Tag Archives: baking

Dark Chocolate Espresso Cookies

Posted on August 22, 2013 by Ruthanne

Dark chocolate cookies infused with espresso powder. Once you’ve had one you will be craving a plateful!!! They are really easy to make, and since they are a cut-out cookie they can be made in any shape you want. Aren’t the plain round ones so fun though???

Here’s how to make them: (printable recipe)

INGREDIENTS: (makes 36 medium cookies)

2 sticks (1 cup) butter, softened
1 1/2cups sugar
2 eggs
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 teaspoons instant Espresso Powder
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

DIRECTIONS:

Cream together butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl.
Mix in eggs and then cocoa.
Place vanilla and Espresso Powder together in a small cup until coffee dissolves. Add this mixture to the batter and mix until completely incorporated.
Gradually add dry ingredients and mix until smooth (use clean hands at the end, to knead into a soft ball of dough)
Wrap in plastic and chill for at least one hour.
Allow cookie dough to soften a little at room temperature
Preheat oven to 350F degrees.
Roll out cookie dough on floured counter.
Cut into desired shapes and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Bake for 8 to 11 minutes until the edges are firm.
Gently slide parchment paper off of cookie sheet and onto a flat surface. Cool completely before removing cookies from paper.

You can serve these cookies plain, or with a little cocoa powder sprinkled on top, or you can ice them.

I iced these with royal icing that I added a little espresso powder to.

For my royal icing recipe and techniques, click here.

To get the tiny heart shape at the center I used a little melted chocolate. While the icing is still liquid, pipe a little circle just a bit above the center of the cookie. Use a tooth pick to pull down through the icing and the chocolate, making a heart. Allow the icing and chocolate to harden completely. Enjoy!!

My thoughts: These are SO GOOD!!!! I’m on a diet….and I wanted to eat them all….but I didn’t. I gave them away. sigh.

These are simple to make and probably the easiest cut-out cookie dough I’ve ever worked with. Not sticky or fussy at all! I adore anything with coffee in it, so I would add even more espresso powder next time. Make them to your taste by adjusting the amount you add. Paired with a cup of coffee, they are just…..perfect! Enjoy!!! ~r

A few other desserts that would go well with your coffee:

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Posted in Cookies and tagged baking, beautiful cookie, best cut out cookie recipe, chocolate, chocolate cookies, cocoa, cocoa powder, coffee, Cookie, cut out cookie, dessert, espresso, espresso powder, instant espresso, mocha, recipe, royal icing, royal icing recipe, sweets. Bookmark the permalink.

Red Velvet Cookies with Cream Cheese Icing

Posted on August 16, 2013 by Ruthanne

These rich red velvet cookies are covered in a smooth cream cheese icing. Add a glass of milk and you have the perfect dessert!

I like to experiment in the kitchen. Usually it takes a few tries before I get something exactly the way I like it (ok, sometimes more than a few tries!) These cookies were perfect the 1st time. They are just beautiful cake-like cookies right out of the oven, and they are sooo easy to make. They honestly could stand alone if you aren’t an icing fan. The cream cheese icing is incredibly yummy though….so if you are like me and want icing on everything you eat, be sure to try this one!

Here’s how to make these yummy cookies: (printable recipe)

INGREDIENTS: (makes 24 medium cookies)

Cookies:

1 cup brown sugar
1 stick (1/2 cup) of butter (softened)
1 egg (beaten)
1/2 cup evaporated milk
Red food coloring (to desired shade)
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 squares (1 oz. each) of unsweetened baking chocolate (melted)
1 teaspoon of vanilla

Icing:

4 oz (1/2 package) cream cheese (softened)
1/4 cup of butter (softened)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
dash of salt
2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup white chocolate chips (melted)

DIRECTIONS:

Cookies:

Preheat oven to 375F degrees.
Cream together butter and brown sugar.
Add egg and blend well.
Put evaporated milk into a small bowl and stir in food color until a deep shade of red.
Add dry ingredients, alternating with the red evaporated milk. (I used a mixer at this point to fully incorporate the red)
After batter is well combined, add the vanilla and melted chocolate and blend on low speed until completely combined.
Cover cookie sheets with parchment paper and use a medium cookie scoop to spoon dough on sheets.
Bake at 375F degrees for 10 minutes.
Slide cookies off sheet with parchment paper and allow them to cool on paper completely.

Icing:

On medium speed, beat together cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and salt until creamy.
Gradually add powdered sugar, beating until smooth.
Melt white chocolate chips in the microwave in 30 second increments, stirring between, until smooth.
Add melted white chocolate to icing and beat on low until completely combined.
Place in a zip-top bag fitted with a decorating tip and pipe frosting on top of cooled cookies.

My thoughts: These are easy and really so moist and flavorful. Perfect with a cold glass of milk or a cup of coffee! Hope you enjoy them! ~r

Other fun cookie ideas:

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Posted in Cookies and tagged baking, best red velvet, cake-like cookies, chocolate, cookies, Cream Cheese, cream cheese icing, dessert, easy cookies, frosting, Red velvet, red velvet cookies, vanilla icing. Bookmark the permalink.

Malted Milkshake Cupcakes

Posted on August 9, 2013 by Ruthanne

Dark chocolate cupcakes topped with the creamiest malt frosting ever. Like a malted milkshake minus the cup!

I have an addiction to chocolate malts. Not chocolate shakes, just malts. The creamy, chocolatey kind that you drink through a striped straw at the pool. My mom makes the best chocolate malts ever. They are really simple to make, but there’s just something about her leaning out of the patio door and asking, “Anyone want a malt?” that makes me smile. It’s one of our summer traditions.

{Her easy recipe? Ice cream, malt powder, cocoa and milk~ a blender full of ice cream plus cocoa and malt to taste, and milk to desired consistency}

I wanted to make a frosting that tastes like a malt. It took me a couple of tries, but I finally hit the mark. It’s wonderfully creamy and smooth. It is also a very soft whipped icing that must be kept refrigerated because it has milk in it, and because it will not keep a pretty piped finish if it gets warm.

Believe me, the flavor and texture are worth it!

Here’s how to make these yummy cupcakes! (printable recipe)

INGREDIENTS:

One boxed dark chocolate cake mix (plus water, eggs and oil to make according to box)
4 packets of Dream Whip
1 1/2 cups of cold milk
6 Tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder
6 Tablespoons of malt powder
1/2 -1 cup of powdered sugar (to desired consistency)

DIRECTIONS

Make cake mix according to box and bake in 24 cupcake liners placed in muffin tins.
Cool cupcakes completely.
Put Dream Whip, milk, cocoa powder, malt powder and powdered sugar into a mixing bowl and blend together.
Using a mixer, beat until stiff peaks form (3-4 minutes)
Add extra powdered sugar if needed, to desired consistency. This is a soft whipped frosting, so it won’t be the consistency of a stiff buttercream~ even with lots of powdered sugar. (believe me, I tried!)
Spoon frosting into a zip-top bag fitted with a decorating tip and pipe frosting on cupcakes.
Refrigerate until serving and just before serving add a malted milk ball and sprinkle with cocoa powder if desired for garnish.

ENJOY!!!

My thoughts: these are *almost* as good as my moms malts. This frosting is really yummy. It would be a great filling for a layer cake too~ or even a filling for cupcakes. You could fill chocolate cupcakes with this and then just spoon some chocolate ganache over the top. Oh the possibilities! Hope you get to try these and enjoy them as much as we did! ~r

More recipes you might like:

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Posted in Beverages, Cupcakes and tagged baking, chocolate, chocolate cake mix, cocoa powder, cupcake, cupcake liners, dessert, dream whip, fun cupcakes, malt, malt balls, malted milk, malted milk balls, milkshake, muffin tins, recipe, summer dessert, unique cupcakes, whipped frosting. Bookmark the permalink.

