Mario Bros (Chocolate) Cake

Life, where are you going? You're whizzing right by me everyday! Sometimes I wake up and think, wait a second... where have the past few years gone? Life, slow down! You're going by way too fast!!

My nephew's birthday was this past weekend, and I'm baffled at the fact that he is now eight years old! I remember the day he was born... I remember getting the call from my sister saying her first little baby was here and then rushing up to the hospital to hold him in my arms. I was in such awe over him! I was delighted to finally be an aunt!! But now, my little buddy isn't a baby anymore... He's now a super inquisitive, extremely bright, creative and funny little man who loves video games! :) So for his birthday party, I made this deliciously chocolate Mario Bros cake. 

I went with the Hershey's "Perfectly Chocolate" Chocolate Cake recipe. The flavor was chosen (without hesitation) by the birthday boy himself. The Hershey recipe is super easy, super moist, and super delicious! Yum and fun... What more can a kid ask for? :)

Deviled Eggs

My family members are huge fans of deviled eggs. I'm talking, huge fans! We love them. If ever there were a holiday where deviled eggs were not on the table, well... I'm really not sure what would happen. A holiday without deviled eggs is just unthinkable!

Typically, I make deviled eggs by adding a little of this and a little of that to the filling... tasting... then adding a little more of this and a little extra of that. So when I made a batch for Easter, I decided to measure out my ingredients and lock these down to a written recipe. They are delicious! And their presence will continue to grace the table at our holiday meals. Obviously, you don't have to wait for the next holiday to roll around before you crank out some tasty deviled eggs (because I definitely won't be waiting!). So whenever you're ready, here you go!

Ingredients
Yields 36 deviled eggs
18 large eggs
2/3 cup light mayo
2 tbsp spicy brown mustard
1 tbsp sweet pickle relish
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground pepper 
Paprika

Directions
Place eggs in a large saucepan and cover with water. On the stove-top, bring water to a boil over high heat.  Remove from heat, cover, and let stand 10 minutes. Fill a large bowl with ice water, and transfer eggs to the bowl to let cool for about 5 minutes.

Once eggs have cooled, crack and peel them. Cut eggs lengthwise down the center. Remove yolks and place in a small mixing bowl,  and arrange egg whites on a serving dish. Add mayo, mustard, pickle relish, salt and pepper to the bowl of yolks. Using a fork, mash ingredients together until well combined and smooth. Spoon filling into the hollow center of the eggs. (I placed filling in a piping tube fitted with a star tip for a fancier presentation.) Sprinkle with paprika.

Strawberry-Vanilla Cupcakes filled with White Chocolate Ganache

Vanilla cupcakes...

Filled with white chocolate ganache...

Topped with a delightful strawberry buttercream frosting...

Now that I have your attention, let me tell you about these springtime beauties. :)

My hubby called me at work a couple weeks ago because his office announced a bake sale they were hosting to raise money for Relay for Life. "Would you want to bake something for it?" he asked. Hmm, would I want to bake something... absolutely, yes! Would I want to bake something to help raise money for a great cause... most definitely, yes!! After hanging up the phone, I instantly started brainstorming what to bake. The sale was categorized as a Spring Bake Sale, so I immediately thought of strawberries. I figured cupcakes would be a nice addition to any dessert table, so I went with it... I decided to make vanilla cupcakes with strawberry frosting. It wasn't until the day before baking that I decided to add a little extra sweetness by filling them with ganache. White chocolate and strawberries - YUM!

Since people were going to purchase the cupcakes, I didn't want to get too experimental. I made vanilla cupcakes which I've made before because I knew they were tasty. I doubled the recipe, so that I would have 24 cupcakes, and used 4 large eggs (instead of separating a lot of yolks). I ventured out with the frosting and tweaked it until I found just the right flavor (delightful!). The frosting was definitely my favorite part of these cupcakes! Now I'm on a mission to find the perfect strawberry cake to go along with it. :)

These cupcakes were so delicious! It was hard to part with all of them. Matt came home with great feedback from his office, so I know I'm not the only one who swooned over these babies. :) This is an excellent dessert for any springtime party. Whip up a batch, and your friends won't leave until they've finished off the last one. So tasty! 

