*Disclaimer: I fully understand if you'd like to skip my blabbering, but don't miss the last paragraph about a new baking group Sweet Melissa Sundays by Lorelei of Mermaid Sweets!
I apologize for my absence. You see, my dad and his wife Kim came to visit me this past weekend, and while our visits always involve multiple meals (and great times), they often leave little time for kitchen ventures. Thus, this past Saturday, I found myself in the kitchen a-whisking and a-folding at what some would deem an ungodly hour. I planned out a wonderfully caramel-y cake with a caramel butter cream frosting (and of course, some cinnamon chocolate ganache…for good measure). Being the anal retentive gal I am, I took quite some time “getting organized.” Okay, so now that you have a picture of a harried baker scurrying around the kitchen, while attempting to maintain some semblance of order, fast forward to nine that morning when I needed to skedaddle to the train station to retrieve my visitors. Only problem? My three cake layers were due for a good cake-testing in about three minutes.
Who took care of this task? Toddy, of course! Like a nervous mother hen, I clucked at Todd. This is how you stick a toothpick into the cake. This is what the tooth pick should look like. Batter is bad. Crumbs are great! Don’t forget to rotate the cakes if some are browning more than others. Add five minute baking increments if the cakes aren’t done when you look at them. Blah, blah, blah. I sounded like an overbearing nag, truth be told. However, I am delighted to say that Toddy tested those cakes, removed them at the perfect moment, and they turned out quite deliciously!
This cake is delightful! The cake is rich yet not overly so. The chocolate ganache adds a wonderful hint of thickness and density—not to mention a rich flavor. And the caramel butter cream is just finger-licking good. I do wish my butter cream had been a bit sturdier, but hey, next time, right? Overall, I’d love to share a slice of this cake with you. In fact, come on! Everyone to Berkeley now!
Okay, as excited as I am about sharing this cake with you, I’m even more excited to announce that the FABULOUS Lorelei of Mermaid Sweets has started a baking group: Sweet Melissa Sundays. Every Sunday, we will be posting about a recipe from the wonderfully charming baking book The Sweet Melissa Baking Book. In fact, if you head over to the group’s site, you can even enter to win a free copy! The first bake together will occur on April 5. You simply must join this group. Lorelei is amazing. If you haven’t checked out her blog, well, you must (no ifs, ands, or buts about it)! And, if you’re on the fence about joining the group, well, hop down off of that fence and come join us!! It's going to be so much fun!
Now onto the recipes!
Golden “Caramel” Cake
Adapted from Birthday Cakes
2 ½ cups AP flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar
4 eggs, separated
1 cup buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla
Method:
(1) Preheat oven to 350. Butter and flour three 9-inch cake pans.
(2) In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix well. Set aside.
(3) In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy (about 5 minutes). Beat in the egg yolks, one at a time. Alternate the dry ingredients and the milk, making sure to start and end with the dry ingredients.
(4) Beat the egg whites until stiff with glossy peaks. Gently fold the whites into the batter. Stir in vanilla.
(5) Divide batter between three pans. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Salted Caramel (for Caramel Butter Cream)
Taken from Baked
½ cup heavy cream
1 tsp fleur de sel
1 cup sugar
2 TBS light corn syrup
¼ cup sour cream
(1) Combine cream and fleur de sel in small saucepot. Stir over low heat until the salt dissolves. Set aside.
(2) Combine ¼ cup water, sugar, and corn syrup together in medium saucepot, taking care not to splash sides of pan. Cook over high heat until thermometer reads 350 degrees F (about 6-8 minutes). Remove from heat and let mixture cool for 1 minute.
(3) Add cream to sugar mixture. Whisk in sour cream. Let caramel cool to room temperature, then transfer to airtight container and refrigerate until cool.
Caramel Butter Cream
Taken from Cupcakes
3 large egg whites, at room temperature
¾ cup sugar
Pinch salt
1 cup unsalted butter, cut into 16 pieces, at room temperature
Caramel from above recipe
(1) In large, heatproof bowl, combine egg whites and sugar. Set bowl over simmering water in a saucepan and heat the mixture, whisking constantly, until the sugar has completely dissolved and the mixture is very warm to the touch (about 160 degrees F). This should take about 2 minutes.
(2) Remove bowl from saucepan. Using an electric mixer on high speed, beat egg white mixture until fluffy and cooled to room temperature and holding stiff peaks, about 6 minutes.
(3) With mixer on medium-low, add salt and butter, a few pieces at a time, beating well after each addition. If frosting separates, continue t beet on high speed until smooth and creamy (about 3-5 minutes). Add the caramel and beat until combined.
Chocolate Cinnamon Ganache
½ tsp cinnamon
½ cup heavy cream
1 cup chocolate chips
(1) Add cinnamon and cream to saucepan. Heat over medium heat until bubbles start to form around the edge of the pan. Remove from heat.
