Oatmeal Pie with Cinnamon Whipped Cream

This is one of my new favorites! I’ve made 3 of these in the past week and everyone I’ve shared it with has really liked it (“Definitely Blog-worthy!” seems to be the consensus).Very easy to make, this pie is reminiscent of pecan pie, but with walnuts, coconut, and oatmeal and with a subtle maple flavor (I used real maple syrup in the recipe, but I think that the cheaper stuff would be just fine). Serve it warm or cold topped with Cinnamon Whipped Cream (recipe follows).

The recipe was passed to my wife from a friend at work (it was originally published in Midwest Living). For all of my Iowa City friends who are looking for a clone of the Oatmeal Pie served at Mondo’s (the best dessert in Iowa City) this is not it. I need to go to Mondo’s again in the near future to refresh my taste memory, but I’m pretty sure that their Oatmeal Pie doesn’t have coconut and I don’t remember it being quite as gooey. Although this pie is a bit different, I’ll be bold enough to say that it is equally as good. Give it a try and see if you agree!

Preheat oven to 375°F.

• One 9-inch pie crust pressed into pie pan

Beat together the following ingredients:

• 2 egg
• 3/4 cup maple syrup
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup melted butter (but not so hot that it cooks the eggs)
• 1 tsp. vanilla

Stir in the following dry ingredients:

• 1 cup flaked coconut
• 3/4 cup rolled oats
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Pour into pie crust and bake at 375°F for 35-40 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean (a total baking time of 45 minutes seemed to be just right in my oven). Remove from oven and allow to cool. Serve with Cinnamon Whipped Cream (see below). The pie stores well in the refrigerator and can be reheated in microwave or served cold.

Cinnamon Whipped Cream:

Beat the following together in a bowl until whipped to desired consistency:

• 1 cup whipping cream
• 2 T. powdered sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• Dash of ground nutmeg

Serve with pie and store leftovers in refrigerator.

Pecan Crumb-Top Blueberry Pie

Fresh blueberries were on sale at the local grocery store last week and so we bought several cartons. On the 4th of July I decided to use them for a pie. I merged two recipes from the fantastic cookbook Pie by Ken Haedrich (contains 300 different pie recipes). The result? One of the best pies I’ve ever had. I would put this up against any blueberry pie I’ve ever had. A few days ago we went and hand-picked blueberries with some friends. So now I have more blueberries and I definitely think it’s time to make this pie again…

A note about pie crust: If you are able to make a delicious pie crust you have my admiration. I’ve found that the pre-made, refrigerated pie crusts (from Pillsbury, for example) that you simply unroll and place in your pie pan are as good as any crust I’ve ever made myself AND SO MUCH EASIER. With a pre-made crust, this pie can be assembled in less than 15 minutes.

• One pie crust

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Filling

• 5 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen (but thawed) or canned (but drained)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 T. cornstarch
• 1 T. flour
• 1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 1 T. lemon juice

Place blueberries in large bowl. Add all other ingredients and mix well, trying not to smash the blueberries. Allow to sit for 5-10 minutes while you press pie crust into pie pan.

Pour filling into pie pan and place in 400°F oven for 30 minutes.

Pecan Crumb Topping

• 6 T. butter, cold and cut into pieces
• 3/4 cup flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 3/4 cup pecans, chopped
• 1 T. milk

While pie is baking, prepare topping by placing butter, flour, sugar, and salt in a bowl. Combine well with pastry cutter (a food processor can also do the job). Add pecans and milk. Continue to mix with pastry cutter (or fork) until damp and crumbly. Store in refrigerator until ready to use.

After 30 minutes in oven, remove pie and reduce oven heat to 375°F. Spread crumb topping onto the pie and lightly pat them down. Return pie to oven and bake for 30-40 more minutes at 375°F until juices bubble thickly. (It is helpful to place foil under the pie to catch dripping juices. Also, if crust starts getting too dark, you can place foil loosely over top of pie for last 10-15 minutes of baking.)

Transfer hot pie to cooling rack and allow to sit for a couple of hours before serving. Enjoy with ice cream or by itself, cold or warm.

Oatmeal-Blueberry Muffins

I love blueberry muffins, but had never made them from scratch. We had some blueberries left over and I found this recipe on the Better Homes & Gardens website. Very quick and simple to make, very moist and delicious to eat.

Preheat oven to 400°F. Grease standard muffin pan or line with muffin bake cups.

Combine the following dry ingredients in a bowl.

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 3/4 cup rolled oats
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. salt

Mix the following ingredients together in a separate bowl (you can mix with a fork or whisk, an electric mixer is not necessary):

• 1 egg, beaten
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla

Pour liquid ingredient mixture into dry ingredient mixture and stir just until moistened (batter should be slightly lumpy).

• 1 cup blueberries

Fold the blueberries into the batter. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin pan, filling each ~3/4 full. (Should make 12 regular or 36 small muffins. I made 9-10 because I was fairly generous with my filling.)

