Rich & Ruffled Chocolate Celebration Cake Happy Thursday! I’ve been eager to talk chocolate cake with you, ever since my post on Classic Vanilla Butter Cake. If you read that post, you might recall that I mentioned my husband and I often debate which cake is a bigger crowd-pleaser: chocolate or vanilla. It also goes on so beautifully, unlike sugary frostings, and therefore gives you some beautiful and simple options when using it to decorate a cake. Speaking of girly, Reese was home while I was getting ready to make the chocolate cake, and when I called up to her room, and asked her if she wanted to help, down she came with her full ballerina-princess costume on. First thing she did (her own idea) was start cutting parchment circles for her baking pans–this is so my child! When I look at this photo, besides relishing in how adorable she is, I can’t help but wonder if Grant would appreciate my baking adventures just a wee bit more if I wore this outfit each time I baked. Such focus! Okay, back to cake. Chocolate cake, anyone?
makes » how to make butter Homemade butter is easy, relatively quick to make and amazingly delicious. If it cost less than buying butter at the grocery store, it would be too good to be true, which is why this is not the case. All things considered, though, I still think it’s well worth it. This stuff is precious, so I think the best use of it is not in baking, but rather, on top of freshly baked, still warm, bread, muffins or crumpets. Are you ready for this? We begin with cream. Next, get a container with a tight-fitting screw-on lid that will not spurt cream all over your kitchen when you shake it vigorously. Begin shaking the container up and down in a rhythmic pattern. The next 3 minutes will feel like you’re shaking a brick. All of a sudden, within just a few shakes, the jar will begin going “shuk shuk shuk” and you’ll be able to feel the butter separating from the buttermilk. After that, let the faucet water get as cold as it gets, then fill the jar to just under the top of the butter. And that’s it!
Oreo Cheesecake Cookies If you know me, you know that I absolutely, positively love cheesecake. Cheesecake anything. Cheesecake everything. Truth be told, I was pretty darn tempted to totally ditch the actual cookies and just eat the cookie dough straight up out of the bowl. If you love cheesecake and/or Oreos, you will totally adore these cookies! One year ago: Irish Soda Bread SconesThree years ago: Golden Brioche Loaf Yield: About 1 dozen cookiesPrep Time: 20 minutesCook Time: 12 to 15 minutesTotal Time: 35 minutes Ingredients:½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature 3 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature 1 cup granulated sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 cup all-purpose flour ½ cup mini chocolate chips 1 cup Oreo cookie crumbsDirections:1.
Campfire Delight: 6-Layer Rich Chocolate Malted & Toasted-Marshmallow Cake There’s something about layer cakes that always brings me great comfort–from both making them and eating them. To me, layer cakes are baked bliss, truly. Don’t get me wrong, cupcakes are wonderful; cupcakes are sweet; cupcakes are darling (and perky), but they just aren’t layer cakes. Perhaps part of the glory of layer cakes is the intrigue of what’s beneath all of that swirled frosting, or the wonder of what fills the stacked layers under a perfectly composed exterior. Truth is, we never can tell, but as far as I’m concerned, I’m always ready to find out. So, please, brace yourself: this cake is possibly the most delicious cake I’ve ever made. 6 layers of dark, moist chocolate cake sandwiching alternating rich and fluffy frosting: satiny Belgian chocolate malted frosting and creamy toasted-marshmallow vanilla frosting with bits of actual crispy marshmallow in every bite. Here’s a little peek at the marshmallows after being lightly toasted in the oven. Yum. Ingredients Instructions Notes
Banana and Chocolate Mascarpone Crepes | Evil Shenanigans - Baking & Cooking Blog The combination of chocolate and banana is highly underrated. Aside from some frozen bananas dipped in chocolate, and chocolate chip banana bread, the combination is largely overlooked. Well, break out your bananas because we are going to make something that will make chocolate lovers rejoice. The crepes are chocolate but they do not have any sugar in them. If you love chocolate and bananas then you need to make this recipe. Banana and Chocolate Mascarpone Crepes Yield 12 crepes For the crepes: 2 tablespoons Dutch-processed cocoa powder 1/2 teaspoon vanilla 2 eggs 3 ounces all-purpose flour 1 ounce unsalted butter, melted and cooled 1 tablespoon coffee liquor 3/4 cup Milk, 1% or higher For the filling: 6 ounces mascarpone cheese 1/3 cup powdered sugar 1/2 cup heavy cream 3 tablespoons Dutch-processed cocoa powder 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 tablespoon coffee liquor Pinch of salt 3-4 large bananas, sliced into 1/8″ disks Additional powdered sugar for dusting Chill the batter for 30 minutes.
