Worst Recipe Post in History

Remember how I said the other day that a recipe I had hoped to blog about totally bombed? Well, maybe you don't remember me saying that, which would be good...because today I am going to write about that very recipe. Only I don't have pictures for you; I deleted them the night I made it because I didn't think it turned out. Then this miraculous thing happened: I let it set overnight, and the whole thing came together and was delicious.

So without further ado, here it is: Paula Deen's Gooey Butter Cake, which we have been calling Ooey Gooey. (Disclaimer: Although I almost always bake from scratch, this recipe uses boxed yellow cake. If you are a baking snob like me, you might not want to read any further.)

Via

Ingredients:

Cake:

• 1 18-1/4 oz. box of yellow cake mix
•  1 egg
• 8 Tablespoons butter, melted

Filling:

• 1 8 oz. package of cream cheese, softened
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 8 Tablespoons of butter, melted
• 1 16 oz. package of powdered sugar

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. While oven is heating up, mix the ingredients for the cake with an electric mixer. Spread in the bottom of a 9 x 13 baking dish.

In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the eggs, vanilla, and butter, beating until combined. Then add the powered sugar slowly, mixing well. 

Spread over cake mixture and bake for 40-50 minutes. (I went 50 mins, and it was still pretty gooey.) Here's the most important part: restrain yourself and really let this guy cool down or it won't set up and it will be gross. It will also burn the roof of your mouth off and make it impossible to enjoy food for two days while your body is regenerating new skin. Was that too much info? Sorry. I just don't want you all to fall into the same trap I did. 

Two more quick warnings: one, this dessert is super sweet, so a little goes a long way. Don't binge or you will have a wicked tummy ache. Second, be prepared for your husband to fall even more in love with you because you finally relented and made him something by Paula Deen, the undisputed queen of Southern cooking. 

Okay, you've been warned. Go forth and bake! 

Almost Guiltless Carrot Cake

The piece de resistance of our Mother's Day meal was an almost guiltless carrot cake. My mom loves carrot cake, and let's be honest, so do I, but after the rich meal we had (read more about it here and here), it didn't make sense to make an equally heavy dessert.

So I called upon a oldie but a goodie, a Shape magazine recipe for carrot cake that I hadn't made since before our wedding. It substitutes applesauce and buttermilk for more traditional fats without sacrificing the moistness, and the egg whites bind it all together just as whole eggs would.

Disclaimer: I was in full cooking/baking mode, trying to get dinner ready for the moms, so I was negligent in my picture taking. Sorry for not photographing each step; I'm such a bad blogger. If it makes you feel better, it's not a particularly pretty cake until it's frosted!

Ingredients

• 1 c. all-purpose flour
• 1 c. whole wheat flour
• 1-3/4 c. sugar
• 2 t. cinnamon
• 2 t. baking soda
• 1 t. nutmeg
• 1/2 t. salt
• 1 c. applesauce (I use the natural kind with no sugar added)
• 1/2 c. buttermilk
• 6 egg whites
• 3 c. shredded carrots (or 1 pre-shredded package)
• 2/3 c. chopped walnuts (optional)
• 2/3 c. shredded or flaked coconut (optional)

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two round cake pans with parchment paper and set aside.

Using an electric mixer, beat together applesauce, buttermilk, egg whites. Add sugar and spices until well combined. Add flours and remaining dry ingredients one quarter at a time until just combined. Stir in carrots, walnuts, and coconut, if using.

Pour batter into prepared cake pans. Bake 20-30 minutes, or until fork inserted near the center comes out clean. Allow to cool fully before frosting.

Let's talk frosting...I have to be honest, I had some leftover cream cheese frosting from a batch of red velvet cupcakes I had made. My recipe is already lower in fat than the original because I substituted neufchatel cheese for cream cheese, which has 1/3 less fat, and then I reduced the amount of powdered sugar by two cups. But I went a step further by using the frosting sparingly, frosting only between the two layers and the top of the cake, not along the edge. (Yes, this is the same teaser picture from above.)

Basically, I am okay with substituting applesauce for oil or butter in the cake itself, but there is something really wrong in my opinion about using light butter to make a frosting. I know, I know, there's not a lot a logic there, so if you totally disagree with me and want Shape's recipe for light cream cheese frosting, let me know and I will send it to you.

Do you have any low fat recipes that taste like the real thing? If so, please do share!

Vanilla Coconut Cupcakes with Coconut Frosting

This one is going out to my closet male readers who have requested more recipes. You know who you are.

I made a yummy Sunday dinner for my mom: roasted chicken, mashed potatoes, a salad with our homegrown lettuce, and these vanilla coconut cupcakes for dessert. I really wish I could share the roast chicken recipe, but it is not public domain; it's from the Big Sur Bakery Cookbook, and since it's my favorite restaurant and a local institution, I don't really feel okay about about pilfering their copyrighted recipe. I will highly encourage you to grab a copy of the cookbook. Every recipe I have made is delicious. You won't be disappointed!

One quick word on roasting chicken or any foul - brining for at least 6 hours, but preferably overnight, is the key. It comes out moist every time guaranteed, regardless of weather you roast in the oven or throw it on the BBQ. Everyone will think you are a culinary genius, but it is so simple and easy!

Okay, on to dessert.

Here's the final product...

Recipe from Epicurious.com

The first step is to reduce your coconut milk by boiling two 13 to 14 oz cans of unsweetened coconut milk over medium high heat. The coconut milk will boil up high, at which point reduce the heat to medium low and boiled until reduced to 1-1/2 cups, or until it looks like this:

Now it's time to work on the cupcakes.

Ingredients for cupcakes:
2 cups all purpose flour
2-1/4 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
3/4 (1-1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1-1/3 c sugar
3 large eggs
1-1/2 t vanilla extract

1 c reduced coconut milk (see above)

Directions for cupcakes:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line 1/3 cup cupcake tin with paper liners. Whisk dry ingredients (flour, salt, backing powder) in a bowl and set aside.

Using an electric mixer, beat butter in a large bowl until smooth.

Add sugar; beat on medium-high speed until well blended, about 2 minutes. (No picture. Sorry.) Add 2 eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition and occasionally scraping down the sides of the bowl. Beat in vanilla and remaining egg. Add 1 cup reduced coconut milk.

Mix in half of flour mixture on low speed until just blended. Scrape down sides of the bowl and add remaining flour mixture, again mixing on a low speed until just blended.

Divide batter among cupcake tins.

Bake cupcakes until tops spring back when gently touched and/or fork inserted into the center comes out clean, about 20 mins. Cool completely before frosting.

Speaking of frosting...

Ingredients for frosting:
1 c (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2-1/2 c powdered sugar
1/3 c reduced coconut milk, room temperature
1-1/2 t vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 cups sweetened coconut, lightly toasted (for garnish)

Directions for frosting:
Beat butter using an electric mixer until smooth. Add sugar, coconut milk, vanilla extract, and salt. Beat on medium-low speed until blended, scraping down the sides of the bowl. Increase speed to medium-high and beat until light and fluffy.

Frost cooled cupcakes using a knife or pastry bag.

Sprinkle toasted coconut over the top. Enjoy!

(Insert Your Favorite Primary Color Here) Velvet Cupcakes

If your wondering what dessert to serve with your Shepherd's Pie in honor of St. Patrick's Day, look no further than these [Insert Your Favorite Primary Color Here] Velvet Cupcakes. Today I am sharing my recipe (adapted from Epicurious) for Blue Velvet cupcakes, which I made in honor of our school colors. Go Eagles!

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 t salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 T cocoa powder
• 2 ounces water
• 1 ounce food coloring in your color of choice
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 t vanilla
• 1 t white vinegar
• 1 t baking soda

Directions

Preheat the over to 350 degrees and line cupcake tins. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and blend well.

Make a paste of cocoa and food coloring, like so:

Add to the butter mixture. 

One at a time, stir in the following ingredients: buttermilk, vanilla, and water. 

A third at a time, mix flour and salt into the butter mixture until just combined. Do not overmix! 

In a small bowl, combine vinegar and baking soda. Gently fold it into the cake batter. Make sure it's incorporated; don't beat it. 

Spoon batter into cupcake tins until they are 2/3 full. Bake for 15-20 mins, or until an inserted fork comes out clean of batter. 

While your cupcakes are baking, start on the Cream Cheese Frosting...

Cream Cheese Frosting

• 12 ounces cream cheese (I use Neufchatel cheese - a creamy cream cheese alternative with less fat)
• 1/2 cup (one stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 4 t vanilla 
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 1/2 t lemon juice or extract (optional - to cut some of the sweetness)

Cream, cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and lemon (if using). Add powdered sugar, one cup at a time, and beat until smooth. (Note: If doubling your cupcake recipe, this frosting should be enough for a double batch.)

Let cupcakes cool completely before frosting.

** I would post pics of the frosting-making process and the finished product, but Blogger is refusing to upload the rest of my pics right now, and I am too tired to try to figure out what is wrong. Sorry. Now I guess you will really have to make these delicious treats to see what they look like!

Happy St. Patrick's Day, everyone! How are you celebrating this year? Is there a tradition that you honor each March 17th? Either way, I hope you get out there and have a green beer for me so I can celebrate vicariously through you! I will be curled up under our new duvet - it came in yesterday! - grading papers for the rest of my life...or until next Wednesday when 3rd quarter grades are due. 

Coffee Toffee Cookies

I had planned on showing you around the master suite today, but unfortunately, a darn migraine thwarted my plans. (Migraine now averted, thankfully!)  So instead I thought I would share my recipe for Coffee Toffee Cookies. If you like Ben and Jerry's Coffee Heath Bar Crunch ice cream, then my friend, these cookies are for you.

Remember that empty cake stand from yesterday's post?

Well, the KitchenAid saw some action over the weekend and it is empty no longer! Here's the finished product:

And a close up...

Here's how to make them:

1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon coffee
1-1/4 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup toffee pieces

Cream butter and sugar. Add coffee, beating until well combined. Slowly add the dry ingredients about a third at a time until all the flour is just blended. Do not overmix.

*Note: At the point, the dough will look more crumbly than other cookies you may have made because there are no eggs to bind the dough. Don't worry! It will all, literally, come together.

Add the toffee pieces until just combined.

Turn the dough out onto some plastic wrap and form into a log. (Here's where the dough should come together.) Wrap dough log - mmm, sounds appetizing huh? - in plastic wrap and freeze for 45 mins to refrigerate until cold, about 3 hours.

Cut into 3/8 inch thick rounds...

And bake at 325 degrees for 13 mins. (They will look a tad undone in the middle. That's okay, as they will continue to cook when you take them out of the oven, and you don't want them to flatten too much.)

Let them cool for about 5 mins and enjoy! Happy eating!

New Years Recipes

I have taken the weekend to wallow in my funk over losing out on our first home offer. Delayed reaction, I suppose. I didn't post or really workout (except for a sweet afternoon walk in the rain with the hubs), and I barely cleaned, but I did do some reading and eating.

I have lost myself in Jonathan Franzen's The Corrections, which I am loving *almost* as much as Freedom. This is probably just the English teacher in me, but there is nothing in the world quite like a good book...

Except for some killer crab and double-layer brownies! So without further ado, here is what we grubbed on to ring in the 2011. It might just become a tradition! 

Dungeness Crab

Serves two people, so just double or triple the recipe as needed! 

Ingredients

1/4 c butter 

1/4 c olive oil

2 T minced garlic

1 T minced shallot

1 1/2 t dried crushed red pepper

2 large Dungeness crabs, cooked, cleaned, and cracked (about 4 1/2 lbs)

2 T chopped fresh thyme, divided

2 T chopped fresh parsley, divided

Salt and pepper to taste

2 blood or regular oranges to yield: 

1/2 c blood or regular orange juice

1 t finely grated blood or regular orange zest

Prep

Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Melt butter with oil in a heavy large ovenproof dutch oven or roasting pan over medium-high heat. Stir in garlic, shallot, and dried crushed red pepper. Add crabs and sprinkle with salt and pepper, if desired. Sprinkle one tablespoon each chopped thyme and parsley over crabs. Stir to combine. Place in oven and roast crabs until heating through, stirring once, about 12 minutes. 

Using tongs, transfer crabs to platter and loosely cover with aluminum foil. Add orange juice and zest to remaining sauce; boil until sauce is reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Spoon sauce over crabs. Sprinkle with remaining herbs and serve with a simple salad and some warm crusty sourdough bread.

Recipe and image courtesy of Epicurious

And now for some dessert! 

Espresso-Shortbread Brownie Bars

Ingredients

SHORTBREAD CRUST

1 stick plus 2 T unsalted butter, softened or melted

1 1/2 c all-purpose flour

1/4 c sugar

1 T finely ground espresso beans

1/2 t kosher salt

BROWNIE TOPPING

1 1/2 c all-purpose flour

2 T unsweetened cocoa

1 t kosher salt

1/2 t baking powder

1 stick plus 6 T unsalted butter 

4 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped

2 c sugar

1 T pure vanilla extract

3 large eggs

Prep

1. Make the shortbread crust: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a food processor, combine the butter with the flour, sugar, ground espresso, and salt; pulse until coarse crumbs form. Press the crumbs into a 9 x 13 inch baking dish to form a crust. Freeze for 5 minutes. Prick all over with a fork and bake in the lower third of the oven for 30 minutes, until the crust is golden and cooked through.
2. Prep brownie topping: In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cocoa, salt, and baking powder; set aside. In a double boiler, melt the butter with the chocolate over low heat. Remove the double boiler from heat and stir in the sugar and vanilla until combined, then stir in the eggs. Add wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until the brownie batter is smooth. 
3. Bake: Pour the brownie batter over the shortbread crust, smoothing the surface. Bake for 30 minutes, until the brownie top is dry and lightly cracked around the edges and an inserted fork comes out clean; the center will still be a bit soft. Let cool completely before cutting into bars. 

Recipe courtesy of Food & Wine, May 2010. 

Serve warm with some vanilla bean ice cream! Perfection.

Happy cooking and eating! I'll be back tomorrow with my resolutions for 2011. Stay tuned!