Tag: buttermilk

Cakes, Desserts, Recipes

Banana Cake with Cinnamon Glaze

Sarah

There’s nothing better than a slice of warm banana snack cake with a crunchy cinnamon glaze on top. Enjoy with a hot drink or some cold milk. One of the best cakes I’ve ever had!

Banana Cake with Cinnamon Glaze | thepajamachef.com

I love bananas. For eating alone as a snack, I prefer them slightly green. For eating sliced with some natural peanut butter, I prefer them bright yellow. But for baking cakes or bread? They need to be spotted, and as close to black as possible without rotting or being so mushy that you can hardly touch them without squirming. Sorry for that visual, but you know it’s true! 🙂

Banana Cake with Cinnamon Glaze | thepajamachef.com

I’ve made a few other banana cakes in my lifetime–this chocolate chip banana cake with chocolate cream cheese frosting is out of this world–but this simple one is my favorite. My mom’s friend passed along the recipe and it is just so good. It’s one of the first recipes I remember baking on my own. Usually we made it with a very simple powdered sugar glaze, but last time I made it I added some cinnamon and OH MY GOODNESS. Cinnamon glaze > plain glaze anyday. I need to try this on doughnuts. I was seriously eating it with a spoon, so if the glaze looks a little thin in spots… ha ha.

Banana Cake with Cinnamon Glaze | thepajamachef.com

This cake is a cinch to throw together, but it tastes like a million bucks! Enjoy! 🙂

two years ago: Red Velvet Marshmallow Bites
three years ago: Spicy Sausage, Chicken, and Bean Stew
four years ago: Crockpot Hot Potato Soup

Banana Cake with Cinnamon Glaze

  • Servings: 24
  • Print

from my mom’s friend Lis

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 1/2 cups flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk
  • 1 cup mashed bananas
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

for glaze

  • 1 tablespoon butter, softened
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • milk to thin, if necessary

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Cream together butter, sugar, and eggs. Fold in flour, baking soda, baking powder, buttermilk, bananas, vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Stir until just combined.

Spread in a greased 9×13 inch pan. Bake for 20 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Allow bars to cool for 10 minutes.  Meanwhile, make the glaze by whisking together butter, powdered sugar, and cinnamon. Add milk 1 tablespoon at a time, if necessary, to thin glaze. Pour glaze over warm bars and allow to cool completely before slicing.

Cupcakes, Desserts, Recipes

Cupcake Day: Mini Apple Cupcakes with Cranberry Buttercream

Sarah

Sweet spiced apple cupcakes paired with a tart cranberry buttercream. Two fall flavors in one mini cupcake bite! With just a few special ingredients you can have some extraordinary cupcakes!

Mini Apple Cupcakes with Cranberry Buttercream | thepajamachef.com

Before I forget… go say HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my baby sister. 🙂 How convenient that I’m posting a cupcake recipe today, huh? Here we are 25 years ago! Aww.

Mini Apple Cupcakes with Cranberry Buttercream | thepajamachef.com

The best things come in small packages, I think [see above?!], and mini cupcakes and muffins are no exception. They’re pretty much my favorite things ever! I hadn’t made mini cupcakes in wayyy too long, so when Coleen of The Redhead Baker announced her celebration of cupcakes this fall, I KNEW mini cupcakes would be my contribution. And after much deliberation, I decided to make apple cupcakes. But what to top them with?

Mini Apple Cupcakes with Cranberry Buttercream | thepajamachef.com

One of my Nashville friends has her own baking business and recently brought some sample cupcakes to our Bible study. She topped her apple cupcakes with a salted caramel buttercream, which was delicious, but I didn’t want to be a copycat. 🙂 Cinnamon buttercream also sounded good too, but then my favorite applesauce variation came to mind. Ben and I love swirling cranberry sauce into homemade applesauce, so I thought a nice tart cranberry buttercream may be the way to go. And ohhh my–it is!

Mini Apple Cupcakes with Cranberry Buttercream | thepajamachef.com

Multiple strong, overly sweet flavors don’t always work for cupcakes in my book. So I like to keep either the cake or the frosting on the simple side, and really play up the other. The cake portion of these cupcakes are just a subtle, spiced apple flavor. I grated the apples to add some texture and fresh apple. I normally love small chunks of apple in cake and muffins, but the grated texture works better in mini cupcakes, imo. Then the frosting. Ohhh the frosting!

Mini Apple Cupcakes with Cranberry Buttercream | thepajamachef.com

The cranberry buttercream is stunning, isn’t it? It’s naturally that bright, bold shade of pink, and each bite is better than the last. This buttercream is sweet, with a fantastic cranberry-y tart aftertaste. Good thing this recipe makes a ton of buttercream… enough to keep in your fridge for a late night snack. 🙂 Seeing these pink seasonal cupcakes just makes me so happy! I wish I could bring some to share with you in real life today. Enjoy!

