It's Tea Time with Banana Chocolate Cupcakes.

This is a European recipe, so I converted the grams and ounces to cups and mls. I have European measuring utensils appropriate for this recipe, so if you have American measuring utensils then half a cup for me is 118mls whereas half a cup for you is 125mls. This recipe is written in my measurements with yours in the brackets.  

CUPCAKES
   118 mls (half cup) butter
   177 mls (3/4 cup) sugar
   2 eggs
   2 large mashed ripe bananas
   1 tsp baking soda
   2 tbsp boiling milk
   1 tsp baking powder
   236 mls (1 cup) flour

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time. Mix in mashed banana. Add baking soda that has been dissolved in the boiled milk. Mix in sifted flour and baking powder. Don't over beat batter!
Bake at 325 F for 18-25 minutes. Until they are light golden on top and a toothpick comes out clean.

    

CHOCOLATE FROSTING
   148 mls (2/3 cup) unsalted softened butter
   207 mls (3/4 + 1/8 cup [or 5/8 cup]) confectioners sugar
   29 mls (1/8 cup) cocoa powder
   1 tbsp lukewarm milk
   1 tsp vanilla

Cream butter and sift in the confectioners sugar and cocoa powder. Add the milk and vanilla. If it needs more milk, add up to 1 more teaspoon of lukewarm milk. Mix until well incorporated. If it looks curdled, add more confectioners sugar.

Homemade Ice Cream Cakes

I previously posted a recipe for brownie chunk ice cream, and since then I have mastered a recipe. I thought I knew how to make ice cream then...but I didn't...now I do!! So now that I have learned how to make the best ice cream in the world, I decided to make the best dessert in the world...ICE CREAM CAKE! These are honestly SO incredible, and since I make it from scratch, I know exactly what's in it!

Here's photos that I took of the 2 cakes I made as I was making them. One has a chocolate bottom and a vanilla top and the other has a vanilla bottom and a chocolate top. Both have crumbled Oreo cookies and chocolate fudge in the middle. I will be making another one in a couple weeks that will have homemade brownie chunks instead of Oreo cookies. Mmmmmmm!

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Homemade Brownies & Vanilla Ice Cream = Love.

Brownies and vanilla ice cream, put together to make the ultimate desert! BROWNIE CHUNK ICE CREAM!!! I make these brownies all the time, and I make vanilla ice cream occasionally and the other day I made both and put them together.

We'll start with making the brownies! They're easy and seriously some of the BEST brownies I've ever had! For reeeaaalz people! I will even give you a great icing recipe for them just in case you wanna make just brownies (which is written at the bottom of this post, so scroll down.)

BROWNIES

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C), then grease and flour an 8 inch square pan.

You'll need:
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cups white sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder

Now melt your butter in a medium to large size pot. Once it's melted remove the pot from the element. Now stir in the sugar, vanilla and eggs.

Then mix in the cocoa, flour, salt and baking powder.

Pour batter in to the prepared pan and bake for 25-30 minutes.

Do not over bake. If you're just making the brownies and would like icing on them, the recipe is at the end of the post, so scroll down!

ICE CREAM

Now it's time to make ice cream! This is a simple vanilla ice cream recipe. You can use an electric machine or a basic hand churning one. I'm gonna give instructions for the electric one since that's what I'm using.

You'll need:
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1 1/8 cups white sugar
3 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract

Pour the milk and sugar in a mixing bowl and mix with an electric mixer on low speed until the sugar dissolves. Then mix in heavy cream and vanilla.

Turn on the machine and pour the mixture into the freezer bowl and let mix until thickened, which will take about 20 to 25 minutes, depending on your machine.

While that's churning, cut up your brownie in to little chunks.

When the ice cream thickens, add the brownies.

You might have to stir in the rest!

DELICIOUS!

You can serve it up and eat it right away, or if you prefer it to be firmer, put it in an airtight container and in to the freezer until you can't wait any longer!!!! Mmmmmmmmm!

