Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

This week was my boyfriend's 29th birthday and a red velvet cake was perfect for celebrating!  The sour cream and pudding addition to the cake mix helps lock in the moisture, while the pudding also makes the cake a bit sturdier. 

Cake:
Ingredients:
2 9" cake pans
1 package (18.25 ounces) plain German chocolate cake mix
1 package (3.4 ounces) vanilla instant pudding mix
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 bottle (1 ounce) red food coloring
3 large eggs

Place the cake mix, pudding mix, sour cream, water, oil, food coloring, and eggs in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat 2 minutes more, scraping down the sides again if needed. The batter should look thick and well combined. Pour half of the batter into each cake pan. Place the pans in the oven.

Bake the cakes until they spring back when lightly pressed with your finger, 18 to 20 minutes. Remove the pans from the oven and place them on wire racks to cool for 5 minutes. Run a dinner knife around the edges of the cake pans, remove, and place on wire rack to cool. Place them on a wire rack to cool for 15 minutes before frosting.

Frosting:
Ingredients:
4 ounces butter softened
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a large bowl, beat together the butter and cream cheese with an electric mixer. With the mixer on low speed, add the powdered sugar a cup at a time until smooth and creamy. Beat in the vanilla frosting.  Frost the top of one of the cakes, add the second layer to the top.  Frost all sides of the cake and decorate as you wish.

Apple Cider Cupcakes with a Caramel Frosting

These were a hit at the Thanksgiving table!  The cake is more like a pound cake and could be made as either a cake or cupcakes.  The caramel frosting was amazing!

Cupcakes:

Ingredients:
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 2/3 cup flour
1 cup pasturized apple cider
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350. Line 12 cupcake wells.  In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Sift together flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Add 1/3 of the flour mixture to the butter/sugar mixture, then 1/2 of the cider, and repeat, ending with the last of the flour and mixing only until incorporated. Pour into prepared cupcake pan, filling each cup 3/4 way full. Bake 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the center cupcake comes out clean.
Cool thoroughly, then frost.

Frosting:
Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons milk
3 cups sifted confectioners' sugar 

Melt butter in a saucepan, stir in the brown sugar and the salt. Bring to a boil and boil for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and add the milk, stirring all the while.  Return to heat and bring to a boil again. Remove from heat and allow to cool until lukewarm (approximately 20 to 25 minutes). Stir in the confectioners' sugar and beat until smooth and cool enough to spread. You might need to add a few drops of milk if frosting gets too stiff.

Cookie Dough Cupcakes

Cookies and cake...what could be better?

It's important the cookie dough is frozen before using it.  Otherwise, you'll end up with a hard cookie in the middle of the cupcake!

Ingredients
Cupcakes

24 paper liners for cupcake pans

1 package (18.25 ounces) plain yellow cake mix

1 package (3.4 ounces) vanilla instant pudding mix

1 cup whole milk

1 cup vegetable oil

4 large eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 package (1 pound) frozen cookie dough

Chocolate Buttercream

8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, at room temperature

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

3 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted

3 to 5 tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 24 cupcake cups with paper liners. Set the pans aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the cake mix, pudding mix, milk, oil, eggs, and vanilla  at at low speed for 30 seconds. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat 2 minutes more, scraping down the sides of the bowl if needed. The batter should look well blended. Once the batter is blended, fill each cupcake liner 2/3 of the way full.

Cut the frozen dough pieces in half to make 24 pieces. Place a frozen cookie dough piece on top of each cupcake. Place the pans in the oven.  Bake the cupcakes until they are golden and spring back when lightly pressed with your finger, 23 to 27 minutes. Remove the pans from the oven and place them on wire racks to cool for five minutes.  Place the cupcakes on a wire rack to cool for 15 minutes before frosting. They may sink a bit in the center.

While the cupcakes cook, prepare the Chocolate Buttercream.

Place the butter and cocoa powder in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed until the mixture is soft and well combined, 30 seconds.

Stop the machine and add the confectioners' sugar, three tablespoons of the milk, and the vanilla. Blend with the mixer on low speed until the sugar is incorporated, one minute. Increase the speed to medium and beat until light and fluffy, one minute more. Add one to two tablespoons more milk if the frosting is too stiff.

Frost the cupcakes and enjoy!

Lemon and White Chocolate Cake

This weekend was my boyfriend's mom's birthday, so he and I decided to make her a cake to celebrate!  The cake of choice was a Lemon White Chocolate cake, from The Cake Mix Doctor.  It's a great mix of a little lemon and a little white chocolate (and smells great!).

Cake

• Solid vegetable shortening for greasing the pans
• Flour for dusting the pans
• 6 ounces white chocolate, coarsely chopped
• 1 package (18.25 ounces) plain white cake mix
• 2/3 cup water
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 3 large eggs
• 2 large egg whites
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• Lemony White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting (see below)
• 1/2 cup store-bought lemon curd (half of a 10-ounce jar)

Lemony White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

• 6 ounces white chocolate, coarsely chopped
• 1 package (8 ounces)cream cheese, at room temperature
• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter, at room temperature
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• 3 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted

1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Generously grease two 9-inch round cake pans with solid vegetable shortening, then dust with flour. Shake out the excess flour. Set the pans aside.
2. Melt the white chocolate in a small glass bowl in the microwave oven on high power for 1 minute. Remove the bowl from the oven and stir with a small rubber spatula until it is smooth.
3. Place the cake mix, water, oil, whole eggs, egg whites, lemon juice, and lemon zest in a large mixing bowl. Pour in the slightly cooled white chocolate. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for 1 minute. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat 2 minutes more, scraping down the sides again if needed. The batter should look well combined. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans, smoothing it out with the rubber spatula. Place the pans in the oven side by side.
4. Bake the cakes until they are golden brown and spring back when lightly pressed with your finger, 28 to 32 minutes. Remove the pans from the oven and place them on wire racks to cool for 10 minutes. Run a dinner knife around the edge of each layer and invert each onto a rack, then invert again onto another rack so that the cakes are right side up. Allow to cool completely, 30 minutes more.
5. Meanwhile, prepare the Lemony White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting (recipe follows).
6. Place one cake layer, right side up, on a serving platter. Spread the top with the lemon curd. Place the second layer, right side up, on top of the first layer and frost the top and sides of the cake with frosting.

Lemony White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

1. Place the white chocolate in a small glass bowl in the microwave oven on high power for 1 minute. Remove the bowl from the oven and stir with a wooden spoon or a rubber spatula until it is smooth. Set the chocolate aside to cool.
2. Place the cream cheese and butter in a large mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed until well combined, 30 seconds. Stop the machine. Add the lemon juice, lemon zest, and melted white chocolate, and blend on low speed until just combined, 30 seconds. Add the confectioners' sugar and blend on low speed until the sugar is incorporated, 30 seconds. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat until the frosting is fluffy, 1 minute or more.
3. Use to frost the top and sides of the cake of your choice.

Cheesecake Brownies

Last week's mid-week dessert was cheesecake brownies - super simple to make!  These didn't last long!

Ingredients:
1 box brownie mix
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 bar of cream cheese, softened
1 tbsp vanilla
1 egg

Directions:
Prepare the brownie mix according to the directions on the box.  Pour the brownie batter in a 9"x9" pan.  Set aside.  In a mixer, combine the cream cheese, sugar, vanilla and egg and mix until well combined.  Next, pour the cream cheese mixture on top of the brownie batter.  Using a knife, swirl the two mixtures together.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.