Apple Pinwheel Cake

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by Cindy

  

I like to bake with fruits that are in season, so I decided to make this pinwheel apple cake recipe that I found in a cookbook.  The picture in the cookbook looked so pretty and neat.  I made it and wasn't sure if it was that good, but my friend, Gail, came to stay with me last week and loved this cake.  I didn't like the way it turned out brown on top, but it was the sprinkle of cinnamon and sugar that turned brown, not the apples.  It didn't burn either and was just brown on top and tasted good.  The cake was light with a hint of spices.  I used a gadget to peel and core the apples that I bought from a Pampered Chef party many years ago. This gadget is fantastic.  It peels the apple while coring it at the same time.  It also slices the apples so the slices are all uniform in width.  If you're going to need many peeled and sliced apples, this gadget is fantastic for doing just that.  It's easy to use and to clean. 

Apple Pinwheel Cake

Topping

4 to 5 apples

1 T lemon juice

1 1/2 T granulated sugar

1 1/2 t ground cinnamon

Cake

1 pkg white cake mix

1/4 cup granulated sugar

8 oz cream cheese, softened

3 eggs

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup water

1 t ground cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Spray a 10 1/2 inch springform pan with Baker's Secret or other flour oil spray.   

2. Topping: Peel, core and thinly slice apples to make 4 cups.  Toss in lemon juice and set aside.  In a separate bowl, combine sugar and cinnamon. Set aside.



3.  Cake:  In a large mixer bowl, combine cake mix, sugar, cream cheese, eggs, oil, water and cinnamon.  Beat on low speed for 1 minutes to blend, then on medium speed for 2 minutes.  Spread batter evenly in prepared pan.  Arrange apple slices attractively on top of batter, overlapping slightly as necessary.  Sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar mixture.





  Bake for 60 to 70 minutes or until a tester inserted in the center of cake portion comes out clean.  Cool 30 minutes in pan on a wire rack.  Serve warm or cool.



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Pound Cake

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by Cindy

There are a ton of pound cake recipes out there, and my friend Karen has been searching and trying, for years, recipes to find the one that tastes like her mom's pound cake.  Karen's mom was a very special lady, and from what Karen has told me, she was one of the best moms around. Her mom had many delicious recipes and was a wonderful homemaker, and I know Karen misses her every day.  Karen keeps her mom alive by continuing the tradition of cooking and baking recipes that her mom shared with her. (btw-Karen is also a wonderful homemaker too - just like her mom).   Karen thinks that she has found the recipe that tastes the most like her mom's, and she shared the recipe with me this week.   I made it last night and had a piece this morning with my coffee. It tastes fantastic!  The texture is soft and moist, and I love the hint of flavor from the almond extract.  It's not a difficult recipe and it is sooo good.   Thanks Karen for sharing this recipe, for making your mom proud, and being a great friend too! 

The Best Pound Cake Recipe

3 sticks butter, softened

1 - 8 oz. cream cheese, softened

3 cups sugar

6 eggs

1/2 t almond flavoring

3 cups flour

1/2 t baking powder

Cream butter, cream cheese and sugar together. 

In a separate bowl mix eggs and almond flavoring.  In another bowl mix together flour and baking powder.  Add egg mixture and flour mixture, alternately, ending with the flour mixture. 

Spray a bundt pan with Baker's Secret.  Pour batter in the pan and bake at 325 for 1 hour and 10 minutes. 

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Chocolate, Chocolate Chip Brownies

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By Christy

Is it weird to admit to you all that I have never, well before this recipe, made homemade brownies? I know, it even shocks myself! I have always been a huge fan of how easy and super delicious some of the box brownie mixes are but little did I know, homemade brownies can be super simple and easy too!

 This adventure all began Sunday afternoon when I was innocently browsing through the new Taste of Home magazine and I flipped to a page where they had brownies listed for their recipe swap- Very Chocolate Chip Brownies. Gosh, I am such a sucker for chocolate and immediately, I skimmed the ingredients and without a question, I walked right into my kitchen and began whipping up these delicious, super rich and chocolatey brownies. Within the hour I sat down with a hot steamy brownie with some cold milk and at that point in time my life was 100% complete. LOL But really, if you are having a chocolate craving this will hit the spot! (And if you bake a lot, you probably have all the ingredients on hand)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups sugar

2/3 cup butter 

1/4 cup water

2 - 12 oz bags semisweet chocolate chips, divided

4 eggs

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

In a large saucepan, combine the sugar, butter and water. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in 1 bag (2 cups) chocolate chips. In a large bowl, beat eggs and vanilla and then combine it with the chocolate mixture. Slowly add the flour, baking soda and salt, mixing well before stirring in the remaining chocolate chips. 

Spread into a greased 9x13 baking dish and bake at 325 for 40 minutes (or until you stick a toothpick into the center and it comes out clean). Cool before slicing. These can be frozen for up to 3 months. 

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Mom's Chocolate Fudge

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by Cindy

I love recipes that bring back memories from years ago, and this is one of those recipes. 

This recipe is really old and I thought it was my mom's, but she told me yesterday that it was actually my Aunt Sarah's recipe.  I remember Mom making it and pouring it on a plate, and we had to wait for it to harden.  My Mom only make this fudge once twice a year, so it was always a special treat for us.   Mom's fudge tasted better than mine.  I think I cooked it too long and let it cool down too much before I poured it in the pan.  It should have turned out looking smoother and shinier. The next time I make it, I will test it for soft balls earlier, beat it, add the pecans, and pour it in my pan while it is still hot.  The fudge recipes today are quicker and easier and have a softer consistency.  This fudge reminds me more of candy.  It takes a while to cook and is a little tricky, but for me it was a sweet memory of yesterday......  thanks Mom.

