Recipes Discovered

Sour Cream Coffee Cake Recipe

I have been waiting for quite awhile to make this coffee cake, so when Seth told me he needed a dessert to take to work for his boss’s birthday, I knew it was the perfect opportunity. Not only have I been looking forward to the cake itself, but also using my new mixer. As a wedding gift, my parents bought Seth and me the KitchenAid Professional 600 6-Quart Mixer. I think it’s the best present I’ve never gotten and am thrilled at any chance I get to use it.

For the cake, I first started by creaming together butter and sugar. It’s important that the butter is a room temperature and also that the mixture is creamed until it’s light and fluffy. It takes about 5 minutes for that to happen, but it makes a big difference in the texture of the cake. After the butter and sugar were mixed, I added the eggs, sour cream, and vanilla. In another small bowl, I mixed the dry ingredients together. >> Read more

Tiramisu Recipe

Since our friend Nick has been helping us a lot moving into our new house, I thought it would be nice to make something for him. I know he loves tiramisu, so I scoured all my cookbooks and the internet for the perfect recipe. I’m not a huge tiramisu fan, but I found out a lot of interesting things about it during my search. Traditionally, tiramisu is made by layering ladyfingers (Italian biscuit) that have been soaked in espresso with mascarpone cheese (the Italian version of cream cheese) and zabaglione (a custard made from eggs yolks and sugar). The eggs are usually raw, which doesn’t necessarily concern me, but since I was making the dessert for someone else, I decided on a recipe I found that cooked the zabaglione. The recipe I used also had a layer of whipped cream, which lightened up dessert.

The first part of the tiramisu I made was the zabaglione. I whisked together egg yolks and sugar in a medium sauce pan, and once they were mixed, I whisked in milk and put the pan over medium heat. I continuously whisked the mixture until it came to a boil, which took about 10 minutes. As the mixture began to boil, it started to get thick, which is when I removed it from the heat. I let it cool slightly before covering it and putting it in the refrigerator for an hour. After it was chilled, I mixed in mascarpone cheese. Like I said before, mascarpone is similar to cream cheese, but it’s a little creamier and less tangy. It’s easier to work with when it’s as room temperature. >> Read more

Strawberry Spinach Salad with Poppyseed Dressing Recipe

With the days getting shorted and winter inevitably around the corner, I can’t help reminiscing about the past summer. I made a lot of dishes, many of them posted here, but one recipe stands out as being the one that everyone ask me about the most. It’s an incredibly simple salad, essentially just spinach and strawberries, but it’s a definitely crowd please. Some people dismiss it at first because of the spinach, but the first taste of the fresh strawberries and the sweet and tangy dressing converts almost everyone. So here it is, my recipe for strawberry spinach salad with poppy seed dressing.

To make the dressing, I add sugar, vinegar, and paprika in a blender and mix it before slowly streaming in the oil. After the oil is incorporated, I blend for another minute and then pour the mixture into a small bowl and adding poppy seeds and sesame seeds. I usually refrigerate the dressing for at least an hour so it thickens up a little. Sometimes I even make it the day before. It keeps for at least a week in the refrigerator for leftover salad as well.

The salad is simply spinach and fresh strawberries topped with sliced almonds. I like baby spinach because it’s a little more tender. Also, if strawberries aren’t in season, I’ve also used drained mandarin oranges in place of the strawberries. It’s a very easy salad to make, but everyone loves it. So as the cold weather creeps in, I hope this recipe reminds you of summer and makes you a little warmer.

Mississippi Mud Cake Recipe

I have posted a lot of dessert recipes, but this cake is definitively sure to impress a crowd. It not only looks like a master piece, but it also tastes incredible. The original cake was supposed to be three layers – chocolate cake, pecan filling, and whipped cream. I made the cake into two layers – chocolate cake and pecan filling – for a couple reasons. The most obvious reason was that I didn’t have any whipping cream, but also because the cake kept a lot longer without the whipped cream. I think the cake worked well with two layers. It was very dense and moist, and had an intense chocolate flavor. >> Read more