Tag: powdered sugar

Red Velvet Cake

It’s easy for me to plan meat and sides for my family during the holidays or just a family dinner. I know what they like. Even though everything I prepare will not please everyone at the table, I know I have enough of what each individual wants so they do not leave my table hungry!  

However, I like to have a dessert or two when it comes to a holiday meal. This is not the case in other family meals. Anytime my family is together, it’s a special time. Holiday meals need to be a little extra special, though.  

I always need help with this. Since I do not plan to have an array of desserts, I have to choose something spectacular enough for the occasion, but it has to please everyone.   

Layer cakes are a leap for me. If I bake a cake, it’s typically a pound cake. Not because I do not like them. Layer cakes intimidate me! I can follow all directions, and my layer cakes always look like the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Until this cake!  

Red velvet cakes are one of the only desserts everyone likes. Here’s a funny fact: Wes called it a Roosevelt cake when he was small. Because it’s a one-and-done dessert, I will definitely serve this during the holiday season. And since I found this recipe in an old church cookbook a few years ago, it is my go-to for layer cakes.   

With my dad being a pastor for years, I have a few old church cookbooks that I love. The pages have browned over the years and have splash stains here and there, but I know they are recipes I can trust. The old cooks who penned those recipes were the best! 

Here are a few tips from this not-so-experienced layer cake baker: 

  1. Baker’s Joy works well for greasing and flouring the pan. 
  2. Make sure your layers are even. Rather than pouring, I use a large scoop and scoop my batter into the pans.
  3. Cut off rounded tops to make your stacking easier!   
  4. Take your time and cool the cake layers completely!   

So whether you are like me and have “layer-cake anxiety,” or you are a layer-cake pro. You will love this dessert. It’s beautiful and delicious, and it checks off all the boxes for my family’s holiday meals!  

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Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Course Dessert
Author Amye Melton

Ingredients

  • Cake
  • 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
  • 2 sticks unsalted butter softened
  • 2 large eggs room temperature
  • 2 ounces red food coloring
  • 2 1/4 cups sifted cake flour
  • 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 1 teaspoon white vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • Cream Cheese Frosting
  • 1 stick unsalted butter softened
  • 8 ounces cream cheese softened
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 pound powdered sugar
  • 1-2 tablespoons milk
  • 1 cup chopped pecans

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Grease and flour two 8-inch cake pans, set aside.
  • In a medium bowl combine flour, cocoa powder, salt and baking soda, set aside.
  • In another bowl combine buttermilk, vinegar, and vanilla extract, set aside.
  • Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
  • Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
  • Adjust mixer speed to low and carefully add the red food coloring.
  • Add dry and wet ingredients alternately, beginning and ending with dry ingredients, stopping to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl a time of two. Mix until combined, but do not overmix.
  • Pour the batter into the prepared cake pans.
  • Bake at 350℉ for 35 to 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
  • Cool in pan, on a cooling rack for 10 - 15 minutes. Turn out on cooling rack and allow to cool completely.
  • While the cake is cooling prepare the frosting. Combine butter and cream cheese in a mixing bowl. Add vanilla and powdered sugar, beating until combined. Add enough milk to reach spreading consistency. Stir in pecans.
  • Place one cake layer on serving plate. Spread frosting over the top of cake.
  • Place second layer on top of first. Frost top and sides of cake.
  • Store in refrigerator.

Chocolate Chip Cheeseball

Chocolate Chip Cheeseball

It seems that everyone has focused on the bad things that happened in 2020. I could start listing the bad, but I choose to focus on the good. Yes, it has been different and stressful. I decide not to be a glass half empty type of person, though. As we go into 2021, I find myself thankful for much in 2020, and it is my wish that you can do that also.

Party appetizers are a must for New Year’s Eve! From finger foods and delicious dips to Charcuterie boards. A table full of appetizers is sure to get your celebration off to a great start.

