Chocolate Chip Pound Cake

7/13/2023

Here's a great addition to your pound cake line up. It's a classic pound cake, from a recipe passed down from my great grandmother, but with the addition of chocolate chips and a silky chocolate ganache. I hope you enjoy as much as I did!

Chocolate Chip Pound Cake

Ingredients

3 cups AP flour or cake flour
3 cups sugar
8 Tbsp. butter, softened
8 Tbsp. vegetable shortening
6 eggs
1 1/4 cups cream
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. salt
3 1/2 cups chocolate chips, divided
1 Tbsp. butter

Serves 10 - 12
Cook time: 1 hour and 30 minutes

Cream sugar, shortening, and butter with beater attachment in stand mixer (a hand mixer will work too). Add eggs, one at a time, letting each on combining completely before adding the next. Alternate adding flour and 1 cup cream, mixing well after each addition. Add vanilla and salt. Add 3 cups of chocolate chips and gently stir to combine.
Do not preheat oven. Put cake into cold oven and turn to 325 to bake for 1 1/2 hours. When cake tester comes out clean of crumbs remove from oven and allow to cool on a wire rack for about 10 minutes, then invert onto wire rack and allow to cool.
Once cooled make the ganache: over a double boiler (or a glass bowl on top of a pot with simmering water) melt the 1/2 cup chocolate chips with the 1/4 cream; stir until chocolate is melted and smooth, then add butter (you can add more chocolate or cream to get the consistency you want). Pour ganache over cake.

Blueberry Lemon Pound Cake

7/13/2023

Here's a twist on a classic pound cake. The lemon juice lightens the taste up and the blueberries make a great addition for a summery cake!

Blueberry Lemon Pound Cake

Ingredients

3 cups AP flour or cake flour
3 cups sugar
8 Tbsp. butter, softened
8 Tbsp. vegetable shortening
6 eggs
1 cup cream
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. salt
juice of 1 lemon, divided
3 cups blueberries
1 cup powdered sugar

Serves 10 - 12
Cook time: 1 hour and 30 minutes

Cream sugar, shortening, and butter with beater attachment in stand mixer (a hand mixer will work too). Add eggs, one at a time, letting each on combining completely before adding the next. Alternate adding flour and cream, mixing well after each addition. Add vanilla and salt. Add half the lemon juice and blueberries and gently stir to combine. Pour into greased bundt pan.
Do not preheat oven. Put cake into cold oven and turn to 325 to bake for 1 1/2 hours. When cake tester comes out clean of crumbs remove from oven and allow to cool on a wire rack for about 10 minutes, then invert onto wire rack and allow to cool.
Once cooled make the glaze: combine the remaining lemon juice with the powdered sugar - add more juice or sugar as needed (the consistency will largely depend on humidity). Pour glaze evenly over cake. Garnish with lemon peel, if using.

Peaches 'n' Cream Roulade

6/28/2023

Great for summer entertaining! My Peaches 'n' Cream Roulade is full of fresh peach flavor with a simple whipped cream icing. Keep cool before serving so your icing doesn't melt!

Peaches ‘n’ Cream Roulade

Ingredients

Sponge Cake

3 eggs
3/4 cups sugar
1/2 cup cake flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. vanilla
powdered sugar for forming roll
Peach Filling
5-7 peaches, sliced
1/4-1/2 cup sugar, depending on sweetness of peaches
1/4 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
2 peaches, chopped
1 peach, sliced for garnish
Whipped Cream Icing
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup powdered sugar

Servings: 8
Cook time: 25 minutes

Sponge Cake
Preheat oven to 350. Whip eggs and sugar together in a stand mixer until thoroughly combined - it will look pale yellow and should have doubled in size, roughly 8 to 10 minutes. Whisk the dry ingredients together and gently fold into the egg and sugar mixture until smooth.
Pour batter into a greased 1/4 sheet pan and bake for 25 minutes or until an toothpick inserted into batter comes out clean.
Sprinkle powdered sugar onto clean towel and invert cake onto towel. Then sprinkle the cake with more powdered sugar. Gently roll cake in towel to create and set aside to cool.

