Cream Cheese Pound Cake

I can’t believe it’s Memorial Day weekend already! All of the months tend to fly by these days, but this month went especially quickly. And now, it’s officially time to kick off the holiday cookout season!

This pound cake is something that I will most definitely be making for several cookouts this summer, and I highly recommend that you bake it for your celebrations this weekend. It’s probably one of my new favorite desserts...ever. It’s made with pantry staples, so it won’t require you to purchase any special ingredients, and you can customize it in tons of different ways. The first day, we topped it with macerated strawberries and whipped cream. The second day, I made a simple chocolate sauce, which we poured over our slices and topped with vanilla ice cream (and yes, that was as phenomenal as it sounds). The cake itself has a slightly tangy flavor from the cream cheese and is dense and moist. I love the flavor that the almond extract provides. Just like the toppings, the cake itself can be customized (with the additions of citrus zest, fresh fruit, chocolate, etc.) – but I think it’s simply perfect, just as it is.

Cream Cheese Pound Cake

from Smitten Kitchen

1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) butter at room temperature

1 8-ounce package cream cheese at room temperature

3 cups sugar

6 large eggs

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Butter and flour a 12-cup bundt pan (or spray with cooking spray).

2. Place the butter and cream cheese in a large bowl and beat with a mixer on medium speed until smooth. Add the sugar, increase the speed to high, and beat until light and airy, at least five minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Add the vanilla and almond extracts, then the flour and salt all at once. Beat just until incorporated.

3. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and shake lightly to even out the top. Bake until the cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean, 1 1/4 hours.

4. Place the pan on a cake rack and cool for 20 minutes, then remove the cake from the pan and let it cool completely. Serve at room temperature.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Pudding Cake

This is one of those really, really dangerous desserts. Like, really dangerous. Like, This dessert is so rich that eating one piece is plenty but I think I'll go ahead and have three more dangerous. It's basically a giant chocolate chip cookie, layered with pudding, sweetened cream cheese, and whipped cream. And a sprinkling of chocolate chips. So, basically, it's heaven in five layers.

I would suggest making this immediately, like this weekend, but just be sure you have a large group of people to share it with. If not, it will probably be hard for you to resist eating it all yourself...and don't say I didn't warn you.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Pudding Cake

as seen on Stephanie Cooks

1 16.5-ounce tube  refrigerated chocolate chip cookie dough

1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened

1 cup confectioners' sugar

1 12-ounce carton frozen whipped topping, thawed, divided

3 cups cold 2% milk

1 3.9-ounce package instant chocolate pudding mix

1 3.4-ounce package instant vanilla pudding mix

Chocolate chips

1. Let cookie dough stand at room temperature for 5 minutes to soften. Press into an ungreased 13- x 9-inch baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 14-16 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely on a wire rack.

2. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and confectioners' sugar until smooth. Fold in 1 3/4 cups whipped topping. Spread over crust.

3. In a large bowl, whisk milk and pudding mixes for 2 minutes. Spread over cream cheese layer. Top with remaining whipped topping and chocolate chips.

4. Allow to sit in the fridge overnight or at least 8 hours.

Cookies and Cream Layer Cake

Exactly one month ago today, my sweet littlest love, William, turned three years old. It's such a cliche, I know, but I seriously have no idea how the time passed by so quickly. It seems like yesterday Will was just a sweet little bundle of baby, and now he's rapidly becoming a little boy. A charming, beautiful, amazing, very loving and very loved little boy.

In our house, we don't do giant parties, but we always have a small family party for the boys' birthdays. For Will's cake this year, I knew pretty much immediately that I wanted to do something with Oreos. The boy is an Oreo fiend, and he comes by that trait naturally. I kept the cake itself pretty simple and made it special with cookie crumbs and a wax paper "3." I loved how this turned out, both in taste and in looks; the cake was so moist, and the frosting was so creamy and sweet. 

And, most importantly, the birthday boy was very, very happy with his cake.

