Chocolate Ribbon Coffee Cake with a Milk Chocolate Ganache

 

Go ahead and try and reach through your screen to take a little finger scoop of that ganache. I dare ya!.... I know you want to.  How can you not when you see all that lovely chocolate yumminess right in front of you!?! And then of course seeing that pretty bundt cake of a coffee cake creation underneath the chocolate ganache probably doesn't help matters much either. I'm sorry. I'm so so sorry to be teasing you with such a delicious cake.  I will never, never, never do it again....at least not again today.  I can't promise what will happen in the future. ;-)

 

 

 

 As soon as I saw this lovely cake on Louanne's blog I took immediate action and printed off the recipe right away.  And then the skys opened up and a lovely group of ladies fell upon me.  A group of talented ladies that bake together (virtually) on a monthly basis from the cookbook called, Coffee Cakes - Simple, Sweet and Savory by Lou Seibert Pappas . 

The baking group is called, The Home Bakers.  I immediately took action and joined the group.  I could not be more delighted to have joined this group as ALL of the recipes in Lou's book are amazing!  AMAZING!!!

 

 Without fail coffee cakes make my heart do a little pitter patter dance of happiness.  In my world coffee cakes represent sweetness of friendship, closeness of family and surprises all around.  Coffee cakes can be eaten anytime of the day in my book. Morning, noon or night.  And they taste best when shared with others...especially over a hot cup of tea, coffee or even better, hot chocolate.  Happiness is life filled with coffee cakes.

 

 

 

 

Fruit is often found in these special cakes.  Then again so are spices and nuts and dried fruit.  Even better chocolate simply lives to be a in coffee cake.  Thus the beauty and reality of this Chocolate Ribbon Coffee Cake is magic.  The magic comes from the tender and light crumb of the cake that surrounds chocolate, nuts and a sprinkling of ground cinnamon.  Perfection.  Milk chocolate ganache was my desired addition to this cake. You can do as I did or leave the cake plain. Either way you will make the right choice.

 

If you do choose to top your cake with a ganache here is the recipe I used.....

 

Milk Chocolate GANACHE

 

*1/4 cup heavy cream

*1 bag milk chocolate morsels

 

In a large sauce pan heat heavy cream over medium heat just until steam begins to rise from the cream.  Remove sauce pan from heat and carefully stir in milk chocolate morsels.  Stir until morsels are completely melted and incorporated into the heavy cream.  Ganache will thicken as it cools.  Pour over cake.  Any remaining ganache can be stored in refrigerator in a sealed container.  Heat in microwave for 30-60 seconds to enjoy over ice cream, cakes or your finger.

 

Please visit the lovely Louanne's Kitchen for the full recipe of this cake.

 

 

 

Enjoy!

 

Happy Chocolate Ribbon Coffee Cake Baking!

 

This recipe has been linked up to Trick or Treat Tuesday at Inside BruCrew Life and Buns in My Oven - What's Cookin' Wednesday :-)



Samoa Blondie Bars (for January's Secret Recipe Club)

 

Well, hello there!  Goodness it has been WAY too LONG since the last time I have written up a blog post.  Ridiculously too long! Thank goodness I have the Secret Recipe Club that has pushed me in the right direction to get my creative juices flowing again for my precious little blog.  And it isn't like I haven't been baking up a storm - goodness no! - I just have been pre-occupied with things like Christmas (being a mommy/Santa to a 6 and 2 year old takes a lot out of me!), my littlest turning TWO and then of course working full-time along with all the other fun stuff in life.  I've missed blogging terribly!  I adore sharing my kitchen delights with all of you.  And I really hope to be able to manage my time differently so that I can get back into the groove of blogging more often.  True story, I do! :-)

 

 

 

 

I was given the opportunity to discover the K and K Test Kitchen blog this past month as it was my assignment from the Secret Recipe Club for the month of January. What an absolute treasure of a blog!  It is written by two beautiful women, Kelsey and Kim.  A mother and daughter in fact! And it is packed with delicious, beautiful and amazing recipes. 