Peach Filling
Heat sliced peaches with sugar and salt over medium heat until peaches are soft enough to be mashed with a potato masher. Bring to a boil, add corn starch and boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat and cool in refrigerator until ready to use. Fold in peaches once cooled.

Whipped Cream Icing
Just before frosting cake whip cream with sugar until stiff. Spread over rolled cake. Serve immediately or refrigerate for a few hours.

To assemble: Gently unroll cooled cake and spread with peach filling. Roll cake back up using the towel to assist. Very carefully move cake from towel to serving dish and completely frost with whipped cream. Top with peaches and serve immediately. Can be made a few hours in advance.

Great Grandma Wood's Pound Cake

4/5/2023

This is my maternal great grandmothers pound cake recipe, she as famous for and I remember her making it when I was very little. It has been a staple in my family for years and I'm glad to share it with you! You can use either butter for more flavor or vegetable shortening for a crispier exterior - I use a combination to get the best of both worlds, but Grandma Wood would have just used what she had on hand. She also used a can of evaporated milk, but I switched to cream which gives a creamier taste to the cake - you are welcome to use either or could even use half and half or milk. It tastes great plain, but a glaze and fruit is a favorite way to dress it up for the holidays. It's also great toasted and topped with butter!

Pound Cake

Ingredients

3 cups all purpose flour or cake flour
3 cups sugar
8 Tbsp. butter, softened
8 Tbsp. vegetable shortening
6 eggs
1 cup cream
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. salt

Serves 10 - 12
Cook time: 1 hour and 30 minutes

Cream sugar, shortening, and butter with beater attachment in stand mixer (a hand mixer will work too). Add eggs, one at a time, letting each on combining completely before adding the next. Alternate adding flour and cream, mixing well after each addition. Add vanilla and salt. Pour into greased bundt pan.
Do not preheat oven. Put cake into cold oven and turn to 325 to bake for 1 1/2 hours. When cake tester comes out clean of crumbs remove from oven and allow to cool on a wire rack for about 10 minutes, then invert onto wire rack and allow to cool.
*This cake is great warm or at room temperature. It is good with a glaze, but works great toasted with butter or jam too!

Hummingbird Cake

4/4/2023

A Southern classic: the Hummingbird Cake is a cousin of the Carrot Cake but instead of carrots it's full of pineapple, pecans, and bananas. It's got a creamy, tangy cream cheese icing and is great as-is, but you're welcome to color it a festive Robin's Egg Blue for a spring get-together.

Hummingbird Cake

Ingredients

Cake

2 2/3 cup cake flour
1 cup pecans, chopped and toasted
3 ripe bananas, mashed
1 8 oz. can crushed pineapple
12 tsp. apple pie spice
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
Frosting
16 oz. cream cheese, softened
12 Tbsp. butter, cubed, at room temperature
2 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
teal gel food coloring (or with regular food coloring use 7 drops blue and 2 drops green for every cup of icing - scale up or done as needed - or blend to your desired blue color)
brown food coloring (or with regular food coloring, mix one drop of each color until you about 1/2 tsp. of coloring)
fresh pink flowers, for decoration

