Category: Cake

Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll Cakes

Posted on by Mari Vasseur

Summer was such a happy season for me as a child that I didn’t want it to end. I still love summer, but now that I’m an adult, I begin to anticipate fall right around the time when I’m tired of harsh, hot temperatures, rumbling air conditioners and flies buzzing around at cookouts. Now is that time for me. It’s so hot where I live right now, that I’m welcoming the cool, crisp fall weather and all it brings.

The beautiful warm flavors of fall are perfectly captured in these Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll Cakes. The moist, perfectly spiced cakes are topped with a cinnamon swirl which is basically cinnamon roll filling. I topped them with Vanilla Bean Icing, but you can also make it cream cheese icing by swapping out 1 tablespoon of the melted butter for 1 tablespoon of softened cream cheese, if you prefer. The optional addition of meringue powder helps the icing set up and gives it that crunch we love on glazed donuts. To find meringue powder, click here.

I used a shallow jumbo muffin pan to make these cakes. The muffin cups are 4 inches wide and 1 inch deep. A hamburger bun pan for 4-inch buns or six 4-inch cake pans will also work. To find the pan I used, click here.

Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll Cakes

Moist pumpkin cakes with cinnamon swirls and vanilla bean icing
Print Recipe
Course Breakfast, Brunch, Dessert
Servings 6 4-inch cakes

Ingredients
  

Pumpkin Cakes

  • 1 cup (4 1/2 oz or 128g) all purpose flour, sifted
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon ground ginger
  • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg preferably freshly ground
  • 1 cup (7 oz or 200g) sugar
  • ⅔ cup (4 5/8 oz or 145ml) vegetable oil or neutral oil of your choice
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 cup (8 1/4 oz or 234g) pure pumpkin purée (not pumpkin pie filling)

Cinnamon Swirl

  • ½ cup (3 1/2 oz or 100g) packed brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
  • 2 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • pinch fine sea salt
  • ¼ cup (2 oz or 57g) unsalted butter, melted

Vanilla Bean Icing

  • 2 tablespoons (1 oz or 28g) unsalted butter, melted
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste
  • ½ cup (2 1/8 oz or 60g) powdered sugar
  • ½ teaspoon meringue powder optional
  • pinch fine sea salt
  • 2-3 tablespoons (30-45ml) whole milk

Instructions
 

Pumpkin Cakes

  • Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Line a 6-serving shallow jumbo muffin pan with jumbo muffin liners.* (The liners will fit by pressing them in around the inside bottom edges.) The muffin pan I used has cups that are 4-inches across by 1-inch deep. A hamburger bun pan for 4-inch buns or six 4-inch cake pans will also work.
  • In a medium-size bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg until well combined.
  • In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla until smooth and well combined. Mix in the pumpkin purée. Stir in the flour in two additions, just until combined.
  • Transfer the batter to the muffin cups, evenly dividing the batter among the cups. Pipe the cinnamon swirl mixture in a spiral on the top of the batter of each one.
  • Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake part comes out clean, about 23-27 minutes. Let the cakes cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack.

Cinnamon Swirl

  • In a small bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon and salt. Add the melted butter and whisk until well combined.
  • Transfer the mixture to a piping bag fitted with a 1/4-inch wide round tip.

Vanilla Bean Icing

  • In a small bowl, whisk together the butter, vanilla bean paste, powdered sugar, meringue powder, salt and 1 tablespoon (15ml) of milk until well combined. Whisk in more milk as needed to reach your desired consistency.
  • Brush the icing on the cooled cakes with a small pastry brush or make the icing a little thinner and drizzle the icing on if you prefer.

Notes

*To find jumbo muffin liners, click here.
To find the baking pan I used, click here.
To find 4-inch cake pans, click here.
To find meringue powder click here.
Keyword cake, pumpkin cinnamon roll

Blueberry Lemon Crumb Cakes

Posted on by Mari Vasseur
Blueberry Lemon Crumb Cakes

The texture and flavor of these cute Blueberry Lemon Crumb Cakes is immaculate. You’ll love them so much, you won’t want to share, but this recipe makes six 4-inch personal crumb cakes, so you’ll have one all to yourself. You’ll understand once you taste the soft, fluffy lemon scented cake with juicy blueberries, a generous amount of sweet crumb topping and a lemony cream cheese icing. I was a bit hesitant to share this recipe. But I was taught to share recipes by my two grandmothers who were amazing cooks and bakers. They shared their knowledge and recipes with anyone who asked. Recipes are a legacy that should be passed on to family and friends. If you’re reading this, I consider you a friend. So enjoy this recipe that’s especially dear to me, because it’s based on my Grandma’s Apple Crumb Cake recipe.

