Angry Birds Cupcakes

My adorable nephew turned 6 this weekend!  When my sister-in-law asked him what theme he wanted for his party, his answer was his current obsession - Angry Birds.

An obsession I know NOTHING about.

So, when Isabel asked me to make Angry Birds cupcakes (yellow ones only, as per her request) I had some research to do.  Luckily, I came across this blog post that helped me out a bit.  I made a few adaptations, and was pretty happy with the result!

I used my standard yellow cake recipe, colored my buttercream frosting yellow (topped with some yellow sparkly sugar), and used the following for the faces:

Twizzlers black licorice nibs:  I cut them in 3's, lengthwise, and used 2 pieces for the eyebrows, and one for the top of the head

Mini marshmallows:  I cut them in half and used them for the base of the eyes

Mini chocolate chips:  went on top of the marshmallows

Orange slices:  I cut them into small triangular pieces for the beaks

A bit time consuming, but totally worth it!  They were a big hit.

Happy birthday Petey!!

Bella's Birthday Cake

We had Bella's family birthday party over the weekend, and of course, I baked her cake.  Even though there's nothing spectacular about it, ingredient wise, I had to devote a post to it.

Why?

I did this.  I carved that 4, FREEHAND.  If you're a regular reader of this blog, you know this is a big deal for me.  I refused to spend the money on a #4 cake pan, only to use it once, so I crossed my fingers and went for it.  Not bad, eh?

AND, I did a crumb coat for the first time ever!  Yeah, I know, I'm late to the party.  It definitely made a difference.  Still not perfect, but better than usual.  I know this is amateur stuff to some, but not for this novice baker!

Of course, I had to include Bella's favorite color in there somehow...hence, the purple.  My nieces actually were planning on decorating the cake but we ran out of time.  It's too bad - it would have made it even better :)

Still can't believe my baby is 4!  Time really DOES go by fast...

Stuffed Long Peppers

Several months ago, I asked my Aunt Joan for some of her recipes since I knew she had a lot of them written down.  She handed over a recipe box that was amazing, with papers that were turning yellow and tearing at the edges.  I had so much fun going through it, picking and choosing which ones I wanted to scan and keep.

Frank doesn't eat peppers so I waited until I was feeding a crowd to serve these up...one of many dishes that takes me back to me childhood.  The smell while they're cooking is enough to jog my memory.

I made these the day before I needed them and warmed them in the oven right before serving.  Now that I've done that, I know that next time I need more crushed tomatoes/sauce since it seemed to have absorbed into the peppers after reheating.  They were still delicious, but a little more sauce would have been nice.


Stuffed Long Peppers
from Aunt Joan

10 long frying peppers
3 cups Italian bread crumbs
3 tablespoons capers
chopped anchovies (I omitted)
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 egg
extra virgin olive oil
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes (or 3 cups marinara)
(if using canned crushed tomatoes, add seasonings like basil, garlic powder, parsley, salt, pepper)

Cut tops off peppers and clean out insides.  Set aside.

In a bowl, combine bread crumbs, capers, anchovies, garlic and egg.  Add oil to the point where mixture becomes moist.  Stuff mixture inside peppers.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat and add peppers.  Add tomatoes (and seasonings, if using) and brown peppers on each side.  Lower heat, cover, and simmer for at least 20 minutes.

You can reheat this later in the oven, or you can skip the frying step entirely and bake in the oven for a healthier alternative.

Eggplant, Prosciutto & Cheese "Sandwiches"

Not long ago, I told you about my sister's mother-in-law and her delicious pitacella.  Nina's food was always truly amazing.  Every Christmas, she'd surprise her large crowd of guests with a different main course...goat, rabbit, quail...no matter what, you knew it was going to be special.  And don't even get me started with her lasagna.

There were many dishes of hers, however, that I wasn't fortunate enough to try while she was still with us.  I noticed a picture of one after my sister's recent trip to Italy.  She was on her biennial trip with her husband, daughters, father-in-law, and brother-in-law Tony, visiting Nina's family.  Whenever they go, they're brought back to Nina's home cooking, courtesy of her sisters and cousins.

The picture that Tony posted immediately made my mouth water.  I asked him to describe what it was, and knew right away that I needed to make it ASAP.  His cousin made it while he was in Italy, but it was a dish that he said Nina made often.  He had an idea of how she prepared it but wasn't exactly sure, so I did my best to replicate it.

