Ingredient: egg yolk, room temperature

Blueberry Muffin Upside Down Cake

Upside down cakes are so much fun and slightly exciting when you flip the pan over and cross your fingers. This blueberry version tastes like a soft, moist blueberry muffin in cake form. It’s heavenly served warm from the oven with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream on top.

Print Recipe
 Blueberry Muffin Upside Down Cake
Course Breakfast, Brunch, Dessert
Keyword blueberry upside down, cake
Servings
Ingredients
Course Breakfast, Brunch, Dessert
Keyword blueberry upside down, cake
Servings
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Spray an 8-inch round cake pan* with nonstick spray.
  2. In a small saucepan, melt 6 tablespoons (85g) of the butter with the brown sugar and a pinch of salt. Simmer for 1 minute, then transfer the mixture to the cake pan. Arrange the blueberries on top.
  3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and 1/2 teaspoon of salt.
  4. In a medium bowl, beat the remaining 10 tablespoons (142g) of butter and the granulated sugar, with an electric mixer at medium speed, until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs and the egg yolk in 3 separate additions, making sure each one is incorporated before adding the next. Beat in the vanilla extract until well combined. On low speed, beat in the flour mixture in 2 separate additions, followed by half of the milk after each addition. Beat unit combined.
  5. Gently spoon the batter into the cake pan over the top of the blueberries. Smooth the top with a spatula. Bake until the top is golden brown and a knife inserted into the center of the cake comes out nearly clean, about 45-50 minutes. You don't want to see raw batter on the knife, but a little moisture is okay. Let the cake cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Run a knife around the perimeter and invert the cake onto a serving platter. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Recipe Notes

To find my favorite  8-inch round cake pan, click here.

Lemon Bubble Bread

Lemon Bubble Bread

This fun, summery Lemon Bubble Bread is a soft, sweet, brioche-style pull-apart bread. It’s made in the same way as monkey bread, but with lemon zest instead of cinnamon. Small balls of bread dough are coated in melted butter, rolled in lemon sugar, then baked until golden and fluffy. I like drenching the fluffy puffs of bread in fresh lemon icing which, adds a burst of sweet-tart flavor.

Print Recipe
 Lemon Bubble Bread
Soft, sweet lemon brioche-stye pull-apart bread
Course Breakfast, Brunch, Dessert
Keyword bread, lemon bubble, sweet
Servings
Ingredients
Lemon Bubble Bread
Lemon Sugar
Lemon Icing
Course Breakfast, Brunch, Dessert
Keyword bread, lemon bubble, sweet
Servings
Ingredients
Lemon Bubble Bread
Lemon Sugar
Lemon Icing
Instructions
Lemon Bubble Bread
  1. In a small bowl, combine the milk with 1/2 teaspoon of sugar. Stir in the yeast and let it bloom until it's foamy, about 5 minutes.
  2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix the flour, salt and the remaining sugar until combined.
  3. In a small bowl, lightly whisk the egg, egg yolk and vanilla together. On low speed, gradually add the egg mixture and the milk mixture to the flour. Beat until combined. Switch to the dough hook. On medium speed, add the butter a little at a time, making sure each addition is incorporated before adding the next. Knead with the mixter until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 8-10 minutes. To determine if the dough is ready, pinch off a small piece of dough. It should stretch easily without tearing and look translucent.
  4. Form the dough into a ball and place it in a large oiled bowl. Turn the dough over to coat lightly with oil. Cover and let rise until doubled in size, about 1-1 1/2 hours. Meanwhile butter a 10-inch round baking dish* or a 10-inch cake pan.** (A 9-inch square baking dish also works.) Set aside and make the lemon sugar.
  5. Divide the dough into 20 equal portions and form them into balls. Brush the dough balls all over with melted butter, then roll them in the lemon sugar. Arrange the dough balls in the baking dish. Brush the tops with melted butter and sprinkle with any remaining lemon sugar. Let rise until almost doubled in size, about 20-30 minutes.
  6. Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Bake until the top of the bubble bread is golden brown, about 20-25 minutes. Let cool for about 15-20 minutes, then top the warm bread with lemon icing.
Lemon Sugar
  1. Mix the sugar and lemon zest together in a shallow bowl or plate.
Lemon Icing
  1. In a small bowl, whisk the powdered sugar, lemon juice, salt and 1 tablespoon (15ml) of half & half together until smooth. Add additional half & half as needed to reach your desired consistency.
Recipe Notes

*To find a 10-inch round baking dish, click here.

