Last weekend I made some yummy Cake Truffles courtesy of Milk Bar Bakery. They came in such a cute box that I had to try em out...plus confetti cake, need I say more?! The box included the cake mix, chocolate coating and crumb coating. These were much like cake pops, minus the stick.
Making the cake was first, which was yummy he he! Funfetti will always be king but you can't really go wrong with any kind of confetti/birthday style cake. Then toasting the crumb coating and melting the white chocolate coating.
After the cake cooled the real fun began and I got to brake up the cake by hand and form them into balls, then roll it in the chocolate and crumb coating. I added each cake ball to a baking sheet to harden.
Each little ball looked so delicious...it was honestly hard not to just inhale them. I kept telling myself that they were to share!
And I did..share them that is. I took some to work too. These Confetti Cake Truffles were such a nice treat. Perfect combo of crumbly, chewy, sweet and savory. The Milk Bar site actually includes lots of recipes and instructions.
Check them out!
http://milkbarstore.com/main/party-cakes/
Thanks Milk Bar, my taste-buds and friends thank you.
One of my favorite creations...mixing my love of sweet bread and molten chocolate lava cake. Honestly I was missing New Orleans and bread pudding seemed like the cure, then I remembered that we were visiting my aunt and uncle! Perfect timing. There was no way that we could eat it all on our own and it was too special not to share.
To start I set the oven to 325 and buttered a 13 x 9 inch pan. Next I whipped up the 6 eggs and set aside and sifted the cocoa powder into a bowl. Then I proceeded to cut up my Brioche bread into about 1 inch pieces and placed them onto a baking sheet to toast for about 10 mins (turning them halfway through). This added more structure to the bread, which would soon be drowning in chocolate goodness. Once golden brown I set them aside to cool and poured the pieces into the buttered pan.
I put the chocolate pieces into a bowl and then brought the milk, cream, sugar and salt to a boil in a large pot. After stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar I removed it from the heat and added in the vanilla. Then I held my breath and watched Craig pour it over the chocolate chips. The chips quickly began melting under the warmth. I let the mixture sit for about 5 mins then it was time to whisk to perfection. Slowly the milk turned into a rich hot chocolate. Next I took a 1/2 cup to whisk into the cocoa powder, added another 1/2 cup and then mixed in the eggs. The chocolate was getting big by that point so I transferred it to a larger bowl and added in the rest of the chocolate! Next step, pouring all but 1 cup over the bread. After this step you have to wait....
The last time I made bread pudding it was good but it didn't quite turn out how it was supposed to. This time, I really took the extra time to let it sit and soak. That made such a difference. I checked on the bread every 15 mins or so and pushed the pieces down and added in the extra chocolate mix to fully saturate the dish.
Craig and I headed over the 17 to my aunt's house in Fremont to finish the dish. Bread pudding can take awhile and the car trip added some extra soaking time! With their oven at 350 I covered the dish with tinfoil and set it in a large baking dish with about an inch of water. After baking for 45 mins I removed the foil and let the pudding bake for another 25 mins (until it starts to puff in the middle).
As the pudding cooled I quickly started the caramel sauce. I combined the sugar and water in a saucepan, heating until the sugar liquefied. I continued to cook until the sugar turned a medium amber color. Turned off the heat and then added the milk, softened butter, Bourbon and salt. Mixed to perfection!
I don't think delicious is a strong enough work to accurately describe this chocolate bread pudding....scrumptious AF maybe. I don't even know if there is a word. The sauce was such an indulgent touch. Not too sweet and with a hint of rich bourbon flavor. I'm so happy I got to share this dish with family! So worth the wait!One of the best parts is that it saves well. I warmed up a scoop this evening, and some chilled bourbon sauce and my mouth almost wasn't prepared for it! So good and satisfying! My mouth already misses it!
Tucked into a busy corner in the heart of LA lies Little Damage. An adorably catchy soft serve ice cream shop, that i'm sure you've heard of.
They popped up all over Facebook with awesome charcoal black ice-cream cones and equally colorful ice creams! It was all I had ever wanted in life, ice cream cones...yes as black as my soul. They looked so yummy! It took forever but Craig and I actually planned a SoCal trip, so I made sure Little Damage was our first stop in LA!
First impression...SO CUTE! And they decorated for Halloween! These were my people! A few neon signs hung in the shop and they even have a photo-booth to commemorate your visit, completely free too.
We tried a few of their flavors and I had already made up my mind to try the black ice cream...but then I tasted the Unicorn Tears. Sweet mother of god! Perfection! I can't pass up anything cake batter. I even got to choose some sprinkles to add to the unicorn magic! The black ice cream was yummy too, kind of an icy berry. Next time we are in LA I'll have to get a scoop. Craig went for the Smore Taco which looked amazing. He ate it so fast I didn't even get to try LOL!
I reluctantly left the sweet smelling shop but I did have a huge black ice cream cone filled with blue unicorn tears and two googly eyes. Little Damage, thank you...you have my heart!
