Tuesday 23 June 2015

Whoopie Pie Cake


Before I even begin this post, I need to say there is absolutely nothing "better for you" about this recipe!  It is purely indulgent.  But sometimes, that is ok!  My daughter requested this cake for her birthday, so this is what she got.
I found this recipe on another blog I follow, "http://cookiesandcups.com"  and I followed the instructions fairly closely, including the boxed cake mix.  I was concerned that a 'scratch cake' might be a little too delicate and would break in the assembly of this cake, and since it was for my daughter's birthday, I didn't want to risk it.  The only thing I did change was to make my own Marshmallow Fluff, as opposed to buying a jar of the stuff.
We enjoyed this on her birthday and I froze the rest for the weekend.  It froze beautifully!  So treat yourself and your family a little, and freeze the rest for another day or a special lunchbox treat.  Your Kids will love it!

To make Whoopie Pie Cake, you will need:

      Cake 

  • 1 box Devil Food Cake mix,+ ingredients required on box
  • 1 extra egg
     Filling

  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 2 cups marshmallows
  • 2 tsp simple syrup ( 2 tsp sugar + 2 tsp hot water - stir until sugar is dissolved)
  • 3 cups powdered sugar
     Ganache

  • 1/2 cup whipping cream
  • 1/3 cup cocoa
  • 2 Tbsp sugar
  • 1/4 tsp strong brewed coffee (I used decaf)
  • 1/4 tsp vanilla

For Cake:  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
 Line 2 9x13 pans with parchment paper, or grease and dust with cocoa powder.
Prepare oven according to package directions, adding extra egg.  Divide batter between the pans and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until toothpick comes out clean.  Allow to cool completely.

For Filling:  In a double boiler, place marshmallows, stir to melt.  Add the simple syrup.  This will be very sticky and maybe a little hard to work with.  I added about 2 tsp of the butter while mixing, to make it a little more manageable.
 Remove mixture from heat when marshmallows are melted  and syrup is incorporated.  Mix in butter, then icing sugar (I used my kitchenaid mixer for this).

For Ganache:  Simmer whipping cream over medium heat, stirring constantly until just before boiling (do not allow cream to hit boiling!).  Add in sifted cocoa and remaining ingredients until well incorporated.  Allow to cool a bit to thicken (it will stay fairly runny).

Once the cake is cooled, lift out of pan with overhanging parchment paper and place on serving tray.
 Spread Filling over cake, then carefully place the other cake on top of filling.
 Pour Ganache over the top of the cake, allowing it to drip down the side a little.
Refrigerate until ready to serve, and refrigerate or freeze leftovers.


ENJOY!!!

Monday 8 June 2015

Cinnamon French Toast Bake

Friday was a PA day in my end of the world, and my daughters had been wanting to make Cinnamon Bread again.  It was fun, and they really enjoyed getting their hands in there, rolling out the dough, sprinkling the cinnamon and rolling it back up! when we pulled the bread out of the oven, it looked perfect!  When we sliced into it.... not so much!
Clearly we didn't roll it tightly enough!  That was ok though!!!  I got a wonderful idea!  I had been craving french toast all week, so I decided to turn this into a French Toast Bake! It was super easy and a wonderful way to start Saturday!!
If you are a "planner", you can very easily prepare this the night before, leave it in the fridge and bake it in the morning. :)
I would also recommend adding blueberries to this, but since I have a few little ones that don't like blueberries as much as I do, I simply serve them on the side.
If you prefer to sweeten this up a little, you can add 1/4 to 1/2 cup of maple syrup to the egg mixture.
This recipe made a perfect amount for 5 people, but can easily be doubled.

To make Cinnamon French Toast Bake you will need:
  • 1/2 loaf Whole Wheat Cinnamon Bread
  • 4 large eggs
  • 3/4 cup milk
  • 1.5 tsp vanilla
  • 1/2 tsp nutmeg (I use freshly grated)
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • Real Maple Syrup (optional)
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Cube the bread and place in a greased 9X9 baking dish.
 Mix the remaining ingredients in a large measuring cup, and carefully pour over the bread, making sure to saturate every piece!
Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes, until firm to the touch.  Serve with fresh fruit and real maple syrup, if desired!

Bon Appetit!!!

Wednesday 3 June 2015

Whole Wheat Toffee Crunch Blondies


IMG_20150515_181801There are very few recipes that I have found that cannot be made with Whole Wheat flour.  I am, honestly, a little confused why we ever started using White flour!
So this week I made Blondies… Because they were made with 100% Whole Wheat, they are more of a tan colour, and the natural, nutty flavour of the wheat really came through in this recipe.  My whole family loved them…  I hope yours does too!
To make Whole Wheat Toffee Crunch Blondies you will need:
  • 1/4 cup softened butter
  • 1/4 cup applesauce
  • 2 eggs
  • 3/4 cup lightly packed brown sugar
  • 2 cups Whole Wheat all purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 Tbsp milk
  • 1 cup toffee bits, divided
  • 1/2 cup semisweet mini chocolate chips
Heat oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease  a 9 x 13 baking pan.IMG_20150515_151912
In a large bowl, beat butter, applesauce and sugar until fluffy.  Beat in eggs until creamy.IMG_20150515_151951
In a medium bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Stir into butter mixture, add milk.IMG_20150515_152215
stir in 3/4 cup of the toffee bits and all the chocolate chips.IMG_20150515_152559 Spread evenly in the baking pan.
Sprinkle remaining toffee bits over batter.IMG_20150515_153350 Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden brown.  let cool and cut into bars.IMG_20150515_181639
Serve with a scoop of real vanilla ice cream!!!  IMG_20150515_181915

French Apple Cobbler

I decided last week to empty out my freezer instead of doing groceries.  I like to do that regularly, to avoid wasting good food.  By the end of the week, however, my cupboards get pretty bare, and I have to become very creative trying to put together a meal... but I enjoy a challenge, so it's all good  :)
I had a large bag of apples in the fridge, and not much else, but we wanted desert!  So, apple SOMETHING it was going to be!  I was also almost out of flour... a cobbler should be doable! (is "doable" even a word??)
All was going along well...until the last ingredient : an egg!  I had used every last egg in the house that morning for breakfast!  (this is what happens when you don't read a recipe carefully)  Once upon a time I remember reading somewhere that Flax with water can replace an egg, so, with fingers crossed, I soaked 1 TBSP ground flax with 3 TBSP water for a few minutes, then added it to the batter.  It worked perfectly!!!  My family devoured this cobbler, and I guarantee this will make a regular appearance at our table.  It would be wonderful with some fresh whipped cream, or even real french vanilla ice cream! (which I had none of!)  Regardless, it smelled so amazing and my kids were in such a hurry to dig into this that I forgot to take a picture of it before it was served!  OOPS!  you can see, however, the beautiful juice in the bottom of the pie plate (imagine pouring that over your ice cream!  Totally happening the next time I make this!!)
I found this recipe on Real Housemoms.com blog, and made a few modifications (you know, to make it better for you!)  I cut down on the sugar and of course, used whole wheat flour.

To make French Apple Cobbler, you will need:

Filling:

  • 4 lbs peeled, cored and diced apples (I used red delicious, but any apple will do!
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 2 Tbsp whole wheat flour
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 Tbsp lemon juice
  • 3 Tbsp water
  • 1 Tbsp butter

Topping

  • 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 2 Tbsp butter
  • 1 egg (or 1 Tbsp Flax meal + 3 Tbsp water)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Grease a 9 inch pie plate with butter (or use non stick canola spray)
In a medium bowl, combine all filling ingredients and pour into the pie plate.
In a small bowl. mix all topping ingredients until well combined.
 The dough will be sticky. Place dollops of the topping to the top of the apples.
Bake  for 35 to 40 minutes, until apples are tender and topping is browned.

I hope your family enjoys this as much as mine did!  Let me know!!!