*To find a 10-inch round cake pan, click here.

Easy Apricot Pastries

Easy Apricot Pastries

These cheerful apricot pastries are guaranteed to bring you some sunshine. They’re so cute and easy to make! They remind me of sunny-side-up-eggs. They’re perfect for a summer breakfast or brunch.

Print Recipe
 Easy Apricot Pastries
Course Breakfast, Brunch, Dessert
Keyword apricot, pastry
Servings
pastries
Ingredients
Icing
Course Breakfast, Brunch, Dessert
Keyword apricot, pastry
Servings
pastries
Ingredients
Icing
Instructions
Apricot Pastries
  1. In a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese, sugar, egg yolk, heavy cream and vanilla together until smooth.
  2. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Place a puff pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface. Cut out for 4 1/2-inch rounds using a cookie cutter or trace a bowl using a paring knife. Score a border about 1/2 inch from the edge, making sure not to cut all the way through. I used a 3 1/2 inch cookie cutter for the border. Transfer the cut pastry to the baking sheets. Repeat with the 2nd pastry sheet. Refrigerate the dough rounds for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400ºF (200ºC).
  3. Spoon or pipe the cream cheese filling within the border of each pastry round. Top each one with an apricot half. Brush the borders with egg wash. Bake until puffed and golden brown, about 17-20 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack.
  4. In a small bowl, whisk the apricot preserves with 1 tablespoon (15ml) of water Brush this mixture over the warm pastries. Once the pastries are cool, drizzle them with icing.
Icing
  1. In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, heavy cream and 1 tablespoon (15ml) of milk until smooth. Add additional milk as needed to achieve your desired consistency. Add the almond extract and whisk until smooth.

Blueberry Lemon Crumb Cakes

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.

Print Recipe
 Blueberry Lemon Crumb Cakes
Fluffy, soft lemon cakes with blueberries, crumb topping and lemon cream cheese icing
Course Breakfast, Brunch, Dessert
Keyword blueberry lemon, cake
Servings
4-inch crumb cakes
Ingredients
Crumb Topping
Crumb Cakes
Cream Cheese Icing
Course Breakfast, Brunch, Dessert
Keyword blueberry lemon, cake
Servings
4-inch crumb cakes
Ingredients
Crumb Topping
Crumb Cakes
Cream Cheese Icing
Instructions
Crumb Topping
  1. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, brown sugar and salt together.
  2. 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
  1. 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.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.
  3. In a large bowl, cream the butter, sugar and lemon zest with an electric mixer on medium speed, until light and fluffy.
  4. 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.
  5. In a small bowl, whisk the milk and sour cream together.
  6. 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.
  7. Transfer the batter to the prepared baking pan, evenly distributing the batter and filling the cups about half full.
  8. 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.
  9. 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
  1. 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.
Recipe 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.

Unicorn Rainbow Milkshake

Unicorn Rainbow Milkshake by Brownie Mischief

I’ve been dying to try one of those over-the-top milkshakes that have been catching my eye on social media for some time now. Also known as freakshakes, some magnificently indulgent ones can be found in Australia, the UK and New York City. It’s certainly on my bucket list to go meet up with one of those glorious creations in person and dig in! In the meantime, I decided to concoct my humble version here at home, in honor of National Unicorn Day. Yup, unicorns have their own day! Whoever invented celebrating national days, I thank you. It gives me a great excuse to indulge in a delicious treat…not that I need an excuse.

