Peach Angel Food Cake Jars

Summer vacation is just about over. I'm enjoying these last couple days off before I head back on Monday. The girls will be following behind and begin school on Thursday. It's been a good summer though, we were able to do some traveling, spent many afternoons in the pool and most of all, just relaxed. Last week I treated them one afternoon with these adorable little jars filled with angel food cake, freshly whipped cream and the sweetest peaches you've ever tasted! They were in heaven for those few minutes it took to inhale.

I mentioned last week how I was up to my eyeballs in peaches and spent much of the week preserving them. I made sure to keep plenty for us to enjoy eating with oatmeal, yogurt and just plain. And of course, for this dessert. Dessert hasn't been occurring often around here lately, and in fact, it's often fruit or maybe a slice of pie. So these jars were a much welcomed treat by the kids.

I often rely on much lighter desserts in the summer, making fresh seasonal fruit the shining star when possible. That's what I love about angel food cake. It's light and so versatile. You can create so many delicious creations, using any fruit you have on hand. And because berries and other fruit are so sweet during these summer months, you won't be needing any additional sweeteners.  If you're feeling ambitious, go ahead and even bake your own cake. But I won't judge if you purchase one from the bakery, in fact I did exactly that for this dessert. It's too hot to be turning on the oven more than absolutely needed!

We loved eating these out of small jam jars, but don't feel you have to use those. Any small bowls or glasses you have in the cupboard will work. If you're needing a dessert to feed a crowd, combine this into a trifle dish or a large glass bowl and I'm sure it will be the star of your meal.


Peach Angel Food Cake Jars

Ingredients:
1 angel food cake, homemade or store bought
4-5 medium, ripe peaches, diced
1 pint heavy whipping cream
2 tbsp sugar

Directions:
In a medium bowl, combine whipping cream and sugar. This is easiest to do using an electric mixer, but a whisk will also do. Whisk on high until cream reaches stiff peaks, about three minutes. Set aside.

Cut cake into large cubes. To assemble trifle: gather either one large bowl or several smaller ones for serving. Layer each one with cake, cream, peaches and repeat layers. End with the diced peaches on top.

Serve immediately.

Lemon Zucchini Bundt Cake

I haven't been giving you too many desserts lately, not really on purpose, I just haven't been baking as much. Mostly because those treats pack on the pounds way too quickly and well, I certainly don't need any extra. But over the weekend, I felt we deserved a treat. And I incorporated zucchini, so that makes it better, right?

For you zucchini haters, it simply added a bit of green specks into the cake and maybe a tiny bit of extra nutrients. As far as taste, the lemon shines through for sure! I want to enjoy any last bit of summer we might have and this cake sure feels like summer.

As a baker, I don't mind spending a significant amount of time on a recipe when I'm able to. It's relaxing to me and a good way to relieve stress. But I have to admit, I love the simplicity of bundt cakes. While easy to mix up, they're still elegant enough for parties and celebrations. I topped mine with a simple lemon glaze. Whipped cream and berries are another great option or a simple powdered sugar dusting will do the trick.

Those zucchinis still sitting on the counter....add one into this cake batter. Then serve it up to the family, just because, they deserve a special treat every once in awhile!


Lemon Zucchini Bundt Cake

Ingredients:
2 sticks butter, softened
1-1/2 cups sugar
zest and juice of 1 large lemon
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup grated zucchini
3 eggs
1 tsp salt
3 tsp baking powder
3 cups flour
1 cup whole milk
1 cup sour cream

For lemon glaze:
2 cups powdered sugar
juice from one lemon


Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease or butter a bundt pan and set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in zest, lemon juice, vanilla and grated zucchini. Add in eggs, one at a time. Slowly start to add in dry ingredients, alternating with the milk and sour cream. I like to mix in salt, baking powder and then one cup of flour, then add in a little bit of the milk and sour cream. Then finish with the remaining dry and wet ingredients.

Pour batter into the prepared bundt pan, use a spatula to smooth out batter. Bake in oven for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in middle of cake comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool in pan. Once cooled, you may run a knife along edges and flip over to remove from pan.

To make glaze: Mix together powdered sugar and juice from a lemon until smooth.

Pour glaze over cake. Cut into slices to serve.

