Blueberry Coffee Cake ~ A Second Place Winner At Our Local Fair!

                                             

Joy of Little B Cooks, was kind enough to let me use her coffee cake recipe for entering in the cake division/ misc cake class at our local fair this year. It won second place! The original recipe can be found here..http://littlebcooks.blogspot.com/p/breakfast.html  Please visit her site, her photo of this coffeecake looks so much better than mine. I'm sure she has many more ribbon worthy recipes also. Thank you Joy,  for allowing me to use your recipe. My family and I had a great time. It is so exciting to be at the fair on opening day to see everyones entries. And find out if any of our entries won a ribbon.

Blueberry Coffeecake

Topping:

1 cup brown sugar

2/3 cup flour

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 cup cold butter

Blueberry Coffeecake

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled

2 cups all-purpose flour

2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup milk

2/3 cup sugar

2 large eggs

3 cups fresh or frozen blueberries, if using frozen blueberries, do not thaw

~ Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

~ Spray a 11 x 7-inch baking pan with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.

~ In the bowl of a food processor, combine brown sugar, 2/3 cup flour, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and 1/4 cup cold butter. Pulse until mixture becomes crumbly. Set aside. 

~ In a large mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients.

~ In a medium mixing bowl, combine milk, sugar, eggs and melted butter.

~ Stir butter mixture into the dry ingredients until well blended.

~ Fold in blueberries.

~ Pour batter into prepared baking pan.

~ Sprinkle brown sugar mixture evenly over the top.

~ Bake for 50 to 60 minutes or unti l a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Recipe Source: Little B Cooks

Happy Birthday Cake

My daughter Ashley made this cake for 3 members of her husband's family, who celebrate their birthdays in June. Ann, her husband's aunt, celebrates her birthday on June 2nd, Christy, her husband's mom, celebrates her birthday on June 4th, and Kayla, her husband's sister celebrates her birthday on June 5th.

Happy Birthday Ann, Christy and Kayla! Enjoy your beautiful and delicious birthday cake!

Ashley's Cake Recipe

1 ( 16.25 oz. ) box yellow cake mix (without pudding added) + water, oil and eggs

1 ( 16.25 oz. ) box chocolate cake mix (without pudding added) + water, oil and eggs

1 ( 3.4 oz.) box instant chocolate pudding mix

1 ( 3.4 oz.) box instant vanilla pudding mix

1 cup milk, divided

~ Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. for dark or nonstick pans and 350 degrees F. for shiny metal or glass pans.
~ Spray desired pan(s) size with nonstick and flour baking spray. Set aside.
~ Prepare both cake mixes according to package directions adding chocolate pudding to dry chocolate cake mix and 1/2 milk with wet ingredients. Add vanilla pudding mix to dry yellow cake mix and remaining 1/2 cup milk along with wet ingredients.
~ Pour yellow cake mix evenly into prepared cake pan(s).
~ Add large dollops of the chocolate cake mix on top of the yellow cake mix, and using a butter knife or cake frosting spatula, swirl chocolate cake batter from top to bottom, throughout the yellow cake batter.
~ Bake and cool according to cake package directions.
~ Frost and decorate with Ashley's Almond Buttercream Frosting.

Ashley's Almond Buttercream Frosting

1 cup Crisco                           

1/2 cup butter, room temperature                         

1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

1 teaspoon almond extract                          

1 teaspoon of milk at a time, until desired consistency is reached                           

pinch of salt                           

1 teaspoon meringue powder                            

2 (lb) bag confectioners' sugar                            

Gel food coloring, of desired colors, if desired                              

~ Using a hand mixer or stand mixer, in a large bowl blend together the Crisco and butter until well blended.

~ Add extracts and milk, as needed, mixing until well blended.

~ Add salt, meringue powder and confectioners sugar. Mix until well blended and smooth.

~ Use to frost cake or cupcakes     

                   This picture shows the true colors of the icing and a close-up of the flowers. The lighting was not good in the above picture. I'm still learning. Thank you Ashley for the cake decorating lesson, your time and talent! You did a fantastic job!

                                                                 Recipe Source: Ashley

Nana's Pumpkin Cake

My daughter Ashley shared a piece of this cake with me on Thanksgiving day several years ago. She received this treasured recipe from her husband's Nana. It is a delicious cake and a family favorite. I adapted this recipe and entered it in a King Arthur Flour muffin baking contest at our local fair July 2012 and won 2nd place (recipe in my muffin category). My twin sister entered the same muffin contest and won 1st place with her strawberry muffins with strawberry butter (recipe in my muffin category). It was our Birthday and after the story got around at the fair we where asked to do a television interview. What an exciting day with wonderful memories!

This recipe is shown just as it was written, when it was given to me.

Nana's Pumpkin Cake

In a large bowl, beat :

4 eggs

2 cups sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

Sift together :

2 cups flour

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

Beat into creamed mixture and stir in :

2 cups  pure pumpkin
1 teaspoon vanilla

~Pour cake batter into a lightly greased and floured tube or bundt pan.
~Bake at 350 degrees F. for 50-55 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
~Cool cake completely before frosting it.
~While cake is baking prepare cream cheese frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

1-(8-oz.) package cream cheese (softened)
1 stick butter (softened)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 pound box powdered sugar

~In a large mixing bowl mix cream cheese, butter and vanilla until well blended.
~Frost cake and enjoy a slice with a glass of milk.

Nana's pumpkin cake ingredients: eggs, sugar, vegetable oil, pumpkin, vanilla, flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 2 (9-inch) round cake pans or a tube or bundt pan with non-stick baking spray. Set aside. In a large bowl add eggs, sugar and oil. 

Beat until well blended. 

Add pumpkin and vanilla.

Mix well.

Sift together flour, baking soda, cinnmon and salt. (I did not sift my dry ingredients)

Gradually beat into egg mixture until blended.

Pour cake batter into two prepared 9-inch round cake pans, a tube or a bundt pan, if desired. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 30-35 minutes for a 2 round cake pans, or  50-55 minutes in tube or bundt pan.

Remove cake(s) from oven and allow to cool in pans for about 10 minutes before removing them to a cake rack to cool completely.

For the cream cheese frosting. In a mixing large mixing bowl add softened cream cheese and butter.

Beat at medium speed until well blended and creamy.

Gradually add 1 pound of powdered sugar.

Beat at medium speed until well blended and creamy.

Frost the top of bottom cake layer. Then place second cake layer, on top of frosted bottom layer. 

Frost the sides of both cake layers and then frost the top of  the cake.

Using the remaining frosting, I piped some swirls on the top outer edge of the cake, using a Wilton's 

# 22 open star tip. I used the same tip to created the center heart surrounded by stars. I topped each outer swirl with a pecan half. Placing two pecan halves in the center of the heart. If you just want a cake without the additional decorations. Just put a heavier layer of frosting on the entire cake and between the layers.

This is a delicious cake that is nice and moist. And the flavor of pumpkin and cinnamon go so well with the cream cheese frosting. Everyone in my family likes this cake.

Enjoy a slice with a cold glass of milk.

* Recipe Source: My Son-in-laws Grandmother, "Nana" *