Crockpot Peach Cobbler

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This month's SRC post comes from Angel at Angel's Home Sweet Homestead. I admit I was a little intimidated going into her blog just because her recipe list is so extensive (and everything sounds SO good), but as soon as I looked in the dessert section and saw "peaches"...I was sold. Then to top it all off, it's a dessert that's done in the SLOW COOKER. Um, hello? Is that like the best thing ever or what?

And it is. It's pure genius. It takes less than 10 minutes to throw together and then you let your crockpot do the rest of the work. And want to make it even easier? Use one of those crockpot liners and you won't have any mess to clean up! This recipe is yummy and it's nice to have on hand for when you have company. You won't have to worry about leaving your guests to go in the kitchen to get dessert together. Just prepare this before your company arrives and by the time dinner is over...you're good to go. Enjoy!!

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 (16 oz.) cans peaches, drained (4 cups of frozen peaches, thawed and drained may be substituted)
• 1/2 cup, plus 1 tbsp. sugar, divided
• 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon, divided
• Pinch of nutmeg
• 3/4 cup self-rising flour
• 6 tbsp. butter, cut into pieces

Grease the bottom and sides of a 6 quart crockpot and set aside.

In a medium-sized bowl, stir together the peaches, 1/2 cup of the sugar, 1 tsp. of the cinnamon, and nutmeg. Pour peach mixture into the greased crockpot.

In another medium-sized bowl, whisk together flour, and remaining 1 tbsp. sugar and remaining 1/2 tsp. cinnamon until combined. 

Cut butter into flour mixture using 2 knives or a pastry blender, until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Sprinkle flour mixture evenly over peach mixture in crockpot.

Place a paper towel or thin dish towel over the top of the crockpot, then cover with the lid. Cook on HIGH for 2-3 hours or until the crust turns golden brown.

Serve with whipped cream or ice cream.

Source: Angel's Home Sweet Homestead

An InLinkz Link-up

Buttermilk Blueberry Breakfast Cake

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Sometimes I just want a sweet breakfast that I can enjoy with a steaming cup of coffee. Nothing special or spectacular, just something to do the trick. A simple cake like this is exactly what I need on those mornings--a moist cake with pops of blueberries and a slightly sweet crust. Enjoy!

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 tsp. lemon zest
• 3/4 cup + 3 tbsp. sugar, divided
• 1 egg, room temperature
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 2 cups flour, divided
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. kosher salt
• 2 cups fresh blueberries
• 1/2 cup buttermilk

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9-inch square baking pan with butter or coat with non-stick spray and set aside. 

Cream butter with lemon zest and 3/4 cup plus 2 tbsp. of the sugar until light and fluffy.

Add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined. 

Meanwhile, toss the blueberries with 1/4 cup of flour.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the remaining 1 3/4 cup flour, baking powder and salt.

Add the flour mixture to the batter a little at a time, alternating with the buttermilk. Fold in the blueberries.

Spread batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle batter with remaining 1 tbsp. of sugar. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes. Check with a toothpick for doneness. If still wet, return pan to oven for a couple of more minutes. (Note: Baking for as long as 10 minutes more might be necessary.) 

Let cool at least 15 minutes before serving.

Source: Alexandra's Kitchen

Key Lime Pound Cake

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I have a ton of recipes that I bookmark and save for a rainy day, but there are a select few that I save and NEED to make right away. I just have an urge and can't get them out of my head. This pound cake was one of those recipes.

I really like key lime flavored anything, so I knew right away that this cake would be a winner. It was dense, but moist and light at the same time. I know, sounds confusing but you have to trust me on this one. The cake melts in your mouth and has a strong key lime flavor that really shines through and makes it extra refreshing. This is a great summer breakfast to go along with your cup of coffee. Enjoy!

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 3 cups sugar
• 6 large eggs
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 1 cup milk
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 tsp. lime zest
• 1/4 cup Key lime juice

Key Lime Glaze:

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2 tbsp. Key lime juice
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease and flour a 10-inch (12-cup) tube pan and set aside.

