Ingredient: unsalted butter, melted

Strawberry Blondies

Strawberry Blondies

These golden, buttery bars have soft, chewy centers and crisp edges. They’re studded with fresh strawberry chunks and white chocolate chips. They’re perfectly delicious as is, but I drizzled them with fresh strawberry icing, which is the supreme finishing touch. They contain the perfect amount of salt which balances the sweetness of the white chocolate chips. Macerating the strawberries before baking draws out the excess liquid and helps to prevent soggy blondies, so don’t skip this step.

Print Recipe
 Strawberry Blondies
Golden, buttery blondies with fresh strawberries and white chocolate chips
Course Dessert
Keyword blondies, strawberry
Servings
2-inch squares
Ingredients
Strawberry Blondies
Strawberry Icing
Course Dessert
Keyword blondies, strawberry
Servings
2-inch squares
Ingredients
Strawberry Blondies
Strawberry Icing
Instructions
Strawberry Blondies
  1. Place the chopped strawberries in a medium bowl. Sprinkle with 2 teaspoons of sugar and mix well. Let stand for 30-45 minutes, then drain the excess juices.
  2. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, leaving a couple of inches of overhang to serve as handles to lift the blondies out of the pan.
  3. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.
  4. In a large bowl, whisk together the remaining 1/4 cup (50g) of sugar, the brown sugar, melted butter and vanilla until smooth. Add the egg and the egg yolk and whisk until smooth and well combined, about 2-3 minutes. Stir in the flour mixture, just until combined. Fold in the white chocolate chips and the strawberries.
  5. Transfer the batter to the prepared baking pan. Bake until the top looks golden brown all over and a toothpick inserted into the center of the blondies comes out with a few moist crumbs on it, about 28-33 minutes. Let cool completely in the pan.
  6. Remove the cooled blondies from the pan and cut into squares.
Strawberry Icing
  1. Finely chop, then mash the strawberries. Press the mashed strawberries through a sieve, using the back of a spoon or press the strawberries through a food mill. Whisk together the strawberries, powdered sugar, melted butter lemon juice and salt until smooth. Drizzle over the cooled brownies.

Strawberry Swirl Cake

Strawberry Swirl Cake

This soft, incredibly moist cake is a happy experiment that successfully combines my favorite strawberry cake with cinnamon roll cake. Instead of cinnamon sugar, it has a swirl of strawberry sugar. It’s bursting with fresh strawberry flavor and it’s so good it doesn’t even need frosting. But of course, I added strawberry cream cheese icing, in the tradition of cinnamon roll cake, which takes it over the top.

Print Recipe
 Strawberry Swirl Cake
Fresh strawberry cake with a strawberry sugar swirl and strawberry cream cheese icing
Course Dessert
Keyword cake, strawberry
Servings
servings
Ingredients
Strawberry Swirl
Strawberry Cake
Strawberry Cream Cheese Icing
Course Dessert
Keyword cake, strawberry
Servings
servings
Ingredients
Strawberry Swirl
Strawberry Cake
Strawberry Cream Cheese Icing
Instructions
Strawberry Swirl
  1. In a small food processor or a clean spice grinder, pulse the freeze dried strawberries to break them up a bit. Add the sugar and process to a fine consistency. Strain the sugar mixture through a sieve into a bowl. Mix in the flour, melted butter, salt and lemon juice until well combined.
  2. Transfer the mixture to a piping bag fitted with a medium round tip. I used an Ateco #12 tip.** Alternately, you can snip the corner off a disposable piping bag or food storage bag, creating a 3/8-inch wide opening.
Strawberry Cake
  1. In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, simmer the puréed strawberries until reduced by half. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
  2. Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Line the bottom of an 8-inch round cake pan*** with parchment paper. Grease and flour the inside.
  3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
  4. In a large bowl, beat the sugar, oil, egg, egg white, and extracts, with an electric mixer at medium speed, until smooth. Alternately, you can whisk the mixture together by hand until smooth. Stir in 1/3 cup of the cooled strawberry reduction and the food coloring. (Reserve the remaining strawberry reduction for the icing.)
  5. Stir the flour mixture into the batter, in 2 additions, alternating with the sour cream. Mix just until combined. Transfer the batter to the cake pan.
  6. Pipe the strawberry swirl mixture onto the batter in a spiral pattern. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 25-30 minutes.
  7. Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer it to a cooling rack.
Strawberry Cream Cheese Icing
  1. In a small bowl, beat the cream cheese and butter together until smooth. Add the powdered sugar and strawberry reduction and beat until smooth and well combined. Whisk in the buttermilk a little at a time until your desired consistency is reached. Drizzle over the cooled cake.
Recipe Notes

*To find the food coloring I used, click here.

