Amy's Coffee Cake

1 c. sugar

1 c. butter

2 eggs

8 oz. sour cream

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. soda

1 tsp. baking powder

2 cups flour

1 tsp. vanilla

Cream butter and sugar.  Add eggs.  Add dry ingredients alternately with sour cream and vanilla.  Put 1/2 batter in 9x13 greased and floured pan.  Sprinkle 1/2 cinnamon mixutre.  Spread remaining batter on top.  Sprinkle remaining topping.

Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes

Topping:

1/2 c. brown sugar

1/3 c. white sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

My favorite sweet potato casserole

This recipe is for a 2 quart dish (8x8 pan), which could serve 6-9 people as a side. For a 9x13, double this recipe.  A 9x13 pan fed 15 people for Thanksgiving with a third of a pan left over. 

FILLING INGREDIENTS: 

• 3 pounds sweet potatoes
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 cup butter, softened or melted
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• optional: 2 tbsp. heavy cream (I will add it if I have it and won't if I don't)
• optional: 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• optional: 1/8 tsp. nutmeg
• optional: 1 tbsp. sugar (the original recipes call for 1/4 cup-1/2 cup white or brown sugar to the filling. I usually don't add any at all as I don't think it is necessary, but sometimes may add 1 tbsp.)

TOPPING INGREDIENTS:

• 1/4 cup butter
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/3 cup flour
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• optional: 1/2 cup pecans, coarsely chopped

FOR THE FILLING:

Preheat the oven to 425. Scrub the sweet potatoes, poke multiple holes with a fork on each. Bake them in until they are soft and a fork can easily slide through, which could be between 45 minutes and an hour and 15 minutes depending on the size of your potatoes. Remove from the oven once they are fully soft, and let them rest until they are cool enough to handle. Reduce the oven to 350 if you will be baking them same-day. 

Remove the skins from the sweet potatoes and put the flesh into a mixing bowl. Mash with a potato masher, or mix in the mixer (I use the paddle attachment). Add and mix in the rest of the filling ingredients.  Transfer the sweet potato filling into your 2 quart casserole dish, and spread evenly. 

FOR THE TOPPING:

Soften or melt the butter in a medium bowl in the microwave. Add the brown sugar, cinnamon, and flour, and mix well with your fingers or a pastry cutter. It should look a little clumpy. Distribute the clumps evenly over the sweet potato filling. If using pecans, sprinkle them over whatever portion you would like them on (I often do half the pan with and half without so people can choose whichever they prefer). 

Bake at 350 for 40 minutes, or until the topping is nicely browned. Let cool slightly and enjoy!

NOTES: 

This may be assembled and stored in the fridge up to 2 days before baking. You can also assemble it, cover it tightly, and store it in the freezer for up to 3 months. If freezing, thaw in the fridge overnight before baking. 

If you want pecans on the entire pan, feel free to mix them into the topping before spreading it over the sweet potato filling.

I made this recipe by tweaking things I liked/didn't like from two different recipes. The two recipes that contributed to the creation of this recipe are below:

Allrecipes: Gourmet Sweet Potato Classic

Once Upon a Chef: Sweet Potato Casserole

Chile Relleno Breakfast Casserole

A woman in my ward, Heidi Madsen, made this breakfast casserole for our ward Christmas breakfast. It is possibly my favorite breakfast casserole I have ever eaten! It is vegetarian which could be especially good for some, and so flavorful. 

Chile Relleno Breakfast Casserole

4 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 7 oz. cans whole green chiles (split and seeds cleaned out)
4 cups shredded cheddar
4 cups shredded jack cheese

Lightly grease 9x13" glass baking dish. Beat first 5 ingredients to blend. Arrange chiles from 1 can in prepared dish, covering bottom completely. Sprinkle with 1/3 of each cheese. Repeat layering twice. Pour egg mixture over cheese. Let casserole stand for 30 minutes. 

Preheat oven to 350. Bake until casserole is slightly puffed in center and golden brown on edges, about 45 minutes. Cool 20 minutes. Garnish with any of the following: diced tomato, avocado, onion, salsa, sour cream, or chives.

Roasted potatoes and green beans with pesto

 My family and my kids friends who came over all loved this side dish, and it was incredibly easy to make. I served it with Trader Joe's pesto chicken breast. I am pretty sure that dinner combination will be a new staple in our household!

