Tunnel of Fudge Cake Balls

When I started this little baking project I intended to make a tunnel of fudge cake. However, when I inverted the bundt pan, I ended up with a nice ring of fudge on my countertop. It was a tunnel of fudge disaster! The cake was too delicious to throw away, but as you can see from the photo below, it was not presentable in its disastrous state. My husband suggested that I just make cake balls, and I ended up being really pleased with the results. Unlike traditional cake balls, I didn't add any frosting to the cake mixture - the fudge was gooey enough to hold the balls together once I mixed up everything. See my previous post for instructions on making cake balls.
I started the cake by adding butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and vanilla to a large mixer bowl.
The mixture was creamed until very light and fluffy.
Eggs and chocolate were mixed in.
After the flour mixture and nuts were added, the batter was poured into the bundt pan and placed in the oven.
Disaster strikes! I quickly turned the pan back over to prevent anymore of the cake from spilling onto my countertop. There was only one thing I could do...
So I put the cake in a bowl...
...and turned the disaster into cake balls.
The balls were dipped in white almond bark and decorated with melted chocolate.
Disaster never looked so tasty!

Nutella Oatmeal Cookies

I love love love Nutella. I generally prefer to eat it out of the jar with a spoon, but I decided I could expand my Nutella horizons and use it to make some cookies too. The cookies turned out really well, and had an exquisite soft and chewy texture. For a more pronounced hazelnut flavor, try adding some hazelnut liqueur to the dough.
NUTELLA OATMEAL COOKIES
From Hannah's Kitchen

INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup Nutella
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups rolled oats

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment.

2. In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter, Nutella, and sugars until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and eggs and beat until combined.

3. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and beat just until combined. Add the oats and beat until combined.

4. Cover the dough and refrigerate for 20 minutes.

5. Drop the dough by rounded tablespoons onto the baking sheet lined with parchment. Bake 8-10 minutes or until the edges are just set. Allow cookies to cool on the sheets for 5 minutes, then remove cookies to a wire rack to col completely.

Smores Bars

I had a jar of marshmallow creme that had been sitting on my pantry shelf for quite sometime, and these bars looked like a delicious way to finally use it. I have a tendency to impulse buy baking items at the grocery store that I don't need and don't have plans for using. I just get so excited when presented with a whole aisle full of yumminess! My friend Sarah posted these treats on her blog, and they looked so tasty that I had to give them a try.
The graham cracker dough is layered into the bottom of the pan.
Chocolate chips are sprinkled on top.
Next comes the marshmallow creme.
Then the remaining dough is flattened and pieced together on the top.
Let them cool completely before slicing.
SMORES BARS
Adapted slightly from The Application of Heat

INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (6 ounces) milk chocolate chips
1 jar (7 ounces) marshmallow creme

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8x8 inch pan with foil and spray with cooking spray.

2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and vanilla until combined.

3. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder, and salt. Add to butter mixture and mix at low speed until combined.

4. Divide dough in half and press half of the dough into an even layer in the bottom of the prepared pan. Scatter the milk chocolate chips over the dough. Drop the marshmallow fluff by spoonfuls over the chips and dough and spread into a layer with the help of a greased spatula. Place remaining dough in a single layer on top of the fluff. This is best achieved by flattening the dough into small flat shingles and layering them together until the pan is covered.

5. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until lightly browned. Cool completely before cutting into squares with a lightly oiled knife.

Yellow Bundt Pound Cake

My aunt and uncle sent me some wonderful birthday gifts, which included a really cool Nordicware bundt pan and lovely bundt-friendly cake carrier. What a great reason to bake a cake! I immediately began searching for a recipe so I could try out the new pan. I am always worried that my bundt cakes won't come out of the pan properly, but luckily this one turned out beautifully!
This is the fancy bundt pan that I used.
A tasty slice.

YELLOW BUNDT POUND CAKE
Adapted slightly from The America's Test Kitchen Family Baking Book

INGREDIENTS
3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup buttermilk, room temperature
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 1/4 sticks unsalted butter, cut into chunks and softened
2 cups sugar
3 large eggs, room temperature
1 large egg yolk, room temperature

DIRECTIONS
1. Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 12-cup bundt pan with bake release spray. Whisk the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda together in a medium bowl. In a small bowl, whisk the buttermilk, vanilla, and lemon juice together.