Frozen Butterbeer for the Deathly Hallows Premiere ? Cook Like a Champion There’s something you might not know about me. I’m a huge fan of the Harry Potter books and movies. I wasn’t always, but once I watched one movie, I was hooked. I was devastated when I found out Eric and I were moving away from Orlando before Wizarding World of Harry Potter opened at Universal’s Islands of Adventure. Luckily, we were able to fly back over the summer and use our season passes one last time. Even though it was incredibly hot and crowded, it was totally worth it to be able to experience a small part of the Harry Potter world. Butterbeer, for those who don’t know, is a favorite drink of young witches and wizards. Looking for more Harry Potter recipes to celebrate the premiere of Deathly Hallows this week? Frozen Butterbeer for the Deathly Hallows Premiere Ingredients For the butterbeer: 1½ cups cream soda 6 tablespoons butterscotch schnapps 2 cups ice For the foamy topping: 6 tablespoons heavy cream 1 tablespoon butterscotch schnapps Directions Source Cook Like a Champion original
Zebra Cheesecake recipe @Not Quite Nigella You know the story - girl meets recipe and falls in love after seeing recipe across the crowded internet. The recipe looks a bit different from what she is used to so girl is instantly intrigued. After the first tempting glimpse, girl can't get recipe out of her mind. Tuty's lovely blog Scent of Spice was the blog that first introduced me to this amazing Zebra cake. The original recipe was for a regular buttercake which I had all of the ingredients for but I wanted to make it as a cheesecake. For those of you unfamiliar with Japanese cheesecakes, they're nothing like regular baked or unbaked cheesecakes. I made the batter according to the instructions and clutched my hands together anxiously in front of the oven. Girl slices cheesecake, breathes a sigh of relief and thanks the gods of culinary fate that she has at last found her true love and that it hasn't let her down. The End. ]( Serves 12 5.
Blueberry Oatmeal Crumble Bars Blueberry Oatmeal Crumble bars with crumbly oats, plump and juicy blueberries and a hint of lemon make these crumble bars the perfect snack or dessert. These bars are super easy to make, taste delicious and wonderful for those upcoming summer cookouts, picnics, or pot lucks. They have the picture perfect balance of fruity, tangy and crumbly. You might have noticed that these oatmeal crumble bars are similar to the Blueberry Crumble Bars that I shared with you in January, except with these the crust and crumble have crunchy oats. These crumble bars are best straight out of the refrigerator and even better topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream! Blueberry Oatmeal Crumble Bars Printer Friendly Version For the Filling:3 cups fresh or frozen blueberries1 tablespoon lemon juice1 teaspoon lemon zest1/2 cup sugar2 tablespoon cornstarch For the Crumble and Crust: Directions: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Yields: 20 bars Source: adapted from Baking Bites, originally adapted from Land O Lakes
Chewy No-Bake Nutter Butter Bars I usually don’t post a new recipe on Saturday, but had to share this variation of the chewy cookie bars! You know I wasn’t stopping with just Oreos right? Lol! Same exact recipe, just used a package of Nutter Butters instead of Oreos and…..yah they were equally delish! Also, before you go, I did a little face lift around here at Picky Palate. I get to upload bigger photos and I love my updated header! Here’s your 3 ingredient check list Peanut buttery delicious! Place cookies into food processor until ground. Here you have it Pour your cookies into puffed up marhsmallows that have been cooked in the microwave with the butter. Give a good mix. Mmmmm. Let set up for 10-15 minutes (for a short cut put in the freezer for 5 minutes) Cut into bars and serve! Chewy No-Bake Nutter Butter Bars One 1 pound package of Nutter Butters 5 cups Large Marshmallows 4 tablespoons butter 1. Makes 9-16 bars Other recipes you may enjoy...
Couture Cake Class with The Caketress Happy November (almost)! Since discovering the gorgeous work of Lori Hutchinson (The Caketress), I’ve been fascinated with the concept of “couture cakes,” which means using couture gowns as inspiration for cake design. When I saw that she was teaching a course on Haute Couture Cakes at Bonnie Gordon School in Toronto, where I have taken all of my previous cake courses, I signed up right away. Although there are, and have been, other cake designers who incorporate couture-type details into their cakes, it seems that The Caketress has become synonymous with this type of design, and I’m sure no one would argue that she owns this style. Lori, The Caketress, and she was so inspiring and helpful. On Saturday morning we pretty much dove right into learning and watching Lori demonstrate some of her favourite techniques (above), including several types of pleating, ruffling, draping, and more. This is Kate, and she came in from London, Ontario for the class. And…voila! This is Sujin.