Upside-down Plum Cake

3/4 cup butter, softened (divided)
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1 tablespoon honey
4 large plums, cut into segments
1 1/2  cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 cup milk

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 9-in pan with 2-in sides.

In a skillet melt HALF the butter with honey and sugar over medium heat, stirring until smooth sauce forms. Pour sauce into prepared cake pan, arrange plum segments on top.

Mix flour, baking powder, spices and salt in a medium bowl, set aside. With a mixer, whip remaining butter and sugar until creamy. Add eggs and both extracts and whip until white and fluffy. Add 1/3 flour mixture, mix until just blended. Add 1/2 milk, then 1/3 flour, the rest of milk and flour, mixing until just combined.

Pour batter over plums, bake until golden, about 1 hr. Let cool in pan for about 15 min, run a knife around the edges and carefully invert onto serving platter.

My Favorite Chocolate Cake

The original copy of this recipe is a "mocha" cake but you can't really taste the mocha. It's just a delicious chocolate cake. The best I've ever had.

2c flour
2c white sugar
2/3c cocoa powder
2t baking soda
1t baking powder
1/2t salt
1T instant coffee powder
1/2c oil
2 eggs
1c buttermilk
1c hot water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Into a large bowl mix all the dry ingredients. Incorporate the wet ingredients (minus the last) one at a time until a thick batter has been made. Pour hot water over the thick batter and stir until uniform.
Pour into 2 greased and floured 9 inch cake pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes.
I use chocolate buttercream on this cake and it's decadent and delicious!

Buttermilk Pie Crust

This is a nice and easy pie crust, though not as pretty as a traditional recipe.

2 sticks cold unsalted butter
2 1/2c flour
1T sugar
1t salt
1/2c buttermilk
Cut the butter into the dry ingredients then mix in buttermilk. Divide into to even balls. Press into your pie plate and chill until ready to use.

David's Grandma's Pecan Pie

I have to attribute this recipe to Patty Vail. Back when I first started collecting recipes this one was given to me as a Grandma's Pecan Pie recipe. It's delicious and always the recipe I use!

For the pie crusts: (makes 2. Halve if you only want the one)
2 1/2c flour
1c crisco (I use butter)
1t salt
1/2c water
Mix flour, shortening and salt. Add water.

For filling:
3 eggs
2/3c sugar
1/2t salt
1/3c butter (melted)
1c dark corn syrup
Beat above together with rotary beater.
Add 1c pecan halves.
Pour into pie crust. Bake at 375 degrees for 40 to 50 minutes or until set and pastry is nicely browned. Cool and serve with a dollup of whipped cream.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie

I'm not a huge fan of "recipes" that involve a mix in the ingredients, preferring to make as much from scratch as I'm able but this one will be an exception for now. I've only made this pie once but I should make it more often. It was a huge hit!

1 1/2 c milk
1 package instant vanilla pudding mix
1/2c peanut butter
1 graham cracker crust

Chocolate layer:
1 1/2c milk
1 package instant chocolate pudding mix
1c whipped topping

Add vanilla mix into the first amount of milk. Beat for a minute or two then add peanut butter. Beat for another 30 seconds or so then pour into crust.
Beat chocolate mix into the second amount of milk for 2 minutes. Carefully spread over peanut butter layer and chill for at least 2 hours.
Top with whipped topping and garnish as desired.

Chocolate Chip Loaf

I originally found this recipe on pinterest.com, but it linked me to here. This thing was delicious! I definitely want this recipe around for another night like tonight where we were all in the mood for something but we weren't sure what. It was super easy and I already had all the ingredients here at the house. 