Here’s is a fun cheeseball that everyone loves. This chocolate chip cheeseball is a sweet surprise served with graham crackers. It is somewhat sticky, and I find it easier to roll this into a ball if I do it in a bowl. Pour some of your chopped pecans or chips into the bottom of the bowl. Place the cheeseball mixture on top, and then use the bowl to help guide you into making it into a ball. Pour additional pecans or chips on top. Now, you should be able to dump the ball onto waxed paper and finish covering it with nuts or chips.

Chocolate Chip Cheeseball
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Chocolate Chip Cheeseball

Course Appetizer
Author Amye Melton

Ingredients

  • 2 (8-ounces) cream cheese softened
  • 1/2 cup butter softened
  • 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 3/4 cup powdered sugar
  • 3/4 cup mini chocolate chips
  • 1/2 cup toffee bits optional
  • 3/4 cup finely chopped pecans or additional mini chocolate chips
  • Graham Crackers for serving

Instructions

  • Beat cream cheese and butter until creamy. Add vanilla and sugars and mix well.
  • Stir in 3/4 cup mini chocolate chips and toffee bit (if using). Mix well.
  • Cover and place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
  • Remove mixture from refrigerator and roll into a ball. Mixture will be very sticky. Cover ball completely with pecans or mini chocolate chips. Place on serving dish. Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour. Serve with graham crackers.

 

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

My mother recently stayed with me for over a month due to the coronavirus. Initially, I was a bit concerned because we have not lived together for quite a while. Bringing someone into your home for an extended visit can be stressful, even if it is your mother. However, my time with mama went great.

During her visit, she often said that she would never be able to repay me for what I was doing for her. What she does not realize is that anything I have done for her, ever, will never repay all she has ever done for me! She made many sacrifices over the years to give me the best of everything. So for that mama, the debt is mine to pay.

Mother’s Day may be a little different this year. We will not be waiting in lines at restaurants to treat mom to that special meal. Our families will most likely not be gathering at her house. Shopping for her may even be different. In some circumstances, you may not be able to see or talk to your mother. Although Covid-19 may have changed things, it can’t stop us from celebrating the mothers in our lives.

For those of you living with or near mom, here’s a super easy and delicious cake that even the kids can make. Depending on their age, they may need a little help from dad.

This Chocolate Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting is the perfect way to show mom how much you love her.

If you want to decorate your cake as I did here are a few suggestions.  It was a little tricky until I got the hang of it.  I did have the advantage of taking  a picture of the good side. I filled a piping bag, with no tip, with the cream cheese frosting and snipped off the end. My suggestions are to start on the outside of the cake working toward the center. I found that if I kept the piping bag away from the cake a bit and just “draped” the icing in place that it worked best. If you have extra frosting, pipe it into the center.

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Chocolate Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Course Dessert
Author Amye Melton

Ingredients

  • 1 (15.25-ounce) package Devil's food cake mix
  • 1 (3.9-ounce) box chocolate instant pudding mix
  • 3/4 cup sour cream
  • 1/4 cup mayonnaise
  • 3 large eggs room temperature
  • 1/2 cup cold water
  • 1/2 cup canola oil
  • 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350℉.
  • Spray a 10-inch bundt cake pan well with Baker's Joy, set aside.
  • In a bowl, add the cake mix, pudding mix, sour cream, mayonnaise, eggs, water and oil. Mix using a mixer or whisk until the mixture comes together and there is no dry mix left in the bowl.
  • Add the chocolate chips and fold into the batter using a spatula.
  • Pour batter into the prepared pan. Tap the pan on the counter a few times.
  • Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until a wooden skewer comes out clean.
  • Cool in pan, on baking rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and cool completely before icing the cake.
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Cream Cheese Frosting

Course Dessert
Author Amye Melton

Ingredients

  • 8 ounces cream cheese softened
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter softened
  • 2 cups powdered sugar sifted
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

  • Beat the cream cheese and butter with an electric mixer until combined, but do not overbeat.
  • Add the vanilla extract and powdered sugar and beat until smooth.
  • To ice the bundt cake, fill a piping bag with no tip. Pipe from the outside of the cake working your way up and over the top and toward the center.

Chocolate Covered Cherries

My favorite time of year is in full swing, and so is my calendar! I do not recall a season as busy as this one has shaped up to be in years. I love it, though. All of the hustle and bustle helps only to spur me on.

