Monkey Bread

One of my favorite food memories growing up was when Dad would tell us on Saturday night that we had to help make Monkey Bread (or Monkey Balls as my sister and I called it.....) for breakfast the next morning! We would help cut the biscuits, then roll into balls and dip in cinnamon and sugar and fill up the bundt pan before pouring over the gooey caramel! The best part though was in the morning waking up to the smell of it baking! I still find some occasions to make Monkey Bread, and it is always a hit when I do! Nowadays, I've turned to a more homemade version of it without using boughten biscuit dough...and a little healthier with the addition of whole wheat flour :)

Monkey Bread

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, divided
1/2 cup sugar, divided

2 tsp cinnamon, divided
1 package (1/4 ounce) quick-rise yeast
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk
1 cup butter, divided
1/4 cup water
1 egg

1/2 cup brown sugar

Directions
In a bowl, combine the whole wheat flour, 1/2 cup all purpose flour, 1/4 cup sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon, yeast and salt. In a saucepan, heat milk, 1/2 cup butter (that has been softened in the microwave) and water to 120°-130°. Add to dry ingredients; beat just until moistened. Add egg and remaining flour; beat until smooth. Shape into a ball. Do not knead. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes.

While dough is resting, combine remaining 1/4 cup sugar and 1 tsp cinnamon. Set aside. Also combine remaining 1/2 cup butter and 1/2 cup brown sugar in a small saucepan (but do not heat yet.) Butter either a bundt pan or 8x8 inch square pan.

Once dough has rested, pinch off pieces to make balls 3/4-1 inch in diameter. They don't all have to be perfectly sized :) Roll each ball in cinnamon/sugar mixture and place in prepared pan. Continue rolling dough into balls and rolling in cinnamon/sugar until all the dough is gone. Heat butter and brown sugar on stove until just boiling. Pour over dough balls in pan. Cover with aluminum foil or plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator overnight.

In the morning, bake at 350 degrees F for 40-50 minutes, until golden brown and bubbly. Allow to cool for about 10 minutes, then invert onto a serving platter. Enjoy, and take a bite!

Strawberry Season!

I made this Pink Lady cake with Strawberry Swiss Meringue Buttercream a few weeks ago for a potluck at work, probably a little ahead of prime strawberry season...but I just couldn't wait!! Now (at least in Minnesota and Iowa) strawberries are at their peak! This recipe was adapted from Sky High, and I changed it mainly because it called for 8 egg whites, but I didn't have enough eggs and didn't want to run to the store. I thought it might turn out a little too dense, but it didn't! It was not light and airy like it maybe was intended to be...but it had a nice crumb, was moist and had a delicious strawberry flavor! The color was also really nice (with the help of some red food coloring!) I will definitely try and find another occasion to make this cake for!

the cake

4 1/2 cups cake flour

3 cups sugar

5 1/4 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp salt

3 sticks (1 1/2 cups) unsalted butter, softened

1 1/2 cups pureed fresh strawberries (frozen can also be used if desired)

4 whole eggs

2/3 cup milk

red food coloring (to enhance the color)

Preheat the oven to 350 deg. F. Grease three 9-inch round cake pans. Line with parchment paper and grease the paper. Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add the butter and strawberry puree and mix with electric mixer. Beat on medium until light and fluffy. Beat the eggs, milk and vanilla together and add in three increments to dry ingredients, blending well after each addition. Divide among prepared pans.

Bake for 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean. Allow to cool for 10-15 minutes and remove from pans onto wire racks to cool completely.

the frosting

Use the recipe for swiss meringue buttercream found in this post, and add 1/3 cup pureed strawberries at the end.

Once cake layers are completely cool, level off the tops with a serrated knife. Place one layer, cut side down on a cake circle or plate. Add enough frosting to make a decent sized layer and spread. Continue with the next two layers. On the top layer, add the rest of the frosting and spread it on the top and down the sides of the cake. If desired, you can make swirls or designs in the frosting with your metal spatula. Also fresh cut strawberries can be used for decoration.

Enjoy, and take a bite!

a little blogging hiatus...but definitely not a baking one!

It's been a little over a month since my last post...I guess I could blame the BEAUTIFUL Minnesota weather we've been having. I have not stopped baking (when could I ever...) but with the nice weather I have spent more time outside, have been a lot busier at work and have seemed to have something going on every night for a while...apparently I'm reverting to my college days a little quicker than I expected! But, I have made quite a few delicious things for some parties, barbeques and family events that I'll be sharing very soon! I'm travelling for work this week, so I actually have some down time at night and hopefully can get some good recipes shared :)



Way back at the beginning of May I co-planned a bachelorette party for my awesome friend Jenn, who actually got married last Saturday...so needless to say it was another eventful weekend! Anyway, I of course went a wee bit overboard on the treats I brought--cupcakes and cookies and bars and muffins. Uff-da. I guess I just have all these ideas of what I want to bring and can't narrow it down! The cupcakes were cream filled chocolate cupcakes with chocolate swiss meringue buttercream. The cupcakes were moist and had a great chocolate flavor with a suprise of sweet marshmallow-y cream in the middle. The frosting definitely is another winner! I can't seem to make anything else...and just keep finding ways to modify it to fit what I want to make. Definitely great for a girl's night...all we really need is chocolate...and cream :)

Marshmallow Cream Filling

(modified from this recipe)

2 tsp hot water

1/4 tsp salt

1 (7 oz) container marshmallow cream

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/3 cup powdered sugar, sifted

1 tsp vanilla

(I used butter instead of shortening even though it wasn't as bright of white and a little more vanilla)

Dissolve the salt in the water in a medium sized bowl. Add the marshmallow cream, butter, powdered sugar and vanilla and mix on low speed with a hand mixer until combined. Beat on high until light and fluffy.

Chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream

Use the swiss meringue buttercream recipe found here, and add 4 oz melted unsweetened chocolate that has cooled a little to the frosting at the end.

Assembly: While cupcakes are baking, prepare the filling and frosting. After the cupcakes have cooled, place the filling in a pastry bag with a wide circle tip. Poke it into eac cupcake and squeeze until filled. Swirl the buttercream on top, enjoy and take a bite :)

ps...will update later with some pictures...