Category Archives: Cakes, Frostings, Fillings

Gooey Butter Pear Cake

  By skurtz | 12/20/2011 - 2:15 pm | Cakes, Frostings, Fillings, Cooking, Recipes, What's For Dinner
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Gooey Butter Pear Cake

I am making this for my mom for her Christmas visit.

Ingredients

  1. 2 medium fresh pears, peeled, cored and diced
  2. 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  3. 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
  4. 1/2 cup milk, room temperature
  5. 1 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
  6. 3 tablespoon sugar
  7. 1 teaspoon salt
  8. 1 egg
  9. 2 cups all-purpose flour
  10. 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
    12. For the Topping
  12. 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
  13. 4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
  14. 1 cup granulated sugar
  15. 1/2 teaspoon salt
  16. 2 eggs
  17. 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  18. 1/4 cup corn syrup
  19. 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
    21. To Finish:
  21. powdered sugar
  22. toasted sliced almonds

Instructions

  1. Coat a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
    2. To Make the Cake:
  2. In a small bowl, toss the pears with the cinnamon and nutmeg, then set aside.
  3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the milk, yeast, sugar, salt, egg and flour. Mix on medium speed until a smooth dough forms. Add 2 tablespoons of the butter and mix until fully incorporated. Repeat with the remaining butter. This should take about 6 to 8 minutes.
  4. Scrape the dough into the prepared baking dish and, using greased hands, spread over the bottom of the pan. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled. I preheat my oven to about 120, then turn it off and let the dough rise in there for at least 45 minutes, but longer if it has not doubled yet.
  5. Heat the oven to 350˚F. Sprinkle pears over the top of the dough.
    6. To Make the Topping:
  6. In the bowl of the electric mixer, cream together the butter, cream cheese, sugar and salt. One at a time, add the eggs, beating until well mixed. Stir in the vanilla and corn syrup, then mix in the flour. Dollop this mixture over the pear-covered dough.
  7. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the center is slightly set but still jiggly. Allow to cool. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and toasted almonds to serve. Refrigerate any leftovers.

Sweet Potato Pancakes

  By skurtz | 12/10/2011 - 6:42 pm | Cakes, Frostings, Fillings, Recipes
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Sweet Potato Pancakes

After Thanksgiving, I made this with some leftover sweet potato casserole. Mmm.

Ingredients

  1. 1 lb sweet potatoes
  2. 1 1/2 cups flour
  3. 3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  4. A dash of salt
  5. Couple dashes ground nutmeg
  6. Couple dashes of cinnamon
  7. 1/2 cup egg beaters (or 2 eggs)
  8. 1 1/2 cups fat free milk
  9. 1 stick of light butter (1/4 cup)

Instructions

  1. Boil sweet potatoes for about 25 minutes. While potatoes are boiling follow steps 2 and 3.
  2. Mix flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon in a separate bowl.
  3. Melt butter in a small sauce pan over low-medium heat.
  4. Drain potatoes, peel off skins and mash them in a bowl (using a fork does the trick).
  5. Add egg beaters, milk and butter to the mashed sweet potatoes and mix.
  6. Blend sweet potato mixture into the flour mixture to form a batter.
  7. Preheat a sprayed pan over medium-high heat (a griddle or non stick pan works). Using a ladle or other large spoon, pour batter mixture into pan to silver dollar sized pancakes. Flip the pancakes as bubbles start to form in batter. After each batch, respray pan and repeat.

Apple Juice, Sauce and Butter

  By skurtz | 10/05/2011 - 8:59 pm | Appetizers, Snacks, Beverages, Cakes, Frostings, Fillings, Cooking, Recipes, Sauces, Marinades
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Apple Juice, Sauce & Butter

Ingredients

  1. 4 lbs Granny Smith apples
  2. 4 lbs Roma apples
  3. 4 cups water
  4. 1 Tbsp cinnamon
  5. 1/2 tsp cloves
  6. 1/4 tsp allspice
  7. 1/4 cup honey

Instructions

    Start with Apple Juice.
  1. Wash and slice apples. Place in pot with water. Heat water to boiling, reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.
  2. Strain apple solids though colander, retaining liquid.
  3. If you want clearer apple juice, filter liquid through cheese cloth or coffee filter.
    4. Then Apple Sauce
  4. Run the apple solids from above though a food mill. Season with cinnamon, as desired.
    5. Go all the way for Apple Butter
  5. After, pushing apples though food mill, put apple sauce into slow cooker along with spices and sweetener (sugar or splenda work as well as honey). Adjust amounts according to taste.
  6. Cook on low for 6-12 hours, until apple butter reaches desired consistency.
  7. Use hand-held immersion blender to smooth out apple butter.
    8. Can Can
  8. For even more fun, fill pint or half-pint canning jars within 1/4 of top with apple butter. Top with sealing canning lids and process in boiling water bath for 5 minutes.