 

It was a VERY easy decision for me to choose Samoa Blondie's as the recipe of my choice to make from their blog as my oldest daughter is in the thick of Girl Scout cookie sales right now.  AND my family just adores and worships Samoa cookies!  How can't you with all that lovely chocolate-caramel-coconut yumminess!?! And these fabulous bars sure are pretty darn close to being a "Samoa Cookie".  The butter is browned to allow for a perfect nutty and caramel taste that goes along with the sinful chocolate chips and decadent coconut.  Everyone gobbled down these little bars with rave reviews.   I even passed some of them out to my favorite Starbucks barestas as I drove through to get my morning coffee.  They LOVED having such a treat being passed through the window to them!

 

 

 

Bake a batch of these bars and pass them out to all your favorites that you come across on a daily basis....you will be worshiped forever if you do!

 

Thank you, thank you Kim and Kelsey for this fabulous recipe!  You have brought much happiness to my baking world!

 

Samoa Blondie Bars

(recipe from K and K Test Kitchen)

 

Ingredients:

 

10 Tbsp unsalted butter

1 cup brown sugar, packed

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 egg

2 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp salt

1 1/4 cup flour

1 1/4 sweetened coconut flakes

1 1/4 chocolate chips (I used milk chocolate)

 

Directions:

 

1. Preheat oven to 350.  Grease 8x8 pan well and set aside.

 

2.  Brown butter in a medium saucepan on medium to high heat.  Butter will melt completely and then bubble and pop.  When the butter starts to frizzle with smaller bubbles and the scent of the butter changes to a lovely nutty smell you have successfully "browned" your butter.  Allow browned butter to cool until just slightly warm...about 10 minutes.

 

3. In a large bowl mix all together browned butter, sugars, egg, vanilla extract and salt.  

 

4. Slowly add in remaining ingredients - flour, coconut and chocolate chips - until well blended all together.

 

5. Pour batter into prepared pan - batter will be thick. Carefully smooth all over top with a rubber spatula.

 

6. Bake for 25-27 minutes - be careful not to over bake your bars....edges will be slightly darker than the middle and come away from the pan when done. Cool for as long as you can stand it and cut into squares and enjoy!

 

 

 

 

Happy Samoa Blondie Bars Baking!





Nutella Drop Cookies (November's Secret Recipe Club)

 For the month of November I had the honor of meeting Sally from Bewitching Kitchen through the Secret Recipe Club.  I have often seen her gorgeous food throughout my travels in food blogging and have admired her adventure and passion that she shares with her food and her stories on her blog.  She is originally from Brazil but has had the opportunity to live in Paris, France along with the U.S. in California so her exposure to delicious foods has a very wide range.  You can see this clearly in her recipes that she shares with all of her tasty Brazillian recipes to her gorgeous breads - many of which came inspired from her life in France. 

Unfortunately, my time was limited in the kitchen today.  If I had had more time I would have made Sally's gorgeous Cinnamon Wreath bread.  Instead I made her delicious and very simple Nutella Drop Cookies.

 

 

 

 

 

In a jiffy these cookies came to life with just a few ingredients.  And as my oldest daughter exclaimed so well, "my goodness those cookies look like scoops of ice cream!"  As they did!  They held their "ice cream" shape perfectly even after they were baked.

 

 

 

 

A batch of these cookies would go perfectly with a hot cup of tea on a cold Winter night.  Tender in texture and sweet on the tongue.  I know you will enjoy this recipe just as much as I did!

 

 

 

 

Nutella Drop Cookies  

(recipe from Bewitching Kitchen)

 

Ingredients:

 

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/4 cup powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups flour

1/2 cup Nutella, at room temperature

powdered sugar for dusting

 

Directions:

 

1. Preheat oven to 350.  Line cookie sheets with parchement paper and set aside.

 

2. Cream together butter and powdered sugar until light and fluffy - about 3-4 mintues.  Add in vanilla extract and mix to combine.

 

3. Gradually add in flour until combined and then the Nutella.

 

4. Scoop cookie dough by the tablespoon or a small cookie scoop onto prepared cookie sheets.  Bake for 10-12 minutes or until cookie edges start to flatten slightly. Cool cookies 5 minutes before removing from sheets.  Once cookies are completely cooled dust with powdered sugar if you wish.  Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

 

Enjoy!

 

 

 

Happy Nutella Drop Cookie Baking!



Glazed Apple Bundt Cake (Week #8 of 12 Weeks of Christmas Treats)

 

 

My love for bundt cakes will never die.  I the idea of the simplicity yet beauty of such a cake makes me happy.  In one pan a delicious cake can be created, decorated and then served to friends and family and get the same "ooh" and "ahh" factor that a layered cake would get.  As you can see from the above photo my bundt pan has produced many a cake.  Cakes such as the,  Sweet and Tart Rhubarb Cake, the Peachy Bundt Cake, along with the fabulous Root Beer Float Cake, and moist Blueberry Lemon Cake and of course the Hummingbird Cake have all come from my precious stoneware bundt pan. If you have yet to treat yourself to such a baking pan put it on your holiday wish list! It is the perfect gift for a baker!

 

 

 

 

 Speaking of holidays I want to share with you today a perfect cake that can be presented at a festive party or given in a pretty basket as a gift as it is delicious beyond words and beautiful to the eye.  Sweet apples and sugary chopped nuts are surrounded by a dense cake which are then covered in a brown sugar glaze.  The perfection of a bundt cake!  Thus I present to you on this 8th week of the 12 Weeks of Holiday Treats created by the lovely Brenda of Magical Meal Planning, a Glazed Apple Bundt Cake.

 

 Glazed Apple Bundt Cake

        (recipe discovered on A Recipe a Day)

 

Cake Ingredients:

3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 1/2 cups sugar

3 eggs

3 cups flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups sour cream

1 tsp vanilla extract

 

Filling Ingredients:

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/3 cup chopped nuts - I used walnuts, pecans are good too!

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground nutmeg

3-4 apples, peeled, cored and sliced

 

Glaze Ingredients:

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

2 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted

2 Tbsp milk

1 tsp vanilla

 

 

Directions:

 

1. Grease bundt pan well and set aside. Mix together all filling ingredients in a medium bowl and set aside.

 

2. Beat together butter and sugar until light in color and consistency - about 4-5 minutes.  Add in eggs - one at a time.  Mixing between each until the yellow of the egg is completely incorporated to the batter.

 

3. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl.  Add to butter mixture alternating with the sour cream, beginning and ending with the flour mixture.   Beat on low speed after each addition until mixture is just blended.  Stir in vanilla extract.

 

4. In prepared bundt pan pour in half of the cake batter.  Layer with sliced apples and then all of the filling ingredients. Pour remaining batter over apples and nuts.  Bake in a preheated oven of 350 degrees F for 1 hour or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.  My cake took 1 hour and 10 minutes.  I covered the cake with tin foil for the last 10 minutes so that the top of the cake did not burn.

 

5. Cool cake on a rack for 15 minutes before removing from pan.  Once cake is completely cooled make the glaze.  Melt 2 Tbsp butter just until it starts to brown.  Remove from heat and then add in brown sugar, milk and vanilla extract.  Stir all together until smooth.  Drizzle glaze over your beautiful cake and serve (or give away).

 

Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

Happy Glazed Apple Bundt Cake Baking!

