Recipe: Vanilla Butter Cake

I made this cake a few weeks ago for Easter.(The night before, actually.)  It was the first time I had ever made this recipe, and I wasn't so sure about how it was going to turn out, but my family loved it.  The confectioners sugar kept absorbing into the cake, but that just means it's really moist!  Haha.  My family loved it.  We paired it with icecream and whipped cream.  You know, the staples!  

Ingredients:

1 cup (2 Sticks) of Butter

1 1/2 cups Brown Sugar

4 Eggs

2 tbsp Pure Vanilla Extract

2 cups Flour

1 tsp Baking Soda

1 tsp Baking Powder

1/2 tsp Salt

1 cup Milk

Confectioners Sugar

Directions:

Beat butter and brown sugar on high for three minutes with an electric mixer. Then beat in one egg at a time.  Then add in the vanilla extract.

Stir together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

On low, beat half of the dry mixture into the wet mixture.  Then slowly add the milk.  Then mix in the rest of the dry mixture. 

 After everything is blended, put the mix into a lightly greased or floured fluted tube pan.  

Bake at 350F for 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. 

When ready to serve, sprinkle confectioners sugar on top.

Enjoy!

xx 

Recipe: 3 minute Microwave Fudge

A few weeks ago, I made confetti brownies, and that recipe called for half a can of sweetened condensed milk, leaving me with  1/2 a can of something I don't know what to do with, so I googled.  I found a very simple 3 minute recipe from this site, and it’s really good.  I don’t normally like fudge, I think it’s too much, but this one was amazingly good. 

1 1/2 cups Chocolate Morsels

1/2 cup Sweetened, Condensed Milk

1/4 cup Peanut Butter

1 tbsp. of Water

Directions:

Combine all of the ingredients in a microwave safe bowl.  Then, on full power, microwave for 30 seconds.  Then pull out, mix, and go again for another 30 seconds.  Repeat four more times. 

Place the mixture in a baking dish and pop it into the fridge.  It should be ready in about an hour and then slice it up and enjoy!

xx 

Recipe: Red Velvet Oreo Truffles

This is another recipe that I found in my local news paper that was being advertised for Valentine's Day.  I've made Oreo truffles before, here, but this recipe was a little bit different.  It uses less cream cheese.  But they're still really tasty, and simple to make.  Below I have the recipe that was in the newspaper, but I used an extra oz of cream cheese, and I had to used 2 extra oz of the white chocolate.  

Ingredients:

18 Red Velvet Oreo Cookies

3 oz Philadelphia Cream Cheese 

6 oz Baker's White Chocolate 

2 oz Baker's Semi-Sweet Chocolate 

Directions:

Crush up the red velvet Oreo's with the cream cheese.  It's easiest to use the back of a spoon. 

Next roll the Oreo cream cheese mix into 20 1 in balls, and place on a cookie sheet covered with wax paper. Then put them into the freezer for 10 minutes.  

While the balls are in the freezer, melt the white chocolate in the microwave.  

Take the balls out of the freezer.  Roll one ball at a time in the white chocolate mix and place back onto the baking sheet. 

When the white chocolate has firmed up, melt the 2 oz of semi-sweet chocolate, place in a plastic bag, cut the corner of the bag, and then drizzle the chocolate all over the balls.  

Keep in the fridge until ready to eat. 

Enjoy! 

xx 

Recipe: Hershey Truffles

  Today's recipe is one that I got out of my local newspaper! It's pretty easy, but you need a little bit more time if you want to make them.  They are really tasty and perfect for Valentine's Day! (Which is what they were advertised for.)  The recipe below makes 10. 

Ingredients:

28 Milk Chocolate Hershey Kisses 

10 Caramel Hershey Kisses 

2 Tbsp & 2 tsp Heavy Whipping Cream

1 cup Ground Pecans 

Directions: 

Put the 28 milk chocolate Hershey kisses into a microwave safe bowl.  Add in the 2 Tbsp & 2 tsp of heavy whipping cream.  

Put your microwave at 50% power and melt the chocolate milk mix for 1 minute, or until smooth.  

Then put it in the fridge for 4 to 6 hours, or until firm.  ( I let the chocolate set over night, but I'm sure 4 hours is plenty of time. )

Just a caution, use exactly that much milk, I went a little over and it wouldn't firm up properly.  If you do use too much milk, add in a few extra kisses.  

Put 1 cup of pecans into a bowl. 

After your chocolate is firm, take about a tablespoon flatten it out a bit, and then wrap it around one of the caramel kisses.  

Then roll it into a ball, roll it in the pecans, and place on a plate. 

Keep them in the fridge until you're ready to serve them up. 

Enjoy! 

xx 

Recipe: Sopailla Cheesecake Bars

I feel as if it has been forever since the last time I actually made something.  I took a little break, and now I'm back again, this time with dessert!  This dish is the perfect blend between cheesecake, lemon, and cinnamon.  It's amazing.  I actually thought that the lemon was going to be over powering, but surprisingly it's not.  Everyone in my house loved it.  I hope if you try it, you do too! 

Ingredients:

16 oz Cream Cheese

2 (8oz) Crescent Rolls

2 Medium Lemons, Zested

1/2 cup Butter, Melted

1 1/2 cup Sugar

1 tsp Cinnamon

Directions:

Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees.   Place one package of the crescent rolls on the bottle of a glass 9x13 inch pan.  Then stretch it to fit.

In a medium bowl, mix together the cream cheese, 1 cup of sugar, and the lemon zest.

Spread the cream cheese filling over the bottom dough.

Then take the other crescent roll package and spread it over the mix.

Mix the rest of the sugar (1/2 cup) with the 1 tsp of cinnamon.  Pour the melted butter over the dish and sprinkle the cinnamon sugar however you please.

It looks a little messy, but I was worried  I was going to burn it, later on it will mix up a bit. 

Bake in the oven for 30 minutes and enjoy! 

 You can serve warm or cold, both are very delicious!

xx

Recipe: Canoli Poke Cake

I have never made a poke cake, much less even heard of one until pinterest.  I decided to make this one because my sister loves Canoli.  I'm not a big fan, but this cake was delicious!  I didn't really expect it.  The topping has a little bit of an odd texture because of the ricotta, but it's not so bad it keeps me away from eating it.  

Ingredients: 

1 box of White Cake Mix, and all of the ingredients on the box (Oil, Eggs, Water) 

1 14 oz Can of Sweetened Condensed Milk

1 1/2 cup Ricotta Cheese 

1 1/2 cup Mascapone Cheese 

1 tsp Vanilla Extract 

1 cup Powdered Sugar

1/2 tsp Cinnamon, Optional

1/2 cup Mini Chocolate Chips 

Powdered Sugar for Dusting 

Directions: 

Bake the Cake according to the instructions on the box in a 9x13 inch pan. 

Cover the WHOLE cake with half of the condensed milk, this picture is just showing the holes and some of the condensed milk. 

Allow the cake to cool, and then poke straw sized holes all over the cake. 

Pour half of the condensed milk all over the cake. 

Put the cake in the fridge. 

Combine the ricotta cheese, mascarpone cheese, and the vanilla extract into a mixing bowl, beat until smooth.  

Add the powdered sugar and cinnamon, mix until combined. 

Add the rest of the condensed milk and mix until combined.  

Once the cake has absorbed all of the milk, spread the topping evenly over cake, top with mini chocolate chips and then dust.  

Allow the cake to set in the fridge for 2-3 hours.  

Enjoy! 

xx

*Note: I combined all of my topping ingredients at once, but my sister was string them while I measured them out and added them.  I'm pretty sure the mixing is in steps because the cheese is kind of firm and for it to combine better, it should be softer.  

I also forgot to dust with more powdered sugar. 

Recipe: Apple Brownies

This is another recipe that I found on Pinterest, and they call it brownies, I call it Apple Crisp-ish Brownies.  It's really good, and really easy to make.  It was eaten within two days of being made, and if that doesn't say a lot, then I don't know what would.  It was great.  I loved it.  It's best warm and you can even top it off with some vanilla ice-cream with caramel sauce.  

Ingredients: 

½ cup Butter, melted 

1 cup White Sugar

1 Egg 

3 Medium Apples, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced

½ cup Chopped Walnuts

1 cup All Purpose Flour

¼ tsp Salt 

½ tsp Baking Powder

½ tsp Baking Soda

1 tsp Ground Cinnamon 

Directions:

Pre-heat your over to 350 degrees and grease a 9x9 inch pan.

Beat together the melted butter, sugar, and egg, until fluffy.

Fold in the apples and walnuts.

In a seperate bowl sift together the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon.

Mix the flour mix and the apple mix together and then place in the greased pan.

Bake for 35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. 

Enjoy! 

xx 

** I didn't add the walnuts because my sister doesn't like nuts.