Below are the recipes for the ganache and frosting...

Ingredients

Yields enough frosting and ganache for 24 cupcakes

Ganache:

1/4 cup whipping cream

4 oz white chocolate, chopped

Frosting:

1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

3-4 cups confectioners' sugar

1 tbsp pure vanilla extract

4 oz fresh strawberry puree

2 tbsp whipping cream

Directions

For the ganache... Place chocolate in a small bowl. In a small sauce pan, bring cream to a boil. Pour boiling cream over chocolate; let stand for a couple of minutes. Stir until chocolate is completely melted and mixture is smooth. Cover and refrigerate to thicken. 

For the frosting... In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, cream butter on medium speed until light and fluffy. Reduce mixer to low speed. Gradually add in 3 cups of sugar, and mix until well blended. Add vanilla, strawberry puree, and whipping cream; blend until well combined. Gradually add (up to) an additional cup of sugar until you reach your desired consistency. 

To assemble cupcakes... cut a cone-shaped portion out of the center of the cupcakes. Gently cut off the tip of the cone. Fill the cupcake by spooning the ganache into the center of the cake. Replace the top of the cone over the filling. Frost cupcakes.

Source: frosting adapted from My Baking Addiction, ganache adapted from Martha Stewart

Jubilee Jumbles

Hi! Have I got some yummy goodness to share with you today. :) It's my first guest post, and here to present these darling Jubilee Jumbles is my friend, Megan. You may recall Megan from my baking extravaganza post. She is a friend of mine that shares my passion for baking, and I am delighted to host her here on my blog! Megan and I love to talk baking… we share recipes and baking tips, we love to bounce ideas off each other when we’re trying something new, and most of all we LOVE to sample each other’s creations! These cookies were among the first baked goods that Megan shared with me, and I was in awe over the yumminess. These cookies are absolutely amazing, and it only seems right to let Megan share these with you. So without further ado, I’d like to welcome Megan to Burn Me Not!!

Jubilee Jumbles, or as I’ve always called them, “Icing Cookies”!

I have many fond childhood memories of baking with my Mom and of all the cookies we’ve ever made, these cakey, glazed beauties are by far the most requested and beloved by our family and friends. Every time we made them when I was a young, kids would come from surrounding houses to get a bite—a tradition, I might add, that continued even after I went to college. Have you ever seen a group of hungry college students stampede towards a box of homemade cookies? It’s not pretty, but it sure makes for fast friends!

Now I should give fair warning—these cookies are extremely addicting and once people taste them, they are bound to ask for more. For me, the most dangerous (or delicious?) part is the glaze. I must admit that even as an adult I have a tendency to make myself sick swiping the extra glaze from the wax paper! 

Now, whip up a batch and feed your sweet tooth---it will thank you!

Adapted from Betty Crocker’s New Picture Book, 1961

Ingredients

Yield: 4 dozen

For the cookies:

½ cup shortening

1 cup packed brown sugar

½ cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

1 cup sour cream

1 tsp vanilla

2 ¾ cups flour

½ tsp soda

1 tsp salt

2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

For the browned butter glaze:

½ cup butter

2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted

1 tsp vanilla

2-4 Tbsp hot water

Directions

Mix shortening, sugars, and eggs thoroughly. Stir in sour cream and vanilla. Add flour, soda, and salt and stir until well incorporated. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop by rounded tablespoons (I use a medium cookie scoop) onto greased baking sheets. Bake for about 10 minutes at 375 degrees, or until almost no imprint remains when touched with finger. Cool cookies on wax paper.

To make the glaze, melt the butter until golden brown. Blend in sifted confectioners’ sugar and vanilla. Stir in hot water until icing spreads smoothly. (A note about the glaze: be sure the water is hot…it makes a big difference. Start with 2 Tbsp—it’s usually enough to get a smooth, thick glaze, but add more water, a tablespoon at a time, until you get the consistency you desire.)

Once cool, dip the top of each cookie into the browned butter glaze.  Let cool on wax paper until the glaze sets. Store in airtight container, if they aren’t gone by then!

Carrot Cake

Did you all have a nice Easter? Ours was fabulous! It was a beautiful day spent with family. Doesn't get much better than that! My sister hosted a lovely brunch, and I volunteered to bring dessert (real shocker, I know). I have wanted to make a carrot cake for some time now, so I knew exactly what I was going to bring when I marked myself down for something sweet. There are certain days of the year when a carrot cake just makes sense, and to me, Easter is one of those days.

I haven't always been a huge fan of carrot cake. Some cakes tend to have a lot going on with the added ingredients, and I think that can take away from the delicate spice of the cake. I decided to tweak the original recipe a bit and keep this one fairly simple by only adding in chopped pecans and raisins. Excellent choice! I used a maple cream cheese frosting and it paired beautifully with the cake.

This is one recipe that definitely lands a slot in my recipe box. Such a treat! I would highly recommend this for Mother's Day, a backyard barbecue, or a bridal shower. Whatever the occasion, this cake is a winner!

Ingredients
Yields 12-14 servings
For the cake:
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups packed light brown sugar 
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tbsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
4 large eggs
2 tbsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups canola oil
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 3/4 cups peeled, shredded carrots
1 cup raisins (soaked in warm water for one hour)
2 cups chopped pecans, separated

For the frosting:
2 (8 oz) packages cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 tbsp pure maple syrup
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
4 cups confectioners' sugar

Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line three 8-inch pans with parchment paper, and grease bottom and sides of pans with baking spray; set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, both sugars, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Whisk together to blend, breaking up any large lumps of brown sugar with your hand. In another large mixing bowl, combine eggs, vanilla, oil, and buttermilk. Whisk until well combined. Add the wet ingredients to the bowl with the dry ingredients and stir just until incorporated. Add in carrots, 1 cup of pecans, and raisins. Fold gently into batter with a spatula until incorporated.

Divide batter evenly between the prepared pans. Bake 30-35 minutes, or until cakes are golden brown and toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. I recommend rotating cakes halfway through baking. Transfer to wire racks and cool 5-10 minutes in the pans, then turn out cakes directly onto wire racks and cool completely.

For the frosting, beat cream cheese and butter with an electric mixer until smooth. Add maple syrup and vanilla, beat until combined. Gradually add confectioners' sugar and continue beating until well combined and smooth.

To assemble the cake, level layers (if necessary) using a serrated knife. Place one layer on a cake stand or cardboard cake round. Spread a layer of cream cheese frosting over the top. Place another cake layer on top and repeat frosting. Place the final cake layer on top. Frost the top and sides of cake with remaining frosting, reserving up to 1 cup for detailing if needed. Press remaining cup of pecans along the sides of cake.

Enjoy!

Source: cake adapted from Annie's Eats, frosting from Martha Stewart

Brown Butter Blondies

So here's a question for you... are you a brownie or a blondie person? If I were still 10 years old, I would shout "brownie" at the top of my lungs without a second of hesitation. I was one of those kids that loved anything chocolate... and I mean l-o-v-e-d chocolate. Now don't jump to any conclusions, I'm not about to declare that I no longer love chocolate. But with age, my taste buds have matured a bit. Now I love such a variety of flavors, that chocolate is not usually my first choice anymore. I guess it all depends on my mood. :) So which do you prefer? Actually, before you answer that question, I would highly recommend that you give this recipe a try. These blondies are amazingly scrumptious!

I made these blondies for a co-workers birthday, and they were a huge hit at the office. The combination of browned butter and light brown sugar is a delicious foundation for the pecans and chocolate toffee bits housed inside these delectable goodies... and of course I threw in a few white chocolate chips, just because I felt like it. :) I'm keeping these bars on deck for the next party or gathering we go to where I need to bring a dessert. Guaranteed crowd pleaser!!

So tell me, are you a brownie or blondie person? Today, I am most definitely a blondie person! :)

Ingredients
Yields 24 blondies
1 1/4 cups (2 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 cups packed light-brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
2 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup chopped pecans
3/4 cup chocolate toffee bits
1/2 cup white chocolate chips

Directions
In a saucepan over medium heat, cook the butter until it turns golden brown. Remove from heat and let cool.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 13 x 9-inch pan with baking spray. Line with parchment paper, allowing a 2-inch overhang on the longer sides. Grease parchment (not overhang). Set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.

