This might be the best dessert I've ever made. I don't usually make statements like that, but I also don't remember the last time I had something that was this amazing. It's shockingly good. So good, in fact, that my roommate and I finished off the entire thing in just over 24 hours. We were ashamed. I also was working from home the day after I made it, which meant I was sitting at home with it in the fridge just calling my name. You'd be surprised how many times I can justify eating dessert in a day. As I was copying over the recipe I just noticed it says it yields 12-16 servings. Good lord. Let's move on, shall we?

Here's what always gets me: it's the easiest recipes that are the best. I'm not sure I can even call this homemade because it's just an array of pre-made ingredients layered on top of each other. You don't have to be even a slightly good cook to make this. It's also one of those recipes that is guaranteed to make you friends. Unfortunately, Brooke (roommate) and I only shared a small bit with one other friend, so we didn't test this theory out, but I'm pretty certain of it. Again, I admit that we were ashamed.

The concept is simple. It's a layer of Oreos and butter, a layer of a peanut butter, cream cheese and cool whip blend, a layer of chopped Reese's Cups, a layer of a chocolate pudding, confectioner's sugar, milk and cool whip blend, and more crushed Oreos. I don't know what my favorite part was about this giant parfait of sorts. The chocolate pudding/cool whip complements the Oreos and the Reese's Cups complement the peanut butter/cool whip. It's honestly just heavenly. I've forbidden myself from making it again until I have a crowd because obviously I have zero will-power. Make this dessert. Now.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Yum
Recipe from Taste of Home
(Originally seen on Through A Country Mother's Eyes)

Ingredients

20 Oreo cookies, divided
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup peanut butter*
1-1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, divided
1 carton (16 ounces) frozen whipped topping, thawed, divided
20 miniature peanut butter cups, chopped
1 cup cold milk
1 package (3.9 ounces) instant chocolate fudge pudding mix
 
Directions
 
Crush 16 cookies; toss with the butter. Press into an ungreased 9-in. square dish; set aside.
In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, peanut butter and 1 cup confectioners' sugar until smooth. Fold in half of the whipped topping. Spread over crust. Sprinkle with peanut butter cups.
In another large bowl, beat the milk, pudding mix and remaining confectioners' sugar on low speed for 2 minutes Let stand for 2 minutes or until soft-set. Fold in remaining whipped topping.
Spread over peanut butter cups. Crush remaining cookies; sprinkle over the top. Cover and chill for at least 3 hours. Yield: 12-16 servings.


*Even though I love JIF, I prefer Peter Pan Creamy for this recipe because it's not as thick as JIF. This helps the Cool Whip layer be light and airy. Also, in case the ingredient list makes you feel like this recipe is diabetes just waiting to happen, I use reduced fat pb, 1/3 reduced fat cream cheese and reduced fat Cool Whip.

I always find it entertaining to hear what people did for their first jobs. Usually this occurs somewhere around 16, since parents generally want their kids to have jobs but don't want to play chauffeur to and from their places of work. I'm sure I've mentioned before that my first job was at Ben and Jerry's. It was a perfect job for me because a) I'm an ice cream fanatic b) I thought the tie dye was cool c) I genuinely enjoyed making sundaes and d) I never had any issues getting friends to come visit me at work. I ended up getting carpal tunnel at an unusually young age that still bothers me to this day from scooping, but all-in-all I loved working there. Who gets carpal tunnel at 16 from scooping ice cream? Only me. I feel like my life is made up of those sorts of odd stories.

One thing I really enjoyed was making ice cream cakes.  I'll go ahead and mention that ice cream cakes are much easier to make when you have a giant freezer that is significantly colder than a normal freezer, but it's not an impossible task even with a regular freezer..it just takes a bit more patience. I prefer to give myself a few days and just casually go through the steps at my leisure. Rushing this process will just leave you with a sloppy mess. I also strongly recommend buying ice cream that is a bit softer. The double churned fall in this category. For this cake I used one carton of Turkey Hill ice cream, and for some reason was cheap and wanted to save $1 so used Safeway brand for the second carton. The cake was easy to slice until I got down to the generic layer. When you're thinking about what falls in this category think of when you first scoop into a new thing of ice cream--if you have to let it sit out to even remotely get the spoon in there that's not going to work for the cake. See below for my tips of cutting into the cake. Enjoy!

Ice Cream Cake
2 Cartons Ice Cream of your choice
10 Oreos, crushed

Whipped Cream Topping
1 pint heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup Confectioner's Sugar
1 Teaspoon Vanilla

Spray two, 8-inch cake pans generously with nonstick cooking spray. Line the sides with strips of parchment paper about two inches wide. I usually cut these strips smaller so that when I curve them around the edge they don't bubble up at all. The key is to make it smooth so that the edges of the ice cream cake will be flat and smooth as well.

Let ice cream soften for roughly 30 minutes, or until soft enough to spread evenly into pan. When ready, spread ice cream into prepared pans (one flavor per pan), and smooth out the top. Give the pan a few soft taps on the counter to get rid of any air bubbles. Cover pans with nonstick wrap, pressing wrap against the ice cream. Freeze for at least 2 hours.

Prepare whipped cream by combining heavy whipping cream, confectioner's sugar and vanilla in a bowl and beating until soft peaks form. Set aside.

Remove first pan from the freezer. At this point I usually turn the cake pan upside down, keeping my hand underneath, and run warm water over the top of the pan. As you feel the cake start to give, gently twist the pan around the ice cream layer. Do not do this for too long, as this will just leave you with a melted mess. Invert ice cream layer onto cake plate. Put cake bake in the freezer for roughly 15 minutes. Pull out and top with whipped cream. Sprinkle crushed oreos over the whipped cream in an even layer. Add second layer of ice cream cake and put the entire cake back in the freezer for another 15 minutes. Remove and coat with whipped cream. You'll find that the cake melts quickly as soon as you remove it from the freezer, so if you want to make sure you have a clean, smooth coating of whipped cream you can add multiple coats and just throw the cake in the freezer for 10 minutes or so between coats.

To serve, warm a sharp knife or serrated cake server under hot water for five seconds. Dry with towel and immediately cut into cake. This will help the cake cut easily and will also make the layers look better! Store in freezer.

Enjoy!

As you can see, using two different brands of ice cream will leave you with two very different looking layers. Stick with one brand!

Carrot cake is one of those cakes that's full of potential, but somehow people always seem to mess with perfection. I mean, really, who decided that adding pineapples and raisins to carrot cake was necessary? No one sits around eating pineapples and carrots together. It makes no sense. I also personally only like the pecans on the outside of the cake, but that's not a deal breaker. Don't even get me started on people who use buttercream instead of cream cheese icing for carrot cake. Admittedly, all of these things are extremely trivial... Sometimes I surprise even myself with the amount of useless thought I put into food.

I'm sure you've all noticed that I'm a huge fan of Jaclyn over at Cooking Classy because her pictures are always beautiful and everything she posts is absolutely amazing. This cake is a perfect example because, well, this cake is perfect. It is hands down the best carrot cake I have ever made or tried. The only thing I changed is the amount of cream cheese icing (I did one and a half of the recipe). The recipe itself is flawless. I wanted to savor this cake for as long as possible, but it was so good I found myself cutting a piece every time I walked by the fridge. I have zero restraint. I hope you enjoy!

Best Ever Carrot Cake
Recipe from Cooking Classy

Serving Size: 12 Servings

Ingredients

4 eggs
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup applesauce
2 cups granulated sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
3 cups lightly packed finely grated carrots*
1 recipe Cream Cheese Frosting, recipe follows
2/3 cup chopped pecans



Cream Cheese Frosting*
12 ounces (1 1/2 8 ounce packages) cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup salted butter, softened
2 tsp vanilla extract
6 cups powdered sugar

*This is 1 1/2 times the original recipe. Scale it back if you like a bit less frosting.

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 9" round cake pans with aluminum foil, leaving an overhang on two side. Grease foil and dust with flour, set aside. (This cake can also be made in a 9x13 dish just increase baking time to 40 - 50 minutes until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, I have even halved the recipe and baked it in and 8x8 dish).
• In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. In a large mixing bowl, with an electric mixer, combine vegetable oil, applesauce, eggs, granulated sugar and vanilla. Slowly stir in dry ingredients and mix until well blended. Stir in grated carrots. Divide mixture evenly into 2 prepared cake pans. Bake cakes in preheat oven for 35-39 minutes until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to cool 5 minutes in cake dishes before removing to a wire rack to cool. Lift cakes out of pan with foil overhang and allow to cool on wire rack completely before frosting (once cool I cut about 1/4" off the tops to even them out before frosting, you'll notice the centers don't rise as high as the rest). Flip cakes upside down when frosting with Cream Cheese Frosting. Sprinkle with chopped pecans. Store cake in airtight container.
• *Grate carrots on small grate of a grater. This is usually 6-7 medium carrots.
Cream Cheese Frosting
• In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, whip together cream cheese, butter and vanilla until fluffy. Stir in powdered sugar and mix until well combine.

Recipe adapted from allrecipes.com

Whew - I am so sorry for the long break between my posts. March got a little crazy, and next thing you know the month is over. You'll notice that I did manage to get a much needed layout change in the past few weeks thanks to the lovely folks at Yellow&Savvy. I'm also going to step up my blog game a bit in the coming months (I say that now..) and make a Facebook page, start regularly posting, add in some other features and restaurant reviews, etc. I've been out of town half of the weekends in March, so that always takes away my weekends for picture taking. March is not a sign of what's to come, I promise you that!

Now to the recipe. I love Rice Krispie Treats, but I am super picky about my marshmallow to cereal ratio. I like my treats to be gooey when you pull them apart, not actually 'krispie' at all. There are a few keys to this, one of which is upping the amount of marshmallows in the recipe (shocking!). I also know a lot of people who use marshmallow fluff instead of marshmallows. I'm sure this helps as well. Unfortunately another issue is that Rice Krispie treats don't keep well. I'm not a big fan of desserts with only 1-2 days of shelf life, but if you make a dessert that is both cute and perfect for individual portions, you will have zero issue finding a way to use these all up in that time. These fit the bill.

I may have to make another batch this weekend because I saw another variation where the eggs were filled with candy (kind of like a Kinder Surprise... aka coolest candy ever). Can you have too much of a good thing? Not when it comes to these. Start to finish in under an hour. Enjoy!

Chocolate Dipped Easter Egg Rice Krispies
Recipe Adapted from Kellogg's

Ingredients

• 6 tablespoons butter or margarine
• 1 package miniature or regular marshmallows
• 6 cups Kellogg's Rice Krispies cereal
• Multi-colored sprinkles
• 16 oz white chocolate melting discs*
• Food coloring (if desired)

*I used the Wilton Candy Dip cup this time because it was 50% off at the store. SO easy! I bought two and used about one and a half.

In large saucepan melt butter over low heat. Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Remove from heat.

Add Rice Krispies cereal. Stir until well coated.

Using 1/4-cup measuring cup coated with cooking spray divide warm cereal mixture into portions. Using buttered hands shape each portion into 2 1/2- x 1 1/2-inch egg shapes. Or, coat insides of plastic snap-apart Easter eggs with cooking spray. Press cereal mixture into eggs. Remove cereal mixture from plastic eggs.* Cool.

Place chocolate discs in a microwave safe bowl and microwave at 50 percent for 60 seconds. Stir chocolate and then microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring in between, until melted. Add food coloring if desired.

Dip the bottoms of the chocolate eggs in the chocolate and add sprinkles immediately. Place standing up on parchment lined cookie sheet. Allow chocolate to harden and enjoy!
Best if served the same day. 

*I used plastic eggs as molds which was fast and much easier than shaping them. I sprayed the inside with butter spray and rubbed it around to make sure it was covering all surfaces. I also didn't measure the amount of mixture I put into them, I just crammed in whatever fit and popped the top on to seal the shape. The same thing goes about buttered hands for either of these methods. Yes, you may find rubbing butter on your hands slightly off-putting, but it's either this or gooey marshmallow and cereal hands.

 

I make cheesy bread fairly often. It's one of my many healthy habits. What to do with the pizza dough in the freezer and that bag of cheese you bought because it was on sale? Cheesy bread, obviously. It seems every pizza spot is now trying to outdo the others with their new and improved cheesy bread recipe these days. Truth is, you don't need much to make amazing cheesy bread. It's not rocket science. Extra cheese + extra garlic butter = better cheesy bread. However, I find the garlicy grease that covers your hands after eating said cheesy bread is enough to make you feel guilty for the next few days. I don't like feeling guilty after eating something I enjoy, so I make my own cheesy bread. Sure, I still load it up with cheese and butter, but at least I know how much I use.

I saw this method for making garlic butter on Sweet Anna's the other day, and I knew I needed to give it a try. I usually brush with melted butter and spread garlic over the top when I make cheesy bread. Garlic infused butter--yes please. I don't have a pizza stone (who knows why not considering how much pizza I make) and I wanted to use up some frozen dough, so I did this the easy way. You can change it up however you'd like with spices, different types of cheese, dipping sauces, etc. And if you prefer your cheesy bread thicker, just don't roll the dough out as much. This is a game-changer here, people. Enjoy!

Homemade Cheesy Bread

1 ball of pizza dough*

1 1/2 cups shredded cheese**

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1/2 teaspoon Cayenne or crushed red pepper

2 cloves garlic, smashed

3-4 tablespoons butter

*You can make your own or buy the premade version from your local grocery store's bakery. White or wheat both work fine.

**I usually use some sort of Italian blend 

Preheat oven to 500 degrees and remove the pizza dough from fridge ~30 minutes before you start. Combine smashed garlic cloves and butter in a microwave safe bowl and microwave for 30 seconds, or until melted. Leave garlic in butter for 20-30 minutes. Mix spices together in small bowl.

When ready, roll pizza dough out to your desired thickness. If you have a pizza stone, by all means use it, otherwise place rolled out dough onto pizza pan or other sheet pan that has been lightly brushed with olive oil. 

Remove garlic from butter, and brush butter over entire surface of dough. Make sure to cover the crust portion as well. Spread cheese across dough (again, don't leave the edges out!), and sprinkle spices over cheese.

Place in preheated oven for 8-10 minutes, or until cheese has slightly bubbled and some spots have browned, and dough has turned golden. Remove and slice however you'd like! I prefer cheese sticks because they're great for dipping. Serve immediately with marinara sauce or ranch...or both.

It's a dangerous thing to have an entire batch of cookies around the house when it's just you and one roommate. First you justify one right out of the oven, ignoring the fact that it's really too hot to enjoy. Then you decide you need to test one out when it's warm, since that's prime cookie eating time. Then you decide you might as well have one that's room temperature because all cookies taste at least decent right out of the oven and you need to test out whether you actually like them. Next thing you know you're at three cookies in a matter of hours. Such is life.

That's why sometimes you just need to make one, giant cookie. That and the fact that who doesn't love a giant, amazing double chocolate cookie. Heaven is full of these cookies (obviously there are multiple giant cookies in heaven...and none of them have calories). It's incredibly rich and the massive amount of chocolate chips mixed with the brownie-like batter makes the cookie super gooey. I might have to make one of these every weekend because I inevitably need a quick chocolate fix every weekend. Apparently you can make four smaller cookies with this recipe as well. Four mini cookies or one giant cookie...it's a win-win.

XXL Death by Chocolate Cookie

Recipe from Sally's Baking Addiction

Ingredients

• 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
• 2 Tablespoons light brown sugar (or dark brown)
• 2 Tablespoons beaten egg (crack an egg, beat it, and use 2 Tablespoons)
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips + 1 Tablespoon, divided
• sprinkles, optional

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mat. Set aside.
2. In a medium size bowl, mix the softened butter and sugars together with a spoon or fork until creamed. Mix in the egg and vanilla.
3. In a separate small bowl, mix the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix to combine. Fold in 1/4 cup chocolate chips.
4. Place the dough in the center of the baking sheet and mold into a tall ball using a spoon. Dot the top of the cookie with 1 Tablespoon of chocolate chips. Add sprinkles on top if desired. Bake for 14-15 minutes, or up to 16 minutes. The cookie will appear very soft, but will firm up as it cools. Allow to cool completely on baking sheet.

Cake pops have to be one of the most brilliant food creations of the 21st century. Cake pops, Chick-fil-a sauce and those milkshake machines they have at Sheetz and WaWa...all acts of pure genius. I make cake pops every once in awhile when I have an occasion. They're super easy, but I'd never make them just for fun because they take quite a bit of time (especially when you want to make them into shapes). For those that somehow still have not hopped on the cake pop train, here's the 'recipe' again. It's not as much of a recipe as it is steps for assembly.

I made this batch for my roommates birthday, but gave them a little Valentine's Day flair. The round ones were red velvet with cream cheese icing and the heart shaped ones are funfetti with rainbow chip icing (note that using anything other than those two types of icing with their cake counterparts is forbidden). The cake pop stand is one of my typical weird, impulsive Amazon purchases, but I LOVE it. I think it was well worth the money. It also packs up into a cute little bag. As you can see, I've already justified the purchase. I set it up at a party we had for her Saturday night, and we've been eating the leftovers with breakfast and dinner since then. Cake for breakfast. That's the way to go.

Cake Pops
Recipe from Bakerella

1 box cake mix (cook as directed on box for 13 X 9 cake)
1 can frosting (16 oz.)
1 package white chocolate bark
wax paper

1. After cake is cooked and cooled completely, crumble into large bowl.
2. Mix thoroughly with one can frosting. (It may be easier to use fingers to mix together, but be warned it will get messy.)
3. Roll mixture into quarter size balls and lay on cookie sheet. (Should make 45-50. You can get even more if you use a mini ice cream scooper, but I like to hand roll them.)
4. Chill for several hours. (You can speed this up by putting in the freezer.)
5. Melt chocolate in microwave per directions on package.
6. Roll balls in chocolate and lay on wax paper until firm. (Use a spoon to dip and roll in chocolate and then tap off extra.)
I also only melt a few pieces of chocolate bark at a time because it starts to cool and thicken. It’s easier to work with when it’s hot.

 

Something about anything Little Debbie or Hostess always makes me slightly nostalgic. I know most people complain about terrible school lunch food, but from middle school until I could go off campus for lunch in high school, I LOVED school lunches. It could be because this was all before they started making school lunches healthy. I remember getting a box of chicken strips with honey mustard, a cup of fries, a large lemonade and a triple stack of freshly baked cookies for $5 in high school. What a deal! Ah, to have that metabolism again. In middle school I was more of a plastic-wrapped dessert, fries and lemonade type of person. I'm sure my mom is cringing at the thought that I spent my lunch money on that for so many years.

I feel like everyone I know had a very specific style to eating Ho Hos. I personally was a Swiss Cake Roll kinda person, but I'm pretty sure Hostess' Ho Hos are the exact same thing. I'm also quite certain I've had both in my lifetime. Anyway, if you just chomped right into one of these, they'd be about four bites total. It'd be like the iced Christmas trees that you could eat 14 of because they're practically air and icing. So, you had to make it a process. 

My personal style was to break off the chocolate coating in sheets to enjoy that part first. Next, I unrolled one at a time and ate the chocolate and icing part wherever the cake would naturally break while unrolling. That's how you turn four bites of Ho Ho into a 10 minute activity. 

I saw this cake and immediately knew I needed to try it. Unfortunately I realized my favorite part about Ho Hos was never the taste, it was the art of eating them. When you make a 13x9 cake...it's still just a cake. No chocolate sheets. No careful unrolling. What a letdown. On the bright side, this cake tastes much better. It also cuts perfectly, so it's easy to share and serve (unless you want the whole 13x9 to yourself).  My only suggestion would be to make sure you use a flavorful chocolate cake for the base. You can use boxed cake mix, but make it a good one because the top and bottom layers hold the majority of the flavor. The middle is just a nice add-on to complement the others (still good, just a more subtle taste). Enjoy!

Ho Ho Cake
Recipe from Scrumptious and Sumptuous 

Ingredients

Cake
Use either a boxed chocolate cake mix (18.25 ounces) or Make a Chocolate Cake from Scratch (adapted from Hershey’s Chocolate Cake):

• 3/4 cup + 2 tbsp. (7.45 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp.Hershey’s cocoa powder
• 3/4 tsp. baking soda
• 3/4 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup boiling water
• 1/2 tsp. espresso powder (optional, but it helps deepen the chocolate flavor)

Cream Filling

• 1 1/4 cups whole milk
• 5 tbsp. unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup vegetable shortening

