Travis House Cookies

Posted on February 5, 2025 by sparecake

A tasty meringue cookie, these are based off of a cookie served at the Travis House at Colonial Williamsburg, where they have chopped pecans – I subbed in chocolate chips, because of course I did. I also used King Arthur’s 1-1 gluten free flour instead of ‘regular’ all-purpose flour and it worked fine.

Keep in mind that it’s easier to separate eggs when they’re fridge temp, but easier for them to beat up at room temp, so you’ll want to separate your egg a while before you get started, to allow the white time to warm.

Ingredients:

  • 1 egg white, at room temperature
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • pinch of salt
  • 1 level tablespoon flour (gf if needed)
  • 3/4 cup chocolate chips, or chopped pecans

Preheat your oven to 350 and line a baking sheet with parchment/a silpat.

In a mixing bowl, beat the egg white until stiff peaks form.

Well that looked more clear when it was smaller…

Gradually beat in the sugar, then the salt and flour.

Neat origami measuring spoons from a friend! They fold to multiple sizes!

 

Stir in the chocolate chips by hand.

Scoop tablespoons of batter onto the prepared sheet, giving them 2″ in between. I used my smallest dough scoop, a bit rounded.

Bake for 15 minutes, cool slightly, then remove from the pan.

They’re crisp, but with a bit of chewiness in the middle – quite delicious for something so simple!

Travis House Cookies

With some substitutions from the Cookie Madness recipe.

  • 1 egg white, at room temperature
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • pinch of salt
  • 1 level tablespoon flour (gf if needed)
  • 3/4 cup chocolate chips, or chopped pecans

Preheat your oven to 350 and line a baking sheet with parchment/a silpat.

In a mixing bowl, beat the egg white until stiff peaks form. Gradually beat in the sugar, then the salt and flour. Stir in the chocolate chips by hand.

 

 

Scoop tablespoons of batter onto the prepared sheet, giving them 2″ in between. Bake for 15 minutes, allow to cool slightly, then remove from the pan.

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Gochujang Potato Stew

Posted on January 29, 2025 by sparecake

This is a delicious, warming, filling stew, and I’ve made it the same the few times I’ve made it, which is not the same as the original recipe says, so we’re going with my slightly adapted version. It’s only a tiny bit spicy, and you can serve with sour cream or a ridiculous amount of white rice to help if you absolutely can’t handle heat. Mm carbs on carbs, I need to make this again next week!

Ingredients:

  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 large sweet onion, coarsely chopped
  • salt and black pepper
  • 5 large garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
  • 3 tablespoons gochujang, plus more to taste
  • 4 cups turkey broth (if you don’t already have this in your freezer, vegetable or chicken are fine)
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce (tamari for gluten-free)
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  • 1 1/2 pounds baby gold or fingerling potatoes, halved
  • 1 15-ounce can cannellini beans, rinsed
  • 1 large bunch Tuscan kale, stems removed and leaves chopped
  • cooked white rice, for serving

Melt the butter in a dutch oven over medium-high heat, then add the onion. Season with salt and pepper, and cook until the onion starts to soften, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and gochujang and stir briefly until fragrant.

Add the broth, soy sauce, honey, potatoes, and beans. Season with a bit more salt and pepper, then bring to a boil. Cover, and reduce the heat to medium-low for a gentle boil, and cook 10 minutes. While you wait you should have time to tear up all that kale!

Add the kale, re-cover, and boil another 10-20 minutes, cooking until the kale has shrunk to a non-overwhelming volume and the potatoes are tender.

Serve over white rice, and enjoy.

Gochujang Potato Stew

Adapted from a paywalled NYT post.

  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 large sweet onion, coarsely chopped
  • salt and black pepper
  • 5 large garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
  • 3 tablespoons gochujang, plus more to taste
  • 4 cups turkey broth (vegetable or chicken are fine)
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  • 1 1/2 pounds baby gold or fingerling potatoes, halved
  • 1 15-ounce can cannellini beans, rinsed
  • 1 large bunch Tuscan kale, stems removed and leaves chopped
  • cooked white rice, for serving

Melt the butter in a dutch oven over medium-high heat, then add the onion. Season with salt and pepper, and cook until the onion starts to soften, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and gochujang and stir briefly until fragrant, then add the broth, soy sauce, honey, potatoes, and beans. Season with a bit more salt and pepper, then bring to a boil. Cover, and reduce the heat to medium-low for a gentle boil, and cook 10 minutes.

Add the kale, re-cover, and boil another 10-20 minutes, cooking until the kale has shrunk and the potatoes are tender.

Serve over white rice, and enjoy.

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Tanghulu

Posted on January 8, 2025 by sparecake

I had friends over around the holidays and suggested making tanghulu, because I’d had the recipe bookmarked for a while. One of my friends had been seeing teens making it in the microwave and burning themselves recently, so that is possibly a thing, but we managed to make it with no injuries, and I quite enjoyed the result! You get a hard candy coating on the fruit(s) of your choice!

Ingredients:

  • fruit – grapes worked well, berries would work well (they weren’t in season so I didn’t get any), mandarin segments worked but after a few days they leaked moisture that dissolved the coating, I think cut pineapple would taste very good, but you’d want to eat it the same day, before it could dissolve the sugar shell
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1/4 cup corn syrup
  • 2 tablespoons honey

To begin with, put the fruit on bbq skewers. We found that 3 grapes was a good amount of fruit – you weren’t wasting time with just one grape at a time, but it didn’t require the melted sugar mixture to be super deep for dipping later. Set aside the fruit and line baking sheets with parchment/silpats/wax paper.

Combine the remaining ingredients in a small saucepan over high heat, and bring to a boil.

I used a medium saucepan because I wasn’t sure if the boiling sugar mixture would boil up huge, but it really didn’t, and a smaller pan would give you a smaller area, so the mixture would start off deeper, so small pan is the way to go.

Once the sugar mixture has reached a boil, reduce the heat to medium and let it simmer until it reaches 300 degrees.

The color darkens a bit, not that you see that on the fruit.

Remove from the heat, and start quickly dipping the prepared fruit into the sugar, letting the excess drip off, and then placing on the prepared pans. If the sugar starts to thicken too much, you can return it to the heat as needed. Be very careful not to let any hot sugar drip on your hands!

One batch coated two trays of fruit.

Let the tanghulu cool for a few minutes, then enjoy! I ended up sliding the leftovers off of their skewers for easier storage, and as mentioned above, the moisture from the mandarins eventually weakened the outside of those ones (after 2-3 days) but the grapes kept very well in a tupperware in the fridge, for a few days.

Tanghulu

Slightly reordered from The Big Man’s World.

  • fruit – grapes, berries, mandarins, sliced kiwi, pineapple, etc
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1/4 cup corn syrup
  • 2 tablespoons honey

To begin with, put the fruit on bbq skewers. Set aside the fruit and line baking sheets with parchment/silpats/wax paper.

Combine the remaining ingredients in a small saucepan over high heat, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and let the mixture simmer until it reaches 300 degrees. Remove from the heat, and start quickly dipping the prepared fruit into the sugar, letting the excess drip off, and then placing on the prepared pans. If the sugar starts to thicken too much, return it to the heat as needed.

Let the tanghulu cool for a few minutes, then enjoy! Store any leftovers in an air-tight container in the fridge.

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Cranberry Orange Olive Oil Cake

Posted on December 25, 2024 by sparecake

A lightly orangey cake with a nice texture and a good topping. Actually, I made a batch of sugar cookies just to have something to put more of the cranberry icing on later! It’s good stuff!

Ingredients:

Cake:

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 3/4 teaspoon table salt
  • 3 large eggs
  • 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 1/4 cups whole milk
  • zest of 1 orange
  • 1/3 cup orange juice
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

Icing:

  • 1/2 cup cranberries, fresh or frozen
  • 3 tablespoons orange juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/8 teaspoon table salt
  • 1 cup to 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted if lumpy

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees with a rack in the center. Line an 8″ square pan with parchment, greasing if the parchment doesn’t fully cover the pan.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, then set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and olive oil until the mixture is a creamy yellow.

Whisk in the milk, zest, juice, and vanilla.

Gradually add the dry mixture to the wet, whisking the whole time, until evenly mixed.

Pour into the lined pan and bake for 45-50 minutes, until the top springs back if gently pressed.

 

Place the baked cake on a wire rack to cool for 30 minutes, then turn out onto the rack, remove the parchment paper, and allow to cool completely.

When the cake has cooled, combine the berries and juice for the icing in a small saucepan.

Cook over medium heat until the berries begin to burst, stirring frequently and pressing on them, until the mixture thickens a bit, 4-5 minutes.

