Hummingbird Cake Recipe

With Christmas quickly approaching, I have been super busy with holiday catering.  I thought I would take a moment to share one of my grandmother's yummy dessert recipes... hummingbird cake.

Start by spraying three round pans with non-stick cooking spray.  Preheat your oven to 350.

Next, mix the following dry ingredients in a bowl.  Stir by hand (do not use a mixer).

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups sugar

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

Once the above ingredients are combined, add the following to your mixture.

1 1/2 cups vegetable oil

3 eggs

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

1 8oz. can crushed pineapple (undrained)

2 cups chopped bananas

1 cup chopped pecans

Mix well by hand.  Pour batter into your waiting pans (split evenly).  Bake for 30 minutes.

For your icing, you will beat the following ingredients together until smooth and spread on baked cakes.

1 8oz. package cream cheese (softened)

1 stick margarine (softened)

1 tsp. vanilla

1 lb. powdered sugar

Stack baked and iced cakes to equal three layers.  Serve and enjoy!

Cheesy Jalepeno Stuffed Baked Chicken Recipe

I have been craving jalapenos lately... crazy I know.  Today for lunch, I made Cheesy Jalepeno Stuffed Baked Chicken.  It was absolutely delicious and definitely hit the spot!

Ingredients:

• 1 jalapeno, chopped (remove seeds for milder taste)
• 3 oz cream cheese, softened
• 4 oz shredded cheese (I used Mexican blend)
• 3-4 chicken breasts
• 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
• Italian seasoning
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• salt and pepper

Preparation:

Wash and dry chicken breasts.  Make a slice through each one, making room for your filling.  Season with salt and pepper.

Preheat your oven to 450.  Lightly spray a baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.

Combine cream cheese, shredded cheese, and jalapenos in a small bowl.  Spread cream cheese mixture into each chicken breast.  Fold chicken breast halves together to close.  

Place breadcrumbs in a bowl and season with Italian seasoning.  Combine lime juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper in a separate bowl.

Dip chicken in lime-oil mixture, then in the breadcrumbs and lay it on your baking dish.  Once you have done this with all of your chicken, brush the remaining lime-oil mixture over your chicken and put your baking dish in the oven.

Bake 20-25 minutes and serve.  I served mine with mashed potatoes.
You can make modifications to suit your family.  I left the jalapenos out of Gia's piece so it wouldn't be too spicy for her.  You could also add scallions and crumbled bacon to your cream cheese mixture if you like.  My family devoured this meal and we will definitely be having it again soon... it was super yummy!

Carrot Cake Recipe

My wonderful hubby turned 38 last week!  I wanted to make him something special to celebrate, so I asked him what sounded good.  His response?  Carrot cake of course!

I really didn't want to do the box cake mix route, so I found a great recipe starting from scratch.  This took a bit longer but is well worth the extra effort.

This recipe is adapted from Homemade By Holman.

Cake:
2 cups sugar
1 1/3 cups canola or vegetable oil
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups flour, plus 1 T
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 cup raisins
1 cup chopped pecans
1 pound shredded carrots
1/2 cup crushed pineapple, drained

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray two 8-inch round cake pans with baking spray.  

Combine sugar, oil, eggs, and vanilla in a mixing bowl and mix on medium speed for about two minutes until light yellow in color.  In a separate bowl, combine flour, soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt and whisk together.  Add to mixing bowl and mix on low speed until just incorporated.  Batter will be pretty thick at this point.  Toss raisins and pecans with remaining one tablespoon of flour.  Fold raisins, pecans, carrots and pineapple into batter until well distributed.   Divide batter evenly among pans and bake about 30 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Cool in pans about ten minutes and then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.  

                                             

Frosting:
1 package cream cheese (I used 1/3 less fat), at room temperature
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
3-4 T milk
1 pound powdered sugar

Combine cream cheese and butter in mixing bowl and beat on medium-high speed about three minutes until light and fluffy.  Add vanilla and first three tablespoons of milk and mix on low to incorporate.  Slowly add powdered sugar, mixing on low until incorporated.  Increase speed and whip about two minutes, adding additional milk if necessary to reach desired consistency.  When cakes are completely cool, spread frosting on top of the first layer making sure it is spread evenly, and top with second layer.  Add a generous amount of frosting to the top of the cake and smooth working out with a spatula to the edges and down the sides of the cake. 

Here is the finished cake... complete with birthday candles!

I made this last minute and walked it out with lit candles exactly at midnight... so I was the first one to wish him a Happy Birthday!  He loved it.  I have to say, this is the yummiest cake I have made to date.  

What is your favorite cake to bake?  

Pumpkin Spice Cake

I come from a family of great cooks.  Only recently have I began to really enjoy cooking for my family though.  I know, it seems a little late... but better late than never I suppose.

My grandmother gave me a pumpkin spice cake recipe while we were talking a few weeks back that I have been dying to try.  I am a self proclaimed pumpkin junkie this time of year and my mouth watered since our conversation.  An added bonus - this is the simplest recipe ever!

All you need is a box of spice cake mix and can of pumpkin.  I had a hard time finding the cake mix, but finally located a box at Walmart.  I chose to make mine in a bundt pan.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and grease your bundt pan.

First, mix your box of spice cake mix and can of pumpkin.  Do not use any of the extras that the normal cake calls for (eggs, oil, water).  Using an electric mixer gets a smoother consistency since it is so thick.

Next, pour your batter into a the bundt pan. Put into the oven and cook for 30 - 40 minutes (depending on your oven).  I checked to make sure my cake was done using a toothpick - it's done when the toothpick comes out clean.

Here is the finished product - a delicious pumpkin spice cake!

Does anyone have any other great pumpkin recipes to share?  Please leave your favorites in the comments.