HoHo Cake

I recently discovered this awesome recipe website, and found this beauty of a recipe. We tried it the other night, and it is everything you'd want from a HoHo cake :) It's super rich, really moist, and makes a HUGE pan full.

For the cake:
1 chocolate cake mix (original recipe calls for Devils Food)

For the white layer:
1 c butter
1/2 c milk
3 c powdered sugar
1 TBSP vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt

For the chocolate frosting:
1/2 c butter
3/4 c cocoa
3 c powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
8-10 TBSP of water, added one at a time

Prepare cake mix according to directions and bake in a jelly roll pan (what we call a cookie sheet - with sides) at 350° for 15-20 minutes.

Remove from oven after it passes the clean toothpick test, and allow to cool for 30 minutes.

While it cools, prepare the white layer. Cream butter and gradually add milk and vanilla. Add powdered sugar and salt. Beat until mixture is thick and spreadable (mine needed a lot more powdered sugar...almost twice what the recipe called for). Spread on chocolate cake. Freeze for 15 minutes while you make the chocolate frosting.

For chocolate frosting, cream butter and vanilla. Add cocoa powder and powdered sugar (mixture will be dry and powdery). Add water 1 tablespoon at a time until frosting is smooth (mine took about 9 TBSP).

Serve chilled, and store leftovers in fridge.

Comments from the cook: I didn't have a chocolate cake mix on hand, so I got super ambitious desperate and made this one from scratch.

As mentioned previously, my white layer required almost 6 cups powdered sugar. The texture wasn't right, but I stuck with it (I didn't want to waste the butter!).

Other than that, this recipe was worth the steps, and we have really enjoyed the results!

Originally found here (ingredient lists and some text taken from her site...though my cake-stacking skills need some work to look like the original!)

Bacon Tomato Capellini

Holy grown-up bacon recipe! I saw this recipe on Tasty Kitchen, and thought it sounded amazing. Grown-up food with bacon as a main ingredient?! How could it fail, really? Turns out, it couldn't. A.MAZ.ING.

1 pkg (16 0z) bacon
¼ c bacon grease (from the bacon you cook)
1 large can (28 oz) diced tomatoes (we prefer petite diced)
¼ c fresh basil, chopped
1 clove minced garlic
½ bunch green onions, chopped
1 tsp salt (optional)
1 box (16 oz) capellini or angel hair pasta

Fry bacon in a large frying pan until done, but not crispy. When finished, allow bacon to cool on a paper-towel-covered plate. (Reserve 1/4 cup of bacon grease.)

When bacon is cooled, tear or cut it into small pieces. Set aside.

Pour tomatoes into large bowl. Mix fresh basil in. Set aside.

Put 1/4 cup bacon grease back in pan, and heat to medium. Add minced garlic and green onions. Once garlic has turned to a tan color, add the bacon pieces. Saute at low heat for 10 minutes.

Pour in the bowl of tomatoes and basil. Stir together and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add salt if necessary.

Meanwhile, in a large pot, boil pasta. Drain noodles and set aside.

Right before serving, toss bacon/tomato sauce with noodles. Top with fresh Parmesan cheese.

Serves: 6-8

Comments from the cook: I made this dish on Sunday, and it was enough to eat for 3 nights! It is an excellent leftover, and reheats very well.

I didn't have green onions on hand when I made this, so I just used a dash or two of onion powder as a substitute.

We loved this, and will definitely be adding it to our recipe arsenal!

Originally found here, on this amazing recipe website.

Kid's Candy Cookies

I recently found this recipe in the May issue of The Food Network Magazine. I DIED when I saw them, and had to try my hand at making them. I made a few changes to the list of ingredients, and love how they turned out!

2 1/4 c flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 sticks butter, at room temperature
1 c packed brown sugar
1/2 c white sugar
1 tsp salt
1 TBSP vanilla
1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk
1 c plain M&M'S
3 oz mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup toffee pieces
3/4 cup butterscotch chips

Preheat oven to 350°.