Place a sieve into a medium bowl and pour the orange cranberry mixture into it. Use a rubber spatula to press as much liquid from the berries through as you can.

Add the vanilla, salt, and 1 cup of the powdered sugar to the liquid, whisking until smooth, and adding up to the 1/2 cup extra if needed to thicken.

Pour over the cake and let set for at least 15 minutes before slicing and serving.

Cranberry Orange Olive Oil Cake

From King Arthur Baking Company.

Cake:

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 3/4 teaspoon table salt
  • 3 large eggs
  • 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 1/4 cups whole milk
  • zest of 1 orange
  • 1/3 cup orange juice
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

Icing:

  • 1/2 cup cranberries, fresh or frozen
  • 3 tablespoons orange juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/8 teaspoon table salt
  • 1 cup to 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted if lumpy

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees with a rack in the center. Line an 8″ square pan with parchment, greasing if the parchment doesn’t fully cover the pan.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, then set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and olive oil until the mixture is a creamy yellow. Whisk in the milk, zest, juice, and vanilla. Gradually add the dry mixture to the wet, whisking the whole time, until evenly mixed. Pour into the lined pan and bake for 45-50 minutes, until the top springs back if gently pressed.

Place the baked cake on a wire rack to cool for 30 minutes, then turn out onto the rack, remove the parchment paper, and allow to cool completely.

When the cake has cooled, combine the berries and juice for the icing in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat until the berries begin to burst, stirring frequently and pressing on them, until the mixture thickens a bit, 4-5 minutes. Place a sieve into a medium bowl and pour the orange cranberry mixture into it. Use a rubber spatula to press as much liquid from the berries through as you can.

Add the vanilla, salt, and 1 cup of the powdered sugar to the liquid, whisking until smooth, and adding up to the 1/2 cup extra if needed to thicken. Pour over the cake and let set for at least 15 minutes before slicing and serving.

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Cranberry Fudge Pie

Posted on December 11, 2024 by sparecake

I had this one saved in my calendar for November from months out, and it was a good call! Turns out cranberry and chocolate do work together, and as a convenient bonus you get some extra cranberry sauce you can throw on the table at your Thanksgiving dinner. The original recipe for this included making a crust that had a bit of orange juice in it, so click through to that if you want – I used a frozen gluten-free crust I already had, since I was sharing with a g-f person.

Ingredients:

  • 1 baked 9″ pie crust

Chocolate Filling:

  • 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips, or bars chopped into chunks (avoid dark chocolate – the cranberries need a tiny bit of sweetness)
  • 2/3 cup heavy cream

Cranberry topping:

  • 4 cups cranberries, fresh or frozen
  • 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
  • 1/8 teaspoon table salt
  • 1 cup cranberry juice, divided
  • 2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin

Combine the chocolate chips and cream in a microwave-safe bowl and heat for 90 seconds. Stir until the mixture is completely smooth, then pour into the baked pie crust.

Refrigerate for 2 hours, or until firm.

Once the chocolate has had time to firm up, place the cranberries, sugar, salt, and 3/4 cup of the cranberry juice in a saucepan over medium heat.

Cook, stirring occasionally, until the berries begin to burst.

Meanwhile, sprinkle the gelatin over the remaining 1/4 cup of cranberry juice, stirring if needed to make sure no dry spots remain.

Once the cranberries have mostly burst, and the gelatin has been hydrated in it’s cranberry juice, add the gelatin mixture into the berry mixture, stirring until the gelatin is fully dissolved and mixed in.

Remove from the heat and pour into a bowl. Refrigerate, stirring every 10 minutes, until just lukewarm but not yet set, then pour about 1 1/2 cups worth into the pie shell.

The remaining gelatin mixture can be poured into a tupperware or just covered in the bowl.

Refrigerate the pie and leftover cranberry sauce for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight before serving.

Extra pie pan for sturdiness in transport!

Cranberry Fudge Pie

From King Arthur Baking Company.

Ingredients:

  • 1 baked 9″ pie crust

Chocolate Filling:

  • 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips, or bars chopped into chunks (avoid dark chocolate – the cranberries need a tiny bit of sweetness)
  • 2/3 cup heavy cream

Cranberry topping:

  • 4 cups cranberries, fresh or frozen
  • 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
  • 1/8 teaspoon table salt
  • 1 cup cranberry juice, divided
  • 2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin

Combine the chocolate chips and cream in a microwave-safe bowl and heat for 90 seconds. Stir until the mixture is completely smooth, then pour into the baked pie crust. Refrigerate for 2 hours, or until firm.

