SUZIE SWEET TOOTH

Cakes, Treats, and Everything Sweet

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    • Yum Yum Cake (Streusel Swirl Coffee Cake)

      When I was a little girl my Mom used to make this cake. Busy Moms listen up. This is your saving grace when someone tells you need to bring something to a potluck. You can whip this thing out in no time. Two main things are key to this cake; sour cream and an angel food cake pan. Your posse won’t even blink twice over the fact it has no frosting. I’m sure there is probably another name for this cake, but I swear this is what it was always called. I’m not even messin’ with you. For reals. This was my favorite cake growing up. I mean, seriously how bad do you think it could be with a name like that? I’m here to tell you, it is amazing. To this day I am still scratching my head over this cake- how could something so simple be so good? This cake is like a surprise joy ride. It appears as if it were a plain old Chevy but one taste and you know it’s really like a brand new Cadillac. The beauty and wonder of this cake is that it is super moist and has texture. If I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again-I love texture. You know how you dive into the top of a good coffee cake because all the elements of naughty goodness coalesce into one sugar nut mass of love? Yeah, this cake has that same sugar-cinnamon nut flavor but swirls of it fused into a rich yellow moist cake. Go ahead, take it for a spin. You’ll be glad you did.

      I found these really pretty paper baking pans in Michael’s by “Celebrate It”  and thought they were really pretty. The recipe makes enough for 2 of these 6 inch baking molds or one standard large angel food cake pan.

       

      Yum Yum Cake

       

      Topping/Swirl:

      1 Cup Finely chopped walnuts

      1/4 Cup granulated sugar

      1/3 Cup light brown sugar

      1 tsp. cinnamon

      (Mix together in a small bowl; set aside).

      Cake:

      1  1/2 sticks (3/4 Cup) unsalted butter, room temp

      1  1/2 Cup granulated sugar

      3 Lg. eggs, room temp

      1 tsp. vanilla

      3 Cups sifted flour

      1  1/2 tsp. baking powder

      1  1/2 tsp. baking soda

      1 tsp. salt

      16 oz. sour cream, room temp

      1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease an angel food cake pan well or spray with baking spray. Cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time and beat to combine. Beat in vanilla to combine.

      2. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt and whisk to combine; set aside.

      3. Mix in 1/3 of the dry ingredients into the sugar/butter egg mixture and combine.  Continue to alternate mixing with 1/2 of sour cream and dry ingredients making sure to end with dry ingredients.

      4. Pour 1/3 of cake batter into the pan, then add a layer of topping and pat down gently. Continue alternating batter and topping mixture like this for 3 times; ending with topping on top of cake. Bake for about 1 hour. Let cool. Do not turn cake upside down to cool.

    • Coconut-Lime Ice Pops

      Which type of coconut person are you? Are you a COCONUT LOVER or not? I know when it comes to coconut people seem to really love it or not…. Guess which one I am? Yep, COCONUT LOVER. I’m kookoo for coconut. My favorite popsicle or ice pop is coconut cream.

      My Mom was a tupperware lady when I was growing up and we had beaucoup tupperware. Cupboards of the stuff. One of the things we had was a popsicle maker. My Mom used to make us homemade popsicles and fudgesicles when we were growing up. Now a days you have so many choices in the stores when it comes to buying popsicles and there are ones that are certainly more healthy than others that do not contain a lot of sugar. I like both types of popsicles; healthy and ones not so healthy…..The thing is; there is no reason to feel guilty about indulging in a good popsicle. Decide which type of flavor is your favorite and go from there.  The possibilities are endless.

      Coconut-Lime Ice Pops

      Coconut-Lime Ice Pops

      (recipe adapted from Ice Pops by Shelly Kaldunski)

      yield: makes 10-12 ice pops

      1 Cup Heavy cream

      3/4 Cup superfine sugar

      1 can regular (not light) coconut milk

      1/2 Cup sweetened shredded coconut

      grated zest of  3 limes

      1/2 Cup whole milk

      In a chilled bowl combine the heavy cream and the sugar on high speed beat until thickened and reach soft peaks; about 90 seconds.

      In a blender combine coconut milk and coconut until mostly smooth. Stir in the lime zest. Transfer to a 4 cup meauring cup with a pour spout. Stir in the whole milk. Gently whisk in the whipped cream.

      Divide the mixture evenly in ice pop molds. If using wooden sticks; wait about 50 minutes before inserting sticks and continue to freeze until solid; about 4 hours.