Baby Shower Fun

Over the weekend my mom and I, along with a couple other family members hosted a baby shower for my cousin. It's her first baby and this was a lot of fun to plan. Today I am going to share with you some of those details,  maybe you'll find some new inspiration if you're planning a shower.

We went with a book theme for this shower, we knew how important reading is to my cousin and how she was looking forward to starting her baby's library. My mom purchased some books to include in each table's centerpiece. We also asked each guest to bring along a book instead of purchasing a card.

Along with the books, each table had these adorable candy pacifiers we made. My mom also made these little booties out of cups. They turned out so cute!

When our guests first arrived, they had a chance to "sign in" at the Late Night Diapers basket. We encouraged everyone to write the mom and dad-to-be a note of encouragement on the diapers.  We're hoping these will help them to smile a little during those late night diaper changes.

Each place setting also had a little something fun for the guests to fill out for the parents-to-be.

My mom did a fantastic job with the food. We were expecting quite the crowd and everything was delicious. We all enjoyed barbecue pulled pork, potato salad, broccoli salad, chips and a relish tray.

I was in charge of the cake as that's sort of my specialty. Keeping with our book theme, I decided on a very hungry caterpillar cupcake cake. Plus I made plenty of mini cupcakes for everyone to munch on. I loved how this turned out, it was quite easy and so fun to make!

Overall we couldn't have been more pleased with our turnout. The shower was a complete success and my cousin received so many wonderful items for her baby boy!

Angel Food Cake

I was lucky enough to have enjoyed a three day weekend last week. After spending much of my time running around to the various activities we had planned, it was wonderful to enjoy some good ol' baking. Time in front of my mixer is a huge stress reliever for me and I don't get to do it often enough anymore.

Angel food cake is definitely a little more time consuming and one dessert that needs to be planned ahead of time. But don't feel intimidated, it's fairly easy and so worth it! This is the perfect treat to enjoy during the warm summer months when fresh berries are plentiful. But no worries, I had strawberries in the freezer from summer to use in a quick sauce. You can do the same.

It sure didn't take our family long to dig into this cake. In fact our seven year old kept asking me when it would be done.  I'm pretty sure it was worth the wait!

Angel Food Cake

Ingredients:
1 cup sifted cake flour
1-1/2 cups sifted sugar
12 egg whites
1 tsp cream of tartar
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1-1/2 tsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp almond extract

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees and adjust oven rack to the lower middle position.

In a bowl, whisk flour and 3/4 cup of sugar together. Set aside.

Beat egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer at low speed until frothy.  Add cream of tartar and salt, increase to medium speed and beat until egg whites form soft mounds. Still beating at medium speed, add in remaining 3/4 cup of sugar, one tablespoon at a time. Continue mixing until the egg whites are shiny and form soft peaks. Add in vanilla, lemon juice and almond extract.

Run flour/sugar mixture through sifter once more. Then gradually fold flour mixture into the egg whites. Gently scrape batter into an ungreased 9-inch tube pan with removable bottom. Give pan a tap on counter to release any air bubbles.

Bake in oven for 50 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and invert pan onto a bottle of some sort. Let cool completely, for 2 hours. When ready to remove from pan, run a knife around edges of the pan. Carefully slide cake out of pan and cut the same way around the bottom. Turn cake bottom side up and place on a large plate or platter.  Serve with desired toppings.

To make a quick strawberry sauce: Combine two cups of sliced berries, either fresh or frozen (be sure to thaw) with one-two tablespoons sugar. Using a spoon, stir together and let sit until ready to serve.

Ally's Virtual Baby Shower

Today it's all about babies, baby girls to be specific and of course good food! Yudith from Blissfully Delicious and I are hosting a virtual baby shower for our good friend Ally over at Ally's Sweet and Savory Eats. Ally is due with her third baby any day now and it's girl #2 for her family. We are all so happy and excited for her, and it's with great pleasure that I introduce you to some amazing Iowa food and lifestyle bloggers that helped in planning this little party!

Michelle from Simplify, Live, Love is starting us off with these gorgeous looking strawberry yogurt cupcakes. Michelle lives in the same town as Ally, where her family is building their own passive house. It's an awesome story and I think you'll love following along their journey too.  It won't be long before strawberry season is here in Iowa, what a perfect summer treat these cupcakes would be!