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds (or so) baby potatoes or other potatoes
• 8-12 ounces green beans
• 4 tbsp. pesto
• salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 425.
2. Wash potatoes and cut into about 1 inch pieces.
3. Put potatoes into a bowl. Add 2 tbsp pesto and a good pinch or two of salt. If your family likes it, add pepper to taste as well. Mix it up until all of the potatoes are coated.
4. Spread the potatoes onto a baking sheet. Cook for 15 minutes.
5. While the potatoes are in the oven, trim the green beans. Put them in a bowl and add the other 2 tbsp of pesto, plus the salt and pepper to taste. Mix.
6. Pull the potatoes out after they have been cooking 15 minutes. Flip them all with a spatula. Add the green beans to the pan, and return it to the oven. 
7. Cook for about 15 minutes more, or until the green beans seem to be done. 

Triple Berry Pie

Mom and I made this pie from Tastes Better From Scratch together.  Yum!

Ingredients

• homemade pie crust for a 9'' deep dish pan. This recipe makes 2 crusts: one for the bottom and one for the to
• 7 cups fresh or frozen raspberries, blueberries and blackberries about 2 1/3 cups of each type of berry*
• 1 cup granulated sugar (plus a little extra to sprinkle on top of the pie)
• 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
• 4 Tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 Tablespoons butter
• 1 large egg white beaten with a fork

Instructions

• Cook berries: Add berries, sugar and lemon juice to a large saucepan over medium heat. 
• Simmer, until warm and juicy, about 5-10 minutes, gently stirring occasionally. (You can taste it at this point and see if it's sweet enough for your liking. I don't like to make mine too sweet, but if you want it sweeter you can add 1/4 cup more sugar.)
• Thicken filling: Spoon out about 1/2 cup of the juice from the pan into a bowl. Stir cornstarch into the juice until smooth. 
• Bring pot of berries back to a simmer and slowly pour in the cornstarch. Gently stir mixture (being careful not to mash the berries), until thickened, about 2-5 minutes.
• Cool and add to pie shell. Remove from heat and stir in the butter. Allow to cool for 15 minutes. Pour mixture into unbaked pie shell (in a 9 in deep dish pan).
• Add lattice top or a whole top with holes pricked on top for steam to escape. (See directions for lattice crust below).
• Pinch the edges of the top and bottom pie crusts together and crimp the edge, if you like. Brush a thin layer of beaten egg white over the top of the pie and sprinkle lightly with sugar. 
• Bake at 400 degrees F for 40-45 minutes. Check it after about 25 minutes and place a piece of tinfoil over it if the top crust is getting too brown. 
• Remove to a wire cooling rack and allow to cool for several hours. Once cooled completely, you can cut into it or cover it and refrigerate it overnight to serve the next day.

Mom's Amazing Pie Crust

 Paula's Pecan Pie

aka: Grandpa Ballou's pie crust!!

1 cup flour

Scant ½ cup Crisco (shortening)

½ tsp. salt

¼ cup COLD water minus 1/2 TB (only use as much as you need, which may be less than this)

1/2 TB chilled white vinegar

 

Put flour and salt in bowl.  Mix with a fork.  Using your fingers “cut” the shortening into the flour by running the flour and shortening together between your thumb and fingers of one hand until the mixture looks like small peas.  You can also do this using a pastry cutter or the Bosch with the wire whisks. Add the water one Tablespoon at a time moving the flour/shortening mixture around with a fork until it sticks together.  Put the dough into a ball and place it on a lightly floured surface.  Roll out the dough to fit a 8-9” pie tin.  If you are going to bake the pie with a filling in it, pour the filling in and bake.  If you are going to bake the pie crust FIRST and then fill with a pudding filling, bake the pie crust at 425 for exactly 10 minutes.

 This recipe makes one bottom crust.  If you would like a top crust, you need to double it.

THIS IS GRANDPA BALLOU’S PIE CRUST RECIPE!!!!!

Kalua Pork in a Smoker

I know not everyone here has a smoker, but I needed to record how I made this somewhere so I can do it again! This will be something I will be making over and over again. For those without a smoker, the following link is to a slow cooker recipe for kalua pork that I have used which has also been delicious. 

