Pumpkin Crumble Cake - Recipe Review

 

I joined a book club in September and I love it! But more importantly, I love my book club ladies! They're a great group, full of support and humor and great conversation. Our weekly meetings are about 20% book discussion, 60% chit chat and 20% coffee and treats.

I like to try to bring a new treat every week. Cookies, squares, muffins, etc... This week I decided to try a cake. It's risky because I have limited time in the morning, and cakes take some time in the oven. I have three kids to feed, dress and get off to school (at three different schools), a baby who wants to nap right around the time we have to be out the door, and I like to look somewhat presentable which requires me sneaking in a shower in the hour and twenty minutes we have from when we wake up to when we're running out the front door.

 
I needed a cake recipe that was easy, fast and of course, delicious. I went to lifemadedelicious.ca and right on the homepage was a picture of this cake. The name drew me in, Pumpkin Crumble Cake. When I read the ingredients and saw how easy it is I decided to give it a try. I made a little modification, I wanted to bake it in a bundt pan (purely for the pretty) and so I put the crumble in the bottom of the pan and poured the batter over top. If I were to do it again in the bundt pan I'd pour the batter in and then put the crumble so when it's turned out on a plate it would be easier to slice through. But any way you bake this recipe it'll be delicious (I may try cupcakes next time)! The cake has a great light, fluffy, soft texture similar to red velvet cake and it tastes like a slice of pumpkin pie but with an amazing, sweet, pecan crunch. My book club absolutely LOVED it!  My friend Jeannette's two year old kept coming back to steal bites off her mom's plate, which, she begrudgingly shared. 

My book club ladies!

We read some heavy material :)

I'll definitely be making this one again as it was a big hit!

For the recipe for this amazing cake, head on over to lifemadedelicious.ca!

http://lifemadedelicious.ca/en/recipes/p/pumpkin-crumble-cake

Please read my Disclosure Page to learn about my relationship with General Mills Canada.

Chocolate Cavity Maker Cake

I have no idea know what to write here. I seriously contemplated just letting the name of this cake speak for itself. Chocolate. Cavity. Maker. Cake. 'Nuff said? No? Okay.

I was puttering around online looking for a dessert to make to take my mind off my husband painting the nursery. I'm the painter in the family but my husband has banned me from paint fumes and any sort of physical activity greater than making dinner (thinks with his stomach!) so as not to go into premature labour. I hate not being in charge of this project, especially considering he's never really painted anything and I keep hearing things like "I suck at this." and "Oh crap!" coming from upstairs. I was going insane. So I thought baking was the way to distract myself. I was considering a recipe when I started reading the reviews and the name of another recipe jumped off the screen like it was on fire. Chocolate Cavity Maker Cake. I couldn't Google fast enough. I swear, the 2.3 seconds it took to do the search felt like 35 years. And there it was, in all it's perfectly simple, fudgey, delicious glory. I got excited and hit the print button about 7 times and ran to the store (okay, I drove, it's far) and was making this cake about 17 minutes later.

I have never had such a moist and fudgey cake. It is rich without being TOO sweet and has just the right amount of chocolate to make you weep. It doesn't need icing, a light dusting of powdered sugar, some whipped cream or some ice cream compliment this cake wonderfully.

Give it a try. You'll thank me later when you come out of your chocolate coma!

Look at how moist that is!

Print this recipe

Chocolate Cavity Maker Cake from allrecipes.com

1 (18.25 ounce) package dark chocolate cake mix
1 (3.9 ounce) package instant chocolate pudding mix
1 (16 ounce) container sour cream
3 eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup coffee flavored liqueur
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350˚F . Grease and flour a 10" Bundt pan.
2. In a large bowl, combine cake mix, pudding mix, sour cream, eggs, oil and coffee liqueur. Beat until ingredients are well blended.
3. Fold in chocolate chips. Batter will be thick. Spoon into prepared pan.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour, or until cake springs back when lightly tapped.
5. Cool 10 minutes in pan, then turn out and cool completely on wire rack.

Print this recipe

enjoy!

Coconut Rum Pineapple Upside Down Cake

I have been a busy, busy girl lately! On top of being a wife, mother and domestic goddess (and oh yeah, pregnant!) I'm also a graphic designer. This summer has found me loaded with jobs. Baking has been pushed aside for more pressing chores like wedding invitations for excited brides. But the hormones haven't stopped making me crave baked goods so I've had to become stealthy in the kitchen. It's all about fast and easy these days... but also tasty!

