With Sprinkles on Top

I am, admittedly, a sucker for all things novelty. I saw this cake pan set at Williams & Sonoma last winter and had to have it. Why? Because you can make a GIANT OREO CAKE with it! Imagine my glee (cause y’all know how much I love Oreos, right?!). Yeah, I’m a northerner who just said “y’all”.

I also realize that this may be a slightly impractical recipe for me to share with you all, because I’m guessing that I might be the only one who was willing to spend $20 for this pan set. But I’m sharing anyway!

Giant Sandwich Cookie Cake
Recipe source: Williams & Sonoma
Print Recipe

For the cake:
1/2 cup cocoa powder
7 oz bittersweet chocolate, broken into pieces
1-3/4 sticks unsalted butter, cut into cubes
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
1-3/4 cups granulated sugar
4 eggs
1-3/4 tsp vanilla extract

For the buttercream filling:
4-1/2 cups powdered sugar
1-1/2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
3-1/2 Tbs milk (more if needed)
1-1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease the pans with shortening, butter, or cooking spray. Be sure to coat the details and crevices in the pans. Dust thoroughly with cocoa powder and tap out excess.
2. Put the chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl and microwave until melted, stirring once, about 1-1/2 minutes. Continue to heat and stir until the mixture is melted and creamy.
3. In a bowl, whisk together the flour, 1/2 cup cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt until combined. Set aside.
4. In a large bowl, whisk together the granulated sugar, eggs, and vanilla until well combined. Add the chocolate mixture and whisk until incorporated. Whisk in the flour mixture until combined. (Note: I did all of this using a stand mixer, not a whisk)
5. Divide the batter between the prepared pans and spread evenly. Gently tap the pans on the counter to release any air bubbles. Bake until tops of the cakes are shiny and a toothpick comes out clean — about 35 minutes.
6. Transfer the pans to wire rack and cool for 15 minutes. Invert the cakes onto the wire racks to cool further.

While the cakes are baking, make the frosting:
1. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the powdered sugar, butter, milk, and vanilla. Beat on low speed until combined. Increase the speed to medium and beat until fluffy. If the frosting is dry, add more milk until it is creamy but still holds peaks.
2. Using a large spatula, carefully turn one cake over so the printed side faces down. Spread the buttercream evenly over the flat side of the cake. Place the second cake, printed side up, on top. Serves 12-16 people.

I found this recipe in Taste of Home magazine (ahh, good ol’ Taste of Home). I was immediately intrigued. Root beer cupcakes? I’d never heard of such a thing. But being a fan of root beer AND cupcakes, I had to give them a try. Root beer reminds me of summer and my childhood. My dad used to take me one of our local drive-in restaurants (that still has carhops on rollerskates!) – and I’d always order a huge mug of root beer. And fried cheese curds. The cheese curds aren’t really relevant to this post, but I just had to mention them. Cause oh, they are so good.

These cupcakes really do taste like root beer. Try them, close your eyes, and think of summertime.

Root Beer Cupcakes
Recipe source: Taste of Home
Print Recipe

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
1 cup root beer

Frosting:
1-1/2 cups whipped frosting (I used store-bought)
12-18 root beer barrel candies, crushed (I used a food processor for this step)

1. Preheat oven to 350F and line a muffin tin with paper liners.
2. In a large bowl, cream butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
3. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and allspice. Whisk to mix.
4. Gradually add the dry mixture to the creamed mixture, alternating with the root beer; beat well after each addition.
5. Fill muffin cups 2/3 full. Bake for 18-22 minutes or until a tester comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.
6. Mix the frosting and crushed candies; frost cupcakes.

Makes 12 cupcakes.

Key lime pie is my favorite dessert ever. Ever. Ever. I would choose key lime pie over any other treat (which is shocking, considering it doesn’t involve cheese and/or chocolate!).

This recipe is simple, delicious, and the crust is to-die-for.

Though I should note, I didn’t actually use key limes. They don’t sell them at my grocery store. I live in Wisconsin, not Florida! So I used regular limes instead….but will continue to call this key lime pie.

Yield: 8 slices of pie

Key Lime Pie

Print

Close your eyes and pretend you're in the Florida Keys with this delicious treat!

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour

Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes

Ingredients

For the crust:

• 18 whole graham crackers (the 4-section large pieces)
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup butter, melted

For the filling:

• 1 Tablespoon (heaping) lime zest
• ½ cups lime juice
• 2 whole egg yolks
• 1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350F.

Make the crust:

1. Crush crackers in a food processor or Ziploc bag. Pour them into a bowl and stir in sugar and melted butter. Press into a pie pan and bake for 5 minutes or until golden and set.

2. Remove from oven and set aside to cool slightly.

Make the filling:

1. Mix lime zest, lime juice, and egg yolks in a mixing bowl.

2. Add in condensed milk and mix on high until smooth and thick.

3. Pour mixture into crust and bake for 15 minutes.

4. Remove from oven, allow to cool, then refrigerate for at least 1 hour or more if possible, before serving.

Notes

Your yield will depend on how big or small you cut your pieces of pie.

Recipe credit: The Pioneer Woman

Oh oh oh so good. Cream cheese, in any form, is a good thing. Paired with chocolate? Even better.

Black-Bottom Cupcakes
Recipe sources: The Great Book of Chocolate & Smitten Kitchen
Print Recipe

For the filling:
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
2 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped (I used mini chocolate chips)

For the cupcakes:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
5 tablespoons natural unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch-process)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup water
1/3 cup unflavored vegetable oil
1 tablespoon white or cider vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Make the filling: Beat together the cream cheese, granulated sugar, and egg until smooth. Stir in the chopped chocolate pieces. Set aside.

Make the cupcakes:
1. Preheat to 350°F (175°C). Butter or line a 12-cup muffin tin.
2. In a medium bowl sift together the flour, brown sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, mix together the water, oil, vinegar, and vanilla.
3. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and stir in the wet ingredients, stirring until just smooth. Stir any longer and you will over mix the batter and end up with less-than-tender cupcakes.
4. Divide the batter among the muffin cups. Spoon a few tablespoons of the filling into the center of each cupcake, dividing the filling evenly. This will fill the cups almost completely, which is fine.
5. Bake for 25 minutes, or until the tops are slightly golden brown and the cupcakes feel springy when gently pressed. These moist treats will keep well unrefrigerated for 2 to 3 days if stored in an airtight container.

Makes 12 cupcakes.

I’m leaving today for New York! I’ll be there for almost 2 weeks :) In celebration of my trip, I made New York Subway cupcakes. No fancy instructions here – the cupcakes are chocolate box mix with store-bought frosting. I bought colored fondant and used a circle cookie cutter to make the shapes. I also have a set of number and letter fondant cutters that I used.

I have a ton of blog posts scheduled for the coming weeks, so be sure to check back. Key lime pie, root beer cupcakes, and more!