Baking Junkie

Tag: Buttercream

Sunday, November 27th, 2011

Apple Toffee Blondies with Brown Sugar Frosting

Recipe adapted from Sweet Pea’s Kitchen and Cookies and Cups

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday. I certainly did. I don’t want to see any ham, stuffing or mashed potatoes for a while though! With Christmas right around the corner I am sure many of you are busy decorating and planning out your holiday baking. While these may not be a very traditional holiday treat, they are certainly a very delicious one! I have actually made these three times already, which rarely ever happens for me anymore. The first time I made them without the frosting (mainly to save time), and they were fabulous by themselves. The second (and third) time I added the frosting, and it takes them to a whole new level. They are by far the the most moist and chewy blondies I have ever eaten. The apple and toffee combination is fantastic, and I would love to try it again with other recipes. Enjoy!

Apple Toffee Blondies with Brown Sugar Frosting
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Blondies:
⅔ cup butter, softened
2 cups packed brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp salt
1 medium apple, peeled and chopped
¾ cup toffee bits

Frosting:
½ cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
2 cups powdered sugar
¼ cup milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine the butter and brown sugar. Add eggs one at a time and mix until combined. Add vanilla. In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Add to liquid ingredients. Add chopped apple and toffee pieces. Spread into a well greased 9 x 13 inch pan. Bake for approximately 30 minutes.

To make the frosting combine butter and sugar with an electric mixer. Add powdered sugar and milk. Spread over cooled bars.

Tags: Apple, Bars, Blondies, Buttercream, Cinnamon, Fall recipes

Posted in Blondies | 2 Comments »

Tuesday, September 27th, 2011

Chocolate Chip Cookie Sandwiches with Cookie Dough Buttercream

Cookie recipe adapted from Picky Palate, Frosting recipe adapted from Annie’s Eats

Do you ever get a brilliant idea in your head, only to forget it just a few minutes or hours later? I do. ALL the time!

I came up with the idea for these cookies months ago, but didn’t remember them until I was really craving some baked goods a few weeks ago. I was going through all of my saved recipes and nothing was sounding “perfect” to me, until out of the blue I remembered my idea for these.

I love a good, classic chocolate chip cookie, and this cookie dough flavored buttercream is hands down my favorite frosting ever. I really love those chocolate chip cookie ice cream sandwiches, so these are my take on them (sans ice cream).

I have been on a bit of a search for the perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe, and this one comes very close. This seems to be the main cookie recipe that Jenny over at Picky Palate uses (in so many unique and amazing ways…you have to check out her site). I love, love, love the taste of these cookies, and this has now become my go to recipe. Combined with the cookie dough buttercream, these treats are dangerous. I added some mini chocolate chips for decoration, but I liked them just the same without the chocolate chips. I did make my cookies smaller than I usually would since I’d be eating two at a time. Enjoy!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Sandwiches with Cookie Dough Buttercream
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Cookies:
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 cup sugar
¾ cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
3 ½ cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 cups milk chocolate chips

Frosting:
1 1/2 sticks salted butter, room temperature
¼ + ⅛ cup packed brown sugar
2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
3-4 Tbsp milk
1 1/4 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat together butter, sugar and brown sugar. Add eggs and vanilla. In a separate bowl combine flour, baking soda and salt, then add dry ingredients to dough. Stir in chocolate chips. Roll into small, ½ inch balls and place on cookie sheet. Bake for approximately 10-12 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes on cookie sheet, then place on wire rack to cool completely.

While cookies are baking and cooling start making the frosting. Cream together butter and brown sugar. Add powdered sugar in increments until smooth. Add in the flour and salt, then add the milk and vanilla.

Once cookies have cooled begin making the sandwiches. Place a spoonful (as much or as little as you want) on the flat side of one cookie, and sandwich it with the flat side of another cookie. Repeat until all cookies are gone. Coat sides with mini chocolate chips if desired.

Tags: Buttercream, chocolate, Cookie Dough, Cookies

Posted in Buttercream, Cookies | 10 Comments »

Sunday, September 18th, 2011

Chocolate Snickers Cake

Recipe adapted from Kevin and Amanda

I ate a lot of chocolate this summer. A lot. Trust me, my waistline keeps reminding me. It was all definitely worth it though!

I made this cake for a friend’s birthday. He’s not much of a cake person, but he loves Snickers. I first saw this recipe in cupcake form and knew that it would be good either way, but for the particular situation bringing a cake was going to be easier than cupcakes. This was my first time making any kind of mousse and I had no idea it could be so easy (and delicious)! I decided to make two cake layers and tort them into 4 layers, with each layer being separated by a layer of mousse. The cake is frosted with a delicious chocolate buttercream and topped with chopped snickers. It would be easy to substitute and use any kind of candy on top (peanut butter cups anyone?).

Enjoy!

Chocolate Snickers Cake
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Cake:
1 box devil’s food cake mix
1 small package instant chocolate pudding mix
1 cup sour cream
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla

Chocolate Mousse:
2 cups milk chocolate chips
2 cups heavy whipping cream

Chocolate Buttercream:
1 stick butter, room temperature
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup cocoa powder

3 Regular sized Snickers

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together all ingredients for cake. Batter will be thick. Pour into two well greased 8 or 9 inch cake pans. Bake as directed on box, or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Let cakes cool for 5 minutes in the pan, then remove and place on wire rack to cool completely.

To make the mousse melt the chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl, stirring every 30 seconds. Pour the heavy cream into a separate bowl and whip with a mixer on medium high speed for several minutes, until stiff peaks form. Fold the chocolate into the whipped cream and mix until combined. Set aside.