Combine the flour and baking soda in a bowl and set aside.
Cream the butter, brown sugar and white sugar in mixer on low speed until incorporated, then increase to high speed and beat until light and fluffy.
Add the salt, vanilla, whole egg and egg yolk to the mixer; beat until thoroughly combined. Gradually add the flour mixture, mixing on low speed until just combined. Mix in the semi-sweet chocolate chips, toffee pieces, peanut butter chips, and M&M's.
Bake the cookies until the edges are golden brown and the centers are no longer wet, 11 to 13 minutes. Cool completely before serving.
Comments from the cook: These were a major home-run at our house, and will find their way to many BBQs and parties from now on...where they can be enjoyed but SHARED! A whole batch is too big for 2 of us :)
Originally found here (most of text taken from site), adapted to our tastes and on-hand ingredients.

Ultra-Lemony Lemon Bars

Crust:
3/4 c butter (cold)
1 3/4 c flour
3/4 c powdered sugar
3/4 tsp coarse salt

Slice butter into small pieces. (Original recipe says to freeze butter, then grate it.) Combine with other crust ingredients and work with a pastry cutter (or maybe a fork?) until crumbly. Press into bottom of a 9x13 pan. Freeze for 15 minutes. Then bake at 350° for 16-18 minutes.

Filling:
4 eggs, slightly beaten
1 1/3 c granulated sugar
3 TBSP flour
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 c lemon juice
1/4 c milk

Whisk eggs, sugar, flour, and salt together. Then add lemon juice and milk. Stir together, then pour over hot crust.

Reduce oven heat to 325° and bake for about 18 minutes, or until edges are golden brown.

Dust with powdered sugar. Serve chilled.

Comments from the cook: I was dying to make lemon bars a while ago, and called my mom for a recipe. This is the one she gave me. (I think she said this one is from Martha Stewart, though I wasn't able to find it on her site.)

I usually find that lemon bars don't have much kick. But these babies have 3/4 cup lemon juice...and they have plenty of kick!

My only word of caution? These really are best when they're chilled. When left out and eaten at room temperature, they are a teeny bit "egg-y" tasting. At least that's what I thought. But, when they're cold? Good grief, they're good.
Originally found in a Martha Stewart cookbook.

Are you making one?

I've got my cake mix, frosting, and sweetened coconut all ready to go... (note to self: buy jelly beans and licorice for the face!)

Question is...are you making a bunny cake this weekend too?

Super-Soft Snickerdoodles

1 c shortening (or butter)
1 1/2 c sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 3/4 c all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp cream of tartar
cinnamon-sugar mixture (1 TBSP sugar + 1 TBSP cinnamon)

Preheat oven to 400°.

Cream shortening, then gradually add sugar, beating well. Add eggs; beat well. Stir in vanilla.

In a separate bowl, sift together flour, soda, salt, and cream of tartar. Add to creamed mixture and stir until well blended.

Shape dough into 1-inch balls and roll through cinnamon sugar mixture**. Place 2 inches apart on cookie sheet.

Bake for 6 minutes at 400° or until lightly browned.

Comments from the cook: I'm a huge fan of soft cookies. And, to me, Snickerdoodles HAVE to be soft.

I searched for a Snickerdoodles recipe for a while, finally found this one, and loved it. Why? Because of the oven temperature and cook time. Cooking them at 400° for only 6 minutes (MAYBE 7 min) cooks them just enough to be done...and leaves them extra soft inside.

**My least favorite part of making these has always been rolling them through the cinnamon-sugar mixture. We keep a small shaker with cinnamon-sugar in it, and I just sprinkle that over the cookies after they've been rolled into balls (instead of rolling them through it), and then one more time after they've cooked. Almost the same result, but much easier!

Originally found here. Some text taken from the same site.

Fluffy White Cheesecake

Crust:
1 package graham crackers
3-4 TBSP melted butter
3 TBSP sugar

Filling:
2 (8 oz.) pkgs cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
1 small container whipped topping

Crush graham crackers in ziploc bag with rolling pin. Add sugar, then melted butter. (Leave in bag. Seal after sugar and butter are added, then knead with hands to blend.)

Press crust into bottom of 9x9 pan. (Add more butter for a more solid crust.)

Whip cream cheese with mixer until smooth. Add sugar and mix until blended.

Fold in whipped topping. Pour over graham crust.

Allow to refrigerate overnight and serve with fresh fruit or pie filling.

Comments from the cook: This recipe is one that my mom has been making for as long as I can remember! It's super easy, and is always a crowd pleaser.

When I made it this time, the crust was a bit more crumbly than I usually prefer, so next time I'll add a bit more melted butter. I have also added more whipped topping in the past, and stretched it to a 9x13 pan.

My favorite topping is cherry pie filling, but Brian likes fresh strawberries best. He won this time. :)

Originally shared by: Alane Sleight, my mom!

Key Lime Bars

1 white cake mix
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
1 egg yolk
4 eggs
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
2/3 cup lime juice
1 tablespoon lime zest

Preheat oven to 350°. Spray a 9x13 inch baking pan with non-stick cooking spray. Reserve 1 tablespoon cake mix.

Pour remaining cake mix, melted butter and egg yolk into a large bowl. Blend for 1-2 minutes with an electric mixer until well mixed and crumbly. Press mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake for 10 minutes.

While crust bakes, whisk together 4 eggs, condensed milk, lime juice and reserved tablespoon of cake mix until smooth.

Stir in lime zest. Spread the lime mixture over the warm crust. Return to oven and bake an additional 20 minutes or until topping is set.

Cool completely and refrigerate until cold before serving. Top with whipped cream and zest, if desired.

Comments from the cook: I found this recipe on this cool site (along with dozens of other recipes I'd like to try!) and knew I needed to give it a whirl. My mom and I made them while we were in Utah, and they were very tasty.

I used the juice from 5 limes, and it still wasn't enough to fill 2/3 cup, so I used lemon juice for the remainder. Also, the zester we had made pretty large pieces...and the bars needed whipped cream on top so they wouldn't look like quiche bars! :)

These were excellent. Try them out!

Originally found here on this site.

Homemade Hostess Cupcakes

Cupcakes:
1 dark chocolate cake mix (+ cake mix ingredients)

White gooey filling:
4 TBSP butter, room temperature
1 c powdered sugar
2 tsp vanilla
3 TBSP heavy cream
1 cup marshmallow creme

Chocolate ganache:
6 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 c heavy cream
1 TBSP butter
2 tsp vanilla

White frosting (for squigglies/words):

1 stick butter
2 TBSP milk
2 c powdered sugar

1/4 tsp vanilla

Prepare cupcakes as directed on back of dark chocolate cake mix (using cupcake papers). Allow to cool.

For the filling: Using a mixer, cream the butter until light and fluffy. Beat in 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar. Add the vanilla and 1 tablespoon heavy cream; beat until smooth. Beat in the remaining 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar and 2 tablespoons heavy cream in batches, alternating after each addition. Beat in the marshmallow creme; set aside or refrigerate.

For the ganache: Place the chocolate in a stainless-steel bowl. Heat the cream and 1 tablespoon butter until just boiling, then pour over the chocolate; let stand for 5 minutes. Whisk until smooth. Add 2 teaspoons vanilla; let stand until cool but still glossy and liquid.

Now that your ganache is cooling, spoon white gooey filling into an icing bag with a star tip attached (or a freezer bag with a star tip, if you're like me!). Poke star tip through the top center of the cupcake, then squeeze until the cupcake gets heavier. If extra white stuff pools at the top, scrape it off with a knife. (You want the tops to be smooth.)

Once ganache is cooled but still glossy, dip tops of cupcakes into ganache. If desired, dip more than once for thicker chocolate layer. Cool in fridge.

For the icing: Using a mixer, beat the remaining 1 stick butter, 1/4 teaspoon vanilla, the milk and confectioners sugar until smooth, adding more milk if needed. Spoon into a pastry bag with a small tip. Pipe onto the cupcakes to decorate. (This recipe makes LOTS of icing. You can always freeze the rest and use it on the next batch!)