Cookies and Cream Layer Cake

cake adapted from Taste of Home; frosting is my recipe

For the cake:

1 package white cake mix

1 1/4 cups water

1/3 cup canola or vegetable oil

3 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 cups coarsely-chopped Oreos

For the frosting:

1/2 cup butter (1 stick), softened

1 8-ounce package cream cheese

1 teaspoon vanilla

4 cups confectioners' sugar

1/2 cup whipped topping

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, water, oil, eggs and vanilla; beat on low speed for 30 seconds. Beat on high for 2 minutes. Gently fold in crushed cookies.

3. Pour into two greased and floured 9-inch round baking pans. Bake  for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely.

4. For frosting, beat the butter, cream cheese and vanilla in another large bowl until smooth. Add confectioners' sugar, 1 cup at a time. Gently fold in whipped topping. Spread frosting between layers and over top and sides of cooled cake. Decorate the top and sides with cookies if desired.

Thanksgiving Turkey Cupcakes

If you search for "turkey cupcakes" on Google Images or Pinterest, believe me: You will get a lot of results. You will get lots and lots of results. When faced with the prospect of making a dessert for Andrew's Thanksgiving feast at preschool, I knew I wanted to make cupcakes that looked like turkeys, so I turned to Pinterest and found, unsurprisingly, tons of options. First I thought I'd make turkey dinner cupcakes, using chewy caramels shaped like turkeys, but I could see that getting tedious very quickly. I'm not the most patient or artistic person, so I could just imagine how my turkeys would look.

I ultimately drew my inspiration from lots of the pins I saw and made my own version, and I couldn't be more pleased with how they turned out. They were so cute, and the kids just loved them. By all accounts, they were a huge hit and quite delicious!

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you! I hope you have wonderful, peaceful days with your families and friends.

Turkey Cupcakes

cupcakes inspired by various pins on Pinterest; frosting from Savory Sweet Life

For the cupcakes:

1 box chocolate or devil's food cake mix

Water, oil, and eggs called for on the box

1 teaspoon vanilla

For the frosting:

1 cup butter, softened

3 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

Pinch of salt

2 teaspoons vanilla

4 tablespoons heavy cream

For the decorations:

Yellow and red colored sugar

Chow mein noodles

Vanilla wafers

White decorating frosting

Miniature chocolate chips

Orange and yellow Dots candies

1. To make the cupcakes, preheat the oven as directed on box and line 24 cupcake tins with paper liners. Combine cake mix with water, oil, eggs, and vanilla and stir until completely combined. Bake according to the directions on the box, usually about 18 to 20 minutes.

2. To make the frosting, cream the butter for a couple of minutes until smooth. Sift 3 cups powdered sugar and cocoa into the mixing bowl. Turn your mixer on the lowest speed (so the dry ingredients do not blow everywhere) until the sugar and cocoa are absorbed by the butter. Increase mixer speed to medium and add vanilla extract, salt, and cream and beat for 3 minutes. If your frosting needs a more stiff consistency, add a little more sugar. If your frosting needs to be thinned out, add additional cream 1 tablespoon at a time. Frost the cooled cupcakes.

3. Place a dollop of the chocolate frosting on the front of each cupcake (this is where the "head" of the turkey will rest). Combine red and yellow sugars and sprinkle over the cupcakes. Stick chow mein noodles in the back of each cupcake for the feathers.

4. To make the faces, add dots of white frosting on the vanilla wafers to make the eyes. Use a miniature chocolate chip for each pupil. Using a rolling pin, roll Dots out into relatively thin layers and use a paring knife to cut them into beak shapes. Secure the beaks with a dot of white frosting. Place the heads on the cupcakes and gently press down to ensure that they're secure.

Celebrating 1000 Posts with Oreo Overload Cheesecake Cupcakes

This is my 1000th post. I'm sitting here in shock as I type this, because I just can't believe that I've reached this milestone. It took me four and a half years, but I did it! I don't share fancy recipes, my photos are only mediocre, and I don't have a grand following or a cookbook deal, but still. This space is mine, and I'm incredibly proud of what it's become. It still gives me a thrill when someone takes the time to comment on one of my posts or to pin a recipe on Pinterest, and I just want to thank each and every one of you who visits me here. Thank you so much for caring about what I'm cooking, and for sharing in a hobby that has come to mean so much to me!