Well, as expected, it was delicious!  After all, what could be bad about mozzarella and prosciutto sandwiched between juicy fried eggplant?  Especially when the king of all cheeses is involved - Parmigiano Reggiano.

I can only hope that Nina would be proud of my interpretation :)


Eggplant, Prosciutto & Cheese "Sandwiches"
1 eggplant, peeled and sliced into thin rounds
3 eggs
2 cups Italian bread crumbs
salt and pepper
3/4 cup Parmigiano Reggiano, grated, divided
12 ounces prosciutto, thinly sliced
1 log mozzarella cheese, sliced
extra virgin olive oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Crack eggs into a bowl and beat with a bit of water.  Place bread crumbs on a flat plate, add a bit of Parmigiano Reggiano, and mix.  Dip eggplant slices in egg, one at a time, letting excess egg drip off before coating both sides with bread crumbs.

Heat oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet.  Add eggplant and brown on both sides, sprinkling with a bit of salt and pepper.  Remove and place on paper towel lined plate.  Repeat process until all eggplant is cooked.

Lightly oil a baking pan.  Place eggplant on bottom.  Top each slice with a few slices of prosciutto, then mozzarella.  Top with eggplant and sprinkle Parmigiano Reggiano on top.

Bake for about 12-15 minutes, until cheese is melted.  Top with more Parmigiano Reggiano, if desired.  Serve.

Makes around a dozen "sandwiches".

Ovaltine Brownies

Talk about a throwback...

As soon as I saw Ovaltine in my sister's pantry, memories started flooding into my brain.  We LOVED this stuff as kids!  I guess my nieces like it now, too.

I haven't had it in ages, and actually kind of forgot about it.  But, I felt compelled to bake something with it, especially after getting our "assignment" for our What's Baking? group this month, which was to bake something that reminds you of your favorite place.  And one of my favorite places is definitely home...more specifically, home when I was a kid.

These brownies were SO good.  Moist and dense, and super tasty.  They were the perfect alternative to the traditional brownie.

Thanks to Joanna from Newlywed and Newly Cooking for a great theme this month!

Ovaltine Brownies
from The Not So Blog's Experimental Mommy

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
2 tablespoons water
2 eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/3 AP flour
1 1/2 cups Ovaltine mix
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup semi-sweet mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Grease a 9 inch square baking pan.

Combine sugar, butter and water in a bowl.  Mix until combined, then stir in eggs and vanilla.  Combine flour, Ovaltine, baking powder and salt in another bowl.  Add it all at once to sugar mixture.  Fold in 1/4 cup of chips.

Spread mixture into baking pan and bake for about 35 minutes.  Remove from oven and sprinkle remaining chips all over the top.  After 5 minutes, spread chips evenly over brownies with a spatula.  Cool completely, then cut into bars.

Minding the Farm

Well, that may be a bit of an exaggeration, but while my sister and her family are away on vacation (in Italy - yes, practically my entire family has been there this summer!) I am taking care of her 4 chickens. Uh huh, that's right.

They don't have names yet, although, after falling close to waist high in a muddy ditch the other night while heading out to the coop to close them up, I had a few choice names for them...

They are kinda cute, actually.  And boy are they full of personality.  Bella cracks up whenever we head over to them - they basically line up by the door and start yelling at us.  She says, "Mommy, they must be reeeeeeally hungry!"  Then she helps me throw in whatever fruit/veggie scraps there are, and watches them (literally) gobble them up.  It cracks her up!

She also loves checking for eggs, and she certainly is getting her fill of that, now that there are about 20 of them in the fridge.  Here are the ones we got yesterday, that ultimately became breakfast in scrambled form:

Fresh eggs (and they don't get any fresher than this!) really do live up to the hype, that's for sure.

I know the majority of you don't know me in real life, but if you did, you'd know this isn't exactly my "territory".  Frank certainly has embraced it though, I must say.  He's definitely feeling his Sussex County roots - not bad for a Brooklyn boy.

So, be warned - you'll probably be seeing lots of posts revolving around eggs in the near future! :)

Baba Au Rhum (Rum Cake)

Over the weekend, we celebrated my sister and brother-in-law's birthdays.  They're the same age, just 3 days apart.  Sweet.

