Too good too be true (WW Cake Recipe)

Cleaning out the filing cabinet, I found this recipe. It was in a notebook circa 2003. First of all, let me say that I do not remember this recipe. So, I don't know if it's too good to be true or not. The paper does look as if I used it at least once in the kitchen. Perhaps I will try it again. 

Here is the recipe: 

1 yellow butter recipe cake mix

6 oz. very vanilla low-fat yogurt

2 eggs or egg substitute

1/4 c. unsweetened apple sauce

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 c. melted butter

Mix together all ingredients and pour into a greased and floured 9"x13" cake pan.

Then, stir together:

2 eggs or egg substitute

1/2 tsp. vinegar

1 lb. powdered sugar

16 oz. fat free cream cheese

1 tsp. vanilla

Pour this mixture over the cake batter. Bake at 325 degrees for 35-45 min. or until it bubbles in the center and it begins to brown.

Top with sliced fruit of your choice. Makes 12 servings.

The points calculated on the notebook paper are not valid under the current WW points plan. As they were calculated under the old system. 

Bon appétit! 

Banana coconut upside down cake

I kind of tweaked the recipe a bit... Lol

Copied & Tweaked This Recipe from a Facebook post:

Banana Coconut Upside Down Cake

Ingredients

·        1 yellow cake mix

·        3 whole eggs

·        1/4 cup oil

·        1/2 cup sour cream

·        1/2 cup water

·        4-6 bananas sliced 1/4 inch thick

·        1 1/2 cups shredded coconut

·        1 cup packed brown sugar

·        1/2 cup butter

·        2 Tablespoons lemon juice

·        2 Tbsp. EACH Malibu (coconut rum), Rum, and Banana Liqueur

Directions

1.    Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray 2 (8 inch) round cake pans with cooking spray.

2.    With an electric mixer, beat cake mix, eggs, oil, water, and sour cream on low until combined. Beat on high for 2 minutes.

3.    Place banana slices evenly on the bottom of the two cake pans.

4.    In a small saucepan melt butter. Add brown sugar and lemon juice and heat until dissolved. Pour half of the brown sugar mixture into each of the 2 round cake pans over the bananas. Sprinkle coconut over brown sugar sauce.

5.    Pour cake batter on top of the coconut into the two pans, dividing equally.

6.    Bake 35-40 minutes or until toothpick in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and let sit for 5 minutes. 

7.    Sprinkle or brush on 1 tbsp each Malibu, Rum, Banana Liqueur. Allow to soak in.

8.    Invert onto serving dishes. Slice to serve. Sprinkle on 1 tbsp. each liqueur. Allow to soak in. Serve. 

Banana coconut upside down cake

I kind of tweaked the recipe a bit... Lol 

Fraisier

I made a French strawberry cake for my husband's birthday. 

I made a genoise. 

Then, made a batch of pastry cream.

2 cups milk
3/4 c. sugar
pinch of salt
4 large egg yolks
5 tbsp. cornstarch
1 vanilla bean (or 1 tbsp. vanilla extract)
2 tbsp butter
3 sheets of gelatin (bloomed in cold water)

Place milk in sauce pan. Slice vanilla bean in half lengthwise and scrape the seeds out with a knife. Place bean and seeds in the milk. Bring milk to a boil on high heat. Meanwhile, Whisk together sugar, salt and cornstarch. Whisk in egg yolks. 
When milk comes to a boil, slowly whisk into sugar/egg mixture to temper eggs. Then, add back to pan. Cook on high heat stirring constantly for one minute or until it thickens.
Next, strain pastry cream through a fine sieve to catch any egg bits, vanilla bean, and lumps. 
Drain the water from the gelatin and add into pastry cream while it is still hot. Stir in to melt. Add in the butter. If you are using vanilla extract you can add it in at this point. Allow to cool completely in fridge. 

When pastry cream is completely cool. Whip up 1 c. of heavy whipping cream. Add in almond extract to taste and 1 tbsp. Grand Marnier. Gently fold whipped cream into pastry cream. 

Layer genoise, brush with syrup of choice. Layer with strawberries and the cream. Top with jam, marzipan, or both! I used the ring from my spring form pan to build the cake on a plate, and it worked out great.

Sorry no pictures! They ate all the evidence before I found my camera! Too bad because it was prettier than the last one. Here's the picture of last year's cake. 

Birthday cake for Albert

Génoise - a great basic homemade cake

Here I offer a translation of 750g.com Recette de Génoise.

