Raspberry Lime Yogurt Cake

Let me start off by saying that I had to type the title of this post approximately 12 times because I had a complete mental block.  You almost had to read about Chili Lime Yogurt cake.  Can you just imagine that?!  Yum.

This recipe is based on Ina Garten's Recipe for Lemon Yogurt Cake http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/lemon-yogurt-cake-recipe/index.html.  It was originally found in the Barefoot Contessa At Home cookbook.  And, totally unrelated, but super awesome, I have an autographed copy.  I didn't get to meet Ina, but my aunt and uncle sent me an autographed copy as a wedding present and its still one of my favorite gifts.  I photocopy pages I use so I don't ruin the book (I tend to explode ingredients over recipes and cookbooks while I cook).  The Barefoot Contessa is (in full disclosure mode) not my favorite Food Network show, but her recipes are among my all-time favorites.  This is one of my go-to dessert recipes.  It's decadent and indulgent, but in a surprising twist, is made from fat-free yogurt and canola oil instead of butter and shortening.  It's not guilt-free by any means, but it is reduced guilt.  And it's super light and fresh tasting.  I've made it many times just as the recipe reads, but this time I switched things up a bit and subbed raspberry yogurt for plain, and lime for the lemon.  I also skipped the simple syrup soak and found it didn't make a difference in the taste.  Give this a try the next time you have company or you need something to infuse a little summer into a dreary day.  Oh, and if you double the recipe it makes a really nice bundt cake and play with the citrus and yogurt flavors (orange and vanilla would be pretty amazing I bet).


Raspberry Lime Yogurt Cake

• 1 1/2 Cups flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 Cup raspberry fat-free (or low fat) yogurt
• 1 1/4 Cups sugar
• 3 eggs
• 2 tsp grated lime zest
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 Cup canola oil (or vegetable oil)
• 1/4 Cup freshly squeezed lime juice

For the glaze:

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2 Tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice

Grease and flour a loaf pan.  Preheat the oven to 350°.  In a bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. In a seperate large bowl, whisk together the yogurt, sugar, eggs, lemon juice and zest, and vanilla.  Slowly and gently add the dry ingredients to the wet.  Once combined, fold in the oil until completely incorporated.  Pour into the prepared pan.  Bake for 50-60 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.  Let cool.  When cooled, drizzle the glaze over the top.

Glaze

Whisk the powdered sugar so there are no lumps and then slowly whisk in the lime juice until smooth.  

Salted Caramel Crumb Bars

I guess that the holidays are officially here.  I sort of fell off of the blogging wagon last week so I never discussed our Thanksgiving.  Here's the thing, growing up, I thought we had HUGE holiday parties with our family.  There were usually 13 of us, aunts and uncles, grandparents, and cousins-we all crowded around one table and ate one giant turkey.  Then, I met my husband and was invited to Thanksgiving at his Uncle's house.  I think the first year I attended there were close to 40 people.  3 tables (one dining table that sits almost 20!!), 2 behemoth turkeys, pounds and pounds of potatoes, and enough appetizers to feed a small army.  There are now 4 generations at Thanksgiving and it's been so much fun to watch such a large family grow and change.  Despite the abundance of food last Thursday, cooking must continue.  I whipped up these delicious caramel bars.  They are so rich that 3 or 4 days later, there are still a few tightly wrapped in cling wrap to be enjoyed each evening with a cup of hot tea.  I recommend making these when there are enough people to share with!

Salted Caramel Crumb Bars

(slightly adapted from Cookies & Cups)

2 Cups room temperature salted butter

1 Cup sugar

1 1/2 Cup powdered sugar

1 Tbl vanilla

4 cups flour

Preheat oven to 325°.  Beat the butter and sugars together until creamy.  Add in the vanilla.  On low, gradually beat in the flour.  Press 1/2 of the dough into the bottom of a greased 9x13 pan (place remaining dough in the refrigerator).  Bake 15-20 minutes.  Remove and cool for 10-15 minutes.  While cooling, make the caramel.

