Grasshopper Swirl Bunt Cake

This Grasshopper Bundt Cake is rich, mint and a definite crowd pleaser. 

Who doesn’t love the combo of mint and chocolate! 

I love a good Bundt cake. This homemade Mint Chocolate Bundt Cake is unique in that it has these delicious green mint ribbons throughout it. And don’t get me started on the chocolate ganache drizzle! Trust me, this cake is not lacking in the flavor department! 

Ingredients
Filing

• 2 packages (3 oz each) cream cheese, softened
• ¼ cup powdered sugar
• ½  tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 egg
• ⅛ teaspoon peppermint extract
• 3 drops green food color

Cake

• 2 boxes of Chocolate cake mix plus ingredients requested on the box

Chocolate and Cream Cheese Glaze

• 4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 3 to 4 tablespoons milk
• ¼ teaspoon peppermint extract, optional 
• 1 or 2 drops green food color

Instructions

Heat oven to 325°F. Grease bundt pan. In a small bowl, beat cream cheese with an electric mixer on high speed until smooth and fluffy. Beat in rest of ingredients until smooth; set aside.

In a large bowl, beat the cake mix as directed on the box. 

Pour half the cake batter into the pan. Spoon cream cheese filling over batter, using a butter knife, swirl the filing throughout the cake batter. Pour the rest of the cake batter on top.

Bake 35-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool in pan for 15 minutes. Turn pan upside down onto cooling rack; remove pan. Cool completely, about 1 hour.

In a 1-quart saucepan, heat chocolate chips and butter over low heat, stirring frequently, until melted; set aside. 

For glaze, mix the ingredients in a medium size bowl. Make sure you sift the powdered sugar, or else you will have lumps. Add water if you need to thicken the glaze until it can be easily drizzled. Drizzle over cake. 

Immediately spoon melted chocolate over glaze in a 1/2-inch-wide ring. 

Refrigerate until serving time. Store loosely covered in the refrigerator.

Advertisement

Blueberry & Lemon Mini Cakes

Loaded with blueberries and bright flavor, these blueberry lemon mini cakes make a delicious treat!

These mini cakes are moist with lots of bright flavor thanks to lots of lemon zest, freshly squeezed lemon juice, and a tart lemon glaze.

I love fresh blueberries with this recipe but you can use frozen ones.  Just make sure to thaw them before using, then dry off and toss with the flour.

INGREDIENTS

For the cake:

• 2 cups blueberries 
• 2 and ¾ cups all-purpose flour, spooned & leveled plus 1 tablespoon
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ¾ cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 4 large eggs room temperature
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ⅓ cup fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons lemon zest
• ¼ cup canola or vegetable oil
• 1 cup full fat sour cream, room temperature

For the lemon glaze:

• 1 3/4 cups confectioners’ sugar
•  1/4 cup lemon juice
•  1 zest of one lemon
•  1 teaspoon salted butter

INSTRUCTIONS

To make the cake:

Preheat the oven to 350°F. 

Add the blueberries and 1 tablespoon of flour to a mixing bowl and toss together until all of the blueberries are coated with the flour. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or a large mixing bowl using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar for about 4-5 minutes until light and fluffy.

Mix in the eggs one at a time until well combined, then mix in the vanilla. Slowly mix in the lemon juice, lemon zest, and oil.

Add the dry ingredients in three additions alternating with the sour cream, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients on low speed. 

Mix in each addition until just combined, making sure not to over mix the batter.Then add the blueberries and gently fold them into the batter until just combined.

Spray a 10-inch bundt pan well with nonstick cooking spray. Pour the batter into the prepared bundt pan or cupcake pan and evenly spread it around.

Bake at 350°F for 50-65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. 

Cover loosely with foil if needed for the last 5-10 minutes of baking to prevent excess browning.

Remove from the oven and cool in the pan on a wire rack for 30 minutes, then invert the cake onto the wire rack to finish cooling.

While the cake cools, make the glaze.

In a large microwavable measuring cup, the 4 cup capacity ones are the best, combine the sugar, lemon juice and lemon zest.

Add in the butter then microwave on high for 45 seconds.

Take out the measuring cup and whisk until smooth, making sure there are no lumps.

Let it sit for a few minutes. 

Top with the lemon glaze. 

Caramel Banana Bread

Think of this as a breakfast bread version of bananas Foster.

