Banana Cake Scratch Made

Extremely light and moist, this banana cake rocks!
I topped it with a chocolate glaze.

2 large ripe bananas (1 cup)
1/2 cup sour cream
2 large eggs
2 tsp grated lemon zest
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups sifted cake flour
3/4 cup + 2tbsp sugar
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
10 tbsp unsalted butter

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

1. In a food processor process the banana and sour cream until smooth. Add the eggs, lemon zest and vanilla and process until blended. I used a regular hand mixer, it worked the same.

2. In a large mixing bowl, combine all dry ingredients and blend or sift together. Add the butter and 1/2 the banana mixture. Mix on low speed until all the dry ingredients are moistened. Increase speed and beat for 1 1/2 minutes to develop the cake's structure. If using a hand mixer use the highest speed.

3. Scrape down the sides. Gradually add the remaining banana mixture in 2 batches, beating for 20 seconds after each addition to incorporate the ingredients and develop the structure.

4. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes depending on your oven or until the tester inseted comes out clean.

5. Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Remove and allow to completely cool. Enjoy!


Chocolate Glaze:

1/2 cup water
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
1/2 cup Hershey's Cocoa
3 cups confectioners sugar
2 tsp vanilla

1. Bring 1/2 cup of water and 1/4 cup of butter to a boil in a saucepan.
2. Stir in 1/2 cup cocoa. Remove from heat and slightly cool. Graudually add 3 cups confectioners sugar. Stir with wire whisk until smooth.
3. Stir in 2 tsp of vanilla extract.

Makes about 1 1/2 cup glaze.

The Ultimate Chocolate Cake Gone Wrong

Valentine's Day and the V-Day weekend means chocolate chocolate chocolate! So here's my rendition of every ones favorite chocolate cake with The Ultimate Chocolate Cake. Using a ready made cake mix from the box is always quicker and easier, but sometimes we would like to try baking desserts from scratch with equally the same quickness and ease. This chocolate cake took no special ingredients nor did it take hours in the kitchen. However for a finer quality cake, you can buy gourmet chocolate powder from brands such as Guittard, Callebaut or Scharffen Berger.

Heres what to do and not to do. The only difficulty I had was forgetting the baking soda, and in doing so; as you can see the cake did not rise as it should nor was it light and fluffy. It was more dense. Using baking soda, requires acidic ingredient in order to work properly and to avoid an alkaline flavor in the cake. The acidic ingredient can be natural cocoa (which is Not Dutch-processed and is lighter in color), orange juice, lemon juice or sour cream. And that is why some chocolate recipes ask for Buttermilk. In making this mistake, I learned what ingredients to use when making a chocolate cake. Chocolate cakes can be made with cocoa if your wondering, but also a combination of chocolate and cocoa may produce better results.

2 cups boiling water or (1 cup boiling water & 1 cup buttermilk)
1 cup unsweetened Hersey cocoa powder (not Dutch-processed)
2 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour or (2 1/2 cups of cake flour)
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 1/4 cups of white sugar
4 eggs
1 cup of butter, softened or ( 1 cup of vegetable oil)
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Pour boiling water over cocoa powder, whisk until smooth and let cool. Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt; set aside.
2. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in one egg at a time, then stir in vanilla.
3. Add flour mixture alternately with cocoa mixture. Spread batter evenly between 3 prepared pans.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until inserted toothpick in the center comes out clean. Let cool completely before frosting.
Chocolate Buttercream:
1/2 cup solid vegetable shortening
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
3/4 cup cocoa or three 1 0z unsweetened chocolate squares
1 tsp clear vanilla extract
4 cups of sifted confectioners sugar
3-4 tbsp milk
(Makes about 3 cups of icing)

1. Cream butter and shortening together with an electric mixer. Add vanilla and cocoa. Gradually add sugar, one cup at a time beating well on medium speed and add milk one tablespoon at a time until light and fluffy. For a thin consistency add 3-4 more tbsp of milk, water or light corn syrup. Cover with a damp cloth until ready to use. Re-whip before using.
Refrigerate in an airtight container. Icing can be stored for up to 2 weeks.

Halloween Graveyard Cake (Easy)

This is an easy cake to make for Halloween and fun to do it with your kids. You can find this recipe at:
Halloween Graveyard Cake From Cooksrecipes

Candy Corn Cookies From Betty Crocker

Along with the Spooky Brownies, I also found this recipe on Betty Crocker, and I think its super cute but might be a little difficult then the brownies. But if you are interested in trying these cute cookies that will definitely be an attention getter, you can find the recipe at:
Candy Corn Cookies From Betty Crocker

Spooky Halloween Betty Crocker Brownies

As I was surfing the web for Halloween/Fall theme recipes, I found a few recipes on BettyCrocker.com that I thought would be great for anyone to do, and if your on a budget. This is an easy easy recipe, you can make for your Halloween party or kids. I love brownies and I think it is an easy and decorative project for anyone who may feel that you have to go to pastry school to produce decorative desserts.
Spooky Brownies From Betty Crocker

Review 1: The Cake Bible

The Cake Bible is the ultimate book for beginners to experts. In great detail, this bible explains everything you would need to know from frosting's, custards, fillings, sauces, mouses, fruit toppings and purees to a variety of cakes and tortes. Here you can find the base of a cake recipe and add your own twist. I love buttercream frosting, and the cake bible gives you a few classic buttercream base recipes and then gives you alternatives to add to the recipe. For example, you have now finished mixing your vanilla buttercream frosting, but then you decided you would like to make it chocolate or make a raspberry buttercream, this book gives you the ingredients needed to add to your already existing base. I have had my book for a few years now, it was my mothers cookbook and now here I am the proud owner of, "The Cake Bible". This is definitely something you can pass on to your kids. Even though it does not carry much pictures, it is a straight forward book that gets right down to baking. Attempting to bake for 50 to 100 people, don't be scared because the cake bible is here, and gives you cake recipes in quantities for almost any amount. If your an everyday dessert seeker like me, you can purchase the cake bible at My Amazon Shopping List where my mom got hers and also I created a little store where you can find almost all baking products needed to create jumbo cupcakes, lemon cake mix cookies, and more.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars 1

My friends love Chocolate chip cookies, almost every week I must have cookies made for them. So this week was the week for me to make some and I just got tired of the same old cookies. What I decided to do was make the same recipe but make them into bars, less work and taste more like a cake cookie bar so to speak. Now this recipe is the base for an original chocolate chip cookie, however if you love cherries (as much as I do), pecans, walnuts, semi-sweet chocolate, milk chocolate, and oatmeal you can add these items and anything else you love, which will make such a nice soft bar.. But don't forget the chocolate chips, its the base of the recipe. This is only one bar recipe out of many, as they say, "The Skies The Limit".

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 cup Hershey's Milk Chocolate Chips
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)
1/2 cup roughly chopped cherries (optional)
1/4-1/2 cup instant oatmeal (optional)
1. Preheat oven to 375F

2. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla in a large bowl, until creamy. Then add eggs, mix well. Stir together flour, baking soda, and salt; gradually add to the creamed mixture, mixing until well blended. Stir in chocolate chips, saving 1/4 cup and stir in optional items, saving a few handfuls, if desire.
3. In a squared 8" pan or larger, spread the dough evenly throughout the pan, then sprinkle the rest of the chocolate chips over the top and the few handfuls of optional items over the top as well.
4. Bake for about 25-40 minutes at 375F, it depends on your oven. Usually I check them at 25 minutes and leave them to brown for 10 to 15 minutes.
5. Let cool and Enjoy!

Hazelnut-Chocolate Chip cookies

Ok, so I found this recipe on Epicurious.com.. as I said on Sunday, I was interested in making either brownies or oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. So I decided to make these Hazelnut Chocolate chip cookies that I found and I think the hazelnut added a great taste to ordinary chocolate chip cookies. Even though I make several not so healthy desserts, I do try to shop at Whole Foods, and purchase all my ingredients from them, then everything I bake is organic.