**To find the piping tip I used, click here.

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

Mini Baklava Cheesecakes

Mini Baklava Cheesecakes

These Mini Baklava Cheesecakes are so cute and incredibly delicious that they actually made me mad! I’d been thinking about making them for awhile, so I was mad at myself for not making them sooner. They’re much quicker and easier to make than a full size cheesecake. The phyllo dough is par-baked, then topped with a nut mixture. I used a combination of pistachios and almonds, but you can use any combination of pistachios, almonds or walnuts of your choice. After the cheesecakes are baked, the phyllo shells are soaked with honey syrup.

I topped them with little nests made of kataifi, which are so cute and perfect for Easter. Kataifi is thinly shredded phyllo pastry. You can find it in the freezer section of supermarkets and international markets. Toasted coconut makes a good substitute if you can’t find kataifi. These cute cheesecakes are also pretty topped with edible flowers or rose petals, which would be perfect for Mother’s Day or any springtime celebration.

Print Recipe
 Mini Baklava Cheesecakes
Mini cheesecakes with a baklava base, topped with kataifi nests
Course Dessert
Keyword baklava, cheesecake
Servings
mini cheesecakes
Ingredients
Honey Syrup
Mini Cheesecakes
Kataifi Nests
Course Dessert
Keyword baklava, cheesecake
Servings
mini cheesecakes
Ingredients
Honey Syrup
Mini Cheesecakes
Kataifi Nests
Instructions
Honey Syrup
  1. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, cook the sugar, water, honey and lemon juice, stirring occasionally until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract.
Mini Cheesecakes
  1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Brush the insides of a 12-serving muffin pan with melted butter.
  2. Place a sheet of phyllo dough on your work surface. Brush it lightly with melted butter. Place another sheet of phyllo dough on top of the first one and brush it lightly with melted butter. Repeat this process until you have 5 sheets. Using a pastry wheel or a sharp knife, cut the phyllo into 6 squares, measuring about 4 1/2 x 4 1/2 inches each. Repeat this process with the five remaining phyllo sheets. Make sure to keep your unused phyllo sheets covered while you work to prevent them from drying out.
  3. Place the phyllo squares into the cups of the muffin pan. Press them in with a pastry tamper or with the flat bottom of a small shot glass. Prick the bottoms of the phyllo with a fork. Bake until light golden brown, about 14-17 minutes.
  4. Meanwhile, combine the nuts, 2 tablespoons of sugar, 2 tablespoons of melted butter and the cinnamon in a small bowl. Mix until well combined.
  5. Turn the oven heat down to 325ºF (165ºF). Place about a tablespoon of the nut mixture into the baked pyllo shells and press lightly with the back of a spoon.
  6. To make the cheesecake filling, in a large bowl, beat the cream cheese with an electric mixer on low speed, until smooth. Add the remaining 6 tablespoons of sugar, the egg, heavy cream and vanilla extract. Beat until smooth and well combined, but do not over beat.
  7. Ladle the cheesecake mixture into the phyllo shells over the nuts. Fill them almost to the top. Bake until the cheesecakes are set, but still slightly jiggly in the centers, about 13-15 minutes.
  8. Using a small offset spatula, gently loosen the cheesecakes from the muffin pan. Drizzle honey syrup generously along the perimeter of the outside of the cheesecakes, letting the syrup drip down the sides of the phyllo pastry. Let the cheesecakes cool in the pan. When the cheesecakes have cooled and the syrup has absorbed, transfer the cheesecakes to the refrigerator to chill for at least 1 hour.
Kataifi Nests
  1. Turn the oven temperature up to 350ºF (180ºC). Brush an 8 x 8-inch or a 9 x 7-inch baking dish with melted butter. Roll clusters of kataifi stands into twelve 2-inch wide spiral shapes to form the nests. Place them in the baking dish. Drizzle the nests with melted butter. Gently brush more melted butter over the surface of the nests. Bake until golden brown, about 25-35 minutes. Immediately drizzle with honey syrup. Let the nests cool in the baking pan.
  2. Place the nests onto the cheesecakes. Fill the nests with candy eggs.
Recipe Notes

To find the muffin pan I used, click here.