Raspberry Lemon Cream Cups

Posted on August 2, 2013 by Ruthanne

These adorable chilled lemon and raspberry treats are creamy, sweet summer dessert perfection!

I love lemon and raspberry together and I just couldn’t resist trying a new flavor combination in my mini cheesecake pan ! The sweet raspberries and tart lemon cream are a perfect ending to any meal! Want to try them???

Here’s how: (printer friendly recipe)

Ingredients:

40 Nilla Wafers
4 Tablespoons of melted butter
1 package (4-serving size) of instant lemon pudding
1 1/2 cups of cold milk
1 container of Cool Whip topping
2-3 cups of fresh raspberries (about 60 berries)

Directions:

In a food processor or a large food chopper, crush Nilla wafers to fine crumbs.
Add melted butter to crumbs and pulse a few more times to combine.
Prepare mini cheesecake pan by placing metal disks in the bottom of each cup.
Evenly divide crumbs between all 12 cups.
Press firmly into bottom of each cup using a mini tart shaper or the end of a wooden spoon.
In a large mixing bowl, combine cold milk with packet of pudding mix. Beat on medium for 2 minutes.
Mix in HALF of the Cool Whip topping (the rest will be used on top once dessert is frozen, so you can return it to the refrigerator).
Spoon/pour pudding mixture into a large zip-top bag and carefully clip a corner off.
Pipe filling into each cup, covering crust and filling only half way.
Place 4 to 5 fresh raspberries on top of filling in each cup.
Pipe filling over raspberries until it reaches top of cup (be sure to push filling down around berries and not just on top of them). You will probably have a little lemon filling left at the end. I can tell you from experience that Nilla Wafers dipped in this filling are AMAZING!!
Use a knife to level the tops of each cup.
Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for several hours (or overnight!)
Once frozen, (and just before serving) allow pan to warm just slightly at room temperature and then use your fingers to push up on metal disk and push each dessert out of the pan.
Remove metal disks from bottom crust.
Pipe remaining Cool Whip on top and garnish with remaining raspberries on top.

These can be served frozen, or allowed to warm at room temperature for a little while before serving. Don’t leave them at room temperature for longer than an hour or so, or your crust will start to get soggy!

My thoughts: I cannot even think of the words to describe how yummy these little cups are. Plus they are EASY to make and quick (except for the freezer time, of course!) If you do not have a mini cheesecake pan, you can make these in cupcake liners in a muffin tin…or you could get a mini-cheesecake pan and add to the fun in your life. I absolutely love mine!!! So many possibilities!!

Other recipes that use the mini-cheesecake pans:

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Posted in Easy recipes, Frozen desserts and tagged baking, cool whip, cream, dessert, dessert cups, fresh raspberries, fruit dessert, lemon, lemon pudding, mini cheesecake pan, Nilla wafer crust, nilla wafers, pudding mixture, raspberry, recipe, summer desserts. Bookmark the permalink.

Key Lime Layer Cake

Posted on July 23, 2013 by Ruthanne

Moist cake layered with buttercream and tart key lime filling. A perfect summer treat!

Key lime pie is one of my favorite desserts. It’s just so refreshing and fun! Whenever I am pondering the question of what dessert to try in a restaurant I am always caught between chocolate and anything key lime.

I’ve already done a few key lime recipes here on Easybaked, but never a cake. Until today…..

The key lime filling is tart, but the sweet buttercream layered with it makes each bite a refreshing treat!

