Yellow Cake with Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

Our favorite yellow birthday cake.

Sometimes homemade cakes are disappointing....  too dry, too dense, too sweet, or they have bad texture and the flavor is lacking.   Not this one.  This cake is rich, moist and delicious, without being too heavy.  It's perfectly satisfying.

Yellow Cake with Chocolate Frosting (adapted from Cooking Light)

Cake:
1 Tbs flour
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 (8 ounce) carton reduced fat all natural sour cream (such as Daisy brand)
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 eggs
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 350.
Coat bottom of a 13X9 inch baking pan with oil spray (do not coat sides of pan); line bottom of pan with wax paper.  Coat wax paper with oil spray; dust with 1 Tbs flour.  Set aside.

Combine 1/2 cup butter and sour cream in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk until well blended.  Add sugar and 2 teaspoons vanilla.  Beat with a mixer at medium speed 3 minutes or until well blended.  Add eggs; beat 2 minutes or until well blended.

Lightly spool 2 cups flour into measuring cups; level with a knife.  Combine 2 cups flour, baking soda, and 1/2 teaspoon salt, stirring well with a whisk.  Add flour mixture and buttermilk alternately to sugar mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture; mix after each addition.  Pour batter into prepared pan.  Sharply tap pan once on counter to remove air bubbles.  Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until pick inserted in center comes out clean.  Cool in pan 10 minutes on a wire rack; remove from pan.  Carefully peel off wax paper; cool completely on wire rack.

Frosting:
1/2 cup (4 ounces) Neufchatel cheese
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup cocoa
1-2 Tablespoons milk
1/8 tsp salt
2 cups powdered sugar

Place cream cheese, 1/4 cup butter, and 1 tsp vanilla in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at high speed until fluffy.  Add coca, milk, and 1/8 tsp salt; beat at low speed until well blended.  Gradually add powdered sugar.  beat at low speed until creamy.  Place cake on a serving platter and spread frosting over top and sides of cake.

Notes:  You can make this cake as directed, in two rounds for a layered cake, or double the recipe and make two 9X13 sheet cakes for a layered sheet cake.  This cake does not have a domed top so it is perfect for layer cakes.

***Because a pretty cake is worth nothing if it doesn't taste good :)

Wholesome Apple Pie

Simple, wholesome, apple pie a la mode.   The baked apples bring the rich sweet-tart flavor, the cinnamon enhances it, and the delicate, buttery, whole wheat crust wraps it all up into the perfect fruit-filled pastry.  Delicious!  We enjoyed it warm out of the oven with a scoop of homemade vanilla ice cream.  

This apple pie is made up of only five ingredients; braeburn apples, cinnamon, freshly ground 100% whole wheat flour, butter, and salt.  No sugar or sweetener required!   Sound odd?  Not too odd.... the early English never added sugar to their apple pies.

Wholesome Apple Pie

Filling:
5-6 Braeburn apples, peeled, cored and sliced 1/4 inch thick ( you can also try Golden Delicious, or Pink Lady)
2-3 tablespoons whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt

Mix the above together in a bowl.

Pastry Crust:
2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
7/8 cups butter, cold and diced into small pieces
1 teaspoon salt
5/6 tablespoons ice water

Combine the whole wheat flour and salt in a large bowl.  Cut in butter with a pastry blender. If butter does not cut in well with the pastry blender, use your clean hands to mix it in (I usually do this). Next, sprinkle 1 T of ice water on flour mixture, toss together with a fork for about 20 seconds.  Sprinkle on another tablespoon of water and toss again.  Continue until the dough can be gathered into a ball.  If you are used to making pastry dough with white flour and shortening, this will feel quite different.  You still don't want the dough to be too wet but it will feel more moist then a white flour dough.  When it can be gathered into a ball, divide it into 2 balls and roll out one of them into a pie shape.  Loosen the rolled dough from the surface with a flat spatula.  This dough is more fragile then white flour dough.  Do not try to fold it in half, instead, slide a thin cookie sheet or glass cutting board underneath it and then slip it off the cutting board on top of the pie pan.  Shape to the pie pan and trim the edges. 

Fill the pastry shell with the apple mixture.  

Roll out the top crust, then use the cutting board method to transfer it to the top of the pie.  Be sure to moisten the edges of the bottom crust first so that they adhere together well.  Crimp the sides together as desired.  Slice a few air vents on the top crust.

Bake at 425 degrees for 30 minutes.

This pie is deliciously flavored as is, but if your sweet tooth calls for it, you can add a little sugar to the apples, and also sprinkle some cinnamon-sugar on top of the pie before baking.

“Good apple pies are a considerable part of our domestic happiness.”
Jane Austen

"Thy breath is like the steame of apple-pyes." 
Robert Greene (1590) 'Arcadia'

Coconut Milk Cupcakes

Coconut milk has been on my mind lately, well, atleast when I think about cooking. I blame it on the bowl of butternut squash soup I had at Cafe Coco's in Kaua'i last week... it was deliciously rich, made with fresh local coconut milk and a sprinkle of curry. It's odd because I never liked coconut as a kid--not candy bars, cake, or even granola bars with just a hint of coconut flavoring. I probably never tried coconut milk. Now, I love the flavor and richness that coconut milk brings to a recipe-- in sweets, stir-fries, rice, or soup. Coconut milk has earned a rotation spot in my pantry.

These cupcakes could be mistaken for a rich basic white cupcake.... they don't flaunt the coconut flavor... just the moisture and richness that the coconut milk lends. Try this recipe even if you have an aversion to coconut.

Coconut Milk Cupcakes
2 1/4 cups flour
2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 2/3 cups sugar
1/3 cup butter, softened
2 large eggs
1 (14-ounce) can light coconut milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350°.

Line cupcake pans with paper liners.

Combine 2 1/4 cups flour, baking powder, and salt, stirring with a whisk. Place sugar and butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended (for about 5 minutes). Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add flour mixture and milk alternately to sugar mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Stir in vanilla.

Pour batter into lined cupcake tins. Sharply tap the pans once on countertop to remove air bubbles. Bake at 350°until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool cupcakes. Frost with cream cheese icing. Top with chopped toasted macadamia nuts, turbinado sugar or our favorite... strawberry slices.

I usually wing it for icing...

Cream Cheese icing:

Put 1/2 a block of Neuffchatel cheese in a mixing bowl. Add 1 Tbs softened butter. Beat with a mixer. Add powdered sugar to desired consistancy. If it gets too thick, just keep mixing. It will usually soften up again. Mix in 1 1/2 tsps vanilla.

Note: Find coconut milk in the Asian food aisle of your grocery store.

Yogurt-Cheese Snickerdoodles

I created this recipe to bring to my sister's baby shower, and it has since become a favorite! The yogurt cheese works wonders here. It lends moisture and tenderness to the crumb and adds to the distinctive tang found in these well-loved cinnamon-and-sugar cookies. Amy tried out the recipe last week and her teenage son said, "These are the best cookies I've ever had!".



Yogurt Cheese Snickerdoodles
1 C whole wheat flour
1 2/3 c all purpouse flour
2 tsp cream of tarter
1 tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
5 Tbs butter
¾ C plain nonfat yogurt
1 ½ c sugar
1 egg
2 egg whites
1 tsp vanilla

3 tbs sugar
1 Tbs Cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350.

Make the yogurt cheese:
Spread out yogurt on top of layered paper towels on your counter. Put a few paper-towels on top as well. Let the liquid from the yogurt soak into the paper towels until the yogurt turns into a thicker, more cheese like consistency. It will resemble a soft cream cheese that you can peel away from the paper towels. Replace the wet towels with dry ones as needed until the consistancy is achieved.

Make the cookies:
Whisk together the dry ingredients (flours-salt) in a medium bowl, set aside. In a mixing bowl, cream together the butter, yogurt cheese, and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add the egg and egg whites, one at a time beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla. Gradually mix in the flour mixture. DO NOT OVERMIX. Chill dough in the freezer for 30 mins. Ball up the dough and coat each cookie in cinnamon-and-sugar, place on a cookie sheet, coated with cooking spray, and flatten with the palm of your hand. Bake for 10 mins or until done. Becareful not to over-cook them!




Additional Tips:
Reduced-fat cookie doughs are more delicate then their fattier counterparts, so you need to take some precautions when mixing. If you over mix, the gluten will develop and the cookies will be tough instead of tender. When it comes time to add the dry ingredients, I usually put the mixer aside, and mix it with a big wooden spoon.

Do not over bake... or your cookies will have a tough outer crust!

I like to double the recipe and freeze the dough in a large zip-lock bag. Then, when we have a craving for some of these yummy morsels-- it's a sinch! Take it out of the freezer, ball it up, coat it with cinnamon and sugar, place them on the cookie sheet, flatten and bake! Yum! (You could also freeze the dough unbaked, pre-rolled, and flattened on a cookie sheet. Then scoop them up and put them in a zip-lock bag and return them to the freezer until that craving comes again.)

My beautiful daughter enjoying a snickerdoodle.

Brownie Hearts

Aubree and I got up early this morning to make this "sweet treat" for her 2nd grade class's Valentine's Day party. We whipped up the brownies, sprinkled them with red and pink sparkly sugar crystals, baked them, then cut out 30 hearts with a cookie cutter. She was excited to bring them to share with her class.

This is actually the same recipe I used to make with my mom when I was in 2nd grade! It is just a simple and basic recipe that is easy to make with kids. What great food and family traditions! I bagged up the left over brownie scraps and put them in the freezer. I will save it for a future icecream pie crust, a sundae topping, or a brownie-bits banana milk shake.

Grandma Lela's Easy Breeze Brownies

1/4 c butter

2 eggs

1 C sugar

1/2 C flour

1/3 C cocoa

1 tsp vanilla

pinch of salt

Melt butter is square pan brownies are to be made in, and then pour in bowl over beaten eggs. Add other ingredients, stir well, blend 2 minutes and pour into pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

Note: For the cutouts, one "doubled" recipe fits nicely in a jelly-roll pan or edged cookie sheet.

Mini Caramel Apples

I brought these Mini-Caramel Apples to Aubree's Fall Class Party today. She requested caramel apples but I thought it would be too much for the kids to each have a whole apple. I came across a similar idea to this one, online, and decided that they would be perfect. Now I am not usually the type to make "cute" food (and these had that cute appeal), but I love caramel apples and couldn't pass this up.



1 bag caramel squares
1 Tbs water
apples
succor sticks
melon baller

To make the small apples, use a melon baller. Make sure that each "mini apple" has skin on one side, this is the side with which you will insert the succor stick. Dip the mini apples in melted caramel, and place them on a sprinkle or sugar covered plate (so that they don't stick). Immidiately place them in the refridgerator until set.

Note: These do not hold well. It is best to make them shortly before eating them. The juices from the skinless part of the apple will begin to seep out and make an apple-caramel syrup. It is actually kind of yummy if you get a chance to taste it, but it's not very pretty. Choose an apple variety that is not very juicy, and pat the apple pieces dry before covering with caramel.

If you have a fruit juicer, process the left-over apple scraps through the juicer and enjoy some fresh apple juice!

Peaches and Cream Cake

I adapted this from a strawberry shortcake Cooking Light recipe I like to make. The turbinado sugar on top is a must, it caramelizes in the oven leaving a crisp and rich flavored crust for this tender desert.

Peaches and Cream Cake
4 cups sliced peaches
1/3 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup skim milk
2 egg whites (at room temperature)
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon turbinado sugar
2 cups whipped cream


Preheat oven to 375°.


Line a 9-inch round cake pan with wax paper. Coat pan with cooking spray, and dust with 1 teaspoon flour; set aside.

Cream butter at medium speed of a mixer; gradually add 1/2 cup sugar, beating until light and fluffy (about 5 minutes).

Combine 1 3/4 cups flour, baking powder, and salt; stir well. Add flour mixture to creamed mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture.

Beat egg whites and cream of tartar at high speed of a mixer until foamy. Gradually add 2 tablespoons sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating until stiff peaks form. Gently stir about one-fourth of egg white mixture into batter. Gently fold in remaining egg white mixture.
Pour batter into prepared pan. Sprinkle turbinado sugar over top of cake. Bake at 375° for 25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool in pan 10 minutes on a wire rack; remove from pan, and let cool completely on wire rack.

Slice shortcake in half horizontally. Place bottom half, cut side up, on a serving plate. Spread 1 cup whipped cream over cake layer, and arrange half of peaches over whipped cream. Top with remaining cake layer, cut side down. Spread remaining cup whipped topping over top cake layer, and arrange remaining half of peaches over whipped cream, or just serve them on the side.