Kierstan of Life in Iowa brings us this beautiful Lemon Poppy Seed Cake with Fresh Lemon Curd. I had the privilege of meeting Kierstan back in November at our Iowa Blogger Meet-up, she's quite the amazing baker and has a fabulous dream of opening her own bakery some day. You'll definitely want to make this cake.

Finally, I have brought a rich, decadent chocolate cake to the party. I first made this over a year ago for my godmother's birthday. It reminds me of a cake that my own grandma would make growing up, unfortunately I never got the recipe from her but I think it's pretty darn close. I especially love the fluffy marshmallow frosting, it compliments the cake quite well.


Now it's time for you to head over to Blissfully Delicious and see what everyone else brought to the party! I think we've definitely got Ally's cravings covered here today.


Devil's Food White-Out Cake

Ingredients:
1-1/3 cups flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
10 tbsp butter, softened
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 oz. unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup boiling water
2/3 cup mini chocolate chips

For the frosting:
4 egg whites
1 cup sugar
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
1 cup water
1 tbsp vanilla

Directions:
Lightly spray grease two 6x2-inch round cake pans and set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl cream together butter and both sugars until light and fluffy. Add in eggs and beat in well. Mix in the vanilla. Reduce speed to low and mix in melted chocolate.

In another bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Once the chocolate is fully incorporated, gradually add in dry ingredients to the cream mixture, alternating with buttermilk. You should start and end with the dry ingredients. Batter will be thick at this point. Slowly add in boiling water, then fold in chocolate chips.

Divide batter between the two prepared pans. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool for at least 15 minutes before trying to remove from pans.

When cakes have cooled completely, using a serrated knife and a gentle swaying motion, carefully remove the top crown of each cake. Then again using same technique, slice cakes in half.  Set aside until ready to assemble.

To make frosting: Add egg whites to a dry mixer bowl. Make sure to have a candy thermometer close by.

Put sugar, cream of tartar and water in a small saucepan, stir to combine. Bring mixture to a boil over medium heat, cover pan and let boil for 3 minutes. Uncover and continue to let boil until syrup reaches 242 degrees on the candy thermometer. While syrup is cooking, start beating the egg whites.

Once the thermometer reaches 235 degrees, start beating egg whites on medium speed with the whisk attachment. Once egg whites form stiff, shiny peaks reduce speed to low, slowly pour in the hot syrup, making sure to pour in between the beater and side of the bowl. Don't worry if you get splatters on the sides of the bowl, just keep going. Add in vanilla and keep beating whites at a medium speed until they cool to room temperature, about 5 minutes. You'll then have a smooth, shiny, marshmallow frosting.

To assemble cake: Place bottom layer of cake onto a prepared cake board or platter. Using a long spatula, cover the layer generously with frosting. Top with a second layer of cake, again add more frosting. Repeat with a third layer of cake. Finish with the final fourth layer of cake. Frost sides and top of cake, don't worry about getting the frosting completely smooth.

Crumble the top crowns of cake that you set aside from earlier. Cover the entire cake with the chocolate cake crumbs, pressing gently into the filling and using your fingers. Cover cake loosely and chill in fridge for at least one hour or overnight if you have time.

Slightly adapted from: Baking: From my Home to Yours

Chocolate Mug Cake

In recent months I've stumbled upon the idea of baking individualized desserts in the microwave. They've certainly been around for years, anything from a single chocolate chip cookie, to brownies, to cake. Seriously brilliant!

How many times do you crave just a tiny bit of dessert, but don't want to mess with making a whole pan? I make myself give them all away so I'm not tempted by it in the house. Or the girls want to make something on their own, but I really just don't feel like dealing with a big mess at the moment.  Enter in this cake...

A single serving of decadent chocolate cake, but wait. Not just any chocolate cake, one with a filling in the middle. A filling you can decide on, all on your own. Maybe it's a chocolate hazelnut spread, peanut butter or my personal favorite, biscoff cookie spread.

Yup, that's what I stuffed into mine. The middle is warm and gooey. It's not too sweet, just enough to satisfy any craving. And the kids can make these all on their own, of course with adult supervision. They loved measuring and stirring in the ingredients, and of course pushing the buttons on the microwave. These are a definitely a new favorite in our house!


