Dump Cake Recipes – A Dutch Oven Is Great For Baking Dump Cakes!

Every year about 20 of us go on an annual camping trip. However, this year I am bringing along a surprise for the group. I have recently purchased a new, Dutch oven for cooking an easy and different meal. A person can get tired of eating only hamburgers and hot dogs for a week. My oven comes with a complete, Dutch oven cookbook. As I was going through the cookbook, I found some truly fantastic recipes that I want to try. My favorite is the dump cake recipe. When I first read the name “dump” cake, I was not sure what I was expecting. I certainly was not expecting what the recipe produced.

The recipe was originally created to be cooked by kids. Therefore, making it lives up to its name. The dump cake recipe is quick and easy and can be made with two main ingredients in four easy steps.

Dump cake ingredients:

A can of your favorite fruit
A box of white cake mix
Butter (optional)
Non stick spray (optional)

Four easy steps:

Step 1 – open a can of fruit and empty it into the bottom of your Dutch oven. Do not forget to pack the can opener. You may also want to spray the oven with a non-stick spray. This will help keep the cake from sticking to the bottom of the pan.

Step 2 – poor the box of white cake mix evenly over the fruit. If you desire, you can place slices of butter of top of the cake mix.

Step 3 – place your Dutch oven over the open coals and place some coals on top of the oven.

Step 4 – bake until the cake is golden brown and crust is formed around the edges.

Using a Dutch oven to cook your meals over an open fire takes some skill. You need to understand how and when adding and removing coals will affect the dish that you are cooking. You will want to practice using the oven to make sure you get the feel of how it handles temperature changes. Especially, when making the dump cake recipe. Burning the bottom will ruin the taste. That is the last thing you want while you are camping out.

New Healthy Dessert Recipes Choices The Whole Family Will Love!

Everyone has a sweet tooth. No matter how healthy your lifestyle is, there will come a time when you will want something sweet to eat. The key to staying healthy and satisfying your sweet tooth is in the choices you make. The hardest thing to do is to stay away from those desserts that are high in fat, sugar and calories. There are healthy dessert recipes that contain foods that are naturally enriched with sugar. Eating healthy does not mean you have to totally go without any form of dessert or sweet snacks.

Here are a few, simple healthy dessert recipes for you to tryout:

· Fruit & yogurt parfait - while this may not be a cookie, it will satisfy your sweet cravings. Using yogurt that is low in sugar, you will want to alternate between layers of yogurt and your favorite fruit.

· Frozen yogurt – instead of going to your favorite yogurt shop and purchasing a yogurt with all the toppings, you can make you own frozen yogurt. Simply, place plain yogurt into your freezer. It will freeze into a refreshing, frozen treat.

· Frozen banana bites – bananas can be used for more than just banana splits. Simply, cut a banana into bite size pieces and cover with peanut butter. Roll each piece in crushed nuts and place into the freezer wrapped in wax paper.

· Baked apples – this is a tasty treat that the entire family will love. You will simply core, and slice an apple in half. Top the apple with cinnamon, natural sugar and granola topping. Bake the apple until softened for about 10-15 minutes (or you can microwave it for 5-6 minutes).

· Tea scented mandarins - the taste will stimulate everyone’s taste buds. Put a few, orange mandarin slices in a small bowl. Then pour hot black tea over them, and drizzle with honey and cardamom.

· Pineapple coconut frappe – there is nothing like having something cool on a hot day. Simply mix pineapple, milk, coconut milk and ice cubes together until frothy.

These easy healthy dessert recipes are quick, and your family will love them. You will be able to make sure your family is eating healthy, and they make a delightful treat with any meal.

Ice Cream Cake Recipe – Cooling Off With Homemade Ice Cream Cake!

When the temperature is well pass 100 degrees, and your kids are sitting around complaining about the heat that is the best time to breakout the ice cream cake recipe. It is the cake recipe that keeps on giving. It will satisfy any sweet tooth while cooling down your body temperature. Your kids will not care which flavor combination you use, they will just be happy to have their cake and ice cream.

Making an ice cream cake sounds complicated, but an ice cream cake recipe can be easy to follow. The main ingredients are ice cream, cake batter, frosting and the toppings of your choice. You can use any flavor combination you choose, making your combination choices endless. As for utensils, you will need to make sure you have two cake pans, plastic wrap and foil.

Before you get started, you will need to put one of the cake pans in the freezer to chill. Once the cake pan has chilled you will want to line the pan with plastic wrap. This will keep the ice cream from sticking. Spread the ice cream evenly in the chilled cake pan. You will want to make sure you cover any air holes. Once that is complete, cover the pan with foil and place back in freezer.

Following the instructions on the outside of cake box, mix the cake batter. Place the mixed cake batter in the second cake pan. To keep the cake from sticking, do not forget to oil and flour the second cake pan. After the cake has finished cooking, leave it out to cool.

Once the cake has thoroughly cooled, you will be able to continue with your ice cream cake recipe. Take the ice cream cake pan from the freezer, and place it on a freeze proof platter, then place the cake on top of the ice cream. Once both cakes are aligned, you can start decorating the cake anyway you see fit. About this time, your kids will be begging for a piece. Once everyone has had a slice make sure to place the cake back in the freezer otherwise you will have a mess on your hands.

In this video, Betty responds to the request of a viewer, demonstrating how to make a gorgeous, delicious Pound Cake with a Sugar Glaze Topping. Also, this cake has a little surprise inside for a lucky guest!

Ingredients:

1 stick butter
1/2 cup shortening (This may be another stick of butter or margarine or 1/2 cup cooking oil, etc.. I use a blended oil-canola oil blended with vegetable oil.)
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 cup buttermilk (I made my buttermilk from a buttermilk mix.)
3 cups self-rising flour
2 teaspoons lemon extract
1 teaspoon almond extract

Cream a stick butter and 1/2 cup additional shortening with 2 cups sugar. Beat well. Add 4 eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add 3 cups self-rising flour to the mixture, alternately with 1 cup of buttermilk, until flour and buttermilk are used up. Mix well after each addition. Stir in 2 teaspoons lemon extract and 1 teaspoon almond extract. *** For a “Lucky” cake, at this point, add 1 whole almond to some spot in the center of the cake. (For children, use a raisin–no choking!) The piece of cake served with the almond (raisin) is considered “lucky!”*** Pour batter into a greased and floured 10-inch tube pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour and 5 minutes. I placed an oven rack toward the center of the oven and removed the other rack before preheating oven, because the tube pan needs a lot of space. I also placed a sheet of aluminum foil over the top of the cake pan for the first 45 minutes of baking. When I removed it, the top of the cake was pale, so I let it brown up for 7 minutes, and then returned the foil to the top of the pan for the remainder of the baking. Test for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the cake, and, if it comes out clean, the cake is done. Remove the cake from the oven, and let it cool in the pan for at least 10 to 15 minutes. I let mine cool for about 3 hours. Run a thin knife around the outside of the pan and around the tube. Then, remove the cake from the pan, put it on a nice serving dish, and let it cool completely. This cake may be eaten as is, or you may ice it with your favorite icing. I used a sugar glaze (below).

Ingredients for Sugar Glaze:

2 1/2 cups of confectioner’s sugar (more or less)
3 tablespoons water (You may use any appropriate liquid–milk, fruit juice, etc.)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract or almond extract, optional (I did not add any extra flavoring, but, for this cake, almond flavoring would be nice.)

Combine the 2 1/2 cups confectioner’s sugar with 3 tablespoons liquid, and mix until smooth. Pour or spoon the glaze as desired. For this cake, it it nice to let it dribble off the top edge on the outside and down the center. I think you will enjoy this cake on many occasions!!! –Betty

Warm days in the summer, sometimes make me miss the snow. The cool wind chills on my face, the sound of the ice crunching beneath my boots are just some of the things I miss the most. Since I can’t fast forward the months, the only thing I can do is make a tasty dessert that reminds me of the winter snow, such as this Snowball Cake.

This is a really fun recipe to bring the children into the kitchen too. They can help mix the cake batter and sprinkle the coconut flakes (make sure that their hands are clean first!). Plus, this cake is adorable! Make cleanup easy by mixing and baking the cake batter in the same bowl!

Prep Time: 15 min Total Time: 2 hr 20 min Makes: 16 servings Nutritional Information 1 pkg. (2-layer size) devil’s food cake mix 1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened 1 egg 2 Tbsp. granulated sugar 1 pkg. (3.4 oz.) JELL-O Vanilla Flavor Instant Pudding 1/4 cup powdered sugar 1 cup cold milk 1 tub (8 oz.) COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, thawed 1 cup BAKER’S ANGEL FLAKE Coconut   PREPARE cake batter, in 2-1/2-qt. ovenproof bowl, as directed on package; scrape side of bowl. Beat cream cheese, egg and granulated sugar until well blended; spoon into center of batter in bowl. BAKE 1 hour 5 min. or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool cake in bowl 10 min. Loosen cake from bowl with knife; invert onto wire rack. Remove bowl. Cool cake completely. MEANWHILE, beat dry pudding mix, powdered sugar and milk in medium bowl with whisk 2 min. Stir in COOL WHIP. Refrigerate until ready to use. PLACE cake on plate; frost with pudding mixture. Cover with coconut. Keep refrigerated.

