coco Cola Cake

I receive emails from Bake or Break she is a wonderful baker. When this recipe came in I thought coke in a cake...interesting idea. Well, I have to say everyone that tried it loved it. It will be a cake I will be making again. The recipe comes from a cookbook called Classic Southern Desserts. This cookbook I feel is a must have in your collection there are so many great recipes in it.

Coca-Cola Cake

Ingredients:

1 cup Coca-Cola

1/2 cup buttermilk

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 & 3/4 cups granulated sugar

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 & 1/2 cups miniature marshmallows

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°. Spray a 9″x 13″ baking pan with cooking spray.

Combine Coca-Cola and buttermilk. Set aside.

Whisk together flour, cocoa, and baking soda. Set aside.

Using an electric mixer on low speed, beat butter until creamy. Gradually add sugar and beat until blended. Add eggs and vanilla, and beat until blended.

Add flour mixture to butter mixture, alternating with Coca-Cola mixture. Begin and end with flour mixture. Beat at low speed just until blended after each addition. Stir in marshmallows.

Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes before frosting.

Frosting

Ingredients:

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1/3 cup Coca-Cola

3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa

16 ounces confectioners sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

3/4 cup chopped pecans, toasted

Directions:

Place butter, Coca-Cola, and cocoa in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring until butter is melted.

Remove from heat. Whisk in sugar and vanilla.

Immediately pour frosting over warm cake. (Do not make frosting ahead!) Sprinkle with pecans.

Peanut Butter Macadamia Nut White Chocolate Cookies

I went for groceries and saw the macadamia nuts and decided I wanted to make a cookie with them. In looking for a recipe ... thinking peanut butter would be good and white chocolate.
On Peter Pans page this recipe was the one I chose. These cookies are so good...I will make them again. I may even add oatmeal ground up next time.

Peanut Butter Macadamia Nut White Chocolate Cookies

Ingredients

2 1/4 cups unbleached flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups creamy peanut butter
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 pkg. white chocolate chips (I used peanut butter and white chocolate swirl)
1 1/3 cups coarsely chopped macadamia nuts

Directions

Preheat oven 350°.
Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in small bowl, set aside.
Beat peanut butter, butter, sugar and brown sugar until creamy.
Add eggs one at a time, beating until well blended after each addition.
Add vanilla.
Gradually add flour mixture, beating on low speed after each addition.
Stir in chips and nuts.
Drop dough by rounded tbsp. full onto ungreased cookie sheet.
1 1/2" apart.
Bake 15 minutes or until lightly browned.
Cool 5 minutes on cookie sheet, then transfer to a wire rack and cool completely.

Golden Apple Snack Cake

Well, it has been a long time between posting. Life seems to get in the way of everything you want to do and I really have not been baking anything either. Over the next few weeks I have made a few things that have been really good that I want to share with you.

This recipe came from Bunny's Warm Oven. It looked and sounded so good I had to try it.

Golden Apple Snack Cake

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 cup unbleached flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 1/2 cups chopped apples, tart
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Directions

In a mixer bowl cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Add egg
Combine flour, baking soda and cinnamon;
Gradually beat into creamed mixture.
Fold in pecans and apples.

Pour into 9" square baking pan.
Bake 350° for 32 to 38 minutes
Or until toothpick comes out clean.
Cool on a wire rack.
Serve with whipped cream or ice cream
9 Servings.

Photo's I have Taken

Over the past couple of weeks I really haven't done any baking or cooking so I thought I would post some of the photos that I have taken. Hope you enjoy them. They were taken at a friends friends yard. They have a wonderful piece of property, lake across the road and a river beside them. All kinds of flowers trees just an amazing place to spend the day.

Yellow Warbler

Spotted Sand Piper

Ruby-throated Hummingbird
This is a little dark but to catch them sitting in a tree is so unusual I had to add it

Ruby- throated Hummingbird feeding in Echinacea

Ruby-throated Hummingbird Feeding in Echinacea

Mixed Berry Trifle

A co-worker and myself went to a BBQ on Saturday July 16th. It was at a co-worker's house. He has a very cute daughter that is about 16 months old. She enjoyed the Trifle as you can see.

