My empty nest world of scratch baking and chicken scratch
I’ve been making this fudgy brownie recipe for over 25 years. Every now and then I’ll try a new recipe, but I always come back to this one. This moist, dense, fudgy, not too sweet, dark chocolate brownie was named Best Brownie in America for Rosie’s Bakery in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. Top it with a thin coating … Read more
Baking is a science. It is the science of organic chemistry. Unlike cooking, baking requires precision and very careful measuring and mixing, in a specified order, that produces a chemical reaction with the carefully measured ingredients for a certain specific, uniform outcome. There’s no room for adding a little of this and a little of … Read more
A classic Southern cake, the Hummingbird cake is an exceptionally moist banana-pineapple pecan cake topped with cream cheese frosting and toasted pecans. The cake is typically a three-layer cake, however, I like to make it into cupcakes and freeze the extra. The cake is made very much like a carrot cake – dump, mix, and bake. … Read more
This pumpkin spice muffin sports just a little cream cheese in the center and a wonderfully sweet, crunchy crumb topping. Perfect warm out of the oven on a cool fall morning! Prepare Pans: Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 24 muffin tins with cupcake papers and set aside. Filling: Beat the cream cheese, egg, and … Read more
There is no introduction necessary for these amazing Classic Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Velvety Cream Cheese Frosting. Here are the instructions and recipe! Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place cupcake papers in standard size cupcake pans (approximately 30 – 32). (Alternatively: Butter 2 (9-inch) round cake pans. Line with parchment paper, then … Read more
This recipe for Chocolate Cupcakes is sooo tried and true in this house! I have been making these cupcakes for about 25 years and I constantly try new recipes just to make sure there is nothing better out there. So far, this is the recipe that friends and family love the best. Easy to make, no … Read more
For my sister, Sharon, with love. A classic in Texas, the Texas Sheet Cake is a dark, fudgy chocolate buttermilk cake topped with a pour-on fudge frosting and chopped roasted pecans. If you are not a fan of nuts, it is just as good without the nuts. The cake is baked and frosted in one … Read more
Depending on the cultural origin, there are numerous variations and interpretations of tea cakes around the world. In the United States, a tea cake is usually a dense cookie made with butter, sugar, eggs, flour, milk, and flavoring; Petit Fours are also sometimes classified as tea cakes in America. In England (where … Read more
Old-fashioned Gingerbread – dense, aromatic, spicy and moist. Gingerbread is one of those cakes that you can whip up for a quick dessert almost any time because most of the ingredients are stock pantry items. I have several Gingerbread cakes that I like to make, however, I think this recipe is pretty much fool-proof and … Read more
An old-fashioned pound cake from scratch in just a few simple steps. Be sure that the butter and eggs are at room temperature and that you follow the order of the recipe – it’s that easy! You can make this in a tube pan or in a couple of loaf pans, just be sure to … Read more