(2) Add chocolate chips and allow mixture to sit for 1 minute. Stir chocolate chips until completely melted. Allow mixture to cool to room temperature.
(3) When cool, whip the ganache with an electric mixer until fluffy.
Assemble the cake:
(1) Flatten your cake layers as needed. Top first layer with ½ of ganache mixture. Top this with a thin layer of butter cream.
(2) Place second layer atop the first. Top with remaining ganache. Add another thin layer of butter cream. Place third layer atop the second.
(3) Place cake in freezer or refrigerator for at least 10 minutes. Frost the cake with the remaining butter cream frosting. Freeze/refrigerate as necessary to ensure a smooth finish.
(4) ENJOY!
(5) GO JOIN LORELEI’s GROUP!
If you haven’t checked out Donna’s 
Okay, now let’s talk about this lucky bread! I’ve adapted the KA recipe a bit, so we’re now using macerated strawberries. Macerating the berries not only brought out their fabulous sweetness, but also made them super tender. Tender berries make for a moist and delicious bread! Add some toasted walnuts tossed with a bit of butter while warm! Sounding good so far? I also threw in a bit of cinnamon because, you know me, I can’t resist the cinnamon. (Be warned: if you have a problem with spice, you might want to decrease the cinnamon to ¼ tsp and nix the nutmeg. This is a spicy bread, though it mellows after sitting for a day or two.) The original recipe also called for ½ cup vegetable oil, but I replaced this with ¼ cup heavy cream. I wanted the tender richness that cream imparts. I still got a delicate crumb despite the lack of oil. I also used a bit of lime zest rather than the lemon zest called for in the original. And, last, but not least, I added 1 cup of white chocolate chips. These did wonders for the bread—they essentially melt into the dough and make for a moist cake studded with hints of melty, white chocolate!
My brother Brandon is only two and half years younger than I (see, Mom, I said “than I”!), so when we were little, my mom bathed us together. Her large Jacuzzi could barely contain us, being the extremely enthusiastic swimmers we were. Once scrubbed clean of our constant coat of grime, Mom bundled us in neon towels. Mine were purple; Brandon’s were green. But play time didn’t stop there. Bran and I would drape our towels over our slim shoulders like shawls, hunch our backs, and pretend to be—oh, yes, get this—old. We clenched our fists around imaginary canes and hobbled toward each other. This exercise inevitably involved overly obvious dialogue. In a groaning, scraggly voice, I would recite to Bran, “I’m an old woooman,” and Bran would reply, “I’m an old maaaan.” Then, SNAP! BAM! BOOM! We would throw the towels across the room, assuming karate stances, while shouting, “Nuh uh!!! I’m a NINJA!!” Yes, that’s right, we only pretended to be old. We were ninjas in disguise. At this point, battle ensued. (That's us in the picture below!)
It’s easy. Go to your kitchen and make them now. The centers aren’t gooey and undercooked, but rather soft and melty. In fact, these cookies might be better than lava cake itself. I had to walk away from my kitchen because the cookies are like little Sirens chanting my name. Dangerous treats, these are. Okay, I’ve kept you long enough. Take this recipe and go make ‘em!
Lava Cookies
I spent a good chunk of my weekends baking sweets and then packaging them so they could make the long journey to California. Well, after one weekend of baking, I only had about two or three treats to send to Todd. With room still left in the box (mind you, I don’t like leftover space), I made a quick dash to the grocery store, bought some cookies from the bakery, and sneakily stuffed them into a Ziploc bag. (Yeah, yeah, I passed grocery store cookies off as my own. I tasted them before sending, though, to make sure they were worthy of the Ziploc-homemade-appearance effort.)
So, the package arrives. You’re still with me, right? Yes, the package arrives, and I get the call! Yay, he loved the goodies. What was his favorite? My homemade chocolate chip cookies, my fudgy brownies, my great peanut butter chocolate bars? No, of course not. His favorite was the store-bought orange cranberry cookies. Oy. 
This package started a trend. A trend where Todd asked me to make those awesome cranberry orange cookies that I had sent him, and I replied, as sincerely as possible, that I had lost the recipe for those cookies, darnit, and I just hoped that I would re-find it one day. You must understand that Todd is relentless. He has yet to forget about how good those cookies were: cakey but moist, full of orange citrus flavor, with the wonderful texture of dried cranberries. Because I grew tired of hearing about how wonderful those darn store-bought cookies were, I searched relentlessly for a comparable cranberry orange cookie.