1 1/2c flour
1t baking powder
1/2t salt
3/4c sugar
1/2c butter, softened
2 eggs
1/4c sour cream
1t vanilla extract
1c mini semi-sweet chocolate chips (I used regular)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2″ loaf pan. In medium bowl, stir the flour, baking powder, and salt, blending well; set aside. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and blend well, then add the sour cream and vanilla and blend well. Gradually add the flour mixture to this egg mixture and mix until well blended. Fold in the mini chocolate chips, distributing evenly in batter. Then fill your loaf pan with the batter and bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Let loaf cool in pan 5-10 minutes before removing, then cool completely on a wire rack. While loaf is cooling, you can make the frosting…

Frosting:1c powdered sugar
1/2c unsweetened cocoa powder
3 1/2T half & half (or more, if you want a thinner glaze)


Stir powdered sugar and cocoa powder together in small bowl. Add the half & half and blend until smooth and creamy.

When loaf is completely cool, frost the top generously with all the frosting (or if you’ve made a thinner glaze, drizzle the loaf generously with the chocolate glaze). Let the frosting or glaze set a little, and then it’s ready to enjoy!

Bread Pudding

It was a friend who suggested adding this to my list. I have never been a fan of bread pudding, but since the whole idea of this challenge was to push out of my comfort zone a little, I went ahead and put it on the list. My Mom loves bread pudding but it's always seemed like soggy bread to me. Boy, was I wrong!

Phil was also skeptical when I pulled this thing out of the oven... but he ended up having 2nds! The boys both loved it too. Much better than I expected! ... kind of like creamy french toast made with cinnamon rolls.

3 eggs, beaten
1 1/2c white sugar

• 2T light brown sugar
• 1/2t ground cinnamon
• 1/4c butter, melted
• 3c whole milk
• 10 slices hearty farmhouse-style bread, toasted and cut into cubes
•  
• 1/2c light brown sugar
• 1T all-purpose flour
• 1 pinch ground cinnamon
• 1 egg
• 2T butter, melted
• 1 1/4c whole milk
• 1 pinch salt
• 1T vanilla extract
• 
  
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease a 2-quart baking dish.
• 
  
• In a mixing bowl, whisk 3 eggs, white sugar, 2 tablespoons of light brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon, 1/4 cup of butter, and 3 cups of whole milk together, and gently stir in the bread cubes and raisins. Lightly spoon the mixture into the prepared baking dish.
• 
  
• Bake in the preheated oven until browned and set in the middle, 50 to 55 minutes; cover the dish with foil after 30 minutes to prevent excessive browning. Let the pudding stand for 10 minutes before serving.
• 
  
• For vanilla sauce, whisk 1/2 cup of light brown sugar, the flour, a pinch of cinnamon, 1 egg, 2 tablespoons of melted butter, 1 1/4 cups of whole milk,and salt together in a heavy saucepan until smooth. Heat over medium heat, whisking constantly, until thickened and the sauce coats the back of a spoon, 10 to 12 minutes. Stir in the vanilla extract. Pour sauce over warm bread pudding, or serve on the side in a bowl.

Tres Leches Cake

I had this at a Mexican restaurant a couple of months ago. Theirs was better than mine... but this one is pretty good too. Especially after having enchiladas for dinner!
Phil has recently renamed my challenge "30 pounds on my husband before I turn 30."

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1 cup white sugar
• 5 eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
•  
• 2 cups whole milk
• 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 (12 fluid ounce) can evaporated milk
• 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 
  
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour one 9x13 inch baking pan.
• Sift flour and baking powder together and set aside.Cream butter or margarine and the 1 cup sugar together until fluffy. Add eggs and the 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract; beat well.
• Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture 2 tablespoons at a time; mix until well blended. Pour batter into prepared pan.
• Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 minutes. Pierce cake several times with a fork.Combine the whole milk, condensed milk, and evaporated milk together. Pour over the top of the cooled cake.
• Whip whipping cream, the remaining 1 cup of the sugar, and the remaining 1 teaspoon vanilla together until thick. Spread over the top of cake. Be sure and keep cake refrigerated, enjoy!

Pineapple Pie

I saw this recipe here a while back. Being a fan of pineapple... and also of pie, I thought the 2 looked like they would make a good combination which is how it ended up on my list. Then this weekend we were able to visit with Phil's Grandma. She is known far and wide for her delicious pies. She has probably made more pies in one day then I have made in my entire lifetime. I was lucky enough to be able to cook up a couple pies with her this weekend. We talked about recipes and pies and I brought up this recipe. Would you believe that she has made a pie just like this? 

For the pie:
3/4c sugar
2T butter
2 eggs, separated
1/3c cornstarch
1/2t vanilla extract
1/2c plus 2T of water
8oz canned crushed pineapple
1 whole 9-inch baked pie crust


For the meringue: 
2 egg whites (from above)
1/8t salt
1/4t cream of tartar
6T sugar
1t vanilla

For the pie, cream sugar, butter, and egg yolks in a saucepan. Add cornstarch and vanilla. Add water and crushed pineapple. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until thick. Pour into a 9″ baked pastry.

For the meringue, whip egg whites until they begin to get foamy. Add the remaining ingredients and continue to whip until the meringue has reached soft peak stage and is smooth and glossy. Place the meringue over the cooled pie. Brown at 400ºF for just a few minutes. Store in the fridge until ready to serve. Tastes great warm or cold.

Fruited Ice Cream

My friend from our time in Illinois had recommended a vanilla ice cream recipe I was really eager to try. I realized after reading through the recipe, though, that the eggs in it weren't cooked at all. For whatever reason I just can't bring myself to eat raw eggs intentionally (aside from a scoop of cookie dough or 2), so I ended up finding another recipe to try. We bought an ice cream maker last summer and used it several times so I figured we'd try a few new things this year. This recipe is not one that needs to be cooked before hand so it makes for a much shorter time of preparation. I used peaches in it that we had sitting around. I have a feeling I'll be using it with many other kinds of fruits before the summer is over, though!

2 (14 ounce) cans sweetened condensed milk
5 cups milk
2 cups heavy cream
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups chopped fruit (peaches, strawberries, blackberries, etc.)

• Combine condensed milk, milk, cream, vanilla, salt and fruit in freezer canister of ice cream maker. Freeze according to manufacturer's directions.

Banana Macaroon Trifle

This is another crowd pleaser recipe. I've never had a person not like this dessert, even if they're not big fans of coconut. The first time we had this was at a friends house for lunch while we were engaged. Phil liked it so much he asked me to get the recipe and I've been making it for him every so often ever since. We use different fruit each time but it's always delicious.

2 tablespoons butter, softened

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup old-fashioned oats
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 cup flaked coconut
• 3 to 4 small firm bananas, sliced (as well as whatever other fruit sounds like it might be good)
• 1 tablespoon pineapple juice
• 1 carton (16 ounces) frozen whipped topping, thawed
  
  
  In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Combine the flour, oats and baking powder; add to creamed mixture alternately with milk, beating well after each addition (mixture will appear curdled). Stir in coconut.
  Spread in a well-greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking pan. Bake at 325° for 25-30 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Cool completely; crumble. Set aside 1/4 cup for topping.Just before serving, toss bananas with pineapple juice. In a 2-1/2-qt. serving bowl, layer a third of the macaroon crumbs, whipped topping and bananas. Repeat layers twice. Sprinkle with reserved crumbs. 

Rum Cake

I saw a recipe for this over the holidays but never had an occasion to try it. Phil has been gone for a couple weeks so I made this recipe to share with him when he gets home. There are easier recipes than this one, but I wanted to go as close to from scratch as possible. (I'll post a picture and whether or not we liked it later tonight).

• 1 cup butter
• 2 cups white sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 teaspoon rum flavored extract
• 1 cup butter
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup rum

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour one 9 or 10 inch tube pan.Cream 1 cup of the butter and 2 cups of the white sugar together. Add eggs one at a time mixing well after each one.Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together and add alternately with the buttermilk to the egg mixture. Stir in the vanilla and rum extracts. Pour batter into prepared pan.Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 1 hour. Remove cake from oven and pour all of the Rum Butter glaze over cake while still warm. Leave cake in pan for 2 hours before removing to serving dish.To Make Butter Rum Glaze: Melt the remaining 1 cup of the butter and 1 cup of white sugar over low heat. Remove from heat and stir in rum. Use immediately to glaze cake.

