Strawberry Napoleons

Fancy. Easy. Delicious. What more could you ask for from a recipe?

Ingredients

• 1 sheet frozen puff pastry
• 1 3.4 oz package instant vanilla pudding
• 1 cup milk
• 1 tsp almond extract
• 1 cup Cool Whip
• 2 cups sliced strawberries

Directions

1. Thaw puff pastry for 20 minutes.  Heat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Open sheet of puff pastry and cut along folds. The halve each strip, making six rectangles.
3. Bake 15 minutes. Cool on cooling rack.
4. Whisk pudding mix, milk, and almond extract for two minutes.
5. Fold in Cool Whip and mix thoroughly. Cover and refrigerate.
6. Split each puff pastry in half.  Cover bottom half with pudding mixture then strawberries. Cover with pastry tops, a dollop of of pudding mix, and two strawberry slices.
7. Enjoy!

The Ultimate Cake Ball

Cake balls are pretty much heaven in your mouth.  They're easy to make and easy to eat in one sitting.  The key is the proportion of cake to icing, as well as the chocolate used for coating.

Ingredients

• Cake mix of your choice
• Icing
• Nestle white and semi-sweet chocolate chips
• Crisco

Directions

1. Bake cake according to directions
2. Immediately after baking, use a fork to mash up the cake into crumbs.  Transfer to large container with a lid. I typically leave the corners of the cake out, as they are harder and do not form crumbs as easily.
3. Mix a whole can of icing in with the cake, making sure to mix completely. I found it's easier to use an icing that is a different color than the cake so you know when it's completely mixed in.
4. Refrigerate 2 hours.
5. Roll into balls about an inch in diameter.  Place on waxed paper covered cookie sheet.
6. Freeze at least 3 hours, or overnight.
7. Mix two cups of chocolate chips with 2 Tbsp of Crisco in microwave safe bowl.  Microwave until melted, stirring every 25-30 seconds to prevent burning.  The Crisco ensures the chocolate hardens in a reasonable amount of time.
8. Using a fork, dip cake into chocolate until coated.  Tap on side of bowl to remove any excess.  Continue until all cake balls are covered.
9. Decorate using leftover chocolate and a gel food coloring as desired.

My personal favorite cake/icing combination is Duncan Hines Red Velvet cake with Cream Cheese frosting. YUM.

S'mores and Campfire Cupcakes

I volunteered to provide desserts for an event for incoming freshmen girls.  I wanted to make something cute and school spirited, so I came up with these, which also gave me a good reason to use my new kitchen torch.  The cupcake on the left is a chocolate cupcake with toasted marshmallow frosting.  The one of the right is a vanilla cupcake with vanilla icing.

Chocolate Cupcakes (makes 12-14 cupcakes)

• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 1 cup boiling water
• 1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla

Marshmallow Frosting

• 2 egg whites
• 1 cup sugar
• 6 Tbsp water
• 1 Tbsp light corn syrup
• 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 cup mini marshmallows

Vanilla Cupcakes

• 1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup milk

Vanilla Frosting

• I cheated and used a Duncan Hines Vanilla Frosting here, but use any recipe you have and like.

Toppings

• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 tsp Crisco
• Graham crackers
• Pretzel sticks

Directions

1. CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES: Preheat oven to 375. Mix together boiling water and cocoa powder.  Allow to cool to room temperature.  Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add eggs.  Beat in vanilla extract.  Add flour, baking powder, and salt.  Add cooled cocoa mixture.  Stir until smooth.  Fill cupcake liners and bake 16-20 minutes.
2. VANILLA CUPCAKES: Follow #1 minus cocoa powder mixture, and add milk at the end.
3. MARSHMALLOW FROSTING: Combine egg whites, sugar, water, corn syrup, cream of tartar, and salt. Heat in microwave until warm, stirring occasionally (I did 3-15 second intervals).  Beat on medium-high for 2 minutes.  In a separate bowl, microwave marshmallows for 45 seconds.  Add marshmallows and vanilla to egg white mixture.  Beat on low 3-4 minutes.  Use immediately. 
4. Color a large portion of the vanilla frosting using green food coloring.  Color remaining using red and yellow until you reach desired orange color.
5. Pipe marshmallow frosting onto chocolate cupcakes.  Using a kitchen torch about 2 inches from the frosting to brown the top.  Be careful not to burn it!
6. Add green frosting to vanilla cupcakes using desired technique.
7. CHOCOLATE TOPPERS: Microwave chocolate chips and Crisco until melted.  Mix together.  Line a baking sheet with waxed paper.  I placed stencils under the waxed paper.  Use a small round tip to pipe chocolate onto sheet in desired shape.  Allow to harden.
8. Add chocolate toppers and a small piece of graham cracker to the top of the chocolate cupcakes
9. Break pretzel sticks in half and place about 5-6 halves on the green icing on the vanilla cupcakes.  Pipe orange frosting onto pretzels to look like flames.

The graham crackers and pretzels got a little soft in the frosting, so I recommend baking them for about 5 minutes at 350 before adding them to the cupcakes.  I also wasn't a huge fan of this vanilla cupcake recipe, I'm still searching for a good one!

Enjoy!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Filled Cupcakes

Due to work, I spent my birthday away from my family this year.  But I wasn't about to have a birthday without a cake.  A friend of mine came over and we baked these wonderful cupcakes.  Seriously, these are possibly the best cupcakes I've ever had in my life.  Just some advice, I recommend baking these with the windows open... the smell of this much peanut butter can be a little overwhelming.

Cupcakes

• I cheated here and used a Duncan Hines Devil's Food cake mix, but you can replace this with any recipe you might have for chocolate cupcakes

Filling

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1 cup graham cracker crumbs
• 1 cup powdered sugar

Peanut Butter Buttercream Frosting

• 1 cup butter, room temperature
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 3 Tbsp milk

Directions

1. Bake cupcakes according to recipe directions.  Allow to cool.
2. Use a paring knife to remove a hole in the center of the cupcake.
3. FILLING: microwave peanut butter and butter for 45 seconds.  Mix in graham cracker crumbs and powdered sugar.  Refrigerate 20-30 minutes.
4. Roll approximately 1 Tbsp of filling into a ball and place in the hold of each cupcake.
5. FROSTING: Beat butter and vanilla until light and fluffy.  Add peanut butter and mix until combined.  Add powdered sugar one cup at a time.  Mix in milk.
6. Frost filled cupcakes using an icing tip of your choice.

I also added miniature Reese's to the top that I frosted with the peanut butter buttercream frosting for decoration.  YUM.  Will definitely be making these again!

Cheesecake Brownies

The only way to describe these is "delicious."  My roommates and I ate a whole pan in three days. The brownies would be equally good by themselves. This is a must keep recipe.

Brownies

• 3/4 cup butter
• 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup all-purpose flour

Cheesecake

• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 egg

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Grease a 13x9 for thinner brownies or a 9x9 for thicker brownies.
3. Heat butter in saucepan until melted.
4. Remove from heat and stir in cocoa and sugar.
5. Beat in eggs.
6. Add flour and mix evenly.
7. Poor batter into pan.
8. In a separate bowl, beat ricotta, sugar, and egg.
9. Drop teaspoon fulls into brownie batter.
10. Using a spatula or knife, lightly swirl the mixtures together.
11. Baking 35-40 minutes for a 13x9 and slightly longer for a 9x9 pan.  Brownies should be just firm to the touch.
12. Let cool and enjoy!

Strawberry Vanilla Cupcakes

I've been experimenting with making cupcakes from scratch lately.  I figure I'll conquer the actual cupcake, then go on to icing, toppings, etc, so for now I am still using store bought icing.  My chocolate cupcakes are great, but I am struggling a bit to develop a good vanilla cupcake recipe.  The flavor of these was good, but they turned out a little dry.  I think they main issue was that I over-baked them, so I may try them again at some point.

Ingredients

• 8 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups self-rising flour
• Duncan Hines Frosting Creations Strawberry Shortcake frosting
• fresh strawberries, sliced

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375.  Line cupcake trays with paper liners
2. Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
3. Add vanilla extract
4. Beat in eggs one at a time
5. Fold flour into mixture
6. Spoon into cupcake trays and bake 12-15 minutes
7. Allow to cool
8. Mix frosting per directions on can and frost cupcakes
9. Add two slices of fresh strawberries to each cupcake

Pineapple Upside Down Cupcakes

This past weekend, I went to a housewarming party for a few of my friends.  My roommate and I were asked to supply a dessert.  Obviously this was perfect for me.  We immediately thought of taking cupcakes, but what kind? There are so many options!  While browsing the baking aisle at Kroger, my roommate and I came across a boxed cake with a picture of pineapple upside down cake on the front.  We immediately decided we wanted to make pineapple upside down cupcakes.  We combined three recipes and added a touch of our own and came up with delicious and moist cupcakes.  We even had some leftover batter so we made a small cake to keep for ourselves.

Ingredients

Topping

• 2 cans pineapple slices in pineapple juice (not heavy syrup)
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) margarine or butter
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 24 Maraschino cherries

Cake

• 1 box Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe Pineapple Supreme Cake Mix
• 1 (3.4 oz) package vanilla instant pudding mix
• 4 large eggs
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup pineapple juice, from pineapples used for topping

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Spray cupcake pan with nonstick spray. Do not use paper liners!
3. Melt butter in a microwave safe bowl.  Add brown sugar until fully mixed. Scoop evenly into bottom of cupcake pans.
4. Cut pineapple slices into thirds.  Place two of the thirds around outside of the bottom of each cup. Place a Maraschino cherry in the center of the pineapple.
5. Mix ingredients for cake as directed on the box, substituting pineapple juice for water and adding the pudding mix.
6. Pour cake on top of pineapple and cherries. Be careful not to fill the cups too much.  Each should be filled almost to the surface.
7. Bake 18-20 minutes or until cupcakes are cooked (we baked ours a few minutes longer)
8. Allow to cool in trays for approximately 5 minutes.  Then, run a knife around each cupcake.  Invert onto cooling racks and allow to cool completely.
9. Enjoy!

Hope you enjoy!

Welcome!

Welcome to High Degree!

I'm starting this blog to keep track of everything I bake (and I bake A LOT).  I am a recent graduate of the University of Louisville (Go Cards!) and am currently pursuing my Masters of Engineering in Bioengineering, also at the University of Louisville.  But my real passion is in baking.  There is rarely a time where there is not a home baked item in our kitchen, and my roommates fully support this.  This blog is all about making a mess in the kitchen, experimenting, and not doing everything by the book.