Butter makes it better
I’m not as fanatical about pumpkin spice as some people are, but there’s something irresistible about this pumpkin swirl bread. It’s rich and moist, but the pumpkin spice gives it a little frisson of excitement. Whether you eat this for breakfast, lunch, or dessert, you …
I’m back! Sorry for the break, but it’s amazing what a trip to Disneyland and a work-intensive Halloween costume can do to derail a blog. Luckily, we ate well enough that I didn’t miss Buttery Basics too much! But after that Disneyland trip, I could …
Sometimes, delectable finger foods are born out of necessity. These bacon wrapped apples were born out of the necessity to clean out the fridge before going on vacation. Yet, now that I’ve made these, they might be my go-to party food. They’re perfect served hot or cold, tempting for picky eaters, and take very little effort. Something about the rich bacon wrapped around a sweet apple and topped with a sharp cheddar cheese is just gorgeous (insert Italian chef finger-kiss here.)
Note: I find it easiest to bake these on a silicone baking sheet. I bought these sheets from Amazon. Pretty much nothing sticks to them, and cleanup is super easy. (This isn’t sponsored or anything; these just make my life a lot easier!)
First, slice your apples into wedges. Wrap each slice in bacon, being sure to fold the ends underneath the slices. Bake at 400 F for 20-25 minutes, or until the bacon is done.
Allow the apples to cool for 10 minutes before putting a small square of cheese on top and impaling with a toothpick. Serve your bacon wrapped apples warm or cold. Enjoy!
Shrimp and grits is kind of the quintessential Southern dish. You have your fresh seafood, your grits, and everything is cooked in bacon fat and slathered with butter (YUM). It’s a gorgeous mix between rich flavors of all kinds. I usually associate those kinds of …
It’s only after having this blog for a few months that I’ve realized what a ridiculous sweet tooth I have. I keep wanting to make desserts, and not veggies at all. But, even for me, these savory honey glazed carrots hit the spot. They’re still …
It was my birthday last week! So of course I had to make a decadent, scrumptious explosion of a cake. It might sound sad to make your own birthday cake, but I really wanted to go all out. Hence this chocolate raspberry explosion cake. It’s chocolate cake, covered in chocolate frosting and fresh raspberries, with *gasp* a HIDDEN LAYER of raspberry swirl cheesecake. My birthday was the bomb, mainly because of this cake.
I have to admit, I got the idea for this chocolate raspberry explosion cake from the opening credits of The Great British Bake-off. The credits end over gorgeous raspberries being placed into the thick ganache atop a cake. It’s still one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen (both the show and the cake).
A few notes: the chocolate sponge itself is insanely forgiving. You can use cake flour or regular flour. You can use olive oil, coconut oil, or butter. It’s hard to mess this cake up. The part of this that took the longest was frosting the cake, and that’s just because I’m a closet perfectionist (and don’t have frosting tools, oops). You will do beautifully. Enjoy!
For the cake:
For the cheesecake’s raspberry swirl:
For the cheesecake:
For the frosting/decorations:
First, make the cake. Begin by sifting together all of the dry ingredients in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs, oil, buttermilk, and vanilla until combined. Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients until fully incorporated. At this point, add the hot water and mix. (Your batter might look too wet, but it’s supposed to look that way.)
Butter and flour two 9-inch cake pans, and fill each halfway with the batter. Bake at 350 F for 24-26 minutes. Set aside to cool.
While the cake is cooling, go ahead and start on your cheesecake, starting with the raspberry swirl. Combine the swirl ingredients over medium heat and cook until they begin to break down (about 10 minutes). Smush with a spoon and remove from the heat.
Mix the other cheesecake ingredients in a large bowl until combined. Set aside. Prepare a springform pan by greasing the bottom and sides, and lining with parchment paper. Pour in the cheesecake mixture. Pour the raspberry swirl on top, and swirl together with a butter knife.
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Place your springform pan on a large sheet pan, place the sheet pan in the oven, and then pour in enough water to fill the sheet pan halfway. Bake for 40 minutes, or until the cake barely jiggles. Allow to cool in the fridge for at least an hour.
Frosting time! Beat the butter in a medium bowl until smooth (for about a minute). Add the other frosting ingredients, and beat for 3 more minutes. Add powdered sugar if too thin, or more cream if too thick.
Now it’s time to assemble and frost the cake. Arrange one layer of the chocolate cake on your cake stand or platter. Add the layer of cheesecake on top, followed by your other chocolate layer. Frost liberally with your chocolate frosting, and add a layer of raspberries on top. Now you should understand why it’s called a chocolate raspberry explosion cake; I don’t think I could cram in any more of either flavor if I tried. Enjoy!
Dried herbs are a major part of my cooking. I’ve been growing herbs all summer, because they smell good and I needed some plant babies. Now that it’s growing cooler outside, it’s time to dry herbs and put them away for the winter. Don’t worry, …
This chunky tomato basil soup is the perfect fall soup. It’s kind of the epitome of cozy. Cam was sick this week, so we ate this soup for dinner pretty much all week, curled up in blankets and watching old movies. This chunky tomato basil …
These chocolate chunk bars are an ideal snack. You can tell yourself they’re healthy, because they have fiber and fruit and aren’t some processed junk you got from a vending machine. Yet, at the same time, there’s CHOCOLATE. . . and peanut butter and honey and other yummy things, if you’re into that. Quick breakfast on your way out the door? Grab a chocolate chunk bar. After-school snack? Chunk bar. Your friends or family invited you to an absurdly late dinner and you need something to tide you over? Chocolate chunk bars.
If you’d like to make them more healthy, you can even *gasp* leave the chocolate out. At that point, they would still be a delicious homemade granola bar. So basically, this recipe is for everyone who has ever been hangry. Enjoy!
Melt your peanut butter and honey together in a large pot. Remove from heat, add the oats, and stir until well combined. (You may have to add slightly more honey, depending on the size of your oats.)
When your mixture is combined, add your dried fruit/nuts to the mix. Finally, add your chocolate chips. They may begin to melt, which is just fine. Spread the bar mix into a 9″ x 9″ pan, and allow to set in the fridge for at least an hour. Slice into squares. Enjoy with a napkin and a tall glass of milk.
