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  • Aunt Anne’s Coffee Cake

    Aunt Anne’s Coffee Cake

    This coffee cake is perfect for Sunday mornings while reading the paper. Be prepared; it won’t last long. Just like potato chips, you can’t eat just one.

    Nutrition Facts (per serving)

    236Calories
    10gFat
    34gCarbs
    3gProtein

    Ingredients

    1x2x4x

    Original recipe (1X) yields 15 servings

    Streusel Topping:

    • ⅔ cup white sugar
    • ¼ cup all-purpose flour
    • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
    • ¼ cup cold butter

    Cake:

    • 2 cups all-purpose flour
    • ¾ cup white sugar
    • 2 teaspoons baking powder
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • ½ cup cold butter
    • 1 egg
    • ¾ cup milk, or as needed
    • 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract

    Directions

    1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9×13-inch pan.
    2. Make streusel topping: Combine sugar, flour, and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Set aside.Streusel topping combined in a bowl. Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
    3. Make cake: Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Whisk together egg and milk in a separate bowl; stir in vanilla.Dry and wet ingredients for the cake mixed together in separate bowls.Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
    4. Pour egg mixture into crumb mixture; mix until just moistened.Egg mixture poured into crumb mixture, mixed until just moistened. Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
    5. Spread into the prepared pan and sprinkle with streusel topping.Mixture spread into prepared pan, adding the streusel topping on top.Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
    6. Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes.Coffee cake baked until a toothpick comes out clean.Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
    7. Allow to cool before slicing.mid angle looking at two slices of coffee cake resting on a cooling rack
  • Coffee Cake

    Coffee Cake


    If you’re looking for a moist, fluffy coffee cake that is bursting with coffee flavour, then this recipe is it! Soft coffee cake layers are sandwiched between the most divine white chocolate and coffee whipped ganache frosting, and lightly candied walnuts – YUM!

    Ingredients ½x1x2x

    Coffee Cake

    • ▢2½ cups (320 g) flour – regular all purpose (see note 1 if you want to use cake flour)
    • ▢⅓ cup (40 g) cornflour – also known as cornstarch
    • ▢½ tsp baking soda
    • ▢1 tsp baking powder
    • ▢½ tsp salt – omit if using salted butter
    • ▢4 tbsp (15 g) instant coffee powder – I use a fine powdered coffee
    • ▢½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter – room temperature
    • ▢½ cup (105 g) unflavoured vegetable oil – I use canola
    • ▢1½ cups (300 g) soft brown sugar – firmly packed (see note 6)
    • ▢3 large eggs – room temperature
    • ▢1¼ tbsp vanilla essence/extract
    • ▢1 tsp white vinegar
    • ▢1½ cups (337 g) buttermilk – room temperature, see note 5 if using a homemade buttermilk substitute

    Whipped White Chocolate & Coffee Ganache Frosting

    • ▢1 cup (180 g) white chocolate – couverture preferred, otherwise regular eating chocolate. Try not to use compound white chocolate. Milk chocolate can be used too.
    • ▢3 cups (675 g) cream – minimum fat percentage of 34%
    • ▢1½ tbsp instant coffee powder – I use a fine powdered coffee

    Lightly Candied Walnuts

    • ▢2 tbsp (30 g) soft brown sugar
    • ▢1 tbsp (14 g) unsalted butter
    • ▢½ tsp ground cinnamon
    • ▢1 cup (100 g) walnuts – roughly chopped or halved

    Instructions

    • IMPORTANT: For this recipe I would highly recommend using gram measurements, especially for the flour for accurate results. It has a high fat/liquid ratio so slight adjustments to the quantities can throw off the balance of the cake 🙂
    • The whipped ganache frosting is the star of this cake so I would highly recommend making it! It’ll be best to start on the ganache first before making the cake as it needs time to cool in the fridge before whipping (instructions for making the ganache are after the coffee cake).

