Pina Colada Cake

by penji1
IMG_6767

Pina Colada Cake

Bob was having a team lunch at work last week and volunteered me to make dessert.  They were having sort of a tropical themed lunch so this Pina Colada Cake seemed like a good fit.  He texted me during the lunch and said that it was being devoured so I guess it was a win!

1 yellow cake mix plus ingredients to make cake

1 small box vanilla instant pudding mix plus ingredients to make pudding

1 (29 oz) can crushed pineapple, drained

1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened

1 (12 oz) tub Cool Whip, thawed

3 – 4 ounces flaked coconut, toasted

1  Prepare and bake cake according to package instructions for a 9 x 13″ cake.  Let cake cool completely.

2  Prepare pudding according to package directions.  Spread drained crushed pineapple over cake then spread pudding over pineapple.

3  Beat cream cheese until smooth with mixer then fold in whipped topping by hand until well incorporated.  Spread mixture over pudding.  Sprinkle with toasted coconut.

(To toast coconut, heat oven to 350, spread coconut on cookie sheet and bake for 10 – 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until light golden brown and fragrant.)

recipe adapted from All Recipes

Salted Caramel Mocha Bundt Cake

by penji1
FullSizeRender (18)

Salted Caramel Mocha Bundt Cake

Yup.  It was divine.  We are all totally into the Salted Caramel craze.  Love it.  Courtney and Jaren invited us over for dinner on Sunday and I offered to make dessert and Cort requested something salted caramely so this was the obvious choice.  Try it, I’m almost positive that you’ll like it.

cake

1 chocolate cake mix

1 (3.4 oz) chocolate pudding mix

1 cup sour cream

4 eggs

1/2 cup oil

1 cup coffee, cooled

1 cup mini chocolate chips

frosting/toppings

1/2 cup white candy melts or white chocolate chips

1/2 teaspoon shortening

1/2 cup caramel baking bits or unwrapped caramels

2 – 4 tablespoons heavy cream

1 1/2 tablespoons coarse ground sea salt, divided

1  Preheat oven to 350.  Spray a bundt cake pan with cooking spray for baking.

2  Combine all cake ingredients except chocolate chips in a mixing bowl and beat on low for 1 minute then on medium for 2 minutes.  Stir in chocolate chips.

3  Bake for 50 – 55 minutes.  Let cool in pan 15 minutes then turn out to serving platter to cool completely.

4  Melt white chocolate and shortening in microwave at 30 second intervals, stirring in between, until smooth.  Place in plastic sandwich  bag, snip corner off and drizzle over cake.

5  Melt caramels and cream over low heat, stirring, until melted and smooth.  Stir in 1 tablespoon of the salt.  Drizzle over cake then sprinkle with remaining salt.

recipe from Inside BruCrew Life

Glazed Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

by penji1
FullSizeRender (12)

Glazed Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

I made these for my cute friend Lindsey’s bridal shower last Saturday.  They turned out cute and delicious.

muffins

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup buttermilk

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened

1 tablespoon grated lemon zest

2 eggs

2 – 4 teaspoons poppy seeds

glaze

1 teaspoon melted butter

powdered sugar, as much as needed

4 teaspoons lemon juice

1  Preheat oven to 350.  Line muffin pans with paper liners.

2  Whisk first 4 dry ingredients together in a medium bowl.

3  Whisk sour cream, buttermilk and lemon juice together in a small bowl.

4  Beat sugar, butter and lemon zest on low until well combined.  Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.  Beat in dry ingredients in 3 additions alternating with sour cream mixture in 2 additions.  Mix just until blended.  Stir in poppy seeds and scoop into liners.

5  Bake until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 20 -22 minutes.  Cool in pans 5 minutes then remove to cool completely.