ICING
If you're just making brownies, here's how you make the icing.

You'll need:
3 tablespoons butter, softened
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup confectioners sugar

Put the butter, cocoa, honey, vanilla, and confectioners sugar in a bowl and mix it till it's well blended. Spread on top of the brownies while they're still warm. Oooooooiiiiiiieeeeee!!!

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Egg Nog Ice Cream

It's the end of egg nog season and the last of the egg nog is on the shelves most likely at a reduced price because the expiration date is coming up VERY soon. Well, if you love egg nog like I do, preserve it just a little bit longer! Make ice cream!! I don't know if you own an ice cream maker, but I feel like a kitchen isn't complete without one, lol.

Here's my recipe:
3 cups egg nog (the good creamy fatty rich stuff, none of this low fat shit)
1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tsp real vanilla extract
3/4 cups granulated sugar

In a medium bowl combine the milk and sugar and mix on low with an electric mixer. Stir in heavy cream and vanilla.

Turn the machine on and pour the mixture into the freezer bowl and let mix until thickened...about 25 minutes, but this can vary depending on your machine.



If when done mixing you would prefer it firmer, then transfer the ice cream to an air tight freezer friendly container and freeze for a couple hours.

Top with cinnamon and ENJOY!!!!

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Cherpumple Pie Cake!

Last night we had a lil' dinner party with our friends as we do every week. Only this time I wanted to make something epic for dessert because they have been extraordinarily helpful over the past couple weeks since we had a baby! I remembered this video I watched online a while back about the Cherpumple pie cake. Here is that video. If this doesn't make you wanna make this cake pie, then I don't know what will!

Here is my attempt at it. I altered it a little bit. My bottom layer was apple pie baked in a spice cake.

The second layer was strawberry rhubarb pie baked in a chocolate cake, and the top was pecan pie baked in a white cake.

I stacked all three layers on top of each other separating them with cream cheese icing.

Then I frosted the sides and sprinkled some cocoa on top just to make it look...nicer?! lol.

Turns out I'm not very good at icing cakes! We cut in to the cake and it was messy!!

A piece of cake was like 3 pieces and after a couple bites I was certain I had given myself and our guests diabetes!

Needless to say, I learned a lot about making this ridiculous cake and know what I would do differently next time...but I don't think there's gonna be a next time.

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Baking With Warm Spices Makes You Feel Toasty.

Last night I decided to bake a carrot cake as the rain started coming down outside making the autumn evening feel a little cooler. I love baking with warm smelling spices on cool days. Keeps you feeling toasty and comforted. I came across this recipe on Cat Can Cook and decided to try it. I doubled the recipe thinking I would make 2 cakes, but I really didn't need to double it...it made LOTS! Oh well, I am eating for two right? Ha ha ha!! I will have to freeze one which I am sure I will be thankful for later. Boy...I am starting to think I need a small deep freeze. We are running out of room in our fridge freezer.

You will need:
4 Eggs
1 Cup White Sugar (because I use organic cane sugar, I omitted about 1/4 cup)
1 Cup Brown Sugar
1 Cup Vegetable Oil
2 Cups All Purpose Flour
2 tsp. Baking Powder
1/2 tsp. Baking Soda
1 tsp. Salt
1 1/2 tsp. Cinnamon
1/2 tsp. Nutmeg
3 Cups Grated Raw Carrots
1/2 Cup Raisins
1/2 Cup Finely Chopped Nuts (optional – and omit if serving to small kids)
I also added about 1/3 cup sunflower seeds


Beat eggs well in a large bowl, and add sugars in gradually, beating until light. Beat in oil. In a separate bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Stir into egg mixture. Stir in carrots, raisins and nuts and seeds (if using). Pour into a greased and floured 13X9 pan, and bake in a 350 degrees oven for 35-40 minutes. Enjoy!




And then I topped my cake with a simple cinnamon butter cream icing.
D-E-L-I-C-I-O-U-S!!!
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