Confetti Crumb Cake Cookies

Just when you thought confetti cookies couldn’t get any more fun and cute, Confetti Crumb Cake Cookies have arrived! I took confetti cookies, also known as birthday cake cookies, over the top by adding confetti crumb topping and a drizzle of pale pink icing. For top level fun, I finished them with edible glitter.

Print Recipe
 Confetti Crumb Cake Cookies
Vanilla cookies with white chocolate chips, rainbow sprinkles, crumb topping and icing drizzle
Course Dessert
Keyword birthday cake, confetti, cookies
Servings
cookies
Ingredients
Confetti Crumb Topping
Confetti Cookies
Icing
Course Dessert
Keyword birthday cake, confetti, cookies
Servings
cookies
Ingredients
Confetti Crumb Topping
Confetti Cookies
Icing
Instructions
Confetti Crumb Topping
  1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar and salt. Work the butter into the flour mixture with your fingertips until it looks like sand with no large chunks of butter. Stir in the sprinkles. Press the mixture together to form chunks. Set aside in the refrigerator while you make the cookie dough.
Confetti Cookies
  1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Line 2 large cookies sheets with parchment paper.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.
  3. In a large bowl, beat the butter, sugar and brown sugar, with an electric mixer at medium speed, until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and egg yolk in two additions, making sure each one is incorporated before adding the next. Beat in the extracts.
  4. On low speed, beat in the flour mixture into the batter, just until combined. Stir in the white chocolate chips and the sprinkles.
  5. Form the cookie dough into 2-tablespoon size balls. Place them about 3 inches apart onto the cookie sheets. Flatten the dough balls slightly. Top each one generously with the crumb topping.
  6. Bake until the cookies are set and the edges start to turn light golden, about 11-13 minutes. (Be careful not to over bake to avoid drying out your cookies.) Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 1 minute, then transfer them to a cooling rack.
Icing
  1. In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, butter, vanilla and 1 tablespoon of milk. Add additional milk as needed to achieve your desired consistency. Using the tip of a toothpick, gradually add a tiny bit of food coloring and whisk until incorporated.
  2. Drizzle over the cooled cookies. Top with edible glitter if desired.
Recipe Notes

If your cookies spread too much, chill the dough for 20-30  minutes, then proceed with the recipe.

Blueberry Cornmeal Tea Cakes with Honey Butter Icing

Blueberry Cornmeal Tea Cakes with Honey Butter Icing

If you’re looking forward to spring as much as I am, you’ll love these tender, fluffy Blueberry Cornmeal Tea Cakes. They taste like soft, sweet cornbread with the added freshness of juicy blueberries. The Honey Butter Icing adds the perfect, sweet finish. Who doesn’t love cornbread slathered with honey and butter? It’s a match made in heaven and it works so well on these delightful tea cakes.

I placed them upside down because they look more pretty and elegant that way. I added some fresh, pesticide free violas to the tops. They would also be cute decorated with fresh blueberries or chamomile flowers.

This versatile recipe can also be made into muffins by filling the muffin pan cups 2/3 full instead of 1/2 full. The baking time may be a little longer. Place the muffins right side up on the cooling rack.

To see the inside of the tea cakes, watch the TikTok video. Click here.

Print Recipe
 Blueberry Cornmeal Tea Cakes with Honey Butter Icing
Sweet, soft cornbread cakes with blueberries, topped with honey butter icing
Course Breakfast, Brunch, Dessert
Keyword blueberry, cake, cornbread
Servings
Ingredients
Blueberry Cornmeal Tea Cakes
Honey Butter Icing
Course Breakfast, Brunch, Dessert
Keyword blueberry, cake, cornbread
Servings
Ingredients
Blueberry Cornmeal Tea Cakes
Honey Butter Icing
Instructions
Blueberry Cornmeal Tea Cakes
  1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Grease and flour a 12-serving muffin pan*.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cornmeal, baking powder and salt.
  3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, sour cream, oil, butter, vanilla and lemon zest until smooth.
  4. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until combined. Don't over mix. A few lumps are okay. Fold in the blueberries.
  5. Fill the muffin cups half full. Bake until the tops of the cakes are light golden, the tops are springy and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean, about 14-16 minutes.
  6. Cool the cakes in the pan for 5 minutes, then remove them from the pan and place them upside down on a cooling rack. Top the cooled cakes with Honey Butter Icing.
Honey Butter Icing
  1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, butter, honey, salt and 1 tablespoon of milk. Add additional milk as needed to achieve your desired consistency. Whisk until smooth.
Recipe Notes

To find the muffin pan I used, click here.

