Grinch Cake

When I saw this recipe on Oh Bite It I knew it had to be made.
I don't care what time of year it is, we all need a gooey green cake in our lives!

We brought this to a friend's house for a party, and it was certainly a conversation starter!

The ripe banana is not a powerful flavor, but it adds so much moistness, especially when dealing with a boxed cake mix.

I did mine in a 9 x 13 (easier to transport), but I think two 9 inch rounds with the frosting between the layers would be pretty cool too.

Ingredients:

1 Box yellow or white cake mix

(additional ingredients required per cake box)

2 Ripe bananas

Green food coloring

Frosting (white or green)

Chocolate sprinkles

Directions:

1. Mix cake batter per box instructions

2. Mash bananas with a fork and add to batter

3. Pour cake mix into desired pan size

4. Drop a few food coloring drops and swirl around batter

5. Bake per box directions for your size pan

6. If using white frosting, dye it green

7. Add 2 Tbsp chocolate sprinkles to the frosting

8. Frost cooled cake with goopy frosting

9. Sprinkle with additional chocolate sprinkles

Print

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Strawberry Cheesecake Cake

Ingredients:

Cake:

1 Strawberry Cake mix

Ingredients required on box

Cheesecake:

2 (8oz) Pkgs Cream cheese (softened)

⅔ Cup Sugar

Pinch of Salt

2 Large eggs

⅓ Cup sour cream

⅓ Cup Heavy Whipping cream

1 Tsp Vanilla

Frosting:

12 oz Cream cheese (softened)

½ Cup Butter (softened)

2 Tsp Vanilla

¼ Cup Frozen Strawberries (thawed and blended)

1 Tbsp Heavy whipping cream

2-3 Cups Powdered sugar

Directions:

Cheesecake:

1. Preheat oven to 325

2. Place a large roasting pan on the lower third of the oven

3. Set water to boil

4. Prepare a 9 inch springform pan with cooking spray

5. Wrap heavy duty foil around the bottom and up the outside of the pan

6. In large bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth

7. Mix in sugar and salt

8. Add eggs, one at a time, blending after each

9. Mix in sour cream, whipping cream, and vanilla. Mix until smooth.

10. Pour batter into prepared pan.

11. Set springform into prepared roasting pan in pre-heated oven

12. Carefully pour boiling water into roasting pan. About an inch high around the springform.

13. Bake for 45 minutes

14. Cool for an hour

15. Once cooled, place in freezer for 4-5 hours

Cake:
1. Prepare per box directions for 2- 9 inch rounds

Frosting:

1. Combine cream cheese and butter, beat until smooth

2. Add vanilla, strawberry puree, and cream.

3. Mix in 2 cups of powdered sugar

4. Add 1 cup of powdered sugar slowly, until you reach desired consistancy

Assembly:

1. Place one cake layer on a plate

2. Remove cheesecake from freezer, release from pan

3. Top cake layer with cheesecake, trim if needed to match size

4. Place second cake layer on top

5. Frost

Print

*Note* I did the best I could with these last two pictures. It's hard to try to get a phone pic in the middle of a kitchen with 100 people around! Gah!

Adapted from: Recipe Girl

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Mascarpone Berry Cheesecake

A couple of years ago we held a yard sale at Nana's house to share some of her excess with others
(isn't that a clever way to put it?)

We met some true characters...some were fantastic...others, well, let's just say it took 4 of us to keep these two little kids from destroying everything that was put out for sale.

Anyhoo...
Since it would be running from breakfast past lunch, the aunties and I split up the food duties.
I brought breakfast burritos, Auntie V brought some pulled pork, Auntie A brought all the chip type foods, and Auntie N made sure we had plenty of drinks.
I also made this Pillsbury cheesecake...as, well, no meal is complete without something sweet!

