Cherry Almond Cream Cake

My Mama and Daddy were coming to visit and I wanted to make a cake that would go well with a cup of coffee.  We always drink coffee when we visit.  It's a Cajun must.  If you don't offer to make a pot of coffee when company comes, you're considered down-right rude.  Anyway, I searched the pantry and fridge and came up with this recipe.  It turned out great and went perfectly with that cup of coffee.

CHERRY ALMOND CREAM CAKE

1 box white cake mix
3 eggs
1/3 cup melted butter (or margarine)
1 cup milk
1/2 tsp almond extract
1 can condensed milk
1 can cherry pie filling
1 can ready whipped cream (or cool whip)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease the bottom only of a 9x13 baking dish.

Blend cake mix, eggs, melted butter, milk and almond extract on low speed for 30 seconds, then at medium speed for 2 minutes.

Give it a final stir with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula to make sure it is completely incorporated.

Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish.

Bake for 22-25 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

While the cake is still warm, poke holes all over it with a chop stick (or a straw or a large fork).

After you have poked holes all over the cake, pour the condensed milk evenly over the cake.

Spread the condensed milk to evenly cover the cake.

Let it sit and absorb the condensed milk for at least 30 minutes.

Spread the cherry pie filling over the cake.

Cover and chill in the fridge for at least an hour.  You can make this a day ahead and let it chill overnight.

Once completely chilled, top with whipped cream (or cool whip).

Spread it to cover.

You can decorate the top with slivered almonds or more cherries or anything you like.  I just left it plain.

This was moist and sweet with a little tartness from the cherries.  Just plain yummy!

Store leftovers in the fridge.

You can customize this however you like.  Use apple pie filling instead of cherry and add cinnamon to the cake mix instead of almond extract.  Or use vanilla extract and strawberry pie filing.  Or lemon extract and blueberry pie filling.  I love a versatile recipe.  Enjoy it (with a cup of coffee, of course).

Bananas Foster Coffee Cake

Bananas Foster is a famous New Orleans dessert of flambeed bananas, brown sugar and rum served over ice cream.  It was invented in the 1950s at Brennan's restaurant.  The owner of the restaurant challenged his chef to create a new dessert using bananas because New Orleans was the major port of entry for the fruit from South America.  The recipe was featured in Holiday Magazine and became a sensation.  It's still served at Brennan's and many other New Orleans restaurants.

This coffee cake is a play on that dessert.  It has similar flavors and is downright delicious!

BANANAS FOSTER COFFEE CAKE

1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup of buttermilk (see note below)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 TBS baking powder
1/8 tsp salt

Filling:
2 ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 tsp rum extract
pinch of cinnamon

Glaze:
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1-2 TBS milk


NOTE:  If you don't have buttermilk you can make your own very easily.  Put 1/2 TBS of bottled lemon juice (or white vinegar) into a measuring cup and add whole milk up to the 1/2 cup mark.  Let sit 5 minutes.  This will work just like buttermilk in the recipe!

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl combine softened butter and sugar well using an electric mixer or a whisk.  Be sure the sugar dissolves into the butter.  (Save the butter wrapper to grease your cake pan).

Add the egg and vanilla extract and mix well until fluffy.

In a separate bowl blend flour, baking powder and salt.  I stir it gently with a whisk until aerated and well combined.

Add half of the flour mixture to the butter/sugar mixture and blend on low speed.

Then add the buttermilk and blend on low speed.

Lastly, add the remaining flour mixture and blend just until combined.

Use the wrapper from the butter to grease a 9 inch cake pan.

Sprinkle in a little flour and shake it around to coat the pan entirely.  Discard any excess flour.

In a small bowl, mash the bananas with a fork.

Stir in the brown sugar, chopped pecans, rum extract and a pinch of cinnamon.

Spread half the batter into the prepared cake pan.

Spread the banana filling on top.

Then top with the remaining batter.  I dollop it all over then spread it out.  Try to get it to cover the filling completely, if possible.

Bake for 25 minutes or until light golden brown.

Let it cool before cutting.

You can see the caramelized banana filling in the middle.

This cake is so moist and delicious but if you want to take it over the top you can make a quick glaze to drizzle on.

Mix the powdered sugar, vanilla extract and enough milk to make it smooth and pourable.  

Drizzle over the cake before serving and it will look like it came from a New Orleans restaurant!

(If you don't have powdered sugar to make this glaze, you can melt some vanilla ice cream and drizzle it over the cake!)

My daughter went on and on about how awesome this cake was.  I ate it for breakfast today with a cup of coffee and wasn't even sorry.  Make this.  Trust me.

My Favorite Sugar Cookies

Thanksgiving will soon be upon us and it can't get here fast enough for me!  It's my absolute favorite holiday.  Food, Family, Food, Football, Food, Parades, and did I mention Food?  I love to cook and I love to eat (and I love to count my blessings) so Thanksgiving is the best day.  It is also the unofficial start to the holiday season when it becomes socially acceptable for me to blast Christmas music while baking sugar cookies.  Here is a simple, delicious recipe that you can bake while blasting Christmas music (the music is important to the recipe ;)

MY FAVORITE SUGAR COOKIES

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
holiday sprinkles or colored sugars
a little powdered sugar


Using an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until very well blended.  (If you don't have a mixer, just whip it with a whisk really, really well until fluffy).

Scrape down the sides of the bowl occasionally.

Next, add the egg and vanilla.  Mix well.

Then, stir in the flour until fully incorporated.

Chill the dough in the fridge for 30 minutes or so.  This helps the cookies keep their shape.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Pinch off a heaping tablespoon of dough (more or less) and roll it into a ball (I use a small scoop so they are all the same size, but you can use a spoon).

Place some sprinkles (or colored sugar) into a small bowl and dip the ball of dough into the sprinkles.

Place it onto a cookie sheet.  Leave a few inches between them because you're going to press them flat later.

Put a little bit of powdered sugar in a bowl.  Rub a little butter on the bottom of a glass (I use the wrapper from the softened butter I used in the cookies) then dip the bottom of the glass into the powdered sugar.

Flatten the dough with the glass.

Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until the edges are light golden brown.

Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

These cookies are simple but they're a holiday favorite for a reason.  Buttery, sweet and delicious!  They make a great gift and are so pretty on a cookie platter at a party.  You'll want to make these every year.