Mini Apple Cupcakes with Cranberry Buttercream | thepajamachef.com

Thanks for organizing this celebration of cupcakes, Coleen! Be sure to scroll down below the recipe to see lots of yummy cupcake recipes. Have a great Monday!!

four years ago: Cheddar Black Pepper Biscuits

Mini Apple Cupcakes with Cranberry Buttercream

  • Servings: 32 mini cupcakes
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Ingredients:

for apple cupcakes from Chow

  • 1 1/2 cups shredded apples [2 medium Gala apples]
  • 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour [156 1/4 grams]
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • pinch salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 egg, room temperature
  • 3 ounces buttermilk, room temperature

for cranberry buttercream from Baker By Nature

  • 2 cups cranberries
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 4-5 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

Begin by shredding the apples with a box grater or food processor. Then press apples through a fine mesh sieve to drain as much juice out as possible.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line mini cupcake pans with paper liners and set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and ginger. With a mixer, beat butter for 2 minutes until smooth. Add sugar and vanilla and beat for another two minutes. Add egg and buttermilk, then beat for another minute. Scrape the sides of the bowl, add dry ingredients, and mix until just combined. Then, fold in apples.

Spoon batter into prepared pans, filling just below the top of the cup.

Bake for 14-15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes clean. Cool completely before frosting.

While cupcakes are baking, prepare buttercream. Begin by placing cranberries and lemon juice in a saucepan. Simmer over medium heat, stirring constantly, until cranberries pop and can be mashed easily. Mixture will look like a thick cranberry jam. Remove from heat, and working in batches, press mixture through a fine mesh sieve to separate the puree from the seeds/skin. This may be time consuming but is worth it. Cover and refrigerate puree to chill.

When ready to frost cupcakes, beat butter on medium-high for 2 minutes, until very smooth. Add in cold cranberry puree and beat for another minute until fully combined. Add powdered sugar, cup by cup and beat until desired thickness is achieved. I used about 4 cups. Stir in vanilla, then pipe or frost as desired.

Pssst! Look at all these other delicious cupcake recipes that my friends made for Cupcake Day! Mmm!

Breakfast, Muffins, Recipes

Mango Coconut Muffins

Sarah

I love fruit. Love, love, love it. Crisp apples, slightly underripe bananas, juicy peaches, sweet blueberries… I could go on and on. I love them all. Nine times out of ten I’d choose fruit over chocolate–whether on its own or in a dessert. But when you add chocolate to fruit…? Oh man. I’m in heaven. Heaven! Like these muffins, a basic coconut batter filled with juicy chunks of tropical mango, coconut flakes, and white chocolate chips.

Mango Coconut Muffins | thepajamachef.com

These muffins are my dream come true!

You can make these muffins with the regular variety you buy in the grocery store but my favorite kind of mango is the Ataulfo mango, also known as the honey or champagne mango. They are rich and sweet, and in my opinion… easier to cut. They have an intensely sweet flavor, with some peppery or minty notes.

Mango Coconut Muffins | thepajamachef.com

They’re soft and fluffy, perfect for any occasion from book club [that’s what I made them for!] to lunchboxes. Ben’s been taking them in his lunch and people have been asking him what in the world is in that glorious muffin that smells SO SO good. I mean, who can resist these tropical treats, especially during a long day? I know I can’t! And you won’t be able to either! 🙂

Mango Coconut Muffins | thepajamachef.com

Mango Coconut Muffins [adapted from Following in My Shoes]
click to print

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup white whole wheat flour
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted + cooled
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon coconut emulsion/extract [or vanilla extract]
  • 1 cup fresh diced mango
  • 1/4 cup white chocolate chips
  • 1/4 cup dried coconut, divided

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line muffin tins with paper liners or grease well.

In a large bowl, whisk together flours, baking powder, sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. In a separate bowl stir together buttermilk, milk, coconut oil, egg, and coconut emulsion. Fold wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, then gently fold in mango, white chocolate chips, and half [2 tablespoons] of the dried coconut.

Divide batter evenly between prepared muffin tins and then top with remaining coconut.

Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days and then freeze leftovers.

Time: 30 minutes.
Yield: 16 muffins.

30 Before 30, Beans, Chicken, Main Dishes, Other, Recipes, Salads, Sides

Mystery Dish: BBQ Chicken Salad with Jalapeno Basil Ranch Dressing

Sarah

Today I have the BEST SALAD EVER to share with you!! I am so psyched, I can hardly wait to tell you about it [even though it is not original at all. But that’s okay.] But first, this recipe qualifies for not just one, but two challenges. Woohoo! First of all, I created this recipe for Mystery Dish. But since it includes a fantastic homemade ranch dressing, it also helps fulfill one of my 30 before 30 goals. Score!

BBQ Chicken Salad with Jalapeno Basil Ranch Dressing | thepajamachef.com #mysterydish #salad #summer

This month for Mystery Dish, Chez Catey Lou is our host. Cate is so sweet and gave us such a creative list to work with! We had to use at least two ingredients from this list: raspberries, peanut butter chips, edamame, lemon, yeast, whole wheat pastry flour, bacon, buttermilk, basil, and zucchini. There were a thousand ways I thought about going [I probably say that every month…sorry] but my craving for a salad won out in the end. I used a few of Cate’s ingredients [lemon, buttermilk, and basil] to make an awesome Jalapeno Ranch Dressing to dress up a BBQ Chicken Salad.

BBQ Chicken Salad with Jalapeno Basil Ranch Dressing | thepajamachef.com #mysterydish #salad #summer

I have long searched for a good homemade ranch dressing. I’ve made this recipe once before and let me tell you..it’s a keeper! It’s creamy, spicy, and best of all… clean! No weird mystery ingredients in the powder, thankyouverymuch. The key to this recipe is the jalapeno. It just elevates this creamy, herby dressing with a bit of spice. Oh so good!

BBQ Chicken Salad with Jalapeno Basil Ranch Dressing | thepajamachef.com #mysterydish #salad #summer

You know what else is good? This salad! I know a zillion restaurants have variations of BBQ Chicken Salad and this was mine. I just used seven ingredients so it’s pretty basic: lettuce, chicken, BBQ sauce, corn, tomatoes, black beans, and ranch dressing. You could also add avocados, onions, bacon, or anything else that strikes your fancy.

BBQ Chicken Salad with Jalapeno Basil Ranch Dressing | thepajamachef.com #mysterydish #salad #summer

I kept it simple though so the flavors could really shine. You will really want to make it again and again. One bite of this and Ben was swooning. Seriously! This is a man’s salad, and definitely fancy enough for a restaurant. Hope you enjoy it as much we do!

BBQ Chicken Salad with Jalapeno Basil Ranch Dressing | thepajamachef.com #mysterydish #salad #summer

one year ago: Strawberry Muffins
two years ago: Sweet-Tart Quinoa Salad
three years ago: BAST sandwich

BBQ Chicken Salad with Jalapeno Ranch Dressing

  • Servings: 4 meal-size salads or 8 side salads; 2 cups dressing
  • Print

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups cooked chicken [leftovers from a roasted chicken work great]
  • 1 cup bbq sauce [I used Sweet Baby Ray’s]
  • 1 large tomato, chopped
  • 2 cups black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 3 cups fresh corn, cut from 3 ears of corn
  • 1 head romaine lettuce
  • Jalapeno Ranch Dressing, recipe below

Directions:

Stir together chicken and bbq sauce in a skillet set over medium-low heat. Heat for 5-7 minutes or until heated through, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, toss together romaine lettuce and Jalapeno Ranch Dressing in desired amounts. Divide lettuce between four plates, then top each with a quarter of all ingredients: chicken, tomato, black beans, and corn. Toss together and enjoy!

Jalapeno Ranch Dressing [slightly adapted from The Lively Kitchen]

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 cup mayonnaise
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk [for this I use real buttermilk, a substitute could be kinda weird]
  • 4 green onions, chopped, with white bottoms removed
  • 1/2 of a chopped, deseeded jalapeno [~2 tablespoons]
  • 3 tablespoons  fresh parsley, chopped [or 1 teaspoon dried parsley]
  • 1/3 cup fresh Thai basil, chopped [or cilantro, basil, etc.]
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • freshly ground black pepper to taste

DIrections:

Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor and pulse until smooth. An immersion blender works great!

Dressing thickens in the fridge so add some extra buttermilk before serving leftovers as desired.

Please check out the other awesome recipes from this month’s Mystery Dish!

