Coca-Cola Memories

I've been drinking Coca-Cola ever since I was a wee one. Except I never called it Coca-Cola, it was just "Coke". In fact, I referred to all soft drinks as Coke. What do you call them? Soda, soft drinks, pop? It was as if Coca-Cola was the king of all soft drinks, to me. Maybe it was the red and white striking can, or the fact that we could drink the fizzy beverage out of bottles when I was a kid, and that was just kind of cool. Coca-Cola is still my go-to soft drink when I'm craving something carbonated and refreshing.

Here is a picture of my older brother, Joe, and I bonding over a Coke when we were kidlets. In case you're wondering, that is a pink Miami Vice shirt I'm wearing. And if I remember correctly, he is wearing a He-Man tank. Ahhh, the '80's! Don't be jealous :-)

I've had that picture of my brother and I on my fridge for some time now and I've been wanting to make something sweet and delicious using Coke, when the people at Coca-Cola contacted me and asked if I'd like to make a recipe using the beverage. It just seemed like perfect timing and I couldn't wait to get started. I had so much fun with these cupcakes and photographing all the shiny red accompaniments- from the can to the cherries that topped the mounds of whipped cream on top of the cupcakes. Fun, I tell you!

I perused the My Coke Rewards website for a recipe that I wanted to make and  I couldn't decide if I wanted sweet or savory. But you know me, sweet always wins! I ended up adapting a recipe from Nigella Lawson for Coca-Cola cake and turning it into Coke Float Cupcakes. A Coke float is one of my favorite indulgences. When we were kids and we wanted soda my grandma would pour us a glass half full of Coke, then fill the rest up with milk. Sounds strange, I know, but it was like a less sweet version of a Coke float and it got us to drink our milk. Sneaky Grandma.

These cupcakes were kind of like that too. I started off with a cocoa cupcake infused with Coca-Cola, then added a Coca-Cola glaze and topped it off with a healthy scoop of vanilla ice cream and/or lightly whipped cream. I was a happy camper! The Coca-Cola taste was subtle against the chocolate, but it was distinguishable. I liked the glaze under the cream because it kept the cupcake from getting soggy as the ice cream melted and remained nice and light and fluffy. The glaze also added a bit of sweetness and added another texture to the dessert.

I ended up making two different versions because I'm indecisive and I like having options. I liked the ones with ice cream but I have to say the cupcake version with whipped cream and a cherry were my favorite. It was just the perfect package all wrapped up in a red foil liner. It was creamy, sweet, fluffy and fun and I felt like a kid again sitting in my grandma's kitchen. After all my hard work in the kitchen I rewarded myself with a coke float. I was on a sugar high the rest of the afternoon, but it was well worth it. I hope you'll treat yourself to one too.

Coke Float Cupcakes adapted from Nigella Lawson

Printer Friendly Version 

For The Cakes: 

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup + 2 Tbsp. granulated sugar
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 2 Tbsp. cocoa
• 3/4 cup Coca-Cola

For The Glaze: 

• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1 Tbsp. cocoa
• 3 Tbsp. Coca-Cola
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla

Garnish: 

• vanilla ice cream
• whipped cream
• maraschino cherries
• sprinkles

Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease a 12-cup muffin tin or line with paper liners and set aside. 

For The Cupcakes: In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt. Beat the egg, buttermilk and vanilla in a measuring cup and set aside. 

In a heavy-based saucepan, melt the butter, cocoa and Coca-Cola, heating it gently. Pour into the dry ingredients, stir well with a wooden spoon, and then add the liquid ingredients from the measuring cup, beating until it is well blended.

Pour into prepared muffin tin and bake for about 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

For The Glaze: Sift the powdered sugar and set aside. In a heavy-based saucepan, combine the butter, Coca-Cola and cocoa and stir over a low heat until the butter has melted. Remove from the heat, add the vanilla, and spoon in the sifted sugar, beating as you do, until you’ve got a good, spreadable, but still runny, icing.

Carefully dip the top of the cupcakes into the glaze allowing the excess to drip off or simply spoon the glaze over the cupcakes while they are still warm, place on a wire rack and allow to cool completely.

Serving: Once the cakes have cooled and the glaze has set, serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, or lightly sweetened whipped cream, cherries and sprinkles.

Makes about 15 cupcakes

DrinkCompensation was provided by Coca-Cola, but Coca-Cola is not a sponsor, administrator, or involved in any other way with this post. All opinions expressed are my own and not those of Coca-Cola.

Drink Coke. Make Cupcakes. Be Happy. 

For more Coca-Cola recipes, head on over to My Coke Rewards for more inspiration. 

Baby Shower: The Food

I had my baby shower this past weekend! It was truly a wonderful (yet exhausting) day. I'll share all the food with you today then in the next couple posts, I'll share a couple recipes that I made. On the table were also painted wooden frames with copies of sonogram pictures of my little boy from the gestational age of 10-28 weeks. This was my favorite addition to the table.

Here is all the food:

Everything at the shower was homemade by either my mother, my mother-in-law or myself. It was all delicious but this cake was bakery made. It's my all-time favorite cake- Chocolate Italian Cream with chocolate cream cheese frosting and it's just amazing. Oh what I wouldn't do to get my hands on that recipe!

Not everyone that came to the shower liked coconut or pecans (or had allergies) so I also made a vanilla bean bundt cake with strawberries as well. I put it on my Jadeite cake pedestal that I bought on the day I found out I was pregnant with this little guy :-)

These are the adorable napkins that I bought from a local hardware store. I love that they look like onesies and that they stand up. I think people were afraid to use them, so I had a lot left over.

We had limeade punch with a frozen ring of limes and cherries. My mother-in-law said she couldn't find frozen limeade, so she used frozen margarita concentrate (non-alcoholic) instead and I thought it was pretty good!

We had ham and asparagus roll-ups- blanched asparagus wrapped up in deli ham with a schmear of Boursin cheese in between. These make great appetizers in you cut them into bite sized pieces.

These are sausage balls and chunks of fresh pineapple turned into kabobs. This is a spin on bacon wrapped pineapple- also very delicious!

A veggie and cheese tray with homemade Ranch dressing. All that was missing were the cucumber slices that were accidentally left at home.

Deviled eggs- never get tired of these!

Strawberries with Romanoff sauce. Seriously love this stuff!

I made mini cheesecakes but wasn't entirely thrilled with the way they looked. They turned out quite tasty but they sunk in the middle and the recipe made way more than stated. So I had to improvise and made the rest of the batter into Oreo cheesecakes (on the bottom). The plain ones on top were topped with lemon curd and fresh berries. Those got rave reviews but I didn't get to taste them since they disappeared so fast!

For some color for the table I took Hershey miniatures and wrapped them in strips of coordinating scrapbook paper. I think they turned out pretty cute.

Of course our hairy daughter, Autumn, was there. And she took the liberty to sit on the couch since it was vacant and no one else would sit there!

Mr. h and I next to some beautiful orange roses a friend dropped by. I am 29 weeks, 3 days pregnant in this picture.

And these were the favors I made for the shower- powdered sugar coated buttery pecan cookies. These were so good and just melt in your mouth. The recipe came from my neighbor and I will share those with you next week as well.

All in all, it was a wonderful day and we were more than blessed by our friends and our family. Thank you to all who played a part in making our day so special!

A Tropical Party In Your Mouth

Chewy Coconut Lime Sugar Cookies. Let that sink in for a minute. Sugar cookies that are crisp on the edges, yet soft and chewy in the middle, that have shredded coconut and zesty lime in them. Yes please! As my friend said, these were a tropical party in her mouth. I've wanted to make coconut lime cookies for awhile now. Maria from Two Peas and Their Pod shared them on her blog last year and I was set to make them until I saw a different recipe on Foodbuzz shared by Tracey of Tracey's Culinary Adventures. Tracey made both versions and said these were the best she had tasted. Well that solves that problem!

I made these a couple weeks ago and I was intrigued by them because they have a couple ingredients that set them apart from other sugar cookies. Firstly, there's cream cheese in them that contributes to their softness. And there's a combination of melted butter and vegetable (or canola) oil in these that helps with the ever slight crispness on the edges and the chewiness in the center of the cookie. Finely chopped shredded coconut also plays a large part of the texture here as well. The taste of the coconut was really subtle but it was the lime zest that was the star. Because of the softened cream cheese, the melted butter and the oil, the cookie dough was really soft, so handle these as little as possible and work quickly.

I have to tell you a funny story about these cookies though. I shared a few with a couple different friends as well as my mother. My friends ate theirs slowly, savored them and shared only with a select (lucky) few, declared them fantastic, then regretted sharing them because they were gone so quickly. My mom opened up her plastic baggie of cookies, inspected them and asked if I had dropped them on the ground before giving them to her. She saw flecks of lime zest in the cookies and thought it was grass! ha ha! Don't really know if that was a compliment or not, but as least our grass is green and not brown :-)

Chewy Coconut-Lime Sugar Cookies from Cook's Illustrated via Tracey's Culinary Adventures

Printer Friendly Version

• 2 1/4 cups (11 1/4 oz.) all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups (10 1/2 oz.) sugar, plus 1/3 cup for rolling
• 2 oz. cream cheese, cut into 8 pieces
• 1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut, chopped fine
• 1 teaspoon lime zest
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and still warm
• 1/3 cup vegetable (or canola) oil
• 1 large egg
• 1 tablespoon milk
• 1 tablespoon lime juice

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, coconut, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Combine 1 1/2 cups of sugar, the lime zest, and cream cheese in a large bowl (no need to stir them together yet). Put the remaining 1/3 cup sugar in a pie plate and set aside. Pour the warm butter over the cream cheese mixture and whisk to combine - the mixture won't be completely smooth yet, that's fine. Whisk in the oil then the egg, milk and lime juice. Mix until smooth. Use a rubber spatula to fold the dry ingredients into the wet, until a soft dough comes together.

Portion the dough onto the prepared baking sheets with a cookie scoop, using about 2 tablespoons for each cookie. Working quickly (if you handle the dough too much you're more likely to wind up with flat cookies), roll the dough into a ball with your hands then roll in the sugar set aside in the pie plate previously. Repeat until you've used all of the dough, placing 9 cookies on each baking sheet. Use the bottom of a glass to flatten the dough balls into discs that are about 2 inches in diameter. Sprinkle the tops of the cookies with the remaining sugar in the pie plate, using about 2 teaspoons per sheet of cookies.

Bake the cookies, 1 tray at a time, for about 11-13 minutes, or until the edges are set and beginning to brown. The tops will be puffy and slightly cracked. Transfer the baking sheet to a wire rack and let the cookies cool on the sheet for 5 minutes then transfer them to the rack to cool completely.

Makes 24-28 cookies.

I had my cookies with a refreshing limeade. Pour chilled Sprite into a glass filled with ice. Squeeze fresh lime into Sprite and stir. Garnish with a girly umbrella straw.

For a cherry limeade- Make drink as above, add marachino cherry syrup (from the jar) as well as a few whole cherries. Enjoy!

POM Review

I had a busy weekend and was just now able to get caught up on all your blogs. I will post another recipe on Wednesday but I wanted to post a review of POM juice that was sent to me a few months ago. I'm sorry POM Wonderful for taking so long!

The gracious people at POM Wonderful sent me two large bottles of Pomegranate Nectarine and Pomegranate Kiwi 100% Juice. I was really pleased with its flavor and enjoyed it much more than the 100% POM juice. The addition of the kiwi and nectarine flavors made it somewhat tropical tasting. I tend to find the regular POM juice a tad tart and somewhat bitter but I didn't feel that way about these juices.

I also really enjoy Martinelli's apple juice but I find it too sweet so I mixed the two for a nice beverage cocktail over ice and drank it with breakfast. It's also really good with orange juice but the color isn't so attractive :-) It was really refreshing and I suggest if you can find it in your grocery store to give it a try.

