Lemon Cake

I love lemon cake.  

The Starbucks lemon loaf is my favorite.  

This cake comes really close.  

Lemon Cake

Ingredients:

• 1 box lemon cake mix
• 1 cup peach nectar drink
• 4 eggs, room temperature
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup oil
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325F.  Grease a bunt pan.  
2. Mix all ingredients.  
3. Pour into prepared pan.  
4. Bake for about 55 minutes.  
5. Cool cake and serve.  

This cake smells so good.  The original recipe calls for apricot nectar drink and a lemon glaze.  I only found peach nectar drink.  The cake tasted great with the peach nectar drink.  But for sure I will be on the hunt for a apricot nectar drink.  This cake was good but for sure next time I will make sure I have the stuff to make a glaze.  Keep this recipe and make this cake.  

Keep cooking friends!

XOXO

Better-than-sex- Cake

I have not made this cake in foooooooreva!  I use to make this cake back in the day for potlucks.  It's sooooo good.  

This bundt cake is super easy it make.  It a box cake recipe.  I am sure you can change the cake and pudding flavors around.  But you can't go wrong with yellow cake and chocolate.  

Better-than-sex Cake

Ingredients:
1 box yellow cake mix
1 box instant vanilla pudding (4oz)
4 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup water
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

Directions:
1.  Preheat oven to 350F and grease a bundt pan
2.  Mix cake mix, vanilla pudding mix, eggs, sour cream, oil and water.  Mix well.
3.  Stir in chocolate chips.
4.  Pour batter into prepared bundt pan and bake for 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
5.  Allow to cool in pan for about 15 minutes.  Turn cake out and let cool before eating.

I did not have mini chocolate chips and had to use regular chocolate chips.  The cake was still good.  BUT I am going to make this again with mini chocolate chips soon ... very soon!

Keep cooking friends!

XOXO

Mini Jam Bundt Cakes

Our friends gift us a box of jam and spreads and I have wanted to do something with them but couldn't decide.  

I finally decided to adding some to cake.  

This batter seriously smells so good.  There is something about creaming butter.  So yummy!

I have also had this bundt pan sitting around not being used.  So I thought why not.  

I can't decide if I like that the bundt cakes have 3 different designs or not.  

I have really liked glaze recently.  Maybe I am getting old.  Or maybe I am just lazy.  But sometimes glaze just gives dessert just enough sweetness without overpowering it.  

Mini Jam Bundt Cake

Ingredients:

• 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup butter, unsalted room temperature
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 4 large eggs, room temperature
• 1/2 cup sour cream, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons raspberry peach champagne jam
• 1 cup powder sugar
• 2-3 tablespoons whole milk

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F and grease a mini bundt cake pan.  
2. Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl.  
3. In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle, beat the butter and sugar together until creamy, about 2 minutes.  With the mixer on low speed, add the eggs one at a time.  Then add the sour cream, vanilla extract and jam.  Beat on medium speed until well combined.  Make sure to scrape down the sides.  Slowly add the dry ingredients and beat until you don't see anymore dry spots.  Do not over mix.  Batter will be thick and creamy.  
4. Fill batter into pan until 2/3 full.  I used an ice cream scoop.  
5. Bake for about 20 minutes or until the cakes are lightly golden.  You can also test with a toothpick.  Remove the pan from the oven and allow to cool for about 5 minutes.  Carefully invert the pan on a wire rack.  Allow bundt cakes to cool completely before icing.  
6. Whisk the powder sugar and 2 tablespoons of whole milk.  Add another tablespoon of whole milk to thin out if necessary.  Dip cooled cakes into icing. 

If you know my kid you know she loves sprinkles ... of all kinds.  So of course she dashed some sprinkles after I glazed the mini bundt cakes.  I am going to have to admit you can't really taste the jam.  Maybe I need to put more.  But the cake was moist and very good.  I would totally still make this.  Maybe with a more flavorful jam.  

Keep cooking Friends!

XOXO

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

I love pineapple.  Especially in the summer time.  It's such a great refreshing fruit.  It's great in drinks, food, grilled, and in dessert. 

I have been wanting to make a pineapple upside down cake for a long time.  Why?  Because I LOVE PINEAPPLE!


Ingredients:
TOPPING

• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• sliced can pineapple
• maraschino cherries

CAKE

• 1 2/3 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 3/4 brown sugar, packed
• 1/4 cup sugar, granulated
• 1 egg, large room temperature
• 1/4 cup yogurt
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1/4 cup pineapple juice (reserved from the canned pineapple)
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F
2. Please 1/4 cup of melted butter into a 9 inch pie dish.  Make sure the pie dish is at least 2 inches deep.  Sprinkle with 1/2 cup of brown sugar.  Top with pineapple slices and arrange cherries between the pineapple slices.  Set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Set aside. 
4. In a large bowl, whisk the melted butter and sugars.  Whisk in egg, yogurt, milk, pineapple juice, and vanilla extract until combined. 
5. Slowly mix in dry in dry ingredients.  Do no over mix.  Batter will be thick.
6. Pour or spoon batter into prepared pan.  Make sure batter is not overflowing.  Bake for 40-48 minutes.  Cover with aluminum foil at the 20 minute nark to avoid browning.  Allow to cool for about 10 minutes. 
7. Invert cake on top of a cake stand or a large serving plate. 

El Husbee and I ate this cake served over vanilla ice cream.  This cake is good served warm, room temperature or out of the refrigerator.


I did end up with some extra batter so I made cupcakes with them for Baby Girl. 




Keep baking friends!
XOXO

Better-than-sex Cake

Last weekend was a crazy weekend.  There was the Tzu Chi new year blessing event, meeting the brother in law's girlfriend for the first time, and last but not least Super Bowl Sunday.  Like I said, jammed packed!

The new year blessing was a success.  Around 200 people attended the event not including the volunteers that ran the event.  Thankfully I did not forget any of my sign language that I had to perform.  Man did I practice for that thing and am so glad it is over.  I am not artistic at all when it comes to artsy stuff like drawling and sign language.  But I survived!  Survived without embarrassing myself or my loved ones!

My mom was in charge of providing breakfast for the set up crew in the morning.  So what does she do?  She has me bake.  I am such a good daughter!  Actually not so good daughter cause the cake I decided to make was better-than-sex cake.  I found this recipe online and marked it as a must try.  I mean come on.  With a name like better-than-sex cake who wouldn't want to try it.  Of course I had to call it something else at Tzu Chi.  I guess better-than-kissing cake.

I ended up making this cake for Super Bowl Sunday too to bring to my cousin's party.  I think after hearing the name of the cake it makes people want to try it more.

Better-than-sex Cake

Ingredients:
1 box yellow cake mix
1 box instant vanilla pudding (4oz)
4 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup water
1 cup mini semi sweet chocolate chips

Directions:
1.  Preheat oven to 350F and grease a bundt pan
2.  Mix cake mix, vanilla pudding mix, eggs, sour cream, oil and water.  Mix well.
3.  Stir in chocolate chips.
4.  Pour batter into prepared bundt pan and bake for 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
5.  Allow to cool in pan for about 15 minutes.  Turn cake out and let cool before eating.

This cake was amazing.  Super moist.  But I guess that is expected from a cake that has pudding mix and sour cream.  Oh and so easy to make!  I love semi-homemade recipes.  They are easy yet still have that homemade touch.

So is this cake better than sex?  Well know one said it wasn't.  Try it for yourself and let me know!

Keep on baking!
XOXO

Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake

I was sick (and still am) on my favorite holiday of the year.  THANKSGIVING.  No one knows how sad I am about this than my husband.  I have no self control when it comes to eating and my husband knows this from first hand experience.  I barely survived the holiday but needless to say I did not gorge myself in food.  I barely had a appetite.  Even the thought of food made me feel yucky.  To top it off I was super sad that food made me yucky.  Food should never make you yucky.  I finally went to the doctor yesterday who prescribed me 2 inhalers for my coughing.  However it has been a struggling trying to use them.  How is it that a 10 year old can use one but I can't?  Sad.

I  haven't done much baking since I have been sick.  This coffee cake was one I made for volunteers before a Tzu Chi event.  This is for all the anti nut people. 

Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake
Adapted from Broma Bakery

Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs, room temperature
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup sour cream
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

3/4 cups brown sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

Directions:
1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Grease a large bundt pan and set aside.
2.  Cream butter, sugar, sour cream, and vanilla extract.
3.  Add eggs one at a time and make sure each is incorporated.
4.  Whisk flour, baking soda, and salt.
5.  Add dry mixture to creamed mixture until just incorporated.  Do not over mix!
6.  Add chocolate chips.
7.  In a separate bowl mix brown sugar and cinnamon together.  This will be the topping.
8.  Pour half of the batter into the bundt pan.  Sprinkle half of the brown sugar topping over the batter.  Pour in the second half of the batter and top with remaining sugar topping.
9.  Bake for about 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the cake.

Coffee cakes are easy to make and great accompanied with coffee.  I especially like coffee cakes cause I take my coffee with just milk/creamer so a little coffee cake brings the sweetness to breakfast.

Hope everyone enjoys this recipe!

XOXO

Sour Cream Coffee Cake

What is something quick to eat for breakfast when you have to be up early in the morning?  Coffee cake of course!  Coffee cake is best because I categorized it as "on the go" food.  You can drink your coffee, drive, and eat all at the same time.  Okay ... maybe ... just a little crumbs.

I needed to be up early for a Tzu Chi event.  I decided to make some coffee cake for the volunteers that were going early to set up in the morning.  I would say 8am on a Saturday morning qualifies are early.  Knowing I would be sleepy and hungry in the morning I made this coffee cake the night before. 

Sour Cream Coffee Cake
Adapted from Kirbie's Cravings

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 oz sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Directions:
1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 8 x 8 inch pan.
2.  Cream together butter and sugar.  Add eggs to the mixture one at a time.
3.  Whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
4.  Add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture.
5.  Add the sour cream and vanilla.  Mix until combined.
6.  Pour half of the batter into the prepared pan.  Sprinkle with half of the topping.  Add the remainder of the batter on top and sprinkle with the remaining topping.
7.  Bake for 40-45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean.

This coffee cake is yummy.  The pecans add a great touch of crunch.  For coffee cake it's also not too sweet.  Just right with coffee.  

I caught the d-o-g on her bed.  This is pretty amazing considering that she went pee on it when I first brought it home a year ago.  I got this great idea a year ago to buy the pup a new bigger bed since she was growing.  When I brought the bed home she looked at it and pretty much walked away.  Then later that week she walked on it, scratched around, and left.  Then finally I went to the bed and noticed she went pee on it.  Thank goodness the cover comes off to clean and it is water proof.  After cleaning the bed I have never seen her on it.  I have even tried laying and sitting on the bed myself.  The pup looks at me like I am stupid and walks away.  So catching her on this bed is amazing.  I will have to admit it did not last long after the picture.  But I hope it means she is warming up to it.

Keep baking and stock up on pumpkin pie puree for the holidays!

XOXO

Blueberry Buckle Cake

What happens when you get blueberries from Costco?  Lots of blueberry recipes.  I don't know why the husband and I shop at Costco so much when it's just the two of us.  Somehow we always leave with a cart full of groceries.  The sad thing is most of the food gets eaten.  We must be fatties. 

I love coffee cake.  It takes all my will power not to order a coffee cake whenever I get coffee from Starbucks (because I have already broken down and gone to Starbucks the last thing I need is a coffee cake).  There's just something about a coffee cake.  It's not cake.  It's not a muffin.  It's a amazing snack that goes great with coffee.

Blueberry Buckle Cake
Adapted from Two Peas & Their Pod

Ingredients:

For the topping:
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup wheat flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup butter

For the batter:
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup wheat flour
2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 cups fresh blueberries

Directions:
1.  Preheat oven to 350F.  Grease a 9-inch cake pan and set aside.
2.  Mix together brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon.  Rub in butter using a fork until mixture is crumbly.  Set the topping aside.
3.  Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.  Cream together sugar and butter.  Add the egg and vanilla extract.  Alternately add the buttermilk and flour mixture to the creamed mixture ending with flour.  Gently fold in the blueberries.
4.  Pour the batter evenly into prepared cake pan.  Sprinkle the topping over the batter and bake for 40 minutes or until a toothpick come out clean.  Let the buckle cool for 10 minutes.

