The Perfect Spring Birthday Cake

It is Spring, at last! May brings out the windier side of the weather but this Orange Raspberry Cake will have you happy to be inside baking. I made this delicious cake for my sister's 23rd birthday and everybody seemed to adore it! It is light, fluffy, fresh tasting and decadent. What else could you want in a cake? It is made with only 2 tablespoons of oil and the majority of the moistness comes from orange juice (maybe we can get by by saying it's a little bit healthy). Try this recipe, and you will find yourself making it over and over, guaranteed!

Ingredients

Cake:

Butter, for greasing the pan

Flour, for dusting

• 1 (18.25-ounce) box white cake mix (recommended: Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe)
• 1 large orange, zested, about 1/4 cup
• 1 1/3 cups no pulp orange juice
• 3 egg whites
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Frosting:

• 1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/3 cup sour cream
• 1 pound powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup raspberry jam
• Water, as needed
• 1/4 cup raspberry jam
• 1 (6-ounce) container fresh raspberries

Directions
For the cake: Arrange an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour 2 nonstick, 8-inch round, baking pans. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with a whisk attachment, combine the cake mix and orange zest. Mix for 20 seconds at low speed until the zest is incorporated. Add the orange juice, egg whites, and vegetable oil. Blend at low speed for 30 seconds. Increase the speed to medium and beat for 2 minutes, scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl with a spatula, as needed. Divide the batter between the prepared pans and bake until golden and a cake tester inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean, about 30 to 32 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool the pans on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Turn the cakes out onto a wire rack and allow to cool completely, about 1 hour.

For the frosting: In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment, beat together the butter and sour cream at high speed until smooth, about 10 seconds. With the machine running at medium-low speed, gradually add the powdered sugar until incorporated. Add the raspberry jam and increase the speed to high. Beat until the frosting is smooth and spreadable, adding water, 1 teaspoon at a time, if needed.

To assemble the cake: Arrange 1 cake layer, flat side up, on a cake stand. Using a spatula, spread a thin layer of frosting on top leaving a 1/2-inch border. Spread 1/4 cup of raspberry jam on top of the frosting. Arrange the other cake layer on top. Using a spatula, frost the top and sides of the cake. Decorate with fresh raspberries. Cut the cake into wedges with a slightly wet knife and serve.

Store the cake in a plastic container in the refrigerator. Allow the refrigerated cake to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving.

Recipe adapted from Todd's Orange & Raspberry Cake

The Americanized Cinco De Mayo Treat

We all like churro's, am I right? What if they happen to be right around 70 calories? These will turn that like, into a love. This recipe is so simple (a little too easy) and so tasty. It doesn't need to be Cinco De Mayo for you to bake these up! I just happened to create this recipe on the perfect holiday.

Directions

I begin with these baby's. The popular American dinner biscuit.

Next, I roll them out individually and slice them in half long ways. You should end up having double the amount of biscuits originally.

Now is where the sweetness comes in. Take about 3 tablespoons of sugar and 2 tablespoons or cinnamon (or however sugary/cinnamon-y you like it) and put it on a long enough plate to fit the strips. Use a fork to mix together the sugar and cinnamon until well combined. (Should look similar to what brown sugar looks like). Take your strips and press them in the sugar on both sides, make sure they are well coated. On a buttered cookie sheet, twist the strips from both ends like a corkscrew. Press the ends down on to the cookie sheet for the churro to stay in place. Repeat this for all the strips of dough, but don't crowd the cookie sheet, remember they do puff up. Bake the churro's for 6-8 minutes at 400 degrees, or until golden brown. For even more taste, dip the churro's again in the cinnamon sugar right out of the oven.

Share them with your friends, and Enjoy! 

Side Note: For a more warm yummy taste, add Cinnamon Hot Cocoa Mix to the sugar/cinnamon combination to dip the churro's in!

You Can Go Banana's Over This

Yumm yumm yumm. Am I the only one who loves Banana Bread? Well if I am, after this recipe I won't be. Try this delicious recipe when you need to spice up your regular old breakfast routine. I made it for my sister when I left on vacation because she didn't get a Spring Break... sad day. I think the Banana Bread made up for it. Super delicious and moist and it makes an excellent treat or an on-the-go snack.