Thanks POM Wonderful!

Cozy

Man, I had a busy weekend. I spent all day (from 1-10pm) Friday making and assembling a themed birthday cake for the boys I nanny for. Then on Saturday, Mr. H and I went to the birthday party, did a little shopping and crashed at the end of the day. First thing this morning I got up and made myself a steamin' pumpkin spice latte. It was much needed.

I'm addicted to the pumpkin spice lattes from Starbucks. I order a grande with two pumps of syrup not three. I like to wait for the whipped cream to melt into the steamy beverage before I take my first sip. Then I hold the warm paper cup in both hands and pretend I'm in cooler surroundings, preferable where there's snow outside and a crackling fire inside. My friend does the same only she looks through the LLBean catalog while sipping her cuppa jo.

I got inspiration to make my own latte from My Baking Adventures but I didn't use her recipe. I used very strong coffee, half and half and sugar in the raw as a starting point for this beverage because that's how any cup of coffee in this household gets made. Then I added pureed pumpkin, pumpkin pie spice and vanilla to the concoction. Only to be topped off with whipped cream (from a can- don't judge!), a sprinkling of even more pumpkin pie spice and a cinnamon stick.

Need a calming moment to yourself? Make this latte, sit in your favorite cozy chair, grab the LLBean Christmas catalog and start making your list. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Spice Latte from Monica H

• 1 cup double strength brewed coffee
• 1/3 cup half-n-half
• 2 Tbsp. pumpkin puree
• 2 Tbsp. sugar in the raw
• 1/4 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
• 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract

Garnish:

• whipped cream
• pumpkin pie spice
• cinnamon stick

Combine coffee, half-n-half, pumpkin, sugar and pumpkin pie spice in a small saucepan. Bring to a high simmer (just before boiling), whisking occasionally. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.

Pour into a mug, and top with whipped cream, pumpkin pie spice and a cinnamon stick.

Makes one large serving.

Refill as needed.

Calling All Chocoholics!

This is the second birthday cake I made for my brother's 14th birthday. Not only does he love candy, but he loves Dr. Pepper!

I did a google search for Dr. Pepper cake but only cake up with sheet cakes, not exactly what I was looking for. Then I came across this recipe for Root Beer bundt cake from the NYC bakery- Baked. I decided I would just substitute the root beer for the DP. I assumed since the entire cake (frosting included) contained 2 1/4 cups of Dr. Pepper, it would actually taste like Dr. Pepper. It didn't.

Wah wah waah!

I made the cake the night before I was going to serve it and wrapped it in plastic wrap. This kept it moist and the flavors developed nicely. It was extremely chocolately, dense, moist and rich. The frosting was overwhelmingly chocolately and sweet. It was like eating fudge. Again, it tasted nothing like Dr. Pepper. The recipe states to mound it all on top of the crown of the bundt. That would mean there would be a 1/2 inch thick layer of fudge frosting on the cake. A tad much. So I spread it over the entire cake in a nice thin layer. It was still really rich for my chocolate lover husband, but it was a little more palatable.

Make this with root beer and serve it with vanilla ice cream- float style and tell me what you think!

Tell me you don 't want to "lick the bowl"! Drool.

Dr. Pepper Bundt Cake adapted from Baked

• 2 cups Dr. Pepper (do NOT use diet)
• 1 cup dark unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Generously spray the inside of a 10-inch bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray or butter it, dust with flour, and knock out the excess flour.

In a small saucepan, heat the Dr. Pepper, cocoa powder, and butter over medium heat until the butter is melted. Add the sugars and whisk until dissolved. Remove from the heat and let cool.

In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together.

In a small bowl, whisk the eggs until just beaten, then whisk them into the cooled cocoa mixture until combined. Gently fold the flour mixture into the cocoa mixture. The batter will be slightly lumpy--do not overbeat, as it could cause the cake to be tough.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking time, until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool completely. Gently loosen the sides of the cake from the pan and turn it out onto the rack.

