Red Velvet Cake

SUPERCALIFRAGILISTICEXPIALIDOCIOUS! This is what I said after I had a taste of this delicious cake...lol I had been searching and searching for the perfect recipe and it was between two. Luckily after going back and forth, trying to figure what I liked about each one I picked the this one. BTW...just so you know I am singing every word I am typing. That's how great of a mood I'm in....lol

First off I wanted to make this cake for my husband. He is fond of this cake. I have never been impressed by it. I think because of the RED coloring. I just had a hard time with it. One day we were at Costco and they had a sample station. I tried it. It was ok. But my husband just kept going on and on about how much he liked it. And that's when my search of a great tasting recipe began. Although for me the best part would be the frosting. Uh hu you guessed it Cream Cheese frosting!

I found the recipe at PinchMySalt.com . So now that I picked my recipe I had to dig out all the ingredients. I had to make some adjustments. I will point them out at the step. And even with my little changes the cake tasted FABULOUS!

Red Velvet Cake (a.k.a. Waldorf Astoria Cake)

2 1/2 cups sifted cake flour (I used all purpose flour and deducted 2 tablespoons per cup)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons cocoa powder (unsweetened)(I used HERSHEY'S)
2 oz. red food coloring (I used 1oz. and it still came out a deep red)
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature (if you don't have buttermilk handy mix 1 cup milk with 1 tablespoon vinegar or lemon juice. Let stand for 5 minutes)
1 teaspoon white vinegar (I used cider vinegar)
1 teaspoon baking soda

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour two 9-inch round cake pans or three 8-inch round cake pans.

2. Sift together the cake flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl; set aside. In a small bowl, mix food coloring and cocoa powder to form a thin paste without lumps; set aside.

3. In a large bowl, using a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about three minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time, then beat in vanilla and the red cocoa paste, scraping down the bowl with a spatula as you go. Add one third of the flour mixture to the butter mixture, beat well, then beat in half of the buttermilk. Beat in another third of flour mixture, then second half of buttermilk. End with the last third of the flour mixture, beat until well combined, making sure to scrape down the bowl with a spatula.

4. Make sure you have cake pans buttered, floured, and nearby. In a small bowl, mix vinegar and baking soda. Yes, it will fizz! Add it to the cake batter and stir well to combine. Working quickly, divide batter evenly between the cake pans and place them in a preheated 350 degree oven. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Check early, cake is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

5. Cool the cakes in their pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes. To remove the cakes from the pan, place a wire rack on top of the cake pan and invert, then gently lift the pan. Allow cakes to cool completely before frosting. Frost with buttercream or cream cheese icing (recipe below).

Recipe Notes: *Sift cake flour once before measuring, then sift again with the other dry ingredients per recipe instructions. As you’re mixing the cake batter, use a spatula to scrape down the bowl frequently throughout the entire process.

Cream Cheese Frosting

16 oz. cream cheese (2 packages), softened
1/2 cup unsalted butter (one stick), softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
pinch of salt (I didn't use any)

With an electric mixer, blend together cream cheese and butter until smooth. Turn mixer to low speed and blend in powdered sugar, salt and vanilla extract. Turn mixer on high and beat until light and fluffy. Use immediately or refrigerate, covered, until ready to use. If refrigerated, the frosting will need to be brought to room temperature before using (after frosting softens up, beat with mixer until smooth).


Recipe Notes: If you prefer a sweeter and/or stiffer frosting, more powdered sugar can be added (up to four cups). But remember, the more sugar you add, the less you’ll be able to taste the tangy cream cheese!

BROOKIES....

This evening I decided to try another dessert recipe. I've been trying not to have any sweets this week. I swear I've gained a few pounds from these fabulous desserts I've been trying out!

Tonight's pick is a recipe from Betty Crocker. Yup you guessed it out the box...lol One box of brownie mix and one bag of cookie dough mix. The recipe is straight forward, real easy to follow, can't screw it up. But I thought I had screwed it up. First I used a smaller size pan. All my other ones were in the dishwasher or in use. Then I didn't press the dough down. So it took a little longer to cook. BUT the family and friends still LOVED it =] therefore I was HAPPY!

BTW...the recipe is on Betty Crockers website, but I found it on Bakerella's blog .

One Betty Crocker Brownie Mix and one Betty Crocker Chocolate Chip Cookie mix. You can use recipes from scratch too.

Here's what the packages look like.

Follow the directions on the box for making the brownies and pour into a greased 13 X 9 pan.

Make the cookie mix as directed on the pouch and drop by rounded tablespoons into the brownie batter. You'll want to press the dough down lightly. Bake for 35-40 minutes in a 350 degree preheated oven. When they're done, take them out and let them cool completely. For about an hour.

Then, you can frost them with chocolate frosting or for a yummier version, do what Bakerella did. Whip up some chocolate ganache. (Recipe below) Pour it on top and spread it out evenly.
Now you'll want to let the ganache set up. Once the ganache has set, then cut the brownies and enjoy.

Hope you enjoy them as much as we did.

Chocolate Ganache
12 oz. semi-sweet chocolate morsels
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
6 Tbsp butter

In a small saucepan, heat cream and butter until just before the boiling stage.
Pour over the chocolate morsels.
Let stand about 20 seconds and stir until smooth.
Pour over brownies and let set before cutting.

MMMMmm....Carrot cake cheesecake, oh my!

DELICIOUS! This was a hit at my house. BTW...this is the recipe I wrote about in the last post that I found at recipegirl.com . This was very easy to make. But instead of making the mini size I made one 9 inch. I would recommend to double up on the ingredients for the cheesecake part. I know I should have taken a pic, but I definitely will next time.

FOR THE CRUST:
¼ cup toasted pecans
4 whole graham crackers, finely ground (about 1/2 cup)
2 Tbs unsalted butter, melted
1½ Tbs granulated sugar
1/8 tsp salt

FOR THE CHEESECAKE:
½ Tbs unsalted butter
1 medium carrot, peeled and finely grated
¾ cup granulated sugar
2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened
2 large eggs
¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp salt
¾ tsp pure vanilla extract

ICING:
One 3-ounce package cream cheese, softened
¼ cup butter, softened
2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1 tsp vanilla extract

Marzipan carrots, for garnish (optional)

1. Prepare the crust: Preheat oven to 350°F. Pulse pecans and graham crackers in a food processor until finely ground. Place in a medium bowl and stir in butter, sugar and salt.

2. Press a spoonful of crumb mixture into the bottom of each mini cheesecake tin (the kind with the removeable bottoms). Bake until golden brown and slightly firm, 10 to 12 minutes. Don’t overbake or the pecans will begin to burn. Let cool on wire rack. Reduce oven temperature to 325°F.

3. Prepare the cheesecake: Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add carrots, ¼ cup of sugar, and cook, stirring often, until carrots are soft, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer with pan juices to a bowl, and let cool.

4. Beat cream cheese and remaining ½ cup of sugar with a mixer on medium speed until fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Add carrots and pan juices, nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, salt and vanilla, and beat until incorporated. Spoon on top of crusts to about ¾ full.

5. Bake until set, about 18 to 22 minutes- watch closely and pull out of the oven when the cheesecakes are set (touch the tops and make sure they’re not jiggly, but firm).

6. Transfer pans to a rack and let cool. Refrigerate until ready to frost.

7. Prepare icing: Beat cream cheese and butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth. Gradually add powdered sugar and vanilla, beating until smooth. Place a heaping teaspoonful on top of each cheesecake and spread gently to cover the tops.

Yield: About 24 mini cheesecakes

Duncan Hines Carrot Cake

Okay I decided this past Friday I would try out the Duncan Hines Decadent Carrot Cake. And my hubby and I decided it was good for a cake out the box. My daughter loved it...lol

I did find a mini-carrot cake cheesecake with cream cheese icing that I found on recepiegirl.com. The cakes looks so yummy. I hope it comes out as good as it looks!

Btw...just so you know I am a newbie at baking cakes from scratch. Wish me luck!

In search of...

I am in search of a great Carrot Cake recipe.I can't seem to find one. My hubby's birthday is coming up on April 14. He will be the BIG 38...lol Anyways that's his favorite! I usually order cakes but I've been on a baking kick.

Today a co-worker of mine over heard me and said she read in Better Homes and Garden that Duncan Hines is the best carrot cake you'll ever bake! Does anyone have any feed back? I would really like to make one from scratch.

This is FABULOUS

I've never really searched blogs to see what this was all about. Until several weeks ago when the Today Show did a segment on blogging and moms. Sparkplugging.com and ConsumerQueen.com were featured. Of course it caught my interest. From that point on I was hooked and new I had to start my blog.

As the weeks past my blog interest grew. One blog would lead me to another and to another and so on. What I found was that I had a lot of things in common with these women. How FABULOUS is that? We are all creative, have kids, support each other and are entrepreneurs. I was truly impressed.

This is a new and exciting journey for me and a new chapter in my life.

Chocolate Cake

This is my first cake I have made from scratch. I've made cookies, brownies, and other desserts from scratch, but a cake? Seriously how hard could it be? I don't know what took me so long. I just knew I had to find a recipe quick.

I had appointed myself to bring dessert to my father-in-law"s. So a friend of mine came to my rescue. She suggested one from HERSHEY'S. It was a HIT! My father-in-law
thought I bought it. It was that good! Hmmm...or maybe he thought there was no way I could make something so good...lol

Well enjoy, we did.


HERSHEY'S "PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE" Chocolate Cake
Ingredients:
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
"PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE" CHOCOLATE FROSTING(recipe follows)
Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans.

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

3. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. Frost with "PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE" CHOCOLATE FROSTING. 10 to 12 servings.

VARIATIONS:
ONE-PAN CAKE: Grease and flour 13x9x2-inch baking pan. Heat oven to 350° F. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 35 to 40 minutes. Cool completely. Frost.

THREE LAYER CAKE: Grease and flour three 8-inch round baking pans. Heat oven to 350°F. Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake 30 to 35 minutes. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. Frost.

BUNDT CAKE: Grease and flour 12-cup Bundt pan. Heat oven to 350°F. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 50 to 55 minutes. Cool 15 minutes; remove from pan to wire rack. Cool completely. Frost.

CUPCAKES: Line muffin cups (2-1/2 inches in diameter) with paper bake cups. Heat oven to 350°F. Fill cups 2/3 full with batter. Bake 22 to 25 minutes. Cool completely. Frost. About 30 cupcakes.


"PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE" CHOCOLATE FROSTING

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine
2/3 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Melt butter. Stir in cocoa. Alternately add powdered sugar and milk, beating to spreading consistency. Add small amount additional milk, if needed. Stir in vanilla. About 2 cups frosting.