Her Modern Kitchen

Eating & Living in Austin, Texas

Desserts

Bourbon Peach Upside Down Cake

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If you’re looking for a great summertime dessert recipe, I highly suggest this Bourbon Peach Upside Down Cake, served a la mode, obviously.

Bourbon Peach Upside Down Cake a la mode overhead

It’s obvious from my last post that I wasn’t happy with the end result of my first June baking challenge so I set out to give it another whirl with a tastier combination, making this Bourbon Peach Upside Down Cake.

For context, the whole purpose of my baking bucket list this year is for me to master a recipe or technique.  And while I do believe I mastered the upside down technique with the original rhubarb upside down cake, it wasn’t a delicious cake.  It was nothing I’d want to make again and I felt a bit disappointed in the overall experience. So I set out to make a cake worth eating.

Bourbon Peach Upside Down Cake a la mode

And this Bourbon Peach Upside Down Cake is a winner!

The recipe uses fresh, seasonal peaches, lots of brown sugar, and a splash of bourbon mixed with warm spices to make a deliciously comforting cake all topped with a scoop of melty vanilla bean ice cream.  It’s a serious bite of summer and it takes me back to my childhood patio on a warm summer night.

I used this Food Network recipe as my base cake recipe but made a couple of changes to meet my own taste preferences. I’m pretty sure the changes I made make this stellar recipe even more delicious.  My full recipe details are below.

Bourbon Peach Upside Down Cake Stand

Brown sugar & butter makes everything tastes better

While the original recipe called for granulated sugar melted with water to make the syrup that goes on the bottom of the cake pan, I chose to swap granulated sugar for brown sugar and water for butter.  I melted the two together in a saucepan until it was thick and sticky.  I then spread it into a bottom of a 10-inch cake pan and topped it with sliced peaches.

Bourbon Peach Upside Down Cake Overhead

Pumpkin spice isn’t just for lattes

I love using pumpkin pie spice when baking with fruits because it’s the perfect mixture of warm baking spices: cinnamon, nutmeg, all-spice, and ginger.  All of these flavors play well with peaches and bourbon so for maximum flavor I added a dash of pumpkin spice into the cake batter, making the crumb have a slight spice-cake taste to it.

Bourbon Peach Upside Down Cake a la mode 3

Who doesn’t love a la mode?

I love peaches and vanilla ice cream and there was no way I could eat this Bourbon Peach Upside Down cake without a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Obviously, I used Halo Top because it’s my go-to.  If you haven’t tried their vanilla ice cream, it’s delicious and pairs perfectly with the cake. I especially loved it when it gets melty and mixes with the bourbon & peach topping.

Bourbon Peach Upside Down Cake Pin

If you’re looking for a great summertime dessert recipe, I highly suggest this Bourbon Peach Upside Down cake, and don’t forget to make it a la mode!

Check out my past baking bucket list challenges here. Up next is a lattice top blueberry pie! 

5.0 from 1 reviews
Bourbon Peach Upside Down Cake
 
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Serves: 10
Ingredients
  • ¾ cups light brown sugar, packed
  • 2 large peaches, cut into ½-inch wedges (firm but ripe)
  • 3 tablespoons bourbon (like Bulleit)
  • 1½ cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 ounces pecan pieces ground into a powder or small crumb
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 stick + 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 cup buttermilk
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 375F and prepare a 10-inch cake pan (or similar) by spraying the bottom and sides with a non-stick baking spray. Set aside.
  2. Add the brown sugar and 3 tablespoons of butter to a small saucepan. Melt over medium heat until it thickens into a paste.
  3. Spread the paste into the bottom of the prepared cake pan in an even layer. Place the peach slices evenly on top of the brown sugar. Pour 3 tablespoons of bourbon on top and set aside.
  4. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, ground pecans, cinnamon, pie spice, baking powder, soda, and salt. Set aside.
  5. Using an electric mixer, cream together the stick of butter and granulated sugar. Add in the eggs, one at a time, beating well between each followed by the vanilla extract.
  6. Add the flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the flour, and mix until just incorporated. Pour the batter over the peaches and spread evenly. Place the cake pan onto a large baking sheet (in case there's run over) and bake 45-50 minutes until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean.
  7. Remove the cake from the oven and allow to cool for 20-25 minutes on a wire rack. After cooling, run a small knife around the outer edge of the cake to loosen it from the pan. Place a large cake plate on top of the cake and quickly flip the two to dislodge the cake from the pan. You may need to tap it lightly on the counter to get it to fall out.
  8. Slice and serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

 

Rhubarb Upside Down Cake

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My baking bucket list challenge continues this month with an upside down cake. Rather than classic pineapple, I had a baking adventure with a rhubarb upside down cake.

Rhubarb Upside Down Cake Sliced

Sometimes, even when a recipe looks like a success, it’s still a failure.  And, that’s what happened with this month’s baking bucket list challenge when baking this rhubarb upside down cake.  Originally, I was going to make a classic pineapple upside down cake but then my mind got stuck on rhubarb…

Let me tell you how this happened…

My grandma used to make rhubarb pie every summer.  I remember it being a regular part of Sunday dinner.  She served it with a dollop of whipped cream on top and my family loved it.  Except me.  For some reason, I avoided it and can’t even recall ever tasting her rhubarb pie. I think it was because rhubarb looked like celery and I didn’t see a celery-flavored pie being very appetizing.

Rhubarb Upside Down Cake Uncut

So, I waited until this year to finally try rhubarb. My first time using the ingredient was in a strawberry rhubarb crisp and while the recipe called for fresh rhubarb, I was only able to find frozen.  I loved the crisp (recipe here!).  It was sweet from the strawberry and tart from the rhubarb and that’s when I became stuck on rhubarb, wanting to bake with it more.

I looked everywhere for fresh rhubarb and wasn’t able to find it because it was towards the end of rhubarb season in Texas.  Then, one night I walked into Whole Foods and just happened to spot fresh rhubarb. I bought two bunches of rhubarb and was set on baking something with it and that’s when I decided I’d turn my June baking bucket list challenge of upside down cake into a rhubarb upside down cake.