A momentous occasion such as this calls for a momentous dessert, does it not? And these cupcakes are nothing if not momentous. I made them for a co-worker's birthday. I've become the cupcake lady at work, and when I asked this co-worker what type of cupcake he wanted, he told me "something dark chocolate-y, cheesecake-y, and Oreo-y." Done, done, and done. I knew these cupcakes were going to be fantastic the moment this idea popped into my head.

Basically, you take a dark chocolate cupcake (that starts from a boxed mix; see above re: the fact that I'm not fancy, plus I just think boxed cake mixes work best for cupcakes because they're so darn difficult to screw up), stuff it with Oreo cheesecake filling, and top it with chocolate Oreo cream cheese frosting. To up the Oreo flavor even more, I used the special edition cookies and creme Oreos. The result is a sweet, creamy cupcake that more than one person said are the best cupcakes I've ever made.

Oreo Overload Cheesecake Cupcakes

For the cupcakes:

1 box dark chocolate cake mix

Water, oil, and eggs called for on the box

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon vanilla

For the cheesecake filling:

1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup Oreo cookies, crushed

For the frosting:

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup butter, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 cups powdered sugar

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 cup Oreo cookies, crushed

1. To make the cupcakes, combine cake mix, water, oil, eggs, cocoa powder, and vanilla until thoroughly combined. Set aside.

2. To make the cheesecake filling, use a handmixer to mix together the cream cheese and the sugar until smooth. Add the egg and vanilla and mix until completely combined. Gently stir in crushed Oreo cookies.

3. Line 24 muffin cups with paper liners. Add a tablespoon of the cupcake batter to each liner and top with a tablespoon of the cheesecake filling. Use the remaining cupcake batter to fill the muffin cups to 2/3 full. Bake according to the directions on the box and cool completely before frosting.

4. To make the frosting, combine cream cheese and butter in a stand mixer. Add vanilla, powdered sugar and cocoa powder, adding more powdered sugar as needed to reach desired consistency. Gently stir in crushed Oreos. Transfer the frosting to a piping bag and frost the cupcakes. Store in the refrigerator.

Pina Colada Cupcakes

Somehow, I’ve officially become the Birthday Cupcake person at work. It’s my own fault, mostly. I made cupcakes for someone’s birthday, and then realized that there was another birthday coming up and I’d feel bad if I didn’t make some for that person too...etc., etc., etc. It’s a vicious cycle. I don’t really mind, though; I love to bake, and experimenting with new flavor combinations is always really fun for me.

One of my co-workers had a birthday earlier this month, right before she was leaving for vacation in Mexico, so I thought these pina colada cupcakes would be the perfect thing to make to celebrate both her birthday and her impending tropical getaway. The cupcakes themselves are loaded with pineapple and coconut flavor, and they’re topped with a lime/rum/coconut cream cheese frosting. The cupcakes are so moist thanks to the pineapple in the batter, and the frosting has a great tangy bite to it.

I found a lot of recipes for made-from-scratch pina colada cupcakes when I was trying to decide on a recipe, but I have to admit that I really like starting from a boxed mix when I’m making cupcakes. They’re always going to rise perfectly and they always have a great texture. And they can be doctored up in so many ways. These cupcakes were a huge hit (especially with the birthday girl)!

Pina Colada Cupcakes

cupcakes adapted from Betty Crocker; frosting is my recipe

For the cupcakes:

1 box yellow cake mix

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup water

3 teaspoons rum

2 teaspoons coconut extract

1 8-ounce can crushed pineapple, undrained

3 eggs

For the frosting:

1 stick unsalted butter, softened

1 8-ounce package cream cheese at room temperature

Zest of 1 lime

1 teaspoon rum

1 teaspoon coconut extract

4 cups powdered sugar

Lime slices, for garnish

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Place paper baking cup in each of 24 regular-size muffin cups.

2. In a large bowl, beat cake mix, oil, water, rum, coconut extract, pineapple, and eggs with electric mixer until well-blended, scraping the bowl occasionally. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups.

3. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 minutes; remove from pans to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.

