Marshmallow Creme Frosting

I love old cookbooks, especially the kind that feature recipes from church picnics and community potluck suppers. My Aunt Liz has a few amazing ones, and I bet somewhere in there, we’d find a recipe like this.

Marshmallow creme frosting packs a serious wallop of sugar, and while this is going to sound counter-intuitive, I need you to trust me: if at first taste it’s too sweet, add a bit more powdered sugar. I don’t know why, but it mellows out the flavor a great deal.

This frosting originally appeared on the cherry cola cake pictured on the left. I tinted that frosting pink, but you could certainly leave it plain or choose another color depending on what you’re baking. This recipe made enough to frost the top and middle of a two-layer 8-inch round cake; to frost the whole cake, I’d increase the ingredients by half.

Ingredients

12 tablespoons butter, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1 7-ounce jar marshmallow creme

Preparation

Beat butter and powdered sugar until completely combined.

Add marshmallow creme and beat until well-combined.

Butter Pecan Frosting

This frosting will change your life. Seriously, folks – it’s among the most delicious I’ve ever made.

Originally featured on this butter pecan cake and cupcakes, this frosting would pair very well with a vanilla cake or cupcakes and offers an old-fashioned, go-visiting-on-Sunday kind of flavor. I suspect my grandmothers would have loved it.

The batch below can frost a three-layer cake or at least three dozen cupcakes, but you could cut it in half for a smaller batch.

Ingredients

For the butter pecans

1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 tablespoon salted butter

For the frosting

1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
pinch of salt
3 – 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preparation

For the butter pecans:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil, extending the foil over all four sides.

Place pecans and butter onto the baking sheet; bake for about 8-9 minutes, stirring frequently, until pecans are toasted and fragrant. Be careful not to burn them – pecans can burn easily after several minutes in the oven.

Remove pecans from the baking sheet and place on a platter to cool completely before using. Chop to medium-fine pieces.

For the frosting:

In a mixing bowl, beat butter on medium speed for about 1 minute.

Add 3 cups of powdered sugar and beat on low speed until the sugar is completely incorporated into the butter. I cover my mixer with a towel to prevent a sugar storm.

Add vanilla and beat until combined; check your consistency and if it is too thin, add another 1/2 cup of powdered sugar. Stir in butter pecans.

Chocolate Ganache

Every baker should have a good recipe for chocolate ganache. This one uses bittersweet chocolate, an essential ingredient for the right flavor profile of a Boston cream pie (or as pictured here, Boston cream cupcakes). You could substitute other types of chocolate depending on what you’re making; semisweet chocolate and milk chocolate will yield a much milder flavor and would be good for things like chocolate cake or peanut butter cupcakes.

Heavy cream is a must for ganache-making, and if you have some left over you can always whip it up (literally) for topping, or use it to make pastry cream.

Ingredients

3/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup light corn syrup
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preparation

In a medium saucepan, combine heavy cream, corn syrup, chocolate, and vanilla over medium heat, stirring constantly until the chocolate melts and the mixture is smooth.

Remove from heat and allow to cool, stirring occasionally, until the mixture reaches room temperature; mixture will thicken and become glossy.

Spread over cooled cake or cupcakes.

Almond Buttercream

Almond buttercream is a great go-to frosting because it pairs well with a range of other flavors, from chocolate or vanilla to lemon or orange. The recipe below plays a big role in burnt almond torte, which you see here on the left.

If you don’t have heavy cream, you can substitute regular milk to thin your frosting and help make it fluffy. Remember, always add liquids sparingly, especially when working with frostings. You can always add more, but you can never take it away.

This recipe can enerously gfrost one single-layer 8 x 8 square, 8-inch round, or about 18 cupcakes. You can easily double it for a two-layer cake, sheet cake, or two dozen cupcakes.

Ingredients

8 tablespoons butter, softened
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 1/4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon almond extract
1 tablespoon heavy cream

Preparation

In a mixing bowl, beat butter for about 1 minute, then add salt and beat another minute.

Add powdered sugar and beat on low speed until all of the sugar is fully incorporated into the butter; this will take a few minutes.

Add vanilla extract and almond extract, beating well to combine.

Add heavy cream and beat for about 2 minutes until fluffy.

Lemon Raspberry Loaf

This lemon raspberry loaf, while tasty, didn’t turn out at all like I wanted it to. It’s not quite as lemony as I hoped for, nor are the raspberries distributed evenly throughout the loaf. Fear not, lemon-raspberry fans: I have solutions for how to fix this.

The original recipe was written for lemon raspberry muffins, rather than a loaf, which might explain why this turned out differently than I’d hoped. I used an 8-inch loaf pan, but should have either used one larger or two smaller pans because the loaf rose quite a bit during baking. In addition to the pan sizes, the next time I make this, I’ll use 1 1/2 teaspoons of lemon extract in the batter, and I’ll either use regular lemon yogurt if I can find it, or I’ll thin out the Greek yogurt much, much more. I’ll also make a raspberry puree to fold into the batter, instead of just using whole raspberries.

Ingredients

For the loaf

2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup vegetable oil
zest of 1 medium lemon
8 ounces lemon yogurt*
1 cup raspberries

For the streusel topping

1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
2 tablespoons cold butter, cut into small pieces

*If using Greek yogurt, I’d recommend about 6 ounces, thinned out with milk to equal 8 ounces total. Greek yogurt and regular yogurt will yield very different textures, as Greek yogurt is much thicker.

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly spray a loaf pan with baking spray; I used an 8-inch loaf pan but highly recommend either a 9-inch pan or two 8-inch pans for more even baking.

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

In a large glass measuring cup, combine eggs, vegetable oil, lemon zest, and yogurt; mix well, then add all at once to the flour mixture. Stir until just combined; be careful not to over-mix. Fold in raspberries.

For streusel, combine flour and sugar. Cut in butter until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs.

Spoon batter into prepared loaf pan and cover with streusel topping.

Bake for 40-50 minutes, until top is golden and a cake tester comes out clean. Pay close attention to your topping; you may need to cover your loaf with foil to prevent it from over-browning.

Cool completely in the pan and store at room temperature.

Apricot Kolaches

Apricot kolaches are my new nemesis. This is my second failed attempt, but I’m posting them anyway in the hope that some savvy kolache maker can help me figure out where I’m going wrong.

Kolaches are a traditional Hungarian cookie also found in Polish, Slovak, Croatian, and other Eastern European baking traditions. Each culture pronounces and spells them differently; I believe my Hungarian grandma, Zella, said ko-latch, whether she meant one cookie or a dozen.

I thought my Hungarian blood would automatically equal kolache baking prowess, but I’ve been wrong twice now. My primary problem is that most of them pop open while they’re baking; the photo at left is one of about 12 or so that actually stayed closed. I also suspect that using pastry filling, rather than preserves, would help maintain the structure of the treat, so I’ll give that a shot next time.

Ingredients

2 1/4 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, softened
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
About 1 1/2 cups apricot preserves

Preparation

In a medium bowl, sift together flour and salt; set aside.

In a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and cream cheese on medium speed, scraping the sides of the bowl frequently, for about 3-5 minutes until light and creamy.

Add flour mixture in three batches, beating well between each addition, scraping the sides of the bowl well. Dough will be soft, but not sticky.

Divide dough into four equal portions, roll into balls, and flatten into discs. Wrap in plastic and chill dough for at least 2 hours; I chilled mine overnight.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and move the rack up one position from the center. Line several baking sheets with parchment paper.

Dust your counter top with granulated sugar and dust both sides of each dough disc with flour. Roll out to about 1/8 inch thickness.

Using a 2-inch square cookie cutter, cut dough into squares and place on prepared baking sheets. Spoon a dollop of apricot filling into the middle of each square; I used a generous 1/4 teaspoon from my measuring spoon set.

Fold two opposite corners in and press together to seal; I found that tucking one corner all the way under the opposite side helped prevent them from bursting open while they baked, but only in some cases.

Bake for 12-14 minutes, until tops are light golden brown. Cool on cookie sheets for a few minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

Oreo Cheesecake Cookies

My mom stayed at our house over the weekend to watch Millie while we were in Maryland, and our nephew Roman stayed with her. In my kitchen, they left behind two half-eaten jars of peanut butter (why two? I have no idea!), a pack of hot dog buns, about a quarter of a bag of potato chips, and a package of Oreo cookies. And because I can’t just eat the Oreos like a normal person, I wondered: what can I bake with these?

Oreo cookies are a popular addition to other desserts. Think of cookies and cream ice cream, milkshakes, pies, and cheesecake – these are all based in the Oreo cookie, or at least something very near to it. I found this recipe for Oreo cheesecake cookies on Pinterest from Baker By Nature; I tweaked the recipe just slightly because I didn’t have salted butter, so I added some salt to the mix. While these cookies don’t exactly remind me of Oreo cheesecake, they’re quite tasty and have a nice chewy texture.