Blueberries are great as cereal and yogurt toppings. At least that’s what I mainly consume them with. I nearly forgot that blueberries can also make intensely great cheesecake toppings too! This PHILADELPHIA Blueberry Crown Cheesecake is fairly simple, yet it has the traditional components of a classic cheesecake since you’ll need your oven. If you’re having trouble finding fresh blueberries at your local market, just substitute them with a 16 ounce bag of frozen blueberries or a 15 ounce can of canned blueberries.

Prep Time: 15 min Total Time: 5 hr 15 min Makes: 16 servings Nutritional Information

Just look at that picture! The cream cheese and peanut butter mixture looks so heavenly! With this Chocolate-Peanut Butter Cake recipe, you can jazz up your regular devil’s food cake mix with just three simple steps. So easy, yet so tasty! It deserves two thumbs up! If you’re watching what you eat, don’t skip out on this recipe, just prepare as directed, using PHILADELPHIA 1/3 Less Fat Cream Cheese and COOL WHIP Lite Whipped Topping. If you like our recipes, why not follow @LoveMyPhilly on Twitter today and get all the latest updates on our recipes? We’d love to Tweet with you!

Prep Time: 20 min Total Time: 50 min Makes: Makes 24 servings. Nutritional Information

I have to admit, the first thing that pops into my head when I hear “Key Lime Cheesecake” is not the word “Quick.” When I looked at the steps for this Quick Key Lime Cheesecake, I had to read it twice because it only has two super easy steps! This recipe sounds too good to be true! This cheesecake is awesome if you’re in a hurry and need to bring a dessert dish that will stun your audience. Trust me; they’ll think you spent more than 10 minutes crafting this wonderfully, cool cheesecake.

Prep Time: 10 min Total Time: 10 min Makes: 8 servingsNutritional Information

Oat Bran Muffins have the nutty flavors of oat bran and whole wheat flour, that are enhanced by brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, molasses, orange zest and raisins. This is the muffin I make when I have a real hunger that only a food rich in fiber will satisfy. They contain both an insoluble fiber (whole wheat flour) and soluble fiber (oat bran) which gives you that wonderful full feeling. And yet, Oat Bran Muffins are low in fat, just two tablespoons of canola oil for 12 muffins, so you can eat more than one and not feel guilty.

As I am sure you know, there are two types of bran muffins, wheat and bran. Both types of bran are high in fiber and minerals and both come from the outer casing of a grain, only wheat bran comes from the wheat berry, and oat bran is from the oat. In the past wheat bran muffins were the most popular, that was until the health benefits of oat bran (said to reduce blood cholesterol) started being talked about more and more. I like both wheat and oat bran muffins, and often have both on hand. You may want to try these low fat Blueberry Wheat Bran Muffins, or these Wheat Bran Muffins, that allow you to store the batter in the refrigerator for a few days so you can make muffins on demand.

Oat Bran Muffins are simple to make. It will only take about ten minutes to get the muffins into the oven. The wet ingredients are placed in one bowl, the dry ingredients in another. The wet ingredients include the choice of using either molasses or honey. Both have a soft and sticky texture which makes the muffins moist and tender, but molasses has a more robust flavor than the mild flavor of honey. Don’t be surprised that when you mix the wet and dry ingredients together the batter is very thin which will cause the raisins to sink to the bottom of the muffins when baked.

A few notes on ingredients. If you are unfamiliar with whole wheat flour it is flour that is milled from the entire whole wheat berry, so it still contains its bran (fiber) and its germ (rich in oil, protein, iron and vitamins). This makes it rich in fiber and it also has a nutty toasted flavor. Oat Bran is the outer casing of the oat and, as I said above, is high in soluble fiber. When buying oat bran, make sure it is labeled “100% oat bran” with no other ingredients added. It is now readily available in most grocery stores, often located either on the cereal isle, along with the rolled oats, or in the organic food section. Another place you can find it is in health food stores.

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This European-style Apricot Tart shows how good perfectly ripened fruit can taste. Fresh apricots are such a treat so when we use them in our baking we want a dessert that brings out their wonderfully sweet and acidic flavor. I believe this tart does just that. It takes fresh apricots, with their skins still intact, cuts them into thick wedges, gently tosses them with just sugar and salt, and arranges them on a platform of buttery crisp pastry. I love how this tart looks after it is baked, the pastry is a lovely golden brown color and the apricot wedges are soft with beautifully caramelized tips. No one will be able to resist a slice of this tart, especially when served warm with a small scoop of vanilla ice cream.