With its super-moist texture, buttery banana and caramel flavors, and incredibly soft crumb, this is my favorite banana bread recipe. It’s not only drizzled with caramel—it’s stuffed with it too!

Check out my Nutella Swirled Banana bread recipe too.

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup butter, melted, plus more for pan
• 1 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for pan
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk
• 4 super ripe bananas, mashed
• 1 cup caramel, plus more for drizzling

Homemade Caramel Sauce

• 1 1/2 cup granulated sugar 
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 4 tablespoon butter, cubed

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat the oven to 350° and butter and flour a 9″-x-5″ loaf pan. 

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt.

In another large bowl, mix sugar, butter, buttermilk, vanilla, egg and egg yolk until smooth. 

Pour wet ingredients over dry and stir until combined, then fold in mashed bananas and caramel.

Transfer batter to the prepared baking dish. 

Bake until deeply golden and a toothpick comes out clean, about 1 hour. 

Let cool for at least 10 minutes.

Drizzle with caramel.

Homemade Caramel Sauce Instructions

Add the sugar and water to a 3-quart heavy bottomed saucepan; stir a little so it sits in a flat, even layer.

Warm pot over medium heat and cook until the sugar dissolves, turns clear, and starts to bubble. (It will be cloudy at first, but will turn into a clear, bubbling liquid.) This takes about 3-4 minutes.

(At this point, do not stir again – simply allow to bubble, swirl the saucepan occasionally and brush down the sides of the pan, as needed, to prevent crystallization.)

Sugar will form clumps, but continue swirling and cooking until the mixture thickens and turns a deep amber color like honey (this can take anywhere from 8-12 minutes), keeping a watchful eye so the mixture doesn’t burn.

Carefully add the butter and whisk until completely melted. (The caramel will bubble up rapidly, so be careful and continue to whisk.)

Remove the saucepan from the heat and slowly pour in the cream, whisking continuously until all of the cream has been incorporated.

Whisk in the vanilla and salt.

Set aside to cool in the pan for 10 minutes.

Then pour into a lidded glass jar and allow to cool completely. (It will thicken as it cools.)

Tiramisu

Simple ingredients for a delicious dessert!

Tiramisu is a classic Italian no-bake dessert made with layers of coffee-soaked ladyfingers and incredible mascarpone cream. It’s perfect for summer when you don’t want to turn your oven on. 

I love making classic Italian desserts! Tiramisu is probably the most iconic Italian treat and this one does not disappoint! It’s so easy and comes together pretty quickly. 

Tiramisu requires a short list of ingredients, but the combination tastes incredible. I like to add a dark rum to the coffee and cream for more depth of flavor. Look in the international section of your grocery store for the lady finger cookies, that’s where I found mine. 

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE CREAM:

• 4 large egg yolks

• ½ cup/100 grams granulated sugar, divided

• ¾ cup heavy cream

• 1 cup mascarpone (8 ounces)

FOR THE ASSEMBLY:

• 1 ¾ cups good espresso or very strong coffee

• 3 tablespoons dark rum 

• 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

•  About 24 ladyfingers (from one 7-ounce/200-gram package)

• 1 to 2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, for shaving (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

Using an electric mixer in a medium bowl, whip together egg yolks and 1/4 cup  sugar until very pale yellow and about tripled in volume. A slight ribbon should fall from the beaters (or whisk attachment) when lifted from the bowl. 

Transfer mixture to a large bowl, wiping out the medium bowl used to whip the yolks and set aside.

In the medium bowl, whip cream and remaining 1/4 cup sugar until it creates soft-medium peaks. 

Add 1 tablespoon of rum, mascarpone and continue to whip until it creates a soft, spreadable mixture with medium peaks. 

Gently fold the mascarpone mixture into the sweetened egg yolks until combined.

Combine espresso and rum in a shallow bowl and set aside.

Using a sifter, dust the bottom of a 2-quart baking dish (an 8×8-inch dish, or a 9-inch round cake pan would also work here) with 1 tablespoon cocoa powder.

Working one at a time, quickly dip each ladyfinger into the espresso mixture — they are quite porous and will fall apart if left in the liquid too long — and place them rounded side up at the bottom of the baking dish. 

Repeat, using half the ladyfingers, until you’ve got an even layer, breaking the ladyfingers in half as needed to fill in any obvious gaps (a little space in between is O.K.). 

Spread half the mascarpone mixture onto the ladyfingers in one even layer. 