Rhubarb Upside Down Cake

Making my rhubarb upside down cake

I chose this recipe for my rhubarb cake.  And to be honest, I chose it not because of the recipe but because of the photo. I loved the criss-cross look of the rhubarb on top and just fell in love. After purchasing all the ingredient to make the cake I dug into the recipe this past Sunday.  And as soon as I read step two, I started to have hesitations.

Below I’ve shared the red flags I saw with this rhubarb upside down cake recipe that should have stopped me from baking it.  But since I didn’t, I’ve also shared what I’d do next time around (there won’t be a next time around but you can use these tips if you want to make this cake!)

The recipe said to prepare a 9-inch cake pan.

  • My gut was telling me this pan was way too small to adequately house rhubarb and cake batter while it baked in the oven. I knew it would be too small and bubble over but I used the 9-inch pan anyways.
  • When I finally got my rhubarb and cake batter into the pan, I had about a half-inch of free space left for the cake to bake into.  In order to save my oven, should it bake over the edge, I placed my cake pan on a large baking sheet to catch any overflow (which it did, it formed a bubbly caramel mess on my sheet pan and around the edge of the cake).
  • If I make this recipe again, I’d use a tall, springform pan, similar to what I’d use for a cheesecake.

The recipe said to mix 4-inch pieces of rhubarb with sugar and corn starch in a bowl and let it sit.

  • Rhubarb is a dry fruit and typically the purpose of mixing fruit with sugar & corn starch is so the juices mix with the sugar and starch to sweeten the fruit while forming a ‘sauce’ when it bakes to help everything thicken.
  • Because these were basically dry stalks of wood in sugar, nothing happened.  The sugar didn’t stick to the stalks, there wasn’t any sweetening of the rhubarb, and the sugar basically sat at the bottom of the bowl.
  • My instinct was to cut the rhubarb into the 4-inch pieces as directed but also split the pieces in half so the width of the stalks was exposed to mix with the sugar and cornstarch.  Cutting them into less-wide pieces would also help with the above pan issue.  I also think cutting the rhubarb up into small pieces like cubes would make this step successful.

The recipe then directed me to place the rhubarb sticks into the bottom of a pan and include the ‘remaining’ sugar they were mixed with.

  • However, because the sugar never mixed with the rhubarb I was basically dumping a half cup of sugar into the bottom of the pan.  A pan that was already covered in a melted brown sugar, butter, and thyme mixture.
  • My workaround was to place the rhubarb in a single layer and sprinkle some of the remaining sugar on top.  I definitely didn’t add the entire half cup.
  • If you make this recipe, I believe cutting the rhubarb into smaller pieces would eliminate the excess sugar because a syrup would have truly formed.

The recipe didn’t have any reviews.

  • In fact, it didn’t even have a way to LEAVE reviews which should have been a giant red flag to me.
  • So, in place of my ability to leave a review or comment on the actual recipe, I’ve dedicated a whole blog post to it providing a very thorough review (haha!).

Sliced cake with greek yogurt

So how did the cake turn out?

By some miracle, the cake did bake up without being a complete wreck.  It came out of the pan and had a similar criss-cross pattern from the rhubarb as the recipe photo.  However, the taste was just ‘meh.’

The rhubarb was stringy when cutting into it and the thyme on top included in the brown sugar layer looked like little bugs which made for an unappealing experience.  The rhubarb layer also didn’t have a ton of flavor.  The cake part itself, though, was quite delicious.  It was a dense vanilla cake with a slightly citrus note from the orange zest.  If each part were eaten separately, it could have probably been considered good.  But consuming both the stringy rhubarb top and dense cake together just left me underwhelmed.

Rhubarb Upside Down Cake

So, in short, I will NOT be making this cake again.

But I am checking this off for my June baking bucket list challenge, though, I may still explore making another upside down cake in July along with the blueberry pie I have planned.  Stay tuned and follow me on Instagram for updates if you’re interested in my upside down baking journey.

Check out my other baking bucket list adventures here! 

Lemon Bars with Raspberry Sauce

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May’s baking bucket list challenge, Lemon Bars with Raspberry Sauce, was inspired by a dessert on my 21st birthday, and 11 years later, I’ve recreated it.

Lemon Bars with Raspberry Sauce Closeup

On my 21st birthday, my parents took me out for dinner to celebrate. I don’t remember where we ate but afterward, we went to Phillip’s European in Rochester, New York for dessert.   And that I remember.  For dessert, I ordered lemon bar with raspberry sauce on top and it was delicious.  Creamy, lemony, a bit tart and a touch of sweetness from the raspberries with a thick shortbread crust.

Lemon Bars stacked

The flavor of that Phillip’s European’s lemon bar paired with the fact that it was my 21st birthday made the treat memorable. So memorable that I’ve thought about it many times since which inspired me to add it to lemon bars with raspberry sauce to my 2019 baking bucket list. (I just checked the menu online and unfortunately, I don’t think Phillip’s serves lemon bars with raspberry sauce as a dessert offering anymore!)

Lemon Bars with Raspberry Sauce Top View 2

Making the lemon bars

For my lemon bar recipe, I used Sally’s Baking Addiction as inspiration but changed the filling slightly because I wanted my lemon curd to be thicker, richer, and more lemony.  I did this by using 5 whole eggs (instead of her recommended 6) and adding 2 egg yolks for a richer, thicker filling.  I also added a tablespoon of lemon zest for extra lemon flavor. The result was a rich, yellow lemony curd tucked inside a thick, buttery shortbread crust.

Lemon Bars with Raspberry Sauce

Beautiful raspberry sauce

While the bars were baking, I whipped up an easy raspberry sauce using frozen raspberries, sugar, and a squeeze of lemon. After stirring and gently mashing the berries into a sauce, I whisked in a touch of corn starch and let the whole mixture thicken.

Lemon Bars with Raspberry Sauce Top View

Paired together, the lemon bars and raspberry sauce were exactly as I remember from Phillip’s European.  Rich, tart lemon bars with a buttery crust and a simply sweet raspberry sauce on top. I’m not sure why I waited 11 years to make these lemon bars with raspberry sauce but I’m sure not going to wait that long again.

