Carrot Cake Easter Bunny Cake

I know Easter is over, but today is Jelly Bean Day and since the only time we eat any sort of jelly beans in this house is on Easter, specifically for this cake, I figured I'd share it with you and you can make it next year!


Every year, for as long as I can remember, we have made a bunny cake for Easter. It was originally made with yellow/white cake, white frosting and coconut on top to make it look like a fluffy bunny. My kids LOVE to decorate one every year, but no one really ate it because we're not huge coconut fans in this house. So last year, I made a yellow cake with chocolate frosting and this year I opted for a carrot cake with homemade cream cheese icing. Turns out, this was the best version for our family as carrot cake is just about everyone's favorite. I even make it easy on myself (since I'm usually preparing most of the other food too) and I buy the Duncan Hines Decadent Carrot Cake. I LOVE this brand as it has actual dried carrots and raisins that you reconstitute before adding it into the mix. The cake is extremely moist and you don't have to shred any carrots (besides, baking cakes/pies...not my thing!). 

Carrot Cake Easter Bunny Cake
1 Package Duncan Hines Decadent Carrot Cake


Prepare cake according to package directions and bake in two-8" round cake pans. Remove from oven and let cool. 


Cream Cheese Icing
1-8oz. Cream Cheese, softened
1/2 c. Butter, softened
1 tsp. Vanilla
3 c. Confectioners Sugar (a.k.a. powdered sugar or 10x sugar)
1 tbsp. Milk


Cream together the cream cheese and butter. Next, add the vanilla, sugar and milk and mix until well blended. 


Decorations
Jelly Beans
Black Licorice

Place one round cake on a flat board or serving platter. With the second round cake, cut out the 2 ears. The middle will become the bow tie. Ice the cake with the icing, then decorate using the jelly beans for the eyes and mouth and the licorice for the whiskers. 


Enjoy! 

Triple Chocolate Toffee Bombs

I have one more Valentines treat to share with you but it was purely by accident. I had purchased this new Duncan Hines cake mix called Triple Chocolate and forgot about it. Over the weekend, the family was in the mood for something chocolate so I told them I'd just make this cake as a bundt cake. Well, I made it but my pan is shot because this is the third time I've made something in it and the cake stuck to the bottom causing a huge mess. So I decided to make cake balls with them. I used the same premise as the Oreo truffles but also found some Heath bits left in the closet so I threw in some of those for good measure as well. They were a definite hit (I mean really..who wouldn't like chocolate and toffee?!). You can dip them into regular, dark or white chocolate, it's completely your preference. I just mixed it up since I only had a little of each kind. Don't forget if the chocolate is a little thick, simply add a touch of oil to help thin it out. You can also use some sprinkles to make them festive but I didn't have much of those left either.  I like these best when kept in the freezer. 

Triple Chocolate Toffee Bombs
1 Package Duncan Hines Triple Chocolate Cake Mix, prepared
8oz. Cream Cheese, softened
2 c. Heath English Toffee Bits
White Chocolate, for coating
Semi Sweet Chocolate, for coating

Prepare cake according to package directions then let cool overnight. Add cake to a bowl and crush using a fork. Add in the cream cheese and toffee bits and mix well. Form into 1" round balls, place on parchment paper and freeze for approximately 30 minutes. Melt chocolate according to package directions and dip balls into the chocolate. Place on parchment paper until they are dried. Makes approx. 4 dz. 

Enjoy!

Shared at Mandy's Recipe Box 2/14/12
Shared at Chef in Training 2/14/12
Shared at Newlyweds Blog 2/15/12
Shared at Lady Behind the Curtain 2/15/12

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White Chocolate Dipped Oreo Truffles

When Nikki from Chef-in-Training posted her recipe last month for these No Bake Oreo Truffles, I couldn't run downstairs fast enough to get the page off of the printer without my kids seeing it and screaming "You HAVE to make these!". I agreed but told them I would add it to the holiday baking list. Well, this week, I tried them out and I have to say, they are AWESOME and I'm not a huge Oreo fan (I'm  not really a sweets in general fan). They were SO easy to make, only 3 ingredients AND no baking so I can't burn them. :) I did however use the full 8oz. of cream cheese where she prefers 4oz, but these will definitely be on our holiday cookie platter this year! 

No Bake Oreo Truffles
Adapted from Chef in Training
1 pkg. Double Stuffed Oreos 
8 oz. cream cheese, softened 
12oz. White Chocolate 

Chop Oreos up fine in a food processor.  Add them to a bowl along with the cream cheese and mash together until well combined. Roll into 1" balls and place on a wax covered cookie sheet. Put in the freezer for 15 minutes.While balls are in the freezer, melt chocolate according to directions. Pull the truffles out of the freezer, and dip into chocolate.  Garnish with  sprinkles before the chocolate sets. Let chocolate set, refrigerate or you can also store these in the freezer in a resealable freezer bag until ready to serve. Makes approx. 2 dz. 

*Tip 1: Make sure you use wax or parchment paper to place the truffles on after they have been dipped in the chocolate. I made the mistake of putting a few on my baking cooling rack (the one w/ the grids) and the truffles stuck to it and ripped off the bottom of the truffle.

*Tip 2: If, when you melt your chocolate you find it too thick, you can add a drop of oil to it and mix well. It will help to thin it out. 

Enjoy!

Cranberry Stuffed Portabella Mushrooms

Thanksgiving is almost upon us and I still haven't fully planned my Turkey Day menu yet. We generally like traditional foods on this day...turkey, mashed potatoes, and the old standby, green bean casserole (still my favorite and even better the next day heating it to scalding hot temperatures in the microwave!) but I always like to make 1 or 2 (or 3 or 4 depending on my energy level that week) new items so I mostly get play with some new appetizers. While grocery shopping last week, they were having a sale on baby portabella mushrooms. (Did I mention we love mushrooms?) Anyway, I had an idea I wanted to try out before the holidays so I picked some up and tried this experiment out on my guinea pigs (a.k.a. hubby, kids and in-laws). I loved the addition of the cranberries in this recipe. Not only did they give it a nice contrasting color but they added just a hint of sweetness to the woodsy flavors of the mushrooms and rosemary. A definite keeper and one that I will be making again this Thanksgiving. 

Cranberry Stuffed Portabella Mushrooms
1-10oz. Package Baby Portabella Mushrooms
1/4 c. Scallions, chopped
1 Clove Garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. Fresh Rosemary, chopped
1 tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 tbsp. Dried Cranberries (like Craisins®)
2 oz. Light Cream Cheese
1/2 c. Panko Breadcrumbs
Canola Oil Cooking Spray


Gently wash off mushrooms with a damp cloth, remove stems and finely chop. Heat oil in a frying pan and add the mushrooms, scallions, garlic and rosemary and saute for 5 minutes. Add in the cream cheese and mix until the cheese has melted and is well blended. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly. In a bowl, add the breadcrumbs, cranberries and mushroom mixture. Mix well and using a small spoon, fill each mushroom cap with the stuffing and place on a greased baking sheet. Bake at 425 degrees for 18-20 minutes until the mushrooms are slightly brown. Makes 15-18 mushrooms(depends on the size within the package). 


Points+=1 per mushroom


Enjoy!

Creamed Spinach Ravioli

Ok, so if you happen to follow me on Facebook, this is the meal I was referring to when Gab said this was "Queasy". Her word for Quick and Easy. And even though no food should EVER be called Queasy without the connotation of feeling ill, it really was quick and easy to put together. I made it on a night where it's my turn to pick up my older daughter, Rachael from practice. When planning dinners on these nights, it has to be something that can be ready in 30 minutes or less or we just won't eat until 8pm. For the spinach, I used a prepared frozen spinach by Seabrook Farms. It comes in a boil in bag so all you have to do is boil it and let it simmer until it has defrosted. I prefer the flavor of their version better than some of the others that I have tried in the market. Simply serve this with a tossed salad and dinner is served!

Creamed Spinach Ravioli
1-16 oz. pkg. Frozen Creamed Spinach
3-13oz. pkg. Mini Cheese Ravioli
4 oz. Low Fat Cream Cheese
1 Plum Tomato, diced
1 tsp. Garlic Powder
1/2 tsp. Kosher Salt
1/4 tsp. Fresh Ground Black Pepper
Grated Pecorino Romano Cheese, as desired


Prepare your ravioli according to package directions and drain water; set aside if it ready before your sauce (but usually will take the same amount of time). Next, prepare your spinach according to package directions, drain water, cut open the spinach bag and pour back into the saucepan. Add the chopped tomatoes, cream cheese, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Mix well until all of the cheese has melted and the sauce is creamy. Add the cooked ravioli back into the pot and add the spinach sauce. Mix well and garnish with grated cheese. Serves 6. 


Enjoy!

Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

If you read my post yesterday, you would know that it was hubby's birthday. Now in our house, you get to select whatever it is you want to eat for your birthday dinner and I'll make it, no matter what it is.  So hubby decided he wanted sauce and a Red Velvet Cake, which surprised me since he said it was his favorite but I can't recall ever seeing him eat it let alone ask for it in the 18+ years we've been together, but I'll go with it. He even gave me enough warning and started thinking about this a few months ago, which was perfect timing because right around that time, I saw a recipe for Red Velvet Cake from America's Test Kitchen pop up on one of the blogs I follow; which I can't seem to find out which one it was but they posted a link to ATK to get the actual recipe, so if someone reading this posted this recipe in the last month or so, let me know. :)

Anyway, so here I go baking. This is not my forte, especially cakes so I followed the recipe to the T and it came out perfect! Minus a little fight I had with the food coloring. Splatters of red all over my kitchen. Did I mention I have white cabinets, a white tile floor and sink and, though I hate them and will hopefully be redoing our kitchen next year, light grey countertops? Lucky for me, the Lysol Antibacterial Kitchen Cleaner cleaned up the entire mess. The only thing I did different with ATK recipe is use a different Cream Cheese Frosting (by Janni on All Recipes.com). I had found her recipe about a year ago and what I like about it is that it only has 4 ingredients and is FABULOUS on carrot cake so I figured it would be just as good on Red Velvet Cake too...and it was!

Enjoy!