Imagine it's Sunday morning. The family is in their jammies and it's time for breakfast. Junior wants pancakes but your little princess wants French toast. Instead of making both, be creative, be daring, live on the edge and make (drum roll) French Pancakes! No not crepes, that's totally different. Think French Toast but instead of bread, use pancakes!
Showing posts with label fun for kids. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fun for kids. Show all posts
October 17, 2013
The other French Pancake...and no, not a crepe!
Imagine it's Sunday morning. The family is in their jammies and it's time for breakfast. Junior wants pancakes but your little princess wants French toast. Instead of making both, be creative, be daring, live on the edge and make (drum roll) French Pancakes! No not crepes, that's totally different. Think French Toast but instead of bread, use pancakes!October 11, 2012
Easy Peasy Reese's Pieces Blondies
Several years ago, back when I first started blogging, I came up with a recipe for Snickerdoodle Blondies for one of my coworkers. This little recipe has been one of the my most popular, only second to my Better Than Starbucks Lemon Poundcake, and has a bit of a cult following. There are so many reasons to love this recipe: they take almost no time to make, their taste and texture appeals to the pickiest of palettes, they are inexpensive to make, they smell amazing when they are baking.. I could go on and on! Not only that but you probably have the ingredients for them in your kitchen right now. No pomp or circumstance needed! Just real butter, please but that should go without saying.
December 10, 2011
R2D2 Much Fun
Sometimes all you really need is a little pomp and circumstance to make a cake great. I made this little R2D2 for my friend's son, Luke's fifth birthday party. He might only be five but he's a huge Star Wars fanatic and really wanted an R2D2 cake for his party. I couldn't say no, could I? When Luke saw the finished product, oh how I wish I had had a camera! He was SO excited!March 9, 2011
Juanita's Space-Time ContinuYum Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake & Classic Chocolate Frosting
It has been months since I made this cake but it was a recipe that I really wanted to blog about. For one, it tastes fan-freaking-tastic and I don't even like chocolate cake. But, more importantly, making this cake reminded me of the all the reasons why I enjoy baking, most specifically, the ability to trigger a taste-memory or feeling of nostalgia for the recipient.August 1, 2010
Blissful Berry Buckle
Many of you are probably wondering why my blog posts have become so infrequent. For months now I’ve been struggling with what to do with the blog as it has become a bit of a love-hate relationship. It’s perplexing because it has been such an important part of my life. And although I can honestly say it still is, it’s evolved into something very different. Much of this has to do with where I am in my life now; there have been a lot of changes.
February 23, 2010
Big Birthday Brownie
I made this asymmetrical-on-purpose brownie birthday treat to celebrate little Aliana's 5th birthday. To help me get calibrated to the way she made her hearts, Aliana drew me several hearts just to help me get inspired. Big colorful, curvy, bubbly, slanted hearts filled several pages of paper and some even had smiley faces on them! Kristina, Aliana's proud mom, told me that sometimes Aliana liked to add a little bumpy border to the outside of hearts too.
September 1, 2009
Teensy-Weensy Turnovers
Aren't these darling? Kids of all ages can't help but fall head-over-heals in love with these little guys - they are just so adorable! And if cuteness wasn't enough, they are a breeze to make, relatively inexpensive, and you don't have to have any special equipment to make them. Wouldn't these would be a fun little project for the wee-ones to make the next time you have a rainy Saturday and nothing fun to do?
May 5, 2009
Pinkalicious Cupcakes
Considering the fact that I have a thirteen year old son, it shouldn't seem too odd that I had never heard of the book, Pinkalicious. However, that all changed when I volunteered to make cupcakes for my friend's daughter's third birthday party, as I became a bit of a subject matter expert on the story.April 22, 2009
Pecan Peach Amish Friendship Bread
Normally I'm not one to fall prey to those "send this email to seven people or you'll have bad luck for seven years" hoxes, but when my friend Mandy sent me an email asking me if I wanted a bag of Amish Friendship Bread Starter, I couldn't resist. It had been something I'd always wanted to try but never had the opportunity.March 8, 2009
Jake's Awesome Banana Bread
For Christmas last year I had a really difficult time finding gifts for my thirteen year old son, Jake. He's at the age where he's too old for most traditional toys and I'm not into gifting cash so unless I want to give him a bunch of video games, pickings are slim.
February 19, 2009
Caramel Apples
Caramel apples are one of my son's absolute favorite things that I make. I have only made them one time before and that was on a whim after a colleague asked me if I would make theme for his wife. Two years later, I decided it was time to make them again but this time I'd do it to raise money for two charities: Heifer.Org and Child's Play.
February 5, 2009
Blue Ribbon Dulche de Leche Glazed Cinnamon Chocolate Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Buttercream
Boy last Friday was fun. What a rush! You would think with a week long binge of cake making madness, I'd run way from my kitchen crying at the sight of my mixer. I'll admit, I wasn't super excited about making cupcakes for Groundhogs Day, but it was worth all the "omg-those-are-the-cutest-things-ever!" comments!
Because I was a bit tired from all the craziness of the week before, I decided to cut a few corners and base my cupcakes on a box mix. As shameful as that may be, I don't think there's anyone that could tell that these came from a box. They were so incredibly moist! I heard from a few of my coworkers that this cupcake was one of the best they've ever had.
The cupcake by itself was wonderful (I finally caved and had one), but when it was combined with the dulche de leche and the cream cheese buttercream, it evolved into something truly phenomenal.
So what makes these a "Blue Ribbon" cupcake? Well, that distinction comes from the little blue ribbon that appears on every container of Hellman's and Best Foods mayonnaise. I know the idea of using mayonnaise in a cake sounds a little revolting, but if you think about, it makes perfect sense. Mayonnaise is essentially eggs and oil (fat) which in some form or another is in just about every cake I've made. Please, though, I beg of you, if you decided to make this cupcake do not use Miracle Whip or any other salad dressing type of mayonnaise since those products are full of non-baking friendly ingredients like modified food starch, mustard flour, paprika, and dried garlic. If you're unsure, check the label.
The dulche de leche layer is completely optional. I decided to use because I had a bit left over after making the Nacho Cheese Dispenser cake and couldn't bear to throw it away. It's important not to spread too much of it on top of the cupcakes, it's just there to add a subtle flavor and shouldn't overwhelm the little cake.
When it came to the frosting, I wanted to add the tang of cream cheese to the mix but wanted to do something a little different. Personally, I'm not a fan of cream cheese frosting. Most recipes that I've had just taste like a slightly less thick, blob of cream cheese with a little sugar mixed in. I started tweaking the recipe just by creaming the cream cheese, shortening (for a little structural support), and butter together for several minutes, allowing plenty of time for the ingredients to mix together thoroughly and get proper aerated. This left me with the best of both frosting worlds -- a slightly thicker buttercream than I would normally make but that finishes with a tangy cream cheese flavor.
As for the little groundhogs, they are more time consuming to make than anything. Believe it or not, they are just Tootsie Rolls and chocolate chips. It takes a little practice to do it but after a few tries, I think you'll find it easy to make. You can find more details about how to make them here.
Blue Ribbon Dulche de Leche Glazed Cinnamon Chocolate Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Buttercream
Yield: Approximately 28-30 cupcakes
To make these cupcakes you'll need one recipe of each of the following:
Blue Ribbon Chocolate Cupcakes
1 box of chocolate cake mix with pudding (the one I used for this recipe was Betty Crocker's) Super Moist Triple Chocolate Fudge
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, try to break up any big clumps before adding it to the batter
1 cup of Hellman's or Best Foods mayonnaise
3 eggs at room temperature
3/4 cup of milk at room temperature
1 teaspoon of almond extract
Preheat oven to 350F. Place cupcake liners in a muffin pan and set aside.
Place the cake mix, cocoa, and cinnamon mix together with a whisk to combine the ingredients.
Add the mayonnaise, eggs, milk, and almond extract and mix on low speed for one minute. Scrape down the bowl and increase the speed to medium and mix for two minutes. Fill the cupcake liners a little more than half way and bake in the center of the oven for 16-18 minutes and the center springs back when lightly pressed. Remove the cupcakes from the pan and let cool completely.
Dulce de Leche
1 can of sweetened condensed milk
pinch of salt
Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 425F. Pour condensed milk into pie plate and stir in a generous pinch of salt. Cover pie plate with foil and crimp foil tightly around rim. Put in a roasting pan, then add enough boiling-hot water to reach halfway up side of pie plate, making sure that foil is above water. Bake, refilling pan to halfway with water about every 40 minutes, until milk is thick and a deep golden caramel color, about 2 hours. Remove pie plate from water bath and transfer toffee to a bowl, then chill toffee, uncovered, until it is cold, about 1 hour.
Cream Cheese Buttercream
1 stick of unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 8oz brick of full-fat cream cheese (I prefer Philadelphia Brand)
1/2 cup shortening pinch of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon of vanilla bean paste (if you can't find this, add an additional teaspoon of vanilla extract)
1 pound + 1 cup of powdered/confectioner's sugar (powdered sugar, 10x) sifted
2-3 tablespoons very cold milk
Cream the butter, shortening, and salt until light yellow and creamy -- about 3 minutes. Add the vanilla extract and the bean paste and mix for another minute. Be sure to stop and scrape the bowl about half way through. Add the sugar a cup or so at at time. When you first add the sugar, turn the mixer on the lowest speed. This will help to avoid most of the sugar being mixed right out of the bowl or you swallowing a cloud of powdered sugar. :-) When the sugar is absorbed, increase the speed to medium for a minute and repeat until you've gone through the entire pound of sugar. The frosting should be somewhat dry looking at this point. If it's not, add more sugar. You want it thick. Once it's thick, add the milk one tablespoon at a time. Keep adding until the frosting is thick, but more creamy and less dry looking.
1 box of chocolate cake mix with pudding (the one I used for this recipe was Betty Crocker's) Super Moist Triple Chocolate Fudge
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, try to break up any big clumps before adding it to the batter
1 cup of Hellman's or Best Foods mayonnaise
3 eggs at room temperature
3/4 cup of milk at room temperature
1 teaspoon of almond extract
Preheat oven to 350F. Place cupcake liners in a muffin pan and set aside.
Place the cake mix, cocoa, and cinnamon mix together with a whisk to combine the ingredients.
Add the mayonnaise, eggs, milk, and almond extract and mix on low speed for one minute. Scrape down the bowl and increase the speed to medium and mix for two minutes. Fill the cupcake liners a little more than half way and bake in the center of the oven for 16-18 minutes and the center springs back when lightly pressed. Remove the cupcakes from the pan and let cool completely.
Dulce de Leche
1 can of sweetened condensed milk
pinch of salt
Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 425F. Pour condensed milk into pie plate and stir in a generous pinch of salt. Cover pie plate with foil and crimp foil tightly around rim. Put in a roasting pan, then add enough boiling-hot water to reach halfway up side of pie plate, making sure that foil is above water. Bake, refilling pan to halfway with water about every 40 minutes, until milk is thick and a deep golden caramel color, about 2 hours. Remove pie plate from water bath and transfer toffee to a bowl, then chill toffee, uncovered, until it is cold, about 1 hour.
Cream Cheese Buttercream
1 stick of unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 8oz brick of full-fat cream cheese (I prefer Philadelphia Brand)
1/2 cup shortening pinch of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon of vanilla bean paste (if you can't find this, add an additional teaspoon of vanilla extract)
1 pound + 1 cup of powdered/confectioner's sugar (powdered sugar, 10x) sifted
2-3 tablespoons very cold milk
Cream the butter, shortening, and salt until light yellow and creamy -- about 3 minutes. Add the vanilla extract and the bean paste and mix for another minute. Be sure to stop and scrape the bowl about half way through. Add the sugar a cup or so at at time. When you first add the sugar, turn the mixer on the lowest speed. This will help to avoid most of the sugar being mixed right out of the bowl or you swallowing a cloud of powdered sugar. :-) When the sugar is absorbed, increase the speed to medium for a minute and repeat until you've gone through the entire pound of sugar. The frosting should be somewhat dry looking at this point. If it's not, add more sugar. You want it thick. Once it's thick, add the milk one tablespoon at a time. Keep adding until the frosting is thick, but more creamy and less dry looking.
December 22, 2008
Melted Snowman Cupcakes: Festive Orange Cranberry Cupcakes
See what happens when you make snowmen indoors? They melt! Well, that was the look I was going for, anyway. I got inspired to make these insanely creative cupcakes after seeing them on Nicisme's blog (check out here blog; it's wonderful!). Although I found her cupcakes really charming, I decided to add my own personal touch by topping each snowman with a fancy top hat (adorned with holly) and a green scarf. You can't really see it in the photos, but each scarf had a unique pattern. I also strayed from her recipe in that I used fondant to make almost everything, except the holly. For that, I used holiday light bulb sprinkles but if I had planned ahead, I would have used holly berry and leaf quins instead.
December 21, 2008
"Ohh... What's that?" Cheesecake Ball
Last night I hosted a holiday soiree. Lots of people were invited but one uninvited guest spoiled the show: snow! We have been deluged by snow, more than I've ever seen in my nine years of living in Seattle. It's quite beautiful but the roads have been a mess. As such, several party goers played it safe and stayed home.
November 5, 2008
Tootsie Roll Art
Did you know that you can use Tootsie Rolls like edible Play-Doh? Yup! It turns out that they are good for more than just removing your fillings or unhinging your jaw (giggle).
July 8, 2008
Strawberry Banana Brownie Cake
Scott is my next door neighbor and has been for the last five and a half years. I can't recall a time when I have see him without a big smile on his face. He's just a happy go lucky guy! Usually when I do see him, he's outside in the street playing games with his kids, which always warms my heart. You just don't see that very often anymore! Scott's a great neighbor, a loving husband, and super devoted dad; so when I found out it was his 40th birthday, I couldn't wait to make him something as fabulous as he is.
June 30, 2008
Strawberry Nostalgia Cake
June 10, 2008
Frito Bark
Say you need to make a dessert in a jiffy but all you have in the house is a bag of chocolate chips, butter, brown sugar and a bag of Fritos (hey, it could happen!). What do you do? You whip up a great little treat that everyone will love.
April 20, 2008
"Snow Storm in April" Bars: A (modified) Seven Layer Bar
I seriously think this is the easiest dessert I have ever made that didn't involve a mix. My coworker Nitin wanted something with chocolate and coconut for his birthday. I really wanted to make him my Mandy's Candy bars which are always a hit, but that seemed like a cop-out. Then I stumbled on this recipe and couldn't resist. Could four ingredients really taste that good?