Genoise

Génoise is a great base cake that you can use with many variations. It’s not as moist as a box cake, so don’t think you will get a cake like that or you will be disappointed. What I love about génoise is that is is a sturdy cake for decorating, and the cakes dryness is a perfect receptacle for a syrup of any flavor you choose. It's a base for a fraisier.

For a basic génoise you will need:

4 eggs
125 g. (4.4 oz.) sugar
125 g. (4.4 oz.) all-purpose flour
30 g. (1 oz.) melted butter, slightly cooled
*A cake pan that has been buttered and floured (I also place a piece of parchment paper cut to fit the pan, in the bottom.)

Preheat oven to 170°C (338°F precisely but we will go with a regular 350°F).  It’s important to have your oven ready because egg foam waits for no one! And this, my dear, is an egg foam cake. So have your pan ready and your oven ready before you proceed.  Have your ingredients measured out, too.

In the bowl of your stand mixer beat the eggs and the sugar to ribbon stage using the whisk attachment. (Yes, you can do this by hand or with a hand mixer, but it takes a long time.) Ribbon stage, means it falls onto itself and then forms a "ribbon". It will be much paler in color than when you started. 

Then, gently fold in your flour a little bit at a time. Then, fold in butter. You only want to fold until all the flour is moistened.

Gently scoop the mixture into your prepared cake pan and delicately smooth out the top. 

You want it to be even in the pan. Work quickly but gently repeat after me “Egg foam waits for no one.”

Carefully place the pan in the hot oven.  If you used an 8 in” round pan it may take up to 30 minutes. If you used a half sheet pan, it may only be 7 to 10 min. When it’s done it will be golden brown and you can do the good old toothpick check for doneness.

Remove from pan about 5 to 10 min. from removing it from the oven.

Okay... Now you are ready for the syruP:

Stir together 1 cup sugar and ½ cup water.  Only stir until sugar is dissolved then bring to a boil. Remove from heat. Add flavoring you desire. It may be ½ tsp. almond extract, 1 tsp. of vanilla bean paste, or a tablespoon of rum. Taste it… add more if you want a stronger flavor. With a pastry brush, apply this to the cooled cake. You can add as much or as little as you want. Allow it to soak in before you apply any frosting.  Enjoy!

*What size cake pan? It’s up to you. I’ve made it as an 8 in. round and as a half sheet cake. Obviously you will have to adjust cooking times. The thinner the batter is in the pan, the less cooking time that is required. 

Next: http://www.750g.com/recettes_fraisier.htm

Experiment #33113B.....Blueberry and Meyer Lemon Dessert

Ok, this dessert was truly born from experimentation and necessity. I had a pint of blueberries and two Meyer lemons. I had found a forgotten package of croissant dough, and I needed to use them lest they expire.  

First, I cooked the blueberries with a bit of sugar, the zest and the juice from the lemons. It looked a little thin, so I threw in some cooked apple and some corn starch to thicken it. 

At first, I thought I would make cute little individual pies… but then, I got lazy. There, I said it. I didn’t want to stand there all day pinching closed little pockets of dough that may defy me in the oven and burst open…. 

Then I thought, this yummy fruit concoction I made would be delish on a slice of cheesecake. Then I thought about the “sopapilla cheesecake” a co-worker’s wife used to bring to us. 

Oh, boy, I have an idea. I brushed the bottom of an 8”x8” dish with butter then sprinkled on some cinnamon

sugar. Then, I lined the bottom of the pan with croissant dough. 

I mixed together: 1 (8 oz) brick of cream cheese, ½ c. sugar, 1 egg and a ¼ tsp. of lemon extract (I would have used zest, but it was all in my blueberry mixture).  I spread this mixture onto the croissant dough. I topped that with my cooled fruit mixture. 

I added another layer of croissant dough, brushed on more melted butter, and sprinkled with more cinnamon sugar. (My cinnamon is light because my husband doesn’t care for copious amounts like I do.) I popped it into a 375°F oven for about 30 min. oh, wow. I’m a genius! ;)  

When you first take it out of the oven, it will be puffed up a little. It will deflate as it's cooled. People asked for the recipe, so I thought I better write it down!

Blueberry & Meyer Lemon Cream Cheese Pie

You will need:

Croissant dough (homemade or one store-bought refrigerated tube)
3 to 4 tbsp. melted butter
4 tbsp. cinnamon sugar
Fruit Filling (recipe below)
Cream cheese filling (recipe below)

Butter an 8x8 baking dish. Sprinkle in about 1 tbsp. cinnamon sugar. Place one layer of croissant dough on the bottom. Spread in cream cheese filling. Spread on fruit filling. Top with remaining croissant dough. Brush with remaining melted butter. Top with remaining cinnamon sugar. Place in a 375°F oven for 20-35 min. or until golden brown.  Cool completely and store in the refrigerator.

For the fruit filling:
1 pint blueberries
1 Fuji apple, peeled and finely diced
The zest and juice of 2 Meyer lemons
½ to 1 c. sugar (more or less depending on the tartness of your fruit)
3 tablespoons cornstarch
3 tablespoons water

Place blueberries, apple, lemon zest, lemon juice, and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir to dissolve sugar as it heats. Once your fruit is cooked, make a slurry of the cornstarch and water and add to the fruit. Simmer to thickened (at least one minute). Remove from heat and let cool.

For the cream cheese filling:

8 oz. cream cheese
½ c. sugar
1 egg
¼ tsp. lemon extract

Using a mixer, cream together cream cheese and sugar. Add in egg and extract. Beat to creamy consistency. If you have more lemon, add in some zest. 

Banana Cake

To Die for Banana Cake

from ButterYum (Hey, with a name like that you know it has to be good!)
Makes one 8x8-inch pan (double recipe for a 9x13 pan)

Cake:

2/3 cup sugar
½ cup sour cream
1 egg
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
2 mashed super ripe bananas (about 3/4 cup)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup flour
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking soda

Frosting:

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
¼  c. heavy cream
½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste (or equal amount of pure vanilla extract)
1 ¼ c. confectioner's sugar

To make cake (easily mixed by hand…really it is… I did not get out the KitchenAid! I used a wooden spoon.):

Mash the bananas with a fork then stir in. 

Preheat the oven to 375°F (350°F if using a glass pan.).  Cream together sugar, sour cream, egg, and 2 tablespoons softened butter.  Add mashed bananas and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.  Add flour, salt, and baking soda; mix well.  Pour into greased 8x8 pan.  Bake at 375F for 20-25 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Cool completely before frosting.

To make frosting:
Cream butter and confectioner's sugar together until smooth.  Slowly add the heavy cream; stir until smooth.  Stir in the vanilla bean paste until fully incorporated.  Spread on cooled cake. 

I wonder if the frosting is what makes it so good? So delicious and simple!

Not dense like banana bread, this cake is light and moist.

Toasted Marshmallow Cake - Easy!

So, I found this recipe online tonight, and I just happened to have the ingredients. So why not try it?

1 package Jet-Puff toasted-coconut marshmallows cut in half.

1 box of your favorite chocolate cake mix prepared per package directions. 

Spread marshmallows, cut side down, on the bottom of a non-stick-sprayed (9x13 inch) glass baking dish. Pour batter over the marshmallows and bake per the package directions. The marshmallows will come to the top forming a glaze or frosting!

Original Recipe Found Here!

Yes, I admit for some reason or another there was a cake mix in my pantry. It probably stumbled into the house by accident. I probably got it for next to nothing or free with the purchase of something else. I don’t really remember!

Anyway, long story short. This recipe is easy. However, the glaze I was promised did not appear on my cake. I would have tried to turn it out but it proved impossible.

I thought, “oh well, I will just ice it…” The problem is, I haven’t made a box cake in I don’t know how long. It is much lighter in texture than most cakes I like to deal with. The result was cakeicide… I killed it. It tore up. It’s really ugly, but it tastes pretty good.

 

No, I didn't take a picture of the crime scene. It’s better left forgotten!

You might want to try it. You may have better luck than I did… Then, you can tell me what the heck I did wrong! 

Nutella "Brownies"

I am really thinking I should stay away from Pinterest. Every time I go on that site, there is some scrumptious looking goodies that I feel like I have to run to the kitchen and make. 

Case in point: Nutella Brownies

Only called for 3 ingredients:

1 cup Nutella

10 tbsp flour (also known as ½ c. plus 2 tbsp. If you are too lazy to count to 10 like me…)

2 eggs

Stir all ingredients together and bake in an 8”x8” pan or a muffin tin at 350°F for 20-30 minutes.

I did the muffin tin. I also added some vanilla. It suggested adding nuts, but no thank you.