Beat butter and shortening at medium speed with a heavy-duty electric stand mixer until creamy.

Gradually add sugar, beating at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until blended after each addition.

Stir together flour, baking powder, and salt. Add to butter mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat at low speed just until blended after each addition. Stir in vanilla, lime zest, and lime juice. Pour batter into prepared pan.

Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes to 1 hour and 20 minutes or until a long wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack 10 to 15 minutes; remove from pan to wire rack.

Prepare Key Lime Glaze by whisking together powdered sugar, fresh Key lime juice, and vanilla until smooth

Immediately brush over top and sides of cake. Cool completely (about 1 hour). Store in an airtight container.

Source: Southern Magazine, March 2011

Sopapilla Cheesecake Bars

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It's fun having blogging friends and celebrating momentous occasions over the blogosphere with them. Today a bunch of other bloggers and I are helping Camilla of Culinary Adventures with Camilla celebrate her 15th wedding anniversary with cheesecake recipes! She originally asked for 15 bloggers to participate, but we ended up with waaaayy more participants, and therefore waaaayy more than #fifteencheesecakes. (Check out the full list of cheesecakes below!)

Cheesecake alone is so easy to make, and adding something special can turn an ordinary cheesecake into something spectacular. In my case, I chose to top it with sopapilla, which is fried dough sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar. I used canned crescent rolls to save some time, but then topped it with a delicious butter, cinnamon and sugar combination to make a crispy, sweet topping. The sopapilla portion of this particular cheesecake doesn't require many extra steps (or ingredients!) and makes an extremely tasty crust for the creamy cheesecake center. Enjoy!

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 (8 oz.) cans refrigerated crescent dinner rolls
• 2 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese, softened
• 1 1/2 cups sugar, divided
• 1/2 cup light sour cream
• 1 egg, lightly whisked
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1 tbsp. ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Unroll one can of dough. Place in the bottom of a greased 9x13" baking dish. Stretch to cover bottom of dish, firmly pressing seams together to seal.

In medium bowl, beat cream cheese and 1 cup of the sugar with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Add sour cream, egg and vanilla and beat until combined. Spread over dough in baking dish.

Unroll the second can of dough. Pinch the seams together and carefully place on top of cream cheese layer. 

Pour melted butter over top of the dough and spread so it fully covers the dough. 

Mix remaining 1/2 cup sugar with the cinnamon. Sprinkle evenly over butter.

Bake for 30 minutes or until center is set. Allow to cool and then place in the refrigerator to chill completely. 

Once chilled, cut into bars. To store, cover and refrigerate.

Source: Adapted from Pillsbury

Here's what everyone brought to the cheesecake table, listed in alphabetical order. Enjoy!

Berry Cheesecake Bars by Baking and Creating with Avril

Cherry Cheesecake Bites by Cookaholic Wife

Chocolate Caramel Cheesecake by Dancing Veggies

Chocolate Cheesecake by My Hobbie Lobbie

Chocolate Topped Peppermint Cheesecake by Amy's Cooking Adventures

Classic Cheesecake with Strawberry Puree by Making Miracles

Cookies & Creme No-Bake Cheesecake by Hapa-tite!

Creme Brulee Cheesecake Bars by Tara's Multicultural Table

Easter Basket Mini Cheesecakes by Little Bit of Everything

Everyday Cheesecake by Things I Make (for Dinner)

Irish Cream Cheesecake by A Day in the Life on the Farm

Layered Cinnamon Streusel Cheesecake Cake by Famished Fish, Finicky Shark

Lowfat Blackberry Cheesecake by A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures

Matcha-Yuzu Cheesecake with a Meyer Lemon Glaze by Culinary Adventures with Camilla

