Pumpkin Bundt Cake with Spiced Cream Cheese Glaze

November 8, 2013 by 8 Comments

Have you started your Thanksgiving menu plan yet? Are you putting it off until the last minute? Have you already had it planned for weeks? We just decided that we are staying home and hosting this year, so I am just starting my planning. Thankfully (pun intended) I’ve hosted Thanksgiving twice now so I know what works and what doesn’t. Since I’m not sure how the cooking will go with the baby, I’m going to stick to mostly tried and true recipes. The few new things I will be adding will be tested in the next few weeks. If they work I’ll be sharing them here! One thing I wanted to add this year was a new pumpkin dessert. (Because you know I don’t have enough pumpkin recipes). And this cake is making the cut.

This Pumpkin Bundt Cake with Spiced Cream Cheese Glaze is so good. The kind of good that leaves you standing over the kitchen sink eating “just one more” sliver to, you know, “even things out”. Because you can’t have a slightly crooked slice… I really had to laugh when just 15 minutes after I snuck a[nother] piece I noticed Jesse lingering at the kitchen sink. When I asked him if he was eating bundt cake he had a totally busted look. It can’t be helped. This cake is delicious.

 

Pumpkin Bundt Cake with Spiced Cream Cheese Glaze

Ingredients
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups white sugar
1 cup canola oil
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 can (15 oz) pumpkin

1/4 cup (4 Tbsp) butter, melted
3 oz cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup confectioners sugar
1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
pinch of salt
1 tsp vanilla
1-2 Tbsp milk

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a bundt pan by spraying well with non-stick cooking spray.

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and pumpkin pie spice. Set aside. In the bowl of a standing mixer beat together sugar and canola oil. Add the eggs, one at a time, and vanilla, beating well and scraping down sides of the bowl between each addition. Alternate adding the dry ingredients in 3 additions and the pumpkin in 2 additions (starting and ending with dry ingredients), beating until combined and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Pour the batter into the prepared bundt pan. Bake for 60-65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the thickest part comes out clean. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before flipping out onto a wire cooking rack.

While the cake is cooling, add the melted butter and softened cream cheese to a clean mixing bowl. Beat until smooth and creamy. Sift together the confectioners sugar, pumpkin pie spice, and salt, and beat until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and 1 tablespoon of milk and beat. Add additional milk as needed to get a pourable consistency.

Once the cake is cool, pour the cream cheese glaze over the top of the bundt cake. You can use a spatula to encourage it drip down the sides, if needed.

Cake Source: Alida’s Kitchen, originally from Taste of Home

Glaze: Sunny Side Up Original

 

Filed Under: Cake, Dessert, Thanksgiving Tagged With: , , , ,

Tuxedo Layered Cheesecake

August 6, 2013 by 6 Comments

In the Weekend Dish Post I wrote on Sunday I talked about how crazy it is that it is already August. It’s not crazy just because it’s a month before my due date. And it’s not crazy just because it’s already the 8th month of the year. It’s also a little bit crazy because it’s my birthday month. And not just any birthday. My 30th birthday. The big 3 – 0. I have officially said goodbye to my 20s and hello to my 30s. I needed to celebrate. With cake. A rich, chocolatey, over-the-top cake.

This cake met all 3 of my birthday cake requirements. I was initially inspired by Cheesecake Factory’s Chocolate Tuxedo Cream Cheesecake and I had hoped to recreate it, but the paranoid pregnant lady in me decided to avoid the eggs in the vanilla cream mousse. I think what I came up with instead was even better. Who doesn’t love a tall layered birthday cake?

 

 

Tuxedo Layered Cheesecake

Chocolate Cheesecake Layer

Ingredients*
2 8-oz packages cream cheese, softened
7 oz semisweet chocolate, melted and cooled
1 Tbsp plus 1 tsp flour
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup sugar
1 Tbsp vanilla
3 medium eggs

*These amounts may seem a little weird, I adjusted the recipe so the cheesecake wouldn’t be too thick for stacking.

Directions
Preheat and oven to 300 degrees. Line an 8-inch spring form pan with a circle of parchment paper. Tightly wrap the outside of the pan with 2 sheets of foil.

In the bowl of standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat together the cream cheese and melted chocolate until smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the flour, salt, and sugar. Beat until well combined and smooth. Add the vanilla and beat to combine. Add the eggs one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl in between each addition, being careful not to over beat.

Pour the batter into the prepared spring form pan. Bake at 300 degrees for 50 minutes. After 50 minutes, turn the oven off and set a timer for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, crack the oven door and allow the cheesecake to cool in the oven for about 5 minutes, then remove and place on a rack to cool completely (Stepping down like this prevents cracks!). Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate over night to cool completely.

Chocolate Fudge Cake Layer

Ingredients*
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 3/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2/3 cup buttermilk
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
4 Tbsp butter
2/3 cup strong, hot coffee

*These amounts may seem a little weird. I reduced the recipe to make 2 8-inch layers instead of 3.

Directions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Prepare 2 8-inch cake pans by greasing pans, fitting bottoms with parchments paper, greasing parchment paper, and flouring pans.