Ingredients

4 ounces cream cheese, softened
8 tablespoons butter, softened
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons flour
10 Oreo cookies

Preparation

Place Oreo cookies in a large zip top bag and place a kitchen towel over the bag. Using a rolling pin, gently break cookies so that some medium-sized pieces remain and cookies aren’t totally crushed; set aside.

In a mixer, cream together cream cheese, butter, and salt until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl well.

Add sugar and beat until well-combined, then add flour in three batches, beating until totally combined and scraping the sides of the bowl frequently.

Add cookie pieces and stir to combine well; use your hands to mix if necessary. Cover dough with plastic wrap and chill for about 45 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees; line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Using a 2-inch cookie scoop, scoop dough and roll into balls, then flatten slightly. Place on prepared baking sheets about 2 inches apart.

Bake for 10-12 minutes, until edges are just golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool on baking sheets for 10 minutes before placing on a wire rack to cool completely.

Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Cat Cake

My goddaughter Maureen turned five this weekend, and Mike and I made our annual trip to southern Maryland for a visit with her family. Her party was dog and cat themed, complete with this adorable cat cake. Before you worry about having some spectacular Pinterest fail, read the recipe below; this cake and its frosting/decorating are very simple. And while I deferred to my cousin Barb for the piping of the face – she’s Mo’s mom and an amazing artist – I suspect that amateur decorators could handle this one.

The cake was a big hit, with not a slice left at the end of the party. My cousin-in-law Robb, Mo’s dad, remarked that he’d never been to a birthday party where only cake crumbs remained. I take this as a major compliment and am glad everyone enjoyed not only the cake, but celebrating with the birthday girl.

White Cake

Ingredients

3 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup shortening
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups milk

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray two 9-inch round cake pans with baking spray; line each with a parchment circle and spray the parchment.

In a medium bowl, combine flour and baking powder; set aside.

In a mixing bowl, cream together sugar, shortening, and salt until fluffy.

Add eggs and vanilla; beat until combined.

Add flour mixture and milk in alternating batches, starting and ending with the flour and beating until just combined.

Pour batter into prepared pans; bake for 25 minutes, until tops are golden and a cake tester comes out clean.

Cool cake completely before frosting.

Vanilla Buttercream & Decorations

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups butter, softened
5 to 5 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 to 3 tablespoons vanilla extract
Black gel food coloring
Pink gel food coloring
Index cards, cut into triangles for ears
Lollipop sticks, for ears

Preparation

Place butter in a mixing bowl and beat for a few minutes using the paddle attachment.

Add 5 cups powdered sugar. With your mixer on low, incorporate the powdered sugar into the butter. (Hint: I find that placing a kitchen towel over the mixer during this stage prevents a powdered sugar blizzard.)

Increase speed and add 2 tablespoons vanilla and salt.

Beat for 3 minutes, then taste. If you’d like a stronger vanilla flavor, add the second tablespoon of vanilla, along with the additional 1/2 cup of powdered sugar. Beat until combined; you want a fluffy texture that is easy to spread.

To assemble the cake:

Reserve two small portions of frosting; tint one black and the other pink. Set aside.

Flip one cake onto a cake stand and frost the top with a generous layer of buttercream. Top with the second layer and frost the top and sides completely, swirling the frosting to look like fur.

To make the ears, tape your index card triangles to the lollipop sticks and press into the top of the cake.

Fit a piping bag with a large plain tip and fill with pink frosting; pipe the nose.

Fit a piping bag with another large plain tip with plain frosting; pipe the cheeks.

Fit a piping bag with a small plain tip; pipe the eyes, mouth, and whiskers.

Line the edges and bottom of the ears with plain buttercream, then fill in the ears with the pink buttercream.

Here, Mike and I celebrate with Mo. Barb offered face painting for the kids, and this feisty girl sported a cupcake on one cheek and a snake on the other.

Burnt Almond Cookies

Pittsburgh, for all its city claims, is essentially a small town. Everyone knows everyone, usually with two degrees of separation or fewer. One of my favorite Pittsburgh connection stories came recently, when I learned that my coworker, Josh, is married to a girl who went to my elementary school; that he and his wife were married in the church I attended as a kid; and, that his in-laws buy cakes for all of their family celebrations from Mrs. Mileski, who lives up the street from my childhood home (and whose cakes are renowned in the Verona/Penn Hills area).

Josh and I realized our uncanny connection during a conversation about Oakmont Bakery, a stellar establishment that offers a delicious alternative to the Prantl’s burnt almond torte (and happens to be the bakery that made my wedding cake). He’s a burnt almond torte fan, and because this is his last week in our office – he’s accepted a great opportunity in another part of our organization – I’ve baked these burnt almond torte-inspired cookies for him. Farewell, Josh! Enjoy!