Strawberry Strawberry Cheesecake

I found this recipe here. I've made a no-bake strawberry cheesecake before but wasn't a big fan. I had been looking for a recipe that was a strawberry cheesecake. This one was pretty good but next time I would probably  use a recipe I liked already and incorporate strawberry into that one. Overall, though, this was a pretty yummy cheesecake with the fresh strawberries on top!

For the crust:1 and 1/4 cups crushed graham crackers5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

For the cheesecake:10 ounces frozen unsweetened strawberries, thawed, juices reserved
3 8-ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 large eggs
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract

For the topping:1/3 cup strawberry jelly
3 cups fresh strawberries, sliced lengthwise (I only used about half of this)

For the crust: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Prepare a 9-inch spring-form pan by buttering the bottom and sides generously, set aside.
Crush graham crackers until they are coarse crumbs.
Add the butter and process until the crumbs resemble sand.
Using your fingers, evenly press the crumbs in the bottom and up the sides (about 1 inch) of the spring-form pan.
Bake the crust for 8 minutes, set aside.

For the filling: Beat cream cheese and sugar in your stand mixer until smooth.
Blend in the flour.
Add the eggs until smooth.
Add sliced strawberries, lemon juice, vanilla, and almond extract, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary, and mix until well-blended.
Pour the filling evenly into the spring-form pan.
Bake the cheesecake for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until the sides are slightly puffed and cracked.
Remove the cheesecake from the oven, let cool slightly, and then refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

For the topping:  In a small saucepan over low heat, melt the jelly until smooth (do not boil).
Spread the jelly evenly over the top of the chilled cheesecake.
Decorate the top of the cheesecake with your sliced strawberries, and enjoy.

Boston Cream Pie

I'm starting to lose faith in Allrecipes.com. I haven't lost it altogether but this is yet another recipe that was well reviewed but not reviewed based on the actual recipe. Why do people do that? If you don't use the recipe as it's written, please don't review it saying it's awesome... especially if you use yellow cake mix instead. I used this recipe here, but I would definitely not recommend the cake part of the recipe. It was much too dry and I won't be using it again (so I won't even bother posting that part on here. The cream and chocolate were pretty good, though!
I made this for some friends who came over this weekend. Their middle daughter was so cute asking to pose with the cake.

• Filling:
  1/2 cup light cream
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1 pinch salt
• 4 teaspoons cornstarch
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Frosting:

• 3 (1 ounce) squares semisweet chocolate
• 1/4 cup light cream
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
  
  To Make The Filling: Combine the 1/2 cup light cream with 1/4 cup of the milk and cook over medium heat until bubbles begin to form around the edge of the pan. Immediately add 1/4 cup of the sugar and the salt, stirring until dissolved. Remove the pan from the heat.
• In a small bowl, combine 1/4 cup of the milk with the cornstarch and whisk to remove lumps. Whisk in the 2 eggs. Add the hot cream mixture in a thin stream, whisking constantly. Return to the mixture to the saucepan, bring to a boil, and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the custard thickens and is smooth (about 5 minutes). Remove from heat and stir in the 1/2 teaspoon vanilla and allow to cool to room temperature.
• 
  
• To Make The Chocolate Frosting: In a heavy saucepan over low heat, stir the chocolate pieces until completely melted. Remove from the heat and, stirring constantly, add the 1/4 cup light cream in a thin steady stream. When mixture is smooth, stir in the confectioners' sugar and beat vigorously. Stir in the 1/2 teaspoon vanilla.
• 
  
• To Assemble Cake: Spread the cooled filling over one the cooled cakes and place the second cake on top. Pour the chocolate frosting evenly over the top allowing it to spill down the sides.