Soooo, last year we were all away, which meant that there were no birthday cakes made.  Rick's request for baba rum went unfulfilled.

And don't think he let me forget it, either.  For a little while, I thought maybe I wrecked his car or something.  But no...it was just a cake gripe.

So, I made sure he got it this year.  365 days of torture is more than enough for me.

He thoroughly enjoyed it, as you can see...

I highly recommend increasing the amount of rum in the recipe...I'd say to one cup...it tasted great but definitely could have used more of the rum flavor.  We ended up adding it to the whipped cream to compensate :)

This cake was delicious, and an easy one for those who fear yeast!  Just one simple rise - that's it.

Baba Au Rum (Rum Cake)
from Chowhound (can't find the original source)

for the cake:
1 package active dry yeast
1 cup warm water (approximately 105-115 degrees)
3/4 cup butter, softened
4 eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups AP flour, divided
sweetened whipped cream

for the rum syrup:
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1/4 cup rum (again, I recommend around 1 cup!)

Dissolve yeast in warm water in mixing bowl.  Stir in butter, eggs, sugar, salt and one cup of flour.  Beat until smooth.  Stir in remaining flour until combined.  Spread batter into greased bundt pan.  Cover, and let rise in warm place until doubled (about 1 hour).

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Uncover cake and bake for about 30 minutes, until golden brown.  Let cool in mold for about 10 minutes, then poke holes all over cake and pour in rum syrup.  Let sit in pan until ready to serve, then turn onto cake plate.  Serve with whipped cream.

to make the rum syrup:
Heat sugar and water over until boiling, stirring occasionally.  Lower heat to simmer and cook another 2 minutes, then cool to lukewarm.  Stir in rum.

Pete's Italian Frittata

I'd be lying if I said I was the best frittata maker in the family.  I'm beat out by the men, for sure.  My dad and my brother have been making a kick-ass frittata for as long as I can remember.

Even though it was Father's Day, Pete (a proud dad to my two nephews) was happy to host our family for brunch, with the centerpiece being this deliciousness.  It's hard to tell in the picture, but that is a GIANT pan.  I don't know how many eggs were used, exactly...I'm going to assume it was a dozen.  Scramble them up and season with a bit of salt and pepper, and set aside.

Italian sausage was the meat of choice.  He cut it into bite size pieces and sauteed it in extra virgin olive oil with chopped onions and garlic.  Toss in some sliced mushrooms and saute for a minute, then add some parboiled broccoli rabe.  Season with salt and pepper and cook it all together for a few minutes.

Now it's time for the star of the frittata - the leftover pasta!  It's why they're made in the first place.  Throw in your cooked spaghetti...and if there are no leftovers, don't worry, you can just make some ahead of time and save it for this :)  Season again and mix.

Add the scrambled eggs and move the pan around a bit so everything is covered with egg.  Cook a few minutes to let everything settle in together, but not too much, then add some shredded or grated provolone.  As much as you like.  And we like a lot.

Mix it all together, then place in a 450 degree oven.  Bake for about 10 minutes until the sides have browned, then lower heat to 375 and bake until the frittata is set, about 20 minutes or so (keep an eye on it after 15).  Remove from oven (carefully!) and set aside to cool for about 5 minutes before cutting.

Mangia!  And remember - this is just as delicious at room temp or even cold!

Linked to:  Egg Blog Hop

Last Day of School!

No recipe today - just me being a proud momma.  Bella's last day of school is today!  They weren't kidding when they said how fast it all goes...

I still can't believe how big she's gotten over the past year.

Before I know it, it'll be September, she'll be turning 4, and she'll be going to school full time!  Whoa.

Her end-of-the-year concert was earlier this week and it was tough to hold the tears back, for sure.  It's amazing how much she's learned since September...including the Pledge of Allegiance! (this photo was from a few months ago)

And deciding which "person in your neighborhood" to dress up as was easy...she followed in RaRa's footsteps and chose to be a teacher.

There were so many fun moments...I could keep going, but instead, we'll forge ahead and work on having a great summer :)  

Andes Mint Chocolate Chip Cake

Another special little person in my life had a milestone birthday recently.  My niece Nina turned 10!  And I was THRILLED when she gave me her cake choice.  It's one of my favorite flavor combinations.