The pastry used for this apricot tart is made from a mixture of flour, a little sugar, salt, butter, and ice water. It has a high ratio of fat to flour which gives the pastry its crisp and crumbly texture and buttery flavor. No tart or pie pan is needed here, for this is what we call a free form tart. That means the pastry is rolled out, the fruit is arranged on top, and then the edges of the pastry are folded up and over the fruit. It is the perfect backdrop for fresh fruit at its prime. I have used the same technique for this Peach Tart, and this Raspberry Tart. The secret to its success is to bake it in a hot oven so that the pastry bakes and browns quickly and the fruit softens, yet still retains its shape.

It doesn’t seem that long ago that we had to content ourselves with dried apricots as fresh were almost impossible to find, unless you were fortunate enough to live near an orchard. This lovely orange colored stone fruit is native to China but it eventually made its way to California where most of this fruit is now grown. When you look at an apricot you can see its resemblance to the peach. Its has that same round shape, albeit smaller, and fuzzy outer skin which some like to remove, but I don’t, especially for this tart. Both of these fruits also have that characteristic “suture” that runs from stem to blossom end, which serves as a guide for cutting the fruit in half to remove its inner seed. And let us not forget the apricot’s flesh, sweet and juicy with a touch of tanginess that never fails to delight. When buying apricots, smell and feel each piece of fruit. They should smell of apricots and feel firm, yet have a slight give when you press gently on its shoulders. Make sure there are no bruises, cuts, or soft patches on the apricots.

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There are a lot of ways to make a Cherry Pie. During the summer months, I like to use either sweet or sour fresh cherries. But in the dead of winter, when I have a hankering for a homemade Cherry Pie, I use either canned or bottled sour cherries. Cherry Pie, made either way, is delicious, and the perfect dessert, especially when served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Just as you can use different types of cherries to make a Cherry Pie, you can also use different types of pastry crusts. If you have a personal favorite, by all means use it instead of this recipe for Pate Brisee, which is a short crust pastry. Pate Brisee is a combination of butter and flour with a little salt and sugar added for flavor. Water binds all the ingredients together and you end up with a pastry that has a wonderful buttery flavor and crumbly texture. I have chosen a top crust that is in the form of pastry stars which makes for a very festive pie, especially at your next 4th of July celebration. (This innovative idea comes from Martha Stewart excellent new books called ‘Martha’s Stewart’s Baking Handbook’.) If you prefer, though, you could use a lattice crust (like this Strawberry Rhubarb Pie) or you could simply have just a round of pastry (like this Apple Pie) with a few slits cut into the pastry.

As I mentioned above, there are two types of cherries that can be used to make a Cherry Pie, sweet or sour, with many varieties within each classification. The type of cherry used will affect how much sugar is added to the cherry filling. I find that sour cherries need the full amount of sugar given in the recipe, whereas a little less is needed for sweet cherries. Be sure to taste and adjust the amount of sugar. What I will say if you are using fresh cherries, either sweet or sour, is that they should be pitted. And the easiest way to pit cherries is to buy a cherry pitter, a very inexpensive and effective tool. Along with the cherries and sugar, the filling has a little tapioca to thicken the cherry juices, salt to bring out the cherry’s flavor, a little vanilla extract, Kirsch, and lemon juice (to prevent discoloration). The cherry pie is baked until the crust is golden brown and the cherry juices are beginning to bubble. Let the pie cool on a wire rack for at least an hour before cutting. Serve with vanilla ice cream.

Other cherry recipes on the site you might try, Cherry Tart, Cherry Cake, and Cherry Clafoutis. All use the wonderful sweet yet tangy flavored Bing Cherry. When buying Bing cherries look for plump and shiny fruit with a deep red, almost black, color. They should be firm to the touch with no soft spots, and their stems should still be attached.

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Fresh cherries means Summer has arrived. While some fruits can now be found in grocery stores year round, cherries are still seasonal. For this very reason we must use them to their full potential whenever we have access to this symbol of perfection. Of course, when talking about sweet Bing cherries, we have to first get our fill of eating them raw. For then, and only then, can we begin to even think about using them in our baking. There are several sweet cherry recipes that I return to every summer, Cherry Clafoutis, Cherry Cake, and this European-style Cherry Tart. This tart has a lovely fluted pastry shell made with a buttery crisp short crust pastry, that is filled with a delicious almond flavored cream (Frangipane) and sweet Bing Cherries. And what makes this tart especially pretty is its shiny glaze of red currant jelly that make the cherries glisten.