Mixed Berry Trifle

Ingredients:
1 pint blueberries
1 pint raspberries
1 quart strawberries
1 box instant vanilla pudding mix
milk or half and half for pudding mix
250 mil whipping cream
1/2 cup sugar
pound cake or angel food cake (used pound cake)

Directions:

Prepare fruit, remove stems and wash.
Place fruit in a medium sized bowl and sprinkle 1/4 cup sugar over fruit.
Let stand to macerate the fruit.

In your mixer add instant pudding and mix to the directions on package.
We used half and half instead of milk when we made the pudding.
Put in medium sized bowl and set aside.

Pour whipping cream into another mixing bowl for your mixer.
Add 1/4 cup sugar and beat until soft peaks form.
Set this aside.

Cut up pound cake into little squares.

In a large glass bowl arrange pound cake on bottom.
Spoon fruit over pound cake with some of the juice.
Add pudding over fruit and gently spread around bowl.
Add whipped cream and gently spread around bowl.
Add another layer of pound cake.
Fruit
Pudding
Whipping cream
Top with sliced strawberries.
Keep in frig. for a least 4 hours before serving.

♥

This Sandhill Crane was in a wheat field outside of Brantford.

Maple Syrup Tarts

At Faul Farms Natural Fed Beef I purchased steak and hamburg and Snyder Heritage Farms Maple syrup. The steak was really good, you do have to cook it to a pink stage due to the fact there is less fat in the meat. The hamburg meat was also very good. I will take photos when we have the rest of the meat. The syrup has a bit of a smoke flavor to it. We thought maple tarts might be good so I looked for a recipe and found this one on at Dinner with Julie. Well, what can anyone say.... MORE PLEASE.

Maple Syrup Tarts

Ingredients:

2 eggs
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/2 cups pure maple syrup
2 tbsp. softend butter
pinch salt
1 cup toasted chopped pecans (optional) (did not use in the maple tarts)
Sour Cherry Jam
Peach Jam
Slivered Almonds

Pie Dough Ingredients:

The Perfect Pie Dough

Follow the ingredient list and the directions to make the pie dough. Or the pie dough of your choice.

Directions:

Preheat oven 400º.
On lightly floured surface roll pastry to 1/4" thick.
Cut circles about 4".
Press into un-greased muffin tins.
Set aside.
In medium sized bowl whisk filling ingredients together.
Fill the prepared tart shells 2/3 full.
Bake for about 20 minutes. I found about 22 minutes worked well.
Let them cool in the pan.
While still warm run a knife around the edges to loosen them.
If they are a little stuck return to oven for a minute to soften again to remove from pan.
Place on cooling rack.
Makes about 24 tarts.

We also made sour cherry and peach with almond tarts. Added Sour Cherry Jam and Peach Jam and topped with slivered almonds. Baked the same as the maple tarts.

♥

Wood Duck on a pond near Cambridge

Peanut Butter and Cornflake Squares

I changed these bars up a bit, added honey nut cheerios. Also added the ganache from the Chocolate Chip Cookies with Ganache Stuffing on top. Loved the additions would make them again for sure.

I have decided to start adding a Photo A Week with my recipe. Hope you all enjoy them.

Peanut Butter and Cornflake Squares

Ingredients:

1 cup white sugar
1 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup corn syrup
3 cup corn flakes
2 cups honey nut cheerios

Ganache:

4 oz. semi-sweet chocolate
5 tbsp. heavy cream
2 1/2 tbsp. light corn syrup
2 tbsp. crème fraîche or sour cream

Directions:

Combine sugar and syrup in saucepan.
Heat mixture on stove until mixture slightly boils up once.
Remove from stove and add peanut butter, cornflakes, honey nut cheerios.
Mix well, working quickly.
Put into a 9x12-inch pan and press down.
Cut into squares before completely cooled.

Ganache Directions:

Put chocolate in medium bowl.
In a small sauce pan bring cream and corn syrup to a boil; pour over chocolate and let stand for 1 minute.
Whisk until smooth.
Whisk in crème fraîche or sour cream.
Refrigerate for about 1 hour and stir occasionally until thick and spreadable.

♥

Swan baby on Hamilton Harbour