M-I-C-K-E-Y

For the past 3 years, I have made the birthday cake for the boys I was a nanny for. I made a sea themed cake, a Wonder Pets cake, a Dinosaur cake and this year the theme was Pirate Mickey! In the past, I've spent countless hours thinking of the cake, drawing it out, then finally baking and decorating. Time was never as issue for me until this year. My mom came over to help out with Hayden, but a child needs his momma and I had to take frequent breaks to coo with him. Speaking of Hayden, my friend got mad at me for not sharing a picture of him a couple posts back, so here he is. This is one of my favorites.

The boys wanted a pirate ship cake complete with a flag, treasure chest, dolphin and sea turtle cupcakes. They wanted Donald Duck, Minnie and Pluto there too. Well I just couldn't commit to doing that this year so I did a dessert table instead. Yes, that's still a lot of work but it was broken up over the course of two days and I wasn't spending the bulk of my day decorating with mouse ears. I made a 9-inch Mickey Mouse cake as well as Oreo cupcakes, sugar cookie bars, a Giant m&m cookie and rice krispy treats. Today I will share the recipes for the cake and the cupcakes.

The main birthday cake was vanilla buttermilk cake with strawberry jam between the layers and iced in cream cheese frosting. The Micky decoration is made up of fondant. This is the same recipe I've made every year and the kids' mother just loves it and requests it every time. I've shared this recipe before but there's now a printable link below. The cupcakes start off with Hershey's "Perfectly Chocolate" cake recipe. I intended to put chopped up Oreos in the batter but forgot about it until I had already stuck them in the oven. Perhaps you can give that a try. The frosting was a basic buttercream with finely chopped Oreos in it. I used a mixture of shortening and butter for the frosting for flavor and stability. It was light and creamy, wasn't too sweet and really did taste like an Oreo. I'll be making these again!

Hershey's "Perfectly Chocolate" Chocolate Cupcakes

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• 2 cups sugar
• 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
• 3/4 cup Hershey's Cocoa
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup boiling water

Heat oven to 350°F. Line muffin cups (2-1/2 inches in diameter) with paper bake cups and set aside.

Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin).

Fill cups 2/3 full with batter. Bake 22 to 25 minutes. Cool completely before frosting.

Makes about 24-30 cupcakes.

Oreo Buttercream from Monica H

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup shortening or butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 Tablespoons milk
• 3-4 cups powdered sugar
• 14 Oreos, finely crushed in food processor

In a large bowl, cream butter, shortening, vanilla, and milk.

Add powdered sugar until desired sweetness is achieved, anywhere between 3 and 4 cups. Mix in crushed Oreos until well combined.

If your frosting is too thick, add a tad more milk to thin. If it's too thin to pipe with, add more sugar until it's the texture you want.

This is enough buttercream to frost a layer cake or about 30 cupcakes.

Vanilla Buttermilk Cake from Sky High: Irresistible Triple-Layer Cakes

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Makes an 8-inch triple-layer cake

• 4 whole eggs
• 2 egg yolks
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups buttermilk
• 3 cups cake flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter the bottoms and sides of three 8-inch round cake pans or spray to coat with nonstick cooking spray. Line the bottom of each pan with a round of parchment or waxed paper and grease the paper.

Put the eggs and yolks in a medium mixing bowl, add the vanilla and ¼ cup of the buttermilk. Whisk to blend well.

Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large mixer bowl; whisk to blend. Add the butter and the remaining 1 cup buttermilk to these dry ingredients, and with the mixer on low, blend together. Raise the mixer speed to medium and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.

Add the egg mixture in 3 additions, scraping down the sides of the bowl and mixing only until thoroughly incorporated. Divide the batter among the three prepared pan.

Bake the cake layers for 28 to 32 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean and the cake begins to pull away from the sides of the pan. Let the layers cool in the pans for 10 minutes; then carefully turn out onto wire racks, peel off the paper liners and let cool completely.

NOTE: This can be made in 3 9-inch pans, but the baking times will vary slightly, so keep an eye on them.

Pie and A Friendly Armadillo

I don't have a lot of time these days to get on the computer but I often have my iPhone by my side to play games, text, send family and friends pictures of Hayden and to check my email. For the past few years I've subscribed to the daily holiday emails from Better Homes and Gardens. This year they started posting slideshows to accompany their recipes and this particular pie caught my eye. Hey that rhymes!