The short crust pastry I have used for this tart is Pate Brisee, a combination of butter, flour, sugar and salt with water added to bind all these ingredients together. It is easily made in your food processor and after chilling the dough, it is rolled into a round and placed in a fluted tart pan. The pastry shell does not need to be prebaked, so just cover and refrigerate the pastry while you make the almond cream and pit the cherries. The almond cream, also known as frangipane, is a combination of sugar, butter, eggs, and almond meal that has a wonderful sweet almond flavor that pairs well with cherries. (You can buy almond meal (flour) which is blanched almonds that are finely ground. But if you cannot find it simply take blanched almonds and process them in your food processor, with the 1 tablespoon of flour, until finely ground.) Once the cream is spread onto the unbaked pastry shell, the next step is to pit the cherries.

First, when buying Bing cherries look for plump and shiny fruit with a deep red, almost black, color. They should be firm to the touch with no soft spots, and their stems should still be attached. Pitting of cherries is always a tedious job and the task is made easier if you have a cherry pitter. However, if you do not own such a tool, than you need to do it by hand. The easiest way I have found to do this, is to make a small slit in the cherry, with a small sharp knife, from the stem end to the bottom of the cherry. Then, using the tip of the knife or your thumbnail, remove the pit. This process is best done over a bowl so any dripping juice will fall into the bowl and not stain your countertop. The pitted cherries are evenly placed on top of the frangipane and the tart is baked in a hot oven until the crust is golden brown and the cream is puffed and light brown in color. Cool the baked tart and then brush the red currant glaze on the cherries. Glazing the fruit is done for a couple of reasons, to keep the fruit from drying out and to make is wonderfully shiny. This Cherry Tart is excellent served warm or at room temperature, although leftovers can be covered and refrigerated.

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Betty Crocker Recipes

Ingredients:

1/2 cup cold butter
1 pouch (1 lb 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker® oatmeal cookie mix
1 egg
1 cup finely chopped peeled apple
3/4 cup caramel topping
1/4 cup Gold Medal® all-purpose flour

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Spray bottom of 13×9-inch pan with cooking spray.

2. In large bowl, cut butter into cookie mix using fork or pastry blender. Stir in egg until mixture is crumbly.

3. Reserve 1 1/2 cups cookie mixture. Press remaining cookie mixture into bottom of pan. Bake 15 minutes. Sprinkle apple evenly over crust. In small bowl, mix caramel topping and flour; drizzle over apples. Sprinkle reserved cookie mixture over apples.

4. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely, about 2 hours. For bars, cut into 9 rows by 4 rows.

High Altitude (3500-6500 ft): Heat oven to 375°F. In step 4, bake 23 to 28 minutes.

If you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you may remember my banana split birthday cake from last year. The layers were hummingbird cake (banana and pineapple) without the cinnamon. I filled it with whipped cream, fresh sliced strawberries, and chocolate ganache. I frosted the whole thing with whipped cream and topped it like a real banana split with cherries, sprinkles, and more chocolate drizzled over the whole thing. It was a freaking masterpiece, if I may say so myself. So last Saturday when my birthday rolled around again, I knew I wanted to give this cake another try.

Stephanie L. and I baked the cake layers Friday afternoon. I just wasn’t satisfied with the way the cake looked. It barely rose at all, and it felt way too dense. Just for reference, I looked up a hummingbird cake recipe in Southern Cakes and noticed it was exactly the same except it used baking soda instead of baking powder, as well as a lot less oil. I had already tweaked last year’s recipe to use less oil, but I had a feeling the leavening was wrong. So we made it AGAIN using baking soda this time. It rose more, and the soda made the cake brown faster, which looked a lot prettier (even though it would soon be smothered in whipped cream). Don’t worry! We didn’t waste the first attempt. Even though they were dense I know they’ll still taste yummy, so I threw them in the freezer for later use.

To celebrate my birthday, we all stayed at my parents’ camper at Sunset Beach Resort on the Easter Shore. “We” including myself, Josh, my parents, two of my aunts, two of my cousins, and a handful of my parents’ friends. We had such a blast! My family knows me so well, because I didn’t ask for anything at all for my birthday, and all of my gifts were still amazing. I got a bread maker, a popcorn machine, an angelfood cake pan, a digital picture frame, a BUNCH of underwear (there’s an inside joke, don’t worry), two Queen cd’s, and obviously there was a sale on hand soaps at Bath & Body Works! ;P My dad made ribs on the grill with THREE different kinds of BBQ sauce he got from Quaker Steak & Lube. They were so yummy! When it was time for the cake, everyone raved about how beautiful it was. My dad tasted it and said that when we have our own bakery we’re gonna call it the “$1M cake” and charged $79.95 as an introductory price! Haha, I dunno what neighborhood he thinks that bakery is gonna be in with wallets that big! Lol, anyway this tweaked recipe is definitely the one that’s going into our family cookbook!

