Tres Leches Cake

I had been wanting to make Tres Leches Cake for some time now and back when I found that Tres Leches Cake Mix, I've been waiting for a special occasion to try it... (I figured a mix would make it easier the first time trying to make it). Yesterday we had our monthly church luncheon so I figured I would give it a try. Well.... it was quite an experience!

I was a bit skeptical when I read on the package that the cake is a single layer baked in a 9 inch pan and is supposed to soak up over 3 cups of liquid. The directions said to bake the cake, cool it then take it out of the pan. At the point you are to prepare the milk syrup, poke holes in the cake and pour the syrup over the cake.

Well, let's just say we went through a lot of paper towels with this project. My cake keeper does not have any type of edge around it which would catch any spilling liquid so all the excess liquid spilled everywhere! I only ended up using 3/4 of the liquid on the cake so hopefully it will be moist enough. I *think* the best way to approach a cake like this would be to bake it in a square pan and then leave it in the pan to cool then pour the liquid on it right in the pan. But, back to the story...

So once I got the cake cleaned up I took some canned crushed pineapple along with the liquid an and whisked in 2 Tbsp.. water mixed with 1 Tbsp. corn starch. I cooked that until thick and then spread it on the cake. The cake then went into the fridge to set. After a couple of hours I whipped 1/4 pint of heavy cream mixed with 1 Tbsp. Confectioners sugar and spread that over the entire cake. Finally I garnished with some coconut I had toasted and sliced strawberries. Sorry for not having a picture to share but we were running late and I didn't have time to find my camera!

Easy Boston Cream Pie

It's a typical Saturday at our house... Cleaning, baking and doing my girls hair :)

I made a Boston Cream Pie for our church luncheon tomorrow, I can't wait to cut into it, it smells wonderful! It's a simple recipe using a cake mix which I'll share with you in a minute. But first I wanted to take note of some yummy looking blog posts I found today.

Everybody Likes Sandwiches not only has a new look to her site but she's got these delicious looking scones posted today. I haven't made scones in years and can't wait to try this recipe. Now if only I had the sour cherry jam she has spread on hers :)

The Baking Sheet has a decedent looking Mexican Chocolate Loaf Cake posted and I will be making that soon as well. I love the taste of chocolate and cinnamon together.

The Canadain Baker made an Apple Snacking Cake which I think will be perfect to make for my girls snack time since they love apples.

CJ's Food and Fantasy has some mouth watering looking Teriyaki Chicken Wings. I normally am not too crazy about wings but these look REALLY good!

And finally, a couple of new recipes I plan to add to my Latin cooking repertoire, Off The Broiler's Caribbean Meatloaf and Sweetnick's Carne Con Papas.

OK, I think I'd better stop adding to my recipe pile now... here's my Boston Cream Pie and the recipe. :) And if you haven't already, please take my weekly poll (to your left) thanks!


Easy Boston Cream Pie

Cake:
1 package yellow cake mix (plus ingredients called for on the package)
1 additional egg
1/2 teaspoon lemon extract

Filling:
1 small box vanilla pudding mix
1 1/2 c. milk
1 tsp.. vanilla extract

Glaze:
3 Tbsp. cocoa powder
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 c. confectioner's sugar, sifted
2 Tbsp. boiling water

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Prepare pudding using 1 1/2 c. of milk and adding vanilla. When pudding is ready cover with foil and refrigerate.

Spray a 9 inch. springfrom pan with cooking spray. Bake the cake according to package directions adding the additional egg and lemon extract to the batter. Remove sides of pan and allow cake to cool with bottom disc of pan still attached for minutes, then remove disc by placing a plate on top of the cake and quickly flipping it over then remove the disc.

Cut the cake in half into two layers with a serated knife. Spread the bottom layer with the pudding. Place the top layer on top.

Make the glaze by blending all ingredients in a mixing bowl and beating until smooth. Glaze only the top layer of the cake. Keep the cake refrigerated.

Lemon Cream Cheese Coffee Cake

I made this Lemon Cream Cheese Coffee Cake today as a treat to take to church with us tomorrow. It smells wonderful and I can't wait to cut into it :) I got the recipe from one of the members on the Cooking Light message boards. .... Thanks Dorothy :)



Lemon Cream Cheese Coffeecake

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup butter
1 cup sour cream (I used fat free plain yogurt)
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened (I used fat free)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
3/4 cup commercially bottled lemon curd
1/2 cup sliced almonds

For Cake: Preheat oven to 350*F (175*C). Grease and flour 9-inch springform pan or 9 to 10-inch round cake pan.

Combine flour and sugar in medium bowl. cut in butter with pastry blender or two knives until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Reserve 1 cup crumb mixture for topping. Add sour cream, egg, vanilla extract, baking powder, baking soda and salt with remaining crumb mixture; blend well. Spread over bottom and 2-inches up sides of prepared pan.

For Filling: Beat cream cheese, 1/4 cup sugar and large egg in small mixer bowl until smooth. Spread over batter in pan. Spoon curd over filling; sprinkle with remaining crumb mixture and almonds.

Bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until cream cheese filling is set and crust is golden brown. Cool slightly on wire rack. To serve, remove side of pan; slice coffee cake into wedges.

Makes 16 servings.

Oatmeal Cake with Buttermilk Icing

I have been craving Oatmeal Cake lately but most of the recipes I have found are not that healthy and most contain butter which I am trying to stay away from. I found one recipe on-line at Anita's Recipes and modified it a bit and it turned out great! It's healthy, moist and delicious.

Oatmeal Cake

1 1/2 c. boiling water
1 c. quick oats
1/2 c. soft light margarine, softened (I used Smart Balance brand)
3/4 c. brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 eggs
2 egg white
1 Tbsp. ground flax seed
1/4 c. fat free plain yogurt
1 1/4 c. whole wheat flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 c. raisins
1/2 c. chopped walnuts

In a bowl combine boiling water and oats. Stir and let set until water is absorbed. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 9 inch square pan with cooking spray. In a mixing bowl, combine oat mixture, margarine, brown sugar, vanilla, egg, egg whites and yogurt. Mix well; set aside. In a small bowl, combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Add to oat mixture. Mix well. Pour batter into pan and bake for 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Allow to cool completely then ice with buttermilk icing.

Buttermilk Icing

1 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. buttermilk
3 Tbsp. flour
1 tsp. vanilla

Combine all in a sauce pan and whisk over medium heat until thick.

Coffee Cake

A friend of mine gave me this recipe many years ago and it is by far my favorite. It's very easy to make, simple ingredients and so delicious. You can vary the strusel by adding chopped nuts or raisins.

Coffee Cake

Strusel
2 c. flour
1 c. sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/3 c. butter or margarine
1 c. milk
1 egg

Strusel
1/3 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. flour
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
3 Tbsp. butter

Mix all with a fork until crumbly.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare strusel. Combine all ingredients, beat 2 1/2 minutes. Spread 1/2 batter in pan, top with 1/2 of strusel. Add remaining batter and top with rest of batter and remaining strusel. Bake 35 - 40 minutes.

Cupcakes and Quick Breads

I hope you've all been enjoying my Guest Bloggers this week! I know I sure have enjoyed some new and delicous sounding recipes. I'll have a new guest every Monday so be sure to stop back by and see who's visiting :)

I recently saw the most beautiful looking Chocolate and Peanut Butter Cupcakes on The Baking Sheet so of course, since I had the ingredients on hand I had to try them! My kids did not have a problem being the guinea pigs for a new recipe involving their two favorite flavors. I made a couple of changes to the recipe. First of all I added buttermilk in place of part of the regular milk called for because I love buttermilk in anything chocolate. I also added cinnamon. To me chocolate tastes incomplete without cinnamon, but that is a personal preference.