    Coffee Cake

    • Preheat oven to 160 °C (320°F) with the fan on (see note 4 if you don’t have a fan function) and grease and/or line two 8 inch cake tins (I use my homemade cake release). Set aside.
    • In a bowl, sift together your flour, cornflour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and instant coffee powder. Using a whisk or fork, mix until well combined. Set aside.
    • In another bowl, add in your butter, vegetable oil and soft brown sugar. Using an electric mixer (hand or stand mixer are both fine – see note 2), cream together for 2 minutes until light and creamy.
    • Add in eggs one by one, mixing well in between each addition (about 10-15 seconds between eggs).
    • Add in your vanilla, vinegar and half a cup of the buttermilk, and mix until well combined. The batter may look curdled but that’s okay. Now set your mixer aside as the remainder of the batter will be finished by hand.
    • Finish off by adding in half of your premixed dry ingredients to your wet mixture, and gently fold it in with a spatula until just combined. Then add in the remaining 1 cup of buttermilk, and fold it in until just combined. Lastly, add in the remaining dry ingredients and gently fold it into the mixture until just combined. Do not overmix (see note 3). Your batter should be nice and smooth and no longer curdled (see note 7 if your batter is still curdled).
    • Divide the batter evenly into the two 8 inch cake tins and bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Once done, let the cakes cool in the cake tins for 20 minutes and then turn them out onto a wire rack to completely cool before frosting.

    Whipped White Chocolate & Coffee Ganache

    • Chop up your chocolate into small pieces (no need to do this if using chocolate callets) and place in a heat proof bowl.
    • Place the cream in a saucepan over a low-medium heat and heat it up until it begins to gently bubble. Once it’s gently bubbling, immediately take it off the heat (you don’t want to overheat the cream) and pour it over the chocolate. Add in the coffee at this point too but no need to mix it.
    • Allow the chocolate/cream mixture to sit for 5 minutes untouched. After 5 minutes, stir with a spatula and then using an immersion blender, blend until smooth. Keep the immersion blender at the bottom of the bowl to prevent air bubbles getting into the ganache.
    • Pour the ganache into a wide baking tray/dish (this will allow it to cool quicker), and cover it with cling wrap so that it’s touching the top of the ganache. This will prevent a skin from forming as it cools. Place it in the fridge for at least a few hours to allow it to thicken up slightly and become very cold. Ideally you want to leave it for over 6+ hours (overnight is best). You can also do this step the day beforehand.
    • Once ready, pour the ganache into a bowl and whip until you reach semi-stiff peaks. It comes together quite quickly so be careful not to overwhip the cream.

    Lightly Candied Walnuts

    • Place a saucepan over a medium heat and add in sugar, butter and cinnamon, stirring occasionally.
    • Once the sugar is melted and begins to gently bubble, add in the walnuts and stir so that the walnuts are evenly coated with the butter/sugar mixture. Once coated immediately take it off the heat and pour it onto a tray. Use a spatula or spoon to separate the walnuts.
    • Allow the walnuts to cool and harden (about 5 minutes or so).

    Assembly

    • OPTIONAL: Begin by trimming off the top of the cake layers so that they’re nice and flat. These cake layers bake up quite flat so you should only need to trim off a very small amount.
    • Place your first cake layer onto your cake stand, and spread out a generous amount of the whipped ganache frosting on top. Evenly distribute half of the candied walnuts on top of the cream.
    • Place the next cake layer on top and cover the top and sides with more whipped ganache. I like to do a little bit of piping on the top (I used a 1A piping tip for this cake). Finish off by evenly distributing the remaining walnuts on top. Enjoy!
  • Creamy Peanut Butter Icing

    Creamy Peanut Butter Icing

    A creamy, no-cook peanut butter icing. Perfect on chocolate cake! Should be enough to ice 24 cupcakes or 1 cake.

    Nutrition Facts (per serving)

    183Calories
    11gFat
    22gCarbs
    2gProtein

    Ingredients

    1x2x4x

    Original recipe (1X) yields 24 servings

    • 1 cup butter, softened
    • ½ cup creamy peanut butter, or more to taste
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • 1 pinch salt
    • 4 cups confectioners’ sugar
    • ¼ cup milk, or more as needed

    Directions

    1. Beat butter in a bowl using an electric mixer until fluffy. Add peanut butter, vanilla extract, and salt; beat until incorporated. Slowly pour confectioners’ sugar into peanut butter mixture while continuing to beat with the mixer; add milk until desired thickness is reached.
  • Lemon Cream Cake

    Lemon Cream Cake

    This lemon crumb cake is a light lovely cake filled and covered with lemon cream goodness!

