Molly Allen's Prize-Winning Neapolitan Blondie Bars Recipe

CakeSpy Note: Remember that amazing "So You Wanna Be a CakeSpy?" Contest?Well, with the winner's trip to Seattle coming up, I thought I'd take some time to focus on several of the finalists and profiling them and their recipes. Let's get to know grand-prize winner Molly, whose winning recipe for Neapolitan Blondiesis bringing her to Seattle *today* to eat dessert with me, Head Spy Jessie! 

-What does being a CakeSpy mean to you? Being a CakeSpy,to me, means eternal sweet glory. Since I have found CakeSpy, I continue to be incredibly inspired. I have posted for her several times, and just love the motto behind the site. The world really would be a much happier place if everybody ate cake (or another sweet treat) each day. 

-How did you dream up your dessert? I knew I needed something cute. I knew I needed something fun. I knew I needed something delicious, new, and exciting! My favorite thing to bake is definitely Blondies, mainly because I can add so many things to them like Butterfingers or Candy Corn, and they always turn out deliciously! I ended up deciding that I needed to use that as my base and go from there. When it popped in my head, I was eating a bowl of Neapolitan Ice Cream, my favorite. The idea sparked, I looked it up, and found out that nobody else on the web has made such a treat! Neapolitan cake and cookies, definitely, but not Neapolitan Blondies! Then I wrote it down, baked, and magic came out of the oven. 

-Cake or pie? Absolutely CAKE. No competition there.

-What would be your "last meal" dessert? A lot of cake. Specifically, 1/2 a dozen Red Velvet Cupcakes and 1/2 a dozen Carrot Cake Cupcakes. Oh, and don't be skimpy on the cream cheese frosting either, I like a huge dollop. 

Here's the recipe for Neapolitan Blondies--it also appears on Molly's website. 

Neapolitan Blondie Bars

The Vanilla Layer:

• 1/2 C Butter, Melted
• 1 C Light Brown Sugar
• 1 Egg
• 1 Tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
• 1/2 Tsp Baking Powder
• 1/8 Tsp Baking Soda
• 1 1/3 C Flour

Procedure

1. Beat the butter and sugar, then add the egg. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, then beat until a thick batter forms. Set this aside, until each batter is complete.

The Strawberry Layer:

• 1/2 C Butter, Melted
• 1 C Light Brown Sugar
• 1 Egg
• 1 C Smucker’s Strawberry Sundae Syrup
• 1/2 Tsp Baking Powder
• 1/8 Tsp Baking Soda
• 1 1/3 C Flour

Procedure

1. Beat the butter and sugar, then add the egg. Pour in the Strawberry Syrup and continue beating. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, then beat until a  batter forms. This batter won’t be as thick as the vanilla layer. Set this aside, until each batter is complete.

The Chocolate Layer:

• 1 Stick of Butter (1/2 Cup), softened
• 3/4 C White Sugar
• 1/2 Tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
• 2 Eggs
• 1/2 C Flour
• 1/4 Tsp Baking Powder
• 1/2 C Cocoa
• 1/4 Tsp Salt

Procedure

1. Cream the butter and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla, and continue to beat. Stir in flour, baking powder, salt, and cocoa until a thick batter forms.

Assembly:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
2. Using a greased rectangular pan, pour in the Strawberry layer. Scoop the Vanilla layer on top, aiming to cover the 1st layer evenly. Top the Vanilla Layer with the Chocolate brownie layer.
3. Bake for 28-30 minutes, until the top begins to crack and an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
4. Let the bars cool and set.

Comments

[sugar ninja]

Those look really good, and congratulations on winning the "So you wanna be a cakespy contest!":)