White Chocolate Christmas Tree Cakes

I love these cakelets! Soft and fluffy cake delicately flavored with white chocolate coated in green candy melts and covered in sprinkles; the perfect amount of softness and crunch. These are the perfect Christmas Eve dessert!!

Ingredients: White Chocolate Cakes (adapted from here)

2 (4 oz.) white chocolate baking bars

2 and 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 and 1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

10 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold and cubed

1  and 1/3 cups granulated sugar

4 large eggs, room temperature

1 and 1/2 teaspoons buttery vanilla bakery emulsion

1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons whole milk

1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons full-fat sour cream

Green Candy Melts

Sprinkles

Recipe: White Chocolate Cakes

Preheat the oven for 350F. Grease a silicon Christmas tree pan with Bakers Joy.

Melt chopped chocolate in a double boiler and let cool for ten minutes.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, a baking soda and salt; set aside.

Cream butter and sugar for 3-4 minutes until light and fluffy.

Add eggs one at a time, and buttery vanilla bakery emulsion, beating after each addition.

Stir together the milk and sour cream.

With mixer on low speed, alternately add flour mixture and sour cream/milk, mixing until just combined.

Gently mix in white chocolate.

Fill Christmas tree pans about 3/4 of the way through. You will need to do this twice.

Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Release cakes from molds after cooling and chill in fridge for at least 30 minutes before rolling in melted candy melts and decorating in sprinkles.

Enjoy!

 

 

 

Advertisement

Peppermint Mocha Cake

This cake is. so. good. A deeply chocolaty mocha cake with smooth, fluffy, and almost whipped cream like peppermint frosting. I decorated the cake with mini candy canes, peppermint pop rocks, and peppermint rolled wafers. It’s perfect for Christmas.

Ingredients: Mocha Cake

2 cups granulated sugar

1 and 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder (I used Hershey’s Special Dark)

1 tablespoon espresso powder

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs, room temperature

1 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup boiling coffee

Espresso Syrup (I omitted the rum)

Peppermint Flour Frosting (adapted slightly from here)

5 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 cup whole milk

1 teaspoon peppermint extract

1 cup unsalted butter

1 cup granulated sugar

Recipe: Mocha Cake

Heat oven to 350F. Grease, line with parchment paper, and flour two 6-inch round baking pans.

Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, espresso powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl.

Add eggs, buttermilk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes.

Beat in boiling coffee. Pour batter into prepared pans- you will have left over!

Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.

Cool 10 minutes. Then remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely before brushing on syrup.

Peppermint Flour Frosting

In a small saucepan, whisk flour into milk and heat, stirring constantly, until it thickens. You want it to be very thick, almost like a paste.

Remove from heat and let it cool to room temperature. It must be completely cool before you use it in the next step.

Stir in the peppermint extract.

While the mixture is cooling, cream the butter and sugar together until very light and fluffy, about four to six minutes.

Then add the completely cooled milk/flour mixture and beat heavily. If it looks separated, you haven’t beaten it enough! Beat it until it all until it almost resembles whipped cream, about six minutes.

Enjoy!

 

Cranberry Spice Muffins

These are my favorite muffins. Soft, fluffy, a little spicy, and bursting with tart cranberries. They are so easy to make and infinitely adaptable. I give you the recipe for a really delicious spiced sugar topping, but it’s not in the pictures- but use it!

Ingredients: Cranberry Spice Muffins (adapted from here)

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup dark brown sugar

4 tablespoons toasted wheat germ

1 and 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon apple pie spice

1/4 teaspoon cloves

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons orange zest

1 and 1/2 cups quick-cooking oats

1/2 cup packed shredded apple

1/2 cup chopped toasted pecans

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1/2 cup chopped cranberries

3/4 cup buttermilk

1/4 cup orange juice

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1/2 cup boiling water

Spicy Sugar Topping

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon apple pie spice

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

Recipe: Cranberry Spice Muffins

Lightly spoon flour into a measuring cup and level with a knife.

With a spoon, combine first 8 ingredients in a large bow.

Stir in oats, shredded apple, dried cranberries, and cranberries.

Make a well in the middle of mixture. Combine buttermilk, orange juice, oil, vanilla, and egg; add to the dry mixture, stirring just until moist.

Stir in boiling water. Let batter stand 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375F.

Spoon batter into a greased muffin tin. Bake for 20 minutes or until muffins spring back when touched lightly in center.

Spicy Sugar Topping

Mix together the sugar and spices.

Dip the muffins in the melted butter and then in the sugar.