    Ingredients

    Cake

    • ▢2 1/4 cups cake flour
    • ▢1 tablespoon baking powder
    • ▢½ teaspoon salt
    • ▢1 ¼ cups buttermilk
    • ▢4 large egg whites save the yolks for the lemon curd
    • ▢1 ½ cups sugar
    • ▢2 teaspoons lemon zest
    • ▢1/2 cup butter
    • ▢1 tsp. vanilla

    Filling

    • ▢1/3 cup simple syrup see recipe below
    • ▢1 pkg unflavored gelatin
    • ▢1 cup lemon curd recipe follows or use store bouight
    • ▢1 8 oz. cream cheese softened
    • ▢3/4 cup whipping cream

    Lemon Curd

    • ▢2 lemons
    • ▢4 egg yolks
    • ▢2/3 cup sugar
    • ▢4 Tbsp butter cold

    Vanilla Crumb Topping

    • ▢1/2 cup flour
    • ▢1/2 cup, plus 2 Tbsp powdered sugar
    • ▢5 Tbsp butter chilled, cut into small pieces
    • ▢1 tsp. vanilla

    Simple Syrup

    • ▢1 cup water
    • ▢1 cup sugar

    Instructions

    Simple Syrup

    • Combine sugar and water in a small saucepan and heat until sugar is dissolved.  Allow to cool until ready to use.

    Cake

    • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
    • Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.
    • Whisk together the milk and egg whites in a medium bowl.
    • Put the sugar and lemon zest in a mixer bowl or another large bowl and rub them together with your fingers until the sugar is moist and fragrant.
    • Combine sugar and butter and beat with the paddle or whisk attachment, or with a hand mixer,beat on medium speed for a full 3 minutes, until the butter and sugar are very light.
    • Beat in the extract, then add one third of the flour mixture, still beating on medium speed.
    • Beat in half of the milk-egg mixture, then beat in half of the remaining dry ingredients until incorporated.
    • Add the rest of the milk and eggs beating until the batter is homogeneous, then add the last of the dry ingredients.   Mix for two minutes until well combined.
    • Divide the batter between the two 9 inch pans that have been greased and floured.  Line the bottom of the pans with wax paper and grease and flour that also.
    • Bake for 30-35 minutes the cakes are well risen and springy to the touch, or until a thin knife or toothpick comes out clean.
    • Transfer the cakes to cooling racks and cool for about 5 minutes, then run a knife around the sides of the cakes, unfold them and peel off the paper liners.
    • Invert and cool to room temperature, right side up (the cooled cake layers can be wrapped airtight and stored at room temperature overnight or frozen for up to two months).

    Filling

    • Add the gelatin in a few Tbsp of water and let sit for about 5 minutes
    • Heat the simple syrup over medium heat and add the gelatin, bring the mixture to a simmer, stirring constantly, until the gelatin is completely dissolved.  Set aside to cool.
    • In a chilled mixing bowl, beat the whipping cream until it forms stiff peaks.  Transfer to another bowl and set aside.
    • In the mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese and the lemon curd until it is well mixed
    • Slowly drizzle the cooled simple syrup into the cream cheese mixture, scraping down sides as needed
    • Add the whipping cream and beat with the whisk attachment until incorporated.  Chill the mixture until slightly thickened.

    Lemon Curd

    • Zest the lemons and set aside.  Juice the lemons.
    • In a small mixing bowl, whisk the egg yolks and sugar until smooth.  Stir in zest and juice.
    • Pour the mixture into a saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat.
    • Reduce the heat to low and continue to cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon
    • Remove from the heat and pour through a strainer into a glass bowl.  Add in butter, 1 Tbsp at a time.
    • Cool to room temperature then press a piece of plastic wrap onto the surface and chill in the fridge until completely chilled and set

    Vanilla Crumb Topping

    • In a bowl mix the flour and powdered sugar.  Cut in the chilled butter until small pea size pieces form.
    • Drizzle the vanilla over and mix to combine.  Chill the mixture until needed.

    Assembling the cake

    • When the cake is cooled, brush the tops of the cake with the remaining simple syrup
    • Spread 2/3 of the filling on the bottom half of the cake and top with the other layer.
    • Frost the top and the outside of the cake with the remaining filling and then press the crumb mixture onto the sides and top of the cake. ( I only did it on the top)
    • Chill for several hours or freeze to firm up the filling

  • Creamy Orange Cake

    Creamy Orange Cake

    This orange poke cake is cool and refreshing — like an orange cream frozen treat poked with holes. Great for picnics, and it travels well.

    Nutrition Facts (per serving)

    156Calories
    5gFat
    26gCarbs
    2gProtein

    Ingredients

    1x2x4x

    Original recipe (1X) yields 24 servings

    • 1 (15.25 ounce) package orange cake mix
    • 1 (3 ounce) package orange flavored Jell-O mix
    • 1 cup boiling water
    • 1 (3.4 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix
    • 1 cup milk
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • 1 teaspoon orange extract
    • 1 (8 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed

    Directions

    1. Prepare and bake cake mix according to package directions for a 9×13-inch pan. Poke holes in cake while still hot with the round handle of a wooden spoon.
    2. In a medium bowl, make gelatin with only 1 cup of boiling water. Pour liquid gelatin over cake while hot. Cool cake completely.
    3. In a medium bowl, make vanilla instant pudding with only 1 cup of milk. Stir in vanilla and orange extract. Fold in whipped topping. Spread evenly over cake. Refrigerate cake for 1 hour before serving.

