This is another recipe from crazy aunt Louise – loved that lady! We all remember the Corn Flake Wreaths she made us for Christmas, but she always made this Blueberry Lemon Sauce Cake for 4th of July. She was a serious creature of habit. Thanksgiving always brought her cheesy garlic grits, but I’m still working on perfecting that one – maybe I’ll have it ready for the next Thanksgiving. I make this in an 8×8 baking dish, but it easily doubles for a 9×13. My sauce turned out quite pale today so I added a little yellow food coloring. LOL I say a little, but from the looks of that picture I added a little too much.
BLUEBERRY LEMON SAUCE CAKE CAKE
4 tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon PURE vanilla extract
Juice of 1 small lemon
scant 1 cup flour
scant 1 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 Jumbo egg
1/4 cup milk
1+ cup fresh or frozen blueberries
Preheat oven to 350˚.
Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.
In a mixing bowl cream together the butter, sugar, vanilla and lemon juice until well blended.
Add egg and beat until light and fluffy.
Add the flour mixture alternately with the milk and blend until smooth. Batter will be thicker, like a coffee cake consistency.
Fold in blueberries.
SAUCE
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup water
2 tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
Juice of 2 lemons
Over a medium-high heat whisk together the water and cornstarch in a saucepan until smooth.
Add the butter and allow to melt.
Add the sugars and salt, stirring until dissolved.
Add lemon juice and rind.
Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer until desired sauce consistency.
I needed a few things from the grocery store earlier and they had the most gorgeous strawberries that I just had to have some and I had the instant desire to make a pie. I was surprised to find that the rhubarb was gorgeous too. I had never made a Strawberry Rhubarb Pie before so here we are making a pie and I have to tell you I am soooooo glad I did, this was so good. With just the two of us, I made it into 4 small 5 inch pies this time so I could freeze a couple for later.
CRUST
3 cups all purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup chilled solid vegetable shortening (CRISCO), cut into pieces
10 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces
+/- 10 tablespoons ice water
Combine flour, sugar and salt in processor.
Using on/off turns, cut in shortening and butter until coarse meal forms.
Blend in enough ice water 2 tablespoons at a time to form moist clumps.
Gather dough into ball; cut in half.
Flatten each half into disk.
Wrap separately in plastic; refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour. The dough can be made 1 day ahead, but keep it chilled. Let dough soften slightly at room temperature before rolling.
FILLING
3 1/2 cups trimmed rhubarb pieces about 1 1/2 pounds untrimmed*
1 16-ounce container strawberries, hulled, halved (about 3 1/2 cups)*
1/2 cup packed golden brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
Toss fruits together to mix.
Whisk together the sugars, cornstarch, cinnamon and salt.
Sprinkle sugar mixture over fruit and toss gently to blend well.
GLAZE
1 large egg yolk beaten
1 teaspoon water
Preheat oven to 400°.
ASSEMBLY
Roll out 1 dough disk on floured work surface to 13-inch round.
Transfer to 9-inch-diameter Glass pie dish.
Trim excess dough, leaving 3/4-inch overhang.
Roll out second dough disk on lightly floured surface to 13-inch round.
This is another recipe I originally found over at Two Peas & Their Pod. Ironically she found the recipe for these decadent Chocolate and Peanut Butter Lover’s Brownies from Jessica of Delish’s new cookbook, Seriously Delish which is sitting in my bookshelf. You mean to tell me this recipe was here the entire time and I didn’t know it? Shhh, don’t tell hubby, he’ll be mad I haven’t made them before now! He is a chocolate and peanut butter fanatic – “You got chocolate in my peanut butter, no you got peanut butter on my chocolate”… from this vintage 80’s Reese’s TV commercial.
This is a Chocolate and Peanut Butter Lover’s dream come true – fudgy brownies with a layer of peanut butter, a layer of chocolate ganache AND peanut butter cups on top! These brownies are too good to be true! PURE BLISS! If you love chocolate and peanut butter, you will go CRAZY for these brownies! They are truly to die for – pure cloud floating heaven! BUT, even better is that you can change up this recipe just by changing which candy bars or combinations of candy bars you chop up for the top of the ganache. I’ve tried the original recipe with Reese’s as is and have tried it also with ROLOS, KIT KATS and MOUNDS. They are ALL good and have a distinct flavor despite the rest of the recipe being exactly the same each time.
Do yourself a serious favor and make these brownies SOON! They are a new favorite here at our house and I know they will be for you too!
BROWNIES
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
3 1/2 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs, plus 1 egg yolk, lightly beaten
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2/3 cup chocolate chips
Preheat the oven to 350.
Spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray.
Add the butter and chopped chocolate to a microwave-safe bowl and microwave until melted, 30-60 seconds. Once the chocolate is semi-melted, stir constantly to melt the rest. Set aside and allow the mixture to cool for 5 minutes.