Strawberry Fruit Butter

  By skurtz | 08/13/2011 - 9:35 pm | Appetizers, Snacks, Beverages, Cakes, Frostings, Fillings, Cooking, Recipes
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Strawberry Fruit Butter

Strawberries in a jar for a year.

Ingredients

  1. 2 1/2 pounds Strawberries sliced (about 8 cups)
  2. 1 1/2 cups water
  3. 3/4 cup sugar or Splenda
  4. 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon zest
  5. 6 ounce lemon juice (about 4 small lemons

Instructions

  1. Combine strawberries, water, sugar, lemon zest and lemon juice in sauce pan.
  2. Bring to boil and reduce heat to steady simmer.
  3. Simmer for about an hour or until mixture thickens. A spoonful on a plate should not run.
  4. Run mixture through a food processor or blender for extra smoothness if desired.
  5. Ladle fruit butter into canning jars to within a 1/2 inch of the rim.
  6. Cool and store in fridge for up to 3 weeks or process in a water bath to store at room temperature for up to a year.

Even Better Pancakes

  By skurtz | 07/31/2011 - 9:51 pm | Cakes, Frostings, Fillings, Cooking, Recipes
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After lots of practice and experiments, we learned that buttermilk is *it* when it comes to pancakes. This recipe has the added-bonus of being camping-friendly. Just pre-mix the dry ingredients and throw into a baggie and bring the wet stuff along in the cooler.

Ingredients

  1. 2 cups all-purpose flour
  2. 1 teaspoon baking powder
  3. 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  4. 1 teaspoon salt
  5. 2 teaspoons sugar
  6. 4 tablespoons butter melted
  7. 2 large eggs
  8. 2 cups buttermilk

Instructions

  1. Mix all the dry ingredients together. If not using right away, you can store in a zipper lock bag or a storage container with a lid. This mix will last around 3 months.
  2. Melt the butter and combine it with the eggs and buttermilk (regular milk will do in a pinch, but buttermilk is by far the best for this breakfast recipe).
  3. Whisk this mixture very well, and then add this to the Pancake mix from above. Whisk well if you don’t like lumpy pancakes. If you like the lumps, then whisk just well enough to form a lumpy batter (this is the way we like it).
  4. Pre-heat the pan or griddle. You will know the pan is ready when a couple of drops of water “skittle over the griddle.” Grease the pan or griddle lightly with butter.
  5. Spoon or pour the batter onto the hot pan or griddle. Add fruit, nuts, or chocolate chips if you want to. Do NOT try to flip them until bubbles are formed around the edges. When you see the bubbles, then flip them gently and cook for 2 more minutes or so

Lemon Blueberry Pound Cake

  By skurtz | 07/31/2011 - 9:40 pm | Cakes, Frostings, Fillings, Cooking, Recipes
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Lemon Blueberry Pound Cake

Another one from mom. She tried it first and it got rave reviews from my dad.

Ingredients

  1. 2 cups sugar
  2. 1/2 cup light butter
  3. 4 ounce reduced-fat cream cheese
  4. 3 large eggs
  5. 1 large egg white
  6. 3 cups all-purpose flour divided
  7. 2 cups blueberries fresh or frozen
  8. 1 teaspoon baking powder
  9. 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  10. 1/2 teaspoon salt
  11. 8 ounce lemon low-fat yogurt
  12. 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  13. 1/2 cup powdered sugar
  14. 4 teaspoons lemon juice

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350˚F.
  2. Beat first 3 ingredients at medium speed until well-blended (about 5 minutes).
  3. Add eggs and egg white, 1 at a time, until each is well-blended.
  4. Save 2Tbsp of flour and set it aside.
  5. Add remaining flour to batter with baking powder, baking soda and salt.
  6. Add yogurt and mix well.
  7. Mix 2Tbsp of reserved flour with blueberries until coated.
  8. Add blueberries and vanilla to batter, mix by hand to incorporate blueberries without mashing them.
  9. Bake in greased tube pan at 350˚F for 70 minutes.
  10. Cool for 10 minutes then remove from pan.
  11. In a small bowl, mix lemon juice and powdered sugar until syrupy; drizzle over cake.

Pancakes

  By skurtz | 06/28/2011 - 10:06 pm | Cakes, Frostings, Fillings, Cooking, Recipes
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Jason has added pancakes to his breakfast repertoire.

Ingredients

  1. 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  2. 3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  3. 1 teaspoon salt
  4. 1 tablespoon sugar
  5. 1 1/4 cups milk
  6. 1 large eggs
  7. 3 tablespoons butter melted

Instructions

  1. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Make a well in the center and pour in the milk, egg and melted butter; mix until smooth.
  2. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot.

Ginger Pear Muffins

  By skurtz | 03/26/2011 - 10:27 pm | Breads, Cakes, Frostings, Fillings, Cooking, Recipes
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Ginger Pear Muffins

Pear + Ginger + Muffin = HOORAY

Ingredients

  1. 1 large eggs
  2. 3/4 cup milk
  3. 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  4. 2 cups all-purpose flour
  5. 1/3 cup brown sugar
  6. 3 teaspoons baking powder
  7. 1 teaspoon salt
  8. 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
  9. 3 tablespoons crystallized ginger
  10. 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  11. 1 medium Anjou pear peeled, cored and chopped
    12. For the Topping:
  12. 1/4 cup brown sugar
  13. 1/4 cup walnuts chopped
  14. 1 teaspoon ground ginger or 1 Tbsp crystallized ginger

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400˚F. Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners or grease bottoms only of cups in muffin pans. In large bowl, whisk together egg, milk, and oil. Add remaining ingredients except pears and stir until well mixed. Stir in pears. Fill each muffin cup about 3/4 full with batter.
  2. In small bowl, combine topping ingredients. Carefully sprinkle about 2 teaspoons mixture evenly over top of each muffin.
  3. Bake at 400˚F for 18 to 20 minutes (15 minutes for mini muffins) or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 5 to 10 minutes and serve warm or allow to cool completely and store tightly covered.

Waffles

  By skurtz | 03/06/2011 - 5:59 pm | Cakes, Frostings, Fillings, Cooking, Recipes
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Waffles

Daddy's special Sunday morning treat.

Ingredients

  1. 2 large eggs
  2. 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  3. 1 3/4 cups milk
  4. 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  5. 1 tablespoon sugar
  6. 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  7. 2 cups all-purpose flour
  8. 4 teaspoons baking powder
  9. 1/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions

  1. Preheat waffle iron.
  2. In a bowl, beat the eggs with 1 Tbsp water and cinnamon.
  3. Add milk, vegetable oil, sugar and vanilla extract; mix well.
  4. Add flour, baking powder and salt mix on low setting until batter is smooth. Stop mixer, check batter for rising bubbles. If bubbles are rising, mixture is ready for waffle iron.
  5. Pour batter onto iron, cook for about 1 or until browned lightly.

Crumb Cake

  By skurtz | 01/21/2008 - 10:16 pm | Cakes, Frostings, Fillings, Recipes
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Crumb cake and coffee cake remind me of my Nana.

Ingredients

  1. 1 box butter cake mix
  2. 4 large eggs slightly beaten
  3. 2/3 cup canola oil
  4. 2/3 cup milk
  5. 2 sticks margarine
  6. 1 stick butter
  7. 4 cups all-purpose flour
  8. 2/3 cup brown sugar
  9. 2/3 cup sugar
  10. 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
  11. 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Instructions

  1. Mix cake mix, eggs, oil, and milk well. Beat until smooth.
  2. Pour into greased and floured 12” x 18” cookie sheet and bake at 350°F for about 20 minutes. Cool 3 – 4 minutes.
  3. In large bowl, pour melted butter and vanilla over combined remaining dry ingredients. Use fork or spoon to blend — Do not over-mix or it will make smaller crumbs.
  4. With spoon, cover entire top of cake with crumbs. Press into cake.
  5. Bake for 20 minutes longer. Cool slightly and sprinkle with powdered sugar.