White Velvet Snowflake Cakes


Print Recipe


White Velvet Snowflake Cakes

Soft, plush vanilla mini cakes with vanilla icing

Course Dessert
Keyword cake, white velvet

Servings
cakes


Ingredients
Snowflake Cakes

Vanilla Icing

Course Dessert
Keyword cake, white velvet

Servings
cakes


Ingredients
Snowflake Cakes

Vanilla Icing


Instructions
Snowflake Cakes
  1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF (177ºC). Spray a 6-serving silicone snowflake mini cake mold* with nonstick spray. Use a small pastry brush to brush the spray into all of the crevices. Tap out any excess spray. Place the mold on a baking sheet.

  1. In a large bowl, whisk together the cake flour, baking powder and salt. Add the sugar and whisk to combine. Add the butter and beat, with an electric mixer on low speed, until the butter is evenly distributed and the mixture looks like crumbs with no large chunks.

  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the milk, egg whites, oil and vanilla. Slowly add the milk mixture to the flour mixture and continue beating on low until smooth, about 1-2 minutes.

  3. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan, evenly distributing the batter and filling the cavities a little more than half full. Bake until the tops of the cakes are light golden and a toothpick inserted into the centers of the cakes comes out clean, about 18-22 minutes. Be careful not to over bake. Let the cakes cool in the pan for about 7 minutes then turn the cakes out onto a cooling rack to cool completely.

  4. Brush one or two coats of vanilla icing on the tops and sides of the cakes. Decorate as desired. I used fine opal sanding sugar, candy snowflakes and candy pearls.

Vanilla Icing
  1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, butter, vanilla, salt and 1 tablespoon of milk until smooth. Add additional milk as need to achieve your desired consistency.


Recipe Notes

I used a 6-serving silicone mold with 3-inch diameter, 1-inch deep cavities.

 

 

Heavenly Glazed Vanilla Bean Scones

I’ve often been asked to create a vanilla scone recipe. At first I thought vanilla scones seemed a bit uninteresting, but the perfectly tender texture combined with the fragrant addition of vanilla bean and luscious vanilla icing, changed my mind completely. They’re truly delicious and much better than any vanilla scones I’ve tasted in any coffee shop or bakery. The classic vanilla flavor pairs perfectly with all of the warm, cozy drinks of the season.

Print Recipe
 Heavenly Glazed Vanilla Bean Scones
Tender vanilla bean scones with luscious vanilla bean icing
Course Breakfast, Brunch
Keyword scones, vanilla bean
Servings
scones
Ingredients
Vanilla Bean Scones
Vanilla Bean Icing
Course Breakfast, Brunch
Keyword scones, vanilla bean
Servings
scones
Ingredients
Vanilla Bean Scones
Vanilla Bean Icing
Instructions
Vanilla Bean Scones
  1. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Work the butter into the flour mixture with your fingertips or with a pastry blender until pea size pieces form.
  3. In a small bowl, whisk together the heavy cream, sour cream and vanilla. Stir the cream mixture into the flour mixture until a shaggy dough is formed.
  4. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Fold the dough over onto itself a couple of times. Don't overwork the dough. Pat the dough into a 6 1/2-inch diameter, 3/4-inch thick round. Cut the dough into 8 wedges.
  5. Place the scones 2 inches apart onto the prepared baking sheet. Chill the scones in the refrigerator for 15-20 minutes.
  6. Preheat the oven to 375ºF (190ºC). Brush the tops of the scones with egg wash. Bake until the scones are golden brown, about 16-20 minutes. Transfer the scones to a cooling rack. Brush the tops of the cooled scones with vanilla bean icing.
Vanilla Bean Icing
  1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, butter, vanilla, 1 tablespoon of milk and the salt. Add additional milk as needed to reach your desired consistency.

Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll Cakes

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.

To watch the Instagram video of the finished Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll Cakes, click here.