Chocolate Fudge

2 cups sugar

lump butter

2 squares (2 oz) melted Bakers Unsweetened Chocolate

dash salt

2/3 cup milk

2 t vanilla

2 T Karo Syrup

1 cup chopped nuts

Melt chocolate on low.  Combine with other ingredients and cook until forms soft ball.  Beat with a spoon or spatula and add nuts.  Pour onto greased or sprayed pan.  Cut into squares. 

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Apple Spice Cupcakes with Caramel Buttercream Icing

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By Christy

 I have been back on my cupcake making binge again and have remade several of the recipes I  have already posted on here in previous posts. As expected, they prove again and again just how amazing and delicious they are! But I also wanted to add a new one to my cupcake repertoire..... a cupcake that said "fall". I LOVE fall and so happy it is here and in its honor I am presenting to you all Caramel Apple Cupcake.I know... mom just posted a cupcake that sounds similiar but this recipe is quite different and uses all kinds of short cuts, has a totally different consistenty/flavor and has buttercream icing..... So needless to say, don't let the name trick you into thinking they are the same thing. These are moist, fluffy apple cakes topped with caramel butter cream icing. The really were sinfully amazing! (and super easy to make too!)

Apple Cake:

1 box French Vanilla Cake mix

1 large can of apple pie filling

1 teaspoon apple pie spice

3 eggs

Caramel Icing:

1 stick of softened butter

8 oz cream cheese, room temperature

1/2 cup store bought caramel sauce

1 to 1 1/2 pounds powdered sugar

Preheat the oven to 350. Open the can of pie filling, and using a sharp knife cut the apple pieces into bite sized pieces while it is still in the can by pushing the knife around the side of the can. (this sounds weird, but once you start --it will all make sense). In a mixing bowl add cake mix, pie filling, spice, and eggs and mix thoroughly. Fill cupcake liners about 3/4th full (the batter will be VERY thick, but the batter fills out the liner once cooked and rises quite a bit--so don't overfill). Cook for about 14-18 minutes. Let cool completely prior to icing.

To make the icing, start by beating the cream cheese and butter with a mixer until smooth. Add the caramel topping and mix again. Slowly add the powdered sugar and mix until it is the consistency you are looking for (not too stiff but not too soft). Depending on the caramel you buy, it may be thicker or more liquidy. The more liquid the caramel, the more powdered sugar you will need to make it a stiffer consistency for proper piping of the icing. Once the cupcakes are iced, drizzle with more caramel sauce and store them cupcakes in the refrigerator prior to serving. Since these cupcakes do have fruit in them, try to eat them as quickly as possible for optimal freshness.



I added these cookies  I found at Trader Joe's to the top of the cupcake  for a little extra punch of decor and tastiness!

Inspired by www.yourcupofcake.com

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Sticky-Bun Pumpkin Muffins

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by Cindy

I love all of the fall decorations and the pumpkins everywhere.  I like the fact that when I decorate for fall in September, the decorations can stay up for 3 months.  So we are baking with pumpkins this week, and my favorite pumpkin recipe is Pumpkin Roll (thanks Marilyn!), but that recipe is already here on the blog.  This recipe caught my eye and is from Southern Living.  Who doesn't like a sticky bun and why not make it with pumpkin?  These muffins taste really good.  They have a soft texture, and I love the crunchy pecans that are on top. They are easy to make and tasted wonderful with my coffee this morning. 

Sticky-Bun Pumpkin Muffins

Yield: Makes about 2 dozen

2 cups pecan halves and pieces

1/2 cup butter, melted

1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

2 T light corn syrup

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3 cups granulated sugar

1 T pumpkin pie spice

1 t baking soda

1 t salt

1 (15 oz.) can pumpkin

1 cup canola oil

2/3 cup water

4 large eggs

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Bake pecans in a single layer in shallow pan 8 to 10 minutes or until toasted and fragrant, stirring halfway through.

2.  Stir together melted butter and next 2 ingredients.  Spoon 1 rounded teaspoonful butter mixture into each cup of lightly greased 12-cup muffin pans, and top each with 1 rounded tablespoonful pecans. (Save excess for later).



3.  Stir together flour and next 4 ingredients in a large bowl, and make a well in center of mixture.  Whisk together pumpkin, next ingredients, and 2/3 cup water: add to dry ingredients, stirring just until moistened. 



4.  Spoon batter into prepared muffin pans, filling 3/4 full.  Place an aluminum foil-lined jelly-roll pan on lower oven rack to catch any overflow.



5.  Bake at 350 degrees F on middle rack for 25 to 30 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.  Invert pan immediately to remove muffins, and arrange muffins on a wire rack.  Spoon any topping remaining in muffin cups over muffins.  Let cool 5 minutes.

Personal Note:

My muffins didn't take 25 minutes to bake, so check them after about 15 minutes with a toothpick.  I had enough extra batter that I could have made at least 6 more muffins, so keep that in mind if you want to make a few more then prepare another muffin pan.  With my excess batter I made 24 mini muffins.  I used the excess pecan mixture to sprinkle on top of the muffin dough instead of putting it in the bottom of the muffin pans.  I baked them about 13 minutes but checked often as to not overbake.       

recipe from

Southern Living

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