  • Creamy Coconut Cake

    Creamy Coconut Cake

    A moist and creamy coconut cake that will have all begging for more. If I don’t make it for work or family gatherings I end up in trouble.

    Nutrition Facts (per serving)

    606Calories
    28gFat
    85gCarbs
    6gProtein

    Ingredients

    1x2x4x

    Original recipe (1X) yields 12 servings

    • 1 (16 ounce) package white cake mix
    • 1 (14 ounce) can cream of coconut
    • 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
    • 1 (16 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
    • 1 (10 ounce) package flaked coconut

    Directions

    1. Prepare cake according to package directions. Bake in a 9×13 inch pan. Cool completely.
    2. In a small bowl combine cream of coconut and condensed milk.
    3. Poke holes in cake with a straw. Pour milk mixture over cake and spread with whipped topping. Sprinkle coconut over cake.
    4. Serve chilled.

  • Cream Cake

    Cream Cake

    This cream cake is a delicate white cake made with heavy cream instead of butter.

    Nutrition Facts (per serving)

    249Calories
    11gFat
    34gCarbs
    4gProtein

    Ingredients

    1x2x4x

    Original recipe (1X) yields 9 servings

    • nonstick cooking spray
    • 2 large eggs
    • ¾ cup white sugar
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
    • 2 teaspoons baking powder
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • 1 cup heavy whipping cream

    Directions

    1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9×9-inch square pan with nonstick cooking spray.
    2. Beat eggs in a large bowl until very thick. Mix in sugar and vanilla until well combined.
    3. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl. Add flour mixture to egg mixture in 3 parts, alternating with whipping cream, mixing until combined. Pour batter into the prepared pan.
    4. Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 30 to 40 minutes.
  • Irish Apple Cake

    Irish Apple Cake

    Drizzle each slice with vanilla custard sauce.

    Ingredients

    Streusel Topping

    • 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
    • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
    • 1/4 cup old-fashioned oats
    • 1 pinch of kosher salt
    • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cubed

    Cake

    • Baking spray with flour
    • 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
    • 1 tsp. baking powder
    • 1 tsp. ground cinnamon 
    • 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
    • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
    • 2/3 cup granulated sugar
    • 2 tsp. vanilla extract
    • 2 large eggs, room temperature
    • 3 Tbsp. milk
    • 3 small Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced

    Vanilla Custard Sauce

    • 5 large egg yolks
    • 1/2 cup granulated sugar, divided
    • 1 3/4 cups half-and-half
    • 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
    • 2 tsp. vanilla bean paste

    Directions

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      1. 1For the streusel topping: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, oats, and salt. Using your fingers, rub the cold butter into the ingredients until the mixture is well combined and easy to pinch together. If the dough appears sandy, continue working the butter in until you can form it into a dough ball. Cover and refrigerate the streusel for at least 15 minutes before using, or up to 1 day.
      2. 2For the cake: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9-inch round baking pan with baking spray with flour and line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper.
      3. 3In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.
      4. 4In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter, sugar, and vanilla. Add the eggs, one at a time, whisking well after each addition.
      5. 5Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in 2 parts, alternating with the milk, folding until just combined after each addition.
      6. 6Spoon the batter into the prepared baking pan. Top with the sliced apples, arranging them so they lie in an even layer. Remove the cold streusel from the refrigerator and break it into dime-sized pieces. Cover the apples with the cold crumbled streusel.
      7. 7Bake until golden brown, 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes.
      8. 8Allow the cake to cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Turn the cake out onto a plate, remove the parchment paper, and turn it over again onto a wire rack, allowing it to cool completely, streusel-side up.
      9. 9For the vanilla custard sauce: In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and ¼ cup of sugar until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is lightened in color, about 1 minute. Place a fine-mesh sieve over another empty medium bowl.
      10. 10In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, heat the half-and-half, salt, and remaining ¼ cup of sugar. Heat, stirring frequently, until steaming (do not boil).
      11. 11Whisking constantly, slowly pour about 1 cup of the warm half-and-half mixture into the egg mixture. Add the warm egg mixture back to the remaining half-and-half mixture, whisking to combine. Cook until the mixture starts to thicken, coat the back of a spoon, and an instant read thermometer registers 175°F to 180°F, 2 to 3 minutes.
      12. 12Immediately pour the mixture through the prepared fine-mesh sieve. Stir in the vanilla bean paste. Set the bowl over a bowl of ice water and stir to cool the mixture to room temperature.
      13. 13Place a piece of plastic wrap directly over the vanilla custard sauce and refrigerate until fully chilled, at least 1 hour.
      14. 14Serve the cake in slices, drizzled with vanilla custard sauce, if you like.

