Classic Yellow Cake With Chocolate Frosting

CLASSIC YELLOW BIRTHDAY CAKE WITH CHOCOLATE FROSTING

YIELD: 8 servings | PREP TIME: 30 minutes | COOK TIME: 25 minutes | COOLING TIME: 1 hour & 10 minutes | TOTAL TIME: 2 hours & 5 minutes

Ingredients:

CAKE

2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour 
1 ½ cup granulated sugar

3 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
½ cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1 ¼ cups milk, or half-and-half
3 eggs 
1 tablespoon vanilla extract 
1/8 cup vegetable oil 

FROSTING 

2 sticks butter, softened
½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
2 ½ cups confectioners' sugar 
¼ cup heavy cream

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 3 8-inch cake pans, then cut out a circles of wax paper to place on the bottom of each pan. Grease the wax paper as well. Set aside

Begin by making the cake. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. 

In a medium bowl, whip the butter with an electric mixer for 1 minute. Add the flour mixture in parts and mix until a flour and butter form very, very fine crumbles, about 1 minute. Add the milk, eggs, vanilla, and vegetable oil. Mix until well combined, about 1 minute. 

Pour batter into each cake pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. 

Remove cakes from the oven and allow cakes to cool for 10 minutes in the pan, and then flip onto a wire and allow cakes to cool completely, about 1 hour. 

While the cakes cool, make the frosting. In a medium bowl, whip the butter for 2 minutes. Add the vanilla and cocoa powder and mix until combined. Add the cream and confectioners' sugar in parts, alternating between the two. Whip the frosting for 2 minutes. You may need to add more confectioners' sugar or cream depending on the texture of the frosting. 

Cut the domes of the cakes. Assembled the cake and frost however you like. 

Store cake in refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Chocolate & Kahlua Crinkle Cookies

CHOCOLATE & KAHLUA CRINKLE COOKIES

YIELD: 18 cookies | PREP TIME: 10 minutes | COOK TIME: 14 minutes | COOLING TIME: 10 minutes | TOTAL TIME: 34 minutes

Ingredients:

COOKIES

1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour 
½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1½ teaspoons baking powder
¼  teaspoon salt
½ cup (1 stick) butter
1 ¼ cups granulated sugar
2 eggs 
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
6 tablespoons Kahlua 
½ cup confectioners' sugar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. 

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. 

In a medium bowl, cream the butter and sugar with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the eggs and extracts and mix again. Add the Kahlua and mix until well combined. 

Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix using a spatula until dough comes together. The dough should be sticky.

Use a cookie dough scoop to scoop tablespoon-sized balls of dough, then roll each ball into the powder sugar. Place each ball onto the baking sheet. Bake cookies for 12-14 minutes. 

Remove cookies from the oven and allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring cookies to a wire rack to finish cooling. 

Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. 

Recipe adapted from Lito Supply Co.

Holiday Pumpkin Pie

HOLIDAY PUMPKIN PIE

YIELD: 2 pies | PREP TIME: 15 minutes | COOK TIME: 55 minutes | COOLING TIME: 3 hours | TOTAL TIME: 4 hours & 10 minutes

Ingredients:

PIE CRUST 

I use this recipe from Sally's Baking Addiction. Recipe makes 2 pie crusts. If you want to make leaf cut-outs for the edges like I did above, then make 2 recipes of pie crust. Or you can use store-bought pie dough and buy enough dough for 4 pies. 

FILLING

3 eggs
1 15-oz can pumpkin puree

1 ¼ cups dark brown sugar
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1 tablespoon cornstarch 
½ teaspoon salt 
1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice (a combination of equal parts cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, & cloves: or buy here) 
1 cup heavy cream
¼ cup half-and-half, or milk

EGG WASH

1 egg
1 tablespoon milk 

Directions:

Prepare the pie filling. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk the pumpkin, eggs, brown sugar, and vanilla extract until smooth. Add the corn starch, salt, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, cream, and half-and half. Whisk vigorously until filling is very smooth. Filling should resemble a thinner cake batter. 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. 