Serves 12
Cook time: 1 hour

To make the cake: preheat the oven to 350. Grease or butter two 8" cakes tins.
Toss pecans in a little flour just to coat them. Whisk the flour, apple pie spice, baking soda and salt in a bowl. Beat the eggs and sugar in a separate bowl with a mixer on high speed until thick and light, 5 minutes. Gradually beat in the vegetable oil; mix in the pineapple and mashed banana. Gently mix the flour mixture into the egg mixture, being careful not to over mix. Fold in the pecans and transfer the batter to the prepared pans.
Bake until the cakes are firm and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean, 50 to 55 minutes. Cool in the pans on a rack, 25 minutes, then invert the cakes onto the rack to cool completely.
Make the frosting: beat the cream cheese with a mixer until fluffy, then gradually beat in the butter until combined, then beat in the powdered sugar. Add the lemon and vanilla and beat until light and fluffy. Add teal food coloring one drop at a time until you achieve your desired color.
Place one cake layer on a serving plate. Spread about half of the frosting on top, then cover with the other cake layer. Spread the remaining frosting over the top and sides of the cake. Put the brown food coloring in a small bowl and dip just the tips of a brush into the color; using your wrist, flick the brush all over the cake until you get brown speckles all over. I would wait until shortly before serving the cake to do the brown food color, it can bleed if done too far in advance; I also recommend doing a few test flicks on a paper towel till you get the hang of it.
Decorate with fresh pink flowers.

Great Aunt Sadie's Berry Cobbler

3/24/2023

When I was a little kid my Granny and Grandpa would come visit at the end of the summer to pick blackberries in a patch beside our house. The day would end with Granny making a blackberry cobbler - for years I have tried to find the recipe she used - I tried a lot of great cobblers, but were just right. After she passed, the cousins divided up her recipe collection. I came across this recipe on an old recipe card in a folder of Granny's recipes my cousin Meagan had. By the looks of the card, and the notes that it had been her sister Sadie's recipe, I knew it was the recipe. I gave it a try and it was!

Great Aunt Sadie’s Berry Cobbler

Ingredients

8 Tbsp. butter
1 cup flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/4 cup sugar, divided
3/4 cup milk
1 quart berries of your choice, mixed or all one kind, fresh or frozen (peaches are good too!)
vanilla ice cream, optional

Serves 4-6
Cooke Time: 45 minutes

Preheat oven to 325; while oven is preheating melt butter in a 2-quart baking dish. While butter is melting sweeten berries (or peaches) with 1/4 cup sugar (more less as needed, according to your taste). When butter is melted pour sweetened berries into dish and spread in an even layer.
Meanwhile, whisk all dry ingredients together (including sugar) and add milk. Quickly whisk in milk until batter resembles thin pancake batter. Pour batter over berries and back 45 minutes to one hour, checking to make sure top doesn't burn.
Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

Cranberry Curd Pavlova

3/2/2023

Here's another show-stopper for the Thanksgiving dessert table! It's a new and delicious way to use cranberries! It does require a good bit of time to make, so plan in advance.

Cranberry Curd Pavlova

Ingredients

Meringues

1 cup sugar
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
4 large egg whites, at room temperature
1 tsp. white vinegar
1/4 tsp. salt
Cranberry Curd
6 oz. cranberries (thawed if frozen)
3/4 cups sugar, divided
1 large egg
2 egg yolks
pinch of salt
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
4 Tbsp. butter, at room temp and cut in pieces
Whipped Cream
1 cup cream
3 Tbsp. powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla

Serves 8-10
Cook time: 1 1/2 hours, plus several hours to set up

Preheat oven to 225°. Beat the egg whites at medium-high speed with a heavy-duty electric stand mixer, using whisk attachment, 1 minute; add the salt, beating until blended. Make a slurry with the cornstarch and vinegar, add to egg whites. Add sugar mixture, 2 Tbsp. at a time, beating until mixture is glossy, stiff peaks form, and sugar dissolves. (Do not over beat.)
Gently spread enough meringue onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet to make a 8-inch round (about 1 to 1 1/2 inches high). Create a bowl-shaped depression in center of meringue to later hold the cranberry curd.
Bake at 225° for 1 hour and 30 minutes or until outsides have formed a crust. Turn oven off; let meringues stand in oven, with door closed, 2 to 10 hours.
Meanwhile, put the cranberries, sugar, and water to a simmer in a saucepan. Lower the heat and simmer the cranberries, uncovered, for about 15 minutes until they've popped and the mixture is thick. Let cool slightly and then puree until completely smooth (you can either use an immersion blender or pour it into a regular blender). Strain through a mesh strainer and set aside.
Whisk the puree, the eggs, yolks, salt, and lemon juice together in a saucepan and set over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon, this will take about 10 minutes or so. Stay by the pan the whole time and stir!
Let the curd cool for a few minutes and then drop the room temperature butter in, bit by bit, while you stir to melt it. Refrigerate curd until ready to make pavlova a few hours before serving the pavlova; you'll want the curd to come up to room temperature adding to pavlova. No more than one hour before serving stir curd and add to depression in meringue. Top with whipped cream (just whip together cream, sugar, and vanilla) and serve within and hour.