Enjoy!

Peppermint Patty Cupcakes

These are definitely the best cupcakes I’ve ever eaten. Moist, fluffy, and deeply chocolaty cupcakes stuffed with a peppermint patty and topped with the fluffiest peppermint buttercream. The chocolate cupcake is my favorite recipe ever. They are perfect for the Christmas season. I decorated them with York Peppermint Patty Pieces and Mini Peppermint Patties. So good!!

Ingredients: Chocolate Peppermint Patty Cupcakes (slightly adapted from here)

3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

1/3  cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder

3/4 cup hot coffee

3/4  cup bread flour

3/4  cup granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

6 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 large eggs, room temperature

2 teaspoons white vinegar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

12 peppermint patties

Peppermint Frosting (adapted from here)

1 an 1/2 cups + 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened and cubed

3 cups powdered sugar, sifted

3 tablespoons whole milk

1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract

1/8 teaspoon salt

Recipe: Chocolate Peppermint Patty Cupcakes

Preheat oven to 350F and line a muffin tin.

Place the chopped chocolate and cocoa powder in a medium bowl.

Pour the hot coffee over the chocolate/cocoa mixture and stir until smooth; refrigerate the mixture for 20 minutes.

Whisk together the flour, sugar, salt and baking soda in a medium bowl; set aside.

Whisk the oil, eggs, vinegar and vanilla extract into the cooled chocolate mixture until smooth.

Slowly add the flour mixture and stir until smooth.

Place about 3 tablespoons of batter into each liner and top with a peppermint patty.

Bake until the cupcakes are set and just firm to the touch, about 19 minutes.

Peppermint Frosting

Beat butter for 8 minutes on high speed.

Add remaining ingredients and mix on low speed for 1 minute, then on medium-high speed for 6 minutes.

Enjoy!

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

This is the best banana bread I’ve ever had. It’s soft, moist, stuffed full of chocolate chips, and had a perfect crunchy golden top. To make it even better, you don’t even have to use a mixer. This is the perfect thing to make when you have a bunch of brown bananas or some chocolate chips.

Ingredients: Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

1 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

3 bananas, pureed

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 large eggs, room temperature

2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Recipe: Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

Preheat oven to 350 and grease an 8 inch loaf pan.

In a small bowl, stir together the dry ingredients.

In another bowl, mix together the sugar and butter.

Beat in the eggs and banana puree until just mixed together.

Gently fold in the dry ingredients.

Mix in the chocolate chips.

Bake for 55 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Enjoy!

Golden Glory Cake with Brown Sugar Boiled Frosting

This cake is absolute perfection. I first saw the recipe for “Golden Glory Cake” in an old cookbook from the 1950s and decided I had to make it. I kept the measurements (except using cold butter for more fluffiness) the same, but I did change the mixing method to the “Two-Stage Mixing Method” which you can read about here. The cake is light, fluffy, and deliciously pineapple-ly. I very much recommend brushing pineapple juice on the cakes though when they are done for extra flavor. The frosting is an old fashioned boiled frosting or 7-minute frosting recipe except I replaced the granulated sugar with dark brown sugar. It tastes of caramel/maple and a cross between whipped cream and marshmallow fluff. Very Good.

Ingredients: Golden Glory Cake

4 and 1/2 cups cake flour

1 tablespoon baking powder + 1 teaspoon

1 teaspoon salt

1 and 1/2 cups unsweetened canned pineapple juice

4 large eggs, room temperature

1 and 1/2 teaspoon butter vanilla bakery emulsion (or vanilla extract)

2 and 2/3 cups granulated sugar

1 cup unsalted butter, cold and cubed

Brown Sugar Boiled Frosting

1 cup dark brown sugar

1/2 cup water

2 large egg whites

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Recipe: Golden Glory Cake

Preheat the oven to 350F and line, grease, and flour 3 eight inch cake pans.

Mix flour on high speed for 3 minutes. Measure again- you should have about 1 cup of leftover flour.

Mix flour with baking powder and salt on high speed for 3 minutes.

In a measuring cup, combine and stir the eggs, 1/4 cup of the pineapple juice, and butter vanilla bakery emulsion.

Combine flour with sugar and mix on low speed for 30 seconds. Add the butter, one piece at a time, until the mixture is crumbly.

Add remaining pineapple juice and beat on medium-high speed for 2 and 1/2 minutes. Gradually add egg mixture in 3 separate batches until fluffy and combined.

Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean with a few crumbs attached.

If you want, brush some extra pineapple juice over the cakes for extra moistness.

Brown Sugar Boiled Frosting

Boil sugar and water over low-medium heat until syrup spins a thread; while beating the egg whites to stiff peaks.

Pour syrup very slowly over the egg whites and beat until smooth and stiff enough to spread. Beat in vanilla and use right away.

Enjoy!

 

Gooey Chocolate Toffee Coconut Bars

My awesome aunt Wendy sent me a recipe she thought I would like for Hershey’s “Rich Chocolate Chip Toffee Bars” I made them and they were amazing! I changed a few things, but that’s the good thing about this recipe- it’s infinitely adaptable!

Ingredients: Gooey Chocolate Coconut Pecan Bars (adapted slightly from here)

2 and 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

2/3 cups dark brown sugar

3/4 cup salted butter, room temperature

1 large egg, slightly beaten

1 cup dark chocolate chips

1 cup milk chocolate chip

1 cup coarsely chopped pecans

1 can (14oz) sweetened condensed milk

1 and 1/3 cups toffee bits

1/2 cup sweetened coconut flakes

Recipe: Gooey Chocolate Coconut Pecan Bars

Preheat the oven to 350F and grease a 9×13 pan.

In a large bowl, combine the flour and sugar. Cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs; add the egg and beat well.

Stir in 1 and 1/2 cups of the chocolate chips and all of the nuts. Set aside 1 and 1/2 cups of the mixture.

Press the remaining crumbs on the bottom of the prepared pan and bake for ten minutes.

Pour condensed milk over the hot crust. Set aside 1/4 cup of toffee bits, and sprinkle the rest over the crust along with the rest of the chocolate chips, crumb mixture, and coconut flakes.

Bake 25-30 minutes, or until the top is golden brown. Top with remaining toffee bits.

Enjoy!

Nutella Frosted Chocolate Sugar Cookies

Best. Cookies. Ever. The best chocolate sugar cookies ever topped with soft, fluffy, clouds of Nutella buttercream. Perfection!

You need:

1/2 batch of these chocolate sugar cookies

Ingredients: Nutella Frosting

1/2 cup salted butter, softened

1 jar Nutella

1 cup powdered sugar

1/4 cup heavy cream

Recipe: Nutella Frosting

Whip softened butter until light and fluffy, about two minutes.

Beat in Nutella until thoroughly combined.

Mix in powdered sugar and then slowly beat in heavy cream.

Spread on cookies and chill!

Enjoy!

 

Candy Corn Peanut Butter Potato Chip Cookies

Okay, these don’t actually have any real candy corn in them but they do have those mini candy corn creme bars Hershey has. Which are, by the way, delicious. The ingredients in these cookies may not seem to go together but they really, really do. Candy corn is known to go with salted peanuts and I think candy corn is perfect with potato chips so they are perfect! Also, these cookies are soft, chewy, and thick (i.e. PERFECTION)

Ingredients: Candy Corn Peanut Butter Potato Chip Cookies

1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1/4 cup peanut butter (I used homemade)

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 and 3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon half and half

1 cup crushed potato chips

1 cup chopped candy corn white chocolate

Recipe: Candy Corn Peanut Butter Potato Chip Cookies

Preheat oven to 350F.

Cream butter, peanut butter, and both sugars until light and fluffy.

Beat in egg and vanilla until creamy.

Slowly mix in dry ingredients.

Add in half and half.

Mix in the potato chips and chocolate.

Scoop them onto two baking trays using a medium cookie scoop. Bake for 14 minutes.

Enjoy!

Halloween Cake [Pumpkin-Marshmallow-Chocolate]

I know this cake isn’t nearly as “elegant” as the previous one I posted, but I promise you it’s just as good. Three layers of dense, spiced pumpkin cake filled with fluffy homemade marshmallow cream (!) and chocolate frosting. Perfect for Halloween and all other occasions.

Ingredients: Pumpkin Cake (adapted from here)

1 (15-0unce) can pumpkin puree

4 large eggs

1 cup vegetable oil

2/3 cup water

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 cups granulated sugar

3 and 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon apple pie spice

1/4 teaspoon ginger

Homemade Marshmallow Fluff

Two Batches of this Chocolate Frosting

Recipe: Pumpkin Cake

Preheat oven to 350F.

Grease and flour three 8-inch round cake pans.

In a large bowl, combine first 6 ingredients.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the next 6 ingredients.

Pour the dry mixture into the wet batter and mix until barely combined.

Pour evenly into prepared pans. Bake about 40 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Let cool on wire rack.

Enjoy!