This recipe is great, and it was a hit at my little get together the other night.

1 1/2 all-purpose flour

3/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temp

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup creamy hazelnut butter

1/2 cup light brown sugar (packed)

1 large egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups semi sweet mini chocolate chips

1. Sift together flour,baking soda, baking powder and salt 2. Beat both butters and both sugars in a large bowl until light and fluffy, then beat in egg and vanilla. 3. Beat in the flour mixture and stir in the mini chocolate chips 4. Refrigerate dough for about 2 hours 5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, line or grease 2 baking sheets. 6. You can use a tbsp or small ice cream scoop, arranging scoops of the dough 1-inch apart, and bake cookies one sheet at a time for about 12 minutes. Let cool and enjoy.

Luxurious Chocolate Cherry Cheesecake

2 Cream Cheese pkgs (8 oz.)
Sour Cream (16 oz.)
1 Cup Sugar
2 Eggs
3/4 Graham Cracker Crumbs
1/3 Chopped Walnuts or Pecans (optional)
1 Cup of Cherries (dried)
1 Teaspoon of Mint Extract (optional)
2 Tbsps of Flour
3 Tbsps of Butter (melted)
3 Tbsps of Sugar
Chocolate Fudge cake mix (plus required ingredients)

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line two deep pans with foil or parchment paper, with ends extended over pans.
2. Mix graham crumbs, 3 tbsps of sugar, and 3 tbsps of butter well.
3. Pack firmly into the bottom of pans and bake for about 10 minutes.
4. Cream cream cheese and sour cream, then add 1 cup of sugar and eggs. Then add flour, mint extract, walnuts or pecans, cherries and blend well.
5. Mix together the chocolate cake mix and its ingredients, then pour half (or even less then half)of the cake mix into one of the pans, and the other half in the other pan, (which has the baked graham crumbs). Eye ball it, because the chocolate cake has a tendency to run over.
6. Pour the cheesecake batter over the chocolate fudge cake batter of both pans.
7. Bake for 1 to an hour and a half, until center is set. Cool completely, lift cheesecake out with foil or parchment handles and serve.

* Not recommended for people on diets!

This was a very rich chocolate-cheesecake I created for Christmas and it was wonderful. You get the best of both worlds, its like ice cream and cake. Prep time might be an hour, but give it a try and enjoy.

Chocolate Almond Biscotti Recipe

1 Cup of Almonds
3/4 Cup of Gramulated Sugar
3 Large Eggs
1 Teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
2 Cups All-Purpose Flour
1/2 Teaspoon of Almond Extract
1 Cup Bittersweet Chocolate
1/2 Teaspoon Cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Whisk eggs and vanilla extract together, then set aside.
3. Beat flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon until combined.
4. Gradually add the egg mixture, chocolate, and almonds, then beat until a dough forms.
5. With floured hands and surface, divide dough in half.
6. Roll each dough into a log.
7. Transfer logs to a lined baking sheet.
8. Bake for 35-40 minutes, let cool and enjoy.

Breakfast with Sophie!

My mom was a nurse, and she took care of a sweet but tough little old lady name sophie. Her name may sound soft, but she was far from it. But, from time to time I would visit and help out. My real interest in baking came from visiting sophie, (because I was more of a cook since I was 10 years old, rather then baking).

I got the idea that it would be nice to bake something for her.. she loved sweets and trying new things. So I first began with breakfast, where I baked Almond stuffed Pastry Pretzels. It was in the shape of a pretzel and lightly stuffed with a mixture of sugar, almonds, and almond paste. As they were baking the house filled with a sweet aroma, and she could not wait. She enjoyed it, for the next couple of mornings.

Then I made semi sweet cinnamon buns, with her heath in mind and for christmas I made cookies. Sophie really enjoyed the treats, and she wanted to help so bad sometimes. It was more of a treat to see her face when she started to smell different things baking.