I had to make some changes to the original recipe since the request was specifically "mint chocolate chip cake".  No problem.

Where the problem did lie, however, is in my leveling/trimming/frosting skills.  Damn layer cakes.  Can someone please come and tutor me?  PLEASE???

Anyway, it tasted awesome...and isn't that what really matters? :)

Happy birthday Nina - I can't believe you're in double digits!

Andes Mint Chocolate Chip Cake
adapted from Bird On A Cake

For the cake:
1 cup boiling water
2 cups sugar
1 3/4 cups AP flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups chopped Andes mints
mini chocolate chips (for assembly)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease and flour three 8 inch round cake pans.

Bring some water to a boil.  In a large mixing bowl combine sugar, flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt.  Add eggs, buttermilk, oil and vanilla.  Mix together.

Add one cup of boiling water and carefully stir until mixed in.  Beat for 1 1/2 minutes with mixer.  Fold in mints.  Pour batter into pans and bake for about 20-23 minutes.

For the Mint Buttercream frosting:
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
5 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon mint extract
green food coloring
1/2 cup milk (may use less)

Mix all ingredients except milk together on low speed.  Gradually add milk until desired consistency is reached.

Place bottom layer on serving plate.  Add frosting, then spread mini chocolate chips evenly over it.  Repeat with second layer.  Frost top and sides of cake, then add chips on top and on sides.

Linked to: Tastetastic Thursday
                 Sweet Tooth Friday
                 Sweets for a Saturday
                 Mint Blog Hop

Marshmallow Fudge Cake

We recently celebrated my mother-in-law's birthday on St. Patrick's Day.  She made delicious corned beef and cabbage, and we ended the meal with her cake request.

Last year, when I made her brown derby cake, she was thrilled.  I thought about using the same chocolate cake recipe this time around, then I saw a more fudge-like recipe on my Ghirardelli cocoa can.  Knowing it couldn't be anything short of awesome, I went to work.

Then, it was off to find a marshmallow frosting recipe that would be sure to please.  I was very happy with the results as far as taste, but unfortunately the looks left a lot to be desired :(  It was the first time I made an icing of this consistency, so I guess I'll just have to keep practicing...

Yikes!

But you know what?  It was awesome.  Like a big devil dog.  SO much better than I imagined it would be.  And that was the general consensus :)

Whose birthday was it, anyway?



Marshmallow Fudge Cake
cake recipe from Ghirardelli, frosting recipe from Pixelated Crumb

for the cake:
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
2 cups AP flour
1 3/4 sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, softened
1 1/3 cup milk
2 eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

for the frosting (seven minute frosting):
4 egg whites
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
4 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease and lightly flour two 9 inch round cake pans.

Combine flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Set aside.  In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar together on medium high speed until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes.  Reduce speed to low, and add vanilla, then eggs one at a time, scraping bowl after each is added.  Alternately add flour mixture and milk (beginning and ending with flour) while mixing on low.  Continue to mix until smooth.

Pour into prepared pans and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until toothpick comes out of middle clean.  Let cool before removing from pans.  Keep cake refrigerated until 15-30 minutes before you're ready to frost.

Combine all frosting ingredients in a large metal or glass bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water.  Make sure bowl is considerably larger than ingredients since they will grow.  Beat on high with handheld mixer until thick and fluffy, about 7 minutes.  Remove bowl from heat and continue mixing until slightly cooled (use frosting day it is made).

Put bottom layer on cake plate and add frosting on top.  Add second layer, then frost top and sides.  Refrigerate until shortly before serving.

If frosting is runny, freeze cake for a little while before putting in the fridge or serving (this is what I ended up having to do!)

Linked to: Sweets for a Saturday

Homemade Funfetti Cupcakes

Last year, when my adorable nephew turned one, I made these beauties.  This year, his mom requested simple yellow cupcakes with chocolate frosting, but of course I had to make them just a little bit festive.

Surprise!

It's as simple as adding some sprinkles to the batter and on top of the delicious frosting - the same two recipes I used for Frank's cake.

Can you believe how big this bundle of love is getting?  I think it's pretty safe to say he loved his cupcakes.

Then again, what little boy wouldn't love a cupcake on a Buzz & Woody plate?

