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©Life of a Foodie and Her Family 2008-2013, Lynn Tabor

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2/11/2017

Cake Release

I do have to say my kitchen is pretty stocked at all times.  Well..... one day last week I prepped my Walmart Grocery pick up order.  I meticulously went through each recipe and added ingredients to my cart.  Checked out and picked up my order later that day.

When I got home and sorted every item out by recipe and went to the cabinet to get the baking spray with flour the can was just about empty.  Oh crud!!!!!  What is a home baker to do?  Go to Pinterest!

I immediately found a recipe for cake release that had lots of good reviews.  I had all the ingredients and decided to whip up a batch.

1 cup of vegetable oil
1 cup of plain shortening
1 cup of All Purpose Flour

In a mixer combine all the ingredients until it become a smooth but loose paste.  Store in a mason jar in the fridge for a couple of months.  You of course could halve this or even quarter it.

I found that using a traditional pastry brush is much better than a silicone brush.  The tradition bristles get into the little crevices of mini bundt pans and the bottoms of the mini muffin pans.



Snickerdoodle mini bundt cakes

This was another cute little cake I wanted to try for our church's English Tea.

Snickerdoodle Mini Bundt Cakes

3 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon nutmeg (fresh please, not already ground)
1 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
5 eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
1-1/4 cup buttermilk


8 tablespoons butter, melted
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon


Preheat your oven to 325 degrees. Prepare your 2 mini bundt pans with cake release. Set aside.

Shit together the flour, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg. Set aside.

In your mixer cream 2 cups of sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, followed by the vanilla.

Add the dry ingredients alternating with the buttermilk. Mix until fully incorporated. Divide between your prepared pan and cook for 15-20 minutes. Use a cake tester or tooth pick to test for doneness.

When the cakes are done remove the cakes from the pan while they are hot. Brush with butter and roll in 1 cup of sugar mixed with 1 teaspoon of cinnamon.

Allow the cakes to cool completely on a wire rack.



Lemon Blueberry Mini Bundt Cakes

While looking on Pinterest for ideas for our Bake Shoppe/sale, I spotted this idea.  I really love the combination of Lemon and Blueberry, then add a glaze and well I had to make it.


10 Tbs butter (room temperature)
2 cups sugar
4 eggs (room temperature)
1 tsp vanilla
2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
2 ¼ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
1 ¼ cup whole milk
½ cup plain greek yogurt
2 tbs lemon juice
2 tbs lemon zest
¾ cup blueberries (fresh or frozen, from my baking experience fresh does work best)

Glaze
2 cups powdered sugar
2-3 Tbs Lemon Juice

Pan:  You will need two 6 cavity mini bundt pans.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In your mixer combine butter and sugar. Let mix until light and fluffy.

Add in eggs and vanilla. Mix until completely combined.

In a separate bowl whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.

In another small bowl combine milk, yogurt, lemon juice, and lemon zest.

Add 1/3 of milk mixture to the standing mixer (with sugar and butter). Let completely combine.

Add ½ of dry ingredients to the standing mixer. Let completely combine.

Add half of the remaining milk mixture. Mix completely. Add remaining dry ingredients. Mix completely. Add remaining dry ingredients. Mix completely.

Toss fresh or frozen berries with flour. Add dusted berries into the batter. Fold berries into the batter being very gentle.

Prepare your mini bundt pans with cake release.

Pour batter into prepared pan.

For mini bundt cakes bake about 15 to 20 minutes.

Test for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the middle of the cakes.

Let cakes cool for 2 to 3 minutes in the pan then turn out onto a cooling rack.  Allow cakes to completely cool.

To make the glaze, combine powdered sugar and lemon juice. Start with adding just 2 Tbs of lemon juice and slowly add more to get looser consistency.

Drizzle over the completely cooled cakes.




Mini Pineapple Upside Down Cakes

These I have made for a few Alpha Course Dinners.  They are a fabulous little dessert and super easy to make.

The recipe below make 6 cakes, that are baked in a Jumbo Muffin Pan.  You can easily double it if you have two Jumbo Muffin Pans.

2 eggs
2/3 cup granulated sugar
4 tbs pineapple juice
2/3 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

Topping
1/4 cup unsalted butter
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 can pineapple rings
6 Marachino Cherries

Preheat oven to 350 and spray a JUMBO muffin pan with cooking spray.  In a mixing bowl beat eggs, sugar and pineapple juice for two minutes.  In another bowl, sift the flour, baking powder and salt.  Add to the wet ingredients and beat on medium for 2 more minutes.

In a small sauce pan, melt the butter and then add brown sugar.  Whisk for one minute.  Spoon a layer of the brown sugar mix into the bottom of each muffin tin, then place a pineapple ring.  Add one cherry into the middle of the pineapple ring.  Spoon cake mix evenly over the pineapple ring and cherry.  Bake for 20 to 25 minutes.

Let cool in pan for about 3 minutes.  Run an offset spatula around the edges.

Place a wire cooling rack on top and quickly flip the pan over and place on a cookie sheet to catch the dripping sugar mixture.




Reese's Chex Mix

I don't know about you, but I love Chocolate & Peanut Butter.  I thought this might be good for the Bake Shoppe/Sale at our English Tea.