2. In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar together with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 6 minutes. Beat in the eggs and egg yolk, one at a time, until combined, about 1 minute.

3. Reduce the mixer speed to low and beat in one-third of the flour mixture followed by half of the buttermilk mixture. Repeat with half of the remaining flour mixture and the remaining buttermilk mixture. Beat in the remaining flour mixture until just incorporated.

4. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Wipe any drops of batter off the sides of the pan and gently tap the pan on the counter to settle the batter. Bake the cake until a wooden skewer inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, 50 to 60 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking.

5. Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then flip it out onto a wire rack. Let the cake cool completely, about 2 hours, before serving. Dust with powdered sugar, if desired.

Gooey Double Chocolate Cookies

I have another summer cookout to head to this evening so I needed to bake up something easy and portable. Since we will be outside the whole time and it is over 100 degrees, a cookie seemed like the best option. These cookies are very decadent and almost brownie-like. The bittersweet chocolate chips add depth and keep the cookies from becoming too sweet. Look how gooey the insides are!

So easy and so delicious!
GOOEY DOUBLE CHOCOLATE COOKIES

INGREDIENTS
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate
4 tablespoons butter
3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup flour
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 bag (11.5 ounces) Ghiradelli bittersweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS
1. In a bowl set over a pot of simmering water, melt the unsweetened chocolate and butter. Remove from the heat and cool slightly.

2. In a large bowl using a fork, combine the eggs, vanilla and sugar. Mix just until incorporated and set aside.

3. Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt into a medium bowl. Set aside.

4. Add the melted chocolate to the egg mixture and mix just until combined. Stir in the sifted dry ingredients and mix just until combined, then stir in the bittersweet chocolate.

5. Cover the batter with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour to chill thoroughly.

6. Heat oven to 350 degrees F.

7. Divide the dough into 18 portions. Grease hands to prevent dough from sticking, and shape the portions into balls. Place the balls on a greased, parchment-lined sheet pan, leaving 2 to 3 inches between each.

8. Bake until the edges of the cookies are just set and the center is still soft, 10 to 12 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through. Place the cookies, still on the parchment, on a rack and cool completely before serving. They will be very soft.

Hummingbird Cake

Happy Birthday to me! Today is my birthday so of course I had to bake a cake. I have been thinking about making a hummingbird cake for a while, so I decided to give it a try. I've heard that hummingbird cakes are traditional southern cakes, so now that I live kind of in the South (Dallas) it seemed like a fitting choice. Oh, and it was pretty darn delicious too!
THE PROCESS:
Whisk together the dry ingredients.
In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, oil, and vanilla extract.
Chop the toasted pecans and bananas.
Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.
Fold in the pecans, banana, and crushed pineapple.
Divide the batter into the three pans.
Cool the baked cakes completely.
Whip up the frosting.
Fill the cake layers with frosting.
Add a crumb coat to the sides.
Frost and decorate!
Now try a slice...or two.

HUMMINGBIRD CAKE
From America's Best Lost Recipes

INGREDIENTS - CAKE
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 (8-ounce) can crushed pineapple packed in juice
1 1/2 cups pecans, toasted and chopped, plus extra for garnishing, if desired
2 ripe bananas, peeled and chopped

INGREDIENTS - ICING
16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
4 cups confectioners' sugar
16 ounces cream cheese, cut into 8 pieces, softened
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Pinch of salt

DIRECTIONS
1. For the Cake - Adjust two oven racks to the upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour three 9-inch cake pans. Whisk the flour, granulated sugar, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a large bowl. Whisk the oil, eggs, and vanilla in a medium bowl, add to the flour mixture, and whisk until combined. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the pineapple (with the juice), pecans, and bananas. Divide the batter evenly among the prepared pans and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes, rotating and switching the pan positions halfway through baking. Cool the cakes in the pans for 10 minutes, then turn out onto racks to cool completely, at least 30 minutes.

2. For the Icing - With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat the butter and confectioners' sugar until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the cream cheese, one piece at a time, and beat until incorporated. Beat in the vanilla and salt. Refrigerate until ready to use.

3. Spread about 1 1/2 cups of the frosting on one cake layer. Top with a second cake layer and another 1 1/2 cups frosting. Top with the final cake layer and spread the top and sides of the cake with the remaining frosting. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. The cake can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.