Slow Cooker Kalua Pig

Ingredients:

• 7-10 pound bone in pork shoulder
• 2 tablespoons pink or red coarse Hawaiian sea salt (Alaea sea salt. You can order this on amazon if you can't find it elsewhere. Use about 3/4 tsp per each pound of meat)
• Banana leaves (you can find these in the frozen section of most Asian markets)

1. Fire up your smoker to 250, preferably with a mix of mesquite and cherry woods. (I did 250 this time but different recipes went up to 300, so if you need it to cook more quickly set it to 275 or 300).
2. Remove the pork from the packaging and wipe it down with a paper towel. Season each of the sides with the Hawaiian sea salt, and pat into the meat.
3. Place the pork in the smoker, fat side up, and smoke for about 2 hours.
4. Set overlapping banana leaves on the counter large enough to wrap around your pork shoulder. Remove the pork from the smoker and place it in the center of the banana leaves. Wrap the pork tightly in the banana leaves and tie them in place with kitchen twine. 
5. Place the wrapped pork in a disposable pan and return the pork back to the smoker. Continue smoking for another 5-9 hours (the larger the roast, the longer the cook time), or until the temperature of the pork is at least 200 degrees F.
6. Remove the pork from the smoker and allow it to rest from 30-60 minutes. 
7. Drain the liquid and shred the pork. Taste, and feel free to serve as it is or add back in some of the liquid if needed to add in more moisture or salt flavor. 
8. Enjoy what all of my children said was the best pork they had ever tasted. :)

Note: The recipes said the Hawaiian salt gives it a unique and traditional flavor, but you can use regular coarse sea salt if you are in a pinch. Also feel free to skip the smoking without the banana leaves step if you just want to put it in once and not have to do anything with it again until it is done. For my 7 pound shoulder I cooked it for a total of 8.5 hours at 250 for it to get to the right temperature. I found a Traeger recipe that said to cook a 7 pound pork shoulder roast at 300 for 5-6 hours, so higher temp will get done quicker and I am sure will still be delicious!

Banana Bread

This is Flour Bakery's banana bread recipe from the Food Network. Whenever I have bananas that are getting old I put them in the freezer, then when it is Christmas time I pull them all out and thaw them to use in large batches of mini banana bread loaves to make for neighbor gifts, and this is the recipe I use. When I make the large batches I can fit 4 times the single recipe in my Bosch, so will add those measurements for multiplying the recipe by 4 in red to make it easier for me or anyone else who wants to make a large batch in the future! 

Ingredients:

• 1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour (6 2/3 cups or 1 1b. 13.4 oz)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda (4 tsp.)
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon (1 Tsp.)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (2 tsp.)
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar (4.5 cups)
• 2 eggs (8 eggs)
• 1/2 cup oil (2 cups)
• 3 1/2 bananas, very ripe, mashed (14 mashed bananas)
• 2 tablespoons creme fraiche or sour cream (1/2 cup)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (4 tsp)
• 2/3 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped (optional- I exclude)

Instructions:

Set oven to 350 degrees F. Line the bottom of a loaf pan with parchment paper. 

Sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Beat sugar and eggs with a whisk until light and fluffy, about 10 minutes. Drizzle in oil. Add mashed bananas, creme fraiche, and vanilla. Fold in dry ingredients and nuts. Pour into a lined loaf pan and bake for about 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Note: I bake mine at 325. I often am baking in mini loaf pans so for shorter time. I just keep an eye on it and haven't tracked how long it takes for those small pans.

Banoffee Pie

This is the banoffee pie I brought to Thanksgiving which was requested to be put on the blog as well. So easy and yet so delicious. My friend Merissa shared the recipe with me, which she found at https://www.bakedbyanintrovert.com/epic-banoffee-pie/#mv-creation-364-jtr

Ingredients

For the crust

• 1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs 
• ⅓ cup sugar 
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted 

For the filling

• 2 (13.4-ounce) cans dulce de leche, - SEE NOTE 1 
• 4 large bananas, sliced 
• 1 tablespoon lemon or orange juice, optional - SEE NOTE 2

For the whipped cream

• 1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream 
• 3 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar 
• 1 tablespoon clear piping gel, optional - SEE NOTE 3 
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 
• ⅓ cup toffee bits, optional 

Instructions

Make the crust

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. 
2. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted butter. Stir until the crumbs are evenly moistened. Tightly press the crumb mixture into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch pie pan. Bake for 10 minutes. Set aside to cool completely then refrigerate for 30 minutes. 

