My favorite thing about the holidays is the sweet treats! I love to bake, although I don't have time to as often as I'd like....my husband constantly reminds me of how long I go without baking at least one little cake! Anyhow, I try to make up for it around the holidays.
Here's a couple of new recipes I'm going to try this year. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Paula Deen and have made many of her recipes. I've tried several of her Gooey Butter Cake recipes, but this is a new one....looks good!
Ingredients
Cake:
1 (18.25-ounce) box yellow cake mix
1 large egg
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
Filling:
1 (8-ounce) package
cream cheese, softened
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure
vanilla extract1 (16-ounce) box confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1 cup almond
toffee bits or
chocolate toffee bits
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly
grease a 13 by 9 by-2-inch baking pan.
For the cake: In the bowl of an electric
mixer, combine the cake mix, egg, and butter and mix well. Pat into the bottom of prepared pan and set aside.
For the filling: Still using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Beat in the
eggs and vanilla. Dump in confectioners' sugar and beat well. Reduce the speed and slowly pour in butter. Mix well. Fold in toffee bits.
Pour filling onto cake mixture and spread evenly. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes. Don't be afraid to make a judgment call on the cooking time, because oven temperatures can vary. You want the center to be a little gooey, so don't bake it past that point!
Remove from oven and allow to cool completely. Cut into squares. Just remember that these wonderful cakes are very, very rich, and a little will go a long way.
Ingredients
4 cups water
6 cloves
4
cinnamon sticks
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
4 black tea bags
Peels from 1/2
orange
1/2 orange, zested
1 cup milk
3 tablespoons honey
Directions
In a medium
saucepan, over medium heat, add the water, cloves, cinnamon sticks and
cardamom. Bring to a boil, then remove from the heat and cover. Allow to steep for 10 minutes.
Strain the liquid, return it to the pan and reheat. Add the black tea bags, let them
steep for a few minutes, and then add the orange peels and zest. Add the milk and stir in the
honey. Pour into mugs and serve.
Ingredients