Icing

• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
• 3 ounces semisweet chocolate, melted and cooled slightly
• 2 tbsp. whole milk
• 2 tbsp. hot water
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions

1. To make cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour 9 x 13-inch brownie pan (mine is 9 x 13 x 1.5 inches). If using boxed cake mix, use a larger jellyroll pan, 10 x 15 inches. If you have the larger jellyroll pan and make the cake from scratch, use the full Hershey’s cake recipe, so check the original link to Hershey’s. I altered it to fit the smaller pan.
2. In a large bowl, sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
3. Add milk, oil, eggs, and vanilla; beat on medium speed with mixer for 2 minutes.
4. Stir in boiling water. Batter will be thin. Pour batter into prepared pans.
5. Bake 30-35 minutes or until wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool cake before adding other layers.
6. To make cream filling: Combine the milk and flour in a small saucepan; cook over low heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture thickens to the consistency of pudding, 5-8 minutes. Cool to room temperature.
7. Using an electric mixer on medium speed, cream together the sugar, butter, and shortening until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
8. Add the cooled flour/milk mixture; beat on high for 7 minutes.
9. Spread onto the cooled cake. Refrigerate until set. (I didn’t alter the ingredient measurements to fit the smaller 9 x 13 cake, so you’ll end up with some extra cream.)
10. To make icing: Melt chocolate using the double boiler method by placing a heatproof bowl over a pan filled with water that reaches just below the bowl and heat the water to a simmer, not a boil. Alternatively, melt in the microwave by heating in 15-30 second increments, stirring between each increment, until melted. Cool slightly.
11. In a large bowl, use electric mixer on medium-high speed to mix together powdered sugar, melted/cooled butter, melted/cooled chocolate, milk, hot water, and vanilla extract until smooth and creamy.
12. Spread icing over cream filling.
13. Serve either at room temperature or cold, from refrigerator.

Oh, coffee cake. Sweet, cinnamony, delicious, coffee cake. I try to avoid making it with any frequency because I honestly can't pull myself away (I still make it A LOT). There is just no time of day to completely rule it out. It's sweet enough to be dessert, but it also doubles as breakfast or a snack. Maybe this is just a personal problem. I have put a lot of things in this category.

I've tried a lot of coffee cake recipes over the years. I want something that will keep moisture for a few days and has very few bites without cinnamon crumble or filling...a little glaze never hurt either. This coffee cake as is already has plenty of cinnamon sugar topping, but I added a layer of cinnamon sugar to the middle as well. You may think that's a bit overboard, I personally do not. I have been called a diet-killer for reasons such as this. 

I have a few go-to coffee cakes, and this is now going to be one of them. It's easy to whip up, and it has everything you'd want in a coffee cake. I may even add some mini chocolate chips instead of the middle layer next time and try that out (...ok, I might add them and keep the middle layer as well). The point is, take it from a self-proclaimed coffee cake aficionado, this recipe is a keeper.

 

Cinnamon Roll Coffee Cake with Cream Cheese Glaze

Recipe slightly adapted from Love Veggies and Yoga

Yield: one 9-by-3-inch cake

Warm buttery cinnamon rolls, a moist and dense cake with a crumble topping, and cream cheese glaze are all favorites of mine, and I rolled all of them into this one easy-to-make cake. You don't actually need to make cinnamon rolls to make the cake. Rather, the finish cake just tastes like a cinnamon roll. Although there are three components - the cake, filling-topping, and the glaze - this is a very fast and straightforward cake to make and isn't fussy at all. In just one hour, including baking time, it's ready and in that one hour, your house will smell amazing while it bakes.

Ingredients:

For the Cake

1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened (half of one stick)

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup sour cream (Greek yogurt may be substituted)

2 large eggs

2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt, optional and to taste

For the Filling-Topping

1 cup and 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, extremely soft and almost melted

1 1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed

3 teaspoons cinnamon

For the Glaze

2 tablespoons cream cheese, softened (whipped or light are okay)

2 tablespoons cream or milk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup+ confectioners' sugar, sifted is ideal

Directions:

For the Cake - Preheat oven to 350F and prepare a 9-inch springform pan (at least 3 inches high; a 9-inch square baking pan may be substituted if it's at least 3 inches in height; don't use a 9-inch round cake pan because it's too shallow) by spraying well with floured cooking spray (I use Pam for Baking) or grease and flour the pan; set aside. 