Lemon Bars with Raspberry Sauce Pin

Lemon Bars
 
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Inspired by Sally's Baking Addiction
Author:
Serves: 24 bars
Ingredients
  • 1 cup unsalted butter, melted
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups + 2 Tablespoons flour
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 6 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 5 large eggs
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 1 tablespoon lemon zest
  • 1 cup lemon juice
  • raspberry sauce, for serving
  • powdered sugar, for serving
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 325F and line a 9x13 inch pan with parchment paper, set aside.
  2. In a medium bowl stir together the melted butter, sugar, vanilla extra, and salt. Add in 2 cups flour plus 2 tablespoons flour and stir to combine.
  3. Using your hands or a small spatula, spread the dough into the bottom of the prepared baking pan (it will be very thick).
  4. Bake the crust 18-20 minutes until set.
  5. To make the filling whisk together the flour and sugar. Whisk in the whole eggs, egg yolks, lemon juice, and zest.
  6. Pour the filling into the warm crust and bake for 22-25 minutes until the filling is set. Allow bars to cool to room temperature then place in the fridge to chill for at least 2 hours before cutting & serving.
  7. Serve with raspberry sauce and a sprinkle of powdered sugar.

Raspberry Sauce
 
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Author:
Serves: ½ cup
Ingredients
  • 1 cup frozen raspberries
  • ¾ cup water
  • 3 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 1½ teaspoons cornstarch mixed with 1½ teaspoons warm water
Instructions
  1. Place the berries, water, sugar, and lemon juice in a medium saucepan.
  2. Bring mixture to a boil and gently mash the berries into a sauce. Reduce the heat and let simmer for 5-7 minutes.
  3. Remove from heat* and whisk in the cornstarch and water mixture.
  4. Allow to cool to room temperature and thicken.
  5. Refrigerate until serving.
Notes
*if you'd prefer no-seed raspberry sauce then strain the sauce through a fine sieve into a small bowl before mixing in the corn starch

 

 

Drip Cake Tutorial

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With bright colors, fun decorations, and lots of sprinkles, drip cakes create showstopping moments which is why I chose them as my April baking bucket list challenge.

This post is way overdue because drip cakes were my April baking challenge and here we are nearing the end of May.  And, while I did complete this bucket list item in April, I’ve been a bit tied up with work and life to get a blog post up.

Cactus Drip Cake 2

Since April’s my birthday month, I thought it was only appropriate to choose a cake for my April baking challenge and chose to knock out this challenge by making the drip cake as my own birthday cake.  I love drip cakes because they are so over the top. They’re typically made with bright colors, fun topper decor, and lots of sprinkles (my favorite!) making them perfect for a birthday celebration while creating real ‘wow’ moments when others see them.

Birthday_Drip_Cake

What I really enjoyed about this challenge was that a few weeks after completing my own birthday drip cake, my friend Vanessa asked me to make her a 30th birthday cake giving me another opportunity to practice my drip technique — which is now something I believe I’ve truly mastered.

White Chocolate Ganache Drip

What I learned about drip cakes is that the ‘drip’ part is really the simplest and quickest part about the entire decor.  It’s really nothing more than a chocolate ganache that’s been cooled to room temperature then spread over the top and slowly pushed over the edge of the cake.  I then used a piping bag to make additional drips along the edge of the cake.

Birthday Drip Cake Cut

Chocolate cake with mocha filling & vanilla Swiss buttercream

For a drip cake’s chocolate ganache, you can use either white chocolate chips and heavy cream then tint the ganache to a color of your choosing with food coloring (be sure to choose chocolate food coloring or add color-flo to your chocolate before adding gel or you may seize up your chocolate) or you can use colored melting chocolate, like Candy Melts.  The key to the drip though is ensuring it’s cooled to room temperature.  If it’s not properly cooled, the ganache will melt the frosting on the cake and cause your colors to bleed.

Below I share my ganache recipe!

Swiss Meringue Buttercream

This drip cakes challenge also gave me the opportunity to practice my Swiss meringue buttercream recipe.  I love Swiss meringue buttercream because it’s so light and silky smooth.  However, it intimidated me because it involved cooking egg whites and sugar over a double boiler then whipping that into a meringue before finally adding in the butter.

What I learned while making Swiss meringue buttercream is, much like the ganache, the importance of cooling the meringue before adding the butter.  If the whipped meringue is too warm when the butter is added, the butter ends up melting which result in either frosting that’s more like soup or frosting that tastes like straight up butter.

Vanessa_Drip_Cake

The trick I learned here is to chill the bowl of my stand mixer in the fridge which helps quicken the cooling process.  I use a different bowl for the double boiler then transfer the cooked egg whites & sugar into the chilled bowl to whip into a meringue.  Once the meringue forms stiff peaks and the meringue & bowl are both no warmer than room temperature, I begin to add the butter which forms into the deliciously light buttercream.

Below I share my Swiss buttercream recipe! 

Cake Toppers

Since cakes take a ton of work, I chose to keep my cake toppers simple.  For my own birthday cake, I created striped meringue cookies which, like the Swiss buttercream, is cooked egg whites & sugar whipped to stiff peaks.  I then striped a piping bag with gel food coloring and used a 1M frosting tip to make tall swirls.  Later, I colored the remaining meringue and made little dots all of which dried in the oven for 2-hours until set. (Find the meringue cookie recipe here!)

For added height on my cake, I used white candy melts to make thin sheets of chocolate and added colorful sprinkles on top.  Once hardened, I broke the chocolate into pieces to add dimension to the cake.

Drip Cake Top

My friend requested a specific cake for her birthday so I made cactus cookies out of my go-to sugar cookie dough and decorated them with flood frosting, created royal frosting cacti flowers, and added cactus ‘tines’ using food decorating pens.

Overall, I’m so happy I chose drip cakes as my April baking bucket list challenge.  I love the end results and they’re cakes I’m very proud of.  However, after creating two complicated cakes back to back, I’m sure glad my May baking challenge is simple, just classic lemon bars and homemade raspberry sauce.

