Oatmeal Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting and Pecans

Posted on April 14, 2009 by kitchenbelle

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I baked this cake for my father-in-law’s birthday and it was a hit!  Everyone loved it!  It was so incredibly moist.  It tasted similar to carrot cake except without the carrots.  And topped with cream cheese frosting, this cake was just delicious.  (Well, you know how I feel about cream cheese frosting!)

Based on the feedback I received, I have a feeling I will be making this cake quite often!

Oatmeal Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting and Pecans:

  • 1 tablespoon  all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/3  cups  boiling water
  • 1  cup  quick-cooking oats
  • 3/4  cup  granulated sugar
  • 3/4  cup  packed dark brown sugar
  • 1/3  cup  vegetable shortening
  • 2  teaspoons  vanilla extract
  • 3  large eggs
  • 1 1/2  cups  all-purpose flour
  • 1  teaspoon  baking soda
  • 1  teaspoon  ground cinnamon
  • 1/2  teaspoon  salt
  • 1/2  teaspoon  ground nutmeg
  • 1/2  cup  buttermilk
  • Cream Cheese Frosting
  • pecans for garnish

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Coat bottoms and sides of 2 (9-inch) round cake pans with shortening and dust well with flour.

Combine boiling water and oats in a medium bowl; let stand 20 minutes. Beat granulated sugar, brown sugar, shortening, and vanilla at medium speed of a mixer for 5 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add oatmeal, beating until blended.

Combine 1 1/2 cups flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg, stirring well with a whisk. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture.

Pour batter into prepared pans. Sharply tap pans once on counter to remove air bubbles. Bake at 350 F for 30-35 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on a wire rack.

Place 1 cake layer on a plate; spread layer with frosting (recipe below), and top with the remaining layer. Spread the remaining frosting over the top and sides of cake.   Decorate with pecan halves. Store the cake loosely covered in refrigerator.

Cream Cheese Frosting:

  • Two 8-ounce package of cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 3 cups confectioners’ sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a medium bowl, cream together the cream cheese and butter using an electric mixer, until smooth.  Slowly sift the confectioners’ sugar into the butter/cream cheese, about one cup at a time.  Continue to beat until all lumps are gone.  Add the vanilla and mix until fully combined. 

Oatmeal Cake recipe adapted from Cooking Light.  Frosting recipe adapted from Crazy About Cupcakes by Krystina Castella.

Filed under: cake, cream cheese, Dessert, frosting, oatmeal | 5 Comments »

Mini Pina Colada Easter Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Posted on April 6, 2009 by kitchenbelle

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Spring is in the air here in Boston (and Easter is less than a weak away!) so I wanted to make some festive cupcakes.  I  still love my mini cupcake pan so I decided to make a mini version of these Pina Colada cupcakes.  I was a little disappointed because I over-baked them just a tad (that is something that can happen easily with these little guys so keep your eye on them!) so they were a bit dry for my liking.  That aside, the flavor was really great.  One thing to note, though, is I did not taste the rum at all.  The pineapple and coconut flavors were most prominent.  I may double the rum next time because what is a pina colada without rum?! 

I topped these little fellas with  piped  yellow-colored cream cheese frosting and jelly beans.  The lack of rum flavor was most certainly compensated for by the cream cheese frosting, because, well, cream cheese frosting = heaven.  I would consider skipping the rum in all of my cocktails if that meant piles of cream cheese frosting instead!

One note—Keep the frosting in the fridge while you aren’t using it.  That way it won’t melt. 

Mini Pina Colada Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting:

Cake

  • 1.5 cups flour
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 stick of butter, melted and cooled
  • 1/3 cup pineapple juice
  • 1 tablespoon rum
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1/3 cup crushed pineapple
  • 1/3 cup shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 350 F.  Line mini cupcake tin with mini papers.

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

In another medium bowl, beat together melted butter, pineapple juice, rum, and vanilla with an electric mixer.  Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients 1/2 cup at a time until combined.  Fold in the pineapple and coconut. 