To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine butter, granulated sugar, and cream together until pale, light, and fluffy, about 3 minutes on medium-high to high speed. Add the sour cream, eggs, oil, vanilla, cinnamon, and beat until smooth and incorporated, about 3 minutes on medium-high to high speed. Add the flour, baking soda, salt, and beat until just incorporated and batter is smooth, about 1 minute on medium speed. Spread 1/2 of the batter into prepared pan; set aside.

For the Filling-Topping - In a medium-microwave safe bowl, add the butter and heat on high power until it just begins to melt, about 1 minute. Add the brown sugar, cinnamon, and beat with a spoon or whisk until combined. Spread/sprinkle filling over the top of the first half of the cake batter. You don't need to make sure the filling covers every part of this layer--just make sure it's evenly distributed. Next, add the second half of the cake batter. Spread remaining filling in an even, smooth, flat layer, as if you're frosting a cake. Then, using a table knife, swirl back and forth to marble the filling into the cake batter, going over the cake and going up and back a few times. Place pan on a baking sheet (as insurance in case your springform pan doesn't have a perfect seal) and bake for about 45 to 50 minutes, or until topping has set and a toothpick inserted into the center of cake comes out clean. Note that in the final minutes of baking, topping may have a tendency to burn near the edges as the butter browns and the brown sugar caramelizes; watch cake closely. Allow cake to cool in pan and rest on baking sheet for at least 30 minutes before glazing it, or before removing it from the pan and serving. 

For the Glaze - In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese, cream, vanilla and whisk until combined and smooth. Slowly add the confectioners' sugar, whisking to incorporate and until smooth. Based on desired glaze consistency, playing with the sugar and cream ratios may be necessary. Evenly drizzle the glaze over cake and serve. Note - If you prefer to refrigerate cream-cheese based glaze, you may wish to only glaze individual pieces of cake immediately prior to serving them and store the glaze in small container in the refrigerator, as opposed to refrigerating the entire glazed cake, which will cause it to dry out. Or, you can glaze the cake and store it at room temperature anyway, as everyone has different food storage comfort levels. Cake will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

For two months this summer I lived 20 feet away from a Trader Joe's. Sometimes I'd go multiple times in a day. I went and got free samples almost every day (is that even allowed?). I became addicted to their dark chocolate espresso beans. I have been both the first and the last person in the store. Let's just say it was an obsession. Another of my favorite things about Trader Joe's was their 19 cent bananas. 19 cents!? Bananas have to be the most affordable fruit out there. I'd go and stock up and bake banana bread galore. 

Well, now I don't live next to a Trader Joe's, and even though bananas are only 75 cents, I haven't purchased them since the summer. Maybe I've just been mourning the loss of a convenient grocery store. Thankfully I've come to my senses. So, I'm starting back my banana craze with these great banana muffins with cream cheese frosting. Bananas and cream cheese...it's perfection. 

Banana Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Recipe from Blissfully Delicious 

Ingredients
2-2/3 cups All Purpose Flour
1 1/4 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp salt
1-1/2 sticks butter
1 cup light brown sugar
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 cup buttermilk (milk or coconut milk can be used here as well)
1 cup shredded coconut (I skipped them since I didn’t have any in hand)

Directions
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F. Whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, beat butter with a kitchen mixer using paddle attachment. Add sugar and beat for a few minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time while continue to beat at low speed and vanilla. The mixture will be silky smooth – add banana and lower speed.

Mix in the flour and buttermilk alternately, beginning and ending with the flour.

Fill into cupcake pans (fill up about 2/3-full, you should get approximately 18 cupcakes), bake them for about 18-minutes or until a tooth pick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Alternatively, you can also bake these as layered cakes, pour into 2 9-inch pans, and bake for 45 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes in pan before inverting on wire rack to cool.

The cupcakes can be stored in room temperature for up to 2 days, or they will become dense and unappealing!

Yield: ~18 cupcakes

Cream Cheese Frosting

8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Make frosting: Beat cream cheese and butter with 1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar. Continue to beat while adding remaining sugar 1/4 cup at a time. Add vanilla, and beat until fluffy, about 5 minutes.