Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Well, I took my Mother-in-Law's recipe for Pineapple Upside Down Cake and made it for my first challenge of the month. I love the brown sugar and crushed pineapple and cherry.....sigh. My husband loves it and I think it brings back a little bit of childhood. Now, I will say that this recipe is super easy. I used my own recipe for a butter cake.......BUT I have used a box mix and changed a few things when in a hurry. It is really easy.

Go buy a box of whatever brand of cake mix you use that is a BUTTER cake mix. Then instead of water you use crushed pineapple. Then butter the cake pan and cover the butter with brown sugar. Put the pineapple rings down and a cherry in the middle. Spread your cake mix on top and bake at 350 until golden brown:) Nice and easy and DELICIOUS!

My New Recipe Blog Challenge is starting NOW!!

I have made a new years challenge for my blog.......to make a new recipe from my Grandma's, Mom's or Mother-in-law's cookbooks. I thought it was a good idea at the time and I still do, but I am bad at actually getting the proof on the blog. So, instead of a new years challenge it is my birthday challenge. I just had a birthday ( yeah, it just isn't as much fun as it use to be), so I am starting this week and it will last until my birthday next year:) 52 new recipes to make and try.....and hopefully others will like the "new" recipes too. I will blog tonight with my Pineapple Upside Down Cake.

New Recipes

Starting in January, I plan on making a new recipe, once a week from my Grandmother's cookbook. I want to try something different and unique with my baking now. I found some gems hidden in that old cookbook and want to start right after the Holidays with my new goal of one new recipe a week. I do want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year and happy eating:)

Pumpkin Cheesecakes

I love making Cheesecakes. LOVE IT!! I am so bad about  eating them that I decided to try making mini cheesecakes. I made them for a party I had recently and they were a hit! Your own personal cheesecake....who does not love that. I am going to be making a regular size Pumpkin Cheesecake for my own Thanksgiving this year, but then I thought mini cheesecakes might be nice for everyone to have one of their own:) I will be posting pictures of my mini cheesecake once I make some more, but I am now selling them for $1.50 a piece or 6 for $8.
Thanks.

Pumpkin Roll

I just wanted to add a picture of the Pumpkin Roll with Pecans that I have been making. I love making Pumpkin Rolls for people because it is a great treat and feeds a family and more for dessert. Plus, anything with cream cheese and powdered sugar is my friend!

Pumpkin Spice Sour Cream Cupcakes w/ Cream Cheese Frosting

I have been a baking machine lately and I LOVE it. This is one of the many Pumpkin Spice Sour Cream Cupcake I made for people this past week:) Now, I am very big on sharing, but my baking recipes are sometimes very close to my heart and harder to share:) I will share the recipes to the Cream Cheese frosting because every baker should know a good cream cheese frosting recipe and this one is WONDERFUL!

Ingredients:
1/2c shortening--I buy it in the stick form because it is so much easier to use when baking IMHO

1Stick (1/2c) unsalted butter

1 8oz. cream cheese package

1tbsp WHITE ( or CLEAR) vanilla---now if it is just for you and you don't care about the color then you can use the regular vanilla, but your frosting with have a little color to it.

2lbs. of powder sugar ( that is a whole bag, usually)---now I do not use the whole 2 lbs, because the more sugar you add the stiff the finally product will be. You want it to be a little stiff to whole it's shape on the cupcake, but not hard!

1/2 tsp. salt

Cream the shortening, butter and cream cheese together. MAKE SURE IT IS SOFTENED....ALL OF THEM. If your butter or cream cheese has been in the refrigerator then leave it out to soften. It is extremely difficult to cream together items with hard butter or cream cheese. Then cream them until nice and smooth; you want a smooth finish to the frosting. Then add vanilla and shift together sugar and salt. Slowly add the sugar mix to the cream cheese mixture. SLOWLY....if you add all the powered sugar it will dust you with powered sugar and be very difficult for your mixer to mix right. Plus, if you do it slowly you can stop adding whenever you feel you have enough sugar. You are done, so start icing! Refrigerate any left over frosting since it is cream cheese.
Little hint if it is too stiff then add a little milk to soften it.

Baking Today

I really love to bake. I guess because my Grandma and Mom loved to bake that it is in my genes. I remember my Mom letting us help by shifting the flour ( back in the day) and my brother and I felt so special. I see that in my daughter now. She loves to "help" me in the kitchen. She asks me when she gets to help me "mix" again. I must say she is getting more and more helpful in the kitchen and I get to teach her math without her knowing! I make her count and tell her how to measure and what a cup and teaspoon looks like. I really love it; it is a special time between us and us alone.
I am baking today some of the Pumpkin bread and a few Pumpkin Rolls, so I will be taking pictures to show you all:)