4. To make the frosting, beat butter and cream cheese until smooth and creamy. Add lime zest, rum, and coconut extract and blend. Gradually add powdered sugar, a cup at a time, until the frosting reaches the desired consistency. Frost cooled cupcakes and garnish with slices of lime, if desired.



Strawberry Cake with Thick Strawberry Glaze

I made this cake last month for a Mother’s Day dinner/birthday party for Andrew with Joe’s family. When I was throwing out cake ideas, Andrew got pretty pumped about the idea of strawberry cake – and I thought it would be a lovely springy sort of cake, so that’s what I went with. When we got to the dinner, though, we discovered that Joe’s grandma had made Andrew a chocolate cake shaped and decorated like a teddy bear – so all excitement about my humble strawberry sheet cake went right out the window. That sweet lady is a constant reminder to me of what I need to strive for in my culinary life; she’s an amazing baker!

Thankfully, everyone still loved this cake, me included. The cake itself is moist and packed with strawberry flavor, but it’s the sweet, sticky strawberry glaze that takes it over the top. The glaze was supposed to be a frosting, but I used more strawberries than the original recipe indicated, so it turned out to be thinner than a frosting but thicker than a traditional glaze. What a happy accident that was! Since strawberry season is now in full swing, I’m eager to try this again with juicy, sweet fresh strawberries.

Strawberry Cake with Thick Strawberry Glaze

adapted from Food Network

For the cake:

1 18.25-ounce box white cake mix

1 3-ounce box strawberry-flavored instant gelatin

1 15-ounce package frozen strawberries, thawed and pureed

4 large eggs

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup water

For the frosting:

1/4 cup butter, softened

1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened

1 10-ounce package frozen strawberries, thawed and pureed

7 cups confectioners' sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 13 x 9-inch cake pan.

2. In a large bowl, combine cake mix and gelatin. Add pureed strawberries, eggs, oil, and water; beat at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth. Pour into prepared pans, and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely.

3. To make the frosting, beat the butter and cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixture until smooth and creamy. Beat in the strawberries. Gradually add confectioners' sugar to desired thickness, beating until smooth.

4. Spread frosting over cooled cake. Store leftovers (if there are any!) in the refrigerator.

Bananas Foster Cupcakes with Cinnamon Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting

I’m not posting the meal plan today, because I didn’t cook a single night last week. Okay, I think I made sloppy joes one night, but that’s it. All the various things we’ve had going on lately, added to the fact that I have a sinus infection and feel only slightly better than death, have equaled not a lot of time in the kitchen. So basically, I am back to cooking this week, but we’ll just be eating everything I’d planned to make last week. So if you came looking for a meal plan, just check out last week’s.

If, however, you came for the best cupcakes you’ve ever tasted in your life, then I can help you out right now. I made these cupcakes recently for a work birthday (Bananas Foster is the birthday girl’s favorite dessert), and weeks later, everyone is still raving about them. The recipe actually calls for making Bananas Foster, complete with flambéing, then stirring the mixture directly into the cupcake batter. It’s the first time I’ve ever flambéed in my kitchen, and Andrew is still talking about how cool it was. I think I went up quite a few points on the Cool Mom scale when he witnessed me deliberately set something on fire (in a controlled environment, of course).

Anyway, these cupcakes are amazing. The cupcakes themselves are moist and rich, with the barest hint of rum. The frosting is super-sweet and pairs perfectly with the not-as-sweet cupcakes. They’re seriously some of the best cupcakes I’ve ever made – definitely worth the extra steps it took to make them.

Bananas Foster Cupcakes with Cinnamon Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting

adapted from The Little Things

For the Bananas Foster:

3/4 cup unsalted butter

1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

2 firm but ripe bananas, sliced

4 tablespoons rum

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the cupcakes:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup butter, softened

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

3 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 teaspoons rum

3/4 cup sour cream

For the frosting:

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup caramel sauce

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

6-7 cups powdered sugar

1-2 tablespoons milk

For the Bananas Foster:

1. In a saute pan over medium heat, combine the butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Cook until butter melts and sugar is dissolved (4 to 5 minutes).