Sugar Cookies

I'm going to a 4th of July party later this evening and I wanted to bring something festive. I decided to make sugar cookies, ice them, and then sprinkle with red and blue sugar. Of course I had to use my star-shaped cookie cutter to add to the festiveness!

SUGAR COOKIES
From the Betty Crocker Cookbook (circa 1960)

INGREDIENTS
2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS
1. Sift flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium mixing bowl.

2. Cream together butter and sugar; add eggs and vanilla and mix until light and fluffy.

3. Add dry ingredients to the butter mixture a little at a time and mix until combined.

4. Wrap dough in plastic and refrigerate overnight.

5. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

6. Roll out dough to about 1/8" thickness and cut out cookies.

7. Bake for 5-6 minutes, or until edges are the lightest of browns. Do not overbake.

8. Cool completely before icing.

Best Blueberry Muffins

I've been buying lots of blueberries lately, so it seemed natural to make some muffins. I like this recipe better than the blueberry muffin recipe I posted back in March. Enjoy!
The blueberries.
The melted butter and milk mixture.
The dry ingredients.
The blueberries are folded into the muffin batter.
The batter is scooped into a muffin tin and sprinkled with sugar.The finished product. Delicious!

BEST BLUEBERRY MUFFINS
Adapted From Gourmet Magazine

INGREDIENTS
3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter
1/3 cup whole milk
1 whole large egg
1 large egg yolk
3/4 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries
Turbinado sugar for sprinkling

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Generously butter muffin pans.

2. Melt butter in a small saucepan over moderately low heat, then remove from heat. Whisk in milk, then whisk in whole egg, yolk, and vanilla until combined well.

3. Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a bowl, then add milk mixture and stir until just combined. Fold in blueberries gently but thoroughly.

4. Divide batter among 12 muffin cups, spreading evenly. Sprinkle with turbinado sugar.

5. Bake for 20-22 minutes or until tops are light brown and a wooden toothpick inserted in the center of the muffin comes out clean.

Blueberry Lemon Cheesecake

I am on a cheesecake kick. Plus, I bought a huge tub of blueberries and needed to use some of them up. This lemon blueberry cheesecake is just another take on the same basic cheesecake recipe used in my previous post. Experiment and make your own tasty combination!
The crust.
The filled crust.
Cooking the blueberries and preserves.
The blueberries are poured over the cheesecake to set in the refrigerator.
Once the cheesecake has chilled, the outer ring of the pan is removed.
The inside.
A nice slice.
LEMON BLUEBERRY CHEESECAKE
From Hannah's Kitchen

INGREDIENTS - CRUST
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup sugar
1 heaping teaspoon lemon zest
1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted

INGREDIENTS - FILLING
4 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
5 eggs

INGREDIENTS - TOPPING
2 cups fresh blueberries
1 cup blueberry preserves
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 475 degrees F.

2. Prepare a water bath by placing a large pan filled with about 1/2 inch of water into the oven while it preheats.

3. In a medium bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, lemon zest, and melted butter. Press the crumb mixture into and up the sides of a 9-inch spring form pan that has been sprayed with non-stick spray.

4. Wrap a large piece of foil around the bottom of the pan to keep the cheesecake in the water bath.

5. In the large bowl of an electric mixer beat the cream cheese, sugar, sour cream, vanilla, and lemon juice. Mix for a couple of mines or until the ingredients are smooth and creamy. Whisk the eggs in a medium bowl and then add them to the cream cheese mixture. Blend the mixture just enough to incorporate the eggs.

6. Pour the cream cheese filling into the crust.

7. Carefully place the cheesecake into the water bath in the oven. Bake for 12 minutes at 475 degrees, then turn the oven down to 350 degrees and bake for 50-60 minutes or until the top of the cheesecake turns a light brown or tan color.

8. Remove the cheesecake from the oven to cool.

9. While cheesecake is cooling, combine blueberries, preserves, and lemon juice in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring often until preserves are melted and blueberries have heated through. Set mixture aside to cool.

10. After the cheesecake and the blueberry mixture have cooled to room temperature, pour the blueberry mixture over the cheesecake. Cover with foil and chill for 6-8 hours before removing the outer ring of the pan and serving.