Here’s how to make it: (printable recipe)

INGREDIENTS:

One boxed yellow cake mix (with eggs, oil and water to make according to package)
1 cup of key lime juice
1 can (14 oz) of sweetened condensed milk
1 egg
2 sticks (8 oz.) of salted butter
2 sticks (8 oz.) of unsalted butter
3 cups of powdered sugar
2 teaspoons of clear vanilla
1/4 cup crushed graham crackers

DIRECTIONS: (make filling 1st to save time)

Cake:

Make cake mix according to package and bake in two 8 or 9 inch round pans.
Turn cakes out of pans onto a cooling rack and cool completely.

Filling:

In a medium mixing bowl blend together key lime juice, sweetened condensed milk and egg until combined.
Pour into a small casserole dish and bake at 325F degrees for 15-20 minutes until center is set.
Cool completely (I make this 1st and place it in the fridge while I make the cake and frosting)

Frosting:

In a large mixing bowl, add softened butters, powdered sugar and vanilla.
Beat on high for several minutes until frosting is light and very fluffy.

Putting the cake together:

Trim the tops of cakes to make them flat using a large serrated knife.
Cut each cake into 2 layers using the same serrated knife.
Place 1st layer on a serving plate and lightly layer with frosting.
Spread 1/3 of the cooled key lime filling over layer
Place 2nd layer on top and repeat until last layer has been placed on top.
Frost entire cake (top and sides) with buttercream frosting.
Crush a few graham crackers and gently press the crumbs along the sides of the cake.
Decorate as desired. I used little dollops of extra frosting and little lime green chocolates.

(Aren’t they cute?!?)

My thoughts: I love this cake so much! It’s not only one of my favorite flavors, but it’s pretty and it holds together so well and cuts beautifully! If you love key lime like I do, this is the cake for you! I hope you get a chance to try it!!! Enjoy! ~r

Other layer cake recipes you might enjoy:

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Posted in Cakes and tagged baking, buttercream, cake, cake mix, dessert, easy cake, food, frosting, key lime, key lime filling, key lime juice, key lime pie, key lime recipes, layer cake, recipe, sweetened condensed milk, sweets, yellow cake, yellow cake mix. Bookmark the permalink.

K-cup Cupcakes

Posted on July 19, 2013 by Ruthanne

These mini vanilla cupcakes are topped with the yummiest fondant and decorated like Keurig K-cups! So fun!!!

My friend and coworker Mary just got a new job. When I was thinking about her going-away party I just kept wondering how I could make a dessert that looked like a K-cup coffee pod. Mary is known in our lab as the K-cup supplier. Anyone who finds themselves without a coffee pod can find one in Mary’s supply…she literally orders by the case online and at any given time she has maybe 10 different flavors. Now that she’s gone we really miss her (and her coffee!)
This is less of a recipe and more of an “idea” post. It was a good chance for me to practice with the fondant recipe my friend Megan gave me a couple of months ago and a fun little art project to challenge my (terrible!) painting skills!

(It was also really a fun project to take pictures of!!!)
Want to know how to do this crazy edible art project?
Here it is:

Make thick buttercream icing and fondant first. It’s easiest if I just send you to my original fondant recipe for the tutorial and directions. Just click here to open that page.
For the cupcakes just use your favorite cupcake recipe (which for me was a white cake mix!)
I used little cocktail nut cups as my cupcake liners, because they look like the sides of the K-cup pods, but you could certainly use mini white cupcake liners.
Place the liners in mini muffin tins and fill about halfway up with cake batter (under-fill them a little, so that the tops bake relatively flat and not mounded up like a typical cupcake)
Bake according to your recipe. My mini cupcakes baked for 12 minutes at 350F degrees.
Color fondant as desired and roll it flat. Cut it into circles that are the size of the cupcake tops. I used a small round cookie cutter.
Use thick buttercream to frost a smooth layer on the top of a cooled cupcake and then immediately press a fondant circle on top of the buttercream.
Cut colored fondant into any shapes you might need on top and use a small amount of water to attach these shapes to the top of the fondant circle.

Once those extra pieces are attached, use a small brush to wipe away excess powdered sugar and then use gel food coloring and a fine tipped brush to paint on the fondant. I used an actual pod as a model to paint from.

