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:: steph chows ::: Gerber Baby Sweet Potato Muffin

:: steph chows ::: Gerber Baby Sweet Potato Muffin

Old Fashioned Hummingbird Cake with Toasted Pecan Cream Cheese Frosting

This cake is the South at it's best! Made completely from scratch, is a warm cinnamon-y batter filled with ripe banana and cool crushed pineapple (the cake would be marvelous just by itself) with a dreamy, unbelievably rich and delicious cream cheese frosting that's overflowing with toasted pecans.

It's a perfect warm weather cake, because the bananas and pineapple in combination with the toasted pecans are reminiscent of the flavors in a banana split or an old fashioned banana cake, with a syrupy glaze over the top! The fruity and fresh mingles with comforting aroma from the cinnamon and vanilla undertones. Delicious!!

I think this cake is an easy one to make. It requires no electic mixer, just stirring together by hand. Somehow, I find that appealing. One less appliance to get out and wash later. Be sure to gently stir the batter as it's coming together, because you don't want to overwork it or else it won't be as tender and moist. I use one large bowl for the mixing of everything, a medium size one to mash the ripe bananas in and add the crushed pineapple and real vanilla extract, and a small bowl to whisk the eggs. The original recipe calls for dividing this up into 3 pans for a triple layer cake, but since I only had 2- 8 inch pans, I made it a double layer and it worked out just fine! No batter wasted at all!

A little tip to help get your cakes out of the pan perfectly every time, is to line the bottoms with wax paper. Just trace around the pan onto wax paper and cut out your circle. Spray the pan first with baking spray, lay down the wax paper, then spray the paper and sides of the pan with baking spray again. That way the cake will practically slide out, no problem! It works every time!

When the cakes come right out of the oven, poke little holes with a fork and use a little cooking brush to rub the pineapple juice into the cake. The juice will to seep in the holes and allow the warm cakes to drink up the extra juice like a sponge. This makes for an incredibly moist cake with a little more of that sweet pineapple flavor!

Blessings!

Old Fashioned Hummingbird Cake

3 c. flour

2 c. sugar

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

3 eggs, beaten

1 c. oil

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1- 8 oz. can crushed pineapple, undrained

2 c. (3 large) ripe bananas


Cream Cheese Frosting
(This time, I made another half batch to add to this recipe for extra frosting.)

1-8 oz. cream cheese

1/2 c. softened butter

1 box (16 oz.) powdered sugar

2 tsp. good vanilla extract
(Good vanilla extract makes a difference here.)

1 c. chopped and toasted pecans or walnuts





Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a medium size bowl, mash bananas well.

Add crushed pineapple and vanilla and set aside.

Combine flour, sugar, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.

Add eggs and oil.

Stir until moistened. Do not beat.

Stir in the banana, pineapple and vanilla mixture.

Pour into 3- 9 inch pans and bake for 25-30 minutes.

or

Pour into 2- 8 inch pans and bake for 35-40 minutes, checking with a toothpick about every 2 minutes after about 32 minutes to ensure they are perfectly done.

Take out of oven and allow to sit for 10 minutes.

Turn out onto a baking rack and allow to cool completely before frosting the cake. This is when I poured over the pineapple juice!

Beat everything together for the frosting. Beat until very creamy.

Get your "frosting station" ready! I just use my kitchen table, because it's a better height for me.

Have fun frosting your cake!

I like to start by putting a large dollop of the dreamy frosting on the cake and bringing it all down the sides. When you are done frosting your cake completely, put even more wax paper around, and begin pressing handfuls of toasted nuts around the sides of the cake. Decorate the top with pecan halves. If you don't want this look or go through the trouble, just stir the chopped nuts into your frosting so all you have to do is frost the cake!

I have to say that frosting the cake is probably my favorite part, other than tasting! I enjoy it so much, that it's almost therapeutic for me to bake and decorate.

There is something about swirling around fluffy whipped frosting that's relaxing and oh, so fun!

Looks good enough to eat already!

Toasted pecans make this cake perfect. Now, it's ready to devour!

...I said it was good! So, why don't you try it out and let me know what you think!

Chocolate Chip Gooey Butter Cake

Chocolate Chip Gooey Butter Cake


Crust
1 box butter-recipe cake mix
1 egg
1/2 c (1 stick) butter, melted

Filling
1 8 oz. pkg cream cheese, softened
2 eggs
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 16 oz. box powdered sugar
1/2 c. (1 stick) butter, melted
1 c. chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Light grease a 9x13 in. baking pan.
In a bowl, combine cake mix, egg, and butter with an electric mixer. Mix well. Pat into the bottom of prepared pan and set aside. Still using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese until smooth; add eggs and vanilla. Dump powdered sugar and beat very well. Reduce the speed of mixer and slowly pour in melted butter. Mix well. Stir in the chocolate chips. Pour filling onto cake mixture and spread evenly. Bake for 40-50 minutes (it took me closer to 50 minutes). You want to center to be a little gooey, so don't bake it past that point! Remove from oven and allow to cool completely. If you want to drizzle melted chocolate over the top allow it to cool for at least 15 minutes and then drizzle over. Allow to cool for at least another hour and then cut into bars. Enjoy!

Ooey Gooey Chocolate Cupcakes

Ooey Gooey Chocolate Cupcakes

1/4 cup butter melted

1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed

1 tablespoon water

chopped Pecans

1 cup cake flour, sifted

1/3 cup baking cocoa

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup butter softened

3/4 cup white sugar 1 egg 1 teaspoon vanilla 1/2 cup milk

2/3 cup sweetened condensed milk 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips 2 tablespoons butter

Directions: 1 Set oven to 350 degrees.

2 Grease very well, 12 muffin cups.

3 In a small saucepan, combine the 1/4 cup melted butter, brown sugar and 1 Tbsp water; simmer for 1 minute.

4 Place chopped pecans in the bottom of each of prepared muffin cups.

5 Evenly divide, and pour the cooked mixture over the walnuts in the muffin cups.

6 In a bowl, sift together flour, baking cocoa, baking soda and salt; set aside.

7 Cream 1/4 cup butter.

8 Gradually add 3/4 cup sugar, and continue creaming until light and fluffy.

9 Beat in egg and vanilla.

10 Blend in dry ingredients alternately with the 1/2 cup milk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients.

11 Fill the muffin cups 1/2 full with the batter.

12 Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the cupcakes test done.

13 Remove from the muffin tins, let cool INVERTED on wire racks.

14 In a small saucepan, combine the sweetened condensed milk and the chocolate; cook over very low heat until smooth and thickened, stirring constantly (about 10 minutes).

15 Stir in 2 Tbsp butter; keep warm.

16 Spread on the sides of cup-cakes or cover the whole cupcake