As I pull this Blueberry Buckle Cake out of the oven my mom calls me and asks what I am doing.  She would.  How does she know I just pulled out a cake?  In about 15 minutes my parents are over having coffee and Blueberry Buckle Cake.  This cake is amazing and I would like to say the topping is to die for.  You know.  The kind of topping crumble that when you are done with the cake you use your fingers to pick up the fallen topping and in the end lick the napkin.  Oh wait ... am I the only one that does that?

Enjoy!
XOXO

Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake

This was my first try at baking with sour cream.  I have seen many recipes using sour cream but have never dare tried it.  I figure it was about time.  Oh and I am so happy I did.  This coffee cake came out amazing.  Such a great treat.  I made this for the volunteers at the Tzu Chi free medical clinic in Raisin City to snack.  I normally volunteer at these clinic but when I can't go I usually send treats.

Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake
Adapted from Two Peas & Their Pod

Ingredients:
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup wheat flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
2 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chip

Cinnamon Sugar Topping/Filling
1/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Directions: 
1.  Preheat oven to 350F.  Grease an 8 inch square baking pan and set aside.
2.  Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Set dry ingredients aside.
3.  Cream together butter and sugar until fluffy, about 5 minutes.  Add in eggs one at a time and beat until smooth.  Beat in the sour cream and vanilla extract.  Mix until well combined.
4.  Slowly add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
5.  Make the cinnamon sugar topping/filling.  Stir together sugar, brown sugar and cinnamon.
6.  Pour half the batter into the prepared cake pan and sprinkle with half the cinnamon sugar and half the chocolate chips.  Spoon the remaining batter over the filling, spread gently.  Sprinkle with the remaining cinnamon sugar and chocolate chips.
7.  Bake until golden and toothpick inserted in the center comes our clean, about 34 minutes.  Cool to room temperature and serve.

This coffee cake was easy to make and super yummy.  The coffee cake was so moist and fluffy.  The cake was so yummy it could be a breakfast, snack or dessert.  The husband has requested I make this more often.  With how easy it was I will for sure make it again.

Enjoy!
XOXO

4th of July Flag Cake

So my AC is acting up and we cannot turn it on.  This holiday weekend it was over 104 all 4 days.  Needless to say I did not want to stay in the kitchen too long.  (Oh and I don't even want to get into the story of my AC.  Fingers crossed it will not cost me my first born child to fix.)

Since it was a steamy 90 degrees in my home I tried to make my holiday dessert as simple as possible.  Hopefully all the sweating has cause me to loose some weight so I can eat more of this cake.  The flag cake I made is from a box cake mix with some simply homemade cream cheese frosting topped with fresh strawberries and blueberries.  How much easier can you get? 

Ingredients:
1 box white cake mix
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 1/4 cup water
3 eggs
8 oz cream cheese
1/4 cup butter (1 stick)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2-3 cups of powder sugar
Strawberries, quartered
blueberries

Direction:
1.  Pre heat oven to 350F degrees.  Prepare a 9 x 13 pan with PAM.
2.  Mix white cake mix with vegetable oil, water, and eggs.
3.  Pour batter into pan and back for 26 minutes or until a tooth pick come out clean.
4.  Let cake cool in pan for about 10 minutes and then transfer to cooling rack.
5.  Beat cream cheese and butter.  Once combined add vanilla extract.
6.  Add powder sugar 1/4 cup at a time until you reach a consistency you like.
7.  Frost cake with cream cheese frosting on cooled cake.  Decorate with strawberries and blueberries.

This cake is nice and refreshing on a hot day.  The cake is a yummy dessert and the fruit keep it refreshing.  The red, white, and blue colors keep the cake festive for the holiday.  My family really enjoyed this cake on the 4th of July.  My grandmother even had 2 slices of cake.  So if you don't have much time but still want to have something homemade this is a great recipe for the holidays. 

Enjoy!
XOXO