Chocolate Mug Cake

Ingredients:
2 tbsp flour
1 tbsp sugar
2 tsp cocoa powder
pinch of salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp milk
1 tbsp canola oil
1 tbsp biscoff cookie spread {peanut butter or Nutella}

Directions:
In a regular sized coffee mug, stir together all dry ingredients well. Add in milk and oil and stir together to combine. Drop choice of filling right in the center of batter.

Microwave for 1 minute. Remove from microwave and enjoy!

Adapted from: Made from Scratch

Kit Kat Barrel Cake

Sunday we ended up celebrating the Super Bowl at our house, it was sort of a last minute decision but definitely a lot of fun. We had my husband's side of the family along with my parents over. Everyone pitched in with food, especially my mother-in-law and I stayed within terms of our spending strike.

Without going into too much detail, because I do plan to post on Friday our progress from the first week; we've done great so far. I did our regular grocery shopping on Friday so I had plenty on hand to make up a few appetizers for the game with no problem.

The girls helped me make this cake. I have this huge bag of M&Ms leftover from Christmas time when I was working on a cookie order. I've made one of these cakes before and thought it would be a fun addition to our spread.

I love it not only because it's so easy to decorate, it's a great cake for any occasion. Since M&Ms come in  many fun colors for all of the holidays, you can easily coordinate it to your theme.

For our cake, we stuck with a classic chocolate cake and chocolate buttercream. Lots of chocolate all in one dessert, can't get any better than that! Most everyone took a plate of cake home with them since we were stuffed to the gills. It's better that way, I didn't want to be tempted with cake all week!

Kit Kat Barrel Cake

Ingredients:
2-layer chocolate cake, baked and cooled
10 packs regular size Kit Kat bars
M&Ms
Ribbon
Cake board or platter of some sort to place cake on

Chocolate Buttercream:
2 sticks butter, softened
2-lb. bag powdered sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup chocolate flavored milk powder {Nesquik, Ovaltine, etc}
Heavy cream or milk, for thinning

Directions:
To make buttercream: In the stand of a large mixer or a large bowl, cream together butter and vanilla extract. Gradually start adding in powdered sugar and both chocolate milk powder and cocoa. Alternating with each other. I only use about 3/4 of the powdered sugar. Thin with either heavy cream or milk to your desired consistency.  Set aside when done.

To assemble cake: Trim tops of both layers of cake. Place one layer on prepared cake board, plate or platter. Add a big dollop of frosting to the middle and spread evenly. Top with the second cake layer.

Frost the entire cake, sides and top with the chocolate buttercream. Should look like this:

Carefully unwrap all of the candy bars and break them apart into individual pieces. Start lining each piece around the cake. You should have a couple pieces leftover. Sprinkle M&Ms on top of cake. Tie a ribbon around the cake if desired.

Serves 12-15, depending on how big you cut your slices.

Banana Nut Coffee Cake

I teased you all on Facebook last week with this photo. My mom texted me before church last Sunday and asked if we'd like a pan of banana coffee cake if she made it. Of course! So before the blizzard like conditions set in for the night, we made a quick trip over to their house to grab this pan.

Amazing is one way to put it. I've fallen in love with this new recipe. Apparently she's been busy selling this at the deli she manages. I can understand why!

It's not like your traditional cinnamon coffee cake, but rather a banana cake with a sweet, nutty topping. It's perfect for breakfast, snack, dessert, really anytime throughout the day. I'm pretty sure you won't be able to stop at just one piece either...really.


Banana Nut Coffee Cake

Ingredients:
3/4 cup shortening
2 eggs
5 tbsp milk
3 ripe bananas, mashed
1-1/2 cups sugar
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla

Topping:
1 stick butter, cubed
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 cup chopped nuts {my mom used walnuts, but pecans would be good too}

Directions:
In a large bowl, cream together shortening and sugar until light and fluffy. Add in eggs, milk and mashed banana. Gradually mix in flour and baking soda. Add vanilla extract and beat well to combine.

Pour into a lightly greased 9x13-inch cake pan and set aside.

In a bowl combine brown sugar and nuts for topping. Cut in cold, cubed butter until crumbly. Sprinkle over cake batter.

Bake at 350 degrees for 40 mins. or until toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean. Remove from oven, let cool just a bit before serving.

Mini Lemon Cakes

It sure was nice to have a long weekend, take a break from blogging, I didn't have any cake orders for the weekend and got a lot done around the house. We spent much of our Saturday putting up Christmas lights outside and decorating inside the house.