Mini Churro Caramel Cheesecake by Cheese Curd In Paradise

Mini Maple Pecan Cheesecakes by Join Us, Pull up a Chair

Mudslide Cheesecake by Sew You Think You Can Cook

Neapolitan Cheesecake by PicNic

No-Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake by Angels Homestead

Ricotta Cheesecake with Shortbread Crust by Living the Gourmet

Samoa's cheesecake by Goodie Godmother

Sopapilla Cheesecake Bars by The Savvy Kitchen

Sopapilla Puff Pastry Cheesecake by Pink Cake Plate

Skinny Vanilla Bean Cheesecake by Renee's Kitchen Adventures

Twix Cheesecake Brownie Torte by Making Memories With Your Kids

Bananas Foster Coffee Cake

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Tomorrow is Fat Tuesday! And also my AMAZING husband's 30th birthday!! So happy birthday to the best husband, father, friend and partner a girl could ask for. I couldn't imagine going through this crazy life with anyone but you :)

In honor of Mardi Gras, I whipped up this delicious bananas foster cake. Since there is "coffee" in the title, it's a cake that's more than suitable to eat for breakfast, too. I can highly bet you'll want to eat this for breakfast...and lunch...and dinner. It's the glorious combination of bananas foster and your favorite breakfast cake topped with a sweet, crumby topping. It's super moist and full of amazing flavors; I personally couldn't stop eating it. Enjoy!

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

For the cake:

• 6 tbsp. unsalted butter, divided
• 3/4 cup dark brown sugar
• 6 tbsp. dark rum
• 3 ripe bananas, sliced into 1 1/2-inch chunks (about 2 cups)
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups cake flour*
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 3/4 tsp. salt

For the streusel:

• 7 tbsp. all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 4 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened

Position a rack to the center of the oven and preheat it to 350 degrees. Spray an 8-by-8-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.

In a large skillet, melt 3 tablespoons of the butter over medium-high heat. Add the dark brown sugar and stir to combine. Add the rum and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring often, until slightly thickened. Add the banana chunks and cook for 3 minutes more, gently stirring and coating the bananas with the caramel as they cook. When the bananas are very tender, mash a few times with a potato masher just to break down the banana into bits–don’t overmash them into a paste. Scrape the caramelized banana mixture into a medium heatproof bowl. Stir in the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter until melted. Stir in the vanilla. Let the mixture cool until its just warm to the touch. Quickly whisk in the eggs.

Sift the cake flour, baking powder and salt together into a large bowl. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and fold just until combined. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan.

To make the streusel, combine the flour, sugar and butter in a small bowl. Use your fingertips or a fork to blend the ingredients into a pebbly mixture (be careful not to overwork the butter if you’re using your fingers, as to not melt the butter with the heat of your hands). Sprinkle the streusel evenly over the batter.

Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool completely in the pan on a wire rack before cutting and serving.

*If you don't have cake flour on hand, measure two cups of all-purpose flour into a bowl. Remove two tablespoons of the flour and add two tablespoons cornstarch. Sift through a sifter and you have cake flour.

Source: Shauna Server

Hot Fudge Pudding Cake

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Bradley was sick on New Year's Eve, so instead of my parents babysitting so that Chris and I could go to dinner with friends like we originally planned, Chris and I decided to spend the night at home with our baby. After putting Bradley to bed at 8:00, we went down to the kitchen and cooked ourselves a feast that included ribeye steaks, sautéed mushrooms, macaroni and cheese and roasted brussels sprouts. I also whipped up some strawberry bellinis and this chocolate cake, since you can't ring in the New Year without something sweet :) It was a perfect evening.

Hot Fudge Pudding Cake reminds me of Molten Lava Cakes. Have you seen those? They're individual mini cakes that look like a fully cooked solid cake, but then you stick your spoon in the middle and a gush of gooey warm chocolate oozes out. It's pure decadence. This cake was almost the same thing, but served in one big dish instead of individual portions. The warm, fudgy pudding part is my favorite since it makes the cake extra moist and rich. Everyone will love this cake. Enjoy!

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar, divided
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, divided
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 1/4 cups hot water
• Vanilla ice cream, if desired for serving

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Heat a pot of water on the stove to very hot (just under a simmer) or microwave water for 2 minutes.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine 3/4 cup of the granulated sugar, flour, 1/4 cup of the cocoa, baking powder and salt. Stir in milk, melted butter and vanilla and mix until smooth.