(note: you might need to add a little white food coloring to the dark colors to make them show up- otherwise your dark blues and greens will look like black when used as paint.)

Be creative and use your imagination! I just pulled all of my pod flavors out and tried to pick ones that were fun – but also ones I thought I could handle copying! I wanted to do a Starbucks pod- but that logo…! Yikes. No way I could paint anything that looked like that!!

My thoughts: These aren’t what I would qualify as easy, but they are really a fun afternoon project. Very relaxing. I’m POSITIVE you all can paint better than I, and if you like to just create and paint and color you will love this project! Take your time and enjoy the process. (and don’t actually try to brew one- lol! I had someone ask me about that and I had to explain that the above picture is simply a creative presentation of a cupcake!!)

I’m dedicating this post to you Mary!! I miss working with you and I hope your new coworkers realize how lucky they are to have you!!!

This is also a shout out to Keurig and the genius of those delicious little coffee pods– you make every morning so much happier for me!!! Lots of love from Easybaked to all of you! ~r

Other mini desserts you might enjoy:

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Posted in Cupcakes and tagged baking, coffee pod, cookie cutter, creative recipe ideas, cupcakes, dessert, fondant, fondant recipe, food, food coloring gels, fun cupcakes, Keurig cupcakes, Keurig K-cups, muffin tins, powdered sugar, vanilla, white cake mix. Bookmark the permalink.

S’mores Cookie Cups

Posted on July 12, 2013 by Ruthanne

These mini graham cracker cookie cups are overflowing with soft marshmallow and chocolate~ a perfect replica of the summertime favorite~ in cookie form!!

These little cookie cups were eaten up faster than any dessert I can remember. You simply can’t stop at one! I guess that’s because they are made with all the ingredients used in S’mores! The marshmallow stays soft, and the soft chocolate layer on the inside….? Oh my.

Here’s how to make them: (printable recipe)

INGREDIENTS: (makes 48 mini cups)

One tube of refrigerated sugar cookie dough
1 cup of finely crushed graham crackers
1/4 cup of heavy cream
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 (13oz) jar of Jet-Puffed Marshmallow fluff
48 Hershey Kisses (unwrapped!)

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350F degrees.
Place cookie dough and crushed grahams (save 2 to 3 tablespoons of crumbs to sprinkle over cups at end) in a mixing bowl and using hands, combine crushed grahams with cookie dough until completely incorporated.
Evenly divide dough into mini muffin tins (I used a medium cookie scoop to do this and got about 48 cookies)
Bake at 350F degrees for 7 to 9 minutes, until turning a light brown at edges.
Remove from oven and immediately press centers in using a mini tart shaper (or a wooden spoon~ although I highly recommend the tart shaper as it is a small and inexpensive tool that I love and use all the time!)
Allow cups to cool for 2-3 minutes and then gently run a small knife around the edges and pop the cup out of the tin. Allow cup to completely cool on counter.
Place all cups on a cookie sheet (preferably one with raised edges)
In a small sauce pan, heat up heavy cream until just bubbling at the edges (20 seconds or so).
Add chocolate chips, cover and allow them to sit for 5 minutes.
Stir melted chips with cream until smooth (turn heat back on if needed)
Place chocolate sauce in a zip-top bag, clip a corner and pipe chocolate evenly into each cup.

Fill a mug or small bowl with HOT water, and place a medium cookie scoop into it. Shake off excess water and scoop one scoop of marshmallow fluff into each cookie cup. Place scoop back in hot water as soon as the fluff starts to stick to the scoop.

Turn broiler on high and place entire cookiesheet full of cookies in the oven under the broiler. WATCH the cookies– in about 30 seconds the marshmallows will start to brown. Take the cookie cups out and immediately place a Hershey kiss on the top of each hot marshmallow top. Sprinkle with graham crumbs (and drizzle with a little white chocolate if you like).
Let these sit for about an hour. The bottom of the kiss will melt and attach to the marshmallow.
You can serve these warm, or at room temp.
Once they are cooled, you can store them in an airtight container for about a week.