1 12.8 oz box Chocolate flavored Chex cereal (about 8 cups)
1 cup roasted, lightly salted peanuts
2 cups powdered sugar
16 oz chocolate CandiQuik
1 cup Reese's peanut butter chips
1 8 oz bag Reese's Minis
1 cup Reese's Pieces
20 Reese's Miniatures, halved
Additional peanuts, peanut butter chips, and Reese's.

Combine Chex cereal and peanuts in a very large bowl and set aside.

Place powdered sugar into a two gallon size ziploc bag and set aside.

Put a couple long sheets of wax paper on your counter top.

Break up CandiQuik, place in a large glass bowl and sprinkle with peanut butter chips. Melt for 1 minute in the microwave.  Stir gently and heat again for 30 seconds to 1 minute.  Stir again and it should be completely melted and smooth.

Drizzle the melted chocolate - peanut butter mixture over the top of the Chex and peanuts and toss gently to combine. Make sure it is well coated.

Transfer the chocolate-coated cereal mixture into the ziploc bag with powdered sugar.

Close the bag tightly and gently shake until the mixture is fully coated.

Spread the contents of bag onto the wax paper and let set up for 15 minutes.

Sprinkle on the Reese's Pieces, Reese's Miniatures and the Reese's halves that you cut up earlier, and additional peanuts, peanut butter chips, and Reese's Pieces if desired.  (I did as it makes it more yummy!!!)

Toss gently to combine.

Store in an airtight container for up to one week.



2/10/2017

Key Lime Bundt Cakes

These are just amazing!

4 oz  cream cheese
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup  Greek-style yogurt
2 teaspoons lime zest
2 teaspoons lime juice
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 cup  all purpose flour
1 tablespoon cornstarch
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt

Glaze
½ cup confectioners’ sugar
1 ½ teaspoons lime juice
Lime zest


For the bundt cakes: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 6 cavity mini bundt pan with cake release

In a large bowl, use electric beaters to beat the cream cheese and sugar together until smooth and creamy. Add the yogurt, lime zest, lime juice and vanilla extract, and beat until well combined. Beat in the eggs one at a time.

Sift in the flour, cornstarch, baking powder and baking soda, and salt.  Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.  Transfer the batter to the prepared mini bundt pan, filling the cavities approximately three-quarters of the way up.

Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, or until the tops are dry and a skewer comes out clean.  Let the bundt cakes cool on the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.

Allow the cakes to cool completely before glazing.

For the glaze: Sift the confectioners’ sugar into a medium-sized bowl. Add the lime juice and zest, and whisk until completely combined. If the glaze appears to be too thin, sift in some more sugar.

Spoon the glaze over the top of the cooled bundt cakes.

Store the bundt cakes in an airtight container.










Thin Mint Chex Mix

Thin Mint Puppy Chow/Muddy Buddy
Disclaimer:  No Thin Mints were harmed in making this new snack ;o)

14 oz bag of Wilton Dark Cocoa Mint Candy Melts
1/2 a bag of Milk Chocolate Chips
10 Cups of Rice Chex
1 bag of Mint M&M's
2 1/2 cups Powdered Sugar

2 Gallon Ziploc bag, don't try this in a 1 gallon bag.  It just doesn't work well.

Place the Powdered Sugar into the Ziploc bag.

In microwave, melt chocolates together for one minute, stir and continue melting in 30 second intervals until smooth, it usually takes about two minutes.

Gently mix in the Chex cereal.  When cereal is coated, place the mix into the ziploc bag and seal.  Gently shake until cereal is coated with the sugar.  Pour in the M&M's and gently shake again.

Pour out onto a large piece of wax paper and allow to set up.

Store in an airtight container.




2/09/2017

Strawberry & Cream Chex Mix

Our church is having their annual English Tea this week and I always make fun things for the bake sale room.  I have been spending way to much time on Pinterest and you will hear me say "Pinterest gets me into trouble ALL THE TIME!"

So one of the things that caught my eye, was this Strawberry & Cream Chex Mix.  I double the original recipe and here is what I did:

10 oz white chocolate or white vanilla candy melts
10 oz red candy melts (Found in craft stores like Michaels and Hobby Lobby)
10 cups rice chex cereal, divided in 2 parts
1 cup strawberry cake mix
1 cup powdered sugar
Valentine Sprinkles
1 bag of Valentine M&M's (I always find these at Target.

 Put 5 cups rice chex cereal into a large bowl.

Slowly melt white chocolate in the microwave, stopping it every 30 seconds or so to make sure it doesn't burn.  I always do it in a glass bowl.

Add melted white chocolate to chex cereal and lightly stir to coat evenly.

Add the powdered sugar to a large ziploc bag.  Then carefully add the chex cereal and white chocolate mixture to the ziploc bag.   Shake gently until the cereal is coated completely.  I like to pour the mixture out onto a cookie sheet lined with a silicone mat or parchment paper.  I like to use the 2 gallon bags.  I find them at Walmart usually on the bottom shelf.

Repeat the same process with the red candy melts and strawberry cake mix (instead of the powdered sugar).

Allow to cool completely and then combine the two kinds of cereal together in a large bowl and add M&Ms.

Since I portioned them out into servings, I then sprinkled some cute Wilton Valentine Sprinkles on top.