Pour the batter into an lightly greased 2-quart ceramic dish or a 9-inch square baking pan (if it's a non-stick pan, you don't have to grease it) and spread evenly.

In a small bowl, stir together the remaining 1/2 cup granulated sugar, brown sugar, remaining 1/4 cup cocoa and mix well. Sprinkle this mixture evenly over the batter in your dish or pan. Pour the hot water over the top – but do not stir!

Bake 35-40 minutes if using a 2-quart dish (or 30-35 minutes if using the 9x9 pan) – or until the center is almost set. Remove your dish from the oven and allow it to stand for 15 minutes.

After 15 minutes, spoon the cake into individual serving bowls – making sure to spoon the fudgy sauce from the bottom of the pan over the top of the cake. Add a scoop of vanilla ice cream if desired and serve immediately.

Source: A Family Feast

Butter Rum-Glazed Applesauce Cake

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Whenever SRC time comes around, I usually peruse my assigned blog and make a list of all the recipes I'm considering trying out. For this month's blog, my list was 20 recipes long. TWENTY! And I didn't even make it halfway through the site. I straight up had to cut myself off before my kitchen was overflowing with goodies and my waistline expanded three inches. That's what Jamie's blog, Our Eating Habits, will do to you. But in the best way possible, of course.

Since it's fall, I gravitated towards the apple and pumpkin recipes. I absolutely love going apple picking with my family every year, and this year was even more special since Bradley was able to join us for the first time (last year he was there, but he was still in my belly!). I used some homemade applesauce for this cake, and it was amazing. The cake was moist, and the glaze was perfectly sweet with just the tiniest hint of rum flavoring. Definitely perfect for fall. Enjoy!

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

Cake:

• 1/3 cup butter (do not use margarine)
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup applesauce, homemade or store-bought
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. salt

Glaze:

• 2 tbsp. butter (do not use margarine)
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1/4 tsp. rum flavor
• 4 tsp. milk

Grease an 8×8 inch cake pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

For cake, melt butter in medium-sized saucepan and cook over medium for about 2-3 minutes until it just starts to turn brown. Remove from heat and stir in sugar, applesauce and vanilla. Stir in dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Pour into prepared pan and bake for 30 minutes.

To make glaze, melt butter in small saucepan and cook over medium heat for 2 minutes, again, until just turned brown. Remove from heat, stir in remaining glaze ingredients and pour over warm cake. Sprinkle with additional cinnamon.

Serve cake warm. Eat and enjoy!

Source: Adapted from Our Eating Habits

An InLinkz Link-up

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake with an Oreo Crust

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All I have to say is thank goodness for my mom!! 

When my best friend, Laura, decided it would be best to come over to my house to celebrate her birthday, I had no complaints. Since I put Bradley to bed at 8pm, instead of rushing home from dinner I was able to put him down to sleep and then go back and rejoin the festivities. But that obviously meant I was going to make her a birthday cake for when we finished up our in-home meal. 

When I asked Laura what kind of cake she wanted, she simply replied, "Nothing with fruit, so fatty and sweet!" Check and check. I could handle that :) I instantly decided to make this decadent cheesecake for her, but that included making a homemade crust, homemade cookie dough and homemade cheesecake batter. It takes some time, but it's totally worth it. That's why I have to thank my mom. She watched my little peanut while I prepared this treat!

I decided to make an Oreo crust because, well, who doesn't like Oreos? I opted for a basic cheesecake recipe and spruced it up by putting in chunks of my favorite chocolate chip cookie dough. With the remaining cookie batter, I baked up mini chocolate chip cookies for the cheesecake's garnish. So cute! This cheesecake is soft, creamy and sweet. I love the chocolate crust and the chunks of cookie dough scattered around the cake. This was a huge hit and I'm positive anyone you make this for will fall in love!

