Chocolate and Cara Cara Orange Quick Bread | Why I Bake

Posted on February 23, 2014 • 13 comments

Like the tracks of a roller coaster, the path jigged and jagged before me. My morning began with a retreat to the water’s edge, my own little amusement park perched high above the seashore. Alone, in this time and space I had set aside for self-care and communing with ‘that which is greater than I’, I found myself preoccupied with the looming tasks of the day. As the sandy dirt crunched underneath my shoes, my mind’s compass twirled in all directions. An internal voice rattled off items from a mental to-do list with the rapid fire precision of an auctioneer conducting a barn sale. Most were incidental and not at all urgent. I was finding it difficult to remain focused inward. Continue reading →

Posted under Baking, Bread, Chocolate, Desserts, Quick and Easy, Quick Breads

Ingredients buttermilk, Cara Cara oranges, cardamom, cocoa

Peanut Butter Brownie Sandwiches

Posted on February 17, 2014 • 6 comments

Sometimes a girl needs a peanut butter and chocolate fix. One day last week, that want was spurred on by the purchase of twenty Reese’s Peanut Butter Hearts I bought at the store. Noooo, they weren’t for me. I can very proudly say, I didn’t eat a one of em. (They are a weakness of mine and I def could have eaten them all.) They weren’t for a recipe either. They were for my nieces and nephews, and along with a Valentine, off they went in the mail. I had such regrets after sealing the last package that I hadn’t kept at least one for myself. It nagged at me to the point where I decided to make my own chocolate and peanut butter treat. I guess I could have just run to the store and bought myself a peanut butter heart, but truth be told, I was being lazy. Besides, once I stumbled upon the idea of making these brownies, I knew I could make them almost as quickly as if I had made another trip to the market. All the ingredients were in my pantry, and they are probably in your pantry too. Continue reading →

Posted under Baking, Bars, Brownies, Chocolate, Cookies, Desserts

Ingredients chocolate, cocoa, confectioners sugar, peanut butter, peanuts

Candied Cherry Cake with Cherry Buttercream

Posted on February 12, 2014 • 5 comments

I love cherry cake, and I’m talking about the kind you make from a mix. That cake takes me back to my childhood and with a host of memories attached. Straight from the box, unadulterated, and with vanilla frosting is the way I like it. Oh, but wait, the frosting has to be spiked with maraschino cherry juice. It’s been years since I’ve had that cake, and I can’t quite tell you why it came to mind recently. What I can tell you is that once it did, I knew I needed to satisfy the craving. Does that ever happen to you? I frequently have food cravings, and I can’t even blame it on being pregnant. A food will come to mind and I can’t rest until I get it in my hands and into my mouth. H remains constantly surprised by how much I premeditate my food consumption. I plan ahead hours, if not days, what I am going to eat at the next meal, or even a dinner three days later. I wonder if that’s weird. Possibly, but I suspect I’m not the ONLY one. Anyway, about the cherry cake. I was all set to head to the market to pick up a box of cake mix when I had a thought. Why not try to re-create my memorable cherry cake from scratch. So that is exactly what I did. Continue reading →

Posted under Baking, Cakes, Desserts, Nut Free

Ingredients butter, cake flour, cherries, egg whites, milk, sugar

Old-Time Penuche

Posted on February 5, 2014 • 4 comments

Every year around the holidays, I have this bright idea to make homemade candy to give as gifts. My intention is to make fudge, divinity and nougat, creamed candy, and brittle. I plan on wrapping it all up in beautifully decorated tins to present to family and friends. As the saying goes, ‘the road to hell is paved with good intentions’. There is just too much going on and it never happens. But this year I made a different plan. Instead of trying to cram all that candy making into an otherwise crazy time of year, I decided to wait for the quieter days of January and February when I would have ample time to whip up sweet confections to my hearts desire. Continue reading →

Posted under Candy, Flourless, No-Bake

Ingredients brown sugar, butter, half & half, milk, pecans, vanilla

Lacquered Angel Food Cake

Posted on January 29, 2014 • 15 comments

Oh my, buckle your seat belts and get ready to experience one of the best desserts ‘I’ve’ ever tasted. I’m not kidding. It takes a lot to knock my socks off when it comes to desserts since I am a baker who spends much of my time developing, testing, and eating sweets. It isn’t often that I am truly ‘WOWed’ by a recipe, especially one as simple to make as this. You begin with an already baked (or purchased) angel food cake. I can admit it now, I had an ulterior motive when I created the Blood Orange Chocolate Chip Angel Food Cake recipe I shared in my prior post. But wait, I’m getting ahead of myself. Continue reading →

Posted under Cakes, Desserts, Lowfat, No-Bake

Ingredients apples, butter, pears, sugar, whipped cream