To make the frosting beat together the butter and vanilla, then add in powdered sugar and cocoa powder.

To assemble the cake, cut each of the two layers in half, creating four thin layers. Stack the cake layers with ⅓ of the mousse filling between each layer. Frost the outside of the cake with the chocolate frosting. Set aside approximately ¾ cup of frosting to place swirls around the outer top edge of the cake, if desired. Chop Snickers into small pieces and place on top of cake.

Tags: Buttercream, Cake, Candy, chocolate

Posted in Buttercream, Cake | 10 Comments »

Monday, August 29th, 2011

Cake Batter Ice Cream

Recipe adapted from Gingerbread Bagels

I have to admit that I am in a bit of shock that it will be September in a few days. Already?! This year has been FLYING by! I look forward to fall all year long and I’m ready to embrace it with open arms, but I figured I should get you another ice cream recipe before we start talking about cold weather and {gasp} snow!

Life is full of happy accidents, and this is certainly one of them. I found this recipe a few months ago and have been waiting for the right time to make it. I put together the custard last Friday night while I was tired and could only think about sleeping, which is what created my happy accident. Instead of using one cup of cake batter like the original recipe called for, I just used the whole darn box! I honestly never even knew I until I typed up the recipe the next day but trust me,everything turned out just fine. Better than fine really, it turned out FANTASTIC.

I can without a doubt say that this is my FAVORITE ice cream recipe. It is so creamy and tastes exactly like cake, but it doesn’t stop there people. What really makes this recipe are the swirls of buttercream frosting mixed in. AMAZING! I just cannot get enough of this ice cream. It tastes just like eating a birthday cake, frosting and all! With labor day coming up this weekend, trust me you won’t regret saying goodbye to summer with this! Enjoy!

Cake Batter Ice Cream with Buttercream Swirl
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1 box Funfetti cake mix
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 cup milk (I used skim, any kind will work)
½ cup sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp vanilla

Buttercream Frosting

½ cup shortening, room temperature
½ tsp vanilla
2 cups powdered sugar
4 Tbsp heavy whipping cream

Sift the funfetti cake mix. The sprinkles won’t go through but just pour them in at the end. Set aside.

In a medium saucepan whisk together the heavy cream, milk, sugar, eggs and vanilla. Add in the cake mix and stir until combined. Heat the mixture over medium heat, stirring frequently. Cook until it reaches 160 degrees F, or if you don’t have a thermometer, until it is thickened and starts to bubble.

Remove from heat and pour into a bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to cool, preferably overnight, but for a minimum of 4 hours.

Freeze in your ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions.

While the ice cream is churning, make the buttercream frosting. Cream the shortening until smooth. Mix in vanilla, then powdered sugar, and finally the whipping cream. Mix on medium high speed for 10 minutes. If desired, add a little gel food coloring to the mixture to give it color (I chose pink).

Once the ice cream is done, spread a layer in the bottom of a freezer safe container. Place a few tablespoons of the frosting on top and swirl with a knife. Continue layering in this fashion with the remaining ice cream and frosting. Place in the freezer for several hours to set.

Tags: Buttercream, Cake, Funfetti, Ice cream, No Bake

Posted in Buttercream, Ice Cream | 5 Comments »

Sunday, August 28th, 2011

Butterfinger Cupcakes

Recipe adapted from Gingerbread Bagels

I have been on quite a candy bar binge lately. It has mostly been Hershey bars and Peanut Butter Cups, but there have been some Butterfingers here and there as well. This may or may not be the reason that I am trying to cut myself off for a while and have stocked up on everything in the produce department.

These cupcakes were another birthday treat at work (I love being the birthday baker!). My coworker requested some sort of chocolate cupcake. Two instantly came to mind, and she decided on this one (I turned the other into a cake, recipe coming soon)! What I really liked about this recipe was the lack of piping on the frosting with a bag. I was able to go back to the gold old days of spreading it on with a knife, which was kind of fun.

{Don’t get me wrong, I still prefer cupcakes with nice piping on the top, but this was sort of like a vacation from cupcake decorating}!

One of the best parts about this recipe was the chocolate frosting. Oh my goodness was it good! I love that you get a double dose of it both inside the cupcake and on top. I’m actually really torn between the hot chocolate buttercream and this one. My life is filled with such tough decisions, isn’t it .

Enjoy!

Butterfinger Cupcakes
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1 box chocolate cake mix + ingredients listed on back
1 bag fun size Butterfinger candy

Hot Fudge Buttercream:
½ cup (1 stick) butter, softened
¼ cup shortening
⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp vanilla
2 Tbsp milk
1 cup hot fudge topping
2 cups powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Make cupcakes according to directions on box. Cool completely before frosting.

Place the Butterfingers in a food processor and grind into crumbs (I had leftovers, you might want to start with just ½ – ¾ of the bag). Place into a deep set bowl and set aside

To make the frosting, cream together the butter and shortening until smooth. Add cocoa powder, then mix in vanilla and milk. Add hot fudge topping, then powdered sugar. Mix together until smooth.

Place about one cup of the frosting into a piping bag fitted with a long bismarck tip (any round tip will work). Insert the decorating tip into each cupcake, going at least halfway to the bottom. Squeeze out some frosting while slowly moving the tip out of the cupcake. Fill each cupcake in this manner.

Spread the remaining frosting onto each cupcake with a butter knife, placing a generous amount on each one.

Turn each cupcake upside down and dip into Butterfinger crumbs, turning to coat the entire frosting covered surface.