Ingredients:

Crust

1 ½ Cups graham cracker crumbs

6 Tbsp butter (melted)

Filling

2 Packages (8 oz each) cream cheese (softened)

1 ¼ Cups sugar

12 oz mascarpone cheese (softened)

3 Eggs

2 Tsp grated lemon peel

1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

Topping

2 10 oz bags frozen berries (drained)

⅓ Cup jam

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350

2. Spray bottom and side of a 9 inch springform pan

3. In small bowl, mix crust ingredients

4. Press crust in bottom of pan

5. Bake 7 minutes or until set

6. Reduce oven temperature to 300

7. In large bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar

8. Beat in mascarpone cheese

9. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until blended

10. Beat in lemon peel and lemon juice

11. Pour filling over crust

12. Bake 70 minutes

13. Turn oven off, leave door open a minimum of 4 inches, and leave cheesecake for 30 minutes

14. Cool in refrigerator overnight

15. Spoon berries over top of cheesecake

16. Microwave jam 45 seconds or until melted. Drizzle over berries.

Print

No pictures of this cut as I did not take the pan off until we got to Nana's...and then I didn't think about it!! Not to mention the barbarians attacking this!

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Chocolate Babka

My Lithuanian family makes a potato cake that we call babka. It wasn't until much later in life that I realized it's not really babka.

A quick online search came up with more babka recipes than I can ever make in a lifetime.
Eventually I will get to a good mix of them all...

A co-worker of mine recently went to a Polish festival and tried cheese babka. She was going on and on about how delicious it was. I mentioned chocolate babka to her and her eyes got that really dreamy glazed look about them.
"Mmmm chocolate" is all she could say.

So, in my quest to authenticate babka, I decided to try my hand at Smitten Kitchen's version of chocolate babka. Since it does make three loaves, I will be a good co-worker and bring her a surprise on this coming Monday!

Ingredients:

1 ½ Cups warm milk (110 degrees)

2 (¼ oz each) packages active dry yeast

1 ¾ Cups (plus a pinch) of sugar

3 Whole large eggs (room temperature)

2 Large egg yolks (room temperature)

6 Cups all purpose flour

1 Tsp salt

3 ½ Sticks unsalted butter (room temperature)

2 ¼ Lbs semi sweet chocolate (finely chopped)

2 ½ Tbsp ground cinnamon

1 Tbsp heavy cream

Streusel Topping

1 ⅔ Cup confectioner’s sugar

1 ⅓ Cup all purpose flour

1 ½ Stick butter (room temperature)

Directions:

1. Pour warm milk into a small bowl.

2. Sprinkle yeast and a pinch of sugar over milk. Let stand about 5 minutes.

3. In a bowl, whisk together ¾ cup sugar, 2 eggs, and egg yolks.

4. Add egg mixture to yeast mixture. Combine.

5. Mix until all the flour is incorporated.

6. Add 2 sticks butter and beat until incorporated

7. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth

8. Butter a large bowl, place dough in, and turn to coat

9. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and set aside to rise 1 hour

10. Place chocolate, 1 cup sugar, and cinnamon in a large bowl, stir to combine

11. Cut in remaining 1 ½ sticks butter until well combined. Set aside.

12. Grease 3 loaf pans, line with parchment paper.

13. In a bowl, beat remaining egg with 1 tbsp cream

14. Punch back the dough and transfer to a clean surface. Let rest for 5 minutes

15. Cut dough into 3 equal pieces. Keep covered with plastic wrap when not in use.

16. On generously floured surface, roll dough out into a 16 inch square that is about ⅛ inch thick.

17. Brush edges with reserved egg wash

18. Crumble ⅓ of the chocolate filling evenly over dough, leaving a ¼ inch border

19. Roll dough up tightly, jelly roll style, pinch ends together

20. Twist roll 5 or 6 turns

21. Crumble 2 tbsp filling over the left half of the roll.

22. Fold right half over the coated left half. Fold ends over and pinch to seal

23. Twist roll two more times

24. Let rolls stand in loaf pans while oven preheats to 350

25. Brush the top of each roll with egg wash

26. Crumble ⅓ of streusel topping over each loaf

27. Bake loves, rotating half way through, about 55 minutes

28. Lower oven temp to 325 and bake 15-20 minutes further until babkas are deep golden

Print

Ingredients

Streusel Topping Ingredients

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Krispy Kreme Donut Cake

Have you ever had a Krispy Kreme?
I mean, visit NC and get one of the original, not from a grocery store box or some random location like in NYNY in Vegas?

