Our first fest Part 1: The cakes
I love baking, I really really do. And when we got married back in 2006 I was gifted the full complement of Calphalon bakeware along with a pink Kitchenaid Stand Mixer. BEST. BAKING TOOL. EVER. seriously. How did I ever bake cakes without it, I ask you?
Drake requested either a Red Velvet Cake or "something with peanut butter" so I decided to make both. For something peanut buttery I turned to Miss Paula Deen, who ought to be consulted for birthdays if not (for the sake of one's general health) regularly.
After considering Peanut Butter Pie AND Peanut Butter Cheesecake I decided on Peanut Butter Cheesecake Minis which I adapted slightly, as follows:
Heat oven to 350
Crust:
Line a muffin pan with 12 liners, then
mix together in small bowl
1 cup Graham Cracker Crumbs
4 TBS sugar
1/4 c melted butter
Press into each liner, then place peanut butter cup in the center of each.
Prepare the filling as follows:
Beat with a hand mixer (yes a hand-mixer, not a stand mixer in this case) 2 (8oz) packages of cream cheese (room temp) until fluffy. How do you know it's fluffy? well-- it's not lumpy, and it's ever so slightly increased in volume. Add 1 c. sugar, 1/4 c flour and beat until combined. Then add 2 eggs-- 1 at a time beating for 30 seconds after each addition. Add 1 tsp of vanilla extract with the second egg.
Spoon filling into the cupcake liners covering the peanut butter cups, and tap the pan on the counter to be sure that the batter is settled. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until cheesecake is just set. (which means that when you shake it, it doesn't jiggle like jello.)
Voila!!
Now for the Red Velvet Cake I used a recipe from the Lee Brothers Southern Cookbook. I followed it to the letter, so I'll let you go to their website and read it. It has a full tablespoon of orange zest which was surprising to me-- I've not sample many Red Velvet Cakes, but none of the few I've had were orange-y... however, it was rather delicious! I may have over-baked a smidge so the cake wasn't as moist as I'd have liked, but the frosting... lordy! I love cream cheese frosting. very very delicious. I had to finally pour dishwashing detergent into my small bowl of extra frosting. (I do this with sweet things that I can't stop eating, so that I have to stop eating them).
I forgot to take any pictures of the cakes! and I must've been holding the baby when Drake blew out the candles, because I didn't get the camera out in time, and I'm usually all over that. So here's what the Lee Bros. cake looked like.
Mine looked just like that one. Yeah.....
Drake requested either a Red Velvet Cake or "something with peanut butter" so I decided to make both. For something peanut buttery I turned to Miss Paula Deen, who ought to be consulted for birthdays if not (for the sake of one's general health) regularly.
After considering Peanut Butter Pie AND Peanut Butter Cheesecake I decided on Peanut Butter Cheesecake Minis which I adapted slightly, as follows:
Heat oven to 350
Crust:
Line a muffin pan with 12 liners, then
mix together in small bowl
1 cup Graham Cracker Crumbs
4 TBS sugar
1/4 c melted butter
Press into each liner, then place peanut butter cup in the center of each.
Prepare the filling as follows:
Beat with a hand mixer (yes a hand-mixer, not a stand mixer in this case) 2 (8oz) packages of cream cheese (room temp) until fluffy. How do you know it's fluffy? well-- it's not lumpy, and it's ever so slightly increased in volume. Add 1 c. sugar, 1/4 c flour and beat until combined. Then add 2 eggs-- 1 at a time beating for 30 seconds after each addition. Add 1 tsp of vanilla extract with the second egg.
Spoon filling into the cupcake liners covering the peanut butter cups, and tap the pan on the counter to be sure that the batter is settled. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until cheesecake is just set. (which means that when you shake it, it doesn't jiggle like jello.)
Voila!!
Now for the Red Velvet Cake I used a recipe from the Lee Brothers Southern Cookbook. I followed it to the letter, so I'll let you go to their website and read it. It has a full tablespoon of orange zest which was surprising to me-- I've not sample many Red Velvet Cakes, but none of the few I've had were orange-y... however, it was rather delicious! I may have over-baked a smidge so the cake wasn't as moist as I'd have liked, but the frosting... lordy! I love cream cheese frosting. very very delicious. I had to finally pour dishwashing detergent into my small bowl of extra frosting. (I do this with sweet things that I can't stop eating, so that I have to stop eating them).
I forgot to take any pictures of the cakes! and I must've been holding the baby when Drake blew out the candles, because I didn't get the camera out in time, and I'm usually all over that. So here's what the Lee Bros. cake looked like.
Yum! I would make those mini cheesecakes in a heartbeat!
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