    • Carrot Cake

      Why do carrots get such a bad rap?  Carrots are cool; just ask Bugs Bunny. Matter of fact, tre cool! Carrots are healthy. Carrots are full of beta carotine. Carrots help make the most amazing cake! Everytime I make this cake people tell me its the best carrot cake they’ve ever had; and quite frankly I agree. I think it’s because of all the yummy ingredients of coconut, pineapple and raisins. I have never met a person that does not like carrot cake.  I know it’s all in my head, but somehow I feel like a good Mother when I make carrot cake as my child is actually eating carrots– for a change. Yes I know it’s hardly much carrot he actually gets and yes I know it’s wrapped around a bunch of sugar and other things but I can’t help it, I still feel sneaky and giddy. The word carrot usually sends Seth running for the hills. It is literally the only way he will eat a carrot; unless I sneak it into a smoothie. This is a great party cake as young and old alike will fall for this cake. All your carrot phobia offspring will go for it. You can make it in a 9 x 13 pan or if you like it will make a nice 2 layer (9 inch) cake. I have even made a recipe and a half and done an impressive 3 layer cake. The recipe below for cream cheese frosting is the perfect amount for a 9 x 13 pan. If you want to make a layer cake I would double the frosting for a 2 layer. Party on~ Suzie.

      Carrot Cake

      Cake:

      3 Cups all-purpose flour

      1  1/2 Cups sugar

      1 tsp. salt

      1 Tbsp baking soda

      1 Tbsp cinnamon

      1  1/2 Cups vegetable oil or grapeseed oil

      4 Lg eggs

      1 Tbsp vanilla

      2 Cups shredded carrots

      1 Cup golden raisins

      1 Cup of drained crushed pineapple

      1 Cup sweetened shredded coconut

      1 Cup chopped walnuts

      Cream Cheese Frosting:

      8 oz. cream cheese; kept cold

      4 Tbsp unsalted butter; cubed and kept cold

      2 tsp vanilla

      1 pound confectioners sugar

      1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease or spray with nonstick baking spray a 9 x 13 inch pan or 2 (9 inch round pans).

      2. In a large bowl or bowl of stand mixer combine dry ingredients and  whisk together.

      3. Add oil, eggs and vanilla and beat well for about 2 minutes. Stir in carrots, raisins, pineapple, coconut and walnuts. Pour batter into pan(s). Set on middle rack of oven and bake for about 35-40 minutes or until edges have pulled away from sides of the pan; if cake looks like it’s getting too dark cover with aluminum foil. Let pans(s) cool completely on wire rack. Frost with cream cheese frosting. Keep cake cold until about 30 minutes before serving. Store any leftover cake wrapped and stored in the fridge.

      For Frosting: Beat together the cold cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add in vanilla and beat.  Slowly sift in confectioners sugar about 1-2 cups at a time and beat until smooth.

    • Common Baking Substitutions

      A word about baking substitutions. Baking is as we all know,  a science and sometimes you can “fool” a recipe by substituting another ingredient in the recipe if you don’t have one. Below are a few common substitutions you can do instead of running to the store if you are hard pressed for time. I hope you find this list helpful and if you like it’s handy to print out and tape to the  inside of your cupboard of baking supplies to use as a handy reference. Happy Baking~ Suzie

      Baking Powder (1 tsp): 1/4 tsp. baking soda+ 1/2 tsp. cream of tartar

      Cream of Tartar (1/2 tsp): 1/2 tsp. white vinegar or lemon juice

      Buttermilk (1 Cup): 3 choices here~

      a) 1 Cup plain yogurt, [greek is even fine] OR

      b) 1 Tbsp. white vinegar or lemon juice in a liquid measuring cup then fill to the 1 Cup line with whole milk or 2 % milk and let stand for 5 minutes, OR

      c) 1 Cup milk + 3/4 tsp. cream of tartar

      Half -n-Half   [for baking- 1 Cup]: 1 1/2 Tbsp. butter + enough milk to = 1 Cup

      Super Fine Sugar (1 Cup): Take granulated sugar and process in food processor for ~ 30 seconds (I personally never buy super fine sugar- what I do is whir up a big batch of granulated sugar in my processor and then keep it in a labeled container separately).

      Light Brown Sugar (1 Cup): 1 Tbsp. unsulfured molasses + 1 Cup white granulated sugar. (combine in a bowl with a fork or handheld mixer)

      Dark Brown Sugar (1 Cup): 2 Tbsp. unsulfured molasses + 1 Cup white granulated sugar. (combine in a bowl with a fork or handheld mixer)

    • Green Tea Petite Fours with Blackberry Icing

      I’ve really come to love the taste of green tea in baking. You have to be careful with the amount of green tea when it comes to baking. Too much of a good thing and you’ve crossed over into weird taste territory. Starbucks has a green tea frappe with blackberry drizzle and this was my inspiration for these mini tea cakes. Something special happens whenever you pair a tannic flavor like tea with fruit. Think blackberry cabernet sorbet for instance. Another example is balsamic and strawberry. Tannic flavor and fruit are good dance partners; just remember to let one be the lead and the other to follow; just like any good dance partner, one needs to be more assertive and the other the compliment. I can see serving these tea cakes as dessert for a light luncheon or garden party. They are best eaten the day they are made as the icing tends to melt in after the first day. Enjoy~ Suzie.