Vanessa Drip Cake Cut

Vanessa’s drip cake: lemon poppyseed cake with cream cheese filling & vanilla Swiss buttercream

Have you ever made a drip cake? What would you use as cake toppers on top of your drip cake?

Check out the full Baking Bucket List here.

Chocolate Ganache Drip
 
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Author:
Serves: ½ cup
Ingredients
  • 1 cup white chocolate chips or 1 cup candy melts
  • ⅓ cup heavy cream
Instructions
  1. Place the chocolate into a medium sized bowl and set aside.
  2. In a small saucepan, heat the heavy cream until it just begins to boil with tiny bubbles around the edges.
  3. Pour the heavy cream over the white chocolate and let it sit for 1 minute.
  4. Using a whisk, mix together the chocolate and cream until it's fully blended. Then mix in your coloring.
  5. Let the ganache cool to room temperature for about 15 minutes before creating the drip onto the cake.
  6. Pour a small portion of the ganache onto the top of the cake and using an offset spatula gently smooth it over the top and over the edge.
  7. Put the remaining ganache into a piping bag and cut a small piece off the tip. Use the piping bag to add more drips along the edge of the cake or to elongate drips that have already started.
  8. Place in the fridge to set completely before adding topper decorations.

Swiss Meringue Buttercream
 
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Serves: 6 cups
Ingredients
  • 4 ounces egg whites (fresh, not packaged)
  • 8 ounces granulated sugar
  • 12 ounces unsalted butter, softened to room temperature and cut into 1-2 tablespoon-size pieces
  • a pinch of salt
  • 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
Instructions
  1. Place the bowl of your stand mixer in the fridge to chill for 15-20 minutes while you cook the egg whites & sugar.
  2. In another large bowl, whisk together the egg whites and sugar until foamy.
  3. Create a double boiler on the stove with the large bowl your egg whites are mixed into until the water is just simmering (ensure the water doesn't touch the bowl on top of the double boiler).
  4. Whisk the egg whites and sugar together on top of the double boiler constantly until the mixture reaches 165°F to 180°F -- this is when the egg whites will be cooked and the sugar melted.
  5. Remove the bowl from the double boil and transfer the egg white mixture to the chilled bowl of your stand mixer.
  6. Whip the egg whites in the bowl of your stand mixer on high using the whisk attachment until stiff peaks form, about 10-minutes. Once stiff peaks form, check to ensure both the bowl and egg whites are at room temperature. If they are too warm, you will melt the butter. If still too warm, place in the fridge to cool or use ice packs on the bottom of the bowl to cool the meringue and bowl.
  7. Once the meringue and bowl are cooled, switch to the paddle attachment and begin adding your butter with the mixer on low speed. Do this gradually over 5-7 minutes. If the mixture begins to break, just keep mixing. Once the butter is fully added, increase the mixer speed to high for 2-3 minutes until the frosting is light and fluffy. At this point, you can add the pinch of salt, extract and if desired, food coloring.
Notes
This recipe should yield you enough to frost and fill a 10″ double layer, round cake or about 2½ dozen standard cupcakes. Or fill & frost a 6" 3-layer cake. Or frost the outside of a 4 layer 8" cake.

 

Fresh Blood Orange Tart for Springtime Entertaining

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Sweet orange flavors with just a hint of tartness and a deliciously crunchy, cookie-like crust make this Blood Orange Tart perfect for Spring entertaining.

Fresh Blood Orange Tart 2

I was grocery shopping one morning and walked passed the blood oranges at the store and was suddenly struck to bake with them.

Heading home with 6 blood oranges in my bag, I started to brainstorm what to make with them. Knowing I wanted to highlight their gorgeous burnt orange color, a curd instantly came to mind which transformed into a blood orange tart.

Fresh Blood Orange Tart

My favorite part about this blood orange tart is its finished look.  It’s beautifully impressive with its rich, pink-orange curd and ombre of orange slices on top. Simple yet elegant and luckily it tastes good too!

The blood orange curd is subtle with a sweet orange flavor and just a hint of tartness nestled into a deliciously crunchy, cookie-like crust.  With the added fresh orange slices on top, the tart has a burst of fresh blood orange flavor that completes the dessert.

Although tarts seem intimidating, they’re really quite easy.  I created a quick tutorial below on how to make the tart shell, which in my opinion, is the most difficult part.  The key here is to ensure the crust remains a bit crumbly.  It should just barely hold together once formed into a disk and placed into the false bottom tart shell.

Tart Shell Tutorial

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The other magical part of this tart is the blood orange curd which requires freshly squeezed blood orange juice.  To cut the sweetness of the blood orange juice, I added two tablespoons of lemon juice.  A constant slow and steady heat while whisking until the curd reaches 175 degrees creates a smooth tart filling that’s creamy yet holds together once you slice into the tart.

The blood orange tart is light, fresh, and just plain delightful to eat.  It pairs well as a fresh dessert to finish off a heavy meal or serves as a perfectly Springy dessert for Easter brunch or dinner.

Fresh Blood Orange Tart Pinterest

Fresh Blood Orange Tart
 
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Author:
Serves: 8 slices
Ingredients
  • For the tart crust
  • 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1¾ cup all-purpose flour
  • Pinch of salt
  • 2-3 tablespoons cold water

  • For the blood orange curd
  • 1/2 cup blood orange juice, freshly squeezed
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice, freshly squeezed
  • zest from 2 blood oranges
  • 1½ cups granulated sugar
  • 8 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
  • 4 large eggs at room temperature
  • Pinch of salt

  • For serving
  • Blood orange slices, peels removed
  • Fresh whipped cream
  • Mint leaves for garnish