Chocolate Cupcakes
(recipe modified from Culinary Epiphanies)

1 ½ cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
¾ cup cocoa powder
¼ tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
¼ cup butter, very soft
1 cup sugar
½ cup brown sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup milk, warm
1/2 cup buttermilk, warm

Preheat oven to 350F. Line 24 muffin cups with paper liners. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugars.eat in eggs one at a time. Add vanilla. Add flour and milk, alternating in 3 additions, ending with flour. Evenly distribute into prepared muffin tins. Bake at 350F for 15-17 minutes, until a tester comes out clean and the cake springs back when lightly pressed.
Cool completely on a wire rack. Makes 18.

Peanut Butter Frosting
(recipe originally from Cullinary In The Desert)

2 tbsp peanut butter
1 tbsp butter
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup milk
2 cups confectioners sugar

In a small saucepan over low heat, melt peanut butter and butter and dissolve sugar. Remove from heat and whisk in milk. Transfer to a medium bowl and set aside to cool completely.
Add confectioners sugar and beat on medium/high speed with an electric mixer, until smooth and fluffy. Spread on cooked cupcakes. Will frost 18 cupcakes (approx. 1 1/2 cups).

(I topped each cupcake with a slice of Reeses peanut butter cup)

Since I was in a baking mood, I also made a couple of quick breads. I am planning to take these with us to church this Sunday to share with the members of our church. I found these recipes on-line (I can't for the life of me remember where) and I changed them up a bit. They smelled wonderful baking. I have a photo of them which is not much to look at. I find that most quick breads don't have a lot of eye appeal but they taste great and are very moist. I think these will fit that bill as well!


Strawberry Banana Bread

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. tablespoon cinnamon
2 cups granulated sugar
4 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups frozen strawberries, thawed and diced
1 over-ripe banana, mashed well
1 1/2 cups chopped nuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease two loaf pans. Combine flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and sugar. Stir in 4 beaten eggs, oil, strawberries, banana, and nuts. Combine all ingredients until well moistened. Pour into prepared loaf pans. Bake for 65 minutes. Cool before removing from pans.

Carrot Cake Bread

3 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3 cups all-purpose flour
3 carrots
1 (15 ounce) can crushed pineapple
1 1/2 cups canola oil
2 cups sugar
6 eggs
1 cups raisins
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease and flour two 9x5 inch loaf pans. Sift together baking soda, salt, spices, and flour. In a large bowl, combine ground carrots, pineapple, oil, and sugar. Mix in eggs. Blend flour mixture into carrot mixture. Mix well. Fold nuts and raisins into batter. Pour into prepared pans. Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into bread comes out clean.

NOTE: I cut both recipes in half for today but normally I'd go ahead and make the two loaves.

Gingerbread Cake

Gingerbread cake always reminds me of the holidays. I love it with a cup of cocoa. This recipe is easy, inexpensive and delicious. Serve it warm with whipped cream of lemon curd... you won't be disappointed!

Gingerbread Cake

1/3 c. vegetable oil
1/3 c. water
1/3 c. molasses
1/3 c. sugar
2 egg whites, lightly beaten
1 c. all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1 Tbsp. ground ginger
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine oil, water, molasses, sugar and egg whites. Stir until well mixed. Mix flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder and spices in a small bowl. Add to liquid mixture along with vanilla. Mix well until smooth. Pour into a greased 8-inch square pan or 9-inch round pan. Bake 30 minutes or until surface gently springs back when touched.

Holiday Baking

Today I finally got started on my holiday baking. My husband works on Thanksgiving and there will be a potluck there so I made 2 loaves of Banana Spice bread from my Easy Banana Bread recipe, using spice cake mix and vanilla pudding. In two weeks we have our monthly homeschool meeting so I made a German Apple Cake from a recipe I found on allrecipes.com. Although the cake is now in the freezer and we won't be cutting it until the day of our meeting, I can tell you from the sample I had from the wonderful little bits that flaked off, it is DELICIOUS! I also baked two pans of corn bread -- one for my turkey stuffing and a second to go with the pinto beans I am cooking tomorrow night. I think I'm going to call it a day... we have plenty of leftovers for dinner and I'm tired! Here's the recipe for German Apple Cake...

