Italian Cream Cake

one of my absolute favorite cakes of all time!!

cake ingredients:

2 sticks butter, room temperature
room temperature
2 cups sugar
5 eggs, separated and at room temperature
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
2 cups shredded coconut
1 cup finely chopped walnuts
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

frosting ingredients:

2 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, at room temperature
2 sticks butter, softened at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 (16-ounce) boxes powdered sugar, sifted
3/4 cup finely chopped walnuts (for garnish)

preheat the oven to 325º F and grease and flour 3 (9-inch) cake pans.

in the bowl of an electric mixer cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. add the egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition. In a bowl, combine the flour, baking soda and salt together and stir with a wire whisk to break up any lumps...with the mixer on low, add the dry ingredients in batches alternately with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients.

in a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff, and gently fold into the prepared batter. add the coconut, walnuts and vanilla and fold into the batter. divide the batter among the 3 prepared cake pans and bake for about 25 minutes, or until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the middle of each cake. Allow the cakes to cool in the pans for about 10 minutes before turning them out onto a wire rack to finish cooling

in a large bowl combine the cream cheese, butter and vanilla and, using an electric mixer, beat until smooth and creamy. add the sifted powdered sugar and mix until thoroughly combined

when completely cool, assemble with the frosting between layers and on the sides and top. garnish with chopped nuts

banana cake with mocha cream cheese frosting

ingredients:

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1 cup white sugar

3/4 cup light brown sugar

2 eggs

4 ripe bananas, mashed

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking soda

1 pinch salt

2/3 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

mocha cream cheese frosting (recipe below)

directions:

1. preheat oven to 350º - grease two 8 inch pans, and dust with flour.

2. in a small bowl, whisk together flour, soda, and salt.

3. cream butter and sugars. beat in eggs, one at a time. mix in the bananas. add flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk to the creamed mixture. mix only to combine, and not too much. stir in the nuts. pour batter into the prepared pans.

4. bake for 30 minutes. remove from oven, and place on a damp tea towel to cool. transfer to a cake plate, and frost with chocolate frosting or cream cheese frosting.

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mocha cream cheese frosting

makes 6 cups (enough for 1 9-inch layer cake)

1 pound cream cheese, room temperature

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

2 sticks butter, room temperature

2 boxes confectioners’ sugar (1 pound each)

1/2 cup cocoa

1 T. instant coffee (or coffee liqueur) 

beat cream cheese and vanilla until light and creamy, about 2 minutes. gradually add until fully incorporated

with the mixer on low speed, gradually add the sugar, cocoa and coffee..beating until well combined. use immediately, or cover and refrigerate for later use...return to room temperature before using.

awesome chocolate chip cookies

ingredients:

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup oats
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar

2 large eggs
2 cups (12-ounce package) semi-sweet chocolate chips

directions:

PREHEAT oven to 375° F

COMBINE flour, oats, baking soda and salt in small bowl. beat butter  and both sugars in large mixer bowl until creamy. add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. gradually add flour mixture (until just incorporated). stir in chocolate chips. drop by rounded tablespoon onto baking sheets.

BAKE for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

olive oil meyer lemon cake

adapted from THIS recipe, by Ina Garten...I substituted meyer lemons* for the regular lemons in her recipe...also where she used whole milk yogurt, I used fat free greek style, which is considerably thicker (more like sour cream) with a fraction of the calories...

I had already committed to making the cake when I realized I had no vegetable oil!! :/ ...instead I wound up using olive oil..which in my opinion, if anything only adds to the awesomeness...

because you pour a simple syrup (made with lemon juice instead of water) over the warm cake and let it soak in..this cake is soooooooo moist..even if you accidentally over baked it a smidge I seriously doubt if anyone would ever notice!

if you like lemony dessert, I highly recommend you try this one...it's totally easy with a BIG lemon punch!

ingredients:

1 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup plain greek yogurt
1 1/3 cups sugar, divided
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
1/2 cup olive oil
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

for the glaze:

combine 1 cup confectioners' sugar with 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice...set aside

directions:

preheat oven to 350º

grease an 8 1/2 by 4 1/4 by 2 1/2-inch loaf pan

sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt into a bowl
in another bowl, whisk together the yogurt, 1 cup sugar, the eggs and lemon zest
slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients...then, with a rubber spatula, fold the oil into the batter, making sure it's all incorporated.
pour into the prepared pan and bake for about 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean

meanwhile, heat the 1/3 cup lemon juice and remaining 1/3 cup sugar in a small pan until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is clear...set aside

when the cake is done, allow it to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. while the cake is still warm, pour the lemon-sugar mixture over the top and let it soak in...let the cake cool

once cooled..remove cake to a wire rack (set over a sheet pan to catch the drips) and pour glaze over the top

note: the original recipe calls for vanilla..I didn't have any so I skipped it and having had it both ways..I really don't think it makes a difference