  • Special equipment
  • 9 or 10-inch false bottom tart pan
  • Food processor
  • Food thermometer
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F
  2. Make the tart crust by creaming together butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer. Sift together the flour and salt then add it to the creamed butter and sugar. Mix on low speed until the dough starts to form.
  3. The consistency is correct when the dough stays in a ball when clumped together in your hand. If it’s not forming into a ball, add in 1-3 tablespoon of water, one at a time, until the right consistency is reached. There may be crumbs of flour at the bottom of your bowl and that’s okay.
  4. Turn the dough & crumbs out onto a lightly floured surface and using your hand, gently work the dough together into a single ball. Roll the dough out into a flat 12-inch disk, about ¼ inch in thickness. Using a large spatula or by sliding the disk onto a sheet of parchment paper, transfer the disc to a 9 or 10-inch tart shell.
  5. Press the dough into the tart shell, allowing the edges to overhang. Use a sharp knife to remove any extra dough along the edge, ensuring the finished edge is flat and clean. Transfer the tart shell to the refrigerator for 15 minutes to chill.
  6. Once chilled, grease a sheet of foil large enough to fit into the tart shell and gently work it into the center of the shell. Fill the foil with dried beans or baking beads and blind bake the shell for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, remove the foil and beans, prick the tart shell with a fork and return it to the oven to bake for another 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.
  7. While the tart shell is baking, make the blood orange curd. Add the blood orange zest and sugar to a food processor and pulse on high for 2-3 minutes until the zest is finely minced into the sugar.
  8. In a bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter with the blood orange sugar for 1-2 minutes. Add in the eggs, 1 at a time, ensuring each is fully incorporated before adding the next. On low, mix in the blood orange juice, lemon juice and a pinch of salt.
  9. Transfer the mixture to a medium-sized saucepan and cook over low heat whisking continuously until thickened, about 10-15 minutes. The curd should reach a temperature of 175F with a slight simmer. Remove from heat and set aside to cool to room temperature.
  10. Once the curd and tart shell are both cooled to room temperature, pour the curd into the tart shell. Place the tart in the fridge for at least 2-hours prior to serving. Just before serving, remove the tart with its false bottom and decorate the tart with fresh orange slices and serve the tart slices with whipped green and a mint leaf garnish.
  11. The tart will stay fresh if refrigerated for up to 2 days.

 

Easy Shamrock Sugar Cookies for St. Patrick’s Day

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These Shamrock Sugar Cookies are an easy St. Patrick’s Day made with a no-chill sugar cookie dough and a simple royal frosting.

Shamrock_Sugar_Cookies

Happy Wednesday, y’all! I’m popping in with a quick post this week to share some easy but impressive St. Patrick’s Day cookies.

These Shamrock Sugar Cookies are easy to make, require just three main colors to decorate and are something anyone can do!  It’s just lines & dots — nothing more.  The color combination is what makes them appear so impressive.

I love Sugar Belle’s sugar cookie recipe. It’s my go-to.  The dough does not require refrigeration or resting time, though you can choose to make the dough ahead of time and put it in the fridge for a 2-3 days if you’d like, just let it sit out on the counter for 10-20 minutes before rolling.

My royal frosting recipe is below and is one shared by Mindy’s Bakeshop during a cookie decorating class I took that I modified slightly to fit my needs and decorating style.  It’s easy to make and simple to work with. I also learned from Mindy to use tip-less decorating bags.  These were life changing, saving me lots of clean-up time.  I highly suggest you invest in these bags for decorating purposes.

Here’s what you need for decorating:

  • 1/2 cup dark green frosting
  • 1/2 cup kelly green frosting
  • 1/2 cup white frosting
  • 3 tip-less decorating bags
  • wooden skewer

Shamrock_Sugar_Cookies_2

Below you’ll find step-by-step instructions for creating each of the decorated Shamrock Sugar Cookies pictured above.

White Striped Shamrock Sugar Cookies

  • Outline and flood the shamrock with your white frosting
  • Using the dark green frosting create green stripes running top to bottom on a diagonal
    • I like to think of the shamrock as a clock and I’m striping it running from 1pm to 7pm
  • Using the kelly green frosting, create lines below the original dark green stripes, mirroring the dark green stripes
  • While the stripes are still wet, use the white frosting to run stripes across the dark & kelly green stripes
    • Think of it as running stripes from 11pm to 5pm

Green Striped Shamrock Sugar Cookies

  • Outline and flood the shamrock with your dark green frosting
  • Using the white frosting create white stripes running top to bottom on a diagonal
    • I like to think of the shamrock as a clock and I’m striping it running from 1pm to 7pm
  • Using the kelly green frosting, create lines running across the white stripes on a diagonal
    • Think of it as running stripes from 11pm to 5pm
  • While the stripes are still wet, using the dark green frosting, create lines below the kelly green stripes, mirroring the kelly green stripes

Zig Zag Shamrock Sugar Cookie

Zig-Zag Shamrock Sugar Cookies

  • Outline and flood the shamrock with the dark green frosting
  • Using the kelly green frosting, create stripes running horizontal across the shamrock about 1/8th inch apart
  • Repeat the horizontal striping process with the white stripes in-between the kelly green stripes
  • Using the tip of the wooden skewer and starting on the far left of the shamrock, slowly drag the tip from top to bottom through the white and kelly green stripes
    • When you reach the bottom of the shamrock, move over about a 1/8th of an inch and pull the tip of the skewer up from the bottom to the top through the white and kelly green stripes.
    • Repeat this process dragging the tip rotating between the top & bottom drags

Polkadot Shamrock Sugar Cookies

  • Outline and flood the shamrock with the kelly green frosting
  • Using the dark green frosting, place the tip into the flooded kelly green frosting and lightly squeeze your frosting bag to create a dot
    • Slowly pull the tip of the bag out of the frosting and repeat the process randomly across the shamrock, creating 8-9 different sized dark green dots, leave room for white dots!
  • Using the white frosting, place the tip into the flooded Kelly green frosting and lightly squeeze your frosting bag to create a dot
    • Slowly pull the tip of the bag out of the frosting and repeat the process randomly across the shamrock, creating 8-9 different sized white dots

So test your luck and whip up these simple, impressive St. Patrick’s Day treats.

Shamrock Sugar Cookies Pin

Royal Frosting Recipe
 
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Serves: 1.5 cups
Ingredients
  • 3 tablespoons wilton meringue powder
  • 4 tablespoons warm water
  • 4 cups confectioner’s sugar
  • 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
  • 4 additional tablespoons water at room temperature, separated
Instructions
  1. In a small bowl, whisk together the meringue powder and 4 tablespoons warm water. Place the mixture into a stand mixer and mix on medium-high until foamy.
  2. Once foamy, add in the confectioner’s sugar and corn syrup and be a ton medium-high for an additional 5 minutes until stiff peaks form.
  3. To make the frosting a consistency suitable for outlining and flooding, whisk in an additional tablespoon of room temperature water one by one until the frosting is the consistency similar to a hair gel.
  4. You’ll know it’s correct because when you drop a spoonful of frosting from about 6 inches it will disappear back into the frosting within 10-12 seconds.
  5. Split the frosting into 3 bowls. Color one dark green, one kelly green, and leave the other white.

 

St. Patrick’s Day Mint M&M & Oreo Cookie Crumb Cookies

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Mint M&M’s and Oreo cookie crumbs come together to making a delicious St. Patrick’s Day treat.

Mint M&M and Oreo Cookie Crumb Cookies

I don’t want to say these cookies are ‘kitchen sink’ cookies but the ingredient combination was a result of what I had hand  — which included an unopened bag of mint M&M’s from Christmas, Oreo cookies that <3M never finished, and a remaining bag of white chocolate chips that I had no use for.

Fortunately, the flavor combination of mint, chocolate cookie crumb, and white chocolate paired together deliciously and resulted in a cookie recipe that was too good not to share!

Mint M&M and Oreo Cookie Crumb Cookies Bite

And, since we were nearing St. Patrick’s Day, I chose to make these cookies St. Patty’s day themed by picking out all the red mint M&M’s from the holiday mix (you on the other hand, can just go buy a bag of the dark & light green mint M&M’s to make these on your own).

If you’re a fan of chocolate chip cookies or adore the Andes mint cookies often made around the holiday season, then you’ll enjoy my mint M&M’s and Oreo cookie crumb cookies.  The recipe base is similar to a standard chocolate chip cookie but the flavoring is a crunchy light mint flavor, mellowed by the bits of white chocolate chips.

Mint M&M and Oreo Cookie Crumb Cookies before baking

Cookies flattened slightly prior to baking.

Mint M&M and Oreo Cookie Crumb Cookies cooling

Before baking the cookies, you need chill the dough for a quick 15-20 minutes then after forming the dough into ball you flatten the cookies to about half their original height. If you choose not to chill the dough before baking (or between batches), I found that the dough spreads a bit too much in the oven resulting in a very thin cookie. Once baked, the cookies should be slightly crisp which makes the Mint M&M’s and Oreo cookies perfect for dunking!

Mint M&M Oreo Cookie with Milk

So, whether you’re looking to clean out your pantry as I did, or looking for an easy St. Patrick’s Day treat, these cookies are sure to please with their mint M&M’s and Oreo cookie crumb flavors.

Mint M&M and Oreo Cookie Crumb Cookies Pin

St. Patrick's Day Mint & Oreo Cookie Crumb Cookies
 
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Serves: 50
Ingredients
  • 1 cup shortening
  • 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2½ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup min M&M's
  • 1 cup Oreo cookie crumbs*
  • ½ cup white chocolate chips
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicon baking mats and set aside.
  2. In the bowl of stand mixer, beat the shortening and sugars on medium-high until light and fluffy.
  3. With the mixer on medium, add in the eggs, 1 egg at a time, and mix to combine.
  4. Add in the vanilla extract and combine.
  5. Add in the flour, baking soda and salt and mix on low to combine, scraping down the sides as needed.
  6. Add in the mint M&M's and white chocolate chips and mix on low.
  7. Remove the bowl from the stand mixer and using a spatula, gently fold in the cookie crumbs so they don't break. Place the dough in the fridge to chill for 15-20 minutes**
  8. Using a 1.5 T scoop, place cookie dough balls on to the prepared sheet placing each 2 inches apart. Flatten the cookies to about half their original height. Bake for 8-9 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the bake time. While the cookies bake, place the remaining dough in the fridge to chill.**
  9. Remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to cool on the pan 2-3 minute before transferring to a baking rack to cool completely.
  10. Store cookies at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Notes
*Make the Oreo cookie crumbs by pulsing 1.5 rows of Oreo cookies in the food processor for 8-12 seconds. The crumbs should be more on the chunkier side than the sandy side.
**If you do not chill the cookie dough before baking or between batches, the dough spreads too much in the oven, resulting in very thin and crispy cookies.

 

Raw Vegan Brownies

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Sinfully rich raw vegan brownies made with dates, nuts, and a dash of espresso glazed with a coconut chocolate ganache.

Raw Vegan Brownies

Years ago Whole Foods used to sell these delicious vegan raw brownies.  They were found in a dessert case right near checkout and I absolutely loved them.  The brownies were made with finely chopped nuts, dates, cocoa, and cocoa nibs. It had a thin chocolate ganache-like frosting and it was the most decadent treat.

Check out the full Baking Bucket List here.

In comparison, the Whole Foods’ raw vegan brownie was like a Larabar’s evil step sister — bittersweet, gooey, rich and sinfully delicious.  I’m not sure whatever happened to that raw chocolate brownie but it disappeared from Whole Foods.  Even now, from time to time I look for it but it seems like a lot of Whole Foods’ raw/vegan dessert offerings have switched over to local producers and none of them are serving up a raw brownie similar to the one I remember.

Raw Vegan Brownies

Dreams of this raw vegan brownie are what inspired my February Baking Bucket List Challenge. I wanted to recreate the raw brownie I loved so long ago.  Inspired by the Whole Foods’ brownie, and with a wish list of ingredients, I pulsed together pecans, walnuts, hemp seeds, cocoa powder and dates to form my raw brownie batter base.

