Day 4: Cream Cheese Pound Cake

I have never made a pound cake. I don’t even own a bunt cake pan. Since I have never made a bunt cake this size (I have to small size bunt cake pan, where there are six bunts on a sheet) I had to ask my neighbors if I can borrow theirs. Thankfully my neighbor had one to lend me and I was off to make this.

 

 

Cream Cheese Pound Cake

recipe via

 

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups butter, softened at room temp
• 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened at room temp
• 3 cups sugar
• 6 large eggs
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy (do not over beat); gradually add sugar, beating well.

 

Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating until combined. Crack eggs into a bowl first before adding to the mixture to make sure you avoid shells in the cake mix.

 

Sift 3 cups of flour. Combine flour and salt; gradually add to butter mixture, beating at low speed just until blended after each addition. Stir in vanilla extract.

 

Pour batter into a greased and floured 10-inch Bundt pan. Smooth the top of the cake or bottom of the cake (depending how you look at it) with a spatula to even it out.

 

Bake at 300° for 1 hour and 40 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack 10 to 15 minutes; remove from pan, and let cool completely on wire rack. This is where me sleep deprived and being 1am, I didn’t let the cake to cool off completely and tried to take it out of the pan. That’s when  part of the cake crumbled. So my lesson use lots of butter/oil to grease the pan in the beginning and let the cake cool off before taking it out. Other than that the cake tasted fantastic. Had it for breakfast and lunch on the following day. Well, it was more of a brunch.

 

Enjoy!

 

I am linking this to Chic on Shoestring Decorating

Day 3 : OREO Truffles

I know that it has been awhile. I kept on running out of ingredients, then didn’t have the right pans, then I just simply ran out of time. Yeah, the holidays are a stressful time of the year. Anyways, I have been eyeing this recipe for a long time but never made it. This gave me an excuse to make the famous OREO truffles.  This little truffle/ball is so easy to make. I used a food processor to crush the OREO cookie which made it a breeze. I think I was done with everything in less than 30 mins. I am definitely making this yummys for my cookie exchange next week.

 

 

Ingredients

1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened

36 OREO Cookies, finely crushed (about 3 cups)

2 pkg. (8 squares each)  Semi-Sweet Chocolate, melted

 

MIX cream cheese and cookie crumbs until well blended.

 

SHAPE into 48 (1-inch) balls. Freeze 10 min. Dip balls in melted chocolate; place in single layer in shallow waxed paper-lined pan.

 

REFRIGERATE 1 hour or until firm.

 

Note: I was only able to get about 30-34 balls. So it all depends on how big you roll the balls.

 

Enjoy!

I am linking this to Chic on a Shoestring decorating

Pinterest your Friday

Hello, can you believe it’s December? Christmas will be here in no time. I don’t think I have done Pinterest your Friday is a while so here we go again. Lately most if not all of my pins have been holiday related. It most likely it will be like this for the rest of the month.

 

                     Source: coastalliving.com via Megan on Pinterest

 

                    Source: coastalliving.com via Megan on Pinterest

 

                     Source: theinspiredroom.net via Sarah on Pinterest

 

                    Source: starfishcottage.typepad.com via Laurie on Pinterest

 

                               Source: alifeofbeautyandgrace.tumblr.com via Megan on Pinterest

 

            Source: etsy.com via Megan on Pinterest

 

Day 2: Nutella cookies

Welcome to Day 2 of my 12 days of sweets. There are three things that I can just sit and eat without stopping and feeling guilty: chocolate, condensed milk, and Nutella. Who doesn’t love Nutella? Well these cookies are so easy to make that I was done in 20 minutes. They remind me on the crust of brownies which I think is the best part.

 

Nutella Cookierecipe via Tasty Kitchen

Ingredients

• 1 cup Nutella
• ½ cups Sugar
• 1 cup All-purpose Flour
• 1 whole Egg

Preparation Instructions

 

Preheat oven to 350 F.

 

Blend all ingredients together well. Form into 1″ balls. Place on a cookie sheet. Press down firmly with the bottom of a glass. Bake 7-8 minutes or until set. Cool.

 

Note: I read few reviews before making it and few people had suggested to add 1 tbsp to the texture. It is up to you if you want to add it or not. I did .

 

The cookies were such a hit that someone could barely wait for me to take a photo to snag one for herself.

 

Enjoy!

Day 1: Peanut Butter Fudge

I love the holidays. Mostly I love Christmas and Christmas time. I love the decorations, the music, the endless cookies/sweets. I am attending a cookie exchange on the 14th of December and I wasn’t sure what to make. I will have to bring more than 60 of the same cookie which is a little intimidating for me. I am use to making small batches of different things.  Anyways getting back to this. Since I can’t make up my mind on what to make I decided to make 12 days of sweets and hopefully by the 14th I will have made a decision on what to make for the cookie exchange.

 

Now, my husband and daughter love peanut butter. I first saw this recipe three years ago via Alton Brown on the Food Network. It is so easy to make yet this is the first time I messed up so instead of cubes I ended up with balls.

 

 

recipe via Brown Eyed Baker

Peanut Butter Fudge

Yield: 64 pieces (1½ pounds)

Prep/Cook Time: 10 minutes | Set Time: About 1 hour

1¼ cups (10 ounces) unsalted butter
1¼ cups smooth peanut butter
Pinch of salt
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
4½ cups powdered sugar, sifted

1. Butter an 8-inch non-stick baking dish (or line with buttered parchment paper) and set aside.

2. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, heat the butter and peanut butter until the mixtures comes to a boil. Remove from the heat.

3. Add the salt and vanilla extract, then stir in the powdered sugar until smooth and no lumps remain.

4. Pour the fudge mixture into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Press a piece of plastic wrap directly on the fudge and refrigerate until set, at least 1 hour. Cut into squares and serve. Fudge can be stored at cool room temperature in an airtight container.

Note: The only reason I think I ended up with balls was I accidently put the powder sugar all at once. If you do it little at a time you shouldn’t have a problem.

 

Enjoy!

I am linking this to