Well, guys, I found it! Eureka! Thank you 
Of course, there is a plethora of blondies recipes out there on the web, but I thought I’d get some use out of those baking books sitting on my kitchen shelf. Out came the 
This blondies recipe was super-easy. You essentially whisk some dry ingredients together, and after that, everything comes together in a single saucepan. How easy is that? And the result? Amazing, I tell you. Of course, I had to dig into these blondies before my mom and sis arrived—just to make sure they weren’t horrible, mind you. The blondies form a delicate crust while baking, which adds the subtlest crunch when you bite into these heavenly treats. I added chocolate chips to mine, and because the batter comes together in a saucepan, the chocolate chips start to just melt into the batter before the bars get tossed into the oven for baking. The smell of these is quite divine, and they’re soft and chewy, almost gooey. Oh so good!
Growing up, I would spend Friday nights at Nana’s house. We’d watch Dallas (kooky, right?) and savor peach ice cream with rainbow sprinkles. Man, peach ice cream never tasted so good. I swear, it doesn’t taste the same when I eat it by myself. Nana was the one who always picked me and my siblings up from elementary school while our parents were at work. She would bring us snacks and whisk us away to the arcade for the afternoon. It was fabulous! (Except for the part where I got a lecture on not eating m potato chips like a “rabbit.” Yes, I always left a trail of crumbs in Nana’s car.) Nana taught me how to make fudge, how to whack a backhand in tennis, and how to stand up for myself. In fact, she’s taught me more lessons than I could begin to post about on this blog.
Alas, the one thing Nana and I never agreed about? Well, fruit! I like fruit okay, but Nana is an avid fruit eater. I’m sure she could consumer her weight in fruit. She loves it all: any berry, any melon, bananas, apples, oranges, you name it, she’ll eat it and she’ll like it. I was always more of a chocolate-sugar, none-of-that-natural-fruit-stuff girl. Well, times have changed, and I now LOVE fruit. I feel like I’m getting away with something when I bite into the sweet freshness of a strawberry. How can something so delicious be so healthy? One of life’s great mysteries.
One of the first fruits that Nana convinced me to eat was the blueberry. Not plain, mind you. She would mix blueberries and sour cream with a bit of sugar. And, man, it was delicious! What a great way to convince a stubborn, sometimes ornery child to eat her fruit. It worked; I was sold. I still am. Hence, this blueberry sour cream custard pie. It’s the jazzed up version of Nana’s go-to blueberry treat.
The custard remains soft and tangy, but not runny. The blueberries burst in your mouth. And the crunch of the chocolate shortbread crust adds a nice hint of extra naughtiness to this fruity delight. Not only is this dessert delicious (and reminiscent of warmer times…ahem, summer), but it brings back great memories. (Nana, if you’re reading this, (1) I’m always impressed with your internet skills, and (2) I love you (and I’m sorry about all those times I was “fresh” to you!)
Everyone needs a standard cake cookie recipe in his or her repertoire, and this is a great standard cake cookie. It’s a great jumping off point for experimentation, a great vehicle for creativity. You get my point. Sick of the metaphors yet?
These are quintessential cake cookies. They taste exactly like a nice buttery, white-ish cake in cookie form. They bake up puffy and nice and golden on the edges. They remain soft and delicate in the centers. Hands-down, they’re yummy just by themselves. But they deserve more than just a “yummy.” So many things are yummy these days. So, to do these Plain Janes justice, you need to…well, just get creative! They’d be great with tea or coffee. Dunk ‘em in and let that wonderful cake dissolve in your mouth. Or what about your favorite jam? Or with some chocolate sandwiched between two cookies! You could easily turn these cookies into Black and Whites. The possibilities are endless!
Before I share with you this super-easy recipe, one word of warning. These cookies bake up faster than you might expect. Be sure, very sure, not to overbake them. No one likes a dry cake, now, do they? Take this from someone who overbaked a batch or two yesterday, you don’t want dry. Dry is the enemy. So, make sure to check your cookies before you think you’re done. I know, I know, that’s the usual advice. But, the looks of these cake cookies can be quite deceiving, and I only wish I had taken that one batch out 2 minutes earlier!
Without further ado, let me introduce to you: Jane, the Belle of the Ball!
Luckily for me, Todd loves cheesecake. His love for cheesecake significantly lowers the risk of me consuming an entire springform pan’s worth of cheesecake and crust. (Significantly lowers, not entirely diminishes, mind you.) So, of course, Todd’s favorite flavor combination being mint and chocolate (okay, okay, so I don't mind them either), I had to incorporate those flavors into the cheesecake.
The resulting sweet treat has a mint chip and chocolate chip blondie crust, topped with a white chocolate cheesecake with both mint and chocolate swirls swimming throughout. It’s delicious! In fact, I’m pretty sure it’s ripening with age. I tasted a slice again one day ago, and I swear, it was more heavenly than the first slice the day before! If you’re a cheesecake fan, if you’re a mint or chocolate person, this creamy concoction is for you.
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