Chocolate Praline Cake

Yummm Pralines!

And chocolate!

This is one of the easiest cakes ever. It only takes 10 minutes to put together!

Chocolate Praline Cake

1 box Devil's food cake plus the ingredients needed to make it

1/2 cup butter

1 1/2 brown sugar

1/4 whipping cream

1 cup pecans, coarsely chopped

Make the cake based on the directions on the box. Set aside.

Melt the butter in a sauce pan. Add the brown sugar and cream, stir until the sugar is dissolved. Add the pecans to the mix, and stir to combine. Pour the mixture into the bottom on a bundt pan (must use a bundt pan). Carefully pour the cake batter over the sugar and pecan mix. Bake at 350 for 40-50 minutes (or longer if needed, check with a knife). Cool for 10 minutes then invert the cake onto a platter. 

Serve with vanilla ice cream.

This was oh-so-good when warm.

Light-er Broccoli Cheddar Soup

I'm a big fan of Panera's Broccoli Cheddar Soup. Its creamy, cheesy, and perfect for a chilly day. I've made broccoli cheddar soup before, and while the taste was good, the texture was off because I didn't chop the broccoli small enough. But when I got an immersion blender from my amazing Maid of Honor, Analise, I finally had an easy way to make it!

Plus, no cream, so I don't feel terrible about eating several bowls of it.

Broccoli Cheddar Soup
6 tbsp butter, divided
3/4 cup onion, diced
1 cup carrot, shredded
4 cups small broccoli florets
3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 tsp onion salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder (or more)
4 tsp flour
2 cups milk (any... I used skim)
2 cups shredded cheddar (sharp is preferable)
kosher salt and black pepper to taste

In a large pot, melt 2 tbsp of butter over medium heat. Add the onion and carrots and saute until tender (about 5 minutes). Stir in the broth, onion salt, and garlic powder. Bring to a boil, add broccoli, the reduce to a simmer.

Meanwhile, melt the remaining butter in a medium saucepan. Add the flour and cook for 1-2 minutes until golden brown, whisking constantly. Whisk in the milk and cook until it thickens and bubbles (about 5 minutes). Remove from the heat, and slowly whisk in the cheese until it melts completely. Slowly add the cheese sauce to the soup pot, stirring to combine. Allow to simmer until hot and the broccoli is tender. Season with freshly ground pepper and salt. To make it a little creamier, use an immersion blender to puree the soup (but don't go too crazy... you want some broccoli pieces left). To serve, add a little freshly shredded cheese on top.

Also good with some warm french bread

Irish Cream Cheesecake

Happy St. Patrick's Day!  ...well, one day late.

And I know I haven't been updating as frequently as usual but I have good excuses! I promise! There has been a lot going on around here. First of all, Chris and I got married on March 4th!!!  

See, I said I had a good excuse!

And then we took a week long honeymoon in Mexico (Playa del Carmen)...

Sunrise over the ocean!

Chichen Itza

Cenote for swimming

So yeah... very busy.

But now that St. Patty's (or Paddy's) day has come and gone, I'd like to share this recipe that I made for a party yesterday. It was a big hit, not too difficult to make, and I think you'll enjoy it as well!

Irish Cream Cheesecake

1 1/2 cup (or more) of crushed oreos
2 Tbs butter, melted
4 packages (32 oz. total) of cream cheese, softened
1 c. sugar
3 Tbs flour
1 c. sour cream
1/2 c. Irish Liquor
4 eggs

First preheat the oven to 325 and mix the butter with the crushed oreo cookies. Pat them into the bottom of a spring-form pan. I recommend you put parchment paper on the bottom so that its easy to remove the cake at the end. Bake for 10 minues.

 Next, beat the sugar and the cream cheese together until well blended. Add the sour cream and liquor, mixing well. Add the eggs, one at a time, on low, until just blended. Pour the mix over the crust. Bake for 1 hour and 5 minutes, or until the center is almost set (should look a little wobbly). Cool and remove the rim. Refrigerate afterwards.