1 bag caramel candies, unwrapped 

1/3 Cup cream

1/4 tsp vanilla

1 tsp sea salt (or kosher salt)

Combine the caramels and cream in a microwave safe bowl and microwave for 1 minute.  Stir and continue microwaving for 15 second intervals, stirring between, until completely melted.  Stir in the vanilla.  Pour over the crust and smooth.  Sprinkle with salt.  Crumble the remaining dough on top evenly.  Bake 30-35 minutes.  Let cool.  Cut into squares and serve.  

This post is linked to A Little Nosh's Tastetastic Thursday and Miz Helen's Full Plate Thursday.  Check out all of the great recipes there!

Better than Biscuits Bread Pudding

It comes as no surprise to people who know me well, that I'm approximately 65 at heart.  I've always acted old for my age.  In high school when I wore high heeled loafers and dress pants I was frequently mistaken for a teacher (not once, or even twice...but many, many times).  I've been to three concerts in my life, Rascal Flatts (point in my favor), Bon Jovi (point in my favor), and Gordon Lightfoot (negative 100 points).  I've never been in a dance club, ever.  I would live in cardigans.  I like to bake, crochet, and cross-stitch.  Go ahead, you can set me up to be friends with your septuagenarian acquaintances   One of the biggest clues that I'm much older than my years, is my love of bread pudding.  Seriously, I love it!  With milk chocolate, as overnight french toast, with fruit, with white chocolate sauce drizzled over the top.  This bread pudding is simple.  I used 4 leftover Grands Biscuits, but you could use any leftover bread you prefer.  P.S.  Bread pudding makes for a very unappetizing picture, but trust me it's delicious!

Biscuit Bread Pudding

4 Day Old Grands Biscuits (or equivalent)

2 eggs

1/4 Cup sugar + 2 Tbl

1/4 Cup heavy cream

1/2 Cup milk

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350°.  In a bowl, beat eggs and 1/4 cup sugar together.  Beat in milk, cream, and vanilla.  Break biscuits in bite sized pieces and toss in the egg mixture.  Refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight.  Pour into a lightly greased pie plate, sprinkle with 2 Tbl sugar.  Bake 25-35 minutes.  Serve warm.  

Pumpkin Crumb Bars

Just about every blog I read has had at least one (if not several) inspiring pumpkin recipes (I can't wait to try this Pumpkin Risotto from Lauren @ Hey, who cut the cheese).  I hadn't jumped on the bandwagon, because despite the fact that we carve pumpkins in October, they've always been a Thanksgiving treat for me (yes, I'm slightly mental, why do you ask).  Turkey day is the only day I'm willing to touch pumpkin pie, and I think it's just because of nostalgia.  I decided to give pumpkin it's first outing for the year and make a simple dessert.  This is a rich, easy bar dessert.  Also, it's Monday morning, so I'm just going to leave it at that.

Pumpkin Crumb Bars
Crust
1 yellow cake mix (remove 1 cup and set aside)
1 large egg
8 Tbl melted butter

Preheat your oven to 350°.  Mix all ingredients and press into the bottom of a lightly greased 9x13 pan.

Filling
2 large eggs
1/4 Cup sugar
2/3 Cup evaporated milk
1 tsp. cinnamon
15 oz. pumpkin puree (not sweetened)
1/3 cup brown sugar

Whisk all ingredients together and pour over the crust.

Topping
1 Cup reserved yellow cake mix
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 Cup sugar
1/2 Cup butter

Mix all ingredients together and then drop dollops on top on the filling.  Bake for 35-40 minutes.  Allow to cool and cut into single servings.

Vanilla Bean Cupcakes With Vanilla Bean Seafoam Frosting

There is definitely something to be said for the way technology has changed our world.  Because of the internet I got back in touch with people I graduated with who actually live only a few miles away.  Without the help of Facebook, they would probably be completely off of my radar.  It's so much fun to stalk see the pictures of their beautiful children and learn what everyone else is up to.  Thanks to blogging and Facebook, I got a request to make cooked frosting from an old friend of mine from high school, who is in the same stage of life that I am (and who has two of the most adorable babies!).  I had so much fun trying something new and I loved getting to bake for someone else (my waistline is thankful that I let N and her family give my attempt a try).  The best part?  I think I'm going to be getting a guest post from her and I might even get to try some of her goodies. :)  On to dessert...