Make the filling

1. Using a silicone spatula, carefully spread one can of dulce de leche into the bottom of the prepared crust. 
2. Toss the bananas in lemon or orange juice then arrange a single layer of banana slices over the dulce de leche. 
3. Repeat layering with the remaining can of dulce de leche and top with a single layer of bananas. (You may only need 3 bananas depending on how large they are.) 

Make the whipped cream

1. In a medium bowl, beat the cream, sugar, piping gel, and vanilla together with an electric mixer on medium speed until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is foamy. 
2. Turn the speed up to medium-high and beat until soft to medium peaks form, about 3-4 minutes. Take care to not overbeat! 
3. Spread the whipped cream over the bananas and refrigerate uncovered for at least 3 hours. Garnish with toffee bits before serving. The pie will keep for up to 4 days stored uncovered in the refrigerator. 

Notes

1. You can find cans of dulce de leche in the Hispanic aisle of the grocery store. Or you can learn how to make it at home.
2. Lemon or orange juice is helpful if you plan to make the pie ahead of time. The juice will prevent the bananas from browning.
3. Piping gel is used to make stabilized whipped cream. The whipped cream will hold up longer without separating which is useful if the pie won't be fully consumed in 1 day.

Make ahead tip

1. The baked crust can be covered tightly and stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 days or frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator. 
2. The fully assembled pie can be made up to 1 day in advance. Store in the refrigerator uncovered until ready to serve

Chocolate Cherry Blossom Cookies

This is another of my friend Kayla's recipes. She traditionally makes them with her Christmas holiday baking because of the red color, but they would be delicious any time of year. Even my kids that don't like maraschino cherries love these!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2 tsp. maraschino cherry liquid
• Red food coloring (optional)
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 10 oz. jar maraschino cherries
• 3-4 tbsp. sugar
• 36 Hershey's kisses, unwrapped

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 F.
2. Drain cherries of their liquid, but be sure to reserve about 2 teaspoons of their juice. 
3. Cream butter using a nixer or wooden spoon. Gradually stir in the powdered sugar a little at a tine.
4. Stir in the cherry juice, red food coloring (if you want them to look extra pink or red), and vanilla.
5. Gradually stir in flour a little at a time. Mix until just combined.
6. Chop the cherries, then fold them in.
7. Shape dough into 1 inch balls. Roll in white sugar. Gently flatten (just a little) using the bottom of a glass.
8. Bake 12-15 minutes, or until the sides are just beginning to brown. Remove from oven and immediately press a kiss into the middle of each cookie.

Eggnog Cookies

This recipe was a Christmas staple given to me by my friend Kayla. I loved them and added them to our Christmas cookie plate for neighbors!

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2 egg yolks
• 1/2 cup eggnog
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 2 1/4 cups flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. nutmeg
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. salt

Eggnog Frosting:

• 1/2 cup softened butter
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 4 to 5 tbsp. eggnog
• 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp. cinnamon

Cookie Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Grease cookie sheet and set aside.
3. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars until fluffy.
4. Add egg yolks, eggnog and vanilla. Continue beating until creamy.
5. Add flour, baking powder, nutmeg, cinnamon and salt. Beat on medium until well combined. 
6. Can chill dough for 1 hour if needed.
7. Roll heaping tablespoons of the dough into balls and place two inches apart on a cookie sheet. 
8. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes.

Eggnog Frosting:

1. Cream butter until fluffy.
2. Add powdered sugar and beat until combined.
3. Add eggnog, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Beat for 3 minutes until smooth.
4. Frost cooled cookies and sprinkle nutmeg over the frosting if desired.

Note: My friend added 1/2 tsp. rum extract to the cookie dough and 1/2 tsp. to the frosting as well. The original recipe doesn't have it and I am not a fan of rum flavoring so excluded it. If you like rum flavoring, then you could add that extract to both as she does. 

Lemon Sour Cream Pie

This was the pie that I made for Thanksgiving. Someone requested that I put it on the blog, so here we go! Found at https://tastesbetterfromscratch.com/lemon-sour-cream-pie/

Crust:

Either a traditional pie crust, baked and cooled, or a graham cracker pie crust, baked and cooled (I did a graham cracker crust for Thanksgiving)

Lemon Filling:

• 1 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons + 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (about 2-3 lemons)
• 3 large egg yolks, lightly beaten
• 1/4 cup softened butter
• zest of one lemon (about 1/2 tbsp.)
• 1 cup sour cream

Whipped cream topping:

• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

Crack eggs in a small bowl. Whisk lightly with a fork and set aside

In a large saucepan combine sugar and cornstarch. Whisk in milk and fresh lemon juice and stir to combine. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is thick and bubbling.

Reduce heat to low and cook for two more minutes. Add a spoonful of the hot mixture into the egg yolks and stir well. Repeat this process with two or three more spoonfuls of the hot mixture added to the egg yolks. (The goal is to temper the egg yolks so they don't cook when added to the hot saucepan.)  Poor egg mixture into the saucepan and stir well. Bring mixture to a gentle boil and cook for two more minutes. Remove from heat.

Add softened butter and lemon zest and stir until butter melts completely. Allow mixture to cool and then stir in sour cream. Add filling to your pie shell.

For the whipped topping:

In a mixing bowl, beat heavy whipping cream with an electric mixer. While beating, add sugar. Continue beating until stiff peaks form. Spread whipped cream over pie filling. Refrigerate for at least 2-3 hours before serving.

Borscht

This is the recipe I made for book club, which I loved!  I found it on a blog called Natasha's Kitchen.  I think she might live out west near some of you.  This is the soup we discussed that is very deep red because of the beets - looks like a crime scene!

I didn't add the dill because I didn't have any, and sometimes I am iffy on dill.  I made it again this weekend because I was sick.  It is packed with vegetables and very hydrating, also delicious.  Great soup!

Ingredients:

• 3 medium beets, peeled and grated (use gloves to avoid staining your hands)
• 4 Tbsp olive oil, divided
• 8 cups chicken broth + 2 cups water
• 3 medium yukon potatoes, peeled and sliced into bite-sized pieces
• 2 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 celery ribs, trimmed and finely chopped
• 1 small red bell pepper, finely chopped
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 4 Tbsp ketchup or 3 Tbsp tomato sauce
• 1 can white cannelini beans
• 2-3 Tbsp white vinegar, or to taste
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
• 1 large garlic clove, pressed
• 3 Tbsp chopped dill

Instructions:

1. Peel and grate the beets.  Heat a large soup pot over medium heat and add 2 Tbsp olive oil.  Add grates beets and saute 10 minutes, stirrling occasionally until beets are softened.
2. While beets saute, peel and chop potatoes and carrots.  Finely dice celery, onion, and red pepper.
3. Add 8 cups broth and 2 cups water.  Add potatoes, carrots, and bay leaves to pot.  Cook for 10-15 minutes or until easily pierced with a fork.
4. While potatoes and carrots are boiling, heat a large skilled over medium heat and add 2 Tbsp olive oil.  Add chopped onion, celery, and bell pepper.  Saute, stirring occasionally until softened and lightly golden, 7-8 minutes.  Add 4 Tb ketchup and stir fry for 30 seconds, then transfer to pot with beets and potatoes.
5. Add 1 can of cannelini beans, drained and rinsed, 2-3 Tbsp white vinegar, 1 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper, 1 pressed garlic clove, and 3 Tbsp chopped dill.  Simmer at least 2-3 minutes, or until ready to serve.  Serve with sour cream.

Cranberry Pecan Baked Brie

This has become my go-to appetizer to bring in December.  It is so easy and so delicious!  I get complements every time.  I found it on a website called Damn Delicious.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 8-ounce wheel brie cheese, rind trimmed
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar, packed

FOR THE MAPLE HONEY DRIZZLE

AD
• ¼ cup brown sugar, packed
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Pinch of nutmeg
• Zest of 1 orange
• ½ cup chopped pecans 
• ¼ cup dried cranberries

INSTRUCTIONS

AD
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Place brie on a rimmed baking sheet or a 5-inch cast iron skillet; sprinkle with brown sugar. Place into oven and bake until softened, about 12-15 minutes; let cool 5 minutes.
• In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine brown sugar, honey, maple syrup, butter, cinnamon, nutmeg and orange zest. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until foamy, about 1-2 minutes. Stir in pecans and cranberries.
• Serve brie warm topped with pecan mixture; serve with crackers or baguette.

Strawberry Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting

 Hey family! Ginny asked me for a strawberry cake for her birthday again this year. As I was looking for recipes I combined ideas from a few recipes and created a strawberry frosting recipe that I can't ever imagine straying from. It tastes like a fresh homemade strawberry ice cream! I wanted to remember it for future reference, so here it will go on the blog. :)

Ingredients:

10 oz. bag frozen strawberries

1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, slightly chilled

4 oz cream cheese slightly chilled

6 cups powdered sugar

3 tbsp. heavy whipping cream (optional)

1 teaspoon vanilla

pinch of salt

Thaw the strawberries, then drain and reserve the juice for the frosting.

Use half of the strawberries in the cake batter (or save for some other use). Puree the other half (5 oz) of strawberries. 

Beat the butter and cream cheese in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment until smooth, about 1 minute.

With the mixer on low, gradually add in the powdered sugar until incorporated.

Keeping the mixer on low, add the strawberry puree, vanilla, and salt. 

Slowly add in the reserved strawberry juice, watching the consistency to make sure it does not become too runny. 

Add in whipping cream little by little if needed to get to a good spreading consistency (the original recipe did not have the strawberry puree or juice and only had the 3 tbsp. whipping cream, so you can watch and see if you think it needs it or not). 

Turn the mixer to medium and beat for 3-5 minutes, which will help it reach a lighter pink color and a lighter texture.

To remove air bubbles, use a wooden spoon to stir and push out air bubbles.

Enjoy!!

And thank you Cakes by Courtney for the base recipe!

THANKS, Jessica!

I can't wait to try this!

PS.  I couldn't figure out how to make this a "comment!"  So, I just attached it to this post!

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Somehow pineapple upside down cake got stuck in Skylar's head and she wanted to make it.  We found the recipe on SugarSpunRun.  Wow, this was delicious!!!  We served it with vanilla ice cream.  Irresistible.

Ingredients

Topping

• ▢¼ cup butter salted or unsalted melted (60g)
• ▢½ cup brown sugar light or dark (I usually use light) tightly packed (100g)
• ▢10 pineapple rings/slices patted dry (we used fresh pineapple rather than canned)
• ▢maraschino cherries (or not - we used raspberries)

Vanilla Cake

• ▢½ cup unsalted butter softened to room temperature (115g)
• ▢¾ cup sugar (150g)
• ▢2 eggs room temperature preferred
• ▢1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢1 ½ cups all-purpose flour (195g)
• ▢1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• ▢¼ teaspoon salt
• ▢½ cup milk room temperature preferred (120ml)
• 1. Preheat oven to 350F (175C)
• 2. Pour melted butter into 9.5-10" pie plate or deep cake pan, make sure it entirely covers the bottom of the pan and use a spoon or spatula to grease the sides of the pan.
• 3. Sprinkle brown sugar evenly over butter mixture.  Arrange pineapple slices over the bottom of the pan, slice leftover slices in half and arrange up the sides of the pan, as seen in photo.
• 4. Place cherries in center of pineapple rings and as desired in empty spaces.  Set aside.
• 5. To prepare vanilla cake, beat butter and sugar in medium-sized bowl until creamy and well-combined. 
• 6. Add eggs, beating one at a time until combined. 
• 7. Stir in vanilla extract.
• 8. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.  
• 9. Alternate adding flour and milk to the wet ingredients, starting and ending with flour and mixing until just combined after each addition (I prefer to do this part by hand with a spatula to be sure not to overmix).
• 10. Pour batter evenly over prepared cake pan and pineapple/cherry layer.  
• 11.  Bake on 350F (175C) for 30 minutes.  At the 30 minute mark, loosely cover with foil and continue to bake (still on 350F/175C) for another 15 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean with few crumbs (total cook time for cake will be 45 minutes).
• 12.  Allow to cool for 10-15 minutes and then carefully invert cake onto serving platter (careful, it will still be very hot!).
• 13.  Allow to cool before cutting and enjoying, but don't wait too long as this cake tastes wonderful (best!) warm from the oven!