If you are ever in LA, check them out. Little Damage is family owned and rotate their flavors seasonally and add in some creative creations. So you never know what you will find!
So I am in complete love with these Dark Chocolate Cardamom Cookies from Sakara! LOVE! I didn't even know I liked cardamom. Such a great treat...not too sweet, not too savory. Perfect! They are so yummy but a bit too pricey to order all the time :(
A week or two after my last cookie had been eaten I started craving the spice and nutty almond butter of the Sakara cookies. I had to have more, so I decided to try making my own. The main ingredients call for almond flower, almond butter, cardamom and honey. While these still have sugar in them, it was nice not adding in a stick of butter, sugar and a few eggs. Also, you add in chopped dark chocolate. I have never been a huge dark chocolate fan, it can be so bitter, but these cookies turned me around! Such a good combo!
For this mix you have to let it chill out in the fridge over night but that didn't stop me from eating some of the dough he he!
After rolling out little dough balls onto my cookie sheet and giving them a quick bake, they were ready! So delicious and just like the Sakara ones. They look a little different but it's probably how I molded each one...a little too smooth/round.
Tip: Definitely use a paddle mixer instead of a whisk. The dough became thicker with each ingredient and wasn't the easiest to mold. Plus I added in dark chocolate chips but will chop up the chocolate a bit more when I make them again. That's right, again, again and again ha ha!
Or I may add the Sakara ones to a Clean order as a special treat. See the link below for the Sakara Clean Boutique. Such great products! I would recommend the beauty and detox waters as well!
To celebrate a bit of spring showing through all of the rain, I made bunny shaped vanilla sugar cookies. My sister-in-law gave me this little kit for Christmas! It came with mix, marshmallows and a cookie cutter.
I simply added an egg and some butter, mixed until the it turned to dough. I covered it in saran-wrap and put the dough in the fridge for about an hour.
I preheated the oven to 350 and began rolling out my dough on a cookie sheet using plenty of flour. I cut out little bunnies and arranged them on the tray to bake for about 10 mins. *check on them to make sure they are a little brown on the edges but be careful not to leave them in for too long. A couple of my bunnies didn't make it...they were cut a bit too thin LOL! For added awesomeness I sprinkled a few of the bunnies! I do love my sprinkles!
After baked and still warm, add the marshmallows for little cute bunny tails. Voila! Vanilla Sugar Cookies ready to serve. Super adorable and tasty!
I thought that Craig might like them with some chocolate so I melted a half cup of dark chocolate chips and drizzled them on top. He was thrilled he he! Thank you Amy for this wonderful gift, perfect for a Cake Bunny!
Bread pudding has always been yummy but my true love for it bloomed while we were in New Orleans. For our anniversary date we went to the Commanders Palace which in it's own right was magical and had their famous bread pudding for dessert. Every bite was a piece of heaven!
I found an older cook book for the Palace and decided to try their bread pudding recipe. For an amateur baker I believe it turned out rather well but there were a few little problems. Which is why I say that this is my first attempt! Even though I really don't need more delicious pudding around the house. I have absolutely no control when it comes to desserts...I can not be trusted! he he
Pudding Ingredients:
1 cup Sugar
8 tablespoons Butter; softened
5 Egg; beaten
1 pint Heavy cream
1 dash Cinnamon
1 tablespoon Vanilla extract
¼ cup Raisins
12 slices French bread, fresh or stale; 1" thick
Rum Sauce:
1 cup Sugar
2¼ cup Water
1 Cinnamon stick; OR 1 teaspoon Cinnamon, ground
1 tablespoon Butter, sweet
½ teaspoon Cornstarch
1 tablespoon Rum, light or dark
To start I cut up my bread into 12 slices and preheated my oven to 350.
Then started on the mixture, adding the sugar and butter first then the eggs (beaten), cream, raisins, cinnamon and vanilla.
In a small pan I added the mixture and placed the bread pieces over the top. I let them soak for 5 mins then flipped them over for another 5 to 10 mins. After the bread has hopefully soaked up a lot of the pudding mixture, push them to the bottom of the pan.
Place the pan in a larger one with about a few inches of water. Cover the pan with tinfoil and place in the oven.
Cook for 35 mins and then remove the tinfoil and cook for an additional 10 mins.
I think this might have been where I went wrong, I may have not cooked the pudding long enough. It was still a bit soupy. I tried to cook it for a bit longer and it got a little firmer.
While the dish cooked I made the rum sauce! In a pot I stirred together the sugar, water (2 cups), ground cinnamon and butter, bringing it to a boil. Then added the remaining water and cornstarch, switching to a simmer and stirring. The sauce is supposed to become clear but I couldn't get it that close. Either way it was yummy! Once "clear" I removed the pot from the heat and added the rum. I spooned out some of the bread pudding into a bowl and added the rum sauce....what resulted after that moment can only be described as pure satisfaction...the look of contentment and joy washed over our faces as we consumed bite after bite. This bread pudding was warm, sweet and hearty. Even though it was not quite Commanders status it was no less scrumptious. I will definitely be giving this a second try!!!
This year I wanted to make something truly delicious for my family and had seen a recipe for Hummingbird Cake on MyRecipes. Turns out that this is a really popular cake and it seemed so interesting that I wanted to taste it for myself. I didn't do a play-by-play for you...I thought about it but for once it was nice to really focus on making the cake. It was just me and my mixer! The recipe included some different ingredients like bananas and pineapple...which I had never thought about adding to cake batter.
As I suspected it was the most delicious, mouthwatering, sweet and savory, home-made cake I have ever had! It smelled like banana-nut bread and tasted like a dream...a carrot cake/banana-nut bread hybrid of pure yum! The cream cheese frosting paired well, giving it a little extra sweetness. The pineapple was not overwhelming either and the pecan...OMG the pecans! I had to literally stop myself from consuming the whole thing. Here is the recipe from MyRecipes.com and their link!
Ingredients/Directions:
3 cupsall-purpose flour
2 cups of sugar
1 teaspoonsalt
1 teaspoonbaking soda
1 teaspoonground cinnamon
3 large eggs, beaten
11/2 cupsvegetable oil
1 1/2 teaspoonsvanilla extract
1 (8-ounce) can crushed pineapple, undrained
2 cupschopped bananas
1 cupchopped pecans
Shortening
Cream Cheese Frosting
1/2 cupchopped pecans
Preheat oven to 350°. Whisk together flour and next 4 ingredients in a large bowl; add eggs and oil, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened. Stir in vanilla, pineapple, bananas, and 1 cup chopped toasted pecans. Spoon batter into 3 well-greased (with shortening) and floured 9-inch round cake pans.Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes our clean.
Cool cake layers in pans on wire racks 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks, and cool completely (about 1 hour).
Place 1 cake layer on a serving platter. Spread 1 cup Cream Cheese Frosting over cake layer. Top with second layer, and spread 1 cup frosting over cake layer. Top with third cake layer, and spread top and sides of cake with remaining frosting. Arrange toasted pecan halves in a circular pattern over top of cake.
I was missin True Blood somethin awful, plus I just got my new "Cake" dress in the mail so I thought how perfect!! Check out the link below to Amourdress. Now let's make a delicious cake to celebrate!
In the True Blood Eats Drinks and Bites Cookbook there is a recipe for an awesome vanilla cake with lemon filling...OMG it was just begging to be made! This is the cake that Maryann, Karl and Eggs surprise Tara with for her birthday! Now I have never really made a cake from scratch...so it was a long process but completely worth it.
To start I made the lemon filling by combining the sugar, cornstarch and salt in a medium pan. I gradually stirred, bringing it to a boil over medium heat. After about a minute I removed the pan and stirred in the butter and lemon zest and gradually whisked in the lemon juice. Then set it aside to cool. I found that one good sized lemon made just enough juice and zest! After it had cooled I had a small taste and it was just like a lemon square...one of my favorite desserts!
Quickly I made the berry topping by slicing up strawberries and raspberries and sprinkling them with sugar. For the cake mix, I first preheated the oven to 350 degrees and greased/flowered two round pans.
In my large mixing bowl I blended the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt then slowly added in the shortening, 2/3 cup of milk and vanilla.
After mixing for about 2 minutes I added the remaining 1/3 cup of milk and the egg whites. Making sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl I mixed for a few more minutes and then the batter was ready to go into the pans! Jack was so interested but don't worry I didn't let him have any he he!
After pouring in the batter and placing the pans in the oven (for 30 mins) I started on the frosting.
First I beat the egg whites until they formed soft peaks, then in a pan I heated up the sugar, corn syrup and water bringing it to a boil. Using a thermometer I made sure the mixture reached 242 degrees. Once it was ready I slowly poured it into the egg whites while the mixer was running. I kept mixing until the frosting held stiff peaks, then added in the vanilla! This frosting was probably the most difficult task in making this cake...we had some trouble with the sugar hardening but that's what this is for, to learn! I think I might have to try it again sometime he he.
After the cakes were done baking and had cooled I took one layer, flipped it, and spread the lemon filling on, almost to the outer edge. I placed the second layer, right-side up, on top of the filling. I took the frosting and started with the sides of the cake and moved to the top, evenly covering the cake. Once the frosting was on I added the yummy berries, letting their juices flow down the sides of the cake.
The frosting was a bit melty he he! but it tasted so good! The cake itself was hardy and rich and definitely tasted home-made. The lemon filling was really tasty...the bit of tart helped to cut the sugary frosting, complimenting it. Absolutely the most perfect birthday cake...very much a good old-fashioned strawberry shortcake! I had to make myself stop eating it he he! SO GOOD!