Print Recipe
 Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll Cakes
Moist pumpkin cakes with cinnamon swirls and vanilla bean icing
Course Breakfast, Brunch, Dessert
Keyword cake, pumpkin cinnamon roll
Servings
4-inch cakes
Ingredients
Pumpkin Cakes
Cinnamon Swirl
Vanilla Bean Icing
Course Breakfast, Brunch, Dessert
Keyword cake, pumpkin cinnamon roll
Servings
4-inch cakes
Ingredients
Pumpkin Cakes
Cinnamon Swirl
Vanilla Bean Icing
Instructions
Pumpkin Cakes
  1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Line a 6-serving shallow jumbo muffin pan with jumbo muffin liners.* (The jumbo muffin 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.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. 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
  1. In a small bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon and salt. Add the melted butter and whisk until well combined.
  2. Transfer the mixture to a piping bag fitted with a 1/4-inch wide round tip.
Vanilla Bean Icing
  1. In a small bowl, whisk together the butter, vanilla bean paste, powdered sugar, meringue powder, salt and 1 tablespoon of milk until well combined. Whisk in more milk as needed to reach your desired consistency.
  2. 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.
Recipe 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.

Blueberry Lemon Crumb Cakes

Blueberry Lemon Crumb Cakes

Do you ever feel like a three year old child who doesn’t want to share? That’s how I feel about this crumb cake. I didn’t want to share so I made six 4-inch personal crumb cakes. You’ll understand once you taste the soft, fluffy lemon scented cake with juicy blueberries, a ton of sweet crumb topping and a lemony cream cheese icing. You’ll want every bite for yourself! I was also hesitant to share the 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 flour, sugar, brown sugar and salt together.
  2. Work in butter with your fingertips until the mixture looks like the consistency of wet sand. Press together to make chunks. Set aside in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Crumb Cakes
  1. Preheat 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, egg yolk and extracts into the butter mixture in 3 separate additions, making sure each addition is incorporated before adding the next.
  5. In a small bowl, whisk the milk and sour cream together.
  6. On low speed, mix the flour mixture into the batter in two additions alternating with half of the milk mixture after each addition. Beat just until combined.
  7. Transfer 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 cakes cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer 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 of lemon juice. Add additional lemon juice, a little at a time until the 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.

Pineapple Coconut Cake Bars

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 bar, so I changed the name to Pineapple Coconut Cake Bars. We would 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.

Print Recipe
 Pineapple Coconut Cake Bars
Course Dessert
Keyword cake, pineapple coconut
Servings
Ingredients
Cake
Topping
Course Dessert
Keyword cake, pineapple coconut
Servings
Ingredients
Cake
Topping
Instructions
Cake
  1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease an 8-inch square baking pan.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.
  3. In a large bowl, whisk melted butter, sugar, egg, egg yolk and vanilla until smooth.
  4. Stir in pineapple until well combined. Stir in flour mixture just until combined.
  5. Transfer batter to prepared baking pan. Bake until top is golden brown and toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean, about 20-25 minutes.
Topping
  1. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter with sugar, brown sugar and salt. Whisk in heavy cream.
  2. When mixture starts to bubble, turn heat down to low and simmer until thickened, about 3 minutes.
  3. Remove from heat and stir in coconut, pecans and vanilla. Spread over warm cake. Let cool at least 15 minutes before cutting cake.

Strawberry Sweetheart Brownies

Strawberry Sweetheart Brownies

At the Brownie Mischief website, all types of brownies are welcome. We all know and love chocolate brownies. But there are other less common brownies in the universe, that deserve to shine too. Let me introduce you to Strawberry Sweetheart Brownies. These lovely pink creations aren’t strawberry cake or strawberry blondies. They contain white chocolate and they’re made with the same baking method as brownies. When you bake chocolate brownies, you want to be careful not to over bake them, to achieve the rich, fudgy texture. The same is true for these strawberry brownies. When you test for doneness, the toothpick should have a few moist crumbs attached to it. If the toothpick is clean, the brownies have baked too long and will likely be a little dry and cakey, although still edible. So make sure to test for doneness well before the end of the baking time!

The baking temperature for this recipe is 325ºF. I noticed that when baking in a heart shaped cake pan, things tend to bake unevenly because of the shape. So I used a lower temperature to help with even baking. If you don’t have an 8-inch heart shaped cake pan, you can also use an 8-inch round cake pan. To find the cake pan I used, click here.

Strawberry Sweetheart Brownies

To watch the Strawberry Sweetheart Brownies Instagram video, click here.