Into a large mixing bowl (or bowl of a standing mixer), sift together the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. In a liquid measuring cup combine the buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla. In another liquid measuring cup, add the butter to the hot coffee and stir to melt.

Create a well in the middle of the dry ingredients. Pour in half of the buttermilk mixture and beat on low speed. Add half of the hot coffee mixture and beat on low speed. Repeat with the rest of the buttermilk and hot coffee. Beat just until combined.Scrape down sides of the bowl again and then beat for another 15 seconds.

Divide batter evenly between prepared cake pans and smooth top with a rubber spatula. Bake for about 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes then carefully flip out on to a wire rack (use a knife to loosen edges of the cake if necessary). Cool cake completely. (To store over night

Whipped Cream Frosting

Ingredients
1 pint (2 cups) heavy cream
2/3 cup confectioners sugar
1-2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions
In a very cold bowl of a standing mixer, beat the heavy cream with a whisk attachment until it just start to thicken and form soft peaks. Add the confectioners sugar and beat until the peaks stiffen up just a little bit. Add the vanilla and beat for another 30 seconds- 1 minute, or just until stiff peaks form. Keep chilled in the fridge until ready to use.

Assembly

Supplies
8-inch cake board
2 chocolate cake layers
Chocolate Cheesecake
Chocolate Syrup *
Whipped Cream Frosting
Revolving cake stand
Offset spatulas
Melted semi-sweet chocolate for decorating (optional, I added just a touch of vegetable oil when melting)

*The chocolate syrup does 2 things – keeps the cake moist and acts like a glue between layers.

Directions
Place the first chocolate cake layer on the cake board. Drizzle with 1-2 Tbsp syrup and spread evenly across surface. Next, carefully place the cheesecake on top of the chocolate cake (it should be solid enough to carefully flip off of the spring form bottom, then just remove the parchment paper circle). Drizzle with syrup and spread across surface again. Top with the final chocolate cake layer. Drizzle with syrup and spread across surface. Frost with a thin layer of whipped cream frosting (crumb coat) and refrigerate for 30-60 minutes. Top with a generous amount whipped cream frosting. Spread over cake and smooth out as desired. Place leftover frosting a pastry bag fitted with desired tip and pipe a border around the top (I used a Wilton 4B tip). If desired, place melted chocolate in a Ziploc bag and drizzle over top of cake in any pattern you like.

Sources: Chocolate Cheesecake from Fine Cooking; Chocolate Fudge Layer Cake from Food and Wine

 

Looking for more birthday cake ideas?

Chocolate Hazelnut and Salted Caramel Birthday Cake
Classic Yellow Cake with Chocolate Frosting
Cookies and Cream Oreo Cake Birthday Cake
Not-Ice Cream Sundae Birthday Cake

Filed Under: Cake, Cheesecake, Chocolate, Dessert, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , ,

Peanut Butter Coffee Cake with Chocolate Chip Streusel

July 30, 2013 by 5 Comments

I’m sure it’s no surprise to regular readers that Jesse and I have a thing for the chocolate/peanut butter combination. Yes, it is a true love affair. So, when Jesse asked me to bake something a few weekends ago and I asked, “Like what?” it’s not that surprising that his answer was, “Something with chocolate and peanut butter.” Referring back to all of those links I just shared, I have a lot of chocolate/peanut butter recipes under my belt. Which is awesome when I want a tried and true recipe to quickly whip up, but when I’m wanting something new I can share on here, it makes things a bit more challenging.

At this point, coming up with new chocolate/peanut butter combinations is challenging. So I sat and pondered. I thought of cookies, and cupcakes, and brownies… Then I started to think of Jesse’s other favorite sweet treats. Towards the top of his list of favorites is Cinnamon Crumb Cake. When I tell him I’m making crumb cake he gets a look in his eyes, like a kid hearing the faint music of an ice cream truck. So I wondered if there were a way for me to combine the chocolate/peanut butter combo with a crumb cake of sorts. After a bit of researching I found something that looked inspiring. She put chocolate chips right in the crumb topping?! Perfect! Of course, I am a huge fan of the recipe I always use (something about that mile high, truly crumby, crumb topping!), so I used her idea as base to adapt my usual recipe.

Trying not to brag here, but the results were AMAZING! The cake had a nice moist and tender crumb with just the right density (even though I was slightly worried it could be too dense with the addition of peanut butter). The crumb topping was thick and warm with just the hint of cinnamon that was perfectly paired with the chocolate chips. I liked mine drizzled with just a little bit of chocolate syrup, Jesse said it didn’t need it. He declared that it was one of the best baked goods I’ve ever made. And I think he might be right!

 

Peanut Butter Coffee Cake with Chocolate Chip Streusel

Ingredients

Crumb Topping
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
6 Tbsp butter, cubed
~1/2 cup chocolate chips

Cake
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp kosher salt
3 Tbsp butter, softened
3 Tbsp peanut butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg
2/3 cup yogurt
1/2 tsp vanilla
Chocolate syrup for serving, optional

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare a glass/ceramic baking dish with butter (not a 9×13, but a smaller oval dish or 9×9).

