Coffee Cake Deliciousness

While getting online last night for something...I ended up completely distracted and found myself reading this recipe for Coffee Cake! How these things happen I don't know, but in this case im glad they did! Matt finished tucking the kids in while I preheated the oven and gathered the ingredients. Then while he was off to 7-11 for a little treat for us (don't be too excited, a treat for us now is a large coke!). During that time I was able to whip this recipe up and have it in the oven!

So much crumble! And I got to use my new spring form pan too!! 

To make 

1.  Preheat oven to 350°f and grab a big bowl. Mix together 2 cups flour, 1 cup & 2 tbsp sugar, and 1 tsp salt. Then slowly cut in 1 ½ sticks (at room temp, so I popped mine in the micro for about 10 second after taking them out of the fridge). Once it crumbly scoop out 1 cup of it and set it aside.

2. Then add 1 tsp baking powder and ½ tsp baking soda. Stir that up and add 3/4 cup of buttermilk (or as I always do: put 1 tbsp of vinegar into a measuring cup and fill to 1 cup line with milk and let it set for 5 minutes), 1 egg, and 2 tsp vanilla extract. Then using a mixer, mix together for a couple minutes until very smooth. 

3. You'll want to make this in a spring form pan, so make sure to grease it and then toss in some flour over the oil/butter/Pam to coat it, don't forget the sides!. And pour your cake batter in. 

4. Take the cup of the flour mixture you set aside and add to it 2/3 cup of brown sugar and 1 tablespoon of ground cinnamon. Mix it well then sprinkle it on top of the batter. You will want to press it into the batter so it sticks to it. Then into the oven it goes! 

5. I'll apologize now for this grueling wait of 50-60 mins while it cooks! Its miserable with the sweet aroma of cinnamon and brown sugar wafting throughout the house! But once its done, test with toothpick, take it out and let it set for at least 10 minutes. Then take out of spring form pan. I couldn't wait after this, I ate it right away! Haha! 

This was great piping hot last night and then this morning with my coffee. After Matt gobbled down his piece he turned to me and said he could not believe that I had just made and thought MAYBE I had bought it and just warmed it in the oven hehe! 

So even if its the day before grocery shopping after 2 weeks of eating the fridge and pantry clean, you can probably scrounge up the ingredients for this impressive little cake! 

Ingredients: 2 cups flour, 1 cup & 2 tbsp sugar, 1 tsp salt, 1¼ stick butter, 1 tsp baking powder, ½ tsp baking soda, 3/4 cup buttermilk, 1 egg, 2 tsp vanilla extract, 2/3 cup brown sugar and 1 tbsp ground cinnamon - oil/Pam to grease pan and flour

Cupcake Carrot Cake

YES! Cupcake Carrot Cake! Its cold over here, I want it to smell like cold weather...nutmeg, cinnamon, apples cooking, fresh breads, brown sugar! So I whip out my old recipe Carrot Cake, and I say "old" as in I made this 2 years ago...once. ENJOY the "vintage"! But it turned out really good a second time. And I had some left over brown sugar frosting that is like heaven, oh my god I cannot emphasize how good it is. I must throw it back in the freezer before I start eating it by itself! 

The recipe for these are actually very simple. And I only used a cupcake tin because I'm planning on saving them for breakfasts to have with my coffee.

The recipe goes:

1. In a BIG bowl, whisk up the 4 eggs and then add in the wet ingredients (eggs, 1 ¼ cup oil, 2 teaspoons vanilla, and 2 cups sugar (I use a cup of light and a cup of brown). In a different bowl mix together the dry ingredients: 3 cups flour, 2 teaspoons each baking soda/powder, ½ teaspoon salt, 2 teaspoons cinnamon, 1 teaspoon nutmeg) *Start preheating oven at 375°F, it'll need at least 30mins on preheat.

2. Once you have your ingredients, pour them into the big bowl and mix them together.

3. Add into the big bowl, 3 cups of grated carrots (I cheated and just put them through the food processor)

4. Once everything has had a good mixy-mixy put into cupcake wrapper lined cupcake tins.

5. Bake for about 20 mins. Check by inserting a toothpick in the middle of one and seeing if it comes clean. If you use this recipe for a cake you need to pour batter into a greased baking pan and bake 40-50 mins.

For the Brown Sugar Frosting:

(I actually had some of this hiding away in the freezer, so I didn't have to make it right away, I just let it defrost about 20 mins. It probably would have thawed quicker had I thought to put it on top of the warm oven before instead of now!)

1. Melt in a pot ½ cup packed brown sugar (light) with 3 tablespoons butter. Let it come to a boil for 1 minute then remove from heat and allow to cool.

2. Once cool, add in ¼ cup of milk with a mixer. Then slowly start mixing in 2 cups of powdered sugar. Mix it until its a frosting-ey consistency. 


Ingredients Cake: 4 eggs, 1 1/4 cup of veg. oil, 2 cups sugar (I used half brown sug, half reg. sugar), 2 cups flour, 2 teaspoons baking soda, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 2 teaspoons cinnamon, 1 teaspoon nutmeg  Frosting: ½ cup brown sugar, 3 tablespoons butter, ¼ cup milk, and 2 cups powdered sugar



Want more cupcake recipes & ideas, look no further:
Rainbow Cupcakes
Halloween Cupcakes
Hello Kitty Cupcakes

White Chocolate Mocha

As mentioned in my last post we will be headed to Portland this weekend for my sister in laws wedding! So as i'm planning ahead for the grueling 10.5hr drive turned 12hr+ (kids!) i'm thinking of two things: Food and Drink! Yesterday we made some beef jerky and got the snack part taken care of, so now it came down to drinks. While chatting with my esposo about bringing our own coffee and a cute little container with creamer and snatching some little packets of sugar, my idea was quickly vetoed! :( He wanted Starbucks. Um, excuse me honey, remember that time when we were on a budget...its still that time. So....being the ever so thrifty, clever, wonderful wife I am, I went straight to Google to find a copycat recipe. There were actually SO many, I liked this girls because she used to work there, and therefore I trust her taste buds (and the mug she used was like the cutest one I've ever seen and I totally want it!).

1. Since my coffee maker is set to make coffee automatically that part was already done. But you will need to make about 6 cups of coffee, make it strong! Then on the stove, over medium-low, warm 2 cups of milk. 

2. Warm the milk until it starts getting bubbles coming up on the sides of the pan. Then remove from heat. 

3. Add to the milk 1 cup of white chocolate chips! Just keep stirring until they melt completely, I ended up turning the heat back on the lowest setting, just be really careful because both the milk and chips can burn easily!

4. Pour in the mug about 8oz of coffee (which in my mug was about 60% of the way full) and then stir in the milk mixture the rest of the way (40%). I know these aren't very "technical terms" but since the coffee was already made and not the strongest pot I wanted to make sure I had enough caffeine to fuel me through the first day of school for Riley!

5. Top with whipped cream and chocolate shavings! (Luckily I had an old chocolate bunny left over from Easter in the candy basket I've hidden from the kids!) There you have it! Matt said it tasted really good and he would now prefer this over Starbucks!

♥  Just because I can: Here is our little Riley on his first day of 1st Grade with his own cup of coffee! *Wishing you the best day Bear!!* ♥

Ingredients: 6 cups strong coffee, 2 cups milk, 1 cup white chocolate chips and whipped cream, chocolate shavings (optional)

Check out my other coffee drinks:

Coffee in a French Press 

Vanilla Latte!

Eggless Pancakes

Sometimes you just have to have what you want, when you want it. Thankfully, I found this website when I discovered I had no eggs to make pancakes with!! I've made these several times now and they are just to die for!

1. Hello little helpers!! (and hello new-birthday-present-tablet-from-hubby! Bought especially with recipe reading in mind!) In a large bowl mix 1 cup flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon sugar, and ¼ teaspoon cinnamon. 

