Dessert – Page 3 – The Funky Oven

Easy yellow loaf cake

Seriously, this is a simple way to make those delicious cakes from the bakeries of grocery stores.

1 box yellow cake mix

1 box vanilla instant pudding

the ingredients listed on the back of the cake mix

Mix the cake as directed on the back of the box. Add one box of vanilla pudding mix (without adding the recommended ingredients).

Divide the batter in half and place each half into a prepare loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center of each pain comes out clean. Allow the cakes to cool in the pans before removal.

Sugar cookies

Dessert

These cookies are soft with a chewy center. They might be the easiest sugar cookies ever. They will NOT make good cookies for icing. They are too soft in the center.

Do not melt the butter for this. Instead, let it set on the counter until very soft. I set mine out for 1-2 hours before baking. Melted butter will make flat cookies. The soft chewy center forms when the butter is the perfect temperature.

1/2 cup butter, very soft

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

1/4 cup cream cheese

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 egg

2 cups flour

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Cream the butter, cream cheese, and sugar. Add the vanilla and egg. Mix thoroughly. Add the baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Slowly add the flour and mix fully. Roll into tablespoon size balls. Bake on silicone mat for 8-10 minutes. Do not let them brown.

Chocolate sheet cake

Dessert

I changed the recipe from the Pioneer woman’s chocolate sheet cake slightly. The reason I made changes were to decrease the butter and sugar amounts slightly. It is still darn good this way and it bakes perfectly! The lower sugar makes the cake taste much more like a dark chocolate cake. It is more of a mildly sweet cake than a very sugary cake. In total, I removed from her recipe almost 1 stick of butter, 1/2 cup white sugar, and 2 cups of powdered sugar. I also added cinnamon!

This recipe makes a cake that fits in a large baking sheet. It could easily be cut in half if needed. If I did decrease the recipe size, I would recommend baking it in a 9×13 pan because the cake is better thinner.

Cake:

2 sticks of butter

1 1/2 cup sugar

2 cups flour

4 tablespoons cocoa powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 eggs

1/2 cup buttermilk

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup water

Icing:

1 stick butter

1 cup chopped/ground pecans

2 cups powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

6 tablespoons milk

4 heaping tablespoons cocoa powder

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

For the cake, melt the butter in a sauce pan with the water, cinnamon, and cocoa on medium heat. Stir constantly. Remove from the heat when just melted.

In a mixing bowl, mix the eggs and buttermilk until combined. Add the sugar, vanilla, and baking soda. Slowly add the melted butter and chocolate. Temper this by adding 1/8 cup at a time and stirring after each addition until fully combined. Add in the flour. Stir until combined. Pour into a prepared large baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes.

While baking, add the icing amount of 1 stick of butter, cocoa powder, milk, and vanilla into the same saucepan. Melt the butter stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add in the powdered sugar and pecans.

Pour the icing over the hot cake immediately when removed.

Allow the cake to cool fully before eating.

Peanut butter blondies with chocolate chips

Dessert

These are ridiculously good. I could even see chocolate icing on top. They remind me slightly of Reeses peanut butter cups.

If the butter is really room temperature these can be mixed by hand without a mixer.

1 stick of butter at room temperature

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

1 cup light brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

2 eggs

1 1/4 cup flour

2/3-3/4 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cream the butter and peanut butter together. Add the sugar. Add the eggs and vanilla. Gradually add the flour and the finally the chocolate chips. Pour this into a prepared 8×8 pan and bake for 20-25 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted is removed clean.

Hot milk cake

Dessert

I am a big fan of cake without icing. This cake seems to be the perfect cake sweetness to not be covered in icing.

A few key points to this are as follows:

Jiggle cake to test firmness before using a toothpick. The cake will deflate if it is not ready.

Make sure to use a stand mixer.

The order of the ingredients in this recipe is very important.

4 eggs

2 cups sugar

2 cups flour plus 1 tablespoon

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup whole milk

1 stick butter

Fully grease and flour a 13×9 pan or two 9 inch round pans. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Place the eggs and sugar into a mixer and beat on speed 3/10 for 5-6 minutes until light and fluffy in color.