* meyer lemons are said to be a cross between a regular lemon and a mandarin orange..their skin is so thin they can be used whole (like a kumquat) which means NO waste! they are sweeter and less acidic than regular lemons..so if you're substituting them in a regular lemon recipe..ya might wanna consider tweaking the sugar accordingly
they're more of a specialty item so you're not likely to find them in your regular supermarket...but if you're lucky enough to have access to them..grab 'em!

chocolate coconut bars

ingredients:

12 ounces graham crackers crumbs

1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 sticks butter, melted
1 cup chopped nuts such as pecans or walnuts

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips or chunks
1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
1 1/2 cups sweetened shredded coconut

directions:

preheat oven to 375 degrees and lightly grease a 15x10 inch pan

in a large bowl, stir together cookie crumbs, sugar, and butter until combined

evenly press onto bottom and up sides of prepared pan

bake, rotating halfway through, until firm, about 10 minutes

cool, about 20 minutes

sprinkle cooled crust evenly with nuts and chocolate. pour condensed milk over the top, spreading to cover completely (do not let it drip over the edges). sprinkle with coconut
bake until coconut is toasted, 10 to 15 minutes

cool completely and cut into equal-size bars

apple crisp

this is actually adapted from another recipe I have for strawberry rhubarb crisp (one of my favoritest yummies on the planet!) ...see notes below

ingredients:
1 cup white sugar (I use turbinado or 'sugar in the raw')
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour *
8-10 good sized apples
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup butter *
1 cup rolled oats

directions:

preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
In a large bowl, mix white sugar and cinnamon with the sliced apples and place into a 9x13 inch baking dish.

mix 1 1/2 cups flour, brown sugar, butter, oil and oats until crumbly. You may want to use a pastry blender for this. crumble on top of the apple mixture mixture
bake 45 minutes or until bubbly, crisp and lightly browned

notes: the 3 T of flour isn't necessary for apple crisp but if ya do it with strawberries & rhubarb it will be too watery in the end without it (if you DO do it with strawberries and rhubarb the recipe calls for 3 cups (sliced) of each...although I always use way more than that...it ain't rocket science..play around :)

as for the butter...I always do half butter and half olive oil...that way ya get the flavor of butter but it's not AS bad for you

and last...if I'm doing apple crisp..I sometimes add a cup or so of chopped walnuts or pecans to the crumble mixture...YUM!

peanut butter sammich cookies

ingredients:

1 cup butter

1 cup peanut butter

½ cup white sugar

½ cup packed brown sugar

2 eggs

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

3 cups confectioners' sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

5 tablespoons milk

directions: 

1. preheat oven to 375º

2. in a large mixing bowl, cream the shortening, 1 cup creamy peanut butter and white and brown sugars. add vanilla and then eggs, one at a time. beat well after each addition. In a small bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. add slowly to creamed mixture.

3. shape into 1 inch balls and place onto cookie sheet, 2 inches apart. flatten balls with a fork.

4. bake for 7-8 minutes depending on size (until they're getting golden) cool on wire racks.

5. to make the filling: combine 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter, confectioners' sugar, vanilla extract, and milk in a small bowl adding enough milk to make for a creamy, frosting like texture. spread frosting on one cookie and top off to make "sandwich".

note: ya might need a little extra milk to get the filling to the right consistency

yield: 5 dozen

whole grain corn bread

I've had this recipe forever...I wish I could remember who gave it to me so I could give credit where credit is due =)

ingredients:

3/4 cup whole wheat flour (sometimes I use spelt flour instead)
3/4 cup yellow cornmeal
3 T. fresh grated parmesan cheese
2 tsp. baking powder
1½ tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. salt
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3/4 cup plus 2 T. skim milk
2 T. olive oil
2 T. honey
1 large egg, lightly beaten
3/4 C. whole kernel corn - the recipe calls for frozen but I used canned (DRAINED)
1/3 C. minced red onion or shallot

directions:

1. pre-heat oven to 425º

2. measure first 6 ingredients (through salt) into a bowl - add next 6 (wet) ingredients and mix until just moist - it's ok if it's a bit lumpy

3. spoon into greased muffin pan or 9" cake pan and bake about 15 minutes or until lightly browned - they are done when toothpick comes out clean
remove from pan immediately