Desserts – Page 16 – The Pajama Chef

Sometimes in the summertime, chocolate can be given the heave-ho as berries and other summer fruits take center stage. Even so, a cake can come along to change this. Cause a girl’s gotta have her chocolate, right?!? Especially when it comes in the form of Coconut Chocolate Chip Buttermilk Crumb Cake. I know that’s a mouthful, and normally I shy away from giving food loooooong names, but in this case, it is totally worth it. I promise. 🙂

This cake! Ohhh this cake. Crumb cakes just can’t be beat, can they? Well, a plain ‘ole crumb cake could get beat by this Coconut Chocolate Chip Buttermilk Crumb Cake, for sure. This cake is a buttery, flavorful masterpiece with a hint of sweet, tropical coconut. Using buttermilk in the cake itself just makes the batter so tangy and irresistible, and it bakes up soft and fluffy every. single. time. To lighten up the cake, I used the ‘ole half applesauce/half butter trick. For an even more decadent cake, use a full cup of butter, but really, the applesauce doesn’t affect the texture one single bit. I’m not a fan of applesauce in quick breads because the texture tends to get a little wonky, but here, the butter and buttermilk balances it out.

Mixed into the batter are some mini chocolate chips and a touch of shredded coconut–see them? Mini chocolate chips > regular chocolate chips any day. Better chocolate to batter ratio, if you will. 🙂 Then, as a topper of this already amazing cake we have some crumbs. Normally, crumbs are a bad thing. A messy thing. [Think toast.] Not so with cake! These crumbs are delectable bits of sugar and butter and coconut emulsion that just melt in your mouth. I couldn’t get enough of them. Seriously folks, when I cut the cake a few crumbs happened to fall off the knife onto the floor or the countertop or even the bottom of the pan, guess where they ended up? If you guessed the trash can, you are dead wrong. If you guessed my mouth… then, well, we’re kindred spirits. For good measure, I threw some more mini chocolate chips and shredded coconut on top. This makes one heck of a cake, friends.

If you like coconut and chocolate, then this is for you. I’ve been on a serious coconut kick over the past year plus and I think… I THINK… that this is the best coconut recipe that I have ever tasted. And I’ve tasted a lot of coconutty treats–candy, muffins, cookies, rice, even chicken. But this cake beats ’em all. I am extremely tempted to throw my day aside right now and head to the store for the few ingredients I need for this delightful cake. I’m starting the training for my fourth marathon soon, so I need the fuel, right? 🙂 Have a great weekend! Enjoy!

Coconut Chocolate Chip Buttermilk Crumb Cake [adapted from The Spiced Life]

click to print

Ingredients:

for the cake

1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup unsweetened natural applesauce
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 tablespoon coconut emulsion [or extract]
1 cup low-fat buttermilk
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cake flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup mini chocolate chips
1/2 cup shredded coconut

for the crumb topping

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
1/3 cup unsalted butter, cold & cubed
1 teaspoon coconut emulsion [or extract]

for finish

1/3 cup shredded coconut
1/3 cup mini chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray [or your butter wrapper!].

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream butter on high for 1 minute. Then add applesauce and beat on medium for 1 minute to incorporate. Then add sugar and beat again until fully incorporated, scraping the sides as needed.

Add eggs one at a time, mixing between additions.

Then, stir together coconut emulsion and buttermilk. In a separate bowl, whisk together flours, baking powder, and baking soda.

Alternately add buttermilk and flour to mixing bowl, beating on low in between additions and frequently scraping the sides. Fold in the chocolate chips and coconut.

Pour cake batter into prepared pan and set aside.

Next, prepare the crumb topping. Stir together flour and sugars, then cut in cubed butter with a pastry blender or two forks. Drizzle on coconut emulsion, then mix in with pastry blender. Sprinkle topping evenly over the batter, including the corners.

Bake for 50 minutes, then remove from oven and sprinkle with coconut. Return to oven for another 5 minutes then check for doneness with a toothpick. If toothpick does not come out clean, cover with foil and bake for another 5 minutes and check again. Bake until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Immediately top with mini chocolate chips, then cool completely before cutting.

Time: 75 minutes [15 minutes active].

Yield: 16-20 servings, depending how you cut it.

Linked up with: Weekend Potluck.

Desserts, Other, Recipes

Oreo Popcorn

June 24, 2013June 24, 2013 Sarah

If you’ve been reading my blog for awhile, you probably know that I coordinate the food for a monthly meeting at church. Sometimes this means just shopping for the food and delegating preparation to others, but sometimes it means being responsible for cooking and baking several appetizers and desserts for a crowd of 60-70. Usually I have help so it’s not so bad–and pretty fun to try new recipes for a group. My friend Rachel always has the most creative ideas, and though this Oreo Popcorn has made the rounds on Pinterest before–I just had to share it here because it is unbelievably good!

I must admit I was a little skeptical of this snack. For one, I despise melting chocolate. It’s just annoying, even though the results are delicious. But more than that, I’m mostly a popcorn purist. I love caramel corn and kettle corn, but anything more is just a bit weird to me. Maybe it’s having extra texture in there? I don’t know, but what I do know is that Oreo Popcorn might be the dawn of a new era for me. It’s salty, sweet, creamy and crunchy… pretty much perfect. Next time you have a get together, definitely make a batch. It’d be great in a big bowl at a pool party or a fun addition to your Friday movie night. Or, you know, ahem, for watching endless reruns of Bones on Netflix. Not that I’ve been doing that lately… enjoy! It is GREATTT. Next time I’m going to try it with a different flavor of Oreos, or maybe with a drizzle of peanut butter. Mmmm 🙂

Oreo Popcorn [from my friend Rachel]

click to print

Ingredients:

3 bags plain popcorn, popped with unpopped kernels removed
24 ounces white almond bark, melted
1 package Oreos [14.3 ounces], chopped

Directions:

Line countertop with wax paper, then spread popcorn out on top of it. Drizzle melted chocolate over, then top with chopped Oreos. You don’t necessarily need to use the whole package–just use your discretion. Toss everything together with your hands and spread flat to cool. Store in an airtight container for 3-5 days.

Time: 15 minutes.

Yield: a lot of popcorn.

Cakes, Desserts, Recipes

Mango Quick Cake Squares

June 21, 2013June 21, 2013 Sarah

Classic 1980s family recipe right here. These buttery, thin, quick cake squares were one of the desserts of my childhood. And my high school graduation party too, back in the day… 10 years ago. Yikes. On that note, we need a recipe like this to celebrate the first day of summer. And Mango Quick Cake Squares are just the thing! Soft and fruity cake that couldn’t be simpler to make.

This easy cake, like Monday’s Thai Tofu Ramen, has gotten a bit more sophisticated over the past ten years. Me too? One can only hope. The original Quick Cakes Squares starred classic ingredients like store-bought cherry pie filling and margarine, but when I needed a quick dessert to take to dinner at some friends’, I had to improvise. Use what I had. Remix the recipe, if you will. By using butter and mangoes. Because who store-bought cherry pie filling in their pantry? Though it is delicious….

These quick cake squares are a taste of the tropics in yellow cake form. Though I’ve never had a mango pie, I think I need to make one now because my mango ‘pie’ filling is super addicting, and incredibly simple. Just mangoes, coconut milk, sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla. That’s it! Seriously good. And easy too! Just the way I like it, haha.

Anyways, these Mango Quick Cake Squares have minimal ingredients, take little effort, and are made in a jelly roll pan so they are great for a barbecue or a crowd. The cake batter might not look like enough to spread in the pan, but just work at it [and don’t lick the spoon prematurely] and it should spread out enough. Also, be sure to dot the pie filling on before baking. I like to use a rubber spatula to section off the batter in the pan to dot in the filling, but you can also eyeball it. I hope you’ll try these yummy cake squares–whether you choose to use mangos or cherries, you can’t go wrong! Enjoy! 🙂

Mango Quick Cake Squares [from Mom]
click to print

Ingredients:

for mango filling

2 tablespoons coconut milk [could sub regular milk or water]
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
2 mangoes, peeled and diced

for cake

1 cup butter, softened [or margarine]
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 eggs
2 cups flour
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium bowl, whisk together coconut milk, sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla, then stir in mangoes. Set aside.

With a hand or stand mixer, cream butter and sugar together. Next add eggs, beating well, and mix in flour and lemon juice. Spread in a jelly roll pan [12.5×17.5×1 inch].

Section off into 24 squares gently with a rubber spatula, then dot each square with a small spoonful of mango filling. Bake for 28-30 minutes, until golden brown. Cool completely in the pan before cutting. Enjoy!

Time: 40 minutes.

Yield: 24 servings.

Notes: Also awesome with other prepared pie filling, storebought or not, like cherry. A classic taste of my childhood.

Linked up with: Weekend Potluck.

Cakes, Desserts, Recipes

Double Chocolate Strawberry Shortcakes

June 14, 2013June 14, 2013 Sarah

So, not only do I have a working laptop again [yay! even though things weren’t so hard work-wise because I had a wonderful loaner laptop from some generous church friends], I also got my act together enough to share this amazing recipe I found for DOUBLE CHOCOLATE STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKES! And on the most amazing day, too.

Why the shouting? Well, because chocolate and strawberry are things to shout about, duh. And because today, June 14th, is National Strawberry Shortcake Day [side note: I never know food holidays. So I’m psyched about this. Really psyched!]. But it’s also Flag Day, which leads me to the most important thing about today… it’s my grandparents’ 70th wedding anniversary. 70! Seven zero. Seventy. Years. Oh my goooooodness. That takes the cake today, right? Not buttery, chocolatey, shortcake that is just full of about a bazillion layers [even though it’s tasty]. Can you even believe it? This is one of my favorite pictures of them, dancing the ever-so-cheesy-yet-hopelessly-sentimental anniversary dance at our wedding. They won, even though at that point they had *only* been married for 66 years. Only. What an example, huh?