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

Crust:

• 4 tbsp. butter, melted 
• 2 cups Oreo cookie crumbs 

Cookie Dough: 

• 1/4 cup butter, softened 
• 1/4 cup sugar 
• 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar 
• 1 egg white 
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract 
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 
• Pinch of salt 
• 2/3 cup mini chocolate chips 

Cheesecake Filling:

• 3 (8 oz.) blocks cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup sugar 
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla 
• 1 cup sour cream 
• 3 large eggs, beaten 

Topping:

• Mini chocolate chip cookies (instructions below)
• Extra Oreo cookie crumbs
• Whipped cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

For the crust: Lightly grease the bottom and sides of a 10-inch pie plate. In a medium bowl, combine the butter with the cookie crumbs. Press onto the bottom and about halfway up the sides of the prepared pan. 

For the cookie dough: Using an electric mixer, combine the butter and both sugars until smooth. Add the egg white and vanilla and stir to combine. Mix in the flour and salt and stir just until combined. Fold in and the chocolate chips. Gently roll the dough into small teaspoon-size balls and set aside.

For the cheesecake filling: Using an electric mixer on high speed, beat the cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Mix in the vanilla and sour cream. Add in the eggs and mix just until combined.

Pour the cheesecake batter into the prepared crust, leaving about 1/2 inch of room from the top of the pie plate. Add the cookie dough balls in an even layer over top (you will not use up all the balls). Use a spoon to gently submerge the cookie dough balls so you can no longer see them.

Place the remaining cookie dough balls on a greased baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven for 8-9 minutes or until golden brown. Remove the mini chocolate chip cookies from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool.

Bake the cheesecake for 50-55 minutes or until the center is set. Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool completely on a wire rack. Once cooled, refrigerate for at least 4 hours, but preferably overnight. 

Once chilled, spread the top with whipped cream. Sprinkle with extra Oreo cookie crumbs and scatter the mini chocolate chip cookies over top.

Source: SK Original

Mardi Gras Kings Cake

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How did you guys spend your Sunday? Searching all over for a little plastic baby for your Kings Cake? I didn't think so. But that's what I was doing. Ash Wednesday is this week, which means tomorrow is Fat Tuesday. Time to eat up before the Lenten season begins! And that means Kings Cake!

The dough in this cake is so sweet and, besides the rising time, doesn't take too long to make. I love the filling combination of brown sugar, pecans and raisins. It kind of reminds me of a cinnamon bun or a sweet breakfast pastry. The cake is decorated in sugars of traditional Mardi Gras colors: yellow, purple and green. And of course, the plastic baby inside. Whoever finds it is guaranteed good luck for a year! So you bet your butt I was putting one of those things inside. My cute little niece was the recipient of this year's plastic baby, and it was so fun to watch everyone search their individual piece. I bet your family will have fun with this one, too. Enjoy!

Printable Recipe

Ingredients
Makes 2 cakes

Pastry:

• 1 cup milk
• 1/4 cup butter
• 2 (.25 oz.) packages active dry yeast
• 2/3 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
• 5 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Filling:

• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 tbsp. ground cinnamon
• 2/3 cup chopped pecans
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup melted butter

Frosting:

• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1 tbsp. water

Additional:

• Plastic baby, for inside (optional)
• Yellow, green and purple sugar, for decorating (optional)

Scald milk, remove from heat and stir in 1/4 cup of butter. Allow mixture to cool to room temperature. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in the warm water with 1 tablespoon of the white sugar. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.

When yeast mixture is bubbling, add the cooled milk mixture. Whisk in the eggs. Stir in the remaining white sugar, salt and nutmeg. Beat the flour into the milk/egg mixture 1 cup at a time. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 to 10 minutes.

Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth or plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 2 hours. When risen, punch down and divide dough in half.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease 2 cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.

To Make Filling: Combine the brown sugar, ground cinnamon, chopped pecans, 1/2 cup flour and 1/2 cup raisins. Pour 1/2 cup melted butter over the cinnamon mixture and mix until crumbly.