2. Then add in 1 cup milk, 1 teaspoon veg. oil, 1 teaspoon water, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Mix until combined but not too much. And then let it sit for just a few minutes while you do step 3. 

3. In a non-stick pan melt 1 tablespoon of butter on medium heat (on my gas stove it was in-between a 6-7).

4. Pour the pancake mix into the butter and cook a couple minutes on each side. When you start to see little bubbles coming through its time to flip! After every 2 or 3 batches melt another tablespoon of butter.

They decorated their mini pancakes with yogurt raisins to be happy and sad faces! 

♥ I enjoyed mine with just butter and syrup! ♥

Crock Pot-ing Up Some Berry Cobbler!

Since my most latest crock pot attempts have been very successful I decided to take it to the next level with a dessert in the crock pot. I want to say berries are in season, because a couple weeks ago I got some on sale, but I actually don't really know. This recipe calls for frozen berries so we don't have to worry, those are always in season ;)

1. First we make the topping for the cobbler, I guess that's the cobbler of the berry cobbler. So for the cobbler, in a large bowl mix together 1 cup flour,  ¾ cup sugar, 1 teaspoon baking powder (which I forgot the second time I made this), ¼ teaspoon of salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.

2. In a separate smaller bowl combine 2 eggs, 3 tablespoons of oil and 2 tablespoons of milk. Don't mix it with the dry ingredients just yet. (I got a nice surprise of turning around and finding I had a little helper!)

3. In a pretty big pan you're going to add in the berries (about pretty big bag of frozen berries works great, anything more than 3 cups and you'll have a nice ratio of berries!), 1 cup of sugar, 1 cup of water and 3 tablespoons of quick-cooking tapioca. (When I was in the grocery store I really had no idea where the tapioca was located and I had to google it. It ended up being right by the pudding cups, Jello etc, which of course in retrospect makes so much sense!)

4. Just cook till boiling. While you wait, continue to step 5, its pretty quick, but you'll have time!

5. Now you can mix together your egg mixture with the flour mixture. Just mix enough so that they are combined but don't over mix. (Told you it was quick!)

6. Pour your boiled berries into the crock pot and scoop on top, the cobbler mix. Turn the crock-pot on high and cook for 1:45hrs-2hrs.

7. Here it is after 2hrs! So yummy! My house smelled amazing! I made this for my bible study and I think they really liked it!

Can you guess what I had for breakfast that morning? Yep, more Berry Cobbler.

Then I made more this past weekend! Mmm...but that was the batch without baking powder so we just ate all yummy berries underneath. My mother in law just went to Holland and brought back this Dutch pancake mix, so I made those and poured the berries over the top and with some homemade whipped cream. The whipped cream is so easy: 1 cup of heavy cream mix till soft peaks, 1 tablespoon confectioners sugar, and a teaspoon of vanilla extra, mix till it looks like whipped cream! So yummy! Whenever you order this in restaurants you don't get too many berries, so I loved having more berries than pancakes!

INGREDIENTS: 1 cup flour, 3/4 cup sugar plus 1 cup sugar, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon, chinnamon, 1 teaspoon nutmeg, 2 eggs, 3 tablespoons vegetable oil, 2 tablespoons milk, 1 big bag frozen berries, 1 cup water and 3 tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca     



Check out some other desserts I've made:
Lemon Tart & Tiramisu & Creme Brulee

Banana Bread

On a cold winter day what more could warm up your house and your spirits as a loaf of Banana Bread rising in the oven!? I never thought of making bread before, I always figured it was complex and required alot of special ingredients; plus a bread maker of course. This recipe, however, was so simple, I had all the ingredients already in my home except for the bananas!

1. In a large bowl add 2 cups flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, and ¼ teaspoon of salt. Preheat oven to 350°F

2. These little cuties are mini banana or Dominicos (the old guy in the super market pointed out to me). The normal size bananas were too ripe, and for banana bread "the nastier the better" says lady in comment 3 of this recipe.