You don’t see commitment and longevity to marriage and relationships like this everyday, and my family is so blessed and thankful for their example. These Double Chocolate Strawberry Shortcakes are definitely something to celebrate with–whether it’s a regular Tuesday night [like it was when I made these for our small group this week], National Strawberry Shortcake Day, or your grandparents’ 70th wedding anniversary, these are the perfect treat.

Chocolate and strawberry are a timeless match made in heaven [just like my grandparents] and I think you should definitely make these! And oh, if you do–don’t skimp on the good stuff: use quality dark chocolate, and make your own whipped cream. It’s ridiculously easy and so much better than anything out of a can. Trust me. I wish I lived close enough to my grandparents to make this for dessert for them tonight, but this blog post will have to suffice. I’ll email it to them later today [my grandpa is super tech savvy :)] so maybe you can do me a favor and leave ’em some anniversary love too? 🙂 Happy Anniversary, G&GY! Love you!

Double Chocolate Strawberry Shortcakes [from Lauren’s Latest]

click to print

Ingredients:

for the shortcakes

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup cold butter, cut into small pieces
2/3 cup buttermilk
1 ounce dark chocolate, cut into small pieces

for the whipped cream

1 cup whipping cream or heavy cream
2-4 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon cornstarch

for the strawberries

1 pound strawberries, washed and sliced
1 tablespoon sugar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease baking sheets with cooking spray or line with silpats or parchment paper.

In a large bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, sugar, and cocoa powder, then cut in butter with two knifes or a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in buttermilk and chocolate, then spoon out onto prepared baking sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes, rotating halfway through, watching closely to make sure they don’t burn. Remove from baking sheets immediately to cooling rack to cool completely.

Meanwhile, prepare whipped cream and strawberries.

To make whipped cream, add whipping cream, sugar, vanilla, and cornstarch to stand mixer and whip on high until firm peaks form. [Cover mixer with a kitchen towel to prevent splatters.] Refrigerate until serving.

For strawberries, mix together berries and sugar. Sugar isn’t necessary but it will make a yummy syrup!

To serve, top cooled chocolate shortcakes with a generous amount of whipped cream and strawberries. Enjoy!

Time: 30 minutes + time to cool.

Yield: 8 servings.

P.S. If you wanna trust me on another important strawberry and chocolate matter, be sure to order a Chocolate Dipped Strawberry Blizzard next time you’re at Dairy Queen. It’s one of those off the menu recipes, circa early 2000s, but most stores know how to make it. It is so good.

Linked up with Weekend Potluck.

Cakes, Desserts, Recipes

Banana Chocolate Chip Cake with Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

April 26, 2013May 2, 2018 Sarah

As I write this post, my husband is in the kitchen whipping up this cake for my birthday. What a nice guy!!

My birthday is actually on Saturday, but we’re celebrating a little early because he’s running in a Spartan Race with my sister, brother-in-law, and my brother-in-law’s sister [what a mouthful] tomorrow. I was a nice wife and agreed to let him do his manly muddy obstacle course thing on my birthday. I love to run, but not in that craziness. I’m going shopping with my mom instead. I think I get the better end of the deal, but I digress. In reality, anyone who gets a piece of this cake gets a pretty good deal because it’s just so darn good!

This is the third time I’ve made this sweet, moist, banana-y cake studded with a bunch ‘o mini chocolate chips. Each time I’ve made it before it’s been for parties and I have to say that part of the reason I chose this for my birthday cake was so I could eat it all by myself with no guilt. Truth. Truth? Wellllll maybe not. I’ll probably wrap up some slices for my family tomorrow because I’m nice like that, even on my birthday. The rich, creamy frosting is just too good not to share.

This cake is fruity and ridiculously chocolately and absolutely delicious. The only way it could be better would be with sprinkles on top, but since I’m almost the birthday girl, I think that can be arranged. I think you should definitely make this asap. It’s my favorite favorite favorite cake! I can’t wait for a piece tonight. YUM!

Banana Chocolate Chip Cake with Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

Servings: 20
Time: 45 minutes
Print

[from Rachel Cooks]

Ingredients:

for Banana Chocolate Chip Cake

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3 medium bananas, mashed
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup shortening [or unsalted butter]
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

for Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

8 ounces cream cheese, softened [regular or Neufchatel]
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
2-3 teaspoons milk [perhaps more]
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup cocoa powder
4 cups powdered sugar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9×13 inch baking dish and set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine together flour, sugar, baking powder, and baking soda. Then add bananas, buttermilk, butter, eggs, and vanilla and mix on low until incorporated. Increase to medium speed and beat for 3 minutes. Fold in chocolate chips.

Pour into prepared pan, then bake for 30-35 minutes until golden brown or when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool completely, then frost.

To make frosting, beat together cream cheese, butter, milk, and vanilla. Add in cocoa powder and powdered sugar gradually–just 1/2 to 1 cup at a time, beating in between additions. Mix on low until smooth, adding more milk if necessary.

Spread on cooled cake, then top with more chocolate chips. Store covered in the refrigerator.

Linked up with: Weekend Potluck.