Fudgy Banana Oat Cake

Topping:
1 cup oats uncooked
½ cup firmly packed brown sugar
¼ cup margarine or butter

Filling:
1 cup (6 oz) semisweet chocolate pieces (I used chocolate chips)
2/3 cup sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated)
1 tablespoon butter or margarine

Cake:
1 (18.25 oz) package devil’s food cake mix (I like to use yellow cake mix because the banana flavor comes through better, but the chocolate is good too)
1 ¼ cups mashed ripe bananas (about 3 large)
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs

Garnish (optional):
Banana slices
Whipped cream

Heat oven to 350. Lightly grease bottom only of 13X9 inch baking pan.

For topping, combine oats and brown sugar. Cut in butter or margarine until mixture is crumbly. Set aside.

For the filling, in a small saucepan, heat chocolate pieces, sweetened condensed milk, and margarine or butter over low heat until chocolate is melted, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; set aside.

For the cake, in a large mixing bowl, combine cake mix, bananas, oil, and eggs. Blend at low speed until dry ingredients are moistened. Beat at medium speed two minutes. Spread batter evenly into prepared pan. Drop chocolate mixture by 1/2 teaspoonfuls, or so, over batter.
Sprinkle with reserved oat mixture. Bake 40 to 50 minutes or until cake pulls away from the sides of pan (mine didn’t pull away) and topping is golden brown. Cool cake in pan on wire rack. Garnish with banana slices and whipped cream, if desired.

More Fondant!

Hey all!

So I consider my two older sisters fabulous and creative cooks/bakers. One of Stephanie's daughters just had a birthday and was baptized. She made a few cakes and cupcakes using that marshmallow fondant that Heather put on a while ago. Steph's cakes (like Heather's) are SO CUTE! You all must see them!

Here's a link to my family food blog: LINK
Here's Heather's beautiful cake: LINK
And here's a link to that recipe again just in case you want to make it right now like I do!: LINK

Thanks again, Heather, for getting us that recipe. My sister said she really enjoyed using it, that is wasn't hard (she is a sculptor, though.) and the amount you make is plenty. She did all that you see on that post with one batch and even had some extra. She said using paste coloring, you don't have to use a ton to get nice bright colors.

Okay, who else is gonna use this recipe? If you do, you must post photos!

Dark Chocolate Frosting by Martha Stewart

1 pound semisweet chocolate (the good kind)
6 tablespoons cocoa
6 tablespoons boiling water
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter
1/2 cup powdered sugar
dash of salt

Put chocolate in a heat proof bowl. Place over a pot of simmering water on the stove. Turn the heat off. Let the chocolate melt, stirring every so often, for 15 minutes. Remove bowl from the pot and let the chocolate cool for 30 minutes.
Combine cocoa and water, stir to dissolve cocoa.
Beat butter, sugar and salt until light and fluffy, about 3 or 4 minutes. Add melted chocolate and beat for 1 or 2 minutes. Add cocoa mixture and beat to combine.

I made this cake for Jason's birthday yesterday. This frosting is totally worth the effort, especially if you like dark chocolate, which I do!

Fun with Fondant!

I have only heard scary stories about fondant, how hard it is to make, how it doesn't even really taste good etc. Then my mom had told me about this Marshmallow fondant recipe that was supposed to be just as good as regular fondant to work with (she had never tried it,) I decided to give it a shot, and I was VERY happy with the results!!! All that is in it is marshmallows, a little water and powdered sugar!! It is supposed to taste better (I cannot fully testify of this as I have never eaten regular fondant--but my kids kept snitching it while I was making the cake) and it was really quite easy to make, and so fun to play with. I have new hopes and ideas for future birthday cakes now that I feel comfortable with this fondant recipe. The possibilities are endless!! Give it a try!!
P.S. Definitely not as tasty as Cecy's cupcakes below though!

Chocolate Graham Cracker Cupcakes with Toasted Marshmallow

I think these are the best cupcakes I have ever made, and they tie with Sprinkles chocolate coconut cupcake for the best cupcake I've ever eaten. I wasn't sure if I should attempt to make these becuase they looked a little complicated. It is more work than a cake mix and store bought frosting but TOTALLY WORTH IT! It's not hard, just a little time consuming. So if you are in the mood for fancy, these are the cupcakes for you!

I got the recipe from Martha Stewart and the link is below. Enjoy!

http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/chocolate-graham-cracker-cupcake-with-toasted-marshmallow

p.s. I did not toast the marshmallow becuase I don't own a kitchen torch. They still tasted good and looked fine too!

cupcakes that make you go mmmm!

Okay, this is not my baking, but I have found delicious cupcakes! Promise you won't shun me? They are at Starbucks! :) The Double Chocolate Cupcakes are so good! So chocolatey, eat it a little chilled, and yum! They also have red velvet and some other flavor, but why bother when they have chocolate?

Chocolate Ganache Cake

Hi again!
Gretchen wanted this recipe and I had already put it on my sisters' food blog so I just copied and pasted it here. I love it! I make the cakes the day before so I don't have a totally mess in my kitchen all day. Good luck with it.

Chocolate Ganache Cake. You CAN'T beat this cake!! I LOVE IT! I wanted to make Scott a Princess Cake for his birthday but he didn't want to be a princess and really wanted me to make this one again. The original MS recipe is here LINK but this first time I made it I didn't know that there was a difference between all-purpose flour and cake flour. DUH. Therefore it was a TOTAL DISASTER! I made those cakes twice that day with crappy results on the cake but yummy goodness on the ganache. But really, how can you mess up ganache? So I used Stephanie's AWESOME-amazing-can't-go-wrong chocolate cake recipe with the original ganache and now it's pretty much near perfect!

Stepi's Chocolate Cake

3 c. flour ALL-PURPOSE! Not cake flour
6 Tbs. coco
2 tsp baking soda
2 c. sugar
1 tsp salt
3/4 c. oil
2 Tbs. vinegar
2 tsp vanilla
2 c. very cold water
Chocolate Ganache (recipe below)

Mix dry ingredients. Mix wet ingredients and add to dry mixture. Mix till just moist. Grease and flour (or use coco) a 9x13 or 2 9" inch circular pans or cup cake pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-50 minutes, depending on your pan. Check frequently.

To assemble:(from Martha Stewart)

Transfer half of Chocolate Ganache (3 1/2 cups) to clean bowl of an electric mixer; set aside remaining. Let cool completely, stirring frequently, about 40 minutes. Attach bowl to mixer fitted with whisk attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until ganache holds soft peaks, 5 to 7 minutes. Using a serrated knife, trim tops of cake layers to make level. Transfer one of the layers to a cake turntable or platter, and spread top with 1 1/2 cups whipped ganache. Top with remaining layer, cut side down, and spread remaining whipped ganache in a thin layer over entire cake, covering completely. Refrigerate until set, about 30 minutes.Transfer cake to a wire rack set over a rimmed baking sheet. Pour reserved ganache over top, letting it run down the sides. If necessary, use a large offset spatula to spread from the center toward the edges, so that the cake is evenly and completely covered. Refrigerate until ganache has just begun to set, about 30 minutes. Transfer cake to a serving plate. Serve immediately, or refrigerate, covered with a cake dome, for up to 2 days

Chocolate Ganache

Makes about 7 cups

• 4 cups heavy cream
• 2 pounds best-quality semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup light corn syrup
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

1. In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, bring cream to a full boil; turn off heat. Add chocolate, and swirl pan to completely cover with cream. Slowly whisk mixture until smooth. Add corn syrup and salt; stir until combined. Transfer to a clean bowl.

Ginger Pear Upside-Down Cake

Jocelyn chatted with me about this new cake she tried and had a lot of success with. Sounds yummy! And since she doesn't have super-fast internet, I'm putting it on.

Thanks, Jocelyn!

This was really yummy. I plan on making it again. I want to try it with peaches. I prefer using freshly ground ginger in this recipe. Either way, I suggest tasting the batters and adjusting the ginger to your personal liking.

Ginger Pear Upside-Down Cake

Topping
6 T. butter
¾ cup packed dark brown sugar
½ teaspoon ground ginger (I like more)
5 juicy-ripe medium pears, peeled, halved, and cored, or a 28 to 29 ounce can plus an 8 – 9 ounce can pear halves, drained—I used sliced pears and it was pretty. I think peaches would work great for this cake too.
Approximately 1/3 cup pecan halves

Cake
1 1/2 cups sifted cake flour (I just used regular flour)
¾ teaspoon ground ginger (I like more)
¾ teaspoon baking poder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
3 large egg yolks
½ cup sour cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
½ cup plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
¾ cup granulated sugar

Preaheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

(My guess is you could use an 8-9 inch baking pan if you don’t have a skillet)

Prepare the topping. Melt the butter in a heavy 8-9 inch skillet, preferably cast iron, over medium heat. Stir in the brown sugar and ginger, and remove the pan from the heat.
Arrange the pear halves, cut side up, in the skillet. Fit them snugly in concentric circles or in a another pattern that pleases you. Tuck pecans in spaces between the pears.