Easy Chocolate Cake with Raspberry Frosting

3/2/2023

Here's an easy way to get a cake in your belly! You start by "fancying up" a boxed cake mix and then make an incredibly easy buttercream frosting.

Easy Chocolate Cake with Raspberry Frosting

Ingredients

Cake

1 box chocolate cake mix
1/2 cup butter, melted*
1/2 cup milk*
5 eggs*
Frosting
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup shortening
10 oz. pureed raspberries (fresh or frozen, thawed if frozen)
4 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. salt

Serves: 10-14
Cook Time: 20 minutes

*These amounts may change; follow the directions on your cake mix box, but in exact amounts replace melted butter for oil, milk for water, and add 1 or 2 eggs. Bake according to package directions.

Beat butter and shortening in an stand mixer with the paddle attachment until softened, about 2 minutes; beat in corn syrup. Sift, or whisk, together powdered sugar, cocoa, espresso powder, and salt. Stir together milk and vanilla. Add powdered sugar mixture to butter alternately with vanilla mixture, beginning and ending with powdered sugar mixture; beat on low so the powdered sugar stays in the bowl.

Cane Syrup Pear Galette

3/2/2023

This will be the star of the Thanksgiving dessert table! It's an easy homemade crust, filled with pears and the most delicious caramel syrup you will ever taste!

Cane Syrup Pear Galette

Ingredients

Pastry

8 pork sausages (a bratwurst will do if you can't find authentic bangers)
2 cups flour
1 stick cold butter, cubed
pinch of salt
1/4 cup water
Filling
3-4 medium pears; ripe but firm
1/3 cup pecans, roughly chopped
1/2 cup lingonberries (raw or thawed....cranberries will also work)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 Tbsp. cane syrup
2 Tbsp. water
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. vanilla bean paste
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 Tbsp. butter
1 egg, beaten
2 Tbsp. turbinado sugar, for decoration

Serves 6-8
Cook time: 30 minutes

Preheat the oven to 425 and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
To make pastry add flour and salt to a food processor, mixed briefly until combined. Add cold butter, cube by cube, until fully incorporated into flour (you should have pea-sized pieces). Slowly add cold water until a dough forms (you may need more or less than 1/4 cup depending on the humidity in your kitchen). Once dough comes together quickly shape into a disk and refrigerate while you make the filling.
Meanwhile, halve the pears lengthwise, remove the stems and remove the core with a melon baller or spoon. Cut the pear halves into fans by placing the pears cut side down on the cutting board and slicing into thin slices leaving 1/2- 1/4 inch of the stem side intact. Leave the pears slice side down while you prepare the caramel to prevent browning.
In a medium sauce pan over medium heat, bring the sugar, water, and cane syrup to a boil. Continue to boil until the sugar reaches a nice caramel color. Immediately remove the sugar from the heat when it reaches that color. Then, add in the salt, cinnamon, vanilla bean paste, cream and butter. This will cause the caramel to vigorously boil so be aware. Stir the caramel until the butter is melted and the cream is incorporated.
Working quickly, flour your work surface and roll out dough until it is roughly 12 to 13 inches across. You will fold over a good 2-3 inches of dough, so just put your pear filling in the 10 inch center (I like to put a dinner plate into the center of the dough and gently outline the circumference with a knife - do not pierce through the dough though!)
Gently add sliced pears pie dough and press down to form a fan. Sprinkle with pecans and lingonberries and drizzle with caramel sauce.
Fold and pleat the uncovered dough over the edge to form a crust. Pull the side up as far a possible to prevent leaks.
Brush the pie crust with egg wash and sprinkle with turbinado sugar. Then, place in the preheated oven and bake for 25-30 minutes until golden brown.
Let cool completely before serving.