Print Recipe
 Strawberry Sweetheart Brownies
A heart shaped strawberry brownie made with fresh strawberries topped with strawberry icing.
Course Dessert
Keyword brownies, strawberry
Servings
Ingredients
Strawberry Brownies
Strawberry Icing
Course Dessert
Keyword brownies, strawberry
Servings
Ingredients
Strawberry Brownies
Strawberry Icing
Instructions
Strawberry Brownies
  1. Preheat oven to 325ºF. Line the bottom of an 8-inch heart shaped cake pan*** with parchment paper. Spray the insides with nonstick spray.
  2. In a large heat safe bowl, melt butter and white chocolate together on the stovetop over a pan of barely simmering water or in the microwave for 20 seconds at time, stirring at each interval. White chocolate overheats easily, so be vigilant.
  3. Add the sugar and salt to the butter mixture and mix until well combined.
  4. Add egg and egg yolks. Whisk until smooth.
  5. Pass strawberry purée through a sieve to remove seeds. Set aside 2 tablespoons of strawberry purée for icing. Add remaining purée to batter. Mix until well combined.
  6. Add extracts and food color. Mix until combined.
  7. Stir in flour until combined, scraping bowl as needed.
  8. Transfer batter to prepared pan. Bake until toothpick inserted in center has a few moist crumbs on it, (not batter), about 25-30 minutes. Do not over bake. Let cool in pan. Remove from pan and top with strawberry icing.
Strawberry Icing
  1. Whisk all icing ingredients together until smooth and well combined.
Recipe Notes

*To make strawberry purée:   Purée clean, hulled and quartered strawberries in a blender or food processor. **To find the food color I used, click here. **To find the heart cake pan I used, click here.

This recipe was updated on January 24th, 2023

Cinnamon Crumble Scones

The weeks following the winter holidays always feel peaceful to me. The rush is over and it’s time to catch my breath and rest. When it’s chilly and raining outside, I love spending time at home curled up in my coziest fluffy pajama bottoms and fuzzy socks. Give me a blanket, 75 pillows, a warm cup of tea and these Cinnamon Crumble Scones for ultimate coziness!

The crumb topping on these scones will remind you of a cinnamon crumb cake, which makes them extra nostalgic and comforting. The technique of folding the dough over itself gives them a flaky layered texture. For the tenderest scones, make sure not to over work your dough.

To watch Instagram reel, click here. To watch extended TikTok video showing baking process, click here.

Print Recipe
 Cinnamon Crumble Scones
Course Breakfast, Brunch
Keyword cinnamon, scones
Servings
scones
Ingredients
Crumb Topping
Cinnamon Filling
Scones
Icing
Course Breakfast, Brunch
Keyword cinnamon, scones
Servings
scones
Ingredients
Crumb Topping
Cinnamon Filling
Scones
Icing
Instructions
Crumb Topping
  1. In a medium bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, sugar cinnamon and salt.
  2. Work in butter with your fingertips until it looks like wet sand. Press together to make dime size chunks.
  3. Set aside in refrigerator until ready to use.
Cinnamon Filling
  1. In a small bowl, mix filling ingredients together until well combined.
Scones
  1. Preheat oven to 375ºF. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.
  3. Work butter into flour mixture with your fingertips or with a pastry blender until pea sized pieces are formed.
  4. In a small bowl, whisk together heavy cream, sour cream and vanilla extract.
  5. Stir cream mixture into flour mixture a little at a time until dough comes together. If your dough is too dry add 1-2 more teaspoons of heavy cream.
  6. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Fold dough over onto itself a couple of times.
  7. Pat dough into an approximately 9 x 5-inch oval. Spread cinnamon filling on half of the dough to within 1/2-inch from the edges. Fold dough in half bringing short ends together. Press edges to seal.
  8. Shape dough into a 7-inch round, about 3/4-inch thickness. Cut into 8 wedges. (Or 6 wedges if you prefer larger scones.)
  9. Pinch the pointed tip of the wedges and tuck under to seal. This helps to prevent the top layer from sliding off while baking. Place wedges about 2-inches apart onto prepared baking sheet.
  10. Brush tops of scones with heavy cream. Top with crumb topping. Bake until light golden brown, about 18-22 minutes.
  11. Transfer scones to a cooling rack to cool. Drizzle with icing.
Icing
  1. In a small bowl, whisk together powdered sugar, butter, 1 tablespoon of milk and vanilla. Add additional milk until desired consistency is reached.