Once the chocolate has had time to firm up, place the cranberries, sugar, salt, and 3/4 cup of the cranberry juice in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the berries begin to burst. Meanwhile, sprinkle the gelatin over the remaining 1/4 cup of cranberry juice, stirring if needed to make sure no dry spots remain.

Once the cranberries have mostly burst, and the gelatin has been hydrated in it’s cranberry juice, add the gelatin mixture into the berry mixture, stirring until the gelatin is fully dissolved and mixed in, then remove from the heat and pour into a bowl. Refrigerate, stirring every 10 minutes, until just lukewarm but not yet set, then pour about 1 1/2 cups worth into the pie shell. The remaining gelatin mixture can be poured into a tupperware or just covered in the bowl. Refrigerate the pie and leftover cranberry sauce for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight before serving.

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Roasted Butternut Squash with Sausage and Cranberry

Posted on November 20, 2024 by sparecake

The original recipe for this one had you making the sausage mixture and serving it in the hollowed out end of the squash, where you moved the seeds from. Admittedly, this looks much nicer than my mixed up smoosh of stuff, but it felt way too impractical to me – I don’t want to eat an entire half-squash-plus-stuff in one meal! So we’ve got the flavors of the original, but the looks of a pile of compost. Charming! The taste is what really counts, though, and my veggie-hesitant mom complemented this one multiple times, so I think it’s a keeper! It makes 4-5 servings.

Ingredients:

Squash:

  • 1 medium or large butternut squash
  • 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
  • kosher salt and black pepper

Everything else:

  • 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1/2 lb spicy Italian sausage crumbled (I used Italian chicken meatballs, because…cholesterol?)
  • Kosher salt and pepper
  • 1/2 cup onion, diced
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 4 oz fresh spinach
  • 1/2 cup apple, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
  • 1/4 cup dried cranberries
  • 1/4 cup walnuts chopped (I still hate/don’t use nuts, although this was one where I at least didn’t swap in chocolate chips!)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Slice your squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Brush the cut half with the olive oil, then sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Place on a baking sheet, cut-sides-up, and roast 40-45 minutes, until soft.

Meanwhile, heat the other 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and break up, cooking until browned. The meatballs I used didn’t break up as much as ideal, but it wasn’t a huge issue.

Once the sausage is cooked through, season lightly with salt and pepper, then add the onion and garlic and cook until the onion has become translucent.

Add the spinach and cook until the spinach has wilted/shrunk significantly, then add the apple and Italian seasoning, cooking another 2-3 minutes until the apple has begun to soften.

Remove from the heat and stir in the cranberries and walnuts.

When the squash is done roasting, scoop the softened flesh out of the outside and stir it into the sausage mixture, then serve and enjoy.

Roasted Butternut Squash with Sausage and Cranberry

Adapted a bit from Inspired By Charm.

Squash:

  • 1 medium or large butternut squash
  • 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
  • kosher salt and black pepper

Everything else:

  • 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1/2 lb spicy Italian sausage crumbled
  • Kosher salt and pepper
  • 1/2 cup onion, diced
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 4 oz fresh spinach
  • 1/2 cup apple, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
  • 1/4 cup dried cranberries
  • 1/4 cup walnuts chopped

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Slice your squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Brush the cut half with the olive oil, then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place on a baking sheet, cut-sides-up, and roast 40-45 minutes, until soft.

Meanwhile, heat the other 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and break up, cooking until browned. Once the sausage is cooked through, season lightly with salt and pepper, then add the onion and garlic and cook until the onion has become translucent. Add the spinach and cook until the spinach has wilted/shrunk significantly, then add the apple and Italian seasoning, cooking another 2-3 minutes until the apple has begun to soften. Remove from the heat and stir in the cranberries and walnuts.

When the squash is done roasting, scoop the softened flesh out of the outside and stir it into the sausage mixture, then serve and enjoy.

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Italian Orange Ricotta Cookies

Posted on November 13, 2024 by sparecake

These cookies had a few things going against them – my house is freezing, so ‘room temperature’ butter is still quite solid, and the fact that I subbed in gluten-free flour, but they still came out pretty good! I might have liked a bit more of the icing, but by the time I’d decided that, I had already eaten the rest of the orange so couldn’t get any more juice. Oh well! One last note, the original recipe said ~24 cookies, but I got 43?? I suppose that might account for it feeling like not enough icing per cookie!