May Mystery Dish Collage

1. Raspberry Lemon Sweet Roll Cake with Buttermilk Glaze – Baking a Moment
2. Twice Baked Zucchini Boat – Chelsea’s Messy Apron
3. Buttermilk Panna Cotta with Raspberry Mint Compote – Blahnik Baker
4. Lemon-Raspberry Bundt Cake – I Dig Pinterest
5. Peanut Butter Chip Cookies – The Dessert Chronicles
6. Mini Coconut Cupcakes with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting – I Want Crazy
7. Zucchini Noodles with Meat Mushroom Tomato Sauce – Joyfully Healthy Eats
8. Baked Wonton Cups Filled with Edamame Corn Salad – The Well Floured Kitchen
9. Easy 30 Minute Orange Rolls – Yummy Healthy Easy
10. BBQ Chicken Salad with Jalapeno Basil Ranch Dressing – The Pajama Chef
11. Mini Reese’s Peanut Butter Cupcakes – Culinary Couture
12. Zucchini Muffins with Lemon Glaze – The Weary Chef
13. Lemon Bundt Cake – Chez CateyLou

Breakfast, Muffins, Recipes

Mystery Dish: Tropical Kiwi Fruit Muffins

Sarah

Happy Mystery Dish Friday! Today I have some AMAZING muffins to share with you. They are seriously some of the coolest muffins I have ever made [and from this muffin addicted girl, that’s saying a lot]. But how can you not agree?! They have KIWI on top. So fun, so tropical, so green. Spring, please come soon!

Tropical Kiwi Fruit Muffins | thepajamachef.com

This month for Mystery Dish, Kat from I Want Crazy was in charge. When our original founder, Dani, who has since left blogging due to family, was trying to organize the group, I suggested she ask Kat to join. I knew Kat from church [we were still living in Indiana then] and she had recently started blogging. She joined and the rest is history… errr, the rest being that this month she chose our fun ingredients [including the aforementioned kiwi] to be: boxed cake mix, Peeps, oats, ginger, honey, wine, shallots, coconut, shrimp, cherry tomatoes, kiwi, dried fruit, and cinnamon. Some of those ingredients I looove [COCONUT] and others I hate [Peeps. With a passion.] so the choice was pretty simple.

Tropical Kiwi Fruit Muffins | thepajamachef.comI pinned these Tropical Kiwi Fruit Muffins months and months ago, and now I finally had an excuse to make them. They are a tropical delight! Basically, you make a soft coconut muffin and top it with a slice of kiwi fruit and a smattering of coconut flakes. The coconut on top gets all golden and toasty, though in an ideal world I’d like it to be toastier [but didn’t want to toughen up the muffins]. I added a touch of ginger to the muffin batter, both to satisfy Kat’s request for us to use three ingredients AND because I just thought it sounded wonderful. And they turned out wonderful, if I do say so myself. Lime, ginger, and coconut go so well together in these fun muffins, and the kiwi is the cherry on top. 🙂 A bit o’ color and flavor if you will. These muffins were perfect for a rainy/snowy week. Hope you enjoy, and that you check out some of the other recipes this month for Mystery Dish!

Tropical Kiwi Fruit Muffins | thepajamachef.comone year ago: Sweet & Sour Chicken
two years ago: Turkey, Spinach, & Kale Stuffed Shells
three years ago: Baked Potato Skins

Tropical Kiwi Fruit Muffins [slightly adapted from Clever Muffin]
click to print

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups self-rising flour
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup shredded coconut
  • zest of one large lime
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
  • scant 1/2 cup coconut oil [90 grams]
  • 1 cup buttermilk [quick shortcut=1 tablespoon vinegar + enough milk to make 1 cup; let sit for about 5 minutes to thicken]
  • 1 egg
  • 3 kiwi fruit, peeled and thinly sliced
  • 2 tablespoons shredded coconut

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Prepare muffin tin with paper liners or coat with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, shredded coconut, lime zest, and ground ginger. Make a well in the center.

In a separate bowl, whisk together coconut oil, buttermilk, and egg. Pour into the well then stir until just combined.

Spoon into prepared muffin tin, then top with a slice of kiwi and some shredded coconut.

Bake for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Eat or freeze within three days.

Time: 30 minutes.
Yield: 12-16 muffins.

Mystery Dish March Collage | thepajamachef.com1. Coconut Shrimp with Thai Chili Ginger Sauce by Joyful Healthy Eats
2. Sangria Poached Pears by Baking a Moment
3. Baked Mini Carrot Cake Donuts by Culinary Couture Blog
4. Funfetti Cookies with Peeps Marshmallow Frosting by I Dig Pinterest
5. Carrot Oatmeal Cookies by Yummy Healthy Easy
6. Gooey Oatmeal Cranberry Bars by I Want Crazy
7. Honey Lime Coconut Oatmeal Cookies by Blahnik Baker
8. Chocolate Almond Date Balls by The Well Floured Kitchen
9. Tropical Kiwi Fruit Muffins by The Pajama Chef
10. Nesting Peeps Cupcakes by The Dessert Chronicles
11. Carrot Cake Cookies by Chez CateyLou