Fill the cupcake liners about 3/4 full–unless you love the big muffin top then fill them to the top of the liner.

Bake for about 8-12 minutes.  Cool on a wire rack before frosting. (Makes ~48 mini-cupcakes.)

Cream Cheese Frosting

  • One 8-ounce package of cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 3 cups confectioners’ sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a medium bowl, cream together the cream cheese and butter using an electric mixer, until smooth.  Slowly sift the confectioners’ sugar into the butter/cream cheese, about one cup at a time.  Continue to beat until all lumps are gone.  Add the vanilla and mix until fully combined.  Add a few drops of the food coloring of your choice and continue to mix until color is evenly distributed.

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Adapted from Crazy About Cupcakes by Krystina Castella available for purchase here.

Filed under: candy, cream cheese, cupcakes, Dessert | 9 Comments »

Greek Layer Dip with Pita Chips

Posted on February 2, 2009 by kitchenbelle

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Super bowl XLIII was a difficult one for fans of the beloved Patriots.  (Are you sure they didn’t make the playoffs!?!)  Most of us were apathetic only caring about the score of the game in relation to the squares we chose in the football pool.  But moping wouldn’t bring Cassel (or Brady) to Tampa Bay, so rather than ignore the American pastime all together most Pats fans rallied and celebrated the day in the usual Super bowl Sunday ways: chili, nachos, beer, chips, and dip.  (If you’re going to sulk, you may as well sulk in cheese whiz!)

I have made this Greek dip more times than I can count and every time, people have commented on how wonderful it is.  It is both refreshing and delicious and it doesn’t give you that feeling of a block in your stomach like taco dip sometimes does.  And the homemade pita chips are my favorite part.  They are crisp, fresh and flavored to your liking!  The best part—this dip can be whipped up in no time.

Greek Layer Dip:

  • 1 container chive & onion cream cheese
  • 1 small container of classic hummus (or make your own)
  • 1 container of crumbled feta cheese
  • 1 Roma tomato, roughly chopped and seeds removed
  • 1 cucumber, roughly chopped
  • a handful of pitted kalamata olives, sliced*
  • 2 green onions, roughly chopped (optional)

Pita Chips:

  • 1 package of large round pita bread
  • cooking spray
  • coarse salt, to taste
  • onion salt
  • garlic salt

Make the dip

In a pie plate, using a rubber spatula, spread the chive and onion cream cheese in an even layer.  Drop spoonfuls of hummus on top and then spread to make an even layer.  Sprinkle half of the feta cheese crumbles, then half the cucumber, then half the tomato then repeat.  Finish with sprinkles of sliced olives.  Top with green onions. (Optional)

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Make the pita chips

Preheat the oven to 400 F. Using kitchen sheers cut the pita rounds into triangles.  Pull the triangles apart so that they are single layers.  Spread them evenly across a sheet pan and spray with cooking spray.  Sprinkle with salts.  Bake for about 20 minutes total.  Check them after 10 minutes and move them around using a wooden spatula to make sure all surfaces are getting crisp.

*Sometimes I use canned, sliced black olives.  However, I think the kalamata offer a more authentic Greek flavor.

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Adapted from recipe by Pillsbury.

Filed under: Appetizer, cream cheese, hummus, tomato | 2 Comments »

Brownie Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Posted on September 23, 2008 by kitchenbelle

I was asked to make pink frosted cupcakes for a shower and when I came across this brownie cupcake recipe I KNEW they would be just perfect for a group of gals!  Who doesn’t love chewy brownie goodness?!  And paired with cream cheese, I found these little treats 100% delectable!