In a large bowl, stir browned butter and both sugars with a wooden spoon until combined. Using an electric mixer, beat in eggs on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add vanilla and beat until combined. Gradually add flour mixture, beating until thoroughly combined. Mix in pecans, toffee bits, and white chocolate chips. Pour mixture into prepared pan.

Bake 35-40 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely. Lift out of the pan and transfer to cutting board. Cut into 24 squares.

Source: adapted from Martha Stewart

Baking Extravaganza: Tarts, Truffles, Doughnuts & Cupcakes

So lately I've been slipping into a bit of a baking slump... sad, but true. The past few months have been busier than normal, and I haven't been in much of a baking mood. The few times that I have felt like baking, haven't really gone quite like I expected. How discouraging, right? So how do I snap out of it? How do I find a way back into my groove? I guess there is the option to take a break for a while, and just give it a rest for a couple of months... but that option doesn't settle too well with me. Another thought would be to continue on the track I'm headed down... baking infrequently, and accepting the failures that emerge from my oven. But that doesn't sound like much fun. Or... I could dive right in, head first... shove myself into my kitchen for hours and not let myself out until I have some yummy goodness to show for it. That's what I'm talking about! And that's exactly what I did. :)

My friend/co-worker, Megan, and I have talk for a while about baking together. We both love to bake, and we love to trade baking tips and secrets with each other. So we finally marked a day on our calendars, and set out to make some fantastic recipes. And let me tell you, it was just what I needed to get my bearings back. We baked for hours, and I loved every minute of it! It was a baking extravaganza!! And it was amazing!!

Now, let's check out what we made... We gathered several recipes from other food blogs, narrowed them down to just four (which we deemed the "chosen ones"), and went to town!

First, lets start with the chocolate caramel tarts. Oh the tarts! Ooey-gooey, yummy caramel embedded in a delightful crust, then sealed into captivity by an exquisite chocolate ganache. Man, oh man, these little beauties are sinful! These are a definite keeper... I can't wait to serve these at our next dinner party!

Recipe from Spache The Spatula

Next up... doughnuts! Megan and I wanted to tackle a yeast recipe, so what could be better than trying our hands at homemade doughnuts. Um, yum! I found this recipe over at Brown Eyed Baker. It was a guest post from Sugarcrafter for cinnamon-sugar doughnuts. We couldn't settle on just one type of doughnut, so we went with 1) traditional glaze doughnuts, 2) chocolate frosted doughnuts, with sprinkles (of course!), and 3) cinnamon-sugar doughnut holes. Dee-lightful!

Still with me? :) Good! I wouldn't want you to miss out on these truffles!! I have seen lots of recipes incorporating cookie dough, and I love reading about all the new creations. They always look so tasty. I mean, hello, who could resist a bite full of chocolate chip cookie dough?! These truffles are heavenly! They're a little time consuming to make, but they're really not that difficult. The dipping process can be a bit challenging if you've never done it before, which I had not. But after dipping the first few, you'll start to get the hang of it. The hardest part for me was dropping the truffles onto the wax paper without excess chocolate pooling at the bottom, but hey, that just means more chocolate with each bite. :)

Recipe from The Recipe Girl

We also made mocha truffles, but I'll share that recipe another time... so make sure you check back! :)

Have you overdosed on sugar yet??? Nah, I think you can handle one more. ;)

This baking extravaganza just wouldn't be complete without a cupcake. Lucky for us, Megan has had her eye on these vanilla almond cupcakes. Talk about scrumptious! The vanilla and almond are paired beautifully in both the cake and the frosting, so you really taste the best of both worlds. Delicious!

Recipe from The Curvy Carrot

Well, there you have it... if you ever find yourself sinking into a baking slump, find a friend who enjoys baking as much as you do and go to town! :) Now, make sure to check out each of these recipes. I highly recommend ALL of them!

Hope you have a wonderful day!!