This was my first time making a cooked frosting (Martha Stewart calls it 7-minute frosting, but my family has always called it sea foam icing).  Call it what you will, it's a fluffy, ever so slighty sticky, shiny, marshmallowy frosting.  It was also my first (definitely not my last) attempt using vanilla beans.  For the cupcake part, I used the recipe (slightly adapted) from RecipeGirl.com (White Wedding Cake Cupcakes).  9 out 10 tasters think this was a pretty awesome cake, especially since it's a box to start.  As far as the icing, I stuck with the classic and used Martha's recipe (definitely we're on a first-name basis--aren't you?!).  Martha Stewart Frosting

Check out the fluffy loveliness of this frosting!  I didn't have an instant read thermometer (well, I have one, but one piece of it seems to have been eaten by my kitchen elves), so I used the timing method and watched to make sure everything was evenly mixed and thickening.  It's really not as difficult as I was expecting, if I can do it, you can too!

Vanilla Bean Cupcakes

(Makes ~ 36 cupcakes)

1 box white cake mix (I highly recommend Duncan Hines)

1 Cup flour

1 Cup sugar

1 tsp. salt

1 1/3 Cups water

2 Tbl. vegetable oil

1/2 vanilla bean guts(or 1 tsp vanilla extract)

1 Cup sour cream (I recommend using the full-fat version for this application)

4 egg whites (from large eggs)

Preheat oven to 350°.  Line cupcake pans with liners or grease and flour pans.  Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl with a whisk.  Add the remaining ingredients and beat with an electric mixer for about 2 minutes or until just combined.  Fill cupcake pans about 1/3-3/4 full and bake for 20 minutes.  Allow to cool completely before frosting.

Vanilla Bean Sea Foam Frosting

1 1/2 Cup sugar

2 Tbl light corn syrup

2 large egg whites

1/4 Cup water

1/2 vanilla bean guts

Combine all the ingredients in the top of a double boiler over simmering water.  Heat over medium, stirring often, until the mixture reaches 160° on an instant read thermometer (or about 2-3 minutes).  Remove from heat, and using an electric mixer, beat on high until glossy and fluffy.  Should take about 5 minutes.  Use a zip-top bag or an pastry bag to frost cupcakes or spread with a small offset spatula and create mini peaks.  

Cinnamon Roll Coffee Cake + Social Networking Update

So, my husband and I are pretty with the times.  We've upgraded the TVs in our house with flat-screens.  We have a laptop and smart phones.   I use Facebook (I was in college when it was invented-for college students) and Pinterest and I maintain hubby's Facebook page.  We try not to whine about technology, but we had a recent realization.  Neither one of us Tweet.  Which, seems like nothing to most people.  But, we have a baby girl.  Who some day is going to grow up and know 1 million times more about the current technology than we do.  We made the decision that we have to at least learn about new tech trends (like Twitter) or the slippery slope into calling our daughter in the future and asking her program our VCR will begin.  So, Mike signed up for Twitter and follows 3 local news stations and his cousin who is a kind-of celebrity.  I signed up for Twitter and follow a few blogs I like.  Between the two of us, we have made (tweeted, twote?) 2 tweets-both of them re-tweeting an Amazon.com giveaway in order to recieve $5 in credit.  I'll give you one guess as to who did that Tweeting.  Are we experts?  Um, definitely not.  Trending still blows my silly little mind.  But, we've at least got a grip on current technology, and we're going to keep pushing ourselves to try things new so that someday, when my little girl wants to try this new "forehead implanted cell phone,"  I'll know enough to tell her "no" intelligently.  In this same vein, I created a Facebook Page for this blog.  What's Cooking With Kacey  Please follow me there to get updates (while you're at it, I'd love a Google follow too!), I'll be having my first giveaway when I reach 100 Facebook or Google followers!  On a completely unrelated note, I had a craving for something cinnamon.  This Cinnamon Roll Coffee Cake hit the spot and I was able to whip it up in under and hour.  I recommend eating it warm, and sharing the leftovers because it's dangerous.  