Mix together all of the dry crumb topping ingredients (flour through cinnamon). Drop cubes of butter into the mix. Start by using a pastry cutter, or two knives, to cut in the butter. When the butter is evenly distributed, use hands to squeeze it together then break it into crumbs. Do this until it seems well combined and you are making crumbs that are mostly about the size of peanuts. Mix in the chocolate chips. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a paddle, cream the butter and peanut butter. Add the sugars and beat until light and fluffy. Add the egg and beat until fully incorporated. Add the yogurt and vanilla and beat until combined. Finally, add the dry ingredients in 3 additions, beating just until combined without lumps.

Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish and smooth with a spatula. Scoop up the crumb topping with your fist and drop clumps of it onto the the batter until all of the crumb topping is used. It will seem like a LOT of crumb topping.

Bake for 35-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and the middle of the cake seems solid. If the edges seem to be baking a lot faster, turn the oven temperature down to 325 degrees and continue baking until center is done.

Cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes before serving. If you like, serve with chocolate syrup. And you’ll definitely want a big glass of cold milk with this treat!

Inspired by Crazy for Crust, Adapted from here

 

 

Filed Under: Breakfast Treats, Cake, Dessert Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Classic Yellow Cake with Chocolate Frosting

October 30, 2012 by 7 Comments

And we’re back! My kitchen is unpacked, the cabinets are stocked, and the oven has been fired up! It feels good to get back to baking and the timing worked out perfectly for Jesse’s arrival back to the States and a pretty important birthday.

Two weeks ago Jesse said goodbye to his 20’s and hello to his 30’s. Unfortunately, I was in the US and he was still in China. Since I didn’t get to make him a cake on his actual birthday, I knew I would I have to have one waiting for him upon his arrival in San Diego. I usually try and make him a fun over-the-top cake (including last years Cookies and Cream Oreo Cake) but this year with everything going on, I just couldn’t get together any over-the-top ideas. So I decided to go basic and classic.

My best friend, Michelle, and I have a running joke that Yellow Cake and Chocolate Frosting is the official cake for boys. It seems like almost all of the boys we know list in their top 3 favorite cakes, if not their all-time favorite. This holds true for Jesse, too. “Mmmm,” he muffled through a half-full mouth, “One of my favorite cakes.”

It works out perfectly for me because I’ve been meaning to add a Classic Yellow Cake to my Baking Basics series. Everyone needs a good yellow cake recipe under their belt, and I this is mine. I love, love, love this recipe. The recipe doesn’t call for extra steps, such as folding in egg whites or using extra egg yolks, so it comes together pretty quickly. And the result is a buttery sweet cake with a soft, tender crumb that is still dense enough to work as a layer cake.


Classic Yellow Cake with Chocolate Frosting

Cake
Ingredients
4 large eggs, room temperature
1/2 cup whole milk, room temperature
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups cake flour
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 16 pieces and softened

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Adjust rack to lower-middle position. Prepare 2 8 or 9-inch cake pans by greasing pans, fitting bottoms with parchments paper, greasing parchment paper, and flouring pans.

In a liquid measuring cup, beat the eggs, milk, and vanilla until combine. Divide mixture by pouring all but 1 cup into a separate glass bowl or liquid measuring cup. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl (or standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment), combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. With the mixer on low speed*, add butter one piece at a time and mix until the flour beings to look like wet sand and butter chunks are no bigger than a pea. Increase speed to medium and beat for 30 to 40 seconds after the all the butter is added. Pour in 1 cup of the egg mixture and mix on low speed until combined, then increase the speed to medium-high and beat for 1 minute. Scrape down sides of the bowl then add the remaining egg mixture. Mix on medium to medium-high speed for about 30 seconds. Scrape down sides of the bowl again and then beat for another 15 seconds. (It’s OK if the batter looks slightly curdled).

Divide batter evenly between prepared cake pans and smooth top with a rubber spatula. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes then carefully flip out on to a wire rack (use a knife to loosen edges of the cake if necessary). Cool cake completely before frosting.

*If you do not have a standing mixer, use a pastry blender to combine the butter and flour mixture. Then use a hand mixer to combine the liquid ingredients.

Source: Cook’s Country, October 2011

Frosting
Ingredients*
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
2/3 cup cocoa powder
3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions
In a medium bowl combine the melted butter and cocoa powder and stir until smooth. With the mixer on low speed, add the powdered sugar in small increments, alternating with splashes of milk. Once all of the powdered sugar has been incorporated, add the vanilla and beat on medium-high speed for about a minute, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. If frosting is too soft, add a little more powdered sugar. If frosting is too stiff, add a little more milk (a teaspoon at a time).

*This amount made *just enough* to frost and fill a 2 layer 8-inch cake. If you like more frosting, you can increase the recipe by 1 1/2 or even double it.

Source: Hershey’s

 

Filed Under: Baking Basics, Cake, Dessert, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , , , ,