This and That

The picture above is another from our trip to Cinque Terre. With all of the World Cup excitement I am feeling a little nostalgic for our time in Italy. The last time I watched the World Cup it was at a BBQ outside of a villa-turned-apartments with my friend Giulia and her friends. My living room in not quite as memorable.

This Funfetti cake bakeoff is exactly what I need. I get overwhelmed by the shear number of recipes out there and love how analytically she presents her findings.

Lemon cake is definitely one of my top favorite cake flavors and this looks like the perfect recipe.

It feels kind of silly to be looking at fall clothes when I know it will be 90°F + for many months still, but last fall/winter I really wanted some water proof booties and these are exactly what I was looking for.

These broccoli fritters are pretty similar to veggoe tots I make for my son but honestly look much easier to make. He refuses all green foods at the moment, I’ll have to try these.

This looks like my dream coconut cake.

I recently bought a new console table for our living room and I kind of hate it, and am leaning more towards something like this table. 

Banana “Brownies”-Actually trying recipes I pin on Pinterest

First things first, this is really more of a snack cake than a brownie to me. I’m a brownie purist, and brownies = chocolate in my book. And a chewy, fudgy texture.

That said, these were fairly tasty. One of the reviews said they are more like banana bread with frosting, and I would say that is pretty accurate. Browned butter frosting to be precise.

I have actually baked these before, about 5 years ago. The 5 bananas rapidly turning brown on my counter inspired me to try them again. That and the the aforementioned browned butter frosting. I’m really into brown butter frosting these days. Frost yourself. Or your baked good rather.

Anyway, this recipe makes a huge pan, perfect for a summer BBQ. The frosting is really rich, so a small square more than satisfies even the sweetest of teeth. I can put away some sugar and one of these is more than enough for me.

 

The next time you have some bananas that are rapidly browning, try these “brownies” instead of your regular banana bread. If banana bread isn’t your thing, this Real Deal Banana Pudding is always a huge crowd pleaser.

Do you like banana bread/pudding? Weigh in down in the comments below!

 

• Servings: 20 slices
• Time: 1 hour
• Difficulty: Easy
• Print

Inspired by Banana Brownies

Ingredients

Brownies/Cake

• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 cup greek yogurt ( the original recipe calls for sour cream, I had greek yogurt in my house so I used that)
• 1/2 cup softened butter (one stick)
• 2 eggs
• 4 bananas, smashed
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda

Frosting

This is their recipe as written, I started with the same amount of butter and then just added butter,  powdered sugar and vanilla until I was happy. Don’t be like me. Follow the recipe. My frosting is a bit too sweet.

• 1/2 cup butter (one stick)
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3 tablespoons milk

Directions

Pre-heat oven 375°F. The original instructions say to use a 15×10 jelly roll pan, I used a half sheet pan. Google tells me these are similar but not the same. I put my silpat on it, but you can use parchment paper or flour and grease it.

In the bowl of your electric mixer, or a large bowl, cream butter, sugar, greek yogurt and eggs until combined. Add vanilla extract and mashed bananas. Once incorporated, add flour, baking soda. Stir to combine. Pour batter onto pan and bake for 20-25 minutes, turning the pan 180° half way through.

To make the glaze, heat the butter in a medium pot for about 10 minutes, until it turns a nice amber color and is fragrant. Add powdered sugar, and mix. It will be quite thick. Add vanilla and milk until a thick but pour able consistency is achieved. Spread over cake while the cake is still warm. Allow to cool fully before eating.

This and That

Ya’ll know what time it is! Here’s a little bit of this and that for the week. The picture above is from our trip to Cinque Terre in 2015! It feels like both forever ago and yesterday.

I’ll be making this spritz by Half Baked Harvest for 4th of July for sure.

Cookies are really doing it for me at the moment and these are next on my “to try” list.

Prosecco and Pino Grigio are my go to wines for summer, but a friend came to visit and introduced me to this Sauvignon Blanc. Not only is it refreshing, but also super affordable.

Looks like I found my dream birthday cake for next year! Note to self “learn how to decorate cakes”.

Earlier this week on instagram I tried making quesadilla’s per this method and I will never pan fry quesadillas again.

I have been putting collagen in my hot coffee every morning but really want to try these make ahead iced collagen lattes.

 

If there anything new you have tried and loved? Link it below in the comments!

(As per usual, none of this is sponsored and none of these companies know I exist).

The Cake That Tasted Like Nothing

Ohh this cake had potential. The recipe came from a trusted cookbook. I only purposely changed one ingredient. The batter (raw eggs be damned, I tried it) was delicious. The results were baffling.

The reason for baking this cake was standard: my husband wanted a chocolate cake. I always want any kind of cake, so it was time to bake a cake.

The recipe called for two teaspoons of vanilla extract. Let’s discuss how I like to add vanilla extract to my recipes: I just dump it in until I feel like I have added the right amount. Very precise.

My stand mixer is cleverly placed directly in front of my spice cabinet, so I can dump ingredients in the bowl at will, just grab, dump, replace. No counter clutter for me! This has also resulted in me making a few simple and highly preventable errors. This time, I added a decent pour of almond extract instead of vanilla. Noticing the liquid in question was clear and not the classic amber of vanilla, I immediately stopped and resumed with vanilla extract. I tasted the batter and it was quite tasty, so I called this one no harm no foul.

Fast forward to me proudly presenting my husband a slice of the chocolate cake he specifically requested. He digs in while I cut my own slice. “What do you think?” He is thoughtful. Too thoughtful. “Well, the frosting is really good. The cake doesn’t taste like anything. Not bad,  very moist, just not like anything. “. I am instantly offended, despite clearly having asked for his honest opinion. “What,?! The batter was delicious! You must be crazy.” *Takes bite* I feel the light crumb, and the cake is indeed moist. However, my husband’s description of the cake tasting like nothing is correct. It in no way offends me, but also has zero flavor. That said, I still ate half of the cake myself. Frosting ya’ll.

The frosting was fantastic, but considering it was made out of over a cup of butter and FIVE CUPS of powdered sugar, that is a given. And plus also chocolate.

Having made this cake before, I can only assume that almond extract+cocoa =bland. If you have an insane frosting you want to try, and only need cake so you don’t just eat the frosting with a spoon, make this recipe with almond extract. It will in no way compete with or overshadow your frosting.

 

In summation: pay attention and maybe actually measure your ingredients, you might notice you have grabbed the wrong one before it is too late.

 

Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Frosting

• Servings: 8 slices
• Time: 1 hour for baking, a few hours for cooling, 20 minutes to frost
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Credit=Very very slightly adapted from Nestle Classic Recipes Cookbook

Ingredients

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
• 2/3 cup cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup strongly brewed coffee, room tempurature
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons VANILLA extract

Frosting

I used this recipe from The Pioneer Woman

Directions

Preheat your oven to 350°F.  The recipe calls for you to grease and flour two 9 inch cake pans. I use Baker’s Joy which works wonderfully and makes less of a mess.

Combine dry ingredients through salt in a large bowl. Into the same bowl, add all of your liquid ingredients. Beat the batter until everything is combined, about 2 minutes. Divide evenly into your cake pans and bake for 28 minutes. Remove from oven and cool for several hours in the pans before frosting.

After your cakes have cooled, make your frosting. Flip one pan onto a plate/cake stand/wherever you want your cake and put a thick layer of frosting in the middle. Spread to the sides. Place the second cake layer on top and frost.