NOTE: I used Caffeine Free Dr. Pepper, but the sugar level and flavor was the same as the original.

Dr. Pepper Frosting:

• 2 ounces dark chocolate (60% cacao), melted and cooled slightly
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 cup root Dr. Pepper
• 2/3 cup dark unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Put all the ingredients in a food processor. Pulse in short bursts until the frosting is shiny and smooth.

Use a spatula to spread the fudge frosting over the crown of the Bundt in a thick layer. Let the frosting set before serving.

NOTE: This makes a lot of frosting! I tried to put all the frosting on the crown of the cake, but it was so thick and gloppy, I just couldn't do it. I ended up using about half of it and spreading all over the cake for a neater appearance. I tossed the rest of it because it was so rich--almost too rich. Is that possible?

For the original recipe and printer friendly version, click here.

Slurp!

Since the POM Wonderful people were so gracious in sending me a case of 100% Pomegranate Juice, I decided the first thing I'd make with it was a smoothie. My husband and I drink smoothies almost every weekend with our breakfast and it just seemed the natural choice.

Did you know POM Wonderful 100% Pomegranate Juice has more antioxidant power than red wine? My FIL is a fan of red wine for this reason, but now there's a healthier option for him since drinking red wine for breakfast really isn't an option for most people :-) Drink it alone or add it to a smoothie. The pomegranate juice in this smoothie adds a brightness, the honey sweetness, the yogurt creaminess and the strawberries body. It's good and good for you!

Strawberry POMegranate Smoothie

• 2 ripe bananas
• 8 oz. yogurt
• 4 oz. POM Wonderful Juice
• 2 Tbsp. honey
• 12 frozen strawberries

Place all ingredients in blender in order as they appear above. Blend well til the frozen strawberries are smooth. Scrape the honey down off the pitcher sides if necessary. Pour into tall glasses and garnish with a fresh strawberry and a straw.

Makes 2 tall servings- about 4 1/2 cups.

BTW, I added a cool little feature at the bottom of my blog. Go ahead, take a look, I'll wait.........................Okay, you back? Isn't it fun? You can add it to your side bar or anywhere on your blog. Click here to get one!

And while you're at it, click on over to Donna's blog to her Spring Fever Giveaway!

Cheers and Happy New Year!

Milk Punch is something we make every year for the holidays, usually around Christmas and New Years. Sometimes we even have it with formal brunches- Easter, Mothers Day etc. There is a restaurant in town that has this every Sunday on their elaborate brunch menu. It is so good. We used to go, just to have the milk punch- seems crazy, I know. But it's that good. Then one year, they printed the recipe in the Wednesday food section of the newspaper. My MIL clipped it and has been making it ever since. But then she gave my husband the recipe and now he makes it.

My husband made this a few days ago for Christmas Eve and between 6 adults and an hour, this boozy punch was completely consumed. It has easily become my mother's favorite drink, and hopefully yours too. Cheers and Happy New Year!

Milk Punch from Green Pastures Restaurant

• 1/2 Gallon Quality Vanilla Ice Cream*
• 1 cup Milk
• 1/2 cup Bourbon
• 1/4 cup White Rum
• 1 Jigger (1.5 oz.) Brandy
• Nutmeg for garnish, optional

Allow ice cream to soften (mostly melted, but not all the way) in carton, then pour into a 2 quart pitcher. Pour milk, bourbon, rum and brandy over melted ice cream and stir.

Serve in your favorite cocktail glass and sprinkle with ground nutmeg for garnish.

**Makes 2 Quarts/ Half Gallon**

NOTE: The pitcher may seem really full because you're adding half a gallon of ice cream to a half gallon (2 quart) pitcher, but it will melt down. Once you add the liquid, it will make 2 quarts, exactly. Can be made ahead of time, but it will taste stronger the longer it ferments. If you don't like it too strong, add a bit more milk.

*We prefer using Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla or Natural Vanilla Bean Ice Cream