Prepare the cake batter, first sifting together the flour, ginger baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a small bowl, lightly whisk the egg yolks with the sour cream and vanilla. Cream together the butter and granulated sugar with an electric mixer at medium—high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Mix in the egg mixture and flour mixture in thirds, alternating the two. Mix for about 20 seconds following each addition, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Spoon the batter over the topping in the skillet, smoothing the surface. Bake for about 50 minutes, until nicely brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. (In my experience the toothpick did not come out clean, but was still done. I think it was due to the moisture in the pears)

Immediately run a knife around the sides of the cake and invert the skillet onto a serving plate. Leave the skillet in place over the cake for a couple of minutes, then carefully remove the skillet. This gives time for the caramelized topping to release fully from the skillet, but if any clings stubbornly, scrape it out and smooth it onto the cake. I didn’t do this next part, but it says to cook for an additional 10 minutes before slicing into wedges. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Pineapple Upside-down Muffins

This is my new favorite muffin. I made them for scrapbooking a while back, so some of you may have tried them. Also, this muffin book is pretty cool, lots of good recipes.

Pineapple Upside-Down Muffins from The Ultimate Muffin Book

3 T light brown sugar

8 T butter, melted and cooled

One 8 oz can crushed pineapple, drained

2 cups plus 2 T flour

½ cup sugar

2 t baking powder

1 t baking soda

½ t salt

2 lg eggs

¾ cup buttermilk

¼ t almond extract

1. Preheat oven to 375. In a small bowl, mix the brown sugar and 2 T of the melted butter until well combined. Divide this mixture evenly among the 12 muffin tines, placing about 1 t in the bottom of each. Top the butter mixture in each tin with 1 t of crushed pineapple. Set aside.
2. Wisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until uniform. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs until frothy. Whisk in the buttermilk, the almond extract, the remaining 6 T melted butter, and the remaining crushed pineapple. Gently stir in the prepared flour mixture with a wooden spoon until moistened.
4. Taking care not to disturb the sugar and pineapple in the bottom of the tins, fill them three-quarters full with batter. Use additional greased tins or individual , ovensafe, greased ramekins for any leftover batter, or reserve the batter for a second baking. Bake for 22 minutes, or until the muffins are lightly browned with rounded tops. A toothpick inserted into the center of one muffin should come out with a few moist crumbs attached.
5. Set the pan on a wire rack to cool for 15 minutes. Gently tip each muffin to one side, taking care to keep the pineapple bottom attached. If it comes looks, simply scrape it out and gently press it back onto the muffin top once the muffin has been removed from the tin. Remove all the muffins; serve upside down. Cool completely before sealing them in a airtight container, where they will stay fresh for up to 2 days. These muffins do not freeze well.

Yummy Choclale Cake!

My sister made this chocolate cake for my birthday last week. It is TOO good!

Chocolate Cake

1 3/4 c. all purpose flour 2 c. sugar 3/4 c. unsweetened cocoa 1 1/2 t. baking soda
1 1/2 t. baking powder 1 t. salt 2 eggs 1 c. milk 1/2 c. vegetable oil 1 t. vanilla
1 c. boiling water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare two 9-inch pans by rubbing with butter, sprinkling with flour and tapping out extra. In a large bowl combine flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Mix together with a wooden spoon then set aside. In small bowl combine eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla. Beat well with hand mixer. Slowly add boiling water and mix. Add wet ingredients to flour mixture and fold and stir until smooth. Pour batter into pans, dividing evenly. Bake for 30-35 minutes. Remove cake from pans and cool on racks.

Chocolate Frosting

3 c. confectioners' sugar 3/4 c. unsweetened cocoa 1 stick butter, softened
3-4 T. heavy cream 1 t. vanilla

Sift sugar and cocoa together into a large bowl. In another bowl combine 1 c. of sugar mixture with butter and 1 T. cream, beating until smooth. Add another cup of sugar and another T. of cream, beating well. Continure until all ingredients are combined and frosting is fluffy. Beat in vanilla. Spread frosting on top of one round. Top with second round and cover top and sides completely with frosting.