Bake at 400°F for 16-18 minutes (or 10-12 minutes for small muffins), or until done (toothpick in center will come out with just a couple of crumbs on it).

Red Velvet Cake

Erin requested a red velvet cake for her birthday. I had never made one before, but I decided it would be fun to try. I found this recipe for “Southern Red Velvet Cake” on FoodNetwork.com. It is from the show Sarah’s Secrets and the recipe is presented by Cakeman Raven. It was fun to make and turned out really well. I am posting the cream cheese frosting recipe separately because it was excellent and would also be delicious for use on a carrot cake or cinnamon rolls.

Video from Sara’s Secrets on Food Network:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two 9-inch round cake pans (3 may be used, but I only have two—and two worked just fine).

Mix the following dry ingredients in a bowl and set aside:

• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. cocoa powder

In stand mixer bowl, combine the following on low speed:

• 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
• 1 cup buttermilk (preferably room temp.)
• 2 large eggs (preferably room temp.)
• 2 tablespoons red food coloring (1 ounce—this ended up being the entire bottle)
• 1 tsp. white distilled vinegar
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Gradually add the dry ingredients to the liquid ingredients and beat on medium to medium-high speed until well combined.

Pour batter into prepared pans and bake in oven for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few crumbs on it. Allow cakes to cool and then remove from pans. (At this point you can either proceed to frosting or store in the refrigerator until later. Cakes stored in refrigerator are much easier to frost.)

When ready to assemble cake, prepare Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe. Frost generously and then garnish with chopped pecans.

  

Happy Birthday, Erin!

Cream Cheese Frosting

This is the recipe for cream cheese frosting to go along with the Red Velvet Cake. It’s very simple and very good and would be an excellent choice for all of your cream cheese frosting needs (carrot cake, cinnamon rolls, etc.).

In a stand mixer (using paddle attachment) or a in a large bowl with a handheld mixer, combine the following on low speed:

• 1 pound cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 4 cups powdered sugar

Beat on high speed until light and fluffy (~5 minutes), then add:

• 1 tsp. (or more) vanilla extract

Beat on high a little bit longer. You can now use it to frost your cake. Note: You can store it in the refrigerator for later use (the recipe says 3 days, but I bet it can go longer). If you want to do decorative frosting, it may be slightly more workable after being chilled for a bit.

Raspberry Bread Pudding

Erin's sister made this for us when we were in Utah last year and I thought it was the best bread pudding I've ever had. I've always liked bread pudding, but I've never been a big fan of the raisins that always seem to get put into it. This recipe uses raspberries and then it has a very sweet caramel sauce that can be served with it. I made it for dessert on Christmas day and it was a hit with my family! I used homemade bread that was a couple of days old, but not totally dried out. I doubled the recipe and baked it in a 9x13 pan. I made it in the morning and let the ingredients sit in the refrigerator until baking it in the evening. My father-in-law says that this is delicious with mixed berries. I wonder if chocolate chips would be good too?

Bread Pudding
Bake in 8x8” pan or double this recipe and bake in 9x13" pan

• 4 cups cubed white bread (dense, good quality)
• 2 1/4 cups fresh or frozen raspberries
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 3/4 cup milk or half and half
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla
• 2 beaten eggs

Combine brown sugar, milk, and butter in a sauce pan and cook until melts. Cool it. Stir in eggs and vanilla with whisk. Pour into bowl. Fold into bread till well coated. Pour into greased glass baking dish. Add raspberries on top. Cover tightly with foil and let stand at least 20 minutes (or overnight). Bake at 350 degrees covered until set 40-50 minutes (longer if recipe is doubled) or until knife comes out clean.

Caramel Sauce
Double this if you doubled the bread pudding

• 1 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup whipping cream

Whisk brown sugar and butter over medium heat until butter melts. Whisk in cream and stir until sugar dissolved--about 3 minutes.

Serve warm bread pudding with warm caramel sauce and fresh whipped cream or ice cream.

Old-Fashioned Caramel Cake

I found this recipe on Martha Stewart's website and it is a recipe from Dr. Maya Angelou's cookbook, "Hallelujah." I believe it is her grandmother's recipe. There is a video of Dr. Angelou making this cake with Martha. It's kind of fun to watch. The interesting thing about this caramel cake is that it doesn't contain any brown sugar. The caramel flavor comes from the burnt sugar caramel syrup and from the browned butter frosting. This cake was a big hit when I made it for a dinner party.

Caramel Syrup

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup water

Heat sugar (by itself--no water) in a sauce pan over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sugar liquifies and comes to a boil. Continue cooking, with light stirring, until sugar turns a golden amber color. Immediately remove from heat and add 1 cup of water. BE CAREFUL, it is really hot and some water may splatter. The caramelized sugar will harden when it is cooled by the water. Return to medium heat and continue stirring until the sugar redissolves. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely before using.

Cake

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 1 1/4 cups sugar, separated
• 1/4 cup Caramel Syrup (from above)
• 2 cups flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup milk
• 2 large eggs

Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease and flour two 8-inch round cake pans.

With mixer on low, beat butter and sugar together for several minutes until light and fluffy. Beat in Caramel Syrup.

In a medium bowl, mix together flour, baking powder and salt.

With mixer on low, gradually add the flour mixture and the milk, alternating with flour mixture being added first and last.

In a separate bowl, beat eggs until foamy (whisk attachment or normal beaters will work for this). Add remaining 1/4 cup sugar to the eggs and continue beating until thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir into the cake batter until well combined.

Pour batter into the two round cake pans and bake for 25-35 minutes, until cake springs back when gently touched in the center. Cool cakes for ~15 minutes and then invert to remove from pan and continue cooling on wire cooling rack. When completely cooled, frost the two-layer cake with Browned Butter Caramel Frosting (see below) and serve drizzled with remaining Caramel Syrup.

(If you baked the cake ahead of time, you can wrap the cake in plastic wrap and store in refrigerator until you are ready to frost it. I find that keeping cake overnight in the refrigerator makes frosting it much easier.)

Browned Butter Caramel Syrup

• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
• 16 oz. (1 package) powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup heavy cream, plus more if needed
• 1 T. pure vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt

Add butter to saucepan and cook over medium-high heat until nut-brown in color, ~8 minutes. You'll want to watch it closely and continue stirring it to prevent burning it. Once it begins to turn brown, it goes fast! Remove pan from heat and pour browned butter into a heat-proof mixing bowl. Allow to cool.

Once cooled, add powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt to the browned butter. Mix on low (with paddle attachment or standard beaters). Continue to mix on low while adding the cream. Beat until smooth. If frosting appears too thick, add more cream until the correct consistency. Generously frost the cake with this delicious frosting.

Chocolate Mousse Crunch

This is the "Chocolate Mousse" recipe from my mission president's wife. I LOVED it when she would make this dessert for us. I decided to rename this "Chocolate Mousse Crunch" for my blog because it reminds me of a chocolate version of the Coconut Crunch. The recipe that was given to me has the caption, "Men love this!" It's true. My experience has been that women love this, too!

• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 cup chopped nuts
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) melted butter or margarine
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350°F. Blend the above ingredients and press into bottom of 9"x13" pan. Bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to cool.

• 8 oz. (1 package) cream cheese
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 of large container of Cool Whip (or 1 carton of whipping cream, whipped)

Beat cream cream cheese and sugar together until smooth, then add the cool whip and mix again. Spread evenly over the crust.

• 1 large box of instant chocolate pudding mix
• 2 3/4 cups of milk

Beat together pudding mix and milk until thick. Spread evenly over cream cheese mixture.

• The other 1/2 container of large Cool Whip (or another carton of whipping cream)

Top with the other half of the large Cool Whip. Sprinkle with some chopped nuts.

(Serves 12 missionaries)

Apple Cider Syrup

This is a recipe from my mission president's wife. I remember having breakfast at the mission home in Japan--thick french toast, topped with yogurt and this syrup. It also goes well on pancakes and German Apple Pancakes.

• 2 cups sugar
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 4 cups apple juice or cider (1 liter works also)
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1/2 cup butter or margarine

Mix all ingredients except for the butter in a saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring often. Reduce heat and add margarine.

Serve with sour cream or plain yogurt.

German Apple Pancakes

I can't remember where my mom first got this recipe, but for almost as long as I can remember it has been a family tradition to make these for breakfast on Christmas morning. For any who have not had a similar dish before, these are not the typical flat pancakes that most of us think of--they are literally pan cakes, cooked in a 9"x13" pan. All the eggs in them cause them to puff up and make quite the impressive display (show them off to your family quickly, though, because they settle a bit as they cool). Serve topped with powerdered sugar, cinnamon sugar, your favorite syrup (I recommend the Buttermilk or the Apple Cider syrups posted elsewhere on this blog), or all of the above!

• 2 tart apples (peeled and cut into thin slices)
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup flour
• 6 eggs
• 1 tsp salt
• 6 T butter
• Cinnamon sugar

Preheat oven to 400°F. Put butter in bottom of 9"x13" baking pan and place in oven to melt while you mix other ingredients and slice apples.

Add all ingredients (except apples and butter) into a blender and blend until smooth.

When butter is melted and sizzling, line bottom of pan with apples and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Pour batter over apples and bake at 400°F for 25 minutes. Remove and appreciate!Serves 6-8.

Kentucky Butter Cake

This is a delicious and easy cake recipe. Erin's parents discovered it and, after hearing several times how incredibly delicious it was, Erin and I thought we better give it a try. You'll note the use of the word "Butter" in the title. This cake is very rich--which is all the better because it's fun to share with lots of people (spread the calories!). We have now made it several times--it's always good and everyone who tries it seems to agree.

