Category Archives: Baking

Pinterest Fail!

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So I was in a rush the other day. My sister and her boyfriend were coming over for our weekly game night/movie night/drink a bottle of wine night. I made adorable mini meatloaves, mash potatoes, biscuits and veggies. I wanted to have a little dessert but didn’t have the time or the energy to make something elaborate. That is when Pinterest came into play.

I am constantly looking to Pinterest for ideas and saw a wonderful picture of brownie waffles. How cute I thought! How quick! How different!

I made the mix, sprayed the iron with PAM and popped the batter in.

Problem 1: I walked away (even thought it was only 3 minutes)
Problem 2: I placed a bit too much batter into the iron.
Problem 3: I was in a rush.
Problem 4: Please see picture.

Yikes! There was batter everywhere! Dribbling down the cabinet and on the floor!

I do take responsibility for this Pinterest fail. I am not sure if I will ever try it again, but the end result was cooked brownie pieces scraped off of the iron and a lot of mess to clean up. It was yummy, but not at all pretty.

Adventures in Cake Pops

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This Easter Mr. Sweet & I were visiting family. I always bring a dessert and wanted to bring something special this year because there were going to be a lot of children. Ever since I saw Bakerella’s first cake pop I knew I had to make them. This seemed like the perfect opportunity to try them out.

What is a cake pop you ask? They are basically little balls of cake and frosting covered in chocolate and decorated. They are pretty simple to make: bake a cake, let it cool, tear it into crumbs, stir in frosting, roll cake into balls, dip in chocolate and decorate. Easy peasy!

While mine didn’t achieve the talented heights of Bakerella’s they still came out pretty good for my first go of it. They were gobbled up by kids and adults alike. I am looking forward to trying out different variations for future events.

Check out Bakerella’s site for all her amazing ideas!

Tips I found helpful:
- Put the cake pops the freezer before dipping so that the pops can harden a bit. If the cake is too soft the ball will fall apart when placed in the warm chocolate.
- I used half a can of frosting.
- For easy crumbs I placed the cooled cake in my KitchenAid Mixing Bowl with a paddle attachment on low and let the KitchenAid do the work. After the crumbs were made I added the frosting and had the KitchenAid mix it for me.
- I did not freeze the cake pops after the chocolate was applied. I left them to air dry and they came out smooth. I have heard that if you freeze them the outer coating may crack.
- Mr. Sweet recommended next time to use munchkins instead of going through the trouble of making the cake. Good idea honey!

Don’t say I didn’t warn you!

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Mr. Sweet & I were invited to dinner two Sunday’s ago. I am always one to bring something when invited over. Be it a bottle of wine for dinner, a six-pack for the game or dessert for after dinner.

I have had this Chocolate Peanut Butter Torte pinned on my “Sweet Tooth” board on Pinterest for months now. It’s the definition of decadent – a thick Oreo crust surrounds a fluffy peanut butter mousse with chocolate chips and peanuts sprinkled within and covered in a dark chocolate ganache topped with even more peanuts. Peanut butter and chocolate are good enough on their own and pretty unbeatable when they’re together.

At first glance, the recipe may seem a bit time-consuming and overwhelming. While there are several steps required to make this torte, they are simple and quite easy to do.

You can find the recipe in Dorie Greenspan’s cookbook “Baking from My Home to Yours” or this adapted version on Annie’s Eats.

This dessert is rich and decadent. As in, take a tiny sliver. Addicting and delicious you are going to want to make it again and again. Don’t say I didn’t warn you!

Note: Dorie’s cookbook is amazing! Give it a try. I have made Classic Banana Bundt Cake, Apples Muffins, Allspice Crumb Muffins and many more I haven’t blogged about.

The beauty and simplicity of homemade granola.

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I am a lover of homemade granola.  Sweet and crunchy, granola is delicious served with fruit and milk for breakfast, stirred into yogurt or sprinkled on ice cream.

Before I knew how easy it was to make at home, I would search the shelves at the market for the perfect granola.  Prepackaged, processed and overpriced is what I would find.  The beauty of making something at home means that you can control what you put in it, how healthy it will be and what flavors you would like to add.   Add-ins could be shredded coconut, dried fruits, crunchy nuts, seeds and if you are feeling naughty chocolate pieces. Spices such as nutmeg, cinnamon and ginger can peak your taste buds.  Saying that making granola is ridiculously easy is an understatement.

