Mint Brownies with Fudge Frosting

As I've mentioned before in a previous post, I've always been a bit indifferent to the idea of making brownies from scratch.  It just seems like there are so many steps when a boxed mix is quite frankly (in my opinion) just fine.  And by just fine I mean that I would have no problem finishing off the whole pan by myself :)  I always end up loving any brownies I make from scratch, but my preconceived notions still somehow manage to persist.

But during a Pinterest search for some St. Patrick's Day recipes I kept coming across mint brownies.  And the more pins I saw the more I was craving some for myself.  Typical, I know.  I swear I believe Pinterest is responsible for 99.9% of my food cravings!

There are tons of great mint brownie recipes out there, but I decided to try my hand at coming up with something new that would have all of the aspects that I was craving.  i.e. a soft brownie base, a thicker layer of mint and then a fudge frosting on top.  These brownies are extra minty in flavor because I used mint chocolate chips for the fudge frosting instead of semi sweet chocolate chips.  If you're not looking for as much of a punch you can stick with semi sweet.

I don't really have a lot of green in my closet, so hopefully I can placate anyone who might pinch me for not proudly bearing the color with one of these babies....at least that's my plan :)

Happy {early} St. Patrick's Day!!

Chocolate Pound Cake with Old Fashioned Fudge Icing

I made my first pound cake not too long ago, and after the pleasant (and delicious) experience I decided to branch out and try another flavor.  My hubby's stepmom made the most amazing chocolate pound cake with a fudge icing one night when we were over there (think icing being poured directly over the hot cake just out of the oven....) and that sealed my decision to take on this recipe from the Junior League's Perennials cookbook.

Some chocolate on chocolate cakes are too much for some people.  I may not be in that camp, but there are those out there who don't particularly care for the "death by chocolate" types of confections.  The good news is that this is a cake even those said individuals will love.  The actual cake's flavor isn't so overpowering, letting the rich fudge icing get its share of the limelight as well.

This icing is the kind that everyone's grandmother used to make.  The kind you cook.  I'm not sure what it is about cooking chocolate icing, but it makes it so much better than the frosting you simply whip in a stand mixer.  Simply put, this icing takes the cake (pun intended).

Banana Bread Brownies with Brown Butter Frosting

Bananas are unfortunately on my list of least favorite foods.  It's not that I don't like the flavor, but rather it's the texture of the them that bothers me.  They're mushy.  Mushy and gooey.  They kind of remind me of clumpy baby food to think of it.  [insert slight gag reflex]

Oddly enough I love banana flavored foods though, particularly banana flavored desserts.  I've always been a fan of banana bread, so when I came across these banana bread brownies topped with a brown butter frosting I couldn't pass up the opportunity to take them up to a family gathering at Lake Burton.

I wasn't exactly sure what the expect though....would they be super sugary and dense like your typical brownies?  Or would they still have more of a standard bread-y texture?  I was fine with either, especially since the brown butter frosting was involved!  I had never made a brown butter frosting, but was surprised at how easy it was to make.  You just have to be careful to watch it, lest your brown butter frosting become burnt butter frosting.  Yikes!

These turned out to be slightly sweeter than your average loaf of banana bread without being too dense.  I was a little worried there wouldn't be enough frosting, so I did 1 1/2 times the amount listed in the original recipe.  I was so glad I did because it turned out to be just the perfect amount.  No one wants the tease of a too thin layer of frosting after all.

And since you don't have to wait for the brownies to cool to frost them this whole dessert comes together from start to finish in under an hour.  While it's no secret I love spending hours upon hours in the kitchen, you don't always have time to stand over an oven for an entire afternoon.  Another plus is that this frosting can be made all in one bowl, no stand mixer required.....less dishes are always a good thing!

Hopefully you'll go bananas for these banana bread brownies too :)  Enjoy!

Six Layer Caramel Cake

Besides ice cream cake, the hubby's sweet treat of choice is a good ole classic yellow cake with caramel frosting.  I've almost made one several times over the years, but the thought of trying to conquer a caramel icing always leaves me opting for either a store bought one or a quick trip to the local Dairy Queen for that ice cream cake.  I've heard horror stories about this frosting, and I'd rather not spend hours trying to make it only to have to face the poor boy and tell him that there won't be a birthday dessert after all.  And if I were really honest I just don't like the possibility of failing.

However, I had a change of heart a few weeks ago when he turned the ripe old age of 27.  This was his first birthday we were celebrating as a married couple.  Plus, he does so much for me each and every day that I figured I could put forth some extra effort and give it a go.  Seriously, marrying this boy was the best decision I've ever made.  And so I owed him a cake.  One made of from scratch with plenty of love.  And with plenty of blood and sweat and tears.  Okay, I may have been exaggerating on that last part, but still.

After some searching I decided to tackle two recipes from one of my favorite sites, AllRecipes.  I have such a love affair with this site because there are plenty of ratings and reviews which give you a good idea of which recipe is the best.  There are also plenty of suggestions written in by such reviewers which can help you with any troubleshooting.  Both the yellow cake and caramel frosting recipes came from this site and I must say I was incredibly pleased.

All that being said, I definitely wouldn't start with this cake if you're not comfortable with layer cakes.  The six layers are very thin and can be tricky to manage if you're not used to transferring and stacking them in multiples.

And of course caramel frosting is a whole other animal.  Unlike buttercream or cream cheese frosting, it stiffens and sets very quickly, so you have to work very fast.  This was my first time working with it, so hopefully I'll get more of the hang of it with each passing go-round.

But this cake was unbelievably moist and the frosting was the perfectly rich complement to the buttery layers.  Yes, it was time consuming and expensive to make (12 egg yolks?!), but it was oh so worth every bit of it.  Don't let my review of the complexity of it scare you....I just want to make sure a first time cake baker doesn't take a whirl with it and then get frustrated when it flops :)

I hope you enjoy these pics, because

I had to cut the cake before presenting it to the hubby

in order to get a few good snaps.

The recipes below have been altered quite a bit with regards to the quantity they yield.  The original yellow cake recipe makes 2 larger layers and frosting recipe listed below makes 6 times the original amount.  Link back to the main source for smaller quantities.

Best Ever Buttercream Frosting and Funfetti Inspired Whoopie Pies

For me, funfetti is quite nostalgic.  I always think of that Pillsbury boxed cake mix that was the first choice of little girls ages 3-12 when I grew up.  Okay, okay...I still love it to this day and I'm 26.

Any time I eat anything funfetti I'm immediately thrown back to the good ole days on the playground in elementary school.  You finally make it outside with all your classmates and the first thing you do is go for your snack.  My favorites were always Dunkaroos, Fruit Roll Ups and Gushers.  Do any of those ring a bell??  I still remember when Dunkaroos came out with their funfetti inspired frosting...that was my all time fave.

Do you think they still sell those?  I think it might be time to meander on over to Kroger and take a gander at the snack aisle :)

The cookies below are my adult version of a funfetti dessert.  You could definitely just make the cookies alone, but why not sandwich a dollop of beautiful buttercream with them?  You get two cookies instead of one, and the frosting is to die for.  I seriously think it might replace my go-to cream cheese frosting that I always use.

PS Don't leave any extra frosting sitting around unless you're okay with the fact that you ARE going to eat every last bit of it.....this stuff is dangerous.

Funfetti inspired whoopie pies made with

this buttercream.

There aren't any photos of me making the frosting so I'm adding in photos of the whoopie pies I put together with this frosting.  Enjoy!

German Chocolate Whoopie Pies with Pecan Coconut Frosting

I normally do a links post at the end of every week, but since Wednesday was a holiday and I was MIA I'm deciding to do a recipe post.  That and I was super anxious/excited to share these amazing whoopie pies.

In recent years I've developed a slight love affair with German chocolate cake that's only gotten worse as time has passed.  For the longest time I kind of wanted to gag at the thought of coconut in frosting, but once I tried it there simply was no looking back.  I've never actually made a German chocolate cake myself, but have enjoyed more than my fair share of cake and cupcakes from bake shops.

And to be honest I've always been a little scared of trying to make this type of cake because it always looks like the frosting is so gooey that it might just slide right down the side of the cake.  Yikes!

But these whoopie pies solve that whole issue.  Just sandwich that frosting between two soft cake mix cookies ~ problem solved.  And my favorite thing is that these cookies are built around a boxed mix.  The cookies are quick and easy, which means I don't mind spending the extra bit of time on the frosting.

*Tip:  Pull the cookies out of the oven when they seem a little underdone...they will set up perfectly by the time they cool!

PS Make sure you use all the frosting for the whoopie pies....if you have any left over I can promise you it will somehow make its way from the spoon to your tummy.  Swear.

Tuesday's Tips, Tricks and Tid-Bits ~ Maximizing Store Bought Frosting

While most of the cakes and cupcakes I feature on the blog are frosted with homemade frosting, I do use canned frosting from time to time.  Sometimes life gets busy and it's easier to swing by Kroger and pick up the can of Duncan Hines.  And sometimes, let's just be honest here, I don't feel like pulling out the Kitchenaid mixer and all of the ingredients that go into a homemade frosting.  And if that's how I feel now, I can't image how pressed for time I'll be once I add kids into the mix one day!

Let me interject here though and say that I still like the taste of homemade frosting better.  The store bought stuff is made with shortening to extend it's shelf life, while the homemade stuff is usually made with butter or cream cheese.  That's why there's such a taste difference.

Okay...back to my point.  So how do you go about dressing up your store bought can?  First off, whip it for a few minutes.  You can do this with a Kitchenaid mixer or you can put it in a bowl and use a hand held mixer.  Whipping it for a few minutes will incorporate enough air to actually double it in size.  The result is a lighter, fluffier frosting that is easier to spread.  And since there's more air in the frosting it will also have fewer calories per serving than it did straight out of the can.  It's a win, win.

Another thing you can do is add a few elements of your own.  Add a few softened tablespoons of butter or some cream cheese.  To punch up the flavor a bit, add a teaspoon or two of vanilla, almond, lemon or mint extract.  And of course you can always dress it up by stirring in chocolate chips, sprinkles and other bits of candy.

One last thing I'd like to share in this post is the addition of two new pages to the blog: one is a Recipe Index which will make it easier to navigate this site, while the other is a FAQ page that covers the questions I most commonly receive.

I'm constantly working to better both the blog in general, and also the material I bring to the readers each day.  It's definitely a process (some of my earlier posts make me cringe), but it's getting there.  Thanks for hanging in there with me!

Have a suggestion?  Leave a comment!  I'd love to hear from you :)

Happy Tuesday everyone!

Old Fashioned Cupcakes with Lemon Curd Filling

Today I bring you yet another recipe from the forgotten vault.  This one had slipped my mind as well until I stumbled across the photos this morning.  I adapted these little babies from one of Paula Deen's recipes.  And any confection Paula Deen whips up is always good in my book :)

These cupcakes are composed of a classic butter cake and a traditional buttercream frosting.  Some might call it boring, but I absolutely love the simplicity of it.  Due to this simplicity, it's also a recipe that you know pretty much everyone will love.

The only thing I did switch up was that I added a lemon curd filling.  This gave the cupcakes a surprise pop of flavor when you bit into them.  Nothing too overpowering, just a little something extra.  If lemon curd seems too "spring" or "summer" to you, you can certainly add a different filling or omit it all together.

Most of the time a filling is added *after* cupcakes are baked.  But since I wanted more of a subtle flavor that melded into the cake I added it prior to baking.  The typical method would be to pipe the curd down into the cupcakes once they cool.

Old Fashioned Cupcakes with Lemon Curd Filling adapted from Paula Deen's original recipe

1 3/4 C cake flour (not self rising)

1 1/4 C unbleached all purpose flour

2 C sugar

1 tbsp baking powder

3/4 tsp salt

2 sticks unsalted butter, cut into cubes

4 large eggs

1 C whole milk

1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 small jar prepared lemon curd (found in the jelly section of your grocery store)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Line cupcake pans with liners and set aside.

In large bowl combine both flours, sugar, baking powder and salt.  Mix on low speed for about 3 minutes or until combined.  Add cubed butter, mixing on low speed until butter is just coated.

Add eggs one at a time until combined.  Slowly add milk and vanilla until completely combined.  Scrape bowl as you mix.

Scoop batter into prepared cups, filling cup approximate 2/3 full.  Then add one small scoop (depending on the desired strength of flavor) of lemon curd to each cup.  Don't worry, the curd will slip down into the batter as it settles.  Bake 17-20 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.

*The below photo shows my first filling method of placing the curd in between two scoops of batter.  Unfortunately this resulted in the curd falling down to the very bottom of the cupcake.  If you put the curd on top, it gradually finds it's perfect spot right in the center.

Old Fashioned Frosting

2 sticks butter, room temperature

8 C confectioners sugar

1/2 C milk

2 tsp pure vanilla extract


Cream softened butter and add 4 cups sugar, milk and vanilla.  Beat with paddle attachment until smooth.  Gradually add remaining sugar until desired frosting consistency is reached.


You can add the frosting any way you'd like, but I piped these cupcakes with a simple open frosting tip.  This frosting isn't quite as stiff as others, and so I'm not sure how it would fare with other, more intricate frosting tips.

Dig in!!