All I got was a cell phone picture, sorry! I totally forgot about taking pictures until we were about to walk out the door!
Here’s what it looked like last year…

Banana Split Cake
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups white sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup vegetable oil
2 cups diced bananas
1 (8 ounce) can crushed pineapple
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup chopped finely walnuts

Whipped cream
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
3 cups cold heavy cream
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

Chocolate sauce
6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
6 ounces heavy cream

Fresh sliced strawberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease three 8-inch round cake pans and line bottoms with parchment paper.

Combine flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. In another bowl, combine eggs, oil, bananas, pineapple, vanilla, and walnuts; stir until moistened. Do not beat.

Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, or until lightly browned and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Invert and remove pans. Cover cakes with a lint-free kitchen towel to finish cooling.

While cakes are cooling, make chocolate sauce. Combine chocolate chips and cream in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave on high in 30 second intervals, stirring each time, until chocolate is almost melted. Continue stirring until chocolate is completely melted. Let cool until slightly thickened.

When cakes are completely cool, make whipped cream. Whisk the sugar and cornstarch together in a small saucepan and slowly whisk in 1/2 cup of cream. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat, whisking constantly until the mixture thickens and resembles pudding, 2-3 minutes. Let the mixture cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes. In a large bowl, whip the remaining 2 1/2 cups cream and the vanilla together with an electric mixer on low speed until frothy, about 30 seconds. Increase mixer speed to medium and continue whipping until it begins to thicken, about 30 seconds. Slowly add the cooled cornstarch mixture and continue to whip until soft peaks form (about the texture of Cool Whip), 1-3 minutes. Do not overwhip, or mixture will curdle.

Thinly spread whipped cream over each layer. Arrange fresh sliced strawberries and drizzle chocolate sauce over the whipped cream. Frost the whole cake with whipped cream and drizzle more chocolate on top. Add maraschino cherries and sprinkles for decoration.

I’ve noticed that chocolate chip cookies seem to be one of the most controversial desserts when it comes to finding the “perfect recipe.” Some people like them chewy, some people like them crunchy. Some people prefer to use melted butter, some like the creaming method. Some like to use brown sugar, some like to use white sugar. Some say vanilla extract is unnecessary, some say it’s a necessity. There are so many issues when it comes to the perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe! I’ll get this out of the way first: I have not found it. These “Baked” cookies (from Baked: New Frontiers in Baking) are delicious, but I have a few complaints. My first is that there are WAY too many chocolate chips for my liking. I want to be able to taste the caramely flavor of the brown sugar and the vanilla-flavored dough, but instead I get bombarded by chocolate chips in every single bite! My second and last complaint is that the cookies are just too flat. In the picture in the book, the cookies look almost cake-like. While I am extremely pleased that my cookies did not have a cakey texture, I am disappointed by how flat the were. Yes, they were chewy (which I like), but just flat, almost as if they had deflated. I guess it’s a weird complaint, but I like my cookies to have a little more volume.

I did notice something strange while I was lining my pans with parchment paper. Inside the Reynolds parchment paper box there is a recipe for chocolate chip cookies. It’s almost identical to the “Baked” recipe, but it has 1/2 cup more flour and only 12 oz. of chocolate chips. I just thought that was a funny coincidence!

PS: This recipe is brought to you by my super awesome boyfriend, Josh. I was getting ready to type the recipe into Google Docs, but I got up to get a drink. When I came back, look who was sitting in my seat doing my dirty work for me! He’s the greatest!

Chocolate Chip Cookies (from Baked: New Frontiers in Baking)
Makes 24 cookies (I used a 2-tablespoon scoop and got 33 cookies!)

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 2/3 cups (16 oz.) semi-sweet chocolate chips

In a large bowl, whisk the flour, salt, and baking soda together; set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat butter and sugars together until smooth and creamy. Scrape down the bowl and add the eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated. The mixture will look light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and beat for 5 seconds. Add half of the flour mixture and mix for 15 seconds. Add the remaining flour mixture and beat until just incorporated.

Using a spatula or wooden spoon, fold in the chocolate chips.

Cover the bowl tightly and put in the refrigerator for 6 hours.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Use an ice cream scoop with a release mechanism to scoop out dough in 2-tablespoon-size balls. Use your hands to shape the dough into perfect balls and place them on the prepared baking sheets, about 1 inch apart. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, rotating the pans once during the cooking time, until the edges of the cookies are golden brown and the tops just start to darken.

Remove the pan from the oven and cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Use a spatula to transfer the individual cookies to the rack to cool completely (although they are delicious warm). The cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Submit Your Famous Dessert Recipe!

Do you have a delightful recipe you would like to share with the world? Add it here in the comments section below. We would love do showcase your famous dessert on our blog. As a matter of fact, I would like to try out your recipe for myself! Please post your famous recipe below and THANKS in advance for sharing!

Betty Crocker Cook Book: Make it Worth Your Money

If there is any name that we all associate with great cooking, it is Betty Crocker. So if you want to find a great online cook book, then you are definitely going to want to get yourself a Betty Crocker cook book. There are actually quite a few different options available when it comes to the Betty Crocker cook book selection, and here are a few of the very best.

Everything You Need to Know to Cook Today

So if you want a really great Betty Crocker cook book, this is one of the top picks. Whether you are just a beginner getting started in the cooking world or you have been at it for years but want to basically get updated, this book is going to be perfect for you.

This Betty Crocker cook book offers detailed instruction on how to perform all the most commonly used cooking techniques and really celebrates food. It offers information on savory mainstream dishes and most notably standout chapters on desserts because that is what Betty Crocker is known best for of course.

There are beautiful designs with color pictures, detailed nutrition information plus dietary exchanges and carb choices, and much more. Everything that you would want in a cooking book you get here.

Cookbook for Women: The Complete Guide to Wellness at Every Stage of Life

Another great cook book by Betty Crocker that you may like is this one. This is a cook book that helps you not just planning meals but in planning life. You want to make sure that your husband and children are eating well, and that you are providing them not only with the nutrition that they need to get by but as well the comfort of eating as a family.

There are 130 different recipe ideas in the book and all things that you are going to love including chocolate soufflé cakes, whole grain strawberry pancakes, and chicken linguine alfredo. These are all delicious recipes that may sound a bit difficult at first but which you are sure to find surprisingly simple to prepare in your own kitchen.

If you are just getting started in cooking at least it is nice to know that you can choose from a Betty Crocker cook book so you know that you will be able to get the best results and impress all your family and friends with your cooking expertise.

Having Fun in the Kitchen with Children’s Cooking Utensils

When parents are raising their children, they will often search for ways to get them involved in every day chores in a fun way, especially when the children are young. Children’s cooking utensils are a great way to make the chore of cooking fun for kids, allowing them to participate in a grown up task (with adult supervision of course) with utensils that are just right for their age. There are some children’s cooking utensils that are designed for very young children and are not to be used for actual cooking, but are merely for the children to pretend to cook. There are other children’s cooking utensil sets that provide not only the utensils, but also an apron, chef’s hat and cook book so that they are ready to jump in and make meals and desserts in the kitchen.

Features to Look for

When searching for a children’s cooking utensil set, there are certain features to look for in the sets. One feature is to check and see what ages of children are recommended to use that particular set. There are some sets that have items that are all in plastic without any sharp edges on them so that young children are not in danger of hurting themselves. There are other sets that are designed for older children and allow them to do some slicing and chopping with their parents in the kitchen.

Another feature to look for is whether the cooking utensils come with a holder. There are some sets that are designed to fit into the apron that comes with them. In this way, the child can feel like he is a professional in the kitchen along with the parents. In other cases, the children’s cooking utensils come with a bag that contains all of the items in the set. Still other sets have a plastic or metal container that will hold all of the utensils together in one place so that the child can find what he needs when cooking or pretending to cook.

For older children, there are some cooking utensils that can be used by the parents as well. There are bamboo sets that have multiple spoons in it for mixing certain dishes, serving sauces and also salad serving equipment. In other cases, it is a set to make different shapes of cookies or sets to make cakes or other desserts so that both parents and children can utilize the materials in the set.

A Guide To Choosing A Good Cooking Recipe Software

When you need to make your work easy and organize your recipes, it is wise to consider cooking recipe software. There are so many benefits that come with getting a good version that will get you organized. First, with good cooking recipe software, you do not have to choke with paperwork. You will enter data every time you need to make your work very simple. Also, you will keep records of your recipes that can last forever. There are so many advantages to talk about. However, this article will seek to provide you with the right guidance into getting the right software. You need to know what to look for and what to avoid.

How To Choose Cooking Recipe Software

Before choosing cooking recipe software, you need to consider what you want. In other words, you need to know how you want to organize your recipes. This is because there are varieties of cooking recipe software that organize work differently. They also come with different features. If you are not sure about this, you need to find out whether you can try the product before making a purchase. Software that comes with free trials is worth looking into. You also need to consider the age of the product. A sales pitch for software might deceive you but it is worth going an extra mile and really finding out whether the product is new or not.

In many cases, new cooking recipe software will provide a better service. You also need to consider whether there is a money-back guarantee for the cooking recipe software. This is because you need to be sure of what you are buying. It is important for you to consider only those features that please you with the software. For example, you can look at all the fields available and see whether it will suit the purpose you have in mind. Some people will require diversity and will want software that is versatile. These days, recipe writers, cooks and individuals want variety of choices.

For example, many cooking recipe software will have fields for ingredients and methods. However, cooking recipe software that provides an option to include relevant cooking utensil will go a long way. Be on the look out for extra features that might be automated. You might need them and you might also not need them. The bottom line is to get something that will work well with your recipes. Remember, software is meant to make your work easier as you manage your recipe collections; if this does not happen, perhaps you need to get other software.

UPDATE: I got the good recipe from my cousin! It’s actually from a book I gave her for her birthday this year! I haven’t gotten a chance to type it yet, but here’s the scanned image.

When I got home from work yesterday I was so excited to start baking for “wing night.” I wanted to make one of my Grandma’s recipes, and I chose her Jelly Roll recipe. I was planning on tweaking it a bit by flavoring the cake with coconut and making a pineapple cream filling instead of using jelly. I attempted to translate my Grandma’s handwriting and finally came up with what looked like a perfectly delicious cake batter. I poured it into the pan, watched it bake slowly at a temperature that I had to assume because it wasn’t specified in the recipe, then I removed it from the oven to cool. On my way from the oven to my cooling rack….. SPLAT!!?!!? There it went… straight onto the floor… face down, of course!

Thankfully, my brain is pretty good at knowing what is and isn’t worth getting upset over, and this was definitely not worth it. I picked up the pieces, tossed them into the trash, thought briefly about a few negative words, then headed straight for one of my new cookbooks to choose a new recipe! I used the last of my white sugar in the jelly roll cake, so my options were narrowed down to brown sugar recipes. I chose a recipe for “Toffee Squares” in Better Homes and Gardens^® The Ultimate Cookie Book, but between you and me, I don’t recognize any toffee in this recipe. I changed the name to Chocolate Caramel Shortbread!

I hoped it would be similar to something my cousin made a few months ago. She let me have some of the leftovers, and it truly tasted like a homemade Twix candy bar! Crunchy shortbread on the bottom, chewy gooey caramel in the center, and chocolate on top. Mine, however, were not like a Twix at all. Well, maybe a factory reject Twix. The recipe called for baking the cookie layer WAY too long before the caramel went on. And it called for too much vanilla in the caramel, which created a very distracting flavor. If I made these again (I won’t! I’ll be getting my cousins recipe) I’d reduce the first baking time to 15 minutes. I’d also reduce the vanilla to only 1 teaspoon.

I’ll try to get the recipe my cousin used and post it here for anyone who wants to try it! Until then, here’s the sorry version I made…

Toffee Squares (from Better Homes and Gardens^® The Ultimate Cookie Book)
Prep: 25 min. Bake: 33 min. Chill: 30 min. Oven: 350° F
Makes: about 36 squares

3/4 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1 egg yolk
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk (1 1/4 cups)
2 tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 12-ounce package semi-sweet chocolate chips or pieces (2 cups)

Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease a 13×9x2-inch baking pan; set aside.

For crust, in a large mixing bowl beat the 3/4 cup butter and the brown sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed until combined. Beat in the egg yolk. Stir in the flour and salt until well mixed. Using flour hands, press the dough into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake about 20 minutes or until light brown (I’d probably only bake for 15 mins next time). Cool in pan on a wire rack while preparing the filling.

For filling, in a medium saucepan heat and stir the sweetened condensed milk and the 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat until bubbly. Cook and stir for 5 minutes more. (Mixture will thicken and become smooth.) Stir in the vanilla. Spread over the crust. Bake 12 to 15 minutes more or until top is golden brown.

Sprinkle evenly with chocolate pieces. Bake for 1 to 2 minutes more or until chocolate pieces are shiny and melted. Remove from oven; set on a wire rack. Using a flexible spatula, immediately spread the chocolate evenly over baked layers. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack. Cover and chill 30 minutes or until chocolate is set. Cut into squares. Refrigerate up to 3 days.