Happy 2nd Birthday, Nicky!

Linked to: Tastetastic Thursday

                  Sweets for a Saturday

Happy Valentine's Day! (What's Baking?)

Well, unless you don't own a computer, you are fully aware of all of the Valentine's Day related posts that have been bombarding the blogosphere the past few weeks.  I think I'm the only one who didn't participate in the madness (what is wrong with me?).

So, I figured I'd make up for it in two ways.  I decided to:

1- choose a non-edible item for Valentine's Day...one that has also been bombarding the internet!
2- choose a non-edible item for our What's Baking? challenge this month (hey, they had to baked!)

Like I said, unless you don't own a computer...

Bella and I baked these adorable crayons yesterday for her classmates.  Believe me - if we were allowed to give out edible treats for their party today, I would have been ALL over that.  But because a few of her classmates have severe allergies, it isn't permitted.

I don't know if it's because I'm the least creative, crafty person out there, but I had a hard time with these!  There are several reasons why...but, rather than embarrass myself by listing them, I'll give you a few tips at the end of this post that may make this project easier for you.

And by the way, these should not be considered solely for Valentine's Day...I think they'd make great birthday favors, or a rainy day project with the kiddies.  You could also make different shapes depending on the theme you're working with.

Sandra from She Cooks and Bakes challenged us this month to make special Valentine treats, with the option of using related colors.  As you can see, these crayons definitely cover that :)

Heart Shaped Crayons
as seen everywhere on Pinterest...for more pictures see Sillie Smile

Preheat oven to 250 degrees.  Soak crayons in warm water and peel off paper.  Break crayons into smaller pieces (and don't forget the crayon scraps all over the house!) and place in each muffin mold.

Bake for about 12-15 minutes.  The crayon mixture will be very jiggly when you take the pan out.  Place in a very cool area (I put it outside) and let cool and harden completely.  Pull sides of mold away from crayons and gently pop them out.

Wrap or package them however you like.

Sooo...
I used a silicone Wilton pan to make these.  The pan only has 6 hearts.  So, I had to wait for each pan to cool completely before being able to start on the next batch (and it didn't help that half of each batch broke when I was taking them out...grrr!).  So, you might want to have a few pans on hand, depending on how many you need.

In retrospect, I would have filled my molds up more (and baked them longer) so the crayons ended up being thicker.  Then maybe none of them would have broken!  They don't rise at all, so consider filling them about 2/3 or 3/4 of the way.

Lighter and brighter colors look much better than darker/duller ones.

Hope everyone enjoys their Valentine's Day!  I've got a box of chocolates my little angel bought me that I'll be diving into later :)

Tres Leches Cake

Another year, another birthday...yes, as I told Bella, today is my 29th birthday ;)  And even she let out a big laugh, as if she knew there was no way that was the truth!  Ha.

We celebrated on Sunday with the family - as usual, honoring mine as well as my Mom's, whose birthday was last week.  Last year I made each of us a separate cake.  This year, I took the easy way out and made just one...and of course, I let Mom decide what kind.  I thought about making my own cake last night...then thought again...maybe I'll make one this weekend...we'll see :)

I'm not sure how I'd top this one anyway.  OMG.  Even my Cuban sister-in-law approved.

This cake should be illegal.  And the fact that it's so easy to make makes it even more dangerous.

                                 
                                     
Honestly, I may just make this again.  After all, I only had one piece...even less than that little cutie pie had.

                                        

Either way, I know I'll be making this again, VERY SOON.

                                        

Happy Birthday to me!  Hoping for some magical things to happen this year...we'll see!

Tres Leches Cake (see below for a few special instructions)
from The Boastful Baker

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled, plus more for baking dish
1 1/2 cups AP flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
5 large eggs
1 cup sugar, divided
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 (14 ounces) can sweetened condensed milk
1 can (12 ounces) evaporated milk
1 cup whole milk
2 cups heavy cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly butter a 9x13 baking pan.

In a medium bowl, mix together flour, baking powder and salt.  In a mixing bowl, beat eggs and 3/4 cup sugar on high until pale and thick, about 4 minutes.  Add vanilla and beat until combined.

With mixer on low, gradually add flour mixture.  Beat until combined.  Fold in melted butter with a rubber spatula until incorporated.