Almond Shortbread

Ingredients

1 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon almond extract
2 cups all-purpose flour

Preparation

In a mixing bowl, beat butter on medium speed for 30 seconds.

Add granulated sugar and almond extract and beat until combined.

Beat in flour.

Cover and chill dough for about one-half hour, until easy to handle.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with foil or parchment.

Using a two-inch cookie scoop, scoop dough and roll into balls. Place on baking sheets about two inches apart, then flatten slightly with the bottom of a glass.

Bake 14 minutes, until bottoms are light golden brown.

Allow to cool before frosting.

Almond Frosting

Ingredients

3 tablespoons butter, softened
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 tablespoon almond extract
2 to 3 tablespoons heavy cream

Preparation

In a mixing bowl, beat butter on medium speed for about 1 minute.

Add powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and almond extract; beat until fully combined.

Add heavy cream about 1/2 tablespoon at a time, beating well after each addition to reach a fluffy, buttercream consistency.

Burnt Almonds

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups sliced almonds
1/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons water

Preparation

In a medium bowl, combine almonds, sugar, and water; stir to combine.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Place half of the almond mixture in a saute pan over medium heat. Cook, stirring regularly, for about 4-5 minutes until almonds turn a light golden brown. Almonds will start out looking wet and will appear dry when they are almost done.

Remove to the parchment paper to cool and repeat with the second half of the almonds. Allow to cool completely before using.

Note: you’ll only need about 3/4 cup for this recipe, so you can reserve your burnt almonds for another use or just keep them around for snacks. They’re delicious on their own!

To assemble:

Roughly chop burnt almonds; set aside.

Frost cookies, then dip tops into burnt almonds, pressing gently so the almonds will stick.

Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Burnt Almond Torte

Pittsburgh bake shop Prantl’s Bakery offers a popular cake called burnt almond torte. This is my brother’s favorite cake, and I wondered at his recent birthday dinner if I could make one. Naturally, I gave it a shot using a combination of recipes I’ve made before and a few I found online. The cake you see here is destined for tonight’s Christmas dessert, and I look forward to updating this post with a photo of a slice of it on my plate.

Technically speaking, a torte isn’t the same as a cake. While cakes use flour, tortes usually do not; instead, they rely on ground nuts and other ingredients for their structure. Whether Prantl’s burnt almond torte is an actual torte, I cannot say – mine is not, as it uses a white almond cake batter with regular flour. Because I wanted a smaller cake, I used two 8 x 8 square pans but a single-layer cake recipe, so I’d have smaller layers overall. You could double the recipe below for a larger cake if you like.

White Almond Cake

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tablespoon baking powder
1 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup shortening
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon almond extract
3/4 cup milk

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray two 8 x 8-inch square cake pans with baking spray; line with a parchment square and spray the parchment. In a small bowl, combine flour and baking powder; set aside.

In a mixing bowl, cream together sugar, shortening, and salt until fluffy. Add egg, almond, and vanilla; beat until combined. Add flour mixture and milk in alternating batches, starting and ending with the flour and beating until just combined.

Pour batter into prepared pans; bake for 14-15 minutes, until tops are just golden and a cake tester comes out clean.

Cool cake completely before filling and frosting.

Fluffy Almond Buttercream

Ingredients

8 tablespoons butter, softened
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 1/4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1 tablespoon vanilla extract*
1 tablespoon almond extract*
1 tablespoon heavy cream

*Note: if you’re worried that a whole tablespoon of extract is too strong, start with 1 teaspoon and taste as you mix. If you’d like to add more extract, go for it!

Preparation

In a mixing bowl, beat butter for about 1 minute, then add salt and beat another minute.

Add powdered sugar and beat on low speed until all of the sugar is fully incorporated into the butter; this will take a few minutes.

Add vanilla extract and almond extract, beating well to combine. Add heavy cream and beat for about 2 minutes until fluffy.

Pastry Cream Filling

About 1/2 to 3/4 cup pastry cream

Burnt Almonds

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups sliced almonds
1/3 cups sugar
2 tablespoons water

Preparation

In a medium bowl, combine almonds, sugar, and water; stir to combine.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Remove to the parchment paper to cool and repeat with the second half of the almonds. Allow to cool completely before using.

To assemble the cake:

Place one layer on your cake plate and top with pastry cream, spreading within about 1/2 inch of the edges. Top with second layer of cake.

Frost cake completely. Cover the tops and sides with almonds, pressing gently to allow them to stick.

Store in the refrigerator; allow to sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes before serving.

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