While this is mixing, heat the milk and butter in a saucepan on medium heat until fully melted but not boiling.

Add the flour and baking powder into the egg mix. Mix on the lowest speed for 30 seconds.

Add the heated milk. Mix on low 2-3 minutes. It will become very liquidy.

Immediately pour the mixture into the prepared pan.

Bake for 25-35 minutes. The center of the cake will not jiggle when ready to test. Ultimately remove when a toothpick inserted into the center is clean. Cool in pan at least 10-15 minutes before inverting it onto a wire rack.

Strawberry coconut cream bread

Bread, Breakfast, Dessert

This strawberry coconut bread is really amazing and easy to make. It has coconut oil and a touch of sour cream.

1 ripe banana, mashed

1/2 cup fresh strawberries, diced

1/3 cup coconut flakes, toasted

1/3 cup sour cream

1/3 cup coconut oil, melted

1/2 cup milk

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/3 cup sugar

1 1/2 cup flour

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a loaf pan with baking spray or grease and flour.

Mix together all wet ingredients. Add the dry ingredients and mix until just incorporated. Do not over mix. Add the berries in last.

Place the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 45-60 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Cool at least 10 minutes in pan and then invert onto wire rack to finish cooling.

White chocolate pecan cookies

Dessert

1/2 cup margarine (1 stick)

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup oatmeal

1 cup chopped pecans

1/2 cup white chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cream the margarine and sugars. Add the egg. Add baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix in flour, then oatmeal, then pecans and white chocolate chips. Roll into tablespoon sized balls and flatten on baking sheet. Bake for 10-11 minutes.

Chocolate cream cheese frosting

Dessert

With Valentine’s day being next week, I needed to write about something chocolate. This is about the easiest delicious dessert. It is pretty fool proof. I would put fresh strawberries and raspberries on top to make it more fancy.

The first step…. make a boxed chocolate cake mix. I use the trick where you use melted butter in place of the vegetable oil and make the cake using one extra egg than directed. It makes the cake more dense and moist. It tastes more like a professionally made or bakery style cake. Easy.

Now the frosting is the best part. Make sure all of the ingredients are at room temperature. I really enjoy this frosting less sweet, but you can add more sugar to taste.

8 ounces cream cheese – not whipped

1 stick of salted butter – not melted

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1 teaspoon vanilla

2-2.5 cups powdered sugar

Cream the butter and cream cheese on medium speed in a mixer. Add the vanilla. Add the cocoa powder 2-3 tablespoons at a time until fully mixed. Now, begin slowly adding the powder sugar as well. Frost the cake when completely cooled. Store this in the refrigerator.

Peanut butter oatmeal cookies

Dessert, Uncategorized

These are the most buttery crispy cookies ever. They are sooo yummy.

1/4 cup shortening

1/4 cup margarine

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup white sugar

1/2 cup peanut butter

1 egg

3/4 cup flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup old fashioned oats

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix the shortening, margarine, and sugars. Add the peanut butter. Add egg. Mix in the remaining ingredients. Drop by tablepoon onto baking sheet. A silicon mat works great for these to prevent sticking. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until desired crispiness.

SONY DSC

So good cookies

Dessert

I made these for the first time on Christmas eve when my mother in law brought the recipe. They are very good and a full batch really made about 40-50 cookies. I have modified it to a half batch.

The two important parts of this recipe are as follows: 1. You need to use a mixer 2. They get crispier the longer you cook them but also harder to chew.

I think they would be great with white chocolate chips and craisins. Next time I will try that.

Also, because it made so many, I froze most of the dough after rolling it into balls.

1 cup flour

1 stick of butter

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup old fashioned oats

1/3 cup coconut

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 cup corn flakes

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1/2 cup dried cranberries

Cream the butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Add the flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder. Then add the remaining ingredients. Make into round balls 1 tablespoon in size. Place on a baking mat or parchment paper. Bake at 375 degrees for 8-11 minutes. Cool before removing.

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this: