Chocolate Banana cupcakes with Milk Chocolate Frosting

Summer cupcakes! I had so much fun making these! I was asked to make a dozen, any flavour, any theme, boy was it hard! But I have been dying to make these ever since I made them into a cake. They were that good. This is a super moist, chocolate-y banana-y cupcake recipe with a fantastic frosting. The original recipe from Joy of Baking used unsweetened chocolate in the icing, but I didn't have any. I really liked the milk flavour though because it complimented the rich flavour of the cake. Top it off with a white chocolate 'sea star' and your treats are made in a breeze!

Chocolate Banana Cupcakes

12 regular cupcakes

1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup all purpose flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt (I don't use salt...)
1 large egg
1/2 cup mashed ripe banana (I used one medium)
1/2 warm water
1/4 cup milk (I used skim)
1/4 vegetable or corn oil (I used canola)
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preparation

Pre-heat oven 350•F and place rack in the middle.

In a large bowl sift the cocoa powder to prevent any lumps. Add the granulated sugar, flour, baking soda and baking powder. Salt if using. Whisk to mix completely.

In another bowl (I used a large liquid measure, easy to pour wet ingredients) whisk the egg, mashed banana, warm water, milk, oil and vanilla extract.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry, stirring to combine. Scoop into a 12 cup muffin tin lined with paper liners.

Bake for 20 minutes, rotating pan halfway through. Will be done when toothpick comes out clean. You need to check because the banana needs to be completely cooked, or the cupcakes will sink in the middle... it's not pretty or tasty. Cool 10 minutes in the pan and on a wire rack until completely cool.

Chocolate Frosting
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped *I used milk chocolate*
1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
1 cup confectioners sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract


Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over steaming water. Cool to room temperature.

I did the next steps with a hand mixer, but you can use a stand mixer as well.

Beat the butter until smooth and creamy. Add the confectioners sugar and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the vanilla extract. Next add the melted chocolate mixing for about 2-3 minutes. If using unsweetened, the frosting will be dark and glossy, but if using milk, it will be light coloured. Both will be fluffy and smooth.

Put into a piping bag and pipe onto cupcakes.

White Chocolate Sea stars

white chocolate... not sure how much.
Sprinkles

Melt chocolate.

I have this nifty tool from Epicure Selections that is used for making tempered chocolate decorations. You put the melted chocolate in there, and just pipe out your designs. But you could also use a piping bag. Pipe onto a plate lined with wax paper. Then top with sprinkles. Place in the freezer for a few minutes, and lift off paper carefully, they are quite delicate. Place on cupcakes.


YUMMY! PRETTY! CUPCAKE!
*The chocolate decorator is currently not in stock, but check back in September!

Peanut butter cookies

Ooo Ahhh... Mmmm... peanut butterrrr. One of my many weaknesses. Especially when it's slathered between 2 pieces of bread with sliced bananas. Oh well, Elvis would be proud.

So today I didn't exactly make Peanut butter banana sandwiches, I made my mom's favorite PB cookies. She goes crazy for them! Any time we go to a bakery, she will get something peanut butter-fied. And let there behold a cookie, she will get it. Of course because she is such a fanatic, she only will eat the best. To her taste, nothing measures up to this recipe. They are soft yet crisp around the edges, and melt in your mouth. So if your enduring a craving, try these cookies!

Florence's Peanut Butter cookies (from my Mom's mom's recipe book)
makes about 3 dozen cookies

3/4 cup margarine, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup smooth peanut butter (You could use crunchy, but nobody in my family likes it)
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt (Like I said in previous posts, I don't use salt in most of my dishes)

Cream together the margarine and sugars. Beat in the peanut butter, egg and vanilla, until smooth. Add the flour and baking soda (salt if using) and beat until just mixed completely.

Refridgerate at least 30 minutes

Pre heat oven 375•F and have the rack in the middle.

Make dough into balls just a little bit bigger than half the size of a golf ball. Roll tops in granulated sugar and place on a baking sheet 1 - 2 inches apart. Press down slightly on tops with a fork.

Bake for 12 minutes and until they are golden brown around the edges. They will crack and fall into themselves slightly when cooling.

Thanks for reading my post!

Cornbread Muffins

Tiny, light, Tasty Muffins!!! BTW there are only 22 there because my dad and I ate one while they were warm... Mmmm


Tonight for dinner we're having BBQ chicken, potato salad and corn on the cob. A little bit more corn couldn't hurt, so I made some delicious cornbread muffins! I like the individual servings, and they are cuter than a loaf. This is my mom's friend's recipe, and it's the only cornbread I will eat. I love it! Perfect for a dinner like tonight. Although it makes 2 dozen, they don't rise very much. You can either cut down on the servings to make bigger ones, or have more than one! Either way they make a BBQ dinner have the perfect southern flair!

Susan's Cornbread muffins
2 dozen muffins

3/4 cup butter (1 1/2 sticks)
1 cup yellow cornmeal
6 tablespoons granulated sugar
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 14 ounce can of Creamed Corn
1 4 ounce can of chopped green jalapenos
1/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/3 cup shredded monterey jack cheese

Pre-heat oven 350•F

Cream together the butter, cornmeal and sugar on medium high speed with an electric mixer. Add the eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.

In a medium small bowl whisk the flour, baking powder and salt. Stir into the wet ingredients on low speed.

Add the creamed corn, green jalapenos, cheddar cheese and monterey jack cheese until well combined.

Pour or scoop into greased muffin tins. There should be enough batter for 24 muffins. Or 18 large muffins.

Bake for 20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Enjoy! My mom can't stop eating them!

Healthy Yogurt Parfait

I decided to go with a quick, delicious and nutritious recipe for today. This is probably my absolute favorite thing to have for breakfast. Other than sweets and pastries of course. But if I'm wanting to make something healthy, filling and tasty, this is my go-to breakfast. The Greek yogurt packs 18 grams of protein to keep you satisfied all morning, and the fresh berries carry yummy vitamins and nutrients. I use All-Bran Buds to give some nice crunch, while being less caloric than granola. And a drizzle of honey provides and nice subtle sweetness to the tangy yogurt. Any kind of fruits can be substituted aswell such as bananas, peaches, mangos, plums ect... Here you go!

Healthy Yogurt Parfait
1 serving

3/4 cup Fat Free Greek Yogurt
approx. 1/2 cup fresh blueberries
approx. 1/2 cup fresh raspberries
1/2 cup All-Bran Buds
Liquid Honey

In a tall glass or a bowl put about 1/4 cup blueberries in the bottom. Top with 1/4 cup of yogurt, 2 tablespoons All-Bran buds and a drizzle of honey.
Repeat but with raspberries. And again with blueberries. Top with remaining berries, All-Bran buds and honey.

Super easy, super satisfying!

Find me on Facebook!

Hi! A lot of my friends and family have facebook, and have been bugging me to make a page. Finally I did! It's a lot easier to see my updates of what I've been making. Usually I'll post a picture there, then the recipe here. Once it's been published on Blogger, I share the link on my page. If your interested, show how much you enjoy my blog by "liking" my facebook page!

Thank you!

Kala-Dawn's Kreations
http://www.facebook.com/KDsKreations

Peeps Baby Shower Cake

I saw this cake on Taste Of Home's website and immediately knew I would make it.It is so adorable! Although cake boxes aren't my favorite, that is easily adapted. It was Easter time when I discovered it, so when the Peeps went on sale, I got a few boxes. Because they are pre-packaged, I was able to store them until I needed them. When I got the info on my cousin's baby shower, I got so excited. Immediately I went searching for chocolate cake recipes. Joy Of Baking is a fabulous website that I'm starting to use more often. And the chocolate banana cake she made, looked decedent. And trust me, it is. It is so flavorful and moist, with a beautiful banana flavor. The ganache goes perfectly. I'm quite picky when it comes to chocolate cake, and this is an absolute new fave. I practically made my cousin make it, and she agrees, it's the best.

IT IS VERY RICH AND CHOCOLATEY... just the way I like it.

Peeps Cake (Idea from Taste of Home)
Recipe from Joy Of Baking

Chocolate Banana Cake
Ingredients:

2 cups granulated sugar
1 3/4 cup all purpose flour (you could probably even sub some whole wheat flour...)
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt (I omit salt in most of my sweet recipes...)
1 cup mashed bananas (I used 2 medium)
2 eggs
1 cup warm water
1/2 cup milk (I used skim)
1/2 cup canola oil
1 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

8 ounces semi sweet chocolate, chopped
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
1 tablespoon butter

19 Peeps

Method:

Chocolate Banana Cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) and place rack in the center of the oven. Butter, or spray with a non stick vegetable spray, 9 inch spring form pan. Set aside.

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

In another large bowl, whisk together the eggs, mashed bananas, water, milk, oil, and vanilla extract. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir, or whisk, until combined. You will notice that the batter is quite thin. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.

Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack. when completely cool, remove from spring form pan. Frost with chocolate ganache, covering top and sides of cake.

Ganache: Place the chopped chocolate in a medium sized stainless steel, or heatproof bowl. Set aside. Heat the cream and butter in a medium sized saucepan over medium heat (can also be heated in the microwave). Bring just to a boil. Immediately pour the boiling cream over the chocolate and allow to stand for 5 minutes. Stir until smooth. When Ganache has completely cooled, stir until slightly thickened.

Place Peeps around the edge of the cake. You can pull them apart before, but I think it would be better to keep them connected.



Enjoy! It's the ideal cake for Birthdays, baby showers or Easter celebrations!

New York Cheesecake with Blueberry Topping

My step cousin's family has been here for the past few days, and they always see my baking on Facebook. Because they comment the most; of course I'm going to make them something. Their favorite, cheesecake. It was a tough choice of which one to make, but because it's summer I wanted to use something from my garden. What has just grown? BLUEBERRIES! They are big, plump and sweet. Perfect for a warm blueberry sauce. This is my favorite cheesecake recipe from Canadian Living, with some adaptions to my family's personal preferences.


Combine crushed cookie crumbs and melted butter.



Press into the bottom of a 9 inch springform pan with the back of a spoon


Bake for 10 minutes and cool completely.


Combine cream cheese, sugar and vanilla.


That's one honking block of cheese. I <3 Costco


Beat on medium high speed until there are no lumps, or only a couple. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.


Add the sour cream, it makes the cheesecake super smooth and creamy.


Beat on medium high speed until there are no lumps at all. It's important to mix everything completely now.


Add the eggs, one at a time, beating only until combined. Barely 10 seconds on low speed.


Pour into a 9 inch springform pan that has been covered in tin foil. Place in a larger pan. Fill the pan with an inch of water.


Bake for 1 hour in the oven at 300•F. The middle should be slightly jiggly when done.


CHEEEEESECAKE has been created. Please ignore the ugly brown spot. That is my oven's fault. But when you put a pretty topping on, nobody notices :) Cool completely and refrigerate overnight.


For the topping just place all the ingredients in a small sauce pan over medium-high heat. Cook for about 5 minutes, just until the blueberries begin to burst and the sauce thickens.

Spoon over cheesecake slices before serving. I prefer the topping warmed.
I hope you enjoy making this delicious cheesecake!

New York Cheesecake with Blueberry topping (Adapted from Canadian Living)
Serves 12

Ingredients:

1 package of Dad's oatmeal cookies crushed in food processor until crumby.
1/4 cup melted butter or margarine

3 250 gram packages of cream cheese
3/4 cup of granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of Salt (optional, I prefer omitting this)
1 cup sour cream (I use non fat, it works fine)
4 eggs

2 cups blueberries
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 cup granulated sugar (Berry sugar is my preference with fruit sauces)
1 teaspoon corn starch
2 tablespoons water or fruit juice

Referral Canadian Living
http://www.canadianliving.com/food/strawberry_swirl_cheesecake.php