Christmas candy has always been a part of the holidays for me. It’s more than the sweet, deliciousness; it’s the memories it stirs. Making it alone has me reminiscing of being in the kitchen with my mother. I am blessed to have my mama still, but she does not do all of the cooking that she once did.

Last year I made keto chocolate-covered cherries, which were a great treat and kept me on plan. However, this year, although I am keto, I plan to make my mama’s recipe for chocolate-covered cherries. Honestly, I look forward to these cherries more than any Christmas meal!

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Chocolate Covered Cherries

Course Candy
Author Amye Melton

Ingredients

  • 26 ounces maraschino cherries approximately
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
  • 3 tablespoons light corn syrup
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
  • 1 tablespoon Crisco shortening

Instructions

  • Drain cherries, pat dry with paper towels. Set aside.
  • Combine butter, syrup, and salt. Blend in powdered sugar. Knead until smooth.
  • Shape 1/2-1 teaspoon of the mixture around each cherry. Place on a wax paper covered cookie sheet. Chill.
  • In a heatproof medium bowl, combine the chocolate chips and shortening. Place the bowl over a small saucepan with and inch or two of water, over low heat. Stir occasionally, until the chocolate is completely melted. Keep the bowl over the water, do not boil.
  • Remove cherries from refrigerator and dip each cherry in chocolate. Place the cherries back on the cookie sheet. Pleace the chocolate-covered cherries back into the refrigerator for about 2 hours.
  • Once they are set you can transfer them to an airtight container with wax paper between each layer. Will keep in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.
  • Remove from refrigerator about 15 minutes before serving.

Key Lime Cupcakes

Cupcakes are one of my favorite desserts to make for a crowd. There’s no mess with cutting to serve, and they are always the perfect size. We love key lime desserts around our house, and I think they are perfect for any summer gathering. If you like key lime pie, I think you’ll like these cupcakes. They are perfect for the White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting.

 

For a potluck dinner, where there will be several desserts, I think mini cupcakes work well. With a slight adjustment on the baking time, you can make standard-sized cupcakes also.

Key lime cupcakes are best made a few days before serving and stored in the refrigerator. Remove from the refrigerator 30 – 45 minutes before serving. They are good slightly cool, but not so cold that the icing is like cold butter.

Key Lime Cupcakes
 
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Ingredients
  • Cupcakes:
  • 1 (18.25-oz.) box lemon cake mix with pudding
  • 1 box (4-serving size) lime-flavored gelatin
  • ¾ c. ginger ale
  • ⅓ c. Key lime juice
  • ⅓ c. vegetable oil
  • 3 eggs, room temperature
  • 2 or 3 drops of green food color, if desired
  • White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting:
  • 12-oz. cream cheese, room temperature
  • 1½ sticks butter, room temperature
  • 9-oz. white chocolate
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 2-lb. powdered sugar
Instructions
  1. For cupcakes: Heat oven to 350℉ (325℉ for dark or nonstick pans). Place paper baking cups in each muffin cup. In a large bowl, beat cake mix, gelatin, ginger ale, key lime juice, oil, and eggs on low speed for 30 seconds, then on medium speed for 2 minutes. Add green food color, if desired, and mix until well blended. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups, filling each about two-thirds full. Bake 15-18 minutes for standard sized cupcakes or 10-12 minutes for mini cupcakes. Remove from oven, cool 5 minutes in pan. Remove from pan and place on wire rack to cool completely. Frost with completely cooled.
  2. For Frosting: Microwave chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl, stirring every 30 seconds, until melted. Do not overheat!! If it is almost melted with just a few solid pieces you can stir continuously for the pieces to melt. Beat cream cheese and butter with an electric mixer for 2 minutes, until fluffy and completely blended. Slowly beat in melted chocolate and vanilla extract. Slowly add powdered sugar and beat until light and fluffy. If frosting is too thick you can use heavy whipping cream, adding 1 tbsp. at a time, to reach spreading consistency. Spread or pipe onto cupcakes.