3. I dont actually know how to mash up bananas, so being the resourceful gal that I am, I grabbed something with a flat bottom and started mashing away. It took about 2 mins till I had it mashed enough! Just press them against the sides of a really round bowl, works like a charm!

4. Mix with the mashed bananas 2 eggs (previously beaten).

4. In another small bowl, you can mix ¾ cup of brown sugar with ½ cup of butter.

5. My secret ingredients...The 3 musketeers! A splash of vanilla, a dash of nutmeg and two big sprinkles of cinnamon!

6. Mix the flour mix, with the banana mix, with the brown sugar mix. Just slowly incorporate everything so that the dry ingredients are wet. Over stirring will make it dry when you bake it.

7. In a lightly greased dish, more rectangle than square, pour in the batter. Pop it in the oven for about an hour. (I read in another comment its important in this recipe the position the oven racks when baking this. I followed the suggestion of a lady who placed it one slot lower than the middle rack position. Turned out great!) Just do the toothpick test for doneness. When the toothpick comes out clean, its done! Make sure to test different areas so you arent testing a banana! Heehee!

8. There you have it, fresh from the oven! Allow it to cool in the dish for about 10mins. I flipped mine upside down and it just fell right on out! If you manage to not eat it all the day you bake it, it goes great with a cup of coffee for breakfast!

♥ Happy New Year! A great way to start your day and something easy to bake that will brighten the day of many around you! ♥

Baked Pancakes

This recipe I saw on Queer Eye for the Straight Guy (aka...the only thing on at 6am when Siena gets up). Anyways, so by 7am when my son wakes up, he wants breakfast. I had seen this on a show and thought why not? It looked easy, which is all I needed to hear at those horrible early hours of the morning. Verdict? They LOVED it! Even Siena, who kinda throws thing on the after a couple, had two peices herself!

1. Add 1 tablespoon of butter to a cooking dish (I used a pie dish, because thats what he did in the show). Place to melt in the oven set to 475°F until it melts. Meanwhile...

2. Mix in a blender (yes, its that easy!) ¼ cup flour.

3. Then add to that, ¼ cups of milk.

4. Crack an egg and it drop it in there as well.

5. Finally add in ¼ a teaspoon of salt, and blend!

6. It should be nice and smooth.

7. Pour into baking dish with butter and cook for about 12mins.

8. Slice and serve! You can top with anything from syrup, strawberries, whatever you like on your pancakes!

♥

Carrot Cake

I saw this recipe and decided I was going tackle the challenge of making my own carrot cake. In my head it just doesnt get more complex then turning veggies into a delish dessert!

 For this recipe you will need 4 eggs, 1 1/4 cup of veg. oil, 2 cups sugar (I used half brown sug, half reg. sugar), 2 cups flour, 2 teaspoons baking soda, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 2 teaspoons cinnamon, 1 teaspoon nutmeg

1. In a BIG bowl, wisk up the 4 eggs and then add in the wet ingredients (eggs, oil, vanilla, and sugar, so it disolves). In a different bowl mix together dry ingredients (flour, baking soda/powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg) *Start preheating oven at 375°F, it'll need at least 30mins on preheat.*

2. Once you have your ingredients, pour them into the big bowl and mix them together.

3. Add into the big bowl, 3 cups of grated carrots (I cheated and just put them through the food processor...they brown on me by the time I got the pic due to a teething 9month old)

4. Once everything has had a good mixy-mixy put into a grease baking pan.

5. Put your cake-to-be in the oven and cook 40-50mins (Mine took longer, but I think my oven is cooler.) *Test with a toothpick, stick in center, that will be the last part to cook. Once toothpick comes out clean, your cake is done!*

6. Take cake out, let cool, frost/ice, ENJOY!

*This was my first carrot cake and I had alot of fun making it, even more people had fun eating it, turned out great!!*