Raw Vegan Brownies Batter

brownie batter with nuts, dates and hemp seeds

 

Raw Vegan Brownies Unfrosted

unfrosted brownies ready for their first chill in the fridge

Though already full of nuts, I wanted more crunch in my brownies so I added sweetened cacao nibs and roughly chopped walnuts & pecans to the batter.  And, to enhance the chocolate flavor, I also added a tablespoon of espresso powder.  The espresso powder addition strays from Whole Foods’ original flavor palette but I took some creative liberty and customized the brownie a bit to my own flavor preferences.  But, if coffee isn’t your thing, you can easily omit the espresso powder.

Raw Vegan Brownies Cut

After a quick chill in the fridge, the brownies were ready to be frosted with a vegan coconut chocolate ganache made of coconut oil, maple syrup and more cocoa powder. With one more 30-minute trip to the fridge, the brownies had stiffened up, the ganache hardened, and they were ready to slice!

To slice the raw vegan brownies, I advise you to utilize the ‘hot knife’ method.  A regular knife will drag through the brownies while the hot knife method will leave you with clean lines and perfectly intact brownies.

To do this, you dip a sharp knife into a very hot cup of water, wipe the knife dry then cut one line through the chilled brownies.  Dip the knife in the water again, wipe it clean and slice again.  Repeat this process until you have 16 brownies.

Raw Vegan Brownies

So, how did these brownies turn out? They were EVERYTHING I was dreaming of.

Rich, bittersweet dark chocolate flavor, a perfectly nutty texture, and a creamy, smooth vegan ganache topping.  You probably won’t believe me, but I loved my raw vegan brownies more than the gluten-filled, butter-heavy, double shot espresso brownies I shared last week.

Eating these raw vegan brownies felt like a dirty little secret.

I just wanted to be left alone with my brownie, a fork, and a tall glass of milk.  I know in the future when I need some chocolate comfort, these raw vegan brownies will be on the top of my baking list.

Are you a fan of raw foods? If so, what’s your favorite raw dessert?

Raw Vegan Brownies Pinterest

5.0 from 1 reviews
Baking Bucket List: Raw Vegan Brownies
 
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Serves: 16
Ingredients
  • ½ cup walnut pieces
  • ½ cup pecan pieces
  • ½ cup hemp hearts
  • ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
  • ½ teaspoons sea salt
  • 250 grams pitted, Medjool dates
  • 1 teaspoon water
  • 2 tablespoons roughly chopped walnut
  • 2 tablespoons roughly chopped pecans
  • 2 tablespoons cacao nibs
  • 1 tablespoon espresso powder

  • For the coconut chocolate ganache:
  • 1/2 cup coconut oil
  • ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • ¼ cup pure maple syrup
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ¼ teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
  1. Line an 8x8 inch pan with parchment paper and set aside.
  2. In a large food processor, pulse the ½ cup walnut pieces and ½ cup pecan pieces until a fine crumb forms. Add the hemp hearts and dates and pulse again until finely chopped. Scrape down the sides and add the vanilla extract, salt, espresso and cocoa powder. Pulse to combine.
  3. Test the dough by pinching a tablespoon size to see if it holds together. If it’s still crumbly, add the tablespoon of water and pulse again. Retest and continue the process until the dough forms a ball when pressed together.
  4. Once the dough forms, add the remaining 2 tablespoons walnuts pieces, pecan pieces, and cacao nibs. Pulse to combine.
  5. Place the dough in the lined pan, evenly spreading the dough into a single layer. Place the brownies in the fridge for 30-minutes or freezer for 10-minutes while you make the ganache topping.
  6. In a small sauce pan over low heat, melt the coconut oil. Once melted, whisk in the maple syrup. Add the cocoa powder, vanilla extract, and sea salt. Once the brownies are fully chilled, pour the warm mixture on top of the cold brownies. Working quickly, evenly spread the ganache over the brownies to form a thin layer.
  7. Return the brownies to the fridge for another 30-minutes or freezer for 15-minutes for the ganache to set. Use the ‘hot knife’ method to slice the brownies into 16 pieces.
  8. Keep the brownies chilled in the fridge until serving or store for up to 5 days in the fridge.

 

Double Shot Espresso Brownies

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Double Shot Espresso Brownies are ridiculously rich, fudgy, and loaded with decadent dark chocolate espresso flavor. They’re made for the coffee lovers.

Double Shot Espresso Brownies Close Up

Who am I? Posting 3 recipes in 1 week! It’s a little unusual but I hope you’ve enjoyed it the recipes for my Ultimate Party Mezze Platter, Spiced Moroccan Chickpea Stew, and today, these Double Shot Espresso Brownies.

In all honesty, I hadn’t planned on sharing this brownie recipe so soon but then I found out that today, February 1st, is National Dark Chocolate Day and thought these Double Shot Espresso Brownies would be a great way to celebrate such a delicious holiday!

Double Shot Espresso Brownies Plated

My Double Shot Espresso Brownies are ridiculously rich, fudgy, and loaded with espresso flavor.  If you aren’t a fan of dark chocolate or strong coffee, then these aren’t for you. But if you are a caffeine fanatic, then you need to whip up these one bowl brownies ASAP!

I’m calling my brownies Double Shot Espresso Brownies because of their ridiculously strong coffee flavor.  This is achieved by taking regular espresso beans, grinding them on the espresso setting, then grinding them a second time into an espresso powder using a .

Double Shot Espresso Brownies Bite

After all this grinding, you’re left with a super fine, highly intense espresso powder.  With a half cup of espresso powder baked into these Double Shot Espresso Brownies, the caffeine in each of the 16 bites is equivalent to that of about one cup of coffee.

The brownie’s espresso flavor is further enhanced by the bittersweet chocolate and cocoa powder in the batter. The brownies bake up to be super thick and fudgy, slightly on the edge of under-baked while nudging perfectly chewy!

Double Shot Espresso Brownies Stacked

To even out the espresso flavor and intense dark chocolate, I chose to frost the brownies with a thin layer of chocolate buttercream.  My go-to chocolate buttercream recipe adds a subtle amount of sweetness, balancing the bitter chocolate and coffee flavor.

They’re the perfect chocolate, coffee bite. I highly suggest serving these up with a tall glass of milk.