German Apple Cake - adapted from allrecipes.com

2 eggs

1 cup vegetable oil

2 cups white sugar

1 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp. ground mace

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

4 cups apples - peeled, cored and diced

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour one 9x13 inch cake pan. In a mixing bowl; beat oil and eggs with an electric mixer until creamy. Add the sugar and vanilla and beat well. Combine the flour salt, baking soda, and ground cinnamon together in a bowl. Slowly add this mixture to the egg mixture and mix until combined. The batter will be very thick. Fold in the apples by hand using a wooden spoon. Spread batter into the prepared pan. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 45 minutes or until cake tests done. Let cake cool on a wire rack. Once cake is cool serve with a dusting of confectioners' sugar or with a Cream Cheese Frosting.

Simple Caramel Icing

My babies wanted cupcakes today so we made up a chocolate cake mix to satisfy their craving. While the cupcakes were in the stove I made up a simple icing for them. It turned out really good!

Simple Caramel Icing

1 1/2 cups brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup milk
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
Pinch of salt

In a saucepan, combine brown sugar, milk, and butter. Stirring constantly; bring to a boil and boil for 3 minutes. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Let cool to lukewarm. Beat until creamy and thick enough to spread. If too thick, add a little more milk or a small amount of cream.

Ida's Pound Cake

My grandmother Ida was an amazing cook. She and my aunt Amy lived with us and always had something wonderful cooking in the kitchen with we arrived home from school. We always had at least one dessert in the house. The one I remember most is her pound cake. She always let us lick the bowl and the spoon. I remember the soft interior of this cake and the crisp edges and the delicious taste as well. Everyone who ever tasted it loved it and would ask if she could make it when they came to visit. Grandma Ida passed away when I was 16 years old but her memory lives on in her special recipes, especially this pound cake.

Grandma Ida's Pound Cake

1 c. butter
1 3/4 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. mace
1/4 tsp. salt
2 tsp. vanilla
5 eggs
2 c. sifted all purpose flour

Mix and stir butter until soft. Gradually blend in sugar along with mace, salt and vanilla. Beat in 4 eggs, one at a time. Gradually stir in flour, adding remaining egg. Mix well. Turn batter into a greased tube pan lined with waxed paper. Place in a cold oven. Set oven to 300 degrees. Bake 1 hour and 30 minutes. Cool in pan for 20 minutes them remove to cake plate.

Desserts

Arroz Dulce
Banana Bread
Bread Crumb Cookies
Butterscotch Cookies
Caramel Creme Sandwich Cookies
Chocolate and Peanut Butter Cupcakes
Chocolate Chip Blondies
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Creme Brulee from Sweetnicks
Crock Pot Doughnut Pudding
Five Spice Cookies
Fruit Pizza
Fruity Sherbet
German Apple Cake
Gingerbread Cake
Holiday Snickerdoodles
Ida's Pound Cake
Lemon Butter Cookies
Mango Ice Cream
Oatmeal Cake With Buttermilk Icing
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Pie
Peanut Butter Cookies
Pina Colada Bread Pudding
Pineapple Cheesecake Squares
Sweet Potato Pecan Pie
Simple Caramel Icing
Tropical Cheesecake

Tags: cooking,, food,, recipes

Breads and Baked Goods

Applesauce Muffins
EASY Banana Bread
Bolillos
Buttermilk Biscuits
Carrot Cake Bread
Cinnamon Rolls
Classic Country Bread
Coffee Cake
Corn Bread
Cuban Bread
EASY Sweet Rolls
Egg Nog Bread
Flour Tortillas
Focaccia
French Breakfast Muffins
Garlic and Herb Sesame Rolls
Ginger Carrot Morning Cookies
Homemade English Muffins
Lemon Cream Cheese Coffee Cake
Mexican Corn Bread
Oatmal Dinner Rolls
Orange Coriander Muffins
Pie Crust 101
Pita Bread
Pizza Crust
Potato Buns
Skillet Bread
Sourdough Bread
Sourdough Starter
Strawberry Banana Bread
Sweet Potato Muffins
Whole Grain Raisin Muffins
Whole Wheat Bread
Whole Wheat Flax Seed Bread
Whole Wheat Tortillas

Tags: cooking, food, recipes