Try my Cranberry & Chocolate Granola, Tropical Granola or just plain granola next time you have a craving.  I know I will.

Could there be a more perfect cookie in the world?

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I have been on the search for the perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe since I started baking. It had to be out there somewhere – perfectly baked, perfectly formed & heaped with divine chocolate pieces.

Perfection in a cookie is a matter of individual preference. Each batch I have made over the years was slightly different. Different in proportions, chocolates, mixing methods, & even baking times were carefully controlled. I have searched for tips & tricks about creaming butters, types of sugar to use and egg handling. When to mix, how long to mix, when not to mix.

There were also variations. Thin & crispy with loads of buttery flavor. Soft & cake-y, dotted with dark chocolate chips. Or my personal favorite, irresistibly chewy & chock-full of gooey chocolate.

I believe my search has finally ended. I found Averie Cooks Chocolate Chip and Chunk Cookies recipe while browsing Pinterest. The day I found it I ran home to try it out. My sister & her boyfriend were coming by for dinner and I thought they would be the perfect guinea pigs.

Butter was creamed with brown & granulated sugar. Egg, vanilla and other ingredients were added. Flavors married while chilling. Dough was scooped & baked. After dinner I served the cookies with a tall glass of milk. Many bites happen, some moans might have ensued. More milk was poured & before we knew it the cookies were gone. Since that night I have made this recipe about a dozen or so times.

Could there be a more perfect cookie in the world? Maybe, but I really don’t think so.

Delightfully Living: Day 26 – Day 32

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365 photo project – the simple act of taking a picture every day for a year. The idea behind starting the project is for me to try to get myself to slow down and take a different look at the world. The series is called Delightfully Living. This is Day 26 – Day 32.

What you will see: moments of time, food, details of the world around me and things that I enjoy.

Day 26: Layla’s new thing is to take my “place” on the couch whenever I get up to get something. She knows she is just too cute for me to toss her off.

Day 27: Woke up to find pastries that my husband picked up at the local baker. He knows the way to his women’s heart!

Day 28: A batch of Chocolate Chip and Chunk Cookies made for an after dinner snack. (Blog post about those bad boys to come soon!)

Day 29: Slow cooker Minestrone Soup for a cold day. I love coming home to an already cooked meal.

Day 30: Took this picture on my way to work. Mr. Sweet says it belongs on the cover of a horror movie.

Day 31: The day was a bit overwhelming so I hid away during my lunch break and watched a bit of Battlestar Galactica.

Day 32: Layla was quite photogenic today!

Everyday Chocolate Cake

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Everyday Chocolate Cake
from Smitten Kitchen

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg, room temperature
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract *
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat the oven to 325F. Butter and lightly flour a 9x5x3-inch loaf pan.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter until smooth. Add the sugars and beat until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the egg, buttermilk and vanilla. Beat well.
Sift the flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add all dry ingredients right into your wet ingredients. Stir together with a spoon until well-blended but do not over mix. Scrape down the batter in the bowl to ensure the ingredients are well blended.
Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan (I used two smaller loaf pans). Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. Cool in pan on a rack for about 10 minutes. Remove from the pan and set on the rack till completely cool.

*Since I was out of vanilla extract I replaced it with almond extract. I enjoyed the subtle hint of almond flavoring and decided next time to try it with coconut extract.

Buttery Milk Bundt Cake

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BUTTERY MILK BUNDT CAKE
Serves – 8

Ingredients
1 stick and 3 tablespoons of unsalted butter (softened)
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
pinch of salt
1 1/2 cups plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup milk

Preheat oven to 325. Grease a bundt pan with butter and dust with flour.

Combine all ingredients in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat until smooth and mixed for about 5 minutes. Pour batter in prepared bunt pan. Bake for approximately 40 minutes until golden and cooked through. Remove from oven.

Let cake cool for a couple of minutes then tap on the sides of the pan to loosen the cake (also you can give it a couple of good wacks on the counter). Turn it over onto a plate to dislodge the cake from the pan. Dust with icing sugar to serve.