My thoughts~ These cookie cups were a big hit. They really capture the flavor of a s’more and they aren’t very difficult to make. The marshmallow fluff was a little fussy, just because it is so sticky. I highly recommend it though- it was perfect biting into the gooey soft cream rather than an actual marshmallow. It captured that melted marshmallow feel. I *highly* recommend you use a cookie scoop for these. You can get a scoop almost anywhere these days, but if you can’t find one, try ordering one at Amazon. I hope you really enjoy making (and eating!) these yummy little treats!!! ~r

Other cookie cup recipes you might enjoy:

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Posted in Candy, Cookie Cups, Cookies and tagged baking, best smore recipe, best summer dessert, chocolate, chocolate ganache, chocolate layer, cookie cups, cookies, dessert, food, graham crackers, hershey kisses, jet puffed marshmallow, marshmallow fluff, melted chocolate, muffin tins, recipe, s'mores, S'mores desserts, sugar cookie dough, summer dessert, sweet chocolate chips, toasted marshmallow. Bookmark the permalink.

Baileys Irish Cream Cupcakes

Posted on July 4, 2013 by Ruthanne

These amazing cupcakes are made with Baileys Irish cream and topped with a Baileys buttercream frosting. They are incredibly good–and the way I came across this recipe is quite the story!

Have you watched the TV show that’s out right now called The American Baking Competition? The one with all of the challenges each week– breads, cakes, pies…? I love it. Aaaaand…I auditioned for it last fall. I’m actually not one of those “I wanna be on TV” people, but I am one of those “that sounds like a crazy fun adventure, let’s do it!” people. In 2002, my coworkers dared me to audition for The Weakest Link game show and they picked me– I’d never actually seen the show which made things a little awkward at first…lol! So auditioning for a cooking show? Why not??

I know you are dying to know how these cupcakes are made, so I will save my story-telling for later, but long story short– I met a ton of wonderful bakers at the audition and one of them was Lauren Shilt. She brought these Baileys cupcakes to her audition and gave me an extra. I fell in love with this cupcake! It is so dense and moist and rich….so I begged for the recipe and Lauren kindly obliged.

Here you have it… Baileys Cupcakes: (printer friendly recipe)

INGREDIENTS: (makes 30-36 cupcakes)

Cupcakes:

2 1/2 cups cake flour
3 teaspoons of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar (use super fine sugar, if you can find it!)
3/4 cups unsalted butter room temp.
3 eggs room temp.
3 teaspoons of vanilla
1 cup Bailey’s Irish Cream (separated, 1/2 cup for the cakes, 1/2 cup to pour over the cakes after they have been baked)

Buttercream Frosting:

2 sticks (1 cup) salted butter, room temp.
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, room temp.
3 cups of powdered sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 to 1/2 cup Baileys Irish Cream-enough to get the frosting to the desired flavor and consistency.

For the Chocolate Ganache to drizzle over the top:

1/2 cup of heavy cream
1/4 cup of semi sweet chocolate chips (or if using a bar, chopped)
3 tablespoons Baileys Irish Cream

(I used 1/4c. heavy cream and 1/2c. semi-sweet chips plus 3 teaspoons of Baileys for mine, and I made it at the end since it was thick enough to use as soon as it cooled a bit. It’s just how I always do ganache and I needed to save time.)