There are so many versions of unicorn milkshakes out there and I love every one of them! In fact, anything that’s unicorn related sets my heart aflutter. The current unicorn craze won’t seem to go away and, as you can imagine, that is just fine by me! One of the cutest unicorn things I’ve seen is my adorable cousin Nicole, scooting around in her fluffy unicorn slippers. Unicorn slippers are a must while drinking a Unicorn Rainbow Milkshake!

To make the Unicorn Rainbow Milkshake, you’ll need:

  • Unicorn Horn Cookie (Recipe below.)
  • Fondant Rainbow Topper (Click here for instructions.)
  • 3 ounces (about 1/2 cup) candy melts in the color of your choice
  • vegetable shortening, melted (about 1 tablespoon)
  • piping bag or squeeze bottle
  • tall glass (24 ounce)
  • rainbow sprinkles
  • 8 ounces vanilla ice cream
  • 1/3 cup milk (any kind)
  • 6 ounces rainbow sherbet
  • cotton candy
  • whipped cream
  • edible gold star glitter (Click here to find glitter.)

Place candy melts in a microwave safe container. Heat in the microwave for 1 minute at 50% power. Stir. Heat in the microwave for 10 second intervals until melted and smooth. If your melted candy melts are too thick, stir in melted shortening a teaspoon at a time until desired consistency is reached. Transfer the melted candy melts to a disposable piping bag or a squeeze bottle. (Alternately, you can use a plastic zip bag.) Place your glass on a rimmed plate or baking sheet. Snip off the tip of the piping bag and drizzle the melted candy along the rim of the glass. Immediately sprinkle on the rainbow sprinkles, before the melted candy sets.

Combine vanilla ice cream and milk in a blender and blend until smooth. Place 3 scoops of rainbow sherbet into your glass. Pour vanilla milkshake over the sherbet scoops in your glass. Top with cotton candy, whipped cream, a Unicorn Horn Cookie, a Fondant Rainbow Topper and a sprinkle of edible gold star glitter. Put on your unicorn slippers and enjoy your unicorn milkshake!

Unicorn Horn Cookie by Brownie Mischief


Print Recipe


Unicorn Horn Cookies

Sugar cookies shaped like unicorn horns.

Course Dessert

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Passive Time 11/2 hours

Servings
cookies (*see note)


Ingredients

Course Dessert

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Passive Time 11/2 hours

Servings
cookies (*see note)


Ingredients


Instructions
  1. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

  2. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar with an electric mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.

  3. Add the egg yolk and extracts. Beat at medium speed until combined.

  4. Gradually add the flour mixture, beating at low speed just until combined. Do not over mix.

  5. Cover dough with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

  6. Line 2 large cookie sheets with parchment paper.

  7. Form dough into tablespoon size balls. (I used a tablespoon cookie scoop to make them uniform in size.) Form each ball of dough into a log, tapering at one end.
    Unicorn Horn Cookie Tutorial

  8. Twist two logs together to form a horn shape. Repeat with remaining logs. Insert skewers or lollipop sticks, if using. Place about 2 inches apart on prepared cookie sheets.

  9. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

  10. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Bake until golden brown, about 13-15 minutes. Transfer cookies to wire rack to cool.
    Unicorn Horn Cookies Tutorial

  11. When cookies have cooled completely, place them on a parchment paper lined work surface. (You can use the same pieces of parchment paper that you baked them on.) If you are using lollipop sticks, you may want to cover the sticks with plastic wrap to keep them clean. Spray with edible gold spray. Let dry. Apply an additional coat of edible gold spray, if desired.


Recipe Notes

*This recipe makes about 14 unicorn horn cookies, but if you only need a few, you can roll out the remaining dough and use your favorite cookie cutter to make cookies. The baking time will be a bit less. You can also make as many unicorn horns as you need and freeze the remaining dough for later use.

**To make toppers as shown, use wooden skewers. To make cookie pops, use lollipop sticks.

***Click here to find Wilton Gold Color Mist