Transfer batter to baking dish and bake until top is golden brown and toothpick comes out of center clean, about 30-35 minutes, rotating dish halfway through.

Beat all three milks together in a medium bowl.  Poke warm cake all over with a toothpick then pour milk mixture over entire cake.  Let cool to room temperature, about one hour.

Whip cream and remaining 1/4 cup sugar to medium peaks.  Spread evenly over cooled cake.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.

**I made the cake and refrigerated it overnight (after I poured the milk into it), then made the whipped cream and topped it the next day.  Dee-licious.


**Like the original recipe suggested, I dissolved about a teaspoon of gelatin in a bit of water and mixed it into the cream before mixing.  It did a great job stabilizing it...to give you an idea, the first 2 pictures in this post were taken the day after I covered the cake with the cream.  I highly recommend this step!

Linked to: Sweets for a Saturday
                 Sweet Treats Thursday

Happy Birthday, Dad-in-law!

Months ago, my father-in-law put in the order for his birthday cake.  He even tried getting me to make it in July for his half birthday.  As tempted as I was, I politely told him he needed to wait until December 15th.

He was kind enough to wait 10 days longer, and even kinder to share it with everyone around our Christmas Day table.

What got me super excited about his cake choice was that it's totally in my top 3.  I would have made it myself for my own birthday next month, had he not requested it.

A thing of beauty.

Chocolate + peanut butter = heaven.  In my book, at least.  And my father-in-law's.

I was worried about this cake traveling about an hour and 15 minutes to my inlaws' house, but it survived.  It may have fallen a wee bit lopsided, but it still tasted amazing!

Happy Birthday, DIL!

Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Cake
slightly adapted from Heather Drive

Chocolate cake (I used this recipe...use your favorite!), baked in two round layers
1 stick butter, at room temperature
1 cup creamy peanut butter
5 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
1/4-1/2 cup milk, divided
Reese's peanut butter cups (mini size)...I used about 1 1/2 bags

Bake cake and let cool completely.  Place peanut butter cups in freezer for later use.

In bowl of stand mixer add butter, peanut butter and 1/8 cup milk.  Mix on slowest setting and combine well.  Slowly add confectioners' sugar, mixing on slowest setting.

Start mixing in remaining milk SLOWLY until desired consistency is reached.

Level off cake layers and place one on serving plate.  Scoop about one cup of frosting onto top of layer and spread evenly.  Take cups out of freezer and crush enough of them to add on top of frosting (about 10-12).

Place second leveled layer on top and frost cake fully.  Decorate with remaining cups as seen in photos above, or however you like!  Refrigerate until 30-60 minutes before serving.

Linked to: Tastetastic Thursday
                   Fusion Friday
                   Sweets for a Saturday

New Year's Day, take two!

You may remember my semi-failed attempt at vasilopita this time last year.  The cake served its purpose and tasted good, but it definitely wasn't pretty.  Well, I'm proud to say that this year was much more successful, thanks to a new recipe and a different pan!

And the winner is...my brother-in-law, Rick!  Perfect timing, with his new business underway (have you been to Rudy's in Garwood?  Run, don't walk!)...2012 will be a great year for him, according to the Greeks :)

And yes, I fully admit that I'm bitter over NEVER having the coin in my slice.  Not once.  Ever.

Whatever.

Anyway, I can't wait to have a slice of this with my coffee for breakfast.

Hope 2012 brings you health, luck and happiness!

Vasilopita, take two!
from Elly Says Opa

4 eggs, separated
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice (2 oranges)
1 teaspoon orange zest
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 cups AP flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
pinch of salt
confectioners' sugar (for dusting)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 9 inch round pan.

Beat egg whites to medium peaks with a mixer.  Set aside.  In a separate bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Set aside.

Beat butter for a few minutes, then add sugar and cream together.  Add egg yolks one at a time, beating until just incorporated.  Beat in orange juice, zest and vanilla.

Gently fold in 1/3 of egg whites, followed by 1/3 of flour mixture.  Repeat in that order until all is just combined.  Do not overmix.  Stir a foil-wrapped coin into batter, then pour into prepared pan.

Bake for approximately 40 minutes.  Dust with confectioners' sugar.

Linked to: Sweets for a Saturday