JAMSquared

Category Archives: Baking & Cooking

Raspberry Cheesecake Cupcakes

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My friend Mona is a big Yelper (is that a word?). She enjoys trying out restaurants and writing reviews of them for Yelp. She has written so many reviews that she is a Yelp elitest and gets to go to special Yelp parties. Not that long ago, she posted this photo on Facebook from her review of Hannah, a neighborhood cafe in San Jose.

Mona's Cupcake at Hannah

I was very inspired by this photo and the idea of raspberry cheesecake cupcakes and came up with following recipe. Now, having never been to Hannah, let alone San Jose, I have no clue if they are anything like Hannah’s, but I think they turned out pretty good. I would like to tweak it a bit (see italics for what I would like to do differently). I would also like to try this again with blackberries. My photo clearly does not make the cupcakes look as delicious as the one Mona tried, but I found them delicious. James wasn’t the biggest fan, but I wasn’t surprised since he doesn’t like raspberries. My parents, who were visiting them, liked them.

Raspberry Cheesecake Cupcakes

Raspberry Cheesecake Cupcakes

Source: me

Cheesecake Ingredients:

  • 1 pint raspberries, washed and spun dry (I think two pints would be better, but I only had one)
  • 3/4 cup plus 1-1/2 tablespoons sugar, divided (or 3/4 cup plus 2-1/2 tablespoons if using 2 pints of raspberries)
  • 18 vanilla wafers
  • 2 8-ounce packages cream cheese
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 1 to 1-1/2 tablespoons raspberry liqueur

Frosting Ingredients:

  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 to 1-1/2 tablespoons raspberry liqueur
  • 1 to 2 teaspoons red food coloring, optional (I had planned to use, but forgot)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F.

In small bowl, combine raspberries and 1-1/2 tablespoons sugar; set aside for 30 minutes. (If using 2 pints of raspberries, set aside the choicest 18 raspberries and combine remaining berries with 2-1/2 tablespoons with sugar.) Line muffin pans with paper liners. Place a vanilla wafer, flat side down, in each of the liners.

In mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, remaining sugar, eggs, lemon juice and raspberry liqueur until light and fluffy, approximately 15 minutes. Spoon majority of batter into lined muffin cups. Add 1-2 raspberries per muffin cup (2-3 if using 2 pints), using care to not add any of the excess liquid/syrup from the raspberry bowl. Cover with remaining batter, about 1 tablespoon per muffin cup. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until set. (I would suggest not putting both baking pans in the oven at the same time, especially if one pan is dark and one is light like mine.) Remove to wire racks to cool. Refrigerate overnight.

Just prior to serving, whip frosting ingredients until stiff peaks form (I would like to try adding in the ~2 teaspoons of excess liquid/syrup from the raspberry bowl). Pipe onto cupcakes. (Top with reserved 18 choicest berries.)

Yield: 18 cupcakes

Upside-Down Peach Bread

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I had bookmarked this recipe as soon as I read it. It sounded delicious. I had planned to bake it the first time it was my turn to bring something for MYC, but I couldn’t remember which cookbook (yes, I have a cookbook obsession) I had found the recipe in, so instead it had to wait until the second time I brought something for MYC this past week. It was a smashing success. All the ladies loved it as I received numerous compliments.

Now, when I think of peaches and dessert, I think of my Mom’s peach cobbler. And this recipe is nothing like that, but when I ate it, it still brought back fond memories of summer cobblers. So bring summer a little early to your house this year.

Upside-Down Peach Bread, Yum!

Upside-Down Peach Bread

Source: Country Woman Christmas 2009

Ingredients:

  • 1 package (16 ounces) frozen unsweetened sliced peaches, thawed
  • 1/4 cup butter, melted
  • 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1 1/2 cups chopped pecans, divided
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, divided
  • 3/4 cup butter, softened
  • 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon almond extract
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Thinly slice half of the peaches; chop remaining peaches. Set aside. (I think this step would be easier before thawing the peaches and I will try that next time.)

Pour melted butter into two greased 9-in. x 5-in. loaf pans (I actually melted butter in pans in oven); sprinkle with brown sugar. Arrange peach slices cut side down in a single layer over brown sugar. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup pecans and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon; set aside.

In a large bowl, cream the butter, cream cheese and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and extracts; mix well.

Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and remaining cinnamon; add to creamed mixture. Fold in chopped peaches and remaining pecans.

Transfer batter to prepared pans. Bake at 350°F for 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before inverting onto serving plates. Serve warm (I served the next morning).

Yield: 2 loaves, 12 slices each

Farm Stand Lemonade

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Back when Justin visited in March, I had planned to make this lemonade to go with our chicken fried steak. Timing wise, I didn’t plan very well, so we had it the next day. It was very refreshing. Since I made it a cocktail lemonade, I enjoyed a glass after I put Jessica down for bed while James and Justin enjoyed it with dinner.

Farm Stand Lemonade

Farm Stand Lemonade

Source: Sandra Lee (go here on the Food network site for a printable copy)

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup sugar
  • 4 1/2 cups water, divided
  • 3/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (it took about 6 lemons for me)
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream
  • 4 shots citrus flavored vodka, optional (I used unflavored vodka, since that is what I have)
  • ice cubes
  • 4 lemon slices, optional

Directions:

In a medium saucepan over meadium heat, combine the sugar and 1 cup of the water. Heat until the sugar has just dissolved. Remove from heat and cool the mixture to room temperature (this is where poor planning on my part delayed the lemonade consumption).

In a pitcher, add the lemon juice and room temperature or chilled syrup. Stir in the remaining 3 1/2 cups of cold water and the heavy cream. Add the vodka, if desired. Serve chilled over ice; garnish with lemon slices, if desired.

Yield: 12

On a side note, you might have noticed a new tab, titled “Recipe Index” at the top of our website. It contains a list of all recipes I have posted, organized by category. I will updating this page as I add recipe posts. Do you find this useful?

Dessert for Aspen’s Baptism Party

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You might remember saying I had made dessert for Aspen’s baptism party. Here’s the post about it.

The week before her baptism and party, Aspen had been teething and needing her mama. So Julia took me up on my offer to help with a dessert for the party. I couldn’t completey make up my mind what to make, so I made two desserts.

The first dessert I made was a recipe I had book-marked from the Pioneer Woman. I have enjoyed most everything I tried from her site. The cake was even better a few days later.

Perfect Pound Cake

Perfect Pound Cake

Source: Pioneer Woman (she has a printer-friendly version on her site)

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) butter
  • 3 cups sugar
  • 5 whole eggs
  • 1 teaspoon butter flavoring (I omitted since I didn’t have any)
  • 2 teaspoons lemon extract
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup Sprite, 7-Up, or Sierra Mist (I used 7-Up)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325°F.

Cream butter. Add sugar, 1 cup at a time, mixing after each addition. Add egss, 1 at a time, mixing after each addition. Add butter and lemon extracts and mix well. Add flour, 1 cup at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add soft drink, then mix together until combined. Scrape sides of bow, then mix briefly.

Pour into a greased Bundt pan and bake for 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes, until the cake is no longer jiggly.

Remove cake from oven and invert pan until cake drops out. (I did not wait until it drops out and I had it break, so be patient.) Slice and chow down!

Yield: 12

I felt the second dessert needed to be chocolate flavored, so I browsed my cookbook collection and decided upon these Cookies ‘n’ Cream Brownies.

Cookies 'n' Cream Brownies

Cookies ‘n’ Cream Brownies

Source: Taste of Home Prize Winning Recipes (go here for a printer-friendly version)

Ingredients – Cream Cheese Layer:

  • 1 8-oz. package cream cheese, softened
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Ingredients – Brownie Layer:

  • 1/2 cup butter, melted
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup baking cocoa (I used unsweetened cocoa)
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 12 cream-filled chocolate sandwich cookies, crushed

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 11-in. x 7-in. x 2-in. baking pan (I used a glass baking pan).

In a small mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, sugar, egg and vanilla until smooth; set aside. For brownie layer, combine butter, sugars and cocoa in a large mixing bowl; blend well. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Combine flour and baking powder; stir into the cocoa mixture. Stir in vanilla and cookie crumbs.

Pour into prepared pan. Spoon cream cheese mixture over batter; cut through batter with knife to swirl. Bake at 350°F for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out with moist crumbs. Cool completely.

Yield: 2 dozen

Chicken Fried Steak with Sawmill Gravy

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I have started watching Sandra Lee’s Money Saving Meals. I love how she makes delicious looking food and she tells you how to save money doing it. When Justin visited a few weeks ago, I decided to try out her chicken fried steak with sawmill gravy. Now I’m not a big gravy fan and I would prefer not to slather my food in anything, but THIS GRAVY IS TO DIE FOR. The gravy recipe is true keeper in my book. I also tried her round 2 recipe, cheddar biscuits and gravy, but I wasn’t the biggest fan. The biscuits seemed a little dry. Of course, I cheated and heated up the gravy in the microwave so maybe that made a difference.

Chicken Fried Steak with Sawmill Gravy

Chicken Fried Steak

Source: Sandra Lee

Ingredients:

  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup cornmeal
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/2 cayenne pepper
  • salt and freshly cracked black pepper
  • 4 cube steaks, about 1 to 1.25 pounds
  • 1/2 cup canola oil

Directions:

In a pie pan, whisk together the egg and milk. In a second pie pan, combine the flour, cornmeal, paprika, and cayenne, salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste.

Season the beef with salt and pepper and dredge the steaks in the flour mixture. Shake off any excess, then submerge them in the milk and egg. Dredge them again in the flour mixture. Make sure both sides are well coated with the egg mixture before dredging them for the second time. Dust off the excess flour and set aside.

Heat the oil in a deep skillet (I used my cast-iron skillet) over medium high heat. Add the steaks and fry until their coatings become golden brown and crisp, about 3 to 5 minutes. Remove them to a plate lined with a brown paper bag or paper towels to drain. Arrange them on servings plates and serve with the Sawmill Gravy.

Yield: 4

Sawmill Gravy

Source: Sandra Lee

Ingredients:

  • 12 ounces breakfast sausage, small diced (patties maybe used and broken into small pieces) – I used 16 ounces ground sausage and would recommend using only 12 ounces but I didn’t know what else I would do with the 1/4 pound of sausage leftover from the package.
  • 3 tablespoons canola oil
  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups milk
  • 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped
  • salt and freshly cracked black pepper

Directions:

Brown the sausage in a cast iron or heavy-bottomed skillet, over medium heat. When fully cooked, remove the sausage from the pan and set aside.

In the same pan, over low heat, add the canola oil. Whisk in the flour and cook, constantly stirring, until the flour turns a pale golden color, about 5 minutes. Slowly whisk in the milk and thyme and bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the gravy has thickened, about 5 to 10 minutes. Return the reserved sausage to the skillet and season with salt and a generous amount of black pepper. Serve alongside the Chicken Fried Steak.

Yield: 4 + (I reserved 1 cup for the Cheddar Biscuits and Gravy)