Note: This pie filling recipe makes enough filling for 2 pies. These instructions are adapted to one pie, so repeat instructions for the second pie. 

Place one disk of rolled pie dough, either store-bought or homemade, into a 9-inch pie dish (I use this pie dish). Tuck the overhang and crimp the edges with your fingers. Make the egg wash and brush the edges with the egg wash. Pre-bake the pie crust for 10 minutes. 

Pour the pie filling into the pre-baked pie crust, but be sure to only fill about 3/4 of the way up since the filling expands in the oven while baking. Bake the pie for about 55 minutes until pie is set and filling does not wobble when you move it. After the pie has baked for 25 minutes, cover the crust edges with aluminum foil to avoid the crusts from browning. 

While the pie is baking, cut out leafs from one disk of rolled pie dough. Place leaf cut-outs onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush leafs with egg wash and bake until slightly golden, but not brown. Keep a close eye, as this only takes about 5-10 minutes. 

Once the pie is done baking, transfer pie to a wire rack and allow the pie to cool completely, about 3 hours. Once the pie has cooled, take your leaf cut-outs and line the edges.

Refrigerate for up to three days in advance of serving, or serve right away. 

Recipe adapted from Sally's Baking Addiction.

Soft Italian Amarettti Cookies

SOFT ITALIAN AMARETTI COOKIES

YIELD: 3 dozen | PREP TIME: 10 minutes | COOK TIME: 12 minutes | COOLING TIME: 20 minutes | TOTAL TIME: 42 minutes

Ingredients:

COOKIES

3 eggs

4 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons almond extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
¾ cups granulated sugar
4 cups all-purpose flour

¾ cup butter, melted
½ cup milk

ALMOND GLAZE

2 cups confectioners' sugar
3-4 tablespoons half and half, or milk
1 teaspoon almond extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Layer a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine the eggs, baking powder, extracts, and sugar and mix. Add the flour, one cup at a time, and parts of the melted butter and milk with each addition of flour. Mix until the dough comes together. The dough should be slightly stickier than regular cookie dough. 

Roll tablespoon-sized balls of dough, or if dough is too sticky, use a cookie dough scoop. Smooth the balls of dough as best as possible to get round cookies. Place balls of dough onto the prepared baking sheet and bake for 12-14 minutes. 


Prepare the glaze by combining all of the ingredients in a small bowl and mix with a spoon until glaze is very smooth with no clumps. 

Allow cookies to cool completely, then dip the tops of the cookies in the glaze and set onto a raised wire rack so the glaze can drip and coat the cookies. Sprinkle cookies with rainbow sprinkles. 

Recipe adapted from The Apron Archives. 

Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week. 

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

I've struggled finding the perfect chocolate chip cookies recipe for so long. Some recipes I try are too dry and taste like flour. Others are too hard. I personally like my chocolate chip cookies super chewy on the inside and slightly, but not too, crunchy around the edges.

And this recipe, right here, is it.

 CHEWY CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

YIELD: 2 dozen | PREP TIME: 15 minutes | CHILLING TIME: 1 hour | COOK TIME: 10 minutes | COOLING TIME: 5 minutes| TOTAL TIME: 90 minutes

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ cup butter, melted

¼ cup granulated sugar

¾ cups brown sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups chocolate chips

Directions:

Combine the flour, salt, and baking soda in a small bowl. Set aside.

Combine the butter and sugars and mix by hand. Beat in the egg and vanilla. Add the flour mixture and chocolate chips and mix until the dough comes together.

Chill cookies dough for at least 1 hour, or up to 48 hours.

Preheat oven to 350°F and prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper. Roll tablespoon-sized drops of dough into balls and slightly flatten and then place them on your baking sheet. Bake one dozen at a time for 8-10 minutes then transfer cookies to a wire rack and cool for five minutes.

Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week, or freeze.