2. Add the banana slices and cook until tender, turning once for 1 to 2 minutes per side.

3. Stir together rum and vanilla. Turn off the burner and add the rum mixture to the pan. Using a long match, light the alcohol by placing the flame just in the outer edge of the pan. Stand as far back as possible. The flame should extinguish in a few seconds. Gently shake the pan from side to side to coat the bananas with the sauce. Spoon the bananas into a bowl and set aside.

For the cupcakes:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar with electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs, vanilla, rum and banana mixture. Mix well.

3. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt.

4. Add flour mixture alternately with sour cream; blend thoroughly but do not overmix.

5. Pour into prepared cupcake pans.

6. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool for 3 minutes in pan on rack. Remove and cool completely before frosting.

For the frosting:

1. In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened butter and cream cheese together until fluffy; add the caramel sauce and cinnamon and beat until fully incorporated.

2. Slowly add powdered sugar into the bowl, 1/2 cup at a time and beating after each addition. Continue adding the sugar until you have a thick frosting of your preferred consistency. If the frosting becomes too thick, add a tablespoon or more of milk to thin out.

Lovely Lemon Cupcakes with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

Hello, my name is Cassie, and I have a Seasonal Sprinkles Addiction.

It all started with these sugar cookie bars, the first time I made them for Christmas. I just had to buy festive sprinkles to adorn them. When I made them again for Valentine’s Day, they were just begging for a sweet topping of tiny hearts, colored sugar, and festive nonpareils. By the time the Easter goodies hit the shelves, I was completely addicted to sprinkles. I bought a giant multi-pack of Easter-themed sprinkles at the grocery store, and when I saw some different ones a few weeks later at another store, I bought another one. The question then became: What am I going to do with all these Easter sprinkles? A secondary question was: Is there some sort of Sprinkle-holics Anonymous meeting I can attend?

I’ve been craving lemon baked goods for I don’t know how long now, and when my stepmom hosted a family dinner recently and asked me to bring dessert, these cupcakes seemed like the perfect thing to make. In addition to fulfilling my craving (and making my family happy, too, since they’re lemon-loving people), it would also be a great way to use up my surplus of sprinkles.

These cupcakes are delicious. Yes, they start with a boxed mix, but the additions of sour cream and the zest and juice of a lemon make them taste homemade. They’re moist and fluffy, with the perfect balance of sweet and tangy elements. The frosting is a lemon cream cheese frosting that I wanted to (and did, actually) eat with a spoon. It was creamy and sweet and just perfect to go on top of the cupcakes. And not only did my extended family love them, my sons did, too. This thrilled me, since their father is not a lemon fan. I’m happy to report that the boys seem to have inherited my lemon love.

Happy Easter, everyone!

Lovely Lemon Cupcakes with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
cupcakes adapted from Sugar Plum; frosting is my recipe

For the cupcakes:

3 large eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 box lemon pudding mix
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1 box lemon cake mix

For the frosting:

1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 teaspoons grated lemon zest
5 cups powdered sugar
Splashes of heavy cream
Yellow food coloring, if desired

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 24 muffin cups with paper liners.

2. In a large mixing bowl, using a mixer on medium speed, beat together the eggs, sour cream, pudding mix, oil and milk until well combined. Reduce mixer speed to low and beat in lemon juice, lemon zest and cake mix until moistened. Increase mixer speed to medium and beat an additional 1 minute.

3. Divide batter into muffin cups. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until well risen, and a toothpick inserted into cake comes out with moist crumbs attached (mine definitely took the full 20 minutes). Cool 5 minutes in pans before transferring to wire racks to cool.

4. To make the frosting, in a large mixing bowl, using a mixer on medium speed, beat together butter and cream cheese until fluffy. Beat in vanilla, lemon zest, and powdered sugar 1 cup at a time. Use heavy cream to thin out the frosting, if needed. Tint the frosting yellow with food coloring, if desired. Pipe frosting onto cupcakes, and decorate with sprinkles if desired. Makes 2 dozen cupcakes.