 





Appledoodle Cookies (October's SRC pick)

Goodness I am so excited to share this month's recipe for Secret Recipe Club! I was granted the honor of being assigned the blog called, Fried Ice and Donut Holes for the month of October (such an fabulous name for a blog!).  It truly was an honor and so much fun to browse through this blog.  Please do hop on over to Fried Ice and Donut Holes and check out all the scrumptious recipes.  You might want to take a peek at the Blueberry Biscuit Cobbler along with the Buffalo Chicken Shepard's Pie and then be sure to check out the Cashew Chicken recipe too! So many wonderful recipes.  And yes of course I choose to pick a recipe that I could bake.  You know the kind the has flour, sugar and butter in it.  Yes, you know me well!  Always baking over here! :-)

 

 

 

  I have so many apples in my house that have to used before they get rotten so when I came upon the recipe for Appledoodles I jumped on it fast! I could make cookies and the cookies would be made with apples! Granted it was only two apples from my 20+ but still it was a win win situation as the cookies came out fabulous and I had two less apples in my pile of "must-use-soon-apples" before they turn mushy and rotten. 

 

I loved everything about these cookies.  The fact that they are a spin off of Snickerdoodle cookies caught my eye right away as I just adore Snickerdoodles!  Adding in chopped apples to a favorite cookie was brilliant.  The cinnamon sugar rolled cookies came alive with all things Fall and comforting when the apples were baked into these little gems.  And since I had some peanut butter morsels just itching to be paired with the apples (because apples and peanut butter go together in my world) I threw in a couple handfuls to the cookie batter.  Oh my, what delicious happiness found in a cookie!

 

 

 

Appledoodle Cookies

(recipe from Fried Ice and Donut Holes)

 

Cookie dough

 

1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature

2/3 cup brown sugar

2/3 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

2 cups flour

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg (optional)

1-2 apples, peeled, cored and chopped

1 cup peanut butter morsels (my addition)

 

Cinnamon Sugar Mixture

 

1/2 cup granulated sugar

3 tablespoons cinnamon

 

Directions

 

1. In a small bowl combine 1/2 cup granulated sugar and 3 tablespoons cinnamon.  Set aside.

 

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  In a large bowl cream together butter and sugars until light and fluffy - about 3-4 minutes. Add in eggs and beat to combine well.

 

3. In a medium bowl combine flour, cornstarch, baking soda, salt and nutmeg (if you wish).  Add to the wet mixture. 

 

4. Gently fold in chopped apples and peanut butter morsels.

 

 

5. Form balls of the dough and roll carefully to coat in the cinnamon sugar mixture. Place sugar rolled cookies on parchment lined cookie sheets and bake for 14 minutes turning cookie sheet half way through baking time. Cookies will be golden on the edges and blond in the middle.  Allow cookies to cool on sheets before removing.  Cookies are stored best in an airtight container and will remain soft for about 3 days.  Yum! 

 

 

Enjoy!

 

 





Caramel Swirled Apple-Pear Bread (Week #3 of 12 Weeks of Holiday Treats)

 

 

Confession.  I baked this bread twice in a 12 hour period of time.  Not once but twice I say. Yes, this quick bread which is packed with chunks of apples and pears, oozing with cinnamon happiness and swirled with a rich loveliness of caramel sauce is NO joke.  I promise you that once you make it once you will then make it twice within a day.  Bake one loaf for yourself and one to give away.  EASY!   Even better, bake a couple as holiday gifts!! This bread would absolutely perfect wrapped up in a pretty package and handed off to friends and family for the holidays.   They will all love and thank you for it over and over again -  I can promise you that.  So put your apron on and get out your apples and pears!  It's time to make a lovely quick bread.

 

 

 

Thus I present to you my #3 entry for the 12 Weeks of Holiday Treats. I can't thank Brenda from Meal Planning Magic for all the hard work and dedication she has put towards making this 12 week party happen.  Hugs of gratitude to sent to you dearest Brenda!
 

