Tag: baking

For my oldest’s birthday last week, I made a banana cake. Found a recipe at Allrecipes.com and tweaked it a bit.

Here’s what I came up with:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose unbleached flour
1 tablespoon baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 pinch salt
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup + 2/3 cup plain low fat yogurt
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
4 ripe bananas, mashed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9 x 13 pan with non-stick cooking spray. In a small bowl, combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; set aside.
In a large bowl, cream butter, 1/4 cup yogurt, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Mix in the bananas. Add flour mixture alternately with the 2/3 cup yogurt to the creamed mixture. Pour batter into the prepared pan.
Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and cool.
Top with whipped cream or try this cream cheese frosting I previously posted.

TIP: Make half a batch and bake for 30 minutes in a round 8 inch pan. You can also make this gluten free by switching out the all purpose flour for your favorite gluten free flour.

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Moist Red Velvet Cupcakes, Cream Cheese Frosting

In Baking Recipes, Cupcakes

These were very good! Very moist, rose really well, great tasting.

Here’s the original red velvet cupcake recipe which makes 16 recipe. I made a full recipe and a half recipe for a total of 33 cupcakes.

2 1/4 cup granulated sugar (next time I’m trying 2 cups)
9 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
3 eggs, room temperature
3 1/3 cups + 1/6 cake flour
3 Tbsp cocoa
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups + 1 1/2 Tbsp plain, lowfat yogurt
2 1 /4 Tbsp red food coloring
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp white vinegar

Preheat oven to 350º F.
In a medium bowl, combine cake flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
In another medium bowl, combine yogurt, red food coloring, vanilla, and vinegar.
In a large bowl, beat the sugar and butter on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, until well-beaten.
Add 1/3 of the dry ingredients to the mixing bowl. Beat on low speed. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then increase to medium speed until all ingredients are combined. Add 1/3 of the wet ingredients and mix until combined. Continue the same process with the dry ingredients, alternating with the wet ingredients, and completing the mixing process with the dry ingredients until smooth.
Line cupcake pan with cupcake liners. Add 1/4 cup of batter to each cupcake liner. Bake 18 – 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of a cupcake comes out clean. Cool completely on wire racks before frosting.

I used a cream cheese frosting from my Pillsbury cookbook. The cream cheese frosting is as follows:

1 package(8-oz) 1/3-less-fat (Neufchatel) cream cheese, room temperature
2 tbs butter, melted
3 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

Add all ingredients to a large bowl, beat until smooth and desired consistency is reached.

Healthy Zucchini Bread

In Baking Recipes, Bread

My refrigerator is having issues, so I had to relocate all my food in the fridge and freezer. Luckily I had room for just about everything in the two little mini fridges and mini freezer we have. I had some frozen zucchini I couldn’t fit though, so I made this zucchini bread recipe. This one is supposed to be a little healthier than the zucchini bread recipe I previously posted. Taste wise, they are both really good. I’m kind of favoring this one though.

1 1/4 cups sugar
2 eggs
1/3 cup canola oil
1/3 cup water
3 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups all purpose unbleached flour
2 1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
3 small apples, peeled and diced
2 cups zucchini, diced

Preheat oven to 350.
Combine sugar, eggs, canola oil, water and vanilla. In a separate bowl combine whole wheat flour, all purpose unbleahed flour, cinnamon, baking powder, salt and baking soda. Add to bowl with egg mixture. Add apples and zucchini.
Pour into 2 greased loaf pans and bake at 350 for 45 – 55 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes.

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Zucchini Bread

In Bread

We have an ton of zucchini in the garden, one of my favorite summertime vegetables. Last weekend I made this zucchini bread recipe, adapted to be somewhat healthier from my mother’s original recipe. It makes 2 loaves, so cut everything in half if you just want one loaf. DELICIOUS!!!

1/2 cup canola oil
1/4 cup applesauce
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
3 eggs
3 tsp. vanilla
2 cups grated or small diced zucchini
1 1/2 cups plus 1 1/2 tbs all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups plus 1 1/2 tbs whole wheat flour
1/4 tsp salt, if desired
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
3 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350. Spray 2 bread pans with non sticking cooking spray.
Mix ingredients in order in a large bowl.
Bake at 350 for 50 – 60 minutes. Cool 10 minutes and remove from pan. Cool completely.

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Pumpkin Spice Cookie Bars

In Baking Recipes, Bars

I made these cookie bars for Thanksgiving. Quick, easy and delicious! Also contains lots of Vitamin A thanks to the pumpkin puree.

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp grated nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt, I didn’t add this
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 can pumpkin puree
1 cup chopped pecans, optional

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 13x9x2 pan with nonstick cooking spray.
Whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
In a separate bowl, cream together butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, with an electric mixer on medium speed, about 3 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in vanilla. Add pumpkin, stir until well combined. Gradually add flour mixture, beating just until blended. Optionally, fold in pecans with a spatula.
Spread batter in a 13×9 pan and bake 15 – 20 minutes or until edges start to turn lightly golden.

Icing:
1 cup confectioner’s sugar
1 to 2 tbs half and half or milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
In a small bowl, combine confectioner’s sugar, 1 tbs of the cream or milk, and vanilla extract. With a small fork or whisk, blend until icing is smooth and thin enough to drizzle. Add more cream or milk as needed to achieve the right consistency. Drizzle over cooled cookie bars.

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Healthy Cupcake Recipe

In Baking Recipes, Cupcakes

I just made these and I can’t believe how good they are. I modified the Choc-ful Cupcakes recipe in The Sneaky Chef cookbook. DELICIOUS!!! and fairly healthy. Next time, I’m going to take out the sugar and substitute 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce to make this even healthier. Also, 1/4 cup of oatmeal or oat bran could probably be added for more fiber. This is a great recipe to trick kids into eating something good for them.

4 tbs. unsalted butter, melted
1 egg
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup sugar
1 banana, beaten with a fork
1/3 cup all purpose flour
1/3 cup whole wheat flour
1/3 cup wheat germ
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 – 1/2 tsp cinnamon

In a large bowl, add butter, egg, vanilla, and sugar. Mix well. In a separate bowl, add all purpose flour, whole wheat flour, wheat germ, baking powder, cinnamon. Mix well and add to the large bowl containing the butter and sugar mixture. Mix well and spoon into cupcake pan.
Makes 12 cupcakes or 24 mini cupcakes.
You can frosten or glaze these with the recipe of your choice. They are so good, you probably don’t even really need to frosten them.

Health Benefits:

Eggs: are a great source of protein, choline, Vitamin D. They are good for the eyes as they lower the risk of developing cataracts.
Whole wheat flour: Whole grains are useful for lowering cholesterol and reducing the risk of cancer.
Wheat germ: is a great source of Vitamin E. It helps lower cholesterol and blood pressure and is a great source of fiber. Tip: I always add a scoopful when I make tuna fish.
Cinnamon: is a great spice to add in place of salt and sugar. It is thought to help lower blood sugar. It is a good source of manganese, fiber, iron, and calcium.
Bananas: are a superfood. I eat 1/4 banana everyday. They are full of sugar and high glycemic, so watch your portion size if you have blood sugar problems, as I do. Bananas are also full of potassium, good source of fiber, help with diarrhea and improve mood.

Apple Harvest Bake

In Baking Recipes, Dessert

Here’s a delicious apple dessert recipe I made last night:

3/4 cup quick cooking oats
3/4 cup apple juice
2 tbs vegetable oil
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbs, butter melted
1 cup brown sugar, divided
2 apples peeled & thinly sliced, about 1 1/2 cups
1 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
t tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350. Combine oats, apple juice, oil. Let stand 10 minutes. Stir in eggs and vanilla. Pour butter in a 9 inch cake pan coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle 1/4 cup brown sugar. Arrange apple slices spoke like on top of brown sugar. Combine 3/4 cup brown sugar, flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg. Add oat mixture, stir just until moist. Pour into prepared pan. Bake at 350 for 40 minutes or until toothpick in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes. Place a plate upside down on top of cake; invert onto plate. Serve with cool whip or vanilla ice cream if desired. Makes 8 serverings.

I diced the apples using the Vidalia Chop Wizard rather than thinly slicing them to save time and served it with cool whip. My 3 year old loved it.

Kid’s Banana Dessert

In Dessert

Here’s a simple kid friendly dessert:

Take 1 banana and slice it lengthwise and then cut it into pieces.
Spread caramel topping over it. I use Smucker’s suagar free, fat free caramel topping in the squeeze bottle. It squirts out very smoothly & easily, even after being refrigerated. Then add a dollop of cool whip, if desired, and enjoy.

BTW, bananas are a superfood. Full of potassium, Vitamin C, folate, magnesium and fiber.

Stacy Haiduk’s Grandmother’s Ginger Snaps

In Baking Recipes, Cookies

I was hungry for ginger cookies and came across this recipe in the 12/22/09 issue of Soap Opera Digest, so I gave it a try. They were delicious!!!! I couldn’t stop eating them.

4TBS butter
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup molasses – I substituted 1/4 cup maple syrup and 1/2 cup water
1 egg
2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
pinch of salt – I did not use any salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp cloves
1 tsp ginger
sugar for topping – I used cinnamon sugar

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Mix all of the dry ingredients together, then add the molasses(or maple syrup and water) and egg. Mix thoroughly until it forms a dough.
Roll the dough into small balls. Dip the top of each into a little sugar (or cinnamon sugar). Place on a baking sheet, making sure there’s enough room between the cookies for them to expand. Flatten out with a fork.
Put in the oven and bake for 8 – 10 minutes.
Enjoy with a cold glass of milk.

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Blueberry Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars