Butter Pecan Cake with Maple Cream Cheese Icing

My mom and dad celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary this week. I couldn't have asked for two better people to be my parents. Something I remember from my childhood that my parents always enjoyed together was butter pecan ice cream. I made them this cake to help them celebrate their incredible achievement. 

Recipe is adapted from Phyllis Edwards, Taste of Home Magazine

Ingredients

• 1¼ cup butter, softened, divided 
• 2 cups chopped pecans
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 cup buttermilk
• Icing:
• 2 pkgs (8 oz each) cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
• 1 pkg (2 lbs) confectioners’ sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 to 3 Tb milk, as necessary
• extra chopped pecans for garnish, optional

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour three 9″ round cake pans.
2. In a medium heavy skillet, melt ¼ butter over medium heat. Add pecans; cook until toasted and fragrant, about 4 minutes. Spread across sheet of foil to cool.
3. In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Whisk to combine; set aside.
4. In a separate large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 3-4 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla.
5. Add flour mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with the flour (flour in 3 parts, milk in 2). Fold in toasted pecans.
6. Divide between cake pans and bake 25-30 minutes until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack before removing from pans. Cool completely.
7. For Icing: In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter, confectioners’ sugar, and vanilla. Beat in enough milk, as necessary, to achieve spreading consistency. Frost cake. Store in refrigerator.

Oatmeal Carmelitas

These are the best little cookies! I feel like everyone should have this recipe in their collection. This recipe is very simple, and more importantly very tasty. Perfect for when you need something quick and easy. And, in my opinion, since there is oatmeal in them it gives you a good excuse to eat dessert for breakfast. 


Click here for the recipe!     

Banana Spice Cake with Cinnamon Cream Glaze and Candied Walnuts

I always have one or two bananas in the bunch that don't get eaten in time before they turn brown. But I don't waste them, it gives me a good excuse to use them for baking. These bananas make the best banana flavored desserts. They just give an unbelievable sweet flavor to the recipe. So next time you have extra bananas you don't know what to do with, don't throw them away. Give this recipe a try!

Ingredients

Cake

3/4c. butter, room temperature

1 1/3 c. brown sugar

3 over ripe bananas

2c. flour

1 1/2 t. apple pie spice

3 eggs

1 T. vanilla extract

2 t. baking soda

1/4t. salt

1 1/2c. buttermilk

Cinnamon Cream Glaze

1 1/2c. powdered sugar

1/4c. whole milk

1/4t. cinnamon

1/8t. rum extract

1/4t. vanilla extract

Candied Walnuts

1t. canola oil

1t. honey

2T. sugar

1/2t. vanilla

1/8t. salt

3/4c. walnuts, roughly chopped

Directions:

for the cake

Preheat oven to 325˚F. Spray cake pan with non-stick cooking spray. In a small bowl, mash 3 over ripe bananas and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, add butter and brown sugar mix together with electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs on at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add in mashed bananas and vanilla extract. Sift flour, pie spice, baking soda and salt in separate bowl. Alternately add flour mixture and buttermilk to batter, about 1/3 at a time mixing well after each addition. Mix until all ingredients all well combined. Pour into prepared cake pan. Bake for 45 minutes or until done in the center. Let cool slightly before icing.

for the glaze:

In a small bowl combine powdered sugar, cinnamon, and both extracts. Mix well. Gradually add milk, until a thick pouring consistency is reached. Pour glaze onto cooled cake.

for the glazed walnuts:

In a small skillet over medium low heat combine oil, sugar, honey, vanilla and salt. Cook until mixture starts to bubble, add chopped nuts. Stirring constantly, cook until walnuts become caramelized. Remove from heat. Once cooled, sprinkle on to cake. 

This cake is best if eaten warm, fresh from the oven. It would be even more amazing with a scoop of butter pecan or vanilla ice cream. 

Chocolate Hazelnut Cupcakes with Hazelnut Truffle Filling and Swirled Vanilla and Nutella Buttercream Icing

Because sometimes you just need to indulge a little. 

Ingredients:

Cupcakes:

2c. flour

2/3c. unsweetened cocoa powder

1 1/2c. sugar

1 1/2 c. shortening

1/2 c. chocolate hazelnut spread (Nutella)

2 eggs

1t. salt

1 t. vanilla

1 1/4t. baking soda

1/4 t. baking powder

1c. hot water

24ct. Chocolate Hazelnut Truffles (Lindt) 

Nutella Buttercream Icing

1/4c. butter

1/4c. vegetable shortening

1 c. Nutella

4c. powdered sugar

1/4c, milk

Vanilla Buttercream Icing

3/4c. butter

3/4c. vegetable shortening

4c. powder sugar

1 t. double strength vanilla extract

1/4c. milk

Directions:

for the cupcakes:

Preheat oven to 350˚F. Place liners in two 12 cup muffin pans. In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking soda, salt and baking powder; set aside. In a small bowl, mix hot water and cocoa until dissolved; set aside. In a large bowl, beat shortening and nutella with electric mixer on medium speed 30 seconds. Gradually add sugar, about 1/4 cup at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping bowl occasionally. Beat 2 minutes longer. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. On low speed, alternately add flour mixture, about 1/3 of mixture at a time, and cocoa mixture about 1/2 at time, beating just until blended. Pour batter into cupcake liners, filling each cup 3/4 full. Bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick can be inserted and removed cleanly. Remove from oven. Carefully, make a deep criss-cross cut in the shape of an "X" on the top of each cupcake. Place one truffle in the space that was cut, pushing the truffle down into the cake until fully submerged. Let cupcakes continue to cool in baking pan for 20 minutes, then remove and cool completely on wire racks.
*cupcake recipe adapted from Betty Crocker's chocolate cupcakes*

for the nutella buttercream icing

Cream butter, shortening, and nutella together in a mixing bowl with electric mixer. Add in powdered sugar. Gradually mix in milk until light and fluffy.

for the vanilla buttercream icing

Cream together butter and shortening in a mixing bowl until fully combined. Add vanilla and powdered sugar, mix well. Pour in milk gradually, mix until light and fluffy.

To frost cupcakes:

Put nutella icing and vanilla icing in separate piping bags. Snip the ends of both bags. In a larger piping bag, fit a coupler and tip, then place nutella icing and vanilla icing inside large piping bag. Twist top of bag and gently apply pressure, frosting should come out in swirled pattern. Frost and garnish cupcakes as desired. Enjoy!