Cherry Cheesecake

Bacon Maple Apple Cupcakes

After finding some super lean and lovely Hertelz's bacon at work, I decided to develop some bacon cupcakes. At first I considered bacon chocolate, but wound up on using maple and apples instead.

I free handed this recipe and am satisfied with the results.

Bacon Maple Apple Cupcakes

1 c margarine

1/2 c sugar

1/4 c maple syrup

1 tsp vanilla

2 eggs

3/4 c milk

1 tsp b. soda

1/2 tsp b. powder

1 tsp cinnamon

1 1/2 c chopped apples

2 c flour

1/2 c diced well done bacon

Add first 5 ingredients into eclectic mixer. Mix until well Incorporated. In separate bowl combine flour, cinnamon, b. powder and b. soda. Alternate adding milk and flour mixture to egg mixture. Eventually add in apples and bacon. Bake at 350 or 12-14 minutes.

These cupcakes have a nice light apple flavor and aren't very sweet, and when you hit a piece of baking it is a nice salty surprise. The maple flavor didn't come through very well in the cupcake so I made a cream cheese maple syrup frosting. The flavors worked well and is a unique way doing salty/sweet.

Also I decorated them with piggy sprinkles to express the bacon in them. When bringing them to work tomorrow I will write a sign warning vegetarians of the contents.

Oreo Cookies

These homemade oreo cookies are sooooo good and surpass box oreos by leaps and bounds. They are also fairly simple to make and they impressed all of my co workers. The recipe can be found http://smittenkitchen.com/2007/05/my-kingdom-for-a-glass-of-milk/. Only thing I changed was to roll out the dough and use a round fluted cookie cutter to make uniform cookies.

These are a must make.

Raspberry Vanilla Cinnamon Ice Cream!

I can't remember how I managed to stumble upon this ice cream recipe at eatingwell.com ( http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/blueberry_cinnamon_swirl_ice_cream.html )

I used raspberries instead of cinnamon and did not have a ice cream maker so I had to stir it every hour or so. The flavour is so good, cinnamon and vanilla very complementary and it tastes like store bought expensive ice cream. I will possibly never purchase ice cream again knowing I can easily make it myself.

Red Velvet Cake And Cinnamon Swirl Bread

After watching Throwdown with Bobby Flay and his win against Cakeman Raven's intense scarily red red velvet cake, I decided to make my own, since it is a cake that I have never made before. I had never even pondered to make red velvet cake, probably since the amount of food coloring used is slightly scary (although I don't seem to have a problem using it in rainbow cupcakes). I went to foodnetwork.com and used Cakeman's cake recipe and Bobby's icing recipe. My cake was not at all as red as the Cakeman's...probably because I choose to add more cocoa and less red dye. Bobby's icing recipe may have been okay, but I had to use ingredients that I had on hand EX: sour cream instead of whipping cream. Everyone in my family did not overly enjoy the cake, and at first I was disappointed, but it appeared to age nicely since a week later I did enjoy it. Over all I will most likely not be making again, unless it is with different recipe.

Also that same week I made Cinnamon Swirl Bread, which was farrrr more successful and was gone within two days. Using my stand by recipe from the Pillsbury Baking book, I rolled cinnamon sugar into the center. So yummy.

Spice Cupcakes With Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

Spice Cupcakes

1 2/4 c brown sugar
1 c margarine, softened
3 eggs
2 1/4 c flour
1 c sour cream
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cardamom
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp baking soda

Blend margarine and sugar together, add eggs and vanilla. Sift flour, baking soda and spices together. Alternate adding flour and sour cream. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes.

I improvised with the chocolate cream cheese frosting by using 1/2 c margarine, about 1/4 c cream cheese, about 1/4 c cocoa and enough icing sugar to get desired texture.

These cupcakes are nicely spiced and paired well with the chocolate frosting...even if it looks like dog poopy.

Black Magic Cake with Orange Flavor and Blueberry-Strawberry Glaze

I found this recipe on mybakingaddiction.com and the picture was so inviting and the name so intriguing I chose to bake this delicious cake this morning. Once the cake was in the oven and half way baked, I remembered that I had forgotten the oil. Oops. But amazingly it turned out amazing. And I suppose healthier. So I will write what recipe I used, but one can go to mybakingaddiction.com for a recipe that includes oil.

Black Magic Cake

1 1/2 c sugar
1 3/4 c flour
3/4 c cocoa
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
2 eggs
1 c sour milk (1 tbs vinegar in a measuring cup, then fill the rest to a cup with milk and let stand 5 minutes)
1 c black coffee
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp orange extract
1/2 tsp orange zest

Pre heat oven to 350. Mix all dry ingredients together. Add in wet ones. Blend, mix will be very runny. Bake for 20-30 minutes.
Cake is thin...dense...chewy....dark....all things I enjoy in a cake. I'm not sure what the missing oil will produce. I chose to use a glaze as oppose to a frosting since a) I am out of icing sugar and b)trying to be healthy by incorporating some fruit into the cake.

Blueberry-Strawberry Glaze
1 c sugar
1 c water
2 tbs cornstarch
1 1/2 c frozen blueberries
1/2 c frozen strawberries
1/2 tsp vanilla

blend all together over stovetop for 10 min on med high until bubbly and thickening. Cool and pour onto cooled cake, if sheet cake and if a two-layer cake, place some in between layers and the rest on top so it oozes down the sides. I think that one could find a much better recipe fo glaze but this is what I found and what I used.