The only thing is, since my time is limited in the kitchen, recipes have to be simple and quick. This pie was both. And Mr. H even got in the kitchen with me and helped! He mixed up the filling while I made the pie crust. This pie was in the oven within minutes. A short time later, it was smelling quite delicious, nutty with a hint of coffee liquor. Yes, there's Kahlua in this pie and it was a nice change from the ordinary pecan pie. I've added Bourbon to my pecan pies before but I never thought of adding Kahlua before. I quite liked the combination of pecans, chocolate, and coffee notes. Mr. H liked it because it was not as gooey as most pecan pies, which meant that it cut nicely and was sturdier. If you're not a fan of sticky and gooey, than you might like this pie.

On to the armadillo part of this post. haha! That's an odd combination- pie and armadillos. You see, we have a pet armadillo. Well not really. It's not a pet, but it is taking up residence under our shed and we welcome it because it's eating grub worms in the yard and Autumn likes to chase it around the yard. She's quite entertained by him. This past week, Maranda and her daughter (Little Butt) came over. LB wanted to see the armadillo and hoped he was purple because that's her favorite color. Unfortunately, the armadillo didn't make an appearance while they visited, but I promised her I'd share pictures on here for her. I hope you like our little friend!

Chocolate Chip Pecan Pie with Kahlua slightly adapted from BHG

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For the Crust:

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup shortening
• 4 - 5 tablespoons ice cold water

For the Filling:

• 3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 3 eggs, lightly beaten
• 3/4 cup light-color corn syrup
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 1/4 cup coffee liqueur (Kahlua)
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup chopped pecans, toasted

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

For the Crust: In a medium bowl, stir together all-purpose flour and salt. Using a pastry blender, cut in shortening until pieces are pea-size.

Sprinkle 1 tablespoon cold water over part of flour mixture; toss gently with a fork. Push to side of bowl. Repeat with additional cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time (4 to 5 tablespoons total), until all is moistened. Shape into a ball.

On a lightly floured surface, use your hands to slightly flatten dough. Roll dough from center to edge into a 12-inch circle.

Wrap pastry circle around rolling pin; transfer to a 9-inch pie plate. Ease pastry into pie plate without stretching it. Trim pastry to 1/2 inch beyond edge of pie plate. Fold under extra pastry. Crimp edge as desired. Do not prick pastry.

Sprinkle with the 3/4 cup chocolate chips.

For the Filling: In a medium bowl, combine eggs, corn syrup, brown sugar, melted butter, coffee liqueur, flour, and vanilla. Stir in the 1 cup chopped pecans. Slowly pour filling over chocolate pieces in bottom of crust.

Cover edge of pie with foil to prevent overbrowning. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil.

Bake about 10-30 (my pie took a total of 55 minutes to bake through- I just checked it every 10 minutes) minutes more or until edge is puffed and a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Place on a wire rack and allow to cool completely. Cover and chill within 2 hours of baking until ready to serve. Serve cold or at room temperature.

Makes 8 servings.

"Famous" Cake for a 70th Birthday

It's finally here- the cake recipe I promised you over the weekend! A couple of you were correct in guessing that it was an Italian Cream Cake. Most Italian Cream Cakes I've seen have cream cheese frosting on them, with a garnish of chopped pecans on the sides of the cake. But this recipe, incorporates the nuts into the frosting, which adds a nice texture. Having the nuts mixed in also means that the frosting doesn't have to be so perfect looking. It is much more forgiving and rustic, which is perfect for the beginner cake decorator or for those intimidated about layer cakes.

I use an ice cream scoop to measure out the cake batter to ensure that each layer will bake up evenly.

This recipe comes from my favorite hometown cookbook, that was given to me by my grandmother several years ago. I've made several recipes from it and it never fails- this one was no exception. I found out about this particular recipe from my great aunt when I went to visit my great grandmother last December. My aunt Mary is a wonderful baker and crafter so I made it a point to show her my blog and share with her a few of my favorite recipes. She told me about her "famous" cake recipe that she makes for her family and I became intrigued because I had never made an Italian Cream Cake, but always wanted to. I asked her for the recipe only to find out that I already had it in my tattered and trusty cookbook.

This triple layer cake was destined for a special occasion- my father-in-law's 70th birthday! He is a sweets fanatic and well deserving of this treat. I'm not sure why this cake is called Italian Cream Cake, because it's origins are not from Italy, but that's okay, I'm not bothered by it. Are you? It was moist and tender and full of texture from the coconut and pecans. The frosting was sweet and nutty, just like the birthday boy, and complimented the cake perfectly. This would also make a great centerpiece for your Easter table or could be a welcome surprise for your Momma on Mother's Day. Don't forget about this cake, it's "famous" after all :-)

Italian Cream Cake adapted from Gwen Feagley

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For the cake:

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temp.
• 1/2 cup vegetable shortening
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 5 eggs, separated
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 cups shredded coconut
• 1 cup finely chopped pecans

For the icing:

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temp.
• 1 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, room temp.
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 cup chopped pecans

For the cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour 3 8-inch cake pans. Set aside.

Cream butter, shortening and sugar together in a large bowl. Add 5 egg yolks one at a time, until each is fully incorporated.

Add dry ingredients, vanilla and buttermilk to butter and sugar mixture.

Stir in coconut and pecans and set aside.

In another large bowl, beat 5 egg whites until stiffly beaten but not dry. Fold egg whites into cake batter by hand, being careful not to overmix.

Evenly divide batter between prepared pans.

Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Cool in pans on rack until cool to the touch.

For the icing: In a large bowl, mix butter and cream cheese with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy.

Add vanilla and slowly add powdered sugar, half a cup at a time, until fully incorporated.

Stir in chopped pecans.

Frost and fill the layers with icing. Enjoy!

P.S. This cake also makes a great accent piece on your side table. Doesn't it look like it belongs there?

Breaking Bread & Finlandia Cheese Winners

Once upon a time, I disliked banana bread. I mean, I ate it if it was the only thing around and I was desperate, but it was certainly not my first, second or tenth choice. ha! There's just something about concentrated banana flavor that turned me off. And artificial banana flavor, like banana taffy- double gag! But one day, Dawn of Vanilla Sugar turned that around for me. She shared a recipe on her blog that made me question my strong dislike for banana bread. Ya'll her recipe was GOOD!

The original recipe is no longer on her blog for some reason, so I can't link back to that particular post, but I'm sure you'll find lots of other yummies over there. The first time I made this banana bread, I added mini chocolate chips and it was delicious. For something different, I added cinnamon chips and topped it with cinnamon sugar before baking. When it came out of the oven it was crackly and crunchy on top and soft and moist in the inside with the added pop of melty cinnamon chips.

I doubled this recipe, made one large loaf and 4 smaller loaves to share with the neighbors. My thought was to try to make friends with the neighbors that we didn't know so well and really I don't think any of them really gave a flip. But at least I made the effort, which is more than I can say for them! Anyway, despite the lack of enthusiasm from my neighbors, I think you should make this bread. Don't feel compelled to add anything to this bread, it's just as delicious plain, but chopped nuts or a caramel swirl wouldn't hurt anything either. Trust me, this banana bread is perfection.

Cinnamon Chip Banana Bread adapted from Mama Dip and HERE

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• 1/2 cup shortening (not butter*)
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup mashed very ripe bananas
• 3 tbsp. sour cream
• 1 tbsp. lemon juice
• 2 cups flour
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 cup cinnamon chips
• 2 tbsp. cinnamon sugar for topping, optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl with an electric mixer or a spoon, cream shortening and sugar together. Beat in eggs one at a time; then add mashed bananas, sour cream, and lemon juice.

Sift together flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. Slowly add dry ingredients to the wet mixture, then fold in cinnamon chips.

Pour into greased and floured 9x5x3 loaf pan. Sprinkle with about 2 Tablespoons (use as much or as little as you want). Bake for 60 minutes.

NOTE: If your bread is getting too dark, loosely cover bread with foil. I did this for the last 15 minutes of baking time.

*Don't be tempted to use butter instead of shortening in this banana bread. It's what makes this recipe different.

_______________________________________________

Oh and for the winners of the Finlandia Cheese giveaway...

#23 Maria from Two Peas and Their Pod

and

#31 Leeann from Join The Gossip

Congrats ladies! Please email me with your addresses so I can send out your coupons for free Finlandia cheese!

Sam's Birthday Cupcakes

I made these for my son Sam's 2nd birthday. He's in Heaven, but I'm sure he would have loved them. Or maybe he would have thought they looked funny because they're red! He would have loved them if they were covered in sprinkles, that I'm sure of. I thought they were really good and pretty!

I love the deep red color of this southern cake. Originally thought, the vinegar and buttermilk mixed with the cocoa when baked turned the cake red. But if that were true than any and all chocolate cakes that included buttermilk or something else acidic would turn the cake red, and it doesn't. Nowadays, it's made with red food coloring- lots and lots of red food coloring! You might want to wear an apron and rubber gloves :-)

Red Velvet Cake

adapted from The Blue Willow Inn Cookbook

• 1 1/2 c. sugar
• 1 c. shortening
• 2 large eggs
• 1-1 oz. bottle red food coloring
• 3 tbsp. cocoa
• 2 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 c. buttermilk
• 1 tbsp. vinegar
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. baking soda

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 3- 8 inch pans or line 18 muffin tins with paper liners. Set aside.

To make the cake, in a bowl cream the sugar and shortening. Add the eggs one at a time. In a separate bowl make a paste with the food coloring and cocoa. Add the paste to the shortening mixture. In another bowl combine the flour and salt, and add to the mixture. In a cup mix the buttermilk, vinegar and soda, and add to the mixture. Pour the mixture into prepared pans.

Bake for 25-30 minutes in the cake pans and 15-20 for the cupcakes, or until done. Let the cake cool in the pans completely before removing.

When cool, frost with cream cheese frosting (recipe below).

NOTE: I made this cake in one large bowl. I creamed the butter and sugar, then added the eggs, then alternately added the dry ingredients with the wet. I then added the food coloring at the very end.

The original recipe called for 4 ounces of red food coloring. I only used one 1 oz. bottle and it was plenty red. If you want to add more, go right ahead. This would also be fun to try out other colors, like blue, green, or even purple.

This recipe makes one 3-layer cake or 18 cupcakes.

Cream Cheese Frosting

• 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 4 tbsp. butter, softened
• 3 c. powdered sugar, sifted
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/2 c. chopped nuts (optional)

In a medium bowl, cream the cheese, butter and vanilla til smooth with a hand mixer. Slowly mix in sifted powdered sugar til light and fluffy. Frost cake and top with nuts. Eat right away or refrigerate any leftovers.

Happy Birthday my Love!

Samuel Andrew - August 15, 2006

Fluffy and Dense

This recipe for pound cake comes from my neighbor. She doesn't really cook or bake much. In fact she doesn't really eat much either. She eats ice cream by the boat load and can drink anyone under the table (she provided the Irish Cream recipe), and she complains because she's fat. Whatever. She's about as wide as my arm. But she did make this cake for a neighbor several months ago, then realized that she was diabetic. So she brought a large portion of it over to me and I loved it. It's creamy, and dense, but it's fluffy too, unlike most pound cakes- almost like an angel food cake. Almost.

Pound Cake from A.S.

• 3 c. flour
• 3 c. sugar
• 1/2 t. baking powder
• 6 large eggs
• 1 tsp. lemon extract
• zest of one lemon (optional)
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract (optional)
• 2 sticks unsalted butter
• 1/2 c. Crisco shortening
• 1 c. evaporated milk

Cream butter, shortening (both at room temp), and sugar in a large bowl. Add eggs one at a time til fully incorporated. Blend in flour, baking powder, milk, zest and extract. Beat on medium speed til well blended. Pour into greased tube/bundt pan and bake for 80-90 minutes in a preheated 325 degree oven.

NOTE: I mixed this by hand instead of using a hand mixer. It worked out fine, by wrist grew increasingly tired as the batter got thicker. I recommend a stand mixer if you have one, or a hand held to make things easier (and quicker).

The original recipe did not call for vanilla extract, but I like to add it to most things I bake. If you do not want/like lemon, double the amount of vanilla or use a different flavor extract and omit the vanilla. But do not double the amount of lemon extract. Grated zest would be a nice addition. Orange would be nice too. Then you could drizzle it with chocolate sauce for a whole new take on pound cake. My mother would love that for Mother's Day.

Also, I don't know if it was the size of my tube pan, but I had a little leftover batter, so I made mini muffins. My neighbor makes this in loaf pans instead of a tube pan.

I wanted to dress this recipe up for our Easter buffet, so I made a quick glaze for it and filled the center with fresh berries. Again this is optional.

Glaze

• 1 c. powdered sugar, sifted
• Juice of half a lemon
• up to 1 tbsp. milk

I mixed the lemon juice with the sugar and blended with a whisk. I added enough milk to thin it out to "drizzle" consistency. The amount of milk needed will depend on how much juice your lemon provides. If it's too thin, then add a bit more sugar.

NOTE: Make glaze only after cake is cooled completely and drizzle over cake immediately. The glaze sets up quickly.