Cake Batter Pancakes

I’ve always told Joe that if we ever have another baby, we need to try to time it so that the baby is born in February. We have the rest of the first five months of the year covered. Will’s birthday is in January, mine is in March, Joe’s is in April and Andrew’s is in May. We’re just missing February to make it five straight months of family birthdays. I really like little patterns/coincidences like that, because I’m a dork.

Anyway, because Will and I have already had our 2012 birthdays, we’ve already eaten these pancakes twice this year. The first time I made them (for Will’s birthday in January), I knew they would become a tradition in our family. They’re so delicious! And what a fun way to wake up on your birthday – to fragrant, cakey pancakes that are drowning in sprinkles and sugary glaze. Happy Birthday, indeed!

Cake Batter Pancakes
adapted from How Sweet It Is

For the pancakes:

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2/3 cup yellow cake mix
1 tablespoon sugar
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of salt
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 to 2 cups milk
Sprinkles or non-pareils

For the glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tablespoon heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Combine flour, cake mix, baking powder, sugar and salt in a bowl and mix. Add 1 cup of milk, egg and vanilla extract and stir until smooth. Start with 1 cup of milk and add more if needed (you want the batter to look like regular pancake batter, not too thick and not too thin).

2. Preheat a skillet or griddle over medium heat. Fold desired amount of sprinkles into batter. Pour batter in 1/4 cup measurements onto skillet and let cook until bubbles form on top, about 2 to 3 minutes. Flip and cook for 1 minute more.

3. To make the glaze, powdered sugar, heavy cream, and vanilla until glaze forms, adding more sugar and/or heavy cream until you reach the desired consistency. Drizzle glaze over pancakes and top with additional sprinkles or non-pareils.

Cake Batter Cheesecake Cupcakes

You may have heard that someone very special has a birthday this month. No, I’m not talking about myself (even though I do turn the big 2-9 today!!); I’m talking about Oreo cookies! Last week they celebrated their 100th birthday. Can you believe that? The familiar chocolate sandwich cookies were certainly a trademark of my childhood, and my kids love them too. To think about all the generations of children before and after me that have grown up eating these cookies is just really, really cool.

You’ve probably seen the limited edition birthday cake Oreos that are available in the supermarkets right now to celebrate this occasion. If you haven’t tried them: GO GET A BAG IMMEDIATELY. They’re so good. On the outside, they look like a typical Oreo – but the filling is loaded with sprinkles and tastes exactly like cake batter. The first time I tried them, I immediately thought of these cupcakes, and I just knew I had to duplicate them using the birthday cake Oreos. And then I thought – wouldn’t it be cool to make the cheesecake filling taste like cake batter, too? Thankfully, someone else thought of this before me, so I adapted her recipe.

These cute little cheesecake cupcakes are just delicious. The middle has the texture of cheesecake, while the outer edges get slightly cakey from the cake batter that’s in the filling. The sprinkles keep their integrity and add a nice sweet little bite to the cupcakes, while the birthday cake Oreos serve as the perfect “crust.” These are the perfect thing to make to celebrate Oreo’s birthday (and mine)! :)

Cake Batter Cheesecake Cupcakes
adapted from Gingerbread Bagels

16-20 Oreos, regular or birthday cake-flavored
16 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup sour cream
2/3 cup yellow cake mix
2 tablespoons rainbow sprinkles

1. Preheat the oven to 275 degrees. Prepare cupcake pans with paper liners. Place a whole Oreo in each cupcake liner.

2. In a bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, mix the cream cheese for 3 minutes on medium speed until smooth. Add in the sugar and mix for 2 more minutes.

3. Add in the vanilla and mix. Slowly pour in the lightly beaten eggs on medium low speed and mix to combine. Add in the sour cream and mix on medium low speed. Be careful not to over mix the cheesecake batter.

4. Sift the cake mix over the bowl with the cheesecake batter to remove any lumps. Stir in 2 tablespoons sprinkles. Fold in gently.

5. Using a cookie dough scooper or a 1/4 measuring cup, place cheesecake batter on top of each Oreo. Spread the cheesecake batter out with a small spatula or knife.

6. Bake the cheesecakes at 275 degrees for 30 minutes. Once they’re done baking, chill them in the refrigerator overnight before serving.

