Sweet Carrot Cake

This recipe from Great Gluten-Free Baking by Louise Blair was originally called Passion Cake Squares, however I just didn’t think that name fit. For one, the cake came out way more like a carrot cake than anything fruity. I don’t know why, but whenever I heard “passion cake” I think more of pineapple and the tropics than carrots. So while there is pineapple in the cake, it’s more as a sweetener than for flavor in my opinion. Continue reading

Coconut Cupcakes

Now that Simon has the wheat-allergy, you’re going to be seeing more gluten-free and wheat-free recipes showing up. The more I read up on this allergy, the more restrictive I realize his diet is going to be. Therefore, I’m turning the entire house into a wheat-free zone and that means all of us are going on this diet. This also means I really need to find adequate substitutes for some of our favorites otherwise Ian and Jesse may start a mutiny. Continue reading

Sugar Free Lemon Meringuesque Cake

When my cousin got married, she had asked me to do a sugar-free cake for her reception. Since it was for a wedding reception, I wanted to do something special so I thought I would attempt a Lemon Meringue style of cake. The cake did come out good, but this recipe definitely needs some work. The cake itself was a little dry, so something needs to be adjusted there. The other thing I’m not happy with is the meringue part. Continue reading

Fiery Chocolate Torte

A while ago, Jesse wanted to take something into work, but he didn’t really know what. I had just gotten the Simple Sweet cookbook from the Pampered Chef, so I had him browse through it. He ended up coming across this recipe and kept coming back to it. I don’t have much of a spice tolerance, so I was iffy on it, but I’ll admit to being curious to see how it would turn out. Continue reading

Chocolate Tiramisu Bites

On the cover of the latest edition of the Pampered Chef Best Season’s Recipe Collection are these mini chocolate tiramisu cakes and they looked really good. So I had to attempt them, but I’m not calling mine “mini cakes”. They are very much bite-sized and easily consumable if you’re not careful. *grin* I generally don’t like adjusting measurements when I first attempt a recipe, but this time I did. The original recipe calls for one tablespoon of water, but while I was mixing the batter, it was so thick and uncooperative, that I added two more tablespoons. Continue reading

Peach Almond Pound Cake

Over the last year, I’ve discovered Tastefully Simple and have been trying a couple of thier products. Their Bayou Bourbon sauce is fantastic on meatballs and their Absolutely Almond Pound cake mix is one I could continuiously eat. However, after awhile, pound cake does begin to loose its appeal – if it’s only pound cake. So I started wondering what would happen if I threw some fruit into the batter. Most desserts that involve pound cake have you put the fruit on top, so why not inside, right? Continue reading

German Chocolate Cake

For my sister’s baby shower, Lori requested a German Chocolate Cake and I’ve been wanting to take a stab at one for awhile. Yes it’s easy to get the box mix and the fabulous chocolate pecan frosting, but yeah, I’m not one to settle for simple. I love layered cakes and I totally wanted to make a layered German Chocolate for her and I think I managed to do one that’s going to work out beautifully. Continue reading