Roll dough halves out into large rectangles (approximately 10x16 inches or so). Sprinkle the filling evenly over the dough and roll up each half tightly like a jelly roll, beginning at the wide side. Bring the ends of each roll together to form 2 oval shaped rings. Place each ring on a prepared cookie sheet. With scissors make cuts 1/3 of the way through the rings at 1 inch intervals. Let rise in a warm spot until doubled in size, about 45 minutes.

Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes. Push the plastic baby into the bottom of the cake. Frost while warm with the confectioners' sugar blended with 1 to 2 tablespoons of water. Sprinkle on purple, green and yellow sugar in 1-inch sections for decoration.

Source: All Recipes

Eggnog Cheesecake Bars with a Pecan Pie Topping (Plus a Zulka Cane Sugar Giveaway!)

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Zulka contacted me and asked me to create a holiday-theme dessert for their Holiday Bake-Off Contest using their Cane Sugar. I immediately knew I wanted to make a dessert that combined my favorite flavors of the Christmas season: Eggnog, Cheesecake and Pecan Pie. Nothing says Christmas like those three! And who can have eggnog without a little rum? So I threw some of that in for good measure. 'Tis the season...

I made a standard graham cracker crust and decided to top it with a cheesecake filling packed with both eggnog and rum. Pure perfection! The topping is a traditional pecan pie filling. Pecan pie is made with corn syrup, which gives it a gooey and chewy consistency. The pecans add a little crunch on top, which is well-paired with the creamy consistency of the cheesecake. These bars turned out exceptional and very festive for Christmas!

And now for the giveaway! Zulka has offered to give one lucky reader a retail-size bag of Zulka Cane Sugar! Zulka offers a more natural, non-GMO replacement for plain white sugar. I had never baked with cane sugar before, but I can't even taste a difference in baking. Considering it's a lot better for me, I'm definitely going to be using Zulka from now on.

 GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED

There are two ways to enter:

Like The Savvy Kitchen on Facebook and leave a comment 

AND/OR 

Leave a comment below telling me what you will bake using Zulka Cane Sugar.

Winner will be announced on December 11th.

You are more than welcome to enter Zulka's Holiday Bake-Off Contest yourself! Just create a holiday recipe using Zulka Cane Sugar and post it to their Facebook tab by December 22nd. Good luck!

All opinions in this post are my own. Zulka supplied me with my sugar and is also sponsoring the giveaway to one reader. Contest is open to U.S. residents only.

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

Crust:

• 2 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 2 tbsp. Zulka cane sugar

Eggnog Cheesecake Layer:

• 2 (8 oz.) packages 1/3 less-fat cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup light eggnog
• 1 tbsp. flour
• 1/2 cup Zulka cane sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 tsp. dark rum
• 1/4 tsp. nutmeg

Pecan Pie Topping:

• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup Zulka cane sugar
• 1/2 cup light corn syrup
• 1/3 cup butter, melted and cooled slightly
• 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups pecans, coarsely chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

For the crust: Combine graham cracker crumbs with butter and sugar. Mix until all crumbs are moist. Press into the bottom of a 9×13 pan. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly.

For the eggnog layer: In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese, eggnog, flour, and sugar. Add egg and mix well. Add vanilla, rum and nutmeg and mix to incorporate. Pour eggnog mixture over slightly cooled crust. Bake for 15 minutes. 

For the pecan pie topping: In a separate medium bowl, combine the brown sugar, corn syrup and melted butter. Stir in the eggs, salt and vanilla extract. Fold in the pecans.

Remove cheesecake from oven and top with the pecan mixture. Bake for an additional 25 minutes, or until center is set and pecan pie layer is a rich brown color. 

Allow to cool then refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving. Cut into bars.

Source: SK Original

Pumpkin Nutella Swirl Loaf Cake

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This month I was assigned Annie's Noms for the Secret Recipe Club. With Thanksgiving only a week away, I wanted to make a holiday-themed recipe. So when I saw this loaf cake that combined pumpkin AND Nutella, I knew I had found a winner.