I used a six serving shallow jumbo muffin pan to bake the cakes. The muffin cups are 4 inches across by 1 inch deep. To find the pan, click here. A hamburger bun pan for 4-inch buns will work too. If you happen to have six 4-inch cake pans, those work nicely. I used jumbo muffin liners to line the muffin cups, which fit perfectly by pressing them in around the inside bottom edges.

Blueberry Lemon Crumb Cakes

Fluffy, soft lemon cakes with blueberries, crumb topping and lemon cream cheese icing
Print Recipe
Course Breakfast, Brunch, Dessert
Servings 6 4-inch crumb cakes

Ingredients
  

Crumb Topping

  • ¾ cup (96g) all purpose flour
  • ⅓ cup (66g) granulated sugar
  • 2 tablespoons (25g) packed brown sugar
  • ⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 4 ½ tablespoons (64g) cold, unsalted butter, cubed

Crumb Cakes

  • 1 ¼ cups (159g) all purpose flour, sifted
  • 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
  • ⅜ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 6 tablespoons (85g) unsalted butter, softened
  • ¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar
  • Zest of two medium lemons
  • 1 large egg, room temperature
  • 1 large egg yolk, room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • ½ teaspoon pure lemon extract
  • ⅓ cup (78ml) whole milk, room temperature
  • ¼ cup (57g) sour cream, room temperature
  • 1 cup (170g) blueberries
  • 1 teaspoon all purpose flour for blueberries

Cream Cheese Icing

  • 1 tablespoon (14g) cream cheese, softened
  • 1 tablespoon (14g) unsalted butter, melted
  • ¾ cup (85g) powdered sugar, sifted
  • 1 pinch fine sea salt
  • 2-3 tablespoons (30-45ml) fresh lemon juice

Instructions
 

Crumb Topping

  • In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, brown sugar and salt together.
  • Work in the butter with your fingertips until the mixture looks like the consistency of wet sand. Press the mixture together to make chunks. Set aside in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Crumb Cakes

  • Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Line a 6-serving shallow jumbo muffin pan* with jumbo muffin liners.** Jumbo muffin liners will fit by pressing them around the inside bottom edges.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.
  • In a large bowl, cream the butter, sugar and lemon zest with an electric mixer on medium speed, until light and fluffy.
  • Beat the egg and egg yolk into the butter mixture in 2 separate additions, making sure each addition is incorporated before adding the next. Beat in the extracts until combined.
  • In a small bowl, whisk the milk and sour cream together.
  • On low speed, mix the flour mixture into the batter in 2 additions alternating with half of the milk mixture after each addition. Beat just until combined.
  • Transfer the batter to the prepared baking pan, evenly distributing the batter and filling the cups about half full.
  • In a medium bowl, toss the blueberries with 1 teaspoon of flour and place them into the cups on top of the batter, about 1 ounce (28g) in each. Top each one with crumb topping.
  • Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean, about 25-30 minutes. Let the cakes cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Cream Cheese Icing

  • In a medium bowl, whisk together the cream cheese, melted butter, powdered sugar, salt and 1 tablespoon (30ml) of lemon juice. Add additional lemon juice, a little at a time until your desired consistency is reached. Drizzle over the cooled cakes.

Notes

*To find the muffin pan I used, click here.
**To find jumbo muffin liners, click here. To find 4-inch cake pans, click here.
Keyword blueberry lemon, cake

Pineapple Coconut Cake Bars

Posted on by Mari Vasseur
Pineapple Coconut Cake

If you like tropical flavors, you’ll love this spring dessert from my childhood. We used to call it Pineapple Coconut Snack Cake, but I would consider it more of a cake bar, so I changed the name to Pineapple Coconut Cake Bars. We would typically enjoy it on Easter or Mother’s Day because it was my mom’s favorite. It’s buttery, moist and rich. It’s also kind of addicting, because everyone always asks for seconds. You can double the recipe if you need to.

 

Pineapple Coconut Cake Bars

by Mari Vasseur
Soft, ultra-moist pineapple cake topped with a buttery toasted coconut topping
Print Recipe
Course Dessert
Servings 9

Ingredients
  

Cake

  • 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (142g ) all purpose flour, sifted
  • 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • ¼ cup (57g) unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 cup (200g) sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 1 8 oz (227g) can crushed pineapple in juice, undrained
  • ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Topping

  • ¼ cup (57g) unsalted butter
  • ¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar
  • ¼ cup (50g) packed brown sugar
  • ⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • ⅓ cup (78ml) heavy cream
  • 1 cup (75g) sweetened coconut flakes
  • ½ cup (50g) chopped toasted pecans
  • ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Instructions
 

Cake

  • Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Grease an 8-inch square baking pan.
  • In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt until well blended.
  • In a large bowl, whisk the melted butter, sugar, egg, egg yolk and vanilla until smooth & creamy. tir in the pineapple until incorporated. Stir in the flour mixture just until combined.
  • Transfer the batter to the prepared baking pan. Bake until the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean, about 20-25 minutes.

Topping

  • In a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter with the granulated sugar, brown sugar and salt. Whisk in the heavy cream.
  • When the mixture starts to bubble, turn the heat down to low and simmer until thickened, about 3 minutes.
  • Remove from heat and stir in the coconut, pecans and vanilla. Spread over the warm cake. Let cool at least 15 minutes before cutting the cake.
Keyword cake, pineapple coconut

Grandma’s Apple Crumb Cake

Posted on by Mari Vasseur
Grandma's Apple Crumb Cake

I remember my grandma making coffee cakes and sweet muffins for breakfast, along with eggs, sausages, hot coffee and a big pitcher of milk on the table. Why do most of our grandmothers cook and bake so well? Because they’ve had decades of trial and error to perfect their recipes, tweaking them here and there until they’re approved and loved by their families, neighbors and friends. This cake has had its share of trial and error. She has earned her place as a well-loved, delicious, beautiful queen of coffee cakes.

A classic coffee cake is usually a subtly sweet cake with cinnamon, crumb topping and maybe some icing. They’re called coffee cakes because they go so well with a cup of coffee, not necessarily because they contain coffee. This Apple Crumb Cake has the elements of a classic coffee cake, but so much better! The cake is fluffy and soft, the crumb topping is chunky and plentiful, and the apples are perfectly tender. And don’t get me started about the icing!

Grandma's Apple Crumb Cake

Tender vanilla cake with generous crumb topping and vanilla icing
Print Recipe
Course Breakfast, Brunch, Dessert
Servings 8 servings

Ingredients
  

Apples

  • 1 tablespoon (14g) butter
  • 3 cups (340g) chopped apples (1/2-inch pieces) Use any combination of your favorite baking apples.
  • 2 tablespoons (25g) sugar
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Crumb Topping

  • 1 cup (128g) all purpose flour
  • ⅓ cup (67g) brown sugar
  • 3 tablespoons (38g) sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • Scant ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 6 tablespoons (85g) cold, unsalted butter, cubed

Cake

  • 1 ⅔ cups (213g) all purpose flour, sifted
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup (200g) sugar
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • ½ cup (118ml) whole milk, room temperature
  • ⅓ cup (75g) sour cream, room temperature

Icing

  • 2 cups (234g) powdered sugar, sifted
  • 2 tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter, melted
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste or pure vanilla extract
  • 1 pinch fine sea salt
  • 3-4 tablespoons (45-60ml) half & half cream, room temperature

Instructions
 

Apples

  • In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the apples, sugar and cinnamon.
  • Cook, stirring occasionally, until the apples are tender, about 7-10 minutes. Transfer the apples to a bowl and let cool to room temperature.

Crumb Topping

  • In a medium bowl, mix the flour, brown sugar, sugar, cinnamon and salt.
  • Work in the butter with your fingertips until the mixture looks like wet sand with no large pieces of butter remaining. Press together to make 1/2-inch chunks.

Cake

  • Preheat the oven to 325ºF (165ºC). Line a 9-inch cake pan with a removable bottom*, or a 9-inch springform pan, with parchment paper. Wrap the bottom of the cake pan with aluminum foil and place pan on a baking sheet.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt until well blended.
  • In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar, with an electric mixer on medium speed, until light and fluffy. Beat the eggs and vanilla into the butter mixture in three separate addition, making sure each addition is incorporated before adding the next.
  • In a small bowl, whisk the milk and sour cream together. On low speed, beat the flour mixture into batter in three additions, alternating with milk mixture. Mix just until combined.
  • Transfer the batter to the prepared cake pan. Smooth the top with a spatula. Drain any excess liquid from the apples. Top the cake batter evenly with apples, then the topping mixture.
  • Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 50-60 minutes. Cool the cake in pan for 10 minutes. Remove the cake from pan and transfer it to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Icing

  • In a medium bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, melted butter, vanilla, salt and 2 tablespoons (30ml) of half & half. Add additional half & half until the desired consistency is reached. Drizzle over the cooled cake.