Repeat with remaining espresso-dipped ladyfingers and mascarpone mixture.

Dust top layer with remaining tablespoon of cocoa powder. 

Top with shaved or finely grated chocolate, if desired.

Cover with plastic wrap and let chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours (if you can wait 24 hours, all the better) before slicing or scooping to serve.

Lemon IceBox Cake

This no-bake lemon icebox cake is light, refreshing layers of lemon pudding, cool whip, and graham crackers then is topped with lemon zest for the perfect summer dessert!

Icebox cakes are so simple to make and are always a crowd pleaser when brought to summer get-togethers or BBQs.

Ingredients

• 2 (3.5 ounce) packages instant lemon pudding mix
• 1 (8 ounce) package Cool Whip
• 3 cups milk
• Zest of ½ of a lemon
• ½ of a lemon juice
• 1 (16 ounce) package graham crackers

Lemon Frosting:

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 2 Tablespoons milk
• Zest of ½ of a lemon
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 Tablespoons lemon juice

Instructions

In a large bowl, mix together the pudding mixes, zest of lemon, lemon juice, Cool Whip, and milk.

In a 9 x 13 inch pan, place a single layer of graham crackers on the bottom of the pan (you may need to break a few graham crackers so that the entire bottom of the pan is covered).

Spread half of the pudding mixture evenly over the graham crackers. 

Place another single layer of graham crackers on top of the pudding and then layer the second half of the pudding on top of those crackers.

Place one more single layer of graham crackers on top of the pudding.

Mix together ingredients for the lemon frosting and spread over all.

Cover and place in the fridge for about 4 hours.

This cake is even better the next day.

Peach & Blueberry Cake

After picking blueberries and peaches at Southern Hill Farms this weekend, I was inspired to make this delicious and beautiful Peach and Blueberry Cake!

This cake screams summer fruit! And you can easily switch out the fruit and make it a year-round dessert.

The combination of the peaches and blueberries is amazing. The natural sugars in the fruit enhance the flavor. The crust is almost biscuit-like and has a rich buttery flavor. 

Enjoy the summer weekend and this scrumptious summer cake!

Check out Southern Hills Farm!

INGREDIENTS

For pastry

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 stick (1/2 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

For filling

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• ½  tablespoon cornstarch
• 2 lb firm-ripe large peaches (about 4), halved lengthwise, pitted, and each half cut lengthwise into fourths
• 1 cup blueberries (1/2 pint)
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

DIRECTIONS

Make pastry:

Pulse together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a food processor until combined. Add butter and pulse just until mixture resembles coarse meal with some small (roughly pea-size) butter lumps. Add egg and vanilla and pulse just until dough clumps and begins to form a ball, about 15 pulses.

Press dough onto bottom and evenly (about 1/4 inch thick) all the way up side of springform pan with floured fingertips. Chill pastry in pan until firm, about 10 minutes.

Make filling while pastry chills:

Put the oven rack in the middle position and preheat the oven to 375°F.

Generously butter the inside of your springform pan.

Grind 2 tablespoons sugar with flour and cornstarch in a food processor until combined, then transfer to a large bowl. 

Add peaches, blueberries, and lemon juice and sprinkle 6 tablespoons over the top, toss to coat. 

Spoon filling into pastry and bake, loosely covered with a sheet of foil and cover the bottom of the pan with foil, until filling is bubbling in center and crust is golden, about 1 3/4 hours.

Transfer cake in pan to a rack and cool, uncovered, 20 minutes, then carefully remove side of pan.

Cool cake to barely warm or room temperature, then cut into thick wedges with a sharp knife before serving.

Tip:

I recommend using light-colored metal pans for baking. Dark metal pans, including nonstick, will cause your baked goods to brown more quickly. If you don’t have a light-colored pan, wrap the bottom of your pan with foil and lower the heat to 350 degrees F. 

CREAMSICLE CHEESECAKE

This dessert combines a childhood favorite with creamy cheesecake.

With Summer peeking around the corner, I’ve been working on creating refreshing recipes that will be perfect to soothe the hot weather. For this recipe, I thought of my mom and my favorite childhood summer treat: creamsicles. I used to love those colorful popsicles with a creamy center. Creamsicles are refreshing fruit juice popsicles stuffed with a creamy, vanilla filling. Yes, they came in different flavors but the orange was the most delicious, in my opinion! 

So for this recipe, I combined one of our childhood favorites- creamsicles and creamy cheesecake. It’s a perfect pairing. Bonus- this is a no-bake treat which means there’s no need to heat up the house by turning on the oven. 

This will be your new go to summer dessert for a picnic, pool party or BBQ!

Trust me…. everyone will LOVE it!

My family on Mother’s Day!

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE CRUST

• 24 whole Golden Oreo cookies, crushed
• 6 tbsp. melted butter
• Pinch of kosher salt

FOR THE FILING

• 3 (8 oz. each) packages cream cheese, softened to room temperature
• 1 can sweetened condensed milk
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoon sugar
• Zest of one orange
• Juice of one orange
• 1 box (3 oz.) orange jello
• 1 cup boiling water

FOR GARNISH

• 1 c. whipped topping
• 1 clementine, peeled and separated into segments

INSTRUCTIONS

Make crust: In a medium bowl, mix together cookie crumbs, butter, and salt. Press into the bottom of an 8″ springform pan or a loaf pan and up the sides.

Chill in the freezer for at least 30 minutes.

Using an electric mixer set at medium-high speed, beat the cream cheese in a large bowl until smooth. Beat in the condensed milk a little at a time, scraping the sides of the bowl, as necessary. Beat in the Jell-O mixture, orange zest, orange juice and vanilla.

Pour the filling into the crust; smooth the top with a rubber spatula. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until firm, 4 hours or overnight before serving.

To serve: When firm, pipe dollops of whipped topping around the outside of the cheesecake. Top each dollop with a clementine segment, garnish with orange zest, and serve.

Strawberry & Lemon Bundt Cake

Filled with fresh strawberries!

Who doesn’t love a cold glass of strawberry lemonade on a hot day. Now think about that as a delicious slice of cake. All of the same refreshing flavors, but in cake form. Count me in!

This cake is perfect for brunch, a picnic or patio party! It is made with fresh strawberries and fresh lemon zest and a sour cream cake batter, this moist and tender strawberry cake will make your day. Guaranteed! 

I love fresh strawberries with this recipe but you can use frozen ones.  Just make sure to thaw them before using, then dry off and toss with the flour.

INGREDIENTS

For the cake:

• 2 cups strawberries, chopped
• 2 and ¾ cups all-purpose flour, spooned & leveled plus 1 tablespoon
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ¾ cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 4 large eggs room temperature
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ⅓ cup fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons lemon zest
• ¼ cup canola or vegetable oil
• 1 cup full fat sour cream, room temperature

For the lemon glaze:

• 1 3/4 cups confectioners’ sugar
•  1/4 cup lemon juice
•  1 zest of one lemon
•  1 teaspoon salted butter

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat the oven to 350°F. 

Add the strawberries and 1 tablespoon of flour to a mixing bowl and toss together until all of the strawberries are coated with the flour. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or a large mixing bowl using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar for about 4-5 minutes until light and fluffy.

Mix in the eggs one at a time until well combined, then mix in the vanilla. Slowly mix in the lemon juice, lemon zest, and oil.

Add the dry ingredients in three additions alternating with the sour cream, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients on low speed. 

Mix in each addition until just combined, making sure not to over mix the batter. 

Then add the strawberries and gently fold them into the batter until just combined.

Spray a 10-inch bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray. Pour the batter into the prepared Bundt pan or cake pan and evenly spread it around.

Bake at 350°F for 50-65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. 

Cover loosely with foil if needed for the last 5-10 minutes of baking to prevent excess browning.

Remove from the oven and cool in the pan on a wire rack for 30 minutes, then invert the cake onto the wire rack to finish cooling.

The Lemon Glaze

While the cake cools, make the glaze.

In a large microwavable measuring cup, the 4 cup capacity ones are the best, combine the sugar, lemon juice and lemon zest.

Add in the butter then microwave on high for 45 seconds.

Take out the measuring cup and whisk until smooth, making sure there are no lumps.

Let it sit for a few minutes. 

Top with the lemon glaze. 

Honey Orange Mini Loaf Cakes

These mini loaf cakes are bursting with a combination of tangy citrus, brown butter, sweet honey and ginger! Drizzled with an orange glaze and dusted with powdered sugar, these Honey Orange mini Loaf cakes make a great breakfast treat or just an afternoon snack with tea. These are delicious served warmed with butter.

