Zuchini Cupcakes - MS Cupcake Club

I was thrilled a few weeks ago when surfing the blogsphere, I found the MS Cupcake Club. This baking group is baking the recipes in Martha Stewart's Cupcake book. The book has so many great recipes. I look forward to baking along with the MS Cupcake Club.

This month's recipe was chosen by Tracey from Tracey's Culinary Adventures. You can find the blogroll of the MS Cupcake Club members here.

The recipe calls for a Cream Cheese frosting. I decided for the healthier version, just a dusting of powdered sugar.



My notes on this recipe: If you have leftover lemon zest, place in a freezer container or a ziplock baggie and freeze for next time.

Green Tomato Cake

We have lots of green tomatoes remaining on the plant in the backyard. Since our weather has become unseasonably cool, I don't think these are going to turn to ripe red tomatoes. It seems a shame to throw the green tomatoes away. Of course, there's fried green tomatoes or green tomato relish but what else can I make with these? I did some searching and found a recipe for this Green Tomato Cake. I shared the idea with Tim. His response was "YUCK". I am up for the adventure!



Green Tomato Cake
Adapted from Diana Rattray, About.com

2 1/4 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup craisins
2 1/2 cups diced green tomatoes

Preheat oven to 350°. In mixing bowl, beat sugar, vegetable oil or shortening, eggs and vanilla until smooth and creamy. Sift together the flour, salt, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg; slowly beat into egg mixture. Blend well. Stir in raisins, craisins and tomatoes.Pour into greased 9x13-inch pan. Bake for one hour, or until a wooden pick or cake tester inserted in center comes out clean. .Serves 12.

My notes on this recipe: I wish there was a way to grate the tomatoes. To me when you take a bite of the cake, the chopped tomatoes are distracting. Also, I would use more cinnamon and less nutmeg next time, the nutmeg seems to overpower the cinnamon. The cake is dense and very moist.

My First Sweet & Simple Bakes

I have been searching the blogsphere for some baking groups to join. The first one to catch my eye was Sweet & Simple Bakes.

This month's recipe was Jammy Donut Muffins. You can find the recipe here. For the filling, I decided to use some of the delightful strawberry/rhubarb jam , my mother in law made.

My notes on the recipe:

I had a little trouble deciding just how much batter to put in the muffin tins before putting in the jam. I think I used too much for the first few muffins. I didn't need all of the melted butter for dipping but no problem, it will be great for tomorrow morning's French Toast. I don't own a kitchen scale, so the measurements for this recipe were a bit challenging. I did a search and found what I think was the closest conversion possible. I think I need to invest in a scale.

These muffins are melt in your mouth delicious. Next time I want to try them with a cream filling. The muffins are best eaten on the first day, so share with some friends and enjoy!!!

Thanks Rosie and Maria for taking the time to create this group! I look forward to next month's recipe!!!

A New Cookbook for My Collection

I haven't taken a count lately but I am guessing this one puts me well over 100. I love cookbooks, I can sit and read them like a novel. Unfortunately, since it's so easy to find a recipe on the internet, I don't use them as often as I used to. Of course, there's those tried and true recipes from my favorite cookbooks. I need to make it a point to find at least one new recipe a week from any one of my hundreds of cookbooks...that would make a great blog topic!!!

I am a big fan of Martha Stewart radio, especially Everyday Food, Living Today and the gardening show (the name escapes me). There's been a lot of talk about Martha's new cupcake cookbook. Until yesterday, my plan was to put it on my Christmas list. While browsing the book aisle at Costco, there it was and at a great price, too. I couldn't resist.

Cupcakes are just fun!!! All the flavors and all of the different ways to decorate. As with many towns today, we have a couple of shops that specialize in cupcakes. Amazing that people pay $2.50 or more per cupcake, for something that is so easy to make at home.

After thumbing through the book this morning, the recipe I decided to try first was the Blondie Cupcake. They're easy to make, no frosting and remind me of a chocolate chip cookie in a cupcake.

Snookie's Cobbler

On our last visit to see my husband's family, his sister Rosemary (Snook's) invited us for lunch and to see her newly remodeled kitchen. The kitchen looks beautiful and lunch was delicious.

For dessert, Snooks made one of the best cobbler's I've ever eaten. While we were cleaning up the kitchen, I asked her for the recipe. She said, "It's the easiest dessert to make." She was absolutely right, it's very easy and delicious.




Snookie's Cobbler

2 cans of pie filling (flavor of your choice)
Yellow or White Boxed Cake Mix
1 stick of butter

In a 9 x 13 pan, spread pie filling. Sprinkle cake mix over top of pie filling. Dot butter on top of cake mix. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes to an hour.

Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Gooey Butter Cake

My friend Trudy used make this cake for birthdays when we worked together years ago. Trudy always called it South Saint Louis Gooey Butter Cake. As I think back, it was at least 25 years ago when I first tasted this cake. Trudy now lives in Minneapolis with her husband and three children. I wonder if she still makes this cake?

For some reason, I never asked Trudy for her recipe. A couple of years ago, I purchased Paula Deen's, The Lady and Sons Just Desserts cookbook. Gooey Butter Cake is one of the many delicious dessert recipes in this cookbook. In addition to the traditional Gooey Butter Cake, Paula has recipes for variations of Gooey Butter Cake. Some of these variations are Lemon, Peanut Butter, Chocolate Chip and Banana. I tried the chocolate chip and Banana recipes. With the banana recipe, I felt like the bananas overpowered the flavor of the cake. The chocolate chip was okay but I think I am a Gooey Butter cake purist, I like the original recipe.


Paula Deen's Gooey Butter Cake

Cake
1 yellow cake mix
1 egg
1 stick butter, melted

Filling
1 8 oz package cream cheese (softened)
2 eggs
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 16 oz box confectioners sugar
1 stick butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease 13x9x2 baking pan.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine cake mix, egg and butter and mix well. Pat into the bottom of prepared pan and set aside. Still using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese until smooth; add eggs and vanilla. Dump in confectioner's sugar and beat well. Reduce speed of mixer and slowly pour in butter. Mix well. Pour filling onto cake mixture and spread evenly. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes. Don't overbake, cake should be a little gooey in the center.

Remove from oven and cool completely. Cut into squares.

Enjoy!