7-up Pound Cake

Okay as I looked at this, it sounded as if I was going to be attached by sugar fairy and also the cake will taste horrible as it has pop in it.  But to my amazement this is the most fluffiest, softest, tasted incredible and oh I can go on and on...delicious !

This will be my next favorite pound cake recipe.  Thank you to here for posting this wonderful recipe.

This recipe I halved it and made just one loaf size.

1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup shortening ( I used 1/2 cup butter)
2 cup sugar
5 large eggs, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp lemon or orange zest
3 cups all purpose flour, sifted
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
1 cup 7-up soda

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Generously grease a bundt pan or 2 ( 8in) cake pan

In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar till fluffy.

Add eggs one at a time.  Add in the zest and vanilla and salt.

Slowly add the flour, mix lightly,  Now add the 7-up and heavy cream,  Beat till everything is well combined and fluffy.

Bake for about 1 hour and test with skewer and if it comes out clean, remove to a cooling rack.

Once it cools slighty remove cake from pan and let cool completely.

8th Birthday

My son's 8th birthday was a blast.  We had it in Chuck E Cheese and all he wanted was a Captain America cake.  Oh I was thinking of just ordering the cake when the baker told me she cannot specifically make a shield cake so mommy had to do something about it.

When searching on pinterest and came upon some wonderful ideas.  Well I did it, I made my son's day by doing what he requested.  Its a simple here  cake with buttercream frosting. Simply loved it and it kept moist even after 2 days in the fridge.

We even had our Elf friend visit us for the birthday dressed up as Captain America.

And I also made cupcakes

Chicken and Kale Soup

I made this wonderful soup today. Well, this sounds like your regular soup but with a hint of cumin and ginger.  The flavors really come together well in this dish.  I also added some dirty rice in it.

Ingredients

Chicken breast, cubed
Carrot, cubed
Kale
Zuchini, cubed
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
Ginger
Onion, cubed
Garlic, minced
Chicken broth
Salt and pepper

Directions

Marinate the chicken cube with chili powder, salt and pepper.

In a pot add olive oil and saute ginger, garlic and onion.  Add the marinated chicken.  Cook till slightly browned.  Add the carrots, kale, zuchini and cumin.  Stir for a bit and add the chicken broth and dirty rice.

Add seasoning according to taste and let cook until rice and vegetable soften.

Pumpkin Bread

For the love of pumpkin and its almost Thanksgiving..what more can I ask for other than Pumpkin bread and Pumpkin Pie.  I decided to make the pumpkin bread today and my oh my this is a keeper recipe.  Its so easy to put together since its a one bowl mix.

The bread is so moist and the aroma of the spices simply filled the air in the house. I think I better get on with the recipe and go cut a slice of the pumpkin bread for me to munch on....

Ingredients

1 can pumpkin puree (15 oz)
4 egg
1 cup Vegetable oil ( or 1/2 cup butter, melted and 1/2 cup oil)
2/3 cup water
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
3 1/2 cup flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon powder
1 tsp nutmeg powder
1/2 tsp cloves, optional
1/4 tsp ginger powder
1 tsp pumpkin spice, optional ( if you have it might as well use it)

Method

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix flour, spices, salt, baking powder and baking soda in a bowl.

In another big bowl, beat the eggs and sugar.  Add pumpkin puree, oil, water,and beat till just combined.  Add slowly the dry ingredients and mix until combined.

Prepare 3 loaf pan,  Bake for 45 minutes or until skewer comes out clean when inserted.

19th birthday cake

Today is my daughters birthday and she turned 19.  Wow how fast time has flew.  I can still remember the day she was born.  I was thinking of what cake I should make for her and finally decided to do a vanilla lemon cheesecake in the middle.  I just loved how the cheesecake with a hint of lemon rind complimented the vanilla cake with whipped cream frosting.

CHEESECAKE LAYER:

Two 8-ounce packages cream cheese, at room temperature
2/3 cup granulated white sugar
1/4 tsp of salt
2 egg
1/3 cup sour cream
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cake

2 cups All Purpose flour
2 cup granulated white sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
1/4 cup freshly
 squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup lemon-lime soda (Sprite or 7-Up)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS:

1. Prepare the cheesecake layer: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Place a 13x9 pan on the lower third rack of the oven and fill it halfway with water. Place another rack on a level above the pan. Spray a 9-inch springform pan with nonstick spray. 

2. In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to blend the cream cheese until it is smooth and creamy, 1 to 2 minutes. Mix in the sugar and salt and blend for 2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl to make sure all is mixed in. Add the eggs, one at a time, blending after each addition. Finally, mix in the sour cream, whipping cream and vanilla. Mix until smooth. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Set the pan on the rack above the roasting pan. Bake the cheesecake for 40 to 45 minutes. It should be set to the touch and not jiggly. Remove the cheesecake from the oven and let it cool on a wire rack for at least an hour. When it has cooled, place the pan into the freezer and let the cheesecake freeze completely (4 to 5 hours or overnight).

3.  Prepare the cake layers: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F, and spray two 9-inch pans with nonstick spray with flour (Baking Spray). In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add the eggs, 
buttermilk, butter, shortening, zest, and juice to the bowl. Use an electric mixer on low speed to combine (1 minute).
 Scrape sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Beat on high speed 2 minutes. Add the soda and vanilla and beat on low speed for 30 seconds until incorporated. Divide the batter between the two prepared pans. Bake 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached. Let the pans cool on a wire rack for about 20 minutes, then run a knife around the edges of the pans and turn the cake layers onto rack to cool completely.

4.  Prepare the frosting: In a large bowl, use an electric mixer on high speed to beat the cream cheese and butter until creamy. Gradually add the powdered sugar, beating on low speed until blended. Scrape down the bowl with a rubber spatula. Add the lemon zest and 1/4 cup lemon juice; beat on high speed for 1 to 2 minutes or until fluffy. If the frosting appears to be too thick, add an additional tablespoon or two until you get a nice consistency. Cover and refrigerate the frosting until you are ready to assemble the cake (it will firm up a bit up

5.  Assemble the cake: Place one cake layer into the center of a cake plate or platter. Spread a couple of spoonfuls of frosting on top. Remove the cheesecake from the freezer, take off the sides of the pan, and slide a knife under the the cheesecake to release it from the pan. Trim the cheesecake, as needed to match the size of your cake layers (see *Tips). Place the cheesecake layer on top of the first cake layer and spread a couple more teaspoons of frosting on top of the cheesecake. Place the second cake layer on top of the cheesecake. Pile the frosting on top of the 2nd cake layer, spread it to the edges and down the sides of the cake. Decorate as you wish! 

One Bowl Fluffy Chocolate Cupcake

Oh my goodness I am going crazy over this cupcake.  These are so fluffy and moist.  Even after 2 days the flavor was intense and tasty.  I topped it up with tangy cream cheese frosting.  Adding the greek yogurt gives the cake the moist and fat that it needs to make it super fluffy.

This is going to be my next favorite cupcake as it only uses one bowl...clean up is a brisk.

Ingredients

1½ cups granulated sugar
1 cup all purpose flour
½ cup cake flour
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1½ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
4 eggs
1 cup greek yogurt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract


Method

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Place the first 7 (dry) ingredients in a large mixing bowl and stir to combine.
Mix in the butter on low speed, until the mixture resembles moist crumbs.
Stir in the eggs, greek yogurt and vanilla, scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl to be sure all the ingredients are well-combined.
Fill lined cupcake wells just over half full (approx. ¼ cup of batter).
Bake for 15 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean or with moist crumbs.
Cool completely before frosting.