Makes about 24 cupcakes.

Refrigerate any leftovers (if you have any!).

Comments from the cook: I'd seen these beauties before, and knew that they would be a wonderful treat when our families were both in town right before Valentine's day. So I set out to make them...

And, I don't know WHAT happened, but the cupcake recipe on the site listed below did NOT work for me. In fact, the result was a horrific mess in my oven, a waste of 24 suuuuper cute cupcake papers (biggest tragedy), and a somewhat traumatic memory. :)

But that's what cake mixes are for! And, for the record, the dark chocolate cake mix made for amazing finished cupcakes. Easy peasy...and no mess!

After completing the cupcakes (icing and all), I removed the cupcake papers. The ganache I made was somewhat runny, and ran down the sides of many of the cupcakes. They looked a LOT better sans papers. But, just so you know... removing the papers will make the cupcakes more prone to drying out if you plan to store them for a while.

These were fun to make, and the taste? OUT OF THIS WORLD.

Originally found here. Most text taken from the same site.

Raspberry Swirl Blondies

2 c flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 c butter
1 1/2 c sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 c raspberry jam

Heat oven to 350°. Spray 9x13 pan with cooking spray.

Combine flour, baking powder and salt in bowl and set aside.

Melt butter in microwave. Stir sugar into melted butter until dissolved. Whisk in eggs and vanilla. Add flour mixture and stir until combined.

Pour batter into pan. Drop spoonfuls of jam into pan and swirl with knife or toothpick.

Bake 25-30 min or until toothpick comes out clean.

Comments from the cook: I tried this recipe after finding it on a cooking website. My dad loves all things raspberry, so I made them for him...and he LOVED them. They are wonderful!

Originally found here. Text taken from the same site, and changed slightly.

Ooey Gooey Cheesecake Bars

1 yellow cake mix
3 eggs
1 stick of butter, softened
1 lb. powdered sugar (1/2 of regular bag)
1 pkg (8 0z) cream cheese, softened

Combine yellow cake mix, one egg, and stick of butter to form a crust. Smush into bottom of 13x9 pan.

Combine two remaining eggs, powdered sugar, and cream cheese and pour mixture over crust.
Bake for 35-40 min in 350° oven. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and allow to cool.

Comments from the cook: I got this recipe from an old roommate when I was at BYU. It's also commonly known as Ooey Gooey Butter Cake, or Ooey Gooey Lemon Cake (when made with a lemon cake mix instead of yellow). It's a tasty one, and the crust gets me every time... Mmmmm!

Originally shared by Tierra Phillips, Clover Haus roommate circa 2005

PW's Mozzarella Sticks

8 sticks mozzarella string cheese
1/4 cup flour
1 egg
1 1/2 TBSP milk
1 cup Panko Japanese bread crumbs
1/2 TBSP parsley
salt
canola oil
marinara sauce

Prep:

Unwrap string cheese. Cut in half.

Put flour in small bowl/plate.

Mix egg and milk in a small bowl, stirring with fork.

Add a few shakes of salt (from the salt shaker) to a small bowl or plate holding the Panko crumbs.

How to:
Roll cheese through flour to coat.

Dip flour-coated cheese in egg/milk mixture so that egg/milk is absorbed into flour coating.

Roll through Panko crumbs to coat.

When finished coating, place prepped cheese sticks in freezer for 20-30 min (to flash freeze).

Fry in 1-2" canola oil until golden brown. Allow to dry on paper-towel.

Serve with marinara sauce.

Makes 16 mozzarella sticks.

Comments from the cook: I found this recipe on The Pioneer Woman's website, and INSTANTLY knew that these would become a favorite at our house. Brian loves cheese sticks more than most appetizers, so we gave them a try! They turned out AMAZINGLY, and we've made them multiple times since and have not been disappointed!

How-to found here, printable version here. (Special thanks to PW for a never-ending supply of amazing recipes!)