DIRECTIONS:

Make the Ganache first (unless you use my recipe)

In a saucepan bring the cream to simmer over med heat
Remove from heat and whisk in chocolate until it is melted and incorporated
Whisk in the Baileys Irish Cream
Refrigerate until it has a good consistency to drizzle over the top

Cupcakes:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line the muffin tins with 36 cupcake liners (my batch only made 30)
In a large bowl mix together the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon
In a large bowl, use a mixer to cream together the sugar and butter for about 3 minutes until light and fluffy.
Add eggs once at a time until incorporated and then mix in vanilla.
Add flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the Bailey’s Irish Cream, starting and ending with the flour mixture.
Fill cupcake liners about 2/3 full and bake for 17-20 min. (mine were slightly over-baked at 17 min, so check often!)
Cool in pan for a few minutes
Using a toothpick poke holes in the tops of the cupcakes and using a pastry brush, brush the additional 1/2 cup of baileys over the cupcakes.

Baileys Buttercream Frosting:

Place butters, powdered sugar and cinnamon in a large bowl.
Beat on high until light and fluffy.
Add Baileys Irish Cream a bit at a time until buttercream is desired flavor and consistency.
Frost cooled cupcakes using a pastry bag, then drizzle with Bailey’s Ganache.

My thoughts: You are simply going to love these cupcakes. I’ve had 4 people (so far!) tell me that these are their favorite cupcake I’ve ever made. They are SO good!!!!! Plus, (be very proud of me!) they are not a cake mix! 😉

Ok. Story time.

So crazy, adventure-seeking me sent in my application for this “baking show” on CBS. I was invited to come to Chicago to do an in-person audition for the show. I needed to bring my “signature” baked good. Signature? How to choose from all my favorites? I decided on Salted Caramel Cookie Cups, because everyone loves them, they are easy to travel with and they are signature (in that they use lots of pre-made ingredients), making them EASYbaked 🙂 My motto.

A few days before the audition I got a call from CBS confirming my audition time and making sure I would be bringing everything I needed. This very nice man said–“now, be sure you plate your baked good”. I was like… “um…ok. I will make sure I put it on a plate.” Long pause. “No, you need to plate it.” “Yes,” I replied, “I will put it on a plate.” “You need to plate it- you know, make it look all fancy for the judges?”

Sigh. My 1st clue this isn’t going to go well. I hang up and google “how to plate a dessert”. Then I go to the store to buy little bottles with tips….and I practice “plating” my little desserts.

Laura and I pack up all my supplies and off we go to a very rainy and cold Chicago.

When I arrived and checked in I was seated in a room FULL of people carrying baked goods in all sorts of containers. I love meeting new people and within no time I had met all of the people sitting around me. It was SO much fun! A whole room full of people comparing ganache recipes and favorite frosting ideas. AMAZING! About 5 of us chatted while we waited to get called back and we all ended up getting called back together. We had to “plate” our items for the judges (thank goodness I got all of that sorted out ahead of time!) and they tasted our items and asked us questions. Lauren and I made it to the second round and we spent our waiting time really getting to know each other and exchanging our extra desserts with the bakers around us.

New Baking Friends!!!

The second interview was questions, asked in a group setting. Not too intimidating… The casting person (who, apparently was also a trained culinary person) asked me how I made my wonderful caramel filling. I explained that I use Kraft caramels, sweetened condensed milk and butter to make it.

There were audible gasps.

Everyone was staring at me.

What had I said wrong?

The interviewer said- you mean you didn’t make this from scratch?

Ummm…no.

Why would you bring this as your signature baked good if it isn’t from scratch?

Because my baking is rarely from scratch. Why slave over homemade caramel if you can just use caramels to make a filling?

But it’s not homemade….

Well, you loved it and sent me to the next round of interviews…?

I didn’t tell her that the crust was made of refrigerator cookie dough… yikes.

The next baker was a woman who literally forages in the woods for all of her ingredients. Literally. Forages.

I wanted to jump in and say that I foraged at WalMart on Black Friday for my ingredients…nearly died…got them cheap….?

I was fairly certain I was “out” of the running. Until I was handed a paper that said:

What?!?! This involved staying an extra day in Chicago (thank you dear, patient Laura!), panicking over the fact that I only brought a Green Bay Packer Jersey to wear home the next day…(can you interview on camera for a baking show dressed like a football player?), waiting for 2 hours, falling asleep in a hotel lobby and defending my use of Kraft caramels on camera for Hollywood to see.