               Before                       After

Recipe

1 cup granulated sugar
1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
2 large eggs
3 ripe bananas
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt


Preparation
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Butter a 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf pan.
Cream the sugar and butter in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy.
Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.In a small bowl, mash the bananas with a fork. Mix in the milk and cinnamon. In another bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

Add the banana mixture to the creamed mixture and stir until combined. Add dry ingredients, mixing just until flour disappears.
Pour batter into prepared pan and bake 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. (mine ended up taking the full hour and ten minutes)
Set aside to cool on a rack for 15 minutes. Remove bread from pan, invert onto rack and cool completely before slicing. Enjoy!

P.S. To make it a dessert spread slices with honey or serve with ice cream! Yummy!

P.S.S. Find you have extra left over? Make Banana Bread French Toast one morning and have a guaranteed good day!
Recipe adapted from Banana Bread

Take the Ache, Out of Baking

Are you ever feeling in the mood for some delicious cupcakes, but don't feel like taking the time to make them from scratch? Here's your fix. Using a box of cake mix doesn't always have to be a dud. Spring has sprung and so have these cupcakes. Substitute buttermilk in for water and you can get that moist "melt in your mouth" cupcake that your neighbor spends all day making.

 

Strawberry Cupcakes with Lemon Buttercream Frosting 
1 box of Strawberry Cake Mix (I used Pillsbury Moist Supreme)
1 cup Buttermilk
1/3 cup oil
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups unsalted butter (room temperature)
4 cups confectioners sugar
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon lemon zest


Preparation
In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, buttermilk, eggs and oil. Beat on low speed just until moistened. Beat on high for 2 minutes. Fill paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full. Bake at 350° for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes in tins then transfer cupcakes to wire racks to cool completely.

In a medium bowl beat butter until pale and creamy. Add confectioners sugar 1/2 cup at a time. Add lemon juice and lemon zest. Beat until smooth.

When cupcakes are cooled, frost with the Lemon Buttercream Frosting. To add character, decorate with a sliced strawberry on top. And always don't forget to Enjoy!

Bring the Chill of Childhood Back

Homemade Peppermint Patties / James Mints

So these are what I like to call James Mints. The story is that basically they are peppermint patties but they reminded me of junior mints and my older brother is James Junior in our family, so I thought why not call them James Mints. Cleverly personalized.

  

Also, I made these for my sister's bridal shower a couple weeks ago and let me tell you, they were a hit! Whether it's winter where you are from and you want that rush of the peppermint, or you just like the candied taste of peppermint patties.. enjoy these anytime of the year. Even pairing with a glass of hot chocolate would settle your taste buds.

Recipe

4 cups confectioners sugar, plus more for dusting

1 tbsp of lemon juice

1 egg white

1/2 tsp peppermint extract

2 1/2 cups of chocolate (best you can find)

Preparation

-In a bowl beat the egg white with the lemon juice until it starts to foam, add the peppermint, sift in the confectioners sugar and combine. Once the mixture gets tough, bring together with your hands and knead it a little on a surface dusted with icing sugar. You can roll out the dough and cut little rounds with a cookie cutter or you can shape by hand by rolling into a little ball placing it on a lined and dusted tray and pressing down with a fork and leave them to dry out for about 2-5 hours. 

(If you want to make them like little junior mints, take little pieces of the dough and roll into balls a little smaller then a grape and let them dry out about 2 hours)

-In a double boiler melt the chopped up chocolate. Dunk and cover each patty in the chocolate and let set on a lined baking sheet to dry.

If you don't like the taste of peppermint try adding another extract. Almond, or vanilla bean by chance? Or even make it festive by adding a little food coloring when the lemon juice is added!

recipe adapted from butterflyfood

Life Is Too Short to Eat Bad Chocolate.

Say "mmm" to Dark Chocolate

 

Personally, I am not a fan of milk chocolate. Dark chocolate just has so much more of a classier taste to me, and a bite which my mouth waters over. This is the perfect recipe when you are thinking "I want something chocolate". But be careful... you don't want to end up snacking on the whole batch!

Dark Chocolate Cookies
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups of dark chocolate pieces (I use 72% Cacao Dark Chocolate from Trader Joe's)


Preparation
Preheat oven to 375°F. 
Whisk together flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.
Cream together butter and sugar with an electric mixer until appears pale, then beat in eggs and vanilla until well combined. Add flour mixture in 2 batches and mix just until combined. Finally break up the chocolate in chunks and stir in the pieces. If dough is too soft, chill in the refrigerator a couple hours before baking.
Use a small ice cream scoop and scoop dough onto greased baking sheets. Let cook until puffy and set, but still soft... about 10-12 minutes. Transfer cookies to a cooling rack and Enjoy!