My analysis: Not exactly what I would call a brownie, but a pretty good cupcake/muffin. My husband said he couldn't taste Nutella. However, being a chocolate purist, I can tell you I could taste that vague hint of hazelnut…

Next time, I think I will add some chocolate chips! Boost the chocolate factor! I also wondered what would happen if I replaced the Nutella with peanut butter, but that will have to wait for another day…

En Français:

Nutella “Brownie”

280 g Nutella

2 œufs

62 g farine de blé

Mélange tous ensemble. Mettre dans un moule de gâteau.

On peut mettre des noisettes dessous.

Fais cuire dans un four à  180°C pour 20-30 minutes.

Original recipe found here.

Fondant très fondant au chocolat et sa crème à la vanille

A.K.A. really freaking good chocolate cake with crème anglaise!

Stats:
Source: adapted from Cuisine Actuelle, Septembre 2012 (n. 261)
Serves : 6 (although I would argue more… it’s very rich)
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 60 min.
Ready to eat in: Several Hours if you prefer it chilled.

You will need:

For the cake:
250 g. dark chocolate (65% recommended)
250 g. softened butter + 20 g. butter for the pan
3 eggs
150 g. sugar
75 g. corn starch

For the Crème Anglaise:
100 g. sugar
50 cl. milk
1 tbsp vanilla extract or 1 vanilla bean
6 egg yolks

Directions:
1. Heat the oven to 300°F (150°C). Cut out a parchment paper circle to fit in the bottom of a 9 in. (23 cm.) cake pan. Butter the pan using the 20 g. of butter. Place the parchment in the bottom of the pan and butter it too.  

2. Place the buttered pan into a larger pan. (Your cake will bake in a bain marie, a.k.a water bath. So, you may want to heat up some water now, too.

3. Break the chocolate up into small pieces and melt with the butter either in a double boiler or in the microwave. Stir to combine.

4.    Whip the eggs and sugar together until light in color. Fold in the corn starch. Then the chocolate/butter mixture.

5. Pour the batter into the pan. Place in the oven on the middle rack. Gently pour hot water into the outer, larger pan until the depth is half that of the cake pan.

6. Bake 1 hour. Let cool completely before turning out.

7. Make your crème anglaise: (Really you could do this while your cake is baking. I prefer to eat it chilled.)

If you use a vanilla bean: Place the milk in a sauce pan and heat almost to boiling. Then add in your cut and scraped vanilla bean. Let it steep for a minute or two. Remove the vanilla bean before serving.

If you do not use vanilla bean, just heat your milk to warm. You can add your vanilla extract at the end before serving.

8. Combine egg yolks and sugar in a heat proof bowl. Temper your eggs by whisking in a bit of the hot milk at a time. Place this over a pan of boiling water and stir continuously. You want to cook it until it coats the back of a spoon.

If you need a quick tutorial on the steps, watch this video. Yeah, I know it’s in French. Yeah, I also know he did not temper his eggs or use a double boiler to cook it. These are insurance against burning and cooked eggs. But hey, you're grown, do what you want.

 http://www.atelierdeschefs.fr/fr/techniques-de-cuisine/150-realiser-une-creme-anglaise.php

Cool your crème anglaise before you serve it for a better taste. (my personal opinion).

Celebrating July 4th, Independence Day

Celebrating July 4^th, Independence Day

Celebrating the 4^th of July has always been important in our family. I’m thinking back on some of the Independence Days of the past, and I remember cook outs, fireworks, and family togetherness.

I remember making the flag cake that everyone makes with cool whip and berries.

Flag Cake with Real Whipped Cream and Glazed Berries

I don’t know that you can get more American than that, but I’ve made other goodies to mark the fourth.

We’ve made flag cakes with Fondant Star Cutouts:                    

                  

Star-spangled Pies:

Blueberry/Cranberry Flag Scones:

A few years back, my daughter and I had fun making our own 4^th of July  t-shirts. 

If you have kids this craft is really fun for them. All you need is a shirt, some fabric paint (glow in the dark is really fun!), Some pipe cleaners and paper plates. You bend the pipe cleaners to paint on the fireworks.  You dip them onto a paper plate where you’ve poured out your paint. Kids can paint messages on the front or sleeves with puff paint. Detailedinstructions are here.  Be sure to make them a day or two in advance to give them a chance to dry before wearing! 

Whatever you and your family decide to do. I hope you have a fun time building memories together. 

Happy 4th of July Everyone! and God Bless America!