Notes

*To find the cake pan I used, click here.
Keyword apple, cake

Blackberry Cornbread

Posted on by Mari Vasseur

This sweet Blackberry Cornbread is super easy to make. It makes a delicious breakfast, brunch or side dish. It’s so good served with Blackberry Honey Butter. I love baking my cornbread in a cast iron skillet. It gives the cornbread a crisp, rustic crust. You can also use a cake pan if you prefer. (The baking time may vary.) Make sure not to over bake your cornbread since overtaking will dry it out. Use fresh, ripe blackberries when they’re in season. You can also use frozen blackberries or fresh or frozen blueberries. Skip the macerating step if you’re using blueberries or frozen berries.

Blackberry Cornbread

Sweet cornbread studded with ripe blackberries
Print Recipe
Course Breakfast, Brunch, Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 6

Ingredients
  

  • ¼ cups (158g) AP flour, sifted (plus one tsp for the blackberriesAP flour, sifted (plus one tsp for the blackberries)
  • ⅔ cup (132g) sugar
  • ¼ cup (35g) cornmeal
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 2 large eggs
  • ¾ cup (170g) sour cream
  • ¼ cup (57ml) vegetable oil or neutral oil of your choice
  • 2 tablespoons melted butter
  • 1 ¼ cups (6 oz or 170g) ripe blackberries, divided (Cut large berries in half)

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease an 8” cast iron skillet* or an 8” round cake pan.
  • In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cornmeal, baking powder and salt.
  • In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, sour cream, oil and melted butter until smooth. Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture. Mix just until combined. A few lumps are okay. In a small bowl, gently toss one 1 cup (136g) of the blackberries with 1 tsp of flour. Gently fold the berries into the batter.
  • Transfer the batter to the skillet. Top with the remaining blackberries. Bake until the top is golden brown and toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 35-43 min. Let cool in the pan 10 min. Serve with Blackberry Honey Butter** or honey if desired

Notes

*To find an 8-inch cast iron skillet, click here.  
**To find the Blackberry Honey Butter Recipe, click here.
 
Keyword blackberry, cornbread

Pink Lemonade Cake

Posted on by Mari Vasseur

This cheerful little loaf cake feels like a spring or summer picnic with lemonade and sunshine. It’s similar to a pink lemonade cake that my elderly neighbor used to make when I was growing up. She made it for all the neighborhood kids and we always gobbled it up. When I was about ten years old she taught my friend and me how to make it. She used a yellow cake mix in a large baking pan and poked holes all over the cake, then drenched it in a pink, sugary lemon icing. I transformed that happy pink lemonade memory into a delightful loaf cake made from scratch.

To watch the TikTok video, click here.

Pink Lemonade Cake

A tender, moist loaf cake that tastes just like pink lemonade
Print Recipe
Course Brunch, Dessert
Servings 1 8 x 4-inch loaf

Ingredients
  

Pink Lemonade Cake

  • 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (5 oz or 142g) all purpose flour, sifted
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ cup (2 oz or 59ml) whole milk
  • ¼ cup (2 oz or 59ml) sour cream
  • 1 cup (7 oz or 200g) sugar
  • ½ cup vegetable oil or neutral oil of your choice
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 tablespoon lemon zest
  • 1 ½ teaspoons strawberry extract
  • 1-2 drops pink gel food color I used Americolor deep pink*

Lemon Syrup

  • juice of one lemon
  • ¼ cup (1 3/4 oz or 50g) sugar

Icing

  • 2 tablespoons (1 oz or 28g) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup (4 oz or 113g) powdered sugar, sifted
  • 2-2 ½ tablespoons lemon juice
  • ½ teaspoon strawberry extract
  • pinch fine sea salt
  • 1 tiny drop pink gel food color I used Americolor deep pink*

Instructions
 

Pink Lemonade Cake

  • Preheat oven to 325ºF (163ºC). Line the bottom of an 8 X 4-inch loaf pan with parchment paper. Grease and flour the sides.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda.
  • In a small bowl, whisk together the milk and sour cream.
  • In a large bowl, beat the sugar, oil, eggs, lemon zest and strawberry extract until smooth.
  • Stir in the flour mixture in two additions, alternating with the milk mixture. Stir just until combined. Stir in food color a little at time until your desired shade is achieved.
  • Transfer the batter to the prepared baking pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean, about 45-50 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare lemon syrup.
  • Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove from pan and transfer to a cooling rack. Poke holes all over the top of cake with a skewer.
  • Brush the warm cake generously with the lemon syrup. Let the cake cool completely, then top with icing.

Lemon Syrup

  • In a small saucepan, combine the juice of one lemon with enough water to equal 1/4 cup. Add sugar and stir over medium-low heat until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat.

Icing

  • In a medium bowl, beat the butter, powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, the strawberry extract and a pinch of salt, until smooth. Add more lemon juice until your desired consistency is reached. Mix in gel food color.

Notes

*To find the gel food color I used, click here.
Keyword cake, pink lemonade