Saturday I also took some time to make up a salad and these lemon cakes for a family at our church. They had lost their mom to cancer earlier in the week and were having  the service on Saturday afternoon. It was great to see our church all come together to rally around the family during this difficult time.

I haven't made these in years but thought they would be perfect for individuals to grab and snack on. They'd be perfect for any holiday party coming up and they make so many.  I love just about anything lemon, the cakes itself are moist and bursting with fresh lemon flavor. The lemon glaze on top is just enough without making them too heavy or sweet.

Mini Lemon Cakes

Ingredients:
12 tbsp butter, softened
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp lemon extract
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Grated lemon peel from 1 lemon
1-1/2 cups flour

Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp lemon extract
splash of milk for thinning

Directions:
In a large bowl cream together butter, cream cheese and sugar. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Add in lemon juice, extracts and lemon peel. Gradually mix in flour.

Taking a small cookie scoop, divide batter among wells of a mini muffin pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool completely. Repeat with remaining batter.

To make glaze, combine all ingredients in a bowl and whisk together. Place a sheet of parchment paper underneath a wire rack. Once cakes are completely cool, dip tops in glaze. Place cakes on wire rack and let dry completely before serving.

Makes about 4 dozen.

Weekend Recap

We had a very busy weekend, mostly spent preparing for our 6-year olds birthday party. I decided to only do a friend's party this year, which would be her first, also thinking if it wasn't in my house it might take some of the work load off of me. I was wrong. It's still a lot of work, especially when you make the cake, etc yourself. But it's so worth it, it always is!

She's never been a fan of cake, well more the frosting than anything. As a cake decorator in my spare time, this somewhat saddens me. I spend all that time making her a beautiful cake and she doesn't want to eat it. But she loves fruit, all my girls do! I've seen a few of these fruit "cakes" on other sites, I knew this was the route to go with her.

It was a huge success! The whole thing went over very well with her friends, I only brought home a tiny bit of watermelon leftover. I felt good about feeding them something healthy and I bet their parents didn't mind either. Don't worry though, I didn't deprive them of all sugar. I sent home an adorable flower shaped cookie on a stick I decorated. Of course I forgot to take a picture of them though. So disappointed!

Friday night I let the girls decorate their own cookie with leftover buttercream. They had fun, got a little silly and went overboard with the frosting a bit!

Sunday after church we headed back to the in-law's to pick even more pears. This batch I'm sending home with one of my daycare moms, I know she'll be able to put them to use. I've been busy working on pear sauce when I can but I've still got a bunch. I need to think of some other ways to use them up. Feel free to send any ideas my way!

In the afternoon our oldest participated in her first ever Color Dash 5K. She had so much fun, and wanted me to let her stay that way the remainder of the day ha ha!

Silly girl! After a couple showers I think she was about all cleaned up.

Well it's back to the grind today. It's been a relaxing few weeks at night but now we're getting back into our normal fall routine. Cross country meets, bowling league and dance classes. Busy busy, but I love it! Have a great Monday everyone!

Peach Blueberry Cake

Let me tell you, it's felt like one crazy week. Besides the girls starting school yesterday and everything that went along with that; I've also been busy processing forty pounds of peaches. But that's a post for another day.

So yesterday our oldest two daughters headed back to school, starting 1st and 8th grade. I'm honestly sad to see summer go, I love each and every day with my girls and always feel blessed that I'm able to work from home and be here for them. At the same time, it was a much needed break as well to have the house so quiet yesterday! With only our three year old home, it was peaceful.

She was a big helper in the kitchen, we had fun trying out some new recipes yesterday in attempt to use up the last of our peaches.

I made this on Sunday for dinner with my parents. It's a very unique dessert and everyone loved it. I don't know if cake is the correct term, it's made in a springform pan just as a cheesecake would be. The dough itself was almost like sugar cookie dough, yes I did taste it :)

When baked through the flavor and texture did remind me of pound cake. The middle is filled with lots of fresh blueberries and peaches and we enjoyed our slices with scoops of vanilla ice cream. It really was a perfect dessert for a warm summer day!

I would definitely recommend saving this dessert for an occasion when you can serve it all at once, having no leftovers. It's best enjoyed the day it's made and even while warm. Because there is so much fruit filling, there is some liquid and it just doesn't keep for very long.