Needless to say, I wasn’t called and invited to be a contestant on the show. Have you watched it? I would have gone down in flames the 1st week. These people are amazing! Francine is my favorite~ she uses crazy creative ingredients like bacon and red-hot candies in her recipes (anyone who bakes with candy is my hero!) Hope she wins!

After my long day of interviewing, Laura and I settled in at our hotel and pigged out on all the treats I exchanged with other bakers during the day. This was when I first tasted Lauren’s cupcakes…oh. my.

A collection of amazing baked goods!

A big BIG thanks to Lauren for sharing her recipe with us! If you’d like to get to know her and see some of her incredible baking creations, she is on facebook. Visit her page and give it a “like” by clicking here.

Lauren

I usually stick to sharing recipes in my posts, but this story was just too fun. Thanks for listening– now go and make these cupcakes— you will love them— I promise!!! ~r

Other “from scratch” recipes on Easybaked…yes, there are a few!!!!

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Posted in Cupcakes and tagged american baking competition, bailey s irish cream, baileys, baileys cupcake, baileys irish cream, baking, buttercream, cake flour, chocolate ganache, cupcake, cupcakes with alcohol, dessert, food, fun dessert, homemade cupcake recipe, recipe, sweets. Bookmark the permalink.

Polka Dot Cake~ a recipe revisited!

Posted on June 28, 2013 by Ruthanne

Day #5 is here, along with our final revisited and recreated recipe. I’ve really enjoyed remembering these recipes with all of you. I hope you have found one to try for this upcoming holiday weekend!

Our final recipe is my personal favorite of the week, mainly because it brings the most smiles. If you want to make a cake that will be a show-stopper at your holiday celebration, this is it.

This recipe was published recently, in January of 2013. It is so incredibly fun to make. I’ve made it 5 times now and each time I do, I love it more. You can color the cake layers, you can color the polka dots…endless fun possibilities!

It is not a difficult recipe, but it is time consuming and it requires a cake ball maker (or, according to my commenters on the recipe, a mini muffin tin).

It takes two cake mixes and I made both mixes and simply divided them evenly into the three colors. I made 12 cake balls in each color and one layer of each color.

The original blog post has detailed instructions and photos, so I recommend you visit there 1st if you want to make this cake. The comments are also very helpful and full of tips on making this work well.

To see the original recipe and instructions click here.

To print the original recipe click here.

Thank you so much for joining me this week for a trip down memory lane. I hope it was as fun for you as it was for me.

Did you catch all of our recipe remakes this week? If not, click on the ones you missed to be taken to the post!

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Posted in Cakes and tagged baking, buttercream frosting, cake, cake mix, cake pops, dessert, food, fourth of July, holiday cake, layer cake, Patriotic Polka dot cake, Polka dot cake, polka dots, recipe remakes, red white and blue. Bookmark the permalink.

Colorful Bundt Cake~ a recipe revisited!

Posted on June 26, 2013 by Ruthanne

Welcome back to day #3 of our fun Fourth of July week! Today, I’d like to revisit one of my favorite Halloween cakes~ and try it in red white and blue!!! It’s incredibly easy to make and the colors are just too much fun! Ready to revisit another recipe? Here we go:

This recipe was originally published on October 6, 2012.

I’ve made layered cakes before in all sorts of colors and it is SO tedious to layer everything “just so” This cake involves just pouring colors in together and baking. The patterns come out different each time and the possibilities are endless. I just love it red white and blue! The glaze on top is just pre-made frosting that has been softened in the microwave and colored with food color gels. Easy easy easy to make~ plus its so much fun to cut into and see what pattern happened inside!

To see the original recipe click here.

To print the recipe and try it for yourself, click here.

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