In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter-chocolate mixture and granulated sugar.
Whisk in the eggs, egg yolk, and vanilla extract, stirring until a smooth batter forms.
With a large spoon, mix in the dry ingredients JUST until combined.
Stir in the chocolate chips.
Add the batter to the baking dish.
Bake until the brownies are set and no longer jiggly in the middle, 25-30 minutes.
Remove from the oven and let them cool for 30 minutes.
FILLING
1 cup creamy peanut butter, melted
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon coconut oil
Stir together the melted peanut butter, powdered sugar, and coconut oil until smooth. The warm peanut butter will melt the coconut oil as you stir until well blended.
Pour the filling over the brownies, using a spatula to spread it around the top.
Let cool completely and firm up, about 20 minutes.
TOPPING
8 ounces milk chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 cups chopped peanut butter cups
Add the chocolate to a large bowl.
Heat the cream in a small saucepan over medium heat just until it bubbles around the edges. Remove the cream from the heat and pour it over the chocolate.
Let the mixture stand for 30 seconds, then stir until the chocolate melts and a smooth ganache comes together, about 1-2 minutes.
Pour it over the top of the brownies, then cover with the chopped peanut butter cups.
Let the brownies sit for 30 minutes to set up before cutting.
NOTE: The brownies will stay fresh for 2 to 3 days at room temperature if covered or kept in an airtight container. You can also keep them in the fridge, they will last a few days longer.
1 3/4 cups ginger snap/vanilla wafer crumbs
3 tablespoons sugar
Pinch of salt
1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted
For the cheesecake:
2 pounds (four 8-ounce boxes) cream cheese, softened
1 1/3 cups maple sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 teaspoons blackberry extract
1 teaspoon lemon juice
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 1/3 cups sour cream or heavy cream, or a combination of the two
To make the crust:
Butter a 9-inch springform pan—choose one that has high sides. Mine is square.
Stir the crumbs, sugar and salt together in a medium bowl. Pour over the melted butter and stir until all of the dry ingredients are uniformly moist.
Turn the ingredients into the buttered springform pan and use your fingers to pat an even layer of crumbs along the bottom of the pan and about halfway up the sides. Don’t worry if the sides are not perfectly even or if the crumbs reach above or below the midway mark on the sides.
Center a rack in the oven, preheat the oven to 350°F and place the springform on a baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes.
Set the crust aside to cool on a rack while you make the cheesecake.
Reduce the oven temperature to 325°F.
To make the cheesecake:
Working in a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the cream cheese at medium speed until it is soft and truly creamy, about 5 minutes.
With the mixer running, add the sugar and salt and continue to beat another 4 minutes or so, until the cream cheese is light. Beat in the vanilla and blackberry extract.
Add the eggs one by one, beating for a full minute after each addition. Reduce the mixer speed to low and stir in the sour cream and/or heavy cream.
Give the batter a few stirs with a rubber spatula, just to make sure that nothing has been left unmixed at the bottom of the bowl, and scrape the batter into the springform pan.
Bake the cheesecake for 1 hour and 30 minutes, at which point the top will be browned (and perhaps cracked) and may have risen just a little above the rim of the pan. Turn off the oven’s heat and open the door a crack.
Allow the cheesecake to sit for another hour.
After 1 hour, carefully remove from the oven and leet the cheesecake come to room temperature on a cooling rack.
Run a knife around the edge of the pan to loosen sides.
When the cake is cool, cover the top lightly and chill the cake for at least 6-8 hours, although overnight would be better.
Serving:
Remove springform sides. The easiest way to cut cheesecake is to use a long, thin knife that has been run under hot water and lightly wiped. Keep warming the knife as you cut slices of the cake.
Storing:
Wrapped well, the cake will keep for up to 1 week in the refrigerator or for up to 2 months in the freezer. It’s best to defrost the still-wrapped cheesecake overnight in the refrigerator.
Crust Ingredients
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling
1 stick unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes, chilled in freezer for at least 15 minutes
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 heaping teaspoon brown sugar
2-3 tablespoons water, very cold
1 tablespoon butter, melted
cinnamon sugar for sprinkling
Filling Ingredients
2/3 cup sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
3 pounds of 1/4-1/2 inch thick slices of peeled and cored apples – I used a combination of Granny Smith, Pink Lady and Gala apples
1 1/2 tablespoons Malibu pineapple rum
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Egg Wash
1 large egg yolk
1 tablespoon cream
In a food processor, combine flour, salt and brown sugar, pulse to mix.
Add butter and pulse 6 to 8 times, until mixture resembles coarse meal, with pea size pieces of butter. Add water 1 tablespoon at a time, pulsing until mixture just begins to clump together. If you pinch some of the crumbly dough and it holds together, it’s ready, if not, add a little more water and pulse again.