It's a life changing experience.

I brought hubby down south and told him about Krispy Kreme. He said "what's the big deal about some donuts?"
Yeah, famous last words.

We went to the store, and waited.
What were we waiting for?
This sign.

It matters that much.
He ate six. We are lucky we all even got any!

Fast forward to living in New England. No Krispy Kreme to be found.
Sigh.
Walking through the store one day, what do I see?

Hmmmmmm.
I had to get it and make it.
In the name of science and some junk.

I got it.
I made it.
We ate it.
It was good.
But, well, I expected more.

I would get it again...but it does not (in any way) taste like a Krispy Kreme.
Oh well!

Spiced Pear Cake with Browned Butter Icing

We have friends who live about 5 miles away from us.
One would think we would see them all the time. Nope.

As we all get super busy with our lives, little events seem to be the easiest to "blow off" in order to generate more time for our ever expanding schedules.

Her and I decided that this was not acceptable. We talk almost daily, but see each other only about 4 times a year.

3 months in advance we set a date. Yes, we needed that much advance notice to find a day that worked for both of us. Sad to say, that is not the furthest in advance I have had to schedule things.

She had asked me to bring a dessert, and I have been itching to try this recipe.

This cake is so moist and delicious! I love how the cinnamon and nutmeg lend just enough spice to bring out the pear flavor.

Ingredients:

3 Medium pears (peeled, cored, and chopped)

2 Tbsp sugar

2 Tbsp packed light brown sugar

1 ½ Tsp ground cinnamon

¼ Tsp ground nutmeg

2 Cups all purpose flour

1 Cup whole wheat flour

3 Tsp baking powder

1 Tsp salt

1 ½ Cup white sugar

4 Large eggs

¾ Cup milk

½ Cup vegetable oil

½ Cup unsweetened applesauce

Icing:

4 Tbsp salted butter

2 Cups powdered sugar

4-5 Tsp boiling water

1 Tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Arrange oven rack to the lower third of the oven.

2. Preheat to 350

3. Spray two 5x8 loaf pans with non stick spray

4. In a medium bowl, toss the pears with 2 Tbsp white sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg

5. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt

6. In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, eggs, milk, oil, and applesauce

7. Whisk in the dry ingredients, just until mixed

8. Stir in the pears along with all the juices

9. Divide the batter between the two pans

10. Bake 60-70 minutes

11. Cool completely on a rack

12. When cake is cool, prepare the icing.

13. Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat

14. Heat and stir butter for 5-7 minutes or until the butter is lightly browned

15. Remove butter and pour into a bowl

16. Whisk in 1 cup powdered sugar

17. Add 3 tsp of water and the vanilla.

18. Whisk in more powdered sugar a little at a time until it is thick but still pourable

19. Drizzle icing over cakes

Print

Cake Ingredients

Icing Ingredients

This recipe was shared with:
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Tuesday: Pint Sized Baker, Memories by the Mile, Cornerstone Confessions, My Joy Filled Life, Kathe with an E, Inside Bru Crew Life, The New Mrs Adventures, A Bowl Full of Lemons, Our Table for Seven, The Time Warp Wife, Mini Van Dreams, Mandy's Recipe Box, Hot Momma's Kitchen Chaos, Sweet Silly Sara
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Thursday:  Sweet Haute, Lambert's Lately, Sweet Bella Roos, What's Cooking Love, Saving 4 Six, Mix Helen's Country Cottage, Embracing Change, The Nourishing Gourmet
Friday:  The Grits Blog, Play Party Pin, O Taste and See Blog, Coffee with us 3, Hungry Harps, Craft Dictator, Daily Dish, The Better Baker, Endlessly Inspired, Love Bakes Good Cakes, Thirty Handmade Days, Angel's Homestead, Craft O Maniac, The Girl Creative, Morsels of Life, Tales of a Kansas Farm Mom, Cooking with Curls
Saturday:  Six Sisters Stuff , Will Cook for Smiles, Sewlicious Home Decor, Raising Memories, Yummy Healthy Easy
Sunday:  A Peek into my Paradise, Three Mango Seeds  , Denise Designed