Tiramisu Roulade

3/1/2023

Here's a fun holiday take on a classic tiramisu. It's the same great flavors, but is a smaller package for a smaller crowd and a classic holiday roll cake shape!

Tiramisu Roulade

Ingredients

”Ladyfingers”

4 eggs, room temperature, divided
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 tsp. cream of tartar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 cup flour
powdered sugar, for sprinkling
Mascarpone Filling
3 large egg yolks, at room temperature
1/4 cup granulated sugar
8 oz. mascarpone, softened
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup heavy cream, cold
Tiramisu Roulade
1 cup strong espresso or coffee (espresso preferred)
1/4 cup dark rum
2-3 Tbsp. cocoa powder

Serves 8 - 10
Cook Time: 8 minutes

"Ladyfingers"
Preheat the oven to 375 and line a large jelly roll pan with parchment paper, set aside (you need a large pan with a deep lip, it doesn't have to be a jelly roll pan, any baking sheet with high sides will do) .
Separate the eggs, placing the yolks in a large bowl and the whites in a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment; whisk whites until foamy, add cream of tartar, and and whip until soft peaks form. With the mixture running add 1/4 cup sugar 1 Tbsp. at a time; whisk until stiff peaks form; mixture will be stiff and a little glossy. Transfer meringue into a bowl.
Now with the stand mixer, whip the egg yolks with the remaining sugar, until pale and fluffy, then beat in the vanilla. Transfer from mixer to a large bowl.
Using a large spoon, gently fold the egg whites into the egg yolk mixture, folding in 1/3 of the mixture at a time. Once the egg white mixture and yolk mixture are almost combined sift the flour over the batter. Continue to gently fold until all of the flour is incorporated. Spread batter onto prepared jelly roll pan.
Bake for 8 minutes, or until just beginning to darken around the edges.
Generously sprinkle "ladyfinger" with powdered sugar and lay clean towel over cake; quickly flip warm cake onto towel. Remove jelly roll pan and sprinkle other side of warm cake with powdered sugar; gently roll cake up and set aside to cool - this will help cake roll bake up later.
Allow to cool fully before using; this large ladyfinger will be best if allowed to dry out for a day or two, but in a pinch you can make the entire tiramisu at the same same (it really is better if you let the "ladyfingers" dry out though).

Mascarpone Filling
In a double boiler over medium-low heat, beat yolks with the sugar; whisk vigorously for 8-10 minutes until the mixture resembles lemon pudding. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
Meanwhile, whisk cream until stiff peaks form; transfer to bowl. Then beat mascarpone on low until soft and smooth; add vanilla. Beat egg yolk mixture into mascarpone mixture. Transfer to large mixing bowl and gently fold in whipped cream in a few batches.

Tiramisu Roulade
Carefully unroll the "ladyfinger" cake; spread about half the mascarpone mixture over the cake, sprinkle with cocoa. Carefully roll up the cake again, you can use the towel to help transfer the cake to your serving platter. Using a long cake tester or a chopstick, poke holes in the roulade, using a spoon "feed" your roulade with espresso (if you do this before you roll it up it will fall apart). Allow your roulade to absorb as much espresso as possible.
Spread remaining mascarpone mixture over roulade and sprinkle with remaining cocoa. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours; overnight preferred.