Remove dough from machine and place on a clean surface. Carefully shape into disc. Do not over-knead the dough! You should still be able to see little bits of butter in the dough. These bits of butter are what will allow the crust to be flaky. Wrap disc in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour.
Position rack in bottom third of oven and preheat to 375°.
Combine sugar, flour and spices in large bowl. Use your hands and mix in the apples so they are well coated, then add rum and vanilla extract.
Remove crust dis from the refrigerator. Let sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes. Sprinkle some flour on top of the disk. Roll out with a rolling pin on a lightly floured surface to a 12 inch circle; about 1/8 of an inch thick. As you roll out the dough, use a metal spatula to check if the dough is sticking to the surface below. Add a few sprinkles of flour if necessary to keep the dough from sticking.
Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.
Roll up like a burrito.
Cut into 1/4 inch rounds.
Lay rounds side by side as close as possible together. Gently flatten with rolling pin.
Place on to a 9-inch pie plate in the center of the pan. Gently press down into the pie dish.
Spoon in apple filling, mounding slightly in center.
Cut puff pastry pieces with a pastry roller to create strips for weaving the lattice top. Pinch edges firmly together. Trim excess dough with kitchen shears, leaving a 3/4 inch overhang. Fold dough under itself so that the edge of the fold is flush with the edge of the pan. Flute edges using thumb and forefinger or press with a fork.
Stir yolk and cream in small bowl to blend. Brush over top of pie.
Sprinkle with remaining cinnamon sugar.
Bake pie until crust begins to turn golden, about 20 minutes, then reduce heat to 350°F.
Tent the rims with aluminum foil or a pie protector if the edges are browning too quickly.
Bake until crust is golden and juices are bubbling, anywhere from an additional 30 to 45 minutes, depending on the type of apples you are using.
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup salted butter, firm but not cold – just beginning to soften
1 cup + 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon red food coloring
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon white vinegar
Preheat oven to 350˚.
In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder and baking soda, set aside.
In a separate large mixing bowl, using an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy, about 4 -5 minutes.
Add in eggs one at a time stirring after each addition.
Now stand back and add red food coloring and vanilla extract and mix until combine.
In a small bowl combine milk and vinegar.
Add milk mixture and flour mixture to cupcake mixture, alternating in two separate batches, mixing until combined after each addition.
Divide batter evenly among 12 paper lined muffin cups, filling each cup about 2/3 full.
Bake in preheated oven 20-23 minutes until toothpick inserted into center of cupcake comes out clean.
Remove from oven and allow to cool about 2 minutes in muffin tin, then transfer to wire rack to cool for 10 minutes, then transfer to an airtight container to cool completely (this just helps them retain more moisture).
Once cooled completely, spread generously with Cream Cheese Frosting
Cream Cheese Frosting
1/2 cup salted butter, firm but not cold (if using unsalted add 1/8 tsp salt)
6 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
In a large mixing bowl, using and electric mixer, cream together butter and cream cheese until pale and fluffy (about 1 minute on high speed, then 3-4 minutes on medium high speed).
Mix in vanilla extract.
Add powdered sugar and beat until smooth.
Frost and go wild – add nuts, sprinkles or cookie crumbs.
I originally found this recipe for Banana Cobbler over at Frugal Antics of a Harried Housewife (unfortunately her website is no more apparently) and we instantly fell in love with it. I made it and it was instantly all gone.
BANANA COBBLER
Author: adapted from Southern Living
1 cup self rising flour
¾ cup sugar
1 cup milk
1 stick butter, melted (next time I’ll use 6 tablespoons)
3 small or 2 medium bananas
¾ cup packed brown sugar
1 stick butter, softened (next time I’ll use 6 tablespoons)
½ tsp ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon cinnamon (I added)
½ cup self rising flour
1 cup oatmeal
1/4 cup chopped walnuts (I added)
In a bowl, stir together the flour, sugar and milk until smooth.
Add the melted butter.
Spread the batter into a greased 11X7 pan.
Slice bananas evenly over batter.
In another bowl, combine remaining ingredients.
Sprinkle over bananas.
Bake at 375 ˚ for 40 minutes or until filling bubbles.
Serve with whipped cream or ice cream.
We loved it. But what I personally loved was the basic template of the recipe. So I tried the same base recipe with a few minor changes, ANDtraded out BANANAS for BLUEBERRIES and you know what? It was awesome. But what was really awesome was that even though the base was the same, the flavor was unique!
BLUEBERRY COBBLER
1 cup self rising flour
¾ cup sugar
1 cup milk
1 stick butter, melted
1 bag frozen BLUEBERRIES OR 2 boxes of fresh
¾ cup packed brown sugar
6 tablespoons butter, softened
½ tsp ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon cinnamon (I added)
½ cup self rising flour
1 cup oatmeal
1/4 cup chopped walnuts (I added)
In a bowl, stir together the flour, sugar and milk until smooth.
Add the melted butter.
Spread the batter into a greased 11X7 pan.
Slice bananas evenly over batter.
In another bowl, combine remaining ingredients.
Sprinkle over bananas.
Bake at 375˚ for 40 minutes or until filling bubbles.
GINGER PUMPKIN BREAD & MAPLE BROWN BUTTER GLAZE
adapted from a Martha Stewart recipe
12 tablespoons {1 1/2 sticks} unsalted butter, melted
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pan
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin puree (1 3/4 cups)
3 large eggs
**2/3 cup golden raisins
**1/2 cup chopped walnuts
**these were my additions and we loved them!!!
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
In a 8×5 loaf pan; lightly butter or spray with baking spray and then dust wit flour (tap out any excess flour and discard), set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, ginger, and salt.
In a large bowl, whisk together sugars, pumpkin, melted butter, and eggs. Next add in the flour mixture, and stir until just combined.
Pour batter into the prepared pan. Bake until a cake tester is inserted into the center and comes out with only a smidgen coating it, which is about 60 to 70 minutes.
Let cool 10 minutes; invert pan and transfer the loaf to a wire rack to cool completely.
FOR THE GLAZE:
1/4 cup Real Maple Syrup
1/4 teaspoon Real Vanilla Extract
2 tablespoons Unsalted Butter
1/3 cup Powdered Sugar, plus more if needed
1 tablespoon Heavy Cream
A pinch of Kosher Salt
Heat a small skillet over medium/medium-high heat.
Once the pan is hot, add in the two tablespoons of unsalted butter. The butter should instantly start to melt and turn golden.
Once melted and a deep golden, turn off the heat and add in the maple syrup and vanilla, whisking constantly {it should bubble up}.
Once the bubbles have subsided a bit, whisk in the powdered sugar.
Keep whisking while adding the tablespoon of heavy creamy and a pinch of kosher salt.
Drizzle warm icing over cooled cake. Slice and serve!
DEVIL’S FOOD ORANGE CAKE with ORANGE BUTTERCREAM FROSTING
CAKE
4 medium navel oranges, room temperature
3 squares unsweetened chocolate
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
2 Jumbo eggs
1 cup whole milk
2 cups flour
Heat oven to 325 degrees.
Generously grease a Bundt pan (I like a decorative Nordicware or Wilton pan)
Squeeze oranges, saving pulp
Melt the chocolate in the microwave. Then add 1/2 cup of the sugar, the cinnamon and 1/2 cup of the orange juice, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Cool.
Mix the baking soda into 2 teaspoons of orange juice.
In a large mixing bowl cream the shortening with 1 cup sugar. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each.
Alternate the milk and flour, sifting the flour into the cream mixture and blend until smooth.
Add the baking soda mixture and blend well.
Add the cooled chocolate mixture and blend well.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
Level pan by dropping on counter top to remove air bubbles.
Bake until springy 55-60 minutes.
Cool 10 minutes and then invert onto platter.
Cool before frosting.
FROSTING
1/2 cup butter, softened
5 cups sifted powdered sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup freshly squeezed orange juice, pulp and all
2 teaspoon orange zest
Beat butter until fluffy.
Beat in 1/2 of the powdered sugar until smooth.
Add orange juice, vanilla and orange peel. Blend until smooth.
Slowly add the remaining sugar and blend until silky.
Adjust sugar and orange juice until desired consistency and flavor is reached.
If you don’t have this mess in the end, you did it wrong!
BAKED CARAMEL PEARS
3-4 firm pears, pared and cut into fourths
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon*
2 tablespoons butter, cut into small squares
1/2 cup heavy cream
4 to 6 tablespoons chopped, toasted pecans, optional
1/4 cup rum soaked golden raisins**
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Arrange pears side by side, center down in an un-greased 8×8 baking dish.
Stir together the brown sugar and cinnamon.
Sprinkle raisins around the pears.
Sprinkle with the brown sugar.
Evenly dot with the butter squares.
Bake uncovered 35-40 minutes or until pears are tender and brown sugar is bubbly.
NOTE 1* I deleted the pecans and increased the brown sugar to 1/3 cup while adding the cinnamon also. NOTE 2** I soaked the raisins in rum for a day or so before and they were yummy!
Next time I will broil the pears for a couple of minutes after they come out of the oven to crystallize the sugar.
PLAIN OL’ CHEESECAKE
RED VELVET CUPCAKES Yields 12 delicious cupcakes
BANANA RAISIN NUT BREAD OR CAKE
GINGER PUMPKIN BREAD & MAPLE BROWN BUTTER GLAZE
DEVIL’S FOOD ORANGE CAKE with ORANGE BUTTERCREAM FROSTING 
BAKED CARAMEL PEARS