I can't resist making a comment about Kentucky: I visited several times when my brother was attending school there. It's a beautiful state. And if this recipe really originated in Kentucky, then boy-howdy do they know how to eat down there! The other classic Kentucky dish that I am thinking of is called a Hot Brown. When I ordered it at a restaurant is came out so smothered in melted cheese that you couldn't even see anything that was under the cheese. It just looked like a plate of melted cheese! I've never tried making a Hot Brown at home--eating it may have been a once-in-a-lifetime experience--but if you're planning a Kentucky Derby party you could sit down to a Hot Brown and some Kentucky Butter Cake. Your mouth will like it, but I take no responsibility for the cardiovascular consequences!

• 3 cups flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup butter
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 2 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 325°F. Grease and flour bundt pan.

Mix the dry ingredients (flour salt, baking powder, soda) together in a bowl and set aside. In a large mixing bowl blend the sugar and butter. Add eggs one at a time and mix well. Gradually add dry ingredients, buttermilk, and vanilla. Beat at medium speed for ~3 minutes. Pour batter into greased bundt pan and bake for ~60 minutes.

Butter Sauce:

5 minutes before the cake is ready to come out of the oven, melt the following ingredients together in a saucepan:

• 1/3 cup butter
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3 T water
• 2 tsp vanilla

Cook over medium heat until fully melted. Remove from heat just before it comes to a boil.

When cake is done--a toothpick inserted into the cake should come out with just a few small cake crumbs clinging to it--remove from oven and, while still hot, poke lots of holes in the cake. I've found that chopsticks work well. After holes are poked, pour the Butter Sauce over the top of the cake so that it seeps down through the holes into the center of the cake. Allow cake to cool and then turn over to remove from bundt pan. Slice and enjoy!

Gooey Butter Bars

This recipe is from the mother of one of Erin's classmates. After tasting them at school, Erin came home and said, "I don't know what it was, but it was sooooo good!" The recipe was published in a class cookbook and now I bring it to you. They're very easy to make and sooooo good to eat. (How could they not be, with a name like Gooey Butter Bars???)

• 1 package yellow cake mix
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter

Mix cake mix, egg and butter (it will be crumbly). Press into bottom of 9"x13" pan.

• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 2 eggs
• 8 oz. (1 package) cream cheese

Preheat oven to 350°F.
Mix together sugar, eggs, and cream cheese. Pour into the pan on top of the cake mixture. Bake for 45 minutes, or until the top is a light toasty brown color.

Variations include using different flavors of cake mix. So far I can only attest to the yellow mix, but I've heard that lemon cake mix works well.

Coconut Crunch (pie?)

Last week Erin and I stayed in Iowa City and had Thanksgiving with my family. We usually have at least some people come and share the meal with us, but I think this year was a record--I think we had at least 30 people there! Erin and I were in charge of bringing pies. Other people were planning to bring pies as well, but I wanted to make sure there was plenty to go around and so we went kind of crazy with the pie-making. We made a chocolate chip pecan pie and a pumpkin custard pie (both courtesy of Emeril; see Good Morning America online for recipes), another pumpkin cream pie (made with pumpkin-flavored pudding, cool whip and graham cracker crust), two buttermilk pies served with raspberry topping (these were a really big hit! see past post for recipe), we bought a frozen mincemeat pie specifically for grandma's consumption, and I made this Coconut Crunch dessert (see recipe below, courtesy of Erin's mom).

I need to tell one quick story about the Coconut Crunch: The first time that my family met Erin's family was out in Utah prior to our wedding. Erin's parents invited us to their home and served us a delicious dessert--Coconut Crunch. We all loved it, especially my mom. I still tease Erin about it because pie is her favorite dessert (and I think this is true of her family as well), and I like to point out that even when serving a dessert that is not technically pie, they still served a very pie-like dessert. So the debate continues...I say Coconut Crunch counts as a pie, Erin says it doesn't. Try this delicious recipe and tell us what you think!

• ½ cup butter, melted
• 1 cup flour
• 1 1/4 cups, flaked coconut
• 1/4 cups brown sugar
• 1 cup slivered almonds
• 3.4 oz pkg Instant vanilla pudding mix
• 3.4 oz pkg Instant coconut pudding mix
• 2 2/3 cup cold milk
• 2 cups whipped topping

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine the first 5 ingredients; press lightly into a lightly greased 13 x 9" pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 min or until golden brown, stirring every 10 minutes to form coarse crumbs and prevent burning the edges. Cool.
Press crumb mixture into the same baking pan for crust, reserving about 3/4 cups for topping.
In a mixing bowl, beat pudding mixes and milk together till they thicken. Fold in whipped topping. Spoon over crust. Top with remaining crumb mixture.
Keep Refrigerated.

Zucchini Bread

As it has moved into autumn, we have been looking for more recipes that use squash. I found this recipe on FoodNetwork.com (courtesy of Paula Deen). This is a sweet bread that is good for any occasion: appetizer, snack, breakfast or dessert (but it has zucchini in it so it's healthy, right?). So far I have made it twice and it has been a hit with those who try it. Erin shared it with some friends from dental school and they have been asking for the recipe, so here it is...

• 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 2 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 3 cups sugar
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 1/3 cup water
• 2 cups finely grated zucchini
• 1 tsp. lemon juice
• 1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
• Cinnamon sugar (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease two standard loaf pans.

In a large bowl, combine flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon and sugar. In a separate bowl, combine oil, eggs, water, zucchini and lemon juice. Mix dry ingredients into wet. Fold in nuts. Divide into the two greased loaf pans. Sprinkle the top generously with cinnamon sugar (certainly not necessary, but certainly recommended). Bake for 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.

Flan

Flan is a baked egg custard with caramel in the bottom. It turned out of its baking dish and served upside down. According to the classic cookbook "Joy of Cooking" (from which this recipe was taken), "flan is the preeminent dessert of Spain and Latin America. It is also a favorite in France, where it is known as crème caramel." Interestingly, I first encountered flan when I was living in Japan. Like most desserts that you find in Japan (and in contrast to most American desserts), flan is more subtly sweet (not in-your-face sugar, sugar, sugar). I appreciated the subtle sweetness of desserts in Japan and was excited to find this recipe. Please don't be intimidated by the length of these instructions. It turned out to be much easier to make than I would have guessed--and just as delicious as I remembered!

Preheat oven to 325°F. Have ready eight 6-ounce custard cups or ramekins (I used four 7-ounce and two 16-ounce ramekins because that is what our corningware set contains) or a 2- to 2½-quart soufflé dish.

Flan, like other custards, should be cooked in a water bath to allow equal distribution of heat. To do this: Find one or two larger pans (like casserole dishes or 9x13 in. baking pans) that will hold the dishes you are using for the flan. Place a dish towel or several layer of paper towels in the bottom of the pan (this helps protect the bottom of the custard dish from direct heat). Partially fill the pan with water, such that when the custard dishes are placed in the pan the water comes 1/2 to 2/3 of the way up the custard dishes.

To prepare caramel in the dishes, combine the following in a small heavy saucepan:

• 1 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup water

Cook over medium heat without stirring, very gently swirling the pan, until the sugar is dissolved. Do not allow the mixture to boil until after sugar is dissolved, so slide the pan on and off the burner as necessary. Once sugar is dissolved increase the heat to high and bring the syrup to a rolling boil; cover the pan tightly and boil for 2 minutes. Uncover the pan and cook until the syrup begins to caramelize, or darken. Gently stir once again and cook until the caramel syrup turns a deep amber (or light brown or golden) color.

Quickly pour the caramel syrup into the dishes. Immediately tilt the dishes to spread the caramel over the bottom and halfway up the sides. It is important to do this quickly for two reasons: 1) the caramel will continue to cook and quickly turn darker and darker while it is still in the pan, so you want to get it out of the pan and into the dishes before it gets too dark; 2) the caramel will harden quickly as it cools, so you want to spread it around in the dish before it becomes too hard. So if there is someone available to help you, I recommend having one person quickly pour the caramel into the dishes and a second person tilt the dishes to spread the caramel.

To prepare the custard, whisk (or use handmixer on low speed) the following in a large bowl until blended:

• 4 large eggs plus 2 large egg yolks (or 5 large eggs)
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/8 tsp. salt

Heat the following in a medium saucepan over medium heat until just steaming:

• 3 cups whole milk (if you normally just buy skim milk like me, you can use 3/4 cups half-and-half, 2 1/4 cups skim milk)

Remove from heat and gradually whisk (or beat on low speed) the milk into the egg mixture and stir gently until the sugar is dissolved. It is important to do this gradually; if you pour too much hot milk in at once, it can cause the egg to cook and leave some lumps in the custard. I didn't find the following step necessary, but for extra smooth custard: Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into another bowl or measure with a pouring lip.

Stir in the following:

• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Pour into the caramel-lined dishes. Place the dishes into the prepared pans containing the water, being careful not to allow water to splash into the custard. Bake in 325°F oven in water bath for 40-60 minutes for individual cups, 60-90 minutes for a single dish, or until firmly set in the center. To test for doneness, gently shake dish; custard is done if the center appears quivery, like firm gelatin. Alternatively, insert a knife near the edge of the dish; if the blade comes out clean, the custard is ready to be removed. There is enough heat stored in the dishes that the custard will continue to set as it cools.

Remove from oven and cool on a rack; then cover each dish tightly with plastic wrap and chill in refrigerator for at least 4 hours before serving.

To unmold and serve, dip the cups or dish briefly in hot water, loosen the edges of the flan with a knife, and invert onto plates. Enjoy!

Lemon Cake

I'm not sure why, but I've always been intrigued by lemon cakes. So I'd been wanting to make one for awhile. I decided to try it as my brother's 18th birthday cake. The reciped is from Cake Love by Warren Brown. He calls it the "Light and Lemony Cake." It uses both fresh lemon zest and segmented lemons and it achieves a very nice lemon flavor, but not too strong. My brother loves raspberries and so I made the Italian buttercream frosting and flavored about half of it with vanilla extract and the other half with raspberry puree (see recipes on this blog). It was every bit as tasty as it looks!

Dry Ingredients

• 8 ½ ounces (1 ½ cups + 3 T.) flour (high altitude: 9 ounces; 1 ¾ cups + 1 T.)
• 2 T. potato starch
• ½ tsp. salt
• ¼ tsp. baking soda

Liquid Ingredients

• 2 lemons
• ¼ cup sour cream
• ¼ cup heavy cream (high altitude: ¼ cup + 2 tsp.)
• ¼ cup whole milk (high altitude: ¼ cup + 2 tsp.)
• ½ tsp. vanilla extract
• ½ tsp. lemon extract (optional)

Creaming Ingredients

• ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3 ounces cream cheese
• 16 ounces (2 cups) extra-fine granulated sugar (high altitude: 15 ounces; 1 ¾ cups + 2 T.)
• 2 T. turbinado sugar (or dark brown sugar)
• 1 T. lemon zest
• 4 eggs, room temperature (high altitude: 5 eggs)
• 1 egg yolk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (335 for convection oven). Set the rack in the middle of the oven.

Zest lemons and then segment the zested lemons. Lemon zest is the very outside portion of the peel (not the white part). It is filled with the lemony flavor. There are citrus zesters you can buy, but I found that a vegetable peeler works very well. Use the peeler to lightly peel the exterior portion of the lemon peel (be careful not to get the bitter white part)--it helps to wiggle the peeler back and forth slightly as you are doing it. Then use a knife to chop up the peeled portion into pieces as tiny as possible. Segmenting lemons involves cutting all the white away from the lemon and then cutting out wedges containing only the meat of the fruit. If you are unsure, an internet search will yield directions (and even video) on how to do these things.

Measure the dry ingredients into a bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside. Measure the liquid ingredients into a separate bowl and whisk to combine. Don't try to break up the lemon segments—the mixer will take care of that.

In the bowl of a stand mixer (using the paddle attachment), cream together the butter, cream cheese, sugars, and lemon zest on lowest speed until it starts sticking to the sides of the bowl. (This is a very important step. Be sure to do it on the lowest setting. It takes about 5 minutes for this step.)

With mixer still on lowest speed, add the eggs one at a time followed by the yolk. Allow to fully incorporate after each addition. Stop the mixer and scrape sides of bowl.

With mixer still on low speed, add the dry ingredients and liquid ingredients alternating, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. This should take about 60 seconds in total (3 to 5 steps of alternating adding). Don't wait for the ingredients to be fully incorporated before adding the next.

Stop the mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl. Mix on medium speed for 15 to 20 seconds.

Prepare the pans. For 9-inch-round cakes, grease and flour only the bottom of the pans; do not spray the sides. For cupcakes, grease or use cupcake liners (also lightly spray the top of the cupcake pan to help release any overflowing crowns). For Bundt pan spray generously with nonstick spray. Deposit batter equally into each 9-inch round and smooth with spatula (for cupcakes, fill cups ~2/3 full; for Bundt cake fill to ~3/4 full). Bake 9-inch rounds for 30 minutes (high altitude: 35 minutes); Bundt cake 45-50 minutes (high altitude: 50 minutes); cupcakes for 22 minutes (high altitude: 32 minutes). Test for doneness by inserting a toothpick into center of cake. Cake is done when there are just a touch of crumbs clinging to the toothpick. The cakes edges may pull away from the pan. Allow to cool to room temperature, 25-30 minutes, before carefully removing from pan. For Bundt cake, allow to cool 5-10 minutes before removing from pan. May be wrapped in plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to 5 days prior to frosting (not necessary, but if you are cutting it into a four-layer cake it will be much easier to work with when cold).

Banana Cake

I made this cake at the request of Erin. It is from Cake Love by Warren Brown and he calls it "Mr. Banana Legs." It reminds me of banana bread, but sweeter. It is a unique and tasty cake. As the pictures above show, I served it with powdered sugar. I could also see it being good as cupcakes or a round layer cake served with frosting.

Dry Ingredients

• 10 ounces (2 cups) flour (high altitude: 10 ¾ ounces; 2 cups + 2 T. + 2 tsp.)
• 1 T. potato starch
• 1 T. turbinado sugar
• ½ tsp. salt
• ¼ tsp. baking soda (high altitude: no baking soda)
• 1/8 tsp. nutmeg

Liquid Ingredients

• 6 ounces very ripe peeled bananas (~1-2 bananas)
• ¾ cup half-and-half (high altitude: ¾ cup + 2 T.)
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract

Creaming Ingredients

• ¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 21 ounces (2 ¾ cups) extra-fine granulated sugar (high altitude: 19 ½ ounces; 2 ¼ cups + 3 T.)
• 4 eggs, room temperature (high altitude: 5 eggs)
• 3 egg yolks

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (335 for convection oven). Set the rack in the middle of the oven.