Ingredients:

Cookies:

  • 2 cups ricotta cheese
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 2 large eggs
  • zest of 1 orange
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

Icing (consider doubling):

  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 tablespoons orange juice

Preheat your oven to 350 and line two baking sheets with parchment/silpats.

In a large bowl, beat together the ricotta, sugar, and butter until smooth.

Add the eggs, zest, and vanilla and beat, again until smooth.

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

Gradually stir the flour mixture into the ricotta mixture, beating until just combined. I mixed in the dry goods in several additions, stirring most of the way in with a spatula and just the last bit as needed with the mixer.

Scoop dough using a cookie scoop or heaped tablespoon, spacing 2″ apart on your lined sheets.

Bake 15-18 minutes, until edges are lightly golden (and if necessary, keeping in mind that gluten free things don’t usually brown much, so don’t wait for that!). Cool for several minutes on the pan, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

When the cookies are cooled, whisk together the powdered sugar and orange juice and drizzle over the cookies.

Italian Orange Ricotta Cookies

From Recipe Vibes on FB.

Cookies:

  • 2 cups ricotta cheese
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 2 large eggs
  • zest of 1 orange
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

Icing (consider doubling):

  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 tablespoons orange juice

Preheat your oven to 350 and line two baking sheets with parchment/silpats.

In a large bowl, beat together the ricotta, sugar, and butter until smooth. Add the eggs, zest, and vanilla and beat, again until smooth.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Gradually stir the flour mixture into the ricotta mixture, beating until just combined.

Scoop dough using a cookie scoop or heaped tablespoon, spacing 2″ apart on your lined sheets. Bake 15-18 minutes, until edges are lightly golden. Cool for several minutes on the pan, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

When the cookies are cooled, whisk together the powdered sugar and orange juice and drizzle over the cookies.

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Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheesecake

Posted on October 23, 2024 by sparecake

The actual hands-on parts for this are reasonably quick, but make sure to give yourself time for the cream cheese to come up to room temperature, and then for everything to chill. The way the recipe was originally written, the recipe list had both crust and filling ingredients together, and in my rush I didn’t pay close enough attention and ended up putting a full 1 1/4 cups of sugar in the crust, which meant that it was waaaaay too much sugar for the 1/2 stick of butter to hold together, so my crust was kind of dust, but I’ve separated out the ingredient list so you can be sure to do better, and taste-wise this one is worth repeating!

Ingredients:

Crust:

  • 4.5 ounces chocolate wafers, chocolate graham crackers, chocolate animal crackers, etc. (gf are fine!)
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Filling:

  • 24 ounces (3 packages) cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted and slightly cooled
  • 1/2 cup peanut butter (I’d certainly recommend smooth)

In a food processor, process the chocolate wafers until only crumbs remain. Add the remaining crust ingredients and pulse together. Press firmly into the bottom of a 9″ springform.

Place the room temperature cream cheese in a mixing bowl and beat on low speed until smooth.

Add the sugar, cream, and vanilla. Beat another 2-3 minutes, until the sugar has dissolved into the cream cheese.

Spoon 1/3 of the mixture (about 1 1/4 cups) into a separate bowl and set aside. To the remaining mixture, stir in the melted chocolate, then pour into the pan.

Stir the peanut butter into the set-aside filling until smooth, then dollop in big blobs over the chocolate filling.

I may have had too much for this part, but whatever.

Use a knife to swirl the peanut butter into the chocolate, then cover and refrigerate until firm, at least 4 hours. Run a knife around the inside of the pan before removing the edge, slice, and serve.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Cheesecake

Just reworded from Peanut Butter & Co.

Crust:

  • 4.5 ounces chocolate wafers, chocolate graham crackers, chocolate animal crackers, etc.
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Filling:

  • 24 ounces (3 packages) cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted and slightly cooled
  • 1/2 cup peanut butter

In a food processor, process the chocolate wafers until only crumbs remain. Add the remaining crust ingredients and pulse together. Press firmly into the bottom of a 9″ springform.

Place the room temperature cream cheese in a mixing bowl and beat on low speed until smooth, then add the sugar, cream, and vanilla. Beat another 2-3 minutes, until the sugar has dissolved into the cream cheese. Spoon 1/3 of the mixture (about 1 1/4 cups) into a separate bowl and set aside. To the remaining mixture, stir in the melted chocolate, then pour into the pan.