I love the flavor of brown butter! Seriously, imagine making butter taste better without adding anything to it. Browning butter is simple! Grab a stick of butter and a small saucepan. 

Slowly cook the butter over low heat until it foams, and the milky whiteness turns brown and sinks to the bottom of the pan. Two things are happening. First, the water in the butter is cooking out, concentrating the butter’s flavor. Second, the butter’s milk solids caramelize, flavoring the butter with their nutty richness and extending the life of the butter. Melting the butter will take about 5 minutes to brown, be careful it will go from perfect to burnt in a few short minutes.

Brown butter can be used anywhere you’d use butter, a batch of cookies l, sauce for pasta , or a sauce over your vegetables. 

Here are a few of my recipes where I used brown butter:

Rolo Snickerdoodles

Pear & Pecorino Ravioli with Pancetta and Walnuts

Ingredients

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 ½ tablespoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 2 tablespoons orange zest
• 8 tablespoon unsalted butter
• ¾ cup honey
• 2 tablespoon fresh orange juice
• ½ cup milk
• 2 eggs
• ¼ cup sugar
• Powdered sugar, for dusting optional

Orange Glaze

• 1 ¾  cups confectioners sugar
• ¼  cup fresh orange juice
• 1 tablespoon orange zest
• 1 teaspoon salted butter melted

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 325 F and grease four 6 inch mini loaf pans. 

In a medium bowl, hand whisk together sifted flour, baking powder, baking soda, ginger and orange zest.

Brown your butter by placing in a small skillet on medium heat. Stir until butter is melted. Continue to stir and heat until butter is foamy and brownish in color.

Pour brown butter into a bowl of stand mixer.

Add honey, orange juice, milk, sugar, and slightly beaten eggs.

Mix on medium with paddle attachment until smooth.

Slowly spoon in flour mixture on medium speed until a cake batter is formed. 

Divide batter amongst the pans.

Place pans on a cookie sheet and bake for 28-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. (cover loaves with a sheet of aluminum foil halfway through baking.)

Place pans on the cooling rack to completely cool before removing.

Make the glaze

In a large microwave safe measuring cup, combine the sugar, orange juice and orange zest. Whisk until there are no lumps.

Add in the butter then whisk together again until smooth. If it is not pourable, you can microwave it for 30 seconds or so. 

Pour over each loaf and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Lemon Mascarpone Tart

This tart is made with lemon and mascarpone for a deliciously creamy, citrus-y sweet treat which is the perfect end to any dinner.  It has shallow sides, a crumbly, sweet, cookie-like crust, and creamy lemon filling! 

This tart requires 2 simple steps.

Make the tart crust. This recipe is great for any tart you’re making. It’s crumbly and sweet with a firm cookie-like texture. 

Simply drop the vanilla wafers in a food processor and pulse until crumbly. Next pour the melted butter in and pule until the crumbs are moist. 

Press the crumbs into a greased pie pan with a removable bottom. Press firmly into the bottom and up the sides. Bake the crust until lightly browned and set, 10 to 12 minutes. 

Or To make things easy, you can use a store-bought tart shell, and then you’ll only need to make the lemon filling. 

Make lemon filling. In a clean food processor, blend ricotta, ,mascarpone cheese, eggs, granulated sugar, vanilla and lemon zest and juice until smooth. Pour into the hot tart crust; using a spatula smooth out. Bake until filling is set and browned in spots, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack. Just before serving, sprinkle top of tart with crumbled vanilla wafers. 

Ingredients

• 72 vanilla wafers (from a 12-ounce box)
• 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted
• 2 cups ricotta cheese
• 4 ounces mascarpone cheese or cream cheese, softened
• 2 large eggs 
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest (from 2 lemons)
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• ½  teaspoon vanilla extract 
• Crumbled Vanilla Wafers for topping (optional)

Instructions

Preheat the oven 375 degrees. In a food processor, pulse vanilla wafers until finely ground (to yield 2 cups). Add butter and pulse until crumbs are evenly moistened.

Transfer crumb mixture to a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Press firmly into the bottom and up the sides. Place pan on a baking sheet; bake crust until lightly browned and set, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from the oven.

In a clean food processor, blend ricotta, mascarpone cheese, eggs, granulated sugar, vanilla, and lemon zest and juice until smooth. Pour into a hot crust in the pan; bake until filling is set and browned in spots, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack. Just before serving, sprinkle top of tart with crumbled vanilla wafers , if desired.