Mocha Snack Cake with Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Frosting

“Snack cake” is probably one of my favorite terms in all of food. Just the idea of a cake that was made for snacking is sort of hysterical to me. I mean, who really snacks on cake? Don’t get me wrong, I would love to have cake for a snack, but grapes and almonds are a much healthier 2 PM pick-me-up.

I would define a snack cake as one that is baked in a 9 x 13 pan, is simple to make, and can be kept on hand for a while to cut into squares for snacking dessert. There’s nothing fancy about a snack cake. It’s just no-frills, simple deliciousness. This mocha version with its yummy peanut butter frosting fits that definition on all fronts. The cake itself is incredibly moist, and the addition of the coffee highlights the flavor of the chocolate and makes it taste so rich. Although I wouldn’t typically pair peanut butter with coffee, the peanut butter cream cheese frosting adds a sweet tangy quality and works perfectly with the cake.

The only thing I’ll do differently next time I make this (which I definitely will) is double the frosting. I only had enough for a very thin layer of frosting, and I’m a girl that likes a pretty thick glob of the stuff. This cake would also be delicious with coffee buttercream. Yum!

Mocha Snack Cake with Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Frosting
slightly adapted from Taste of Home

For the cake:

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
2/3 cup baking cocoa
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
2/3 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup brewed coffee, room temperature

For the frosting:

4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
2 cups confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 13 x 9-inch baking pan.

2. In a bowl, combine dry ingredients. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat for 2 minutes. Stir in coffee (batter will be thin).

3. Pour into prepared pan. Bake for 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool completely on a wire rack.

4. For frosting, beat the cream cheese and peanut butter in a bowl until smooth. Beat in sugar, milk and vanilla. Spread over cooled cake. Store in the refrigerator.

Banana Coffee Cake with Toffee Crumb Topping

I have a lot of cookbooks, arguably way more than one person should own, and definitely more than one person needs. The truth is that I find most of the recipes I make online, so my cookbooks don’t get used nearly as much as I wish they did.

That’s why I love this little habit of Will’s. Nearly every night, he picks one cookbook from the shelf, flips through it for a little while, and then brings it to me when he’s finished. Usually I’m in the middle of something else, so I’ll just return the cookbook to the shelf, but occasionally I’ll stop and flip through it for a while. One night recently he brought me A Passion for Baking, and I promptly lost at least 30 minutes of my life looking through it, drooling over and bookmarking nearly every single recipe.

I decided to make this coffee cake first, both because it sounded delicious and because I already had everything on hand. This was a delicious coffee cake. It looks like it would be dense and heavy, but it actually has an airy texture and a mild, pleasing banana flavor. The sweet toffee topping provides a nice crunch, and the toffee flavor works perfectly with the banana. And it makes for such a pretty presentation, too!

Banana Coffee Cake with Toffee Crumb Topping

from A Passion for Baking by Marcy Goldman

For the toffee crumb topping:

1/4 cup confectioners' sugar

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup toffee bar bits

For the coffee cake:

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 1/2 cups sugar

3 large eggs

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 cup mashed banana

1 cup sour cream

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Generously spray a 10-inch springform pan or a 13 x 9-inch pan with nonstick cooking spray. Place pan on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.

2. For the toffee topping, in a small bowl, blend confectioners' sugar and flour. Using our fingertips, rub butter into flour mixture to make a mealy crumb mixture. Stir in toffee bits and set topping aside.

3. In a medium bowl, hand-whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

4. In a mixer bowl, cream butter and sugar until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla and blend well, scraping bottom of bowl occasionally to ensure there's no unmixed butter or sugar. Add banana, sour cream, and dry ingredients. Mix on low speed until thoroughly blended, about 2 to 4 minutes, scraping mixture on sides and bottom to ensure all batter is blended.

5. Spoon batter into prepared pan. Distribute topping over batter.

6. Bake until cake is done, springs back when gently pressed with fingertips, and see set, about 45 to 50 minutes for a 13 x 9-inch pan or 55 to 70 minutes for a springform pan.

7. Let cool about 15 minutes before gently unmolding onto a serving plate.

Sweet Valentine's Day Treats: Puppy {Love} Chow, Red Velvet Popcorn, and Red Velvet Cookies and Cream Milkshakes

There’s a Valentine’s Day commercial currently playing in my part of the country that talks about how guys have it easy on Valentine’s Day. They only have to buy a gift for their wives. Women, however? They get gifts for their husbands, their kids, their kids’ teachers, their kids’ classmates, etc. I can’t remember exactly how the commercial phrases it, but it calls women Valentine’s Day super heroes, or something like that.

After all the work I did yesterday to prepare for the boys’ Valentine’s Day parties at daycare, I definitely felt like something akin to a super hero. I filled out Valentine’s Day cards (which were store-bought, lest you believe I went to another level of effort), made another batch of sugar cookie bars, made fruit salsa and cinnamon chips, and put together a couple of different types of sweet snacks. After all that, I rewarded myself with the most decadent milkshake in the entire world. I felt like I totally deserved it.

The first thing I made and packaged for the boys’ daycare friends was a sweet treat I’m calling puppy {love} chow. It’s a Valentine’s Day take on the puppy chow/muddy buddies snack we all know and love. I added pretzels to cut all the sweetness, and I think this is even more addictive than its more traditional counterpart. The amount in the picture is what I had left after portioning it into treat bags, and I must admit that it was completely gone by the end of the day.

Here’s the recipe:

Puppy {Love} Chow
adapted from Betty Crocker

5 cups rice Chex cereal
2 cups pretzels
1 cup white chocolate baking chips
1/2 cup peanut butter
3 tablespoons butter
2/3 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup Valentine M&Ms
1/4 cup Valentine sprinkles

1. Place cereal and pretzels in medium bowl.

2. In small microwavable bowl, microwave white chocolate chips, peanut butter and butter uncovered on high 1 minute to 1 minute 30 seconds, stirring every 30 seconds, until melted and smooth. Pour peanut butter mixture over cereal and pretzels, stirring until evenly coated.

3. Place mixture in 1-gallon food-storage plastic bag. Add powdered sugar and M&Ms. Seal bag; shake until well coated. Spread on waxed paper or foil; cool about 15 minutes.

4. Return to a serving bowl and stir in sprinkles. Store covered.

As soon as I saw this red velvet popcorn, I knew I’d be making it. What a clever idea – to sprinkle popcorn that’s been coated in white chocolate with cake crumbs. I added some milk chocolate drizzle, just to make this snack even more decadent. I’d love to experiment with red velvet cake mix, pre-baking; I’m sure it would work just as well coated on the popcorn. Although this snack is supposed to be for the daycare kids, it’s going to be really difficult for me to part with it, because it is so incredibly delicious and addictive.

Red Velvet Popcorn
adapted from Cookies and Cups

8 cups popped popcorn, 1/2 cup unpopped kernels (or 2 bags of “natural” microwave popcorn)
3 cups red velvet cake crumbs
12 ounces white chocolate chips
1/2 cup milk chocolate chips

1. Pour the popcorn into a large bowl. Melt the white chocolate in the microwave or a double boiler.

2. Pour the melted chocolate over the popcorn and stir to coat completely.

3. Pour the popcorn onto a waxed paper lined counter and sprinkle with red velvet crumbs.

4. Melt the milk chocolate chips in the microwave or a double boiler. Using a fork, drizzle over the popcorn.

5. Let the popcorn set completely before eating.

After making the popcorn, I was left with quite a bit of red velvet cake that I had no immediate use for. In a stroke of brilliance, I recalled the cookies and cream ice cream in the freezer…and I decided to make myself and the boys a little afternoon treat.

I mixed some red velvet cake directly into the ice cream and milk mixture, and it blended in perfectly and added that distinctive red velvet flavor to every drink of the shake. This would be such a delicious, fun dessert for a Valentine’s Day feast!

Red Velvet Cookies and Cream Milkshakes

Cookies and cream ice cream
Red velvet cake
Milk
Whipped cream
Crushed Oreo cookies and red velvet cake crumbs for garnish, if desired

Combine desired amounts of ice cream, cake, and milk to desired consistency. Top with whipped cream and garnish with Oreo cookies and cake crumbs, if desired.