Peach Blueberry Cake

Ingredients:
3 cups flour
1 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 sticks butter, cold and cubed
2 eggs
1-1/2 tsp vanilla

for the filling:
3/4 cup sugar
3 tbsp flour
2 tbsp quick-cooking tapioca
6 peaches, pitted and sliced
1-1/2 cups blueberries
Juice from one half of lemon

Directions:
For the dough, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt into food processor. Pulse just to combine. Add in cubed butter and process until mixture is crumbly. Add in eggs and vanilla, process just until dough forms into a ball.

Remove dough and transfer to a 9-inch springform pan, press dough out covering the bottom and evenly up the sides. Place pan in fridge to chill while you make the filling.

In a large bowl, stir together sugar, flour and tapioca. Add in sliced peaches, blueberries and lemon juice. Toss everything together to coat fruit well. Spoon filling into prepared pan. Cover pan with foil, place on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour and 45 minutes. Filling should be bubbling and crust will be golden brown by this time. Remove from oven to let cool at least 20-25 minutes before removing sides of the pan. Serve with ice cream or whipped cream if desired.

Slightly adapted from: Annie's Eats

Peach Skillet Cake

We had a very nice weekend, but they always seem to go by so fast! Saturday's softball tournament filled our entire day and we were pretty tired by evening, our daughter's team ended up taking first place so that was exciting. Yesterday we spent a couple hours at the pool and got caught up on some chores around the house. Other than that it was a pretty relaxing day, it felt good.

The previous Sunday a good friend of ours invited us over for an impromptu barbecue. Of course I don't ever like to go anywhere empty handed, I couldn't decide whether to make a side dish or a dessert. I had a few ripe peaches staring at me on the counter so it was pretty obvious I needed to go the dessert route.

I love this cake, it's a perfect summer treat and a good way to incorporate delicious peaches. It also comes together very quickly and I love that I can bake it in a skillet. You'll most definitely want some fresh whipped cream or vanilla ice cream to serve alongside this, it takes it up another notch and makes this dessert even more divine.

Peach Skillet Cake

Ingredients:
4 eggs, separated
1/2 stick butter, cubed
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
2 peaches, peeled and sliced
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1 cup cake flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup milk
2 tbsp. melted butter
1-1/2 tsp. vanilla

Directions:
Place egg whites in a large bowl and let sit at room temp. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a 10-inch ovenproof skillet, melt 1/2 stick of butter. Stir in brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Remove from heat, arrange peach slices in one layer over brown sugar mixture and sprinkle with pecans.

In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. In a medium bowl, whisk egg yolks together until slightly thickened. Gradually add in sugar, whisking until thick and a lemon color. Whisk in milk, melted butter and vanilla. Fold in to the flour mixture.

Using an electric mixer, beat egg whites until stiff, but not dry. Fold into cake batter. Pour batter into skillet over peaches. Bake for 27-30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean. Let cake cool for at least 10-15 minutes before inverting onto a plate. Serve either warm or at room temperature with whipped cream or ice cream.

Blueberry Breakfast Cake

I love this cake, I'd eat a piece everyday if I could but then that wouldn't be good for my waist now would it?  Josh's aunt and uncle from Missouri were in town last weekend, we had a nice brunch planned for Sunday morning with his entire family. I brought this breakfast cake along. I also brought home an empty dish.

I came across this recipe over a year ago, I've made it a few times since and can't believe I have yet to share it with you.  It's one of the best I've ever tried, but then again I love just about anything with blueberries added in. Oh and the lemon zest kicks it up to a whole 'nother level!

I decided to include a little bit of whole wheat flour and we loved it just as much. In fact I'm sure no one could even tell. I'm still a little nervous when it comes to baking with whole wheat flour, I don't know why though. Each time I'm always impressed and everything turns out great. Mixing half and half is a great place for me to start and then I can eventually decrease the amount of all-purpose flour I'm baking with. Small steps.

For now though, you need to make this. Make it for a special breakfast tomorrow to celebrate Independence Day. Maybe add some raspberries in for red, or serve strawberries alongside.


Blueberry Breakfast Cake

Ingredients:
1 stick butter, softened
Zest of 1 lemon, or half of large
3/4 c sugar (plus 1 tbsp for topping)
1 egg
1-1/2 tsp vanilla
1 c all-purpose flour (set aside 1/4 c to toss with blueberries)
1 c whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1-1/2 c frozen blueberries (fresh would be fine too)
1/2 c buttermilk plus 2 tbsp

Directions:
Cream butter, sugar and lemon zest together in a large bowl.  Add in egg and vanilla. Toss blueberries with reserved 1/4 cup flour, set aside.  In another bowl, mix together 3/4 cup all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, baking powder and salt. Gradually add to cream mixture, alternating with buttermilk. Fold in blueberries, mix until just combined. Add in up to 2 tbsp of additional buttermilk if needed to thin batter a little, batter will be pretty thick though.

Lightly grease an 8x8-inch baking pan. Spread batter into pan. Sprinkle with extra 1 tbsp sugar for topping. Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until center is done. Let cool for a few minutes before serving.

Adapted from: Alexandra's Kitchen

Weekend Recap

We spent our weekend up at the river celebrating my mother's 50th birthday. But first, Friday was the last day of school for the girls. The school year sure did fly by! We made this flower pot for my kindergartner's teacher who we just love dearly. Gracie painted the whole thing (I did do one extra coat of yellow) and then I did the writing but she did a very good job making this herself. I also let her pick out the flowers.

Friday was a lot harder on her than I ever imagined. She became really attached to her teacher this year and just loves her. When she got off the bus she immediately burst into tears. So it took us a little while to calm down. It just breaks my heart to see her so upset.

Today she's still a little upset but I think by the end of the week she'll be happy to have a little break and enjoy her summer. I sure am happy to have them around me more!

Anyways so we had a two hour drive Friday night before we arrived at my parent's cabin. My youngest brother and his girlfriend followed behind us. My mom had no idea we were coming, as soon as we got there, we walked down to their friend's cabin where they all were talking, etc. I can't believe she still couldn't hear us walking up on the gravel, but we stood there for a good minute before she turned around and seen the group of us standing there.

It was great to see her expression, she was so shocked! We had a nice little get together planned for Saturday night. I took care of the salads, appetizers and of course cake. I was afraid of transporting a large tiered cake that far so two smaller cakes were easy enough and they went over very well!

The first cake is a vanilla cake with strawberry fruit filling and topped with fresh strawberries. One of my very favorite ones to make!

Next we have a chocolate cake with a snicker filling: caramel buttercream, chopped snickers and more caramel drizzled on top. It's then covered in regular buttercream, I love this design! It's really so easy to make.

I think I was so busy with everything that I completely forgot to take many pictures over the weekend. We had a great time though. The girls had so much fun, stayed up way too late both nights and up pretty early. Last night I was happy to be in bed by a decent time.

Check out these fun new pans my mom found at a garage sale. All for $2! She's always on the look out for extra baking pans for me.

Coconut Vanilla Wafer Cake

Can you believe Easter is less than a week away already? I'm hoping most of our snow will be gone by the weekend, although I bet any egg hunts the kids have will be held indoors this year.

I experimented with some new recipes this weekend and they all turned out great, believe me that's not always the case! I've had my eye on this cake for awhile, I found it in an old-fashioned cookbook I stole borrowed from my mother a long time ago. Coconut cake seems to be a traditional Easter dessert but I loved how this one incorporated vanilla wafers into the batter in place of traditional flour.

I love this simple cake, it's good enough to eat alone but we served ours with some fresh whipped cream. Ice cream would be great too. It's very moist and yet a little chewy alongside the edges. I could definitely taste the vanilla wafers, the pecans and coconut were an extra bonus. I think even if you're not a coconut fan, you'd still enjoy a slice. Simply omit the pecans if nuts aren't your thing.

If your Easter menu is still in the works, take this cake into consideration. It's very easy to whip together and everyone enjoys a scrumptious slice of cake for dessert!


Coconut Vanilla Wafer Cake
Ingredients:
2 sticks butter, softened
2 c sugar
6 eggs
12 oz. box vanilla wafers, crushed
1-1/2 c flaked coconut
3/4 c chopped pecans
Whipped cream or ice cream for serving

Directions:
In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add in eggs, two at a time, beating well after each addition. Add wafers alternately with milk. Fold in coconut and pecans. Pour into a greased 10-inch tube pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hr 15 mins, testing after 1 hour. Cool in pan for 15 mins before removing to a serving plate. Serve with whipped cream or ice cream if desired.