Measure the dry ingredients into a bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside. Measure the liquid ingredients and combine in a food processor or blender for ~30 seconds. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer (using the paddle attachment), cream together the butter and sugar on lowest speed until it starts sticking to the sides of the bowl. (This is a very important step. Be sure to do it on the lowest setting. It takes about 5 minutes for this step.)

With mixer still on lowest speed, add the eggs one at a time followed by the yolk. Allow to fully incorporate after each addition. Stop the mixer and scrape sides of bowl.

With mixer still on low speed, add the dry ingredients and liquid ingredients alternating, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. This should take about 60 seconds in total (3 to 5 steps of alternating adding). Don't wait for the ingredients to be fully incorporated before adding the next.

Stop the mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl. Mix on medium speed for 15 to 20 seconds.

Prepare the pans. For 9-inch-round cakes, grease and flour only the bottom of the pans; do not spray the sides. For cupcakes, grease or use cupcake liners (also lightly spray the top of the cupcake pan to help release any overflowing crowns). For Bundt pan spray generously with nonstick spray. Deposit batter equally into each 9-inch round and smooth with spatula (for cupcakes, fill cups ~2/3 full; for Bundt cake fill to ~3/4 full). Bake 9-inch rounds for 26-28 minutes (high altitude: 42 minutes); Bundt cake 45 minutes (high altitude: 55 minutes); cupcakes for 22 minutes (high altitude: 32 minutes). Test for doneness by inserting a toothpick into center of cake. Cake is done when there are just a touch of crumbs clinging to the toothpick. The cakes edges may pull away from the pan. Allow to cool to room temperature, 25-30 minutes, before carefully removing from pan. For Bundt cake, allow to cool 5-10 minutes before removing from pan. May be wrapped in plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to 5 days prior to frosting (not necessary, but if you are cutting it into a four-layer cake it will be much easier to work with when cold).

Chocolate Pound Cake

Deliciously chocolate pound cake from Cake Love by Warren Brown. This was a big hit with all the family members who tried it. Delicious on it's own or served with ice cream. To dress it up a bit, consider sifting powdered sugar on top.

Dry Ingredients

• 10 ounces (2 cups) flour (high altitude: 11 ounces; 2 ¼ cups + 2 T.)
• 2 ounces (1/2 cup + 2 tsp.) unsweetened cocoa powder (high altitude: 2 ¼ ounces; ½ cup + 3 T.)
• 2 T. turbinado sugar (or dark brown sugar)
• 1 tsp. potato starch
• ¾ tsp. salt
• ¼ tsp. baking soda

Liquid Ingredients

• ½ cup (4 ounces) sour cream
• ¾ cup + 1 T. whole milk (high altitude: ¾ cup + 3 T.)
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Creaming Ingredients

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 24 ounces (3 cups) extra-fine granulated sugar (high altitude: 21 ounces; 2 ¾ cups + 2 tsp.)
• 4 eggs, room temperature (high altitude: 5 eggs)
• 3 egg yolks, room temperature

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (335 for convection oven). Set the rack in the middle of the oven.

Measure the dry ingredients into a bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside. Measure the liquid ingredients into a separate bowl and whisk to combine.

In the bowl of a stand mixer (using the paddle attachment), cream together the butter and sugar on lowest speed until it starts sticking to the sides of the bowl. (This is a very important step. Be sure to do it on the lowest setting. It takes about 5 minutes for this step.)

With mixer still on lowest speed, add the eggs one at a time followed by the yolk. Allow to fully incorporate after each addition. Stop the mixer and scrape sides of bowl.

With mixer still on low speed, add the dry ingredients and liquid ingredients alternating, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. This should take about 60 seconds in total (3 to 5 steps of alternating adding). Don't wait for the ingredients to be fully incorporated before adding the next.

Stop the mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl. Mix on medium speed for 15 to 20 seconds.

Prepare the pans. This recipe can be made into cupcakes or baked in a Bundt pan. Spray very well with nonstick cooking spray. Fill Bundt pan about ¾ full. Level the batter with spatula. (Cupcake cups should also be filled about ¾ full). Bake Bundt for 50-55 minutes (high altitude: 60 minutes); cupcakes for 15 minutes (high altitude: 32 minutes). Test for doneness by inserting a toothpick into center of cake. Cake is done when there are just a touch of crumbs clinging to the toothpick. Allow to cool until you can hold the pan in your bare hands (5-10 minutes) and then remove cake and allow to fully cool.

Chocolate Butter Cake

This is another delicious cake recipe from Cake Love by Warren Brown. It makes a delicious chocolate cake--that you can spruce up with the frosting of your choice. So far I have tried it with the Coconut Buttercream and the Pecan Crunch Buttercream. The picture above was taken as I was assembling the cake with Pecan Crunch Buttercream.