As you can see, the top of my cake cracked. I think next time I'm going to try baking it in a water bath. To do that, put the cheesecake pan in a larger dish. Place it in the oven and add an inch or two of hot water. This allows the eggs to cook more evenly, and hopefully your cake wont crack. No big deal either way. It tastes the same (which is what matters).

Afterwards, you can use a stencil and colored sugar to make shamrocks on the top. Just do this shortly before serving otherwise the moisture in the cheesecake will cause the sugar to melt and it won't look as nice.

I hope you had a great St. Patty's day!

Banana Cake with Nutella Frosting

Behold the power of Pinterest. Karin found this recipe and gave me a strong hint that she thought I should make it. I took the hint.

Karin and I are both huge fans of banana cakes/breads/assorted desserts, as well as nutella. And when you put the two together... WOW.

The best thing about this cake (besides its sheer awesomeness) is that its a really easy cake to make and you can use up those overripe bananas that no one in the house will eat or that you've thrown in the freezer with good intentions (I think we all have a few black bananas in the back of our freezers).

Without further ado:

Banana Cake with Nutella Frosting (via http://thegingersnapgirl.blogspot.com)

For the cake:

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 sticks (10 tablespoons) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar (the original recipe call for superfine sugar, but regular worked just fine)
1 1/2 cups mashed ripe banana (about 3 large bananas)
2 large eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Line 9 x 13 cake pan with parchment paper.  Or alternatively you can butter and flour the pan, knocking off excess flour.  

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt and set aside.  Cream butter and sugar in a stand mixer on medium speed for about 2 minutes until light and fluffy.  Add eggs, one at a time and beat on low until just combined.  Add in vanilla and mashed bananas and mix until just combined.  With mixer on low add 1/3 of the flour mixture and beat until just combined.  Add half the buttermilk.  Alternate flour and buttermilk, starting and ending with buttermilk.  Do not over mix.  Pour batter into prepared pan and bake on center rack for 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean.  Cool for 10 minutes in the pan and then turn cake out onto a cooling rack and remove parchment (or just leave it in the pan and serve it from there).  Allow cake to cool completely before frosting (or, if you're impatient like me, put the frosting on while its still warm and dig in. either way).

For the frosting:

3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup Nutella
3 cups confectioners (powdered) sugar, sifted
2-4 tablespoons heavy cream (or condensed milk) (or skim milk... with all that butter it will be fine)

In a stand mixer beat butter and Nutella on medium, about 1 minute until fully combined.  Add in confectioners sugar 1 cup at a time.  Mixture will appear crumbly.  Add in 2 tablespoons of cream and continue beating on medium-high speed for about 3 minutes.  Add additional tablespoons of cream until the frosting reaches a soft, spreadable consistency.  I used 4 tablespoons in total.  Generously spread frosting over cooled cake.  For a smooth finish, run your knife or offset spatula under hot water and gently smooth the surface, rinsing off it off after each swipe (or just dollop it on and enjoy).  

This cake is so moist and tender

warm cake, gooey frosting, large fork

Also... just to give you a peak into my valentines creations:

Home-dipped chocolate strawberries

Rum Balls

Oh rum balls. So easy. So yummy. Such a great use of baking leftovers.

Rum balls are super simple to make. First off, they're made with leftover cake. Or, if you're like me and never have this thing called "leftover cake" you can just whip up a box cake. Doesn't matter what type. Just use whatever has been sitting in the back of the pantry for the last year or two. I used a yellow cake, but enriched the favor with a few tablespoons of cocoa powder, a tablespoon or so of coffee grounds (yep, straight out of the bag. They add richness) and a few tablespoons of rum. Bake as directed on box and then let cool.

After the cake is cool, cut a piece or two, frost (leftover frosting is suggested) and eat. Now you have "leftover cake". With this leftover cake, put it into a mixing bowl, add about a cup or two of frosting (I had some white frosting from some cupcakes I made a two weeks ago and some cream cheese frosting from awhile ago). Add a little rum (I used bacardi gold) and gently mix until it forms a thick paste. Don't mix for too long. Chill the cake-paste for about an hour.

When the cake paste is cold, roll into small balls. Roll the small balls in whatever you have lying around. I used coconut, red sprinkles, and cocoa powered. You could also used diced nuts, melted chocolate, nonpareils, etc. When done, freeze overnight.

Now, eat them. 

Yummm

Key Lime Pie

I've been in the mood for Key Lime Pie. Light, perky, and tart, key lime pie. Nothing tastes more of summer or Florida, and that sounds perfect for the end of January to me!

I've never made a traditional key lime pie before, only the Frozen Key Lime Pie I've written about previously. While I've had key lime pie a few times around the S. Florida area, I've never had a great desire to make one myself. There are a few types I've tried. Some have a thick layer of meringue on top like a lemon meringue pie, while other have just small dollops of whipped cream. Both are equally yummy, even if they don't have exactly the same consistency.

When trolling the internet I found recipes in both styles, but for me the deciding factor was, as usual, possible waste. The base of the key lime pie, the custard part, is made of egg yolks, sweetened condensed milk, and lime juice. And of course, to have egg yolks, you need to separate the yolks from the whites. While its easy to use the whites later in other recipes (or breakfast) I prefer to use them immediately so I don't forget they're sitting in the back of my fridge. Therefore, I selected a recipe that called for use of the egg whites in the meringue.

If you're in the mood for a summery treat, I highly recommend this recipe. Its so easy and has such a nice result. It can truly be made in under half an hour. I really hope you make this recipe.

Key Lime Pie
1 pre-made graham cracker crust (easy to find at all stores) or make your own (if you really want to... but the store bought ones taste the same
6 eggs, separated
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup key lime juice (or regular lime juice)
Lime zest from 4 key limes, or 2 regular limes
1 cup sugar

In a mixer, beat the egg yolks with the sweetened  condensed milk until light and fluffy (about 8 minutes). Fold in the lime juice and zest until just combined. Pour into the pie crust and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 350. In a very clean bowl, whip the egg whites into a foam (use some cream of tartar if needed). When the foam begins to build, pour in the sugar. Continue to whip until you get stiff peaks. Pour the meringue on top of the lime custard and move it around to cover. Put the pie in the oven (center rack) until the meringue gets gold tips (12-15 minutes in my oven, but keep an eye on it). Cool for 5 hours and enjoy!

yummmm

You can almost hear the ocean, right?

Bacon Wrapped Cheesy Jalapenos

There has been a momentary lapse in baking around my apartment. Its due to a combination of wedding planning and school work. Just before the semester began my research was recently published (yay!) and there has been a surprisingly large amount of press buzz around it. I know, press buzz? But seriously, the research has huge implications for early autism detection which makes it a big draw for the media. Its great that we are getting so much attention (its extremely rare and difficult to get this type of attention) but its taken a lot of work and time.

So, instead of a new recipe, I'm going back into my photo bank to find something that I made a few months ago but never got around to posting. I present to you...

I couldn't get a picture before one was eaten!

Bacon Wrapped Cheesy Jalapenos!

15- 20 small jalapenos
8 oz light cream cheese
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (or any other cheese you prefer)
1 packet of vegetable soup mix
1 package of bacon


Mix the cheeses together with the soup mix and let it sit for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, while wearing gloves, cut off the top of the jalapenos, and slice them down the side. Remove most of the seeds and membrane (the more that is left, the hotter these will be). Using a spoon or a pastry bag, squeeze the cheese mixture into the jalapenos. Wrap each stuffed jalapeno in a slice of bacon (or half if you have more peppers than bacon slices), and secure it with a toothpick. Place on a foil or parchment lined baking sheet (they get oozey and messy) and bake at 375 for ~15 minutes or until the bacon is cooked. Allow them to cool for a few minutes before serving.

These can be made ahead of time and baked just before serving. They're a great treat for game-day!