Looking for more brownie recipes? How about Boozy Rumchata Brownies or Warm Salted Caramel Pretzel Brownies?

Double Shot Espresso Brownies Pin

Double Shot Espresso Brownies
 
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Serves: 16
Ingredients
  • 10 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, roughly chopped
  • 1¼ cups granulated sugar
  • ½ cup espresso powder
  • 3 large eggs at room temperature
  • 3 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
  • ⅔ cup all-purpose flour
  • ½ teaspoon salt

  • Chocolate Buttercream
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
  • 1¾ cup confectioner’s sugar
  • ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 2 tablespoons half and half (or milk of choice)
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1 tablespoon cocoa powder, for dusting prior to serving, optional
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350*F and line an 8x8 inch pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
  2. In a medium-sized saucepan over low heat, melt the butter and bittersweet chocolate, stirring constantly so as not to burn.
  3. Once melted, remove from heat and into the saucepan, whisk in the sugar and espresso powder. Add the eggs, one at a time, fully incorporating the first before adding the next.
  4. Whisk in the cocoa powder, flour, and salt until just incorporated. Do not over mix.
  5. Distribute the batter evenly into the prepared pan and bake 30-35 minutes. Remove from oven and cool completely before frosting.
  6. While the brownies are baking, make the frosting. In a medium-sized bowl using an electric hand mixer (or a stand mixer, if preferred) cream together the butter, confectioner’s sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla, and a pinch of salt. Slowly add 1 tablespoon of milk until the buttercream reaches a spreadable consistency. Add more as needed.
  7. Once the brownies are completely cooled, frost them with a thin layer of the chocolate buttercream. Dust with cocoa powder in a small sifter, if desired. Cut into 16 pieces before serving.

 

Pink Champagne Macarons

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I created a 2019 Backing Bucket List and January’s challenge was to bake Macarons. Eager to make the treat, I actually completed this challenge on New Year’s Eve with a pink champagne macaron creation.

I’ve made macarons before but they turned out horrible compared to these Pink Champagne Macarons.  In past attempts, I followed Sally’s Baking Addiction’s instructions and after two batches of failed macarons, I gave up.

I’m not sure if the failure was the recipe itself or my own fault but the macrons spread way too much, ending up the size of my palm. While the second batch was smaller, though still larger than the traditional macaron and resulted in cracked tops (which I now know is a result of too much drying time).

Check out the full Baking Bucket List here.

Pink Champagne Macarons template

I made my own macaron template for piping by tracing 1.5-inch circles onto parchment paper

Pink Champagne Macarons Batter

This time around, I chose to go with a recipe from Austin’s own Elizabeth Street Cafe.  The cafe is known for its delicious pastries and the macarons are one of the cafe’s staples.

I followed the Elizabeth Street Cafe recipe exactly

  • taking my time to meticulously measure ingredients for the batter
  • expertly piping the macarons into my 1.5-inch circles (which I hand stenciled onto my parchment paper!)
  • carefully timing my dry time (necessary in order to achieve a macaron’s distinguished ‘foot’)
  • and cautiously watched my oven temperature when baking

 

Pink Champagne Macarons Piped

Piped macarons with sprinkles on top before baking

The results were beautiful little macaroons with the cutest pink macaroon feet.  The shells were smooth and hard while the inside was delicately chewy.  Simply macaron perfection, in my opinion.

Pink Champagne Macarons Feet

Look at those cute little macaron feet!

Since I was creating these macarons for a New Year’s Eve party I naturally chose to create a champagne filling to celebrate the occasion. I whipped up a pink champagne Swiss buttercream (the silkiest, tastiest buttercream of them all) and sandwiched it between my delicate macaron shells.

Pink Champagne Macarons

The Pink Champagne Macarons were a beautiful light bite that was crunchy, chewy, and creamy.  The perfect dessert for an evening that’s full of indulgent food and plenty of bubbles.

Overall, I’m beyond happy with my first Baking Bucket List challenge and look forward to making other macaron flavors throughout the year.

If you’re interested in making your own macarons, head here for Elizabeth Street Cafe’s macaroon shell recipe (just leave out the rose water) and below, you’ll find my recipe for the pink champagne Swiss buttercream.

Have you ever made macarons? Were they successful? Share any tips or tricks you have on perfecting the pastry below!

Pink Champagne Macarons

 

Baking Bucket List: Pink Champagne Macarons
 
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Serves: 36 macarons
Ingredients
  • 1 recipe for macaron shells (without rose water)
  • 1 cup quality pink champagne
  • 75 grams egg whites (about 2½ egg whites)
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • Pinch of salt
  • 16 tablespoons unsalted butter cut into pieces and softened to room temperature

  • Supplies you will need
  • Double boiler (or a makeshift double boiler)
  • Candy thermometer or instant-read thermometer
  • Hand Whisk
  • Whisk attachment for a stand-mixer
Instructions
  1. First create a champagne reduction by placing the champagne in a medium-sized saucepan over high heat. Bring to a bowl then reduce the temperature to medium-low. Let the champagne simmer until it’s reduced to about a ¼ cup. It will turn a dark amber shade. Once reduced, remove from heat and let cool to room temperature before using to make the buttercream.
  2. In the bowl of a stand mixer (or the top bowl fo a double-boiler, if using) gently whisk together the egg whites, sugar and salt. Place the bowl over the double boiler and whisk the mixture continuously until the thermometer registers 160F. Remove from heat.
  3. Using a stand-mixer, beat the heated egg whites on high until stiff peaks form and the mixture has cooled to room temperature (8-10 minutes).
  4. Reduce the speed to medium and begin adding the butter pieces, 1 tablespoon at a time, only adding more after each is fully incorporated.
  5. If the mixture looks like it has curdled or broke, continue to whisk on high until it comes back together.
  6. Once all the butter has been incorporated, slowly drizzle in the cooled champagne reduction (very slowly!) and continue to whip until the mixture comes together creating a silky buttercream.
  7. To make the pink champagne macarons, sandwich 1-2 teaspoons of buttercream between two macaroon shells. Store assembled macarons at in the refrigerator for 3-5 days.