Brownie Cupcakes:

  • 2/3 cup (4 oz.) unsweetened chocolate
  • 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 and 1/4 cups sugar
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 4 eggs
  • 3/4 cup mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325 F. Insert cupcake liners into pan.  In a saucepan, melt the chocolate and butter together until smooth.  Transfer to a larger bowl.  (This is important–if you mix your ingredients in the saucepan, the mini chips will melt!)  Add the sugar, flour, and vanilla and mix to combine.  Add the eggs one at a time and beat for about one minute after each.  Stir in the chocolate chips.  Fill cup cake liners 3/4 full with batter and bake for about 20-25 minutes.  Cool completely before frosting with cream cheese frosting.  (See recipe below.)

Look at the chewy brownie goodness!

Cream Cheese Frosting:

  • One 8 oz. package cream cheese, softened
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
  • 3 cups confectioners’ sugar
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

 Using an electric mixer, cream together cream cheese and butter until smooth.  Slowly sift the confectioners’ sugar into the bowl.  Continue beating until all lumps are gone.  Add the vanilla (and a few drops of food coloring, if you’d like–I added red to make pink frosting!) and mix until fully incorporated.  If mixture becomes too drippy, sift in additional confectioners’ sugar and continue to beat until you reach a spreadable texture.

 

Recipe adapted from Crazy About Cupcakes by Krystina Castella available for purchase here.

Filed under: chocolate, cream cheese, cupcakes, Dessert, frosting | 4 Comments »

Caramel Apple Cupcakes with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

Posted on September 21, 2008 by kitchenbelle

I love autumn! 

I love how the weight of the thick summer air lifts to reveal the cool crisp dark breeze of fall.  The sun sets earlier, beckoning me to my kitchen and dinner table where the foods of the season can be savored.  Pumpkins, squash, and gourds paired with nutmeg, cinnamon, and cloves.  Warm red wines nudge the cool white bottles off the shopping list.  Walking home after work I’m reminded of those first few weeks of school as a kid.  The excitement.  The newness of a new grade, new class, new teacher.  I wish I could bottle the hours between 3:00pm and 6:00pm and call on them during the humidity of summer and the frigidness of winter.  Fall is so short, such a small transitional season, I feel it my responsibility to take full advantage.  

And so I present my official first step into fall cooking/baking!

These cupcakes were somewhat “muffiny” in texture.  The pieces of apple were plump and juicy–a nice surprise!  I could have chopped the apples smaller, but I liked the nice chunks in each bite.  These cupcakes almost reminded me of coffee cake, they pair nicely with a warm cup of tea, and the frosting is a delicious treat!   Overall, I found these very enjoyable–a great way to kick off the season!

Caramel Apple Cupcakes:

  • 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 medium granny smith apples, peeled, cored and chopped into small pieces

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Insert liners into cupcake pans.  In a large bowl, beat the brown sugar with the oil, cinnamon, and vanilla using an electric mixer.  Once combined, add the eggs one at a time, beating for one minute after each addition.

In a separate bowl sift together the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder and salt).  Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture.  Beat until blended and then stir in the apple pieces until they are evenly distributed through the batter.

Fill the cupcake liners about 3/4 of the way.  Bake for about 22-25 minutes.  Cool on cooling rack and frost with maple cream cheese frosting (recipe below).

 

Look at the beautiful chunks of apple!

Recipe notes: The original recipe does not specify how many cupcakes to expect the recipe to yield–my batter turned out about 18 “normal” sized cupcakes. 

Maple Cream Cheese Frosting:

  • One 8 oz. package cream cheese, softened
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
  • 3 cups confectioner’s sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3 tablespoons maple syrup

Using an electric mixer, cream together cream cheese and butter until smooth.  Slowly sift the confectioners’ sugar into the bowl.  Continue beating until all lumps are gone.  Add the vanilla and maple syrup and mix until fully incorporated.  If mixture becomes too drippy, sift in addtional confectioners’ sugar and continue to beat until you reach a spreadable texture.

 

Recipes adapted from “Crazy About Cupcakes” by Krystina Castella available for purchase here.

Filed under: apple, cream cheese, cupcakes, Dessert, Fall, frosting | 8 Comments »

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