 

 

 Feel free to make this bread with just apples as the original recipe only used apples.  Also feel free to use store bought caramel sauce (simplicity is crucial during the holidays!) or you can use the recipe I posted last week for Homemade Caramel Sauce - it's super yummy and very easy to make. The original recipe also called for pouring caramel sauce over the top of the bread when baked and cooled.  Such a good idea!  I did not do so for either of my breads but I promised myself that the next time I make this recipe I will. 

 

 

Caramel Swirled Apple-Pear Bread

(recipe altered slightly from one of my all time favorite blogs - Bakingdom)

 

Ingredients:

 

2 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground cloves

1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

2 medium apples - peeled, cored and cut into small chunks (shredded is fine too)

1 medium pear - peeled, cored and cut into small chunks (shredded if you prefer)

1/4 - 1/2 cup caramel sauce - homemade or store bought

 

Directions:

 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 9x5 loaf pan and set aside.

 

2. In a medium bowl combine flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and cloves. Set dry mixture aside.

 

3. Beat butter and sugars together until light and fluffy.  Add in eggs one at a time - mix well inbetween each one.  Add in 1/3 of flour mixture, mix to combine and continue with remaining 2/3's flour mixture.  Do not over beat as that will create a "tough" bread.

 

4.  Gently stir in prepared fruit.

 

5.  Pour 1/2 of bread batter into prepared pan and then pour caramel sauce over batter. Finish by topping with remaining bread batter.



 

6. Bake for 50-60 minutes.  Rotating pan half way through.  A toothpick inserted in center should come out with only a few crumbs stuck to it when bread is done. Cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing and enjoying.  Don't forget, you can always drizzle some caramel sauce over the top of your bread before slicing...it sure looks good that way!

 

 

 



 Happy Caramel Swirl Apple-Pear Bread Baking!



Homemade Caramel Sauce ( Week #2 of 12 Weeks of Christmas Treats)

 

Chocolate sauce or caramel sauce....which one do you prefer? I kind of lean towards both. Especially when they are homemade! Chocolate sauce is perfect over good vanilla ice cream and caramel goes perfect over anything apple.  And well, geez both of them go perfect with just a spoon! 

 

 

 

Since I have already tried my hand at making homemade chocolate sauce I couldn't wait to do the same with homemade caramel sauce.  I seized the opportunity recently keeping in mind that caramel sauce would be a lovely present for friends and family this coming holiday season along side a jar of chocolate sauce. 

 

 

With the encouragement of my participation in the 12 Weeks of Christmas Treats group (thank you so much Brenda for hosting this group!) I present to you today a super easy and extremely delicious recipe for HOMEMADE Caramel Sauce.  Hooray! Amen. YUM!

 

The recipe below will fill one good sized jar.  Double the recipe if you wish to make multiple jars.

 

 

Homemade Caramel Sauce

(recipe slightly altered from Countertop Confessions)

 

Ingredients:

 

1 stick salted butter

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup heavy cream (the original recipe calls for milk)

2 Tbsp light corn syrup (the original recipe does not call for corn syrup - I added it to help with keeping the sugar and butter from separating)

1 tsp vanilla

 

Directions:

 

1. Melt butter in a medium saucepan.  Add in brown sugar once butter has fully melted.  Stir constantly as you bring the melted butter and sugar to a boil.  Allow mixture to boil for 2 minutes or until sugar has dissolved completely.

 

2. Stirring constantly, add in milk.  Mixture will snap and pop...not to worry this is normal.  Stir in corn syrup.  Allow sauce to return to a boil and do so for 2 more minutes. 

 

 

3. Remove pan from heat.  Add in vanilla extract.  Stir well to combine.  Sauce will be smooth and deliciously beautiful.

 

 

4. Cool for 30 minutes before pouring into a pretty jar and wrapping it with a ribbon.

 

 

 

Happy Homemade Caramel Sauce Making!

 

 To enjoy the other talented bloggers of the 12 Weeks of Christmas Treats see links below.