Baked Good of the Day: Quesitos de Guayaba

Source: thenoshery.com via Cake on Pinterest

Since I am in Puerto Rico right now, I officially dub Quesitos de Guayaba as the baked good of the day. Find out more and get a recipe here.

Chocolate Covered Cake on a Stick

Cake is good, but it can be great—all you have to do is put it on a stick and cover it in chocolate. I formulated this theory following my first taste of "The Swingle", a slice of chocolate covered Key Lime pie on a stick, made by Steve's Authentic Key Lime Pies. I found myself wondering, what dessert wouldn't taste great covered in chocolate and put on a stick?

Instead of coming up with an answer (because really, that was a rhetorical question) why not set up a double boiler and set yourself to melting some chocolate? Since I was feeling fancy, I used slices of Dobos Torte, but really, any type of cake would work. See for yourself how enrobing a cake slice in chocolate brings it to indulgent new heights, and yet how eating it off of a stick somehow keeps the experience playful.

For the full entry and recipe, visit Serious Eats!

Baked Good of the Day, August 20: Chocolate Pecan Pie

Source: marthastewart.com via Cake on Pinterest

Did you know that today (August 20) is National Chocolate Pecan Pie Day? I know, what a fantastic day! Here's a sweet variation, via Martha Stewart. Recipe here.

Raising the Bar: Apple Walnut Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe

What on earth do you do when you unexpectedly find yourself with a spare box of Betty Crocker Spice Cake

Mix?

If anyone even thought "mix and bake as-is", you're officially banned from this website. Because a quick peek into The Cake Mix Doctor Returns! reveals a far more appetizing concept: Applesauce Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting. Apparently, this is remnicient of a regional southern store-bought cake that enjoyed popularity at A&P stores called "Spanish Bar Cake", a dense spice cake studded with raisins and nuts and topped with delicious cream cheese frosting. Well, my version is doctored a bit more--with finely chopped apples instead of applesauce, no raisins (ew) and even fattier frosting than the one in the book, and I assure you, they're a delightful autumn treat. I don't have a picture but they are similar in appearance to this gorgeous specimen by PastryMama, pictured above (she's got a great recipe too!).

Perfect for breakfast.

Apple Walnut Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting

For the bars

parchment paper, to line pans

• 1 package plain spice cake mix
• 1/4 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
• 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 2 apples, very finely chopped (I used Granny Smith, with the skin on)
• 3/4 cup butter, softened
• 4 large eggs
• 1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts

For the frosting

• 4 ounces cream cheese (I used full-fat, original recipe calls for light...whatever)
• 1 tablespoon milk
• 2 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts, for garnish/topping (optional)

Procedure

1. Make the bars. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 350 F. Line a 15x10 inch jelly roll pan with parchment paper. Put the pan aside.
2. Place the cake mix, brown sugar, spices, chopped apples, butter, and eggs in a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer on low speed until the ingredients are incorporated, 30 seconds. Stop the machine and scrape down the side of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat until the batter is smooth, about 1 minute longer. Fold in the finely chopped walnuts. Transfer the batter to prepared pan, smoothing the top with a rubber spatula.
3. Place the pan in the oven and bake the bars until the edges have set and the center is still a little soft (press it lightly with a finger), 25-30 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool for about 35 minutes.
4. Make the frosting. Place the cream cheese in a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer on low until creamy, 1 minute. Stop the machine and add the milk, confectioners' sugar, and vanilla. Continue beating on low until the ingredients come together. Increase the mixer speed to medium low and beat until the frosting is creamy and light, 30 seconds longer. Spread the frosting evenly on top of the cooled cake. Run the tines of a fork through the frosting to make squiggles, or garnish with coarsely chopped walnuts. Let the frosting set for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
5. Storage suggestion: store the bars, covered withfoil, in the fridge for up to one week--or, freeze the bars in the pan, covered with foil, for up to three months. Let bars thaw overnight before serving.

Baked Good of the Day: Caramel Cake

Source: saveur.com via Cake on Pinterest

Gawd, why can't it be in my mouth? Recipe here.

August 18: National Soft Ice Cream Day

Gosh, do I love me some soft-serve. Growing up by the Jersey Shore, it  was a summertime staple at the boardwalk. Not vanilla, not chocolate, but the SWIRL. Some places would do an orange-vanilla swirl, too--because life is all about choices. And sometimes you choose to have a soft-serve equivalent of a creamsicle.

Well, today (August 18) is National Soft Ice Cream Day, and in celebration, I'd like to share 13 points of interest regarding this sweet manna.

1. Carvel claims to have invented soft serve. Suffering a flat tire in the early 1934, Tom Carvel pulled into a parking lot and began selling his melting ice cream to vacationers driving by. He sold it rapidly, and had an ephiphany: a fixed location and soft (as opposed to hard) frozen desserts were the way to go. In 1936, Carvel opened his first store on the original broken down truck site and developed a secret soft serve ice cream formula as well as patented super low temperature ice cream machines.

2. Dairy Queen also claims to have invented soft serve. In 1938 in Illinois, J.F. McCullough and his son, Alex, also claim to have developed a soft serve formula. They sold 1,600 servings in two hours, and were officially ice cream men from that day on. 