Cinnamon Roll Coffee Cake

(adapted very slightly from Cooking up North)

Cake

3 Cups flour
1/4 tsp.salt
1 Cup sugar
4 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 Cups milk
2 eggs (room temperature preferred)
2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 Cup salted butter, melted and let cool slightly

Preheat the oven to 350°.  Mix all of the ingredients together except the butter until combined.  Slowly fold in the melted butter.  Spread into a greased 9in round or 9x9 pan.

Topping

1 c. butter, softened
1 c. brown sugar
2 Tbl. flour
1 Tbl. cinnamon

Combine all ingredients and drop by the spoonful onto the batter.  Use a butter knife to swirl through.  

Bake cake for 30-35 minutes.

Glaze

2 Cups powdered sugar (sifted or whisked)

5 Tbl. evaporated milk

1 tsp. vanilla

Mix ingredients and pour over cake while warm.  Serve and enjoy!

Smore's Parfait

Tomorrow is my baby's first birthday party.  I know it is totally cliche, but I have no idea what happened to a year.  We still have a week to go until her actual first birthday-a week that, I'm sure will go nice and slow so that we can relish all the time we have with her.  We're having a party at our house tomorrow to celebrate this milestone, so things have been a little crazy around here.  Mike and I got it into our crazy brains that late summer was the perfect time to tear out some walls and replace flooring.  Needless to say, if you read the above statement about time, summer turned into fall and we're spent the last few weeks scrambling to finish to the point that we can have company.  Thankfully we're almost done and the dust is gone from the house (well, except for the 1/2 inch currently coating our dining room floor--no one will notice that, right?!).  Today because my life is crazy and because I'm sure yours is too, I bring you Smore's Parfaits.  I actually made these on vacation so they are simple and yummy and perfect for kids.  Just layer Crunched graham crackers (or Cars crackers that performed double duty for me), chocolate pudding (I used a box), grahams, chocolate pudding, toasted marshmallows.  To toast the marshmallows, I sprayed foil with nonstick spray, laid the 'mallows in a single layer on a toaster oven baking sheet, and broiled (WATCH carefully).  Then use a spoon to lower into the glass.  Disclaimer:  These are not a gourmet treat.  Simple, yes. Satisfying, yes.

Animal Cracker Peach Crisp-for 2

Sometimes dessert just calls to you...even late at night, with nothing sweet in the house, and no desire to commit to a baking extravaganza.  Enter tonight's animal cracker peach crisp.  We had a few peaches left that were getting a little too soft, and with a 10-month-old in the house, animal crackers are pretty much a staple.  I didn't really want a "dessert" dessert, I was kind of hoping for a low guilt treat.  The animal crackers make a super mild topping that isn't too rich for the lightly sweet peaches.  It's definitely a recipe that will be a repeat in our house.    For best results, I would plop a huge dollop of fresh sweet cream on top, but my husband (who obviously hates things that are amazing) doesn't like whipped cream.  I know, I know, what person with a lactose tolerant stomach doesn't like cream whipped into delicious pillows of goodness, but he feels like it is a waste of stomach space.  Something to talk about in therapy, I guess.  I did drizzle a little Pampered Chef Caramel Sauce on top, mainly for decoration.  *Excuse the even worse that normal photograph, it was completely dark here in Pittsburgh!*

Animal Cracker Peach Crisp

Makes 2 servings (adjust as desired)

2 Large ripe fresh peaches

1 Cup crushed animal crackers (cracker style, not the shortbread style)

2 Tbl melted butter

2 Tbl sugar

Whipped Cream/Caramel Sauce/Ice Cream as desired

Preheat oven to 350°.  Chop each peach in a fine dice and place in the bottom of a oven proof dish (1 peach per dish).

Combine the crackers, the butter, and the sugar.  Divide and top the peaches with the mixture.  Gently pack down and bake 20 minutes.    Serve warm with whipped cream/ice cream/or caramel topping.