I bought a pineapple on sale with the idea that my girls would gobble up it's juicy goodness, but I was sadly mistaken. They did eat some, but at the rate they were going it would have been mush before they finished it. So I needed to use it and FAST. I would have eaten it as is but the heartburn would have killed me! So I thought back to my childhood (ahhhh nostalgia) and remembered fondly my grandma's pineapple upside down cake. It was sweet and moist and so delish.

I'm still craving coconut, and pineapple and coconut go so perfectly together. Just thinking about it made my mind wander to tropical drinks by the pool... wait, tropical drinks... coconut rum! Yes! A little rum in the cake, even when pregnant (because the little bit of alcohol would be negligible after baking and spread throughout an entire cake), would be awesome thought I. And I made it so.

This cake is super easy and tastes like a vacation in your mouth! Using a boxed cake mix cuts wayyyy down on prep time so this cake is perfect for last minute BBQs or satisfying pregnant lady cravings!

Print this recipe

Coconut Rum Pineapple Upside Down Cake

1 vanilla cake mix
eggs
oil
water
1/4 c. coconut rum
2 tbsp butter
1/4 c. brown sugar
2 c. pineapple, diced (if using canned, drain & discard the juice)
1/2 c. coconut, toasted

Instructions:

1. Prepare your cake mix as per your brand's instructions substituting 1/4 c. of rum for 1/4 c. of the water.
2. Dot the butter around the bottom of a 8" x 8" pan and sprinkle with the brown sugar.
3. Spread the pineapple over the brown sugar & butter in an even layer.
4. Cover with the cake batter and bake at 350˚F for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.
5. Allow to cool for 10 minutes and then place a plate or platter over top the cake pan and invert to release the cake.
6. Sprinkle with the toasted coconut and serve with whipped cream or ice cream.

Print this recipe

enjoy!

Chocolate Coffee Cupcakes with Bailey's Buttercream Frosting

My good friend Michelle sent me an email the other day. That's not out of the ordinary at all, except for the fact that it was a recipe. Michelle is not really known for emailing out recipes (pictures of her fun nights out, and more recently of her expanding belly yes, but not recipes). So immediately I knew it HAD to be good!

OH. MY. GOD. The name alone had me drooling. Chocolate. Coffee. Bailey's Irish Cream Liqueur. Hello? Even my husband, who hates cake of any kind, was intrigued. He asked me to make these when he was on night shift this weekend so he could take them into work to help keep the guys awake. He's so funny.

These cupcakes taste like your favourite coffee blend. They taste like a chilly winter's night by the fire. They taste like... heaven. Give'em a try and tell me I'm lying!


Print this recipe

Chocolate Coffee Cupcakes with Bailey's Buttercream Frosting

cupcakes:

1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 c buttermilk, room temperature
3 heaping tbsp cocoa
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup coffee, hot
1 c sugar
1 c flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla

frosting:

1 stick unsalted butter, softened
4 c icing sugar
1/4 c Bailey's Irish Cream
1 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp milk
2 tbsp coffee, cooled

Instructions:

1. In a small bowl, dissolves the baking soda in the buttermilk.
2. In a small saucepan, melt the butter slowly over low heat and add the cocoa. Mix until combined and smooth.
3. Remove from the heat and add the coffee to the cocoa/butter mixture and stir.
4. In a seperate bowl sift together the flour, sugar and salt.
5. While slowly mixing add the cocoa mixture and egg to the flour mixture.
6. Next add the buttermilk and vanilla and continue to beat until smooth.
7. Bake at 350˚F for 20 minutes or until cupcakes spring back when touched.
8. Cream together the butter and icing sugar for the frosting.
9. Add the Bailey's, vanilla, milk and coffee and whip until combined and smooth.
10. Frost tops of cooled cupcakes and decorate with chocolate shavings, chocolate covered espresso beans or enjoy all on their own!

Print this recipe

Look at how moist these babies are!

enjoy,

Better than Sex Cake

I was on twitter the other day musing about how I should do more recipes with the word sex or orgasms in the title (since my posted fudge recipe is so popular), and thought "That IS a good idea!", so off I went in search of some pleasure inducing recipes. I came across this one and knew I had to try it out, cause I like cake, but the title makes some lofty claims.

Chocolate, caramel, Skor bar... hello? Have you slipped into a sugar-coma yet? It was TO DIE FOR. This cake comes together pretty quickly which is great cause we invited my in-laws over for an impromptu dinner and I was able to whip this bad boy up in an hour.

If you liked the fudge, this cake won't disappoint. Give it a try and let me know if you think it's better than sex?


Better than Sex Cake adapted from allrecipes.com

1 boxed devil's food cake mix (you can make a from scratch cake if you like, I was impatient!)
1 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
1 pkg. Kraft Caramels
4 (1.4 ounce) bars chocolate covered toffee, crushed
1 (8 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed

Instructions:

1. Bake cake according to package directions BUT use only 1/2 the oil the recipe calls for.
2. Remove cake from the oven and poke several holes (like 15-20) about 3/4 of the depth of the cake all over with the handle of a wooden spoon.
3. In a bowl combine the milk and caramels and microwave until the caramels are melted. Mix well.
4. Pour the warm topping mixture over the top of the warm cake, letting it sink into the holes.
5. Sprinkle the crushed chocolate bars over the caramel while it's still warm reserving a bit for the top of the cake.
6. Let the cake cool completely, then top with whipped topping. Decorate the top of the cake with some more chocolate toffee bar chunks and swirls of caramel topping and melted chocolate.
7. Refrigerate until set (about 20 minutes) and serve.


Enjoy,
Amanda

While I was taking pictures, my 3 year old came wandering by and said "Ooooo, look mommy, chocolate!" and before I knew it she had scampered up on a chair and was reaching for a hunk of Skor bar as I was snapping a picture. Sneaky bugger!

Triple Vanilla Party Cupcakes with Smartie Frosting AND...My First Giveaway!

My 3 year old is OBSESSED with smarties. Well, all candy really, but chocolate holds a special place in her heart (that's my girl!). She's also been chattering for days about cupcakes so I thought I'd try to find a way to combine the two. I decided the easiest thing to do is crush some up and throw them into some Buttercream Frosting. I've been dying to try Dorie Greenspan's Perfect Party Cake, but with so little opportunity to bake actual cakes I thought it would make great cupcakes (Jamie did it too!). But to make it for a 3 year old I made some minor changes. For the original recipe head on over to mix, mix, stir, stir.



Perfect Triple Vanilla Party Cupcakes with Smartie Buttercream Frosting

For the cake:

2 ¼ cups cake flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 ¼ cups buttermilk
4 large egg whites
1 ½ cups vanilla sugar*
1 vanilla bean, seeded
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For the Frosting:

2 sticks softened unsalted butter
1 lb powdered sugar
pinch of salt
1/4 c. heavy cream
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup smarties

Instructions:

1. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.

2. Beat together the milk and egg whites in a bowl.

3. Put the sugar into your mixer and add the butter, and beat at medium speed for a full 3 minutes, until the butter and sugar are fluffy.

4. Beat in the extract, then add one third of the flour mixture, still beating on medium speed.

5. Beat in half of the milk-egg mixture, then beat in half of the remaining dry ingredients until incorporated.

6. Add the rest of the milk and eggs, beating until the batter is homogeneous, then add the last of the dry ingredients.

7. Scrape the seeds from a vanilla bean and add to the bowl and give the batter a good 2-minute beating to ensure that it is thoroughly mixed and will aerated.

8. Spoon the batter into greased cupcake liners and bake at 350˚F until golden and cooked through.

9. Cool.

10. For the frosting, cream together the butter and sugar until thoroughly combined.

11. Add in the salt, vanilla and cream and whip until light and fluffy.

12. Place smarties in a plastic zipper bag and pound with a mallet (or rolling pin, or wine bottle, whatever is handy) until crushed.

13. Add to frosting and mix to distribute.

14. Pipe onto cupcakes and serve.

*How to make Vanilla Sugar: You know that vanilla pod you scraped the seeds out of? Don't throw those empty pods away! Place in a mason jar and add a few cups of sugar and seal. The longer it sits the more vanilla flavour will impart onto the sugar.

And now for the free stuff!

My First Giveaway!

I was out to pick up a bundt pan the other day as mine vanished into thin air and I spied these adorable silicone baking pans (you can click on the picture for a more detailed view). I grabbed a set for myself and then noticed they were 50% off so I grabbed another set for some lucky winner to snag. There's a heart, a star, a crescent moon and a teddy bear. They are all around 4" at their longest/widest part, perfect for single servings. I have already used my star and moon ones and they work great. The cakes cooked evenly and popped out so easily.


How do you win you ask?

Leave a comment on this post by midnight on Wednesday, August 12 2009 telling me about the first thing you can remember baking or cooking. If you Twitter, tweet about this contest using @caffeinated_mom adding a link to this post and you can enter a second time by submitting another comment here about the tweet!

Rules
1.) Open to continental USA & Canadian residents only.
2.) One winner will be chosen on 8/12/09 by using random.org.
3.) Make sure you tell me how to contact you when you leave a comment; either on your blog or an email.
4.) One comment per person, please. Plus one *tweet entry; totaling 2 possible entries per person.
5.) I will contact the winners via email or commenting on the winner's blog.
6.) You have until 8/14/09 to claim your prize, or I will choose another winner.

Good luck!

Amanda

Monkey Bread

I have NO idea why this is called Monkey Bread, maybe some mom somewhere invented and named it that cause her little monkeys loved it. It's also known as Pull-Apart Bread (loaf). Whatever you call it it's delish!


It tastes like a cinnamon bun without the guilt of having a big ol' honking bun on your plate. You can pick off a little bit and pop it into your mouth, and then repeat as often as your pants will allow you to.

I snagged the recipe from allrecipes.com and made a few adjustments.

Monkey Bread adapted from allrecipes.com

3 (12 ounce) packages refrigerated biscuit dough
1 c. white sugar
2 tbsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 c. butter
1 c. packed brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. powdered sugar
1 tbsp. cream

Instructions:

1. Preheat over to 350˚F and grease a 9 or 10" Bundt pan.
2. Remove the biscuit dough from the packages and cut each biscuit into quarters.
3. Put white sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves into a large plastic bag and shake to combine.
4. Drop biscuit pieces into bag a few at a time and shake to coat.
5. Remove from bag and drop coated pieces into the Bundt pan arranging as you go.
6. Repeat the coating and arranging until all the pieces are in the pan.
7. In a small sauce pan over medium heat melt the butter and add the brown sugar and bring to a boil. Allow to bubble for 1 minute and then remove from heat and add vanilla. Stir and pour mixture all over the biscuits.
8. Bake for 35 minutes. When done remove from the oven and then allow to cool for 10 minutes. Invert the pan onto a plate to remove the bread.
9. Sift the powdered sugar into a bowl and add the cream a bit at a time until mixed and spread over the top of the warm bread.
10. Serve and watch your little monkeys (or big ones!) pick this yummy bread apart.





enjoy,

Amanda

Hostess Inspired Cupcakes & a Great Cupcake Find!

In Canada, Hostess isn't as popular as Vachon and their deliciously addictive Jos. Louis cakes, but if you've ever had a Hostess Cupcake you'll know they're pretty much the same thing, minus the chocolate glaze.

After gobbling up all the S'mores Cookie Bars in less than 12 hours my nephew requested some cupcakes. It's a good thing the kid practically lives in the gym or else he'd be well on his way to needing to be cut out of the side of the house! I saw these Hostess inspired cupcakes on the My Baking Addiction blog and figured since he inhaled a box of Ah Caramel's last week (ooo, I'm gonna have to try to figure out how to make those from scratch sometime soon!) he would appreciate these.



I changed the recipe slightly using my Grandma's recipe for One Bowl Chocolate Cake as it's my favourite cake recipe although I'm sure any cake recipe would be fabulous including a box cake mix.

The cupcakes with the white frosting aren't filled, I was pressed for time so I filled half and then just piled on the frosting for the other half, equally tasty if you ask me!


Hostess Inspired Cupcakes adapted from mybakingaddiction

Gran's One Bowl Chocolate Cake
1 1/3 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 c. cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 c. shortening (or butter)
1 1/4 c. milk
1 1/2 c. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla

Filling (Seven Minute Frosting):
2 large egg whites
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup light corn syrup
2 tablespoons water
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Ganache
1/4 cup cream
4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened

Instructions:

1. Combine ingredients for cake in the order they're written one ingredient at a time with a hand or stand mixer.
2. Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full and bake at 350˚ for 22 to 25 minutes. Cool completely.
3. While the cupcakes are cooling, combine filling ingredients in a bowl set over a pot of simmering water and beat with a hand mixer at high speed until frosting is thick and fluffy, 6 to 7 minutes. Remove the bowl from the heat and continue to beat until slightly cooled. Reserve 1/2 cup of the filling to use for piping the swirls on top of the cupcakes at the end.
4. Once the cupcakes are cool, use the cone method to fill them with frosting. (click here for a description on this technique)
5. Once they are filled, make the ganache. In a small pot, heat cream until steaming. Remove from the heat, add chocolate and let stand for 5 minutes. Add the butter and stir until smooth. (This can also be done in the microwave by heating up the cream and then adding the chopped chocolate and butter and stirring until melted.) Transfer the frosting to a small bowl and dip the top of each cupcake to thoroughly coat. Spoon the reserved filling into a pastry bag fitted with a very small plain tip and pipe swirls across the center of each cupcake. Refrigerate the cupcakes for 10 minutes to set the frosting.

Now for the great Cupcake Find!

I was at my local Home Hardware picking out paint colours for my kitchen and family room and I happened to wander over to the kitchenware department on my way out and immediately spied these little gems.


Cupcake travelers called Cupcake-on-the-go containers. Made by FoxRun Craftsmen they have a lid that screws off and they securely hold a standard size cupcake or muffin without squishing it. The dome is high enough to accommodate even the most liberal application of frosting. I found them online at Golda's Kitchen for $4 a piece (couldn't find them on FoxRun's website) which is what I paid and seems pretty reasonable to me. I can't wait for my girls to go to school so I can send them in their lunches!

Cinnamon Roll Cake with Cream Cheese Glaze

We were heading over to my in-law's and I wanted to take a dessert (go figure) but I wanted to bring something more "grown-up", meaning something that didn't have sprinkles, mini-chocolate chips or a gooey layer. A dessert that went well with their after-dinner tea. That's when I remembered this recipe from mybakingaddiction.com. Cinnamon rolls crossed with cake is a beautiful thing. This recipe uses a box cake mix which feels like cheating but really, what's a cake mix ? It's just pre-measured ingredients, great for a busy mom whose toddler has run off with all her measuring cups. Doctoring up cake mixes (or making them exactly how you're told to on the box) is a perfectly acceptable baking practice, and totally yummy in my opinion.


Cinnamon Roll Cake

1 Boxed Yellow Cake Mix
4 eggs
¾ cup oil
1 cup sour cream
1 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp cinnamon

Instructions:

1. Mix the first 4 ingredients together and pour into a 11 x 9 greased baking pan.
2. Mix the brown sugar and cinnamon together and sprinkle over top of the batter and using a knife swirl the sugar mixture into the cake batter.
3. Bake at 325 degrees for 30-40 minutes. Let cake cool 10 – 15 minutes before icing.

Cream Cheese Glaze

1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
4-5 tablespoons of milk

Instructions:

1. Beat ingredients together until smooth.
2. Pour over warm cake and serve.

Cookie Dough Cupcakes

I'm not sure how I stumbled upon these yummy cupcakes, but as soon as I saw them I HAD to make them. Um, a cookie dough ball in the centre of a moist vanilla cupcake...my idea of pure heaven! The original idea came from sugar on top, I used her icing recipe, my own cupcake recipe and the cookie dough recipe from Alton Brown.

Be warned, there is raw egg in the cookie dough so if that worries you this cupcake is not for you... and you are totally missing out.


Cookie Dough Cupcakes

Vanilla Bean Cupcakes (Cake)

1 c. white sugar
1/2 c. butter
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 vanilla bean, seeded (optional, vanilla beans are a great touch but not necessary if you don't have any)
1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1 3/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 c.milk

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Grease and flour a 9x9 inch pan or line a muffin pan with paper liners.
3. In a medium bowl, cream together the sugar and butter.
4. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then stir in the vanilla.
5. Split vanilla bean length-wise and scrape seeds out with a knife and add to batter.
5. Combine flour and baking powder, add to the creamed mixture and mix well.
6. Finally stir in the milk until batter is smooth.
7. Pour or spoon batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes in the preheated oven.

For cupcakes, bake 20 to 25 minutes. Cake is done when it springs back to the touch.

Note: It is very important to whip the batter between each step for an extended amount of time. This will create a nice fluffy batter and cake.

Cookie Dough

2 sticks unsalted butter

2 1/4 c. all-purpose flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 c. sugar

1 1/4 c. brown sugar

1 egg

1 egg yolk

2 tsp milk

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

2 c. semisweet chocolate chips

Instructions:

1. Melt butter.
2. Sift together flour, salt, and baking soda.
3. Pour butter and sugars into mixer bowl and beat on medium speed.
4. Add egg, yolk, milk, and vanilla. Mix until combined.
5. Slowly add flour until thoroughly combined.
6. Stir in chocolate chips.
7. Scoop dough with a small scoop (about an inch in diameter).

If you're planning on making actual cookies, scoop with a larger scoop and bake at 375 for about 14 minutes. Cool on sheet for a few minutes.

8. Roll into little balls and place on cookie sheet.
9. Freeze for 1 hour or more.

Icing

2 sticks butter, soft
1 lb. powdered sugar, sifted
2 tsp vanilla
pinch of salt
1/4 c. heavy cream

Instructions:

1. Cream butter and sugar on low.
2. Once blended, add vanilla, salt and cream and whip for 5 minutes.

To assemble cupcake:

1. Fill cupcake liner with batter.
2. Place frozen dough ball on top, do NOT press down.
3. Bake. As batter cooks it will rise up and surround dough ball.