Dry Ingredients:

• 7 ounces (1 ¼ cups + 2 T.) flour (high altitude: 7 ¼ ounces; 1 ¼ cups + 3 T.)
• 2 ounces (1/2 cup) unsweetened cocoa powder (high altitude: 2 1/8 ounces; ½ cup + 1 T. + ½ tsp.)
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 ½ tsp. baking powder (high altitude: 1 tsp.)

Liquid Ingredients:

• 1 cup half-and-half (high altitude: 1 cup + 2 ½ T.)
• 1 T. vanilla extract

Creaming Ingredients:

• ¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 14 ounces (1 ¾ cups) extra-fine granulated sugar (high altitude: 13 ounces; 1 ½ cups + 2 T.)
• 4 eggs, room temperature (high altitude: 5 eggs)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (335 for convection oven). Set the rack in the middle of the oven.

Measure the dry ingredients into a bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside. Measure the liquid ingredients into a separate bowl and whisk to combine.

In the bowl of a stand mixer (using the paddle attachment), cream together the butter and sugar on lowest speed until it starts sticking to the sides of the bowl. (This is a very important step. Be sure to do it on the lowest setting. It takes about 5 minutes for this step.) If using a vanilla bean, scrape out seeds and add to the creaming butter and sugar.

With mixer still on lowest speed, add the eggs one at a time followed by the yolk. Allow to fully incorporate after each addition. Stop the mixer and scrape sides of bowl.

With mixer still on low speed, add the dry ingredients and liquid ingredients alternating, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. This should take about 60 seconds in total (3 to 5 steps of alternating adding). Don't wait for the ingredients to be fully incorporated before adding the next.

Stop the mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl. Mix on medium speed for 15 to 20 seconds.

Prepare the pans. For 9-inch-round cakes, grease and flour only the bottom of the pans; do not spray the sides. For cupcakes, grease or use cupcake liners (also lightly spray the top of the cupcake pan to help release any overflowing crowns). Deposit batter equally into each 9-inch round and smooth with spatula (for cupcakes, fill cups ~2/3 full). Bake 9-inch rounds for 28 minutes (high altitude: 35 minutes); cupcakes for 22 minutes (high altitude: 20 minutes). Test for doneness by inserting a toothpick into center of cake. Cake is done when there are just a touch of crumbs clinging to the toothpick. The cakes edges may pull away from the pan. Allow to cool to room temperature, 25-30 minutes, before carefully removing from pan. May be wrapped in plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to 5 days prior to frosting (not necessary, but if you are cutting it into a four-layer cake it will be much easier to work with when cold).

Coconut Buttercream

I used this Coconut Buttercream with the Chocolate Butter Cake recipe to make a German chocolate cake for my dad's birthday. I put Chocolate Pastry Cream between two of the center layers of the cake. All recipe's are from Cake Love by Warren Brown.

Milk Mixture:

• 2 cups whole milk
• 3 ounces (1/2 cup) unsweetened coconut flakes
• 7 ounces (3/4 cup + 2 T.) extra-fine granulated sugar

Yolk Mixture:

• 6 egg yolks
• 2 ounces (1/4 cup) extra-fine granulated sugar
• 3 T. potato starch
• ¼ cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter

Flavorings and Butter:

• 3 ounces (1/4 cup) muscavado or dark brown sugar, packed
• ½ tsp. imitation coconut flavor (to taste)
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter, chilled

Separate the yolks into a large bowl. Add the 2 ounces of sugar and the potato starch and whisk to combine. Add the 2 ounces of butter, but do not stir in. Set aside.

Measure the milk mixture ingredients into a 2-quart, heavy-bottomed saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Turn off the heat and let the mixture steep for 10 minutes.

Return the milk mixture to a simmer over medium heat. Once it reaches a simmer, slowly pour it into the yolk mixture, whisking slowly in small circles at first and ending with broader strokes until fully combined (it may be helpful to put a damp towel underneath the bowl or to have someone hold it to prevent it from sliding while you stir). Pour the mixture back into the saucepan.

Return the saucepan to the stove and heat over medium heat, whisking constantly but not rapidly, for about 4 minutes (high altitude: 3 minutes). The key is to keep the pastry cream moving so it won't scorch on the bottom of the saucepan. When you begin to see lava bubbles—large, slowly forming bubble that burp steam—reduce the heat to the lowest setting and whisk briskly for 1 minute to pasteurize the pastry cream.

Pour the pastry cream into the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the wire ship attachment. Add the muscovado, coconut flavor, and vanilla extract. Whip the pastry cream on high speed until it's cooled to room temperature, about 4 to 5 minutes. Reduce the mixer speed to medium-low and add the butter, 1 tablespoon at a time. Whip on medium speed until smooth, about 2 to 3 minutes.

Note: This frosting is called BUTTERcream for a reason—it has lots of butter. The butter makes it thicker, but you can get away with adding less butter. I recommend experimenting with it to see what you like best, as far as consistency and flavor. I think you could get away with adding 3 sticks of butter instead of 4 (maybe even less).