Stir the peanut butter into the set-aside filling until smooth, then dollop in big blobs over the chocolate filling. Use a knife to swirl the peanut butter into the chocolate, then cover and refrigerate until firm, at least 4 hours. Run a knife around the inside of the pan before removing the edge, slice, and serve.

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Breakfast Pizza

Posted on October 9, 2024 by sparecake

A simple addition to a brunch, that works with whatever berries you’re in the mood for!

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 tablespoon cinnamon
  • 1 prepared pizza dough (your own recipe, or from the supermarket)
  • 2 tablespoons butter, melted
  • 2 cups marscapone cheese (in my supermarket this was in the hummus section??)
  • 1 tablespoon heavy cream (good thing I needed cream for several recipes that weekend or this would be annoying…)
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest
  • 2 cups mixed berries (if using strawberries, roughly chop – other berries are already small enough)

In a small dish, mix together the sugar and cinnamon and set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment or a silpat.

Roll out pizza dough to about 1/4″ thick. Place on lined baking sheet and brush with the melted better. Sprinkle with half the cinnamon sugar, then bake until golden brown, 10-15 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

This is a really terrible picture, but I was able to slight a wire rack right in there, under the crust.

In a medium bowl, stir together the mascapone, cream, lemon juice, and zest. Spread cheese mixture on the cooled crust, then top with the berries. Sprinkle the remaining sugar over the top, then slice and serve.

Brunchiest!

Breakfast Pizza

Very slightly adapted from Food Network.

  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 tablespoon cinnamon
  • 1 prepared pizza dough
  • 2 tablespoons butter, melted
  • 2 cups marscapone cheese
  • 1 tablespoon heavy cream
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest
  • 2 cups mixed berries (if using strawberries, roughly chop – other berries are already small enough)

In a small dish, mix together the sugar and cinnamon and set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment or a silpat.

Roll out pizza dough to about 1/4″ thick. Place on lined baking sheet and brush with the melted better. Sprinkle with half the cinnamon sugar, then bake until golden brown, 10-15 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

In a medium bowl, stir together the mascapone, cream, lemon juice, and zest. Spread cheese mixture on the cooled crust, then top with the berries. Sprinkle the remaining sugar over the top, then slice and serve.

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Chocolate Banana Cake with Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

Posted on September 25, 2024 by sparecake

This recipe perfectly used up the amount of cocoa powder I had left, so…phew that it didn’t need any more! There’s a good amount of banana flavor in the cake, and this only-some-cream-cheese frosting is quite nice. Definitely worth making again!

Ingredients:

Cake:

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 eggs, slightly beaten
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 2 bananas)

Frosting:

  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 2 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
  • 2 tablespoons heavy cream
  • 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 pinch salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9×9″ pan and set aside. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt, then set aside.

In a large bowl, beat together the butter and both sugars until smooth and fluffy, 2-3 minutes on medium, then beat in the eggs, another minute. With the speed reduced to low, beat in 1/3 of the flour mixture, half the mashed banana, another 1/3 of the flour, the remaining banana, then the remaining flour mixture, beating until just combined.

Transfer to the prepared pan and bake 20-25 minutes, until it passes the toothpick test. Place the pan on a wire rack to cool.

When the cake has cooled, combine all the frosting ingredients and beat on low until combined (ie until the powdered sugar is not going to explode out of your mixer), then increase to medium-high and beat until light and fluffy.

Spread on the cake. slice, and serve.

Chocolate Banana Cake with Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

Slightly Adapted from Brown Eyed Baker.

Cake:

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 eggs, slightly beaten
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 2 bananas)

Frosting:

  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 2 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
  • 2 tablespoons heavy cream
  • 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 pinch salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9×9″ pan and set aside. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt, then set aside.

In a large bowl, beat together the butter and both sugars until smooth and fluffy, 2-3 minutes on medium, then beat in the eggs, another minute. With the speed reduced to low, beat in 1/3 of the flour mixture, half the mashed banana, another 1/3 of the flour, the remaining banana, then the remaining flour mixture, beating until just combined. Transfer to the prepared pan and bake 20-25 minutes, until it passes the toothpick test. Place the pan on a wire rack to cool.

When the cake has cooled, combine all the frosting ingredients and beat on low until combined, then increase to medium-high and beat until light and fluffy. Spread on the cake. slice, and serve.

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