      Green Tea Cakes 1_edited-1

      Green Petite Fours with Blackberry Icing

      recipe adapted from Martha Stewart

      (Macy’s carries Martha’s  tea cake pan). psst… you can also buy the same exact pan at Williams Sonoma, which I noticed has the same exact shapes.

      yield: 30 tea cakes

      Blackberry Icing

      1 Tbsp + 2 tsp.  Blackberry preserves

      2 Tbsp. water

      1 Cup confectioners sugar

      1. In a small bowl combine the preserves and water until smooth. Add sugar and whisk to combine. Add more sugar or water as necessary to reach a fluid consistency but thick enough to coat the back of a teaspoon. If the icing runs off the spoon too quickly it is too thin; add more sugar as needed.

      Green Tea Cakes

      6 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled

      3 eggs; room temp

      1/4 tsp. salt

      1/2 Cup sugar

      3/4 tsp. vanilla

      3/4 Cup cake flour, sifted

      1  1/2 tsp. matcha green tea powder

      1. Preheat oven to 375° F. Coat tea cake pan with nonstick spray. Melt butter and set aside to cool.

      2. In a small bowl whisk together flour, and green tea; set aside.

      3. Beat eggs, salt, and sugar with a mixer on medium speed, until pale yellow and very thick about 8 minutes. Stir in vanilla. Fold in flour mixture rapidly but gently. Fold in butter without allowing butter to settle to the bottom of the bowl. Quickly spoon mixture into the pan, until batter is just below the rim.

      4. Bake until cakes spring back when touched lightly; about 11-13 minutes. Invert pan onto wire rack and flip out so cakes are facing up. Spoon glaze on cakes while still warm. Let cool and serve.

    • Mini Raspberry-Vanilla Bean Cheesecakes

      In the late summer of 1998 I moved to San Francisco from New Mexico. I had been living in the “Land of Enchantment” for a short time when I was a traveling Nurse. I still remember the long drive through the central valley of California on my way to San Francisco and seeing all the fresh produce trucks driving past me in great numbers. Convoys of huge trucks filled with roma tomatoes, and other fresh produce were cruising past me on my journey to my new home. It suddenly dawned on me that California was going to be an exciting place when it came to shopping for fresh fruits and veggies. The first taste of a really ripe apricot was one of my first amazing discoveries, the second was tasting a really ripe juicy raspberry. Grocery shopping suddenly became a little more exciting to me. Being a “foodie” this was fun for me to find such gorgeous fruit. I don’t mean to wax poetic, but this was something new to me; a raspberry that was really sweet and not half ripe. Cartons of beautiful ruby-red raspberries all stacked atop each other in neatly organized rows. A raspberry that was picked from the coastal region of California the day before at its peak of ripeness- not hard, not pale red, but deep dark red and sweet. Raspberries have been on sale this week so I took the opportunity to grab quite a few and made some fresh raspberry sauce to top my cheesecakes. You could also use frozen raspberries and it would work fine. Here is another favorite recipe of mine; a raspberry tart recipe while raspberries are in season. Click here for more facts about California raspberries as well as how to pick and store fresh raspberries from the fine folks at Driscolls. Enjoy.

      Mini Raspberry-Vanilla Bean Cheesecakes

      yield: 24 mini (standard muffin size) cheesecakes

      Raspberry Topping

      24 oz. fresh raspberries

      1/2 Cup sugar

      1 tsp. cornstarch

      1 tsp. water

      In a 3 quart saucepan combine the raspberries and sugar and let them macerate for a few minutes. On medium high heat, bring the raspberries and sugar mixture to a boil for 3 minutes while stirring continuously with a rubber spatula. Mash the raspberries with the spatula while letting it come to a boil. After 3 minutes, in a small bowl combine the cornstarch and water to make a slurry. Stir in the slurry and continue to stir for another 3 minutes to let the mixture thicken. Strain through a fine mesh strainer over a medium bowl to remove all the seeds and press the mixture with the spatula back and forth to allow all of the raspberry filling to pass through. Scrape the underside of the strainer to make sure you get all of the filling into the bowl. Let the filling cool and chill in a covered container in the fridge.

      Cheesecakes:

      4 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese; room temp

      1 Cup sugar

      1 tsp. lemon zest

      2 tsp. vanilla bean paste

      4 eggs; room temp

      1  1/2  Cup fresh raspberries rinsed and drained well

      24 “Nilla” wafers

      1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Prepare 2 standard size muffin tins with paper liners. Place a Nilla wafer in the bottom of each muffin cup with the flat side down. Beat together the cream cheese, sugar, lemon zest and vanilla bean paste until well combined. Beat in the eggs one at a time until just combined. Carefully fold in the fresh raspberries. Fill the liners 3/4 full with cheesecake mixture. Bake about 15-18 minutes until the centers are ALMOST set. Cool completely and chill the cakes for 3-4 hours. Top each cheesecake with raspberry topping. Serve cold.