6  Mix together glaze ingredients to desired consistency and drizzle over cooled muffins.

Yield: 24 regular size muffins

recipe from Thibeault’s Table

Chocolate Nutella “Naked” Cake

by penji1
IMG_6674

Chocolate Nutella “Naked” Cake

This was my contribution to the youth cake/dessert auction at church, I wanted to buy it back myself.  I also made these Chocolate Strawberry Waffle Cakes.  I didn’t see the ending bids but my husband Bob said that my three items went for around $100 so that’s pretty good I guess.  I need to make this again so we can eat it!

cake:

1 recipe White Almond Sour Cream Cake adapted for chocolate

Nutella Buttercream Frosting:

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup Nutella

6 cups powdered sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla

4 – 6 tablespoons heavy cream

Garnish:

chocolate dipped strawberries, as many as will fit depending on the size of your strawberries

1  For the cake, make batter as instructed for the White Almond Sour Cream Cake recipe, adapting it for a chocolate cake and using vanilla for the flavoring.  Spray three 8 or 9″ round cake pans with cooking spray for baking.  Distribute batter evenly between pans and bake according to WASC recipe.  Let cool 10 minutes in pan then turn out to cooling racks to cool completely.

2  For the frosting, combine all ingredients in mixer bowl and beat with whisk attachment until well combined.

3  For the garnish, dip strawberries in melted chocolate candy melts (melt as per package instructions), place on sheet of wax paper and allow chocolate to set.

4  To assemble, make sure cake layers are level, slicing off tops if needed.  Place 1 layer upside down on serving platter and spread 1/3 of frosting over it spreading slightly over edges so that it will be visible between layers, repeat 2 more times, pressing down layers slightly so frosting will gush a bit between.  Top as desired with the chocolate dipped strawberries.

recipe adapted from Mini Baker

Baked Cream Cheese Spaghetti Casserole

by penji1
FullSizeRender (14)

Baked Cream Cheese Spaghetti Casserole

We had a Spaghetti Dinner and Cake/Dessert Auction at church to raise funds for the teenagers camps and activities and I ended up helping with the food, I’m sure you’re all shocked by this!  Someone had the great idea (I think it was Alisha) to do this baked spaghetti instead of just regular spaghetti and it was genius!  It was easier to prepare, not as messy to serve or eat and tasted better than regular spaghetti.

16 ounces spaghetti

1 pound ground beef

1 (28 oz) jar prepared spaghetti sauce

1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce

8 ounces cream cheese, softened and cubed

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1 clove garlic, minced or pressed

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

1  Preheat oven to 350.  Lightly grease a 9 x 13″ pan.

2  Cook spaghetti according to package directions.

3  While spaghetti is cooking, brown ground beef until cooked through, drain fat then stir in spaghetti sauce and tomato sauce.

4  Drain spaghetti.  In the pot that you just cooked the spaghetti in, add the cream cheese, Italian seasoning and garlic and stir until cream cheese is soft and starting to melt then add in spaghetti and stir until spaghetti is coated with the cream cheese.

5  Spread a thin layer of the meat sauce on the bottom of the pan then pour spaghetti over it and spread out in pan.  Top with remaining sauce and then the Parmesan.

6  Bake for 30 minutes or until bubbly.

recipe from Plain Chicken

Fondant Topper Cupcake Garden

by penji1
IMG_6656

Fondant Topper Cupcake Garden

We had a Spaghetti Dinner/Cake and Dessert Auction at church the other night to raise funds for the Young Women and Young Men’s camps and activities.  The older teenage girls referred to as the Laurels came over to my house a week and a half before and made all the fondant toppers for the cupcakes, here is a better look at those:

IMG_6658

Fondant Topped Cupcake Garden

They did such a great job, look how adorable those toppers turned out!  The day before the auction I baked the cupcakes using this Perfect Cupcake Recipe and then the day of, I built the garden.  I frosted the cupcakes with my favorite Buttercream Icing and then placed a fondant topper (which had been drying for about a week and a half) on to the icing, pressing gently to get the topper to stick.  One of my neighbors donated the box (thanks Tye!) which already had Styrofoam in it to boost the cupcakes up higher so I used my food processor to make crumbs out of some fake oreos and spread that over to make it look like dirt and then placed the cupcakes on top.  Lastly I cut out the letters on my Cricut and stuck them to the front of the box and ta da!  Cupcake Garden!

I don’t know how much it sold for because it was a silent auction but I know it helped raise some money and we had fun making it so win, win!

Crescent Layer Bars

by penji1
FullSizeRender (8)

Crescent Layer Bars

Yes, yum x 1,000!!  Made these beauties for the girls at church, they were devoured!  One of the best things about this recipe is that you can use whatever flavor of chips you want and whatever nuts you like best.

1 (8 oz) can refrigerated crescent dinner rolls

1 cup white chocolate chips

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1 cup sliced almonds

1 cup chopped pecans

1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk

1  Heat oven to 375.  Grease 9 x 13″ pan.

2  Unroll crescent dough into 2 rectangles.  Place dough in pan and press over bottom and up sides, making sure to press seams together as needed.  Bake 5 minutes.

3  Remove crust from oven.  Sprinkle with both chips and both nuts.  Drizzle with sweetened condensed milk.

4  Bake 20 – 25 more minutes until golden brown.  Cool 10 minutes then run knife around sides of pan.  Cool 1 hour then place in fridge for about 30 minutes until chocolate is set.

recipe from Pillsbury

Save

Cake Batter Blondies

by penji1
IMG_6584

Cake Batter Blondies

I made these for a friend last week.  I sneaked a bite before taking them over, they were really good but really sweet and seemed like a treat that kids would enjoy which is a good thing because she has a bunch of little humans at her house.

1 box yellow or white cake mix

1/4 cup oil

1 egg

1/3 cup milk

1/2 cup sprinkles

1/2 cup white chocolate chips

1  Preheat oven to 350.  Spray 9 x 13″ pan with cooking spray.

2  Combine cake mix, oil, egg and milk and mix until thick batter is formed.  Stir in sprinkles and chips.  Spread into prepared pan, scatter more sprinkles on top and bake for 25 – 30 minutes until edges are just turning brown.

3  Allow to cool 30 minutes before cutting.

recipe from Sally’s Baking Addiction

Slow Cooker Hulu Chicken

by penji1
IMG_6587

Slow Cooker Hulu Chicken

Dinner last night, tasted light and summery also it could not be any easier to make.

1 cup pineapple juice

1/3 cup soy sauce

1/2 cup ketchup

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

2 cloves fresh garlic, minced or pressed

2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs or breasts

1 (16 oz) can crushed or diced pineapple

1  In slow cooker, mix everything but chicken and crushed pineapple together then add chicken and top with crushed pineapple.

2  Cover and cook on low for 6 – 8 hours or on high for 4 – 6 hours.  Once chicken is cooked through, remove it and shred it with 2 forks or with the paddle attachment in your mixer.  Return chicken to slow cooker and stir into sauce.  Cook, uncovered, 25 – 30 minutes on high or until sauce is thickened.

recipe from Betty Crocker

Homemade Peanut Butter Dog Treats

by penji1
IMG_6555

Homemade Peanut Butter Dog Treats

I don’t know if I’ve mentioned it or not but we have a new puppy at our house, he is a Pembroke Corgi and his name is Finnegan but we call him Finn and I truly believe that he is the cutest puppy on the planet, see for yourself:

IMG_6058

Finnegan

Right?  So I decided to make him some homemade dog treats because who can resist those puppy eyes?  He loved them and I took some down to my neighbor Karin’s dog Rusty who wasn’t sure at first but then Karin texted saying that he loves them too.  So win, win!

2/3 cup pumpkin puree

1/4 cup peanut butter

2 eggs

2 1/2 – 3 cups flour

1  Preheat oven to 350.  Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.

2  Beat pumpkin, peanut butter and eggs until smooth then gradually add in flour until dough is no longer sticky.

3  Knead dough then roll out on lightly floured surface, about 1/4″ thick.  Cut into desired shapes and put on cookie sheets.

4  Bake 20 – 25 minutes or until just starting to brown.  Remove to racks and let cool.

(My husband tried one and said they weren’t bad!  Ha ha!)

recipe from Damn Delicious