3. What's in soft serve? Mostly air, but depending on where you get it, it could also include a treasure trove of not so desirable ingredients, such as stabilizers, corn syrup, and even magnesium hydroxide. Read more here. 

4. DIY: at Scoop de Ville in Philadelphia, you can choose an ice cream flavor, choose mix-ins, and they will use a machine to render the ice cream into soft-serve. Since theirs has no stabilizers or additives, they make each cup or cone to order. It's very good!

5. Fun place to visit: Stew Leonard, the "Dairy Superstore", with locations in NY and CT, makes their own soft-serve daily--while the most popular flavor is vanilla, they also have a fantastic strawberry variety.

Source: anothermag.com via Cake on Pinterest

6. Lost in Translation: in Israel, they call soft-serve "American Ice Cream". In Japan, it's called "softcream". In parts of Europe, it's referred to as "soft ice".

7. Sweet fusion: This nostalgic treat has inspired some fusion foods: in Brooklyn, you can get soft-serve kefir.

8. Go Bananas: If you're vegan, or want to pretend you are, banana soft serve will serve up some vitamins and minerals as well as soft serve tastiness. 

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9. Soft-serve is lower in fat than ice cream (it's made with 3-6 percent milkfat, as opposed to hard ice cream's 15-ish percent), but don't think that means it's health food. Refer to #3.

Source: disneyfoodblog.com via Cake on Pinterest

10. Fascinating phenomenon: Dole makes a series of "enhanced fruit" soft-serves, most famously the Dole Whip sold at Disney.

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11. Who prefers soft-serve over hard ice cream? You can read an essay on this important subject here.

12. Guilty pleasure: You can make a chocolate soft-serve at home that tastes like a hybrid between a frosty drink from Wendy's and chocolate soft serve. YUM.

Source: google.com via Hanna on Pinterest

13. Here's another at-home version, this one a fancier version of the Mr. Softee version. You're welcome.

Sweet of the Day: Chocolate Peanut Butter "Cheese Ball"

Source: the-girl-who-ate-everything.com via Cake on Pinterest

I love this idea! Find the tutorial on The Girl Who Ate Everything.

Seeking Sweetness: Daily Snapshot, Moon Pie

Challenge yourself: "how can I make the world a more delicious place today?"

Citrus Buttermilk Raisinets Muffins Recipe

Frequently, when publicists send me recipes, I just delete them. I am not trying to be a jerk, but a lot of them are kind of boring. And sometimes, even without trying, I am kind of a jerk.

But I didn't delete this one, so that is saying a lot. After all, even though it's technically for muffins, they are veering deliciously close to cake territory what with their raisinets (AKA: acceptable raisins) and glaze topping. Well, you know how I feel about glaze, so why not triple the recipe? I bet they'd be even better with buttercream frosting, though. 

These aren't your ordinary muffins. What sets these apart are the addition of smooth buttermilk, the fresh juice and peel of oranges and chocolate covered raisins all topped with a citrus glaze. Pop one in a work or school lunchbox for an unexpected treat!

Citrus Buttermilk Raisinets Muffins

12 muffins for your time.

• Nonstick cooking spray or paper baking liners
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons grated orange peel
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 2/3 cup buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup NESTLÉ RAISINETS Dark or Milk Chocolate-Covered Raisins

ORANGE GLAZE

• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
• 3/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon grated orange peel

Procedure

1. FOR MUFFINS: PREHEAT oven to 375° F. Spray 12 muffin cups with nonstick cooking spray or line with paper liners.
2. COMBINE granulated sugar and orange peel in small bowl. Rub together with your fingers until fragrant. Whisk together flour, orange sugar mixture, brown sugar, baking powder and salt in large bowl. Stir together melted butter, eggs, buttermilk and vanilla extract in medium bowl until well blended. Make a well in the center of flour mixture. Pour liquid mixture into the well; gently stir until combined. Fold in Raisinets. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.
3. BAKE for 17 to 20 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in muffins comes out clean. While the muffins are baking, make the orange glaze. Drizzle the glaze over the muffins while they are still warm. Allow the glaze to set before serving.
4. FOR ORANGE GLAZE: COMBINE orange juice, powdered sugar and orange peel in a small bowl. Whisk together until smooth, adding more juice if necessary until desired consistency.

Baker's Dozen: A Batch of Sweet Links

Source: cakespy.com via Cake on Pinterest

Ding Dong, man!

Important reading for summer eating: a guide to popsicle melt times.

OMG: Bubblegum oil exists?

Romantic: Love letter to Dunkin Donuts' Vanilla Kreme Donut.

Deliciously sweet: mint chocolate chip whoopie pies.

Snickerdoodle bars?! YES.

Please, ignore your oven dial.

Happy food: sprinkle cookies!

Strawberry Blondie Ice Cream sandwiches. STUFF YOUR FACE WITH THEM!

What is a "crumb coat"? Find out here.

Still obsessed: cookie unicorns!

Please, feed me thousand layer cake.

Bakery I wanna visit: Riding Hood Bakery.