Annie has a ton of awesome looking recipes on her blog, and if I wasn't so insistent on picking a Thanksgiving recipe I really would have had a hard time picking one out! I'm glad I landed on this one, though. The Nutella swirl throughout the cake is really impressive looking. The Nutella actually compliments the pumpkin nicely in this moist and flavorful cake. Perfect for a Thanksgiving dessert (or even breakfast!). Enjoy!

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 stick butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup pumpkin purée (not pie filling)
• 2 1/2 cups cake flour*
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. ground ginger
• 1/8 tsp. ground cloves
• Pinch ground nutmeg
• 1/2 cup chocolate hazelnut spread (Nutella)

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Grease a 2 lb. loaf tin.

Place the butter and sugar into a large bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes on med-high speed.

Add in the eggs and vanilla extract and mix until well incorporated. Add in the pumpkin purée, flour, baking powder and spices and mix until light and smooth, about 1 minute on med-high speed.

Take 3/4 cup of batter and place into a medium sized bowl. Place 1/2 cup chocolate spread into the medium bowl and mix with a spoon/spatula until well combined.

Spoon 1/3 of the pumpkin batter into the loaf pan and level off. Spoon 1/3 of the chocolate batter on top, then mix slightly with a fork until swirled. Repeat with the pumpkin batter and chocolate batter until the loaf pan is filled.

Place in the oven for 50 minutes or until risen and an inserted skewer into the center comes out clean.

Leave to cool in the pan for at least 1 hour before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Once cooled, slice and store in an airtight container at room temperature for 4 days.

Source: Annie's Noms

How To: Make a Sprinkles Number Cake

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For the 30th anniversary cake I made my parents, I wanted to do something special on the outside to make up for not making the cake from scratch. I wanted to make a cool "30" design on the top, so with the help of a printout, parchment paper and some sprinkles, I was able to achieve the design I wanted. Below are directions on how to decorate a pretty sprinkles number cake on your own!

What you'll need:

• 1 iced cake
• 1 printed sheet with desired number on it
• Parchment Paper
• Scissors
• Sprinkles

Step 1: Print out the number you want so that it is large enough to cover most of the cake. Place a piece of parchment paper over top of the number and trace. Cut out the numbers.

Step 2: Place the parchment paper numbers on top of the iced cake. Make sure you press the numbers down so no sprinkles can sneak underneath.

 

Step 3. Cover the entire top of the cake with sprinkles. Lightly press them down so they stick.

Step 4: Carefully remove the parchment paper numbers from the top of the cake. And you're left with an awesome number design. Enjoy!

How To: Make a Checkered Layer Cake

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I was 9.5 months pregnant when my family and I threw my parents a surprise 30th anniversary party. I had offered to make the cake, but at two weeks away from my due date I wasn't exactly motivated to spend hours in the kitchen putting together the perfect cake. Therefore, I decided to use store-bought cake mix, but make an eye-catching design inside and outside to grab their attention. I also made homemade frosting, so that helped a little. I made a checkered pattern in the cake, which was easy to do and looked really cool! Below are the instructions.

P.S. Sorry the picture quality isn't the best, but you get the idea!

Step 1: Bake two 9-inch cakes of  two different flavors/colors (you will have 4 9-inch cakes total).

Step 2: Cut a 7-inch circle out of a piece of parchment paper. Also cut a 5-inch circle out of parchment paper.

Step 3: Place the larger circle on each cake and cut around with a knife. Place the smaller circle inside the smaller cake cut-out and cut around with a knife. Separate each piece.

Step 4: Put each cake round so they are alternating colors (in this case, two of the cakes were vanilla, chocolate, vanilla and the other two were chocolate, vanilla, chocolate).

Step 5: Stack the cakes so the outer layer alternates in color/flavor (chocolate, vanilla, chocolate, vanilla). Make sure to spread some icing in between each layer!

 

Please note I only used three out of the four layers since my travel container wouldn't hold all four layers).

 

Step 6: Cut and enjoy! This obviously isn't the best picture, but you get the idea! Everyone (especially the kids) thought it was really cool!