~ lk529 ~ 1 Comment

Valentine’s Day isn’t my favorite holiday. I don’t decorate for it and we don’t exchange cards or gifts. I didn’t even have festive kitchen towels until last year! Now that I’m a mom I’ll probably get more into the holiday. Especially once the little man hits school and has to have a Valentine’s Box. Assuming schools are still doing that tradition in 2019!

That being said, one tradition that I have implemented after getting married is having fondue! We received two fondue pots from our wedding and kept both of them.

You may recall that last year I didn’t post a fondue recipe. I promise you I’m not making this up for this blog post. (If you follow me on twitter you might have noticed that during last weekend’s #SundaySupper twitter chat I spent an hour answering questions with “fondue!”) I simply didn’t have any pictures from our previous years! And if I could have remember what recipes I found and followed it would have been a miracle. In 2012 I even did both savory cheese and sweet chocolate fondues – that’s the beauty of having kept both fondue sets.

I only did slightly better last year. I did pull out my camera and had a lot of fun taking pictures. But… I forgot to save what recipe I followed! Not that they’re very different from each other. White chocolate. Cream. Amaretto. Except that because the alcohol wouldn’t cook out of the fondue and I was pregnant I took the conservative approach and used almond extract instead.

I wish you all a wonderful Valentine’s Day weekend, however you decide to celebrate. Don’t forget to tell the people in your life how much you love them!

Red Wine and Chocolate Cream Sauce

February 11, 2015February 9, 2015 ~ lk529 ~ 2 Comments

The title of this blog post has already created it’s first impression in your mind. You either thought “that’s just weird” or “yum!” Either way, you’re intrigued. I’ll clear up one assumption off the bat – it’s not sweet.

When I saw this blog post pop up on my WordPress Reader last year it was Carlynn’s photography that had me sold. What caught my attention was her use of chocoalte pasta! I didn’t have, couldn’t find, and wasn’t about to make chocolate linguini so I used the boring normal stuff.

I made this for Valentine’s Day last year and while we were all a touch skeptical we all found we really enjoyed it! But a uninamous vote agreed that it needed some protein. A cocoa or coffee rubbed steak would accompany this pasta pretty nicely.

While I typically halve recipes that claim to serve 6 I made this one as is. We had a lot of pasta leftover. Good thing it reheated well! If you opt to serve this dish as a side then I’d highly suggest halving it – unless you’re feeding an army.

Red Wine and Chocolate Cream Sauce

Ingredients:

2 tbsp butter
1 onion, diced
1/2 C red wine
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 qt beef broth
1 1/2 C heavy cream
1/2 C marscapone cheese
2 oz dark chocolate, chopped
1/2 C Cacao Nibs
1 lb uncooked pasta

Steps:

In a large pot over medium-high heat melt butter. Saute onions until translucent, approximately 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions. Reserve some if the cooking liquid, if needed.
Deglaze the pan with the red wine and the balsamic vinegar. Simmer until thick. Add the beef broth and simmer until reduced by half, 15-20 minutes.
Whisk in the cream. Melt in the marscapone cheese. Remove from heat and melt in the chocolate. Stir in the cacao nibs. Season to taste with S+P.
Add as much of the sauce sauce to the cooked pasta as desired. Use the reserved pasta water if needed.

*This recipe is adapted from Carlynn at http://jjbegonia.com/2014/02/03/pasta-with-chocolate-and-red-wine-cream-sauce/*

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