  • French Apple Cake

    French Apple Cake

    This French apple cake is incredibly delicious. France is famous for its fabulously fancy pastries and baked goods, so you might get some skeptic looks when you tell them that this is your favorite apple cake – but trust me – this simple, rustic, easy to make cake is absolutely amazing.

    Nutrition Facts (per serving)

    287Calories
    13gFat
    38gCarbs
    3gProtein

    Ingredients

    1x2x4x

    Original recipe (1X) yields 8 servings

    • 3 large baking apples (such as Honeycrisp)
    • 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
    • 1 cup all purpose flour
    • 1 teaspoon baking powder
    • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
    • 1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
    • 1/2 cup white sugar
    • 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
    • 2 large eggs
    • 3 tablespoons dark rum
    • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • 3 tablespoons white sugar for the top
    • 1 tablespoon powdered sugar for dusting (optional)

    Directions

    1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9-inch round cake pan with butter and line the bottom with parchment paper.
    2. Peel (or leave skin on) and core apples; cut into cubes between 1/4 and 3/8-inch in size. A little smaller is okay, but if your cubes are any larger, they won’t get tender enough when baked.  Add to a large bowl and toss with apple cider vinegar.
    3. Mix together flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl.
    4. In another bowl, beat butter, 1/2 cup white sugar, and brown sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in 1 egg on high speed until it is fully incorporated and the mixture is smooth. Add the second egg and repeat. Mix in rum, vanilla extract, and 1/2 of the flour mixture.  When the flour disappears add the rest, and fold in with a spatula.
    5. Fold in apples until evenly mixed into the batter. Transfer batter to the prepared pan, making sure all the batter is pressed in firmly. Smooth top and dust with remaining 3 tablespoons sugar.
    6. Bake in the preheated oven until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean, about 45 minutes.
    7. Remove cake from oven and let cool in the pan for about 30 minutes. Invert cooled cake onto a wire rack, place a serving plate on top, and flip back over. Dust top with powdered sugar and serve.
      French apple cake dusted with powdered sugar with one piece missing
  • Jewish Apple Cake

    Jewish Apple Cake

    Ingredients

    FOR THE APPLES:

    • 6 apples, peeled and chopped (about 5 cups/650 grams chopped apples)
    • 1 tablespoon cinnamon
    • 5 tablespoons (62 grams) granulated sugar

    FOR THE CAKE:

    • 1 cup (198 grams) vegetable oil
    • 1 1/2 cups (297 grams) granulated sugar
    • 1/4 cup (80 grams) apple cider or orange juice
    • 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
    • 2 3/4 cup (330 grams) all-purpose flour
    • 1 tablespoon baking powder
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • 4 large eggs

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    Instructions

    1. Preheat oven to 350 °F.  Grease a tube or bundt pan with nonstick spray.
    2. Combine apples with cinnamon and sugar in a small bowl and set aside.
    3. Whisk together the oil, apple cider, sugar, and vanilla paste or extract in a large bowl.  Stir in the flour, baking powder, an salt.  Mix together until combined (batter will be thick), then add the eggs, one at a time, stirring after each addition.
    4. Spoon a few tablespoons of the batter into the bottom of the prepared pan.  Cover the batter with a layer of apples.  Spoon a few more tablespoons of batter into the pan, drizzling batter over the apples but not covering them completely.  Add more apples to the pan.  Repeat, ending with a layer of batter.
    5. Bake for 1 hour and 30 minutes, or until a tester inserted into the cake comes out clean.  Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove from the pan and cool on a wire rack.

    Notes

    1. Use apples that hold up well in baking, like Granny Smith, Jonagold, Golden Delicious, Honeycrisp, Winesap, or Braeburn. 
    2.  Cake can be made ahead of time and frozen.  Once fully cooled, wrap cake in plastic wrap, followed by a layer of aluminum foil and freeze for up to 3 months.  Thaw overnight at room temperature.