Sweet Indulgence: Pear Upside-Down Spice Cake
Source: Hot Polka Dot
When it comes to upside-down cakes, pineapple seems to be the one that is the most popular and the one that most people are familiar with. Personally it is the only type of upside-down cake that I had ever had or made, until now.
Taste: 5 sweet burps out of 5
Level of Difficulty: Very Easy
Overall Impression: This cake was delicious! It was light and moist with just the right amount of spices. I enjoyed the fact that it wasn’t very sweet, which is sometimes my biggest complaint with pineapple upside-down cake. I have to admit that I was a little worried when I first took the cake out of the oven as it just looked very wet, especially in the centre. When tested in the pan, a toothpick inserted into the centre came out clean, however, when flipped over, the toothpick inserted in the centre came out wet which had me worried that it was under-baked. The wetness, however, turned out to be due to the melted sugar puddling in the centre (since there are no pear pieces in the centre) rather than an uncooked/raw wetness. Although the pear slices look very pretty on the outside of the cake, the middle of the cake does not look very pretty at all. To hide this, the middle was covered up by a sprinkling of toasted almonds, which ended up being a great addition as it added a nice textural contrast to the cake.
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Sweet Indulgence: Chocolate Souffles (for two)
Source: Real Simple
Souffles are one of those desserts that can be very intimidating. This recipe, however, seemed simple enough and the fact that it only makes two souffles made it a little less intimidating in that if it didn’t work out, you wouldn’t have wasted too many ingredients.
Taste: 1 sweet burp out of 5
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Overall Impression: I wanted this recipe to work so badly that I tried it twice, since the results from my first attempt were not very tasty. The second time around, my souffles rose higher and looked a bit more promising. However, the taste was just as disappointing as the first time around. Although the insides were light and airy, there was a grittiness and bitterness that I couldn’t get past. The bitterness issue could be solved by using a sweeter chocolate or by increasing the amount of sugar, but the grittiness of the souffle has me a little baffled.
New Product: Often times when I make certain desserts, waffles or a cup of cocoa for myself, I only need a small amount of whipped cream. Instead of breaking out the hand mixer for this, I have come across a new product that has made life so much easier….the pogo whisk. If you don’t already own one, I highly recommend that you go and get one. This nifty little contraption requires less muscle power than a regular whisk and cleans up easier than a stand/hand mixer. It’s great for small jobs like whipping cream, whipping egg whites, creating milk foam for coffee etc.
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Sweet Indulgence: Banana Cupcakes
Source: The Lone Baker or from the book 125 Best Cupcakes.
By the end of the week, I am usually left with exactly two overly ripe bananas. These two bananas are not enough to make a loaf of banana bread, however, they are just the right amount for a batch of these banana cupcakes.
Taste: 4 sweet burps out of 5
Level of Difficulty: Very Easy
Overall Impression: The tops of these cupcakes get nice and crunchy (if eaten on the day they are made), while the insides stay moist and light. These are not overly sweet, so if you prefer a sweeter cupcake, I suggest using a frosting or glaze. I prefer mine plain. The book that this recipe comes from is one of my favourite cupcake books as it has a nice variety of flavours that always turn out well.
New Product: Reynolds has come up with new cupcake liners that are lined on the inside with foil. This allows the pattern on the outside of the baking cup to stay vibrant even after the cupcakes are done. I also learned that you could use these liners without a cupcake/muffin pan if you ever needed to, like I did (scroll down to see the results). The only downside to the liners is that they come in a very limited variety of colours and patterns.
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Sweet Indulgence: Pink Grapefruit Cupcakes
Source: Completely Delicious
These light and refreshing grapefruit cupcakes are a nice change from your typical citrus cupcakes made using lemon, oranges, or limes.
Taste: 4.5 sweet burps out of 5 (cupcakes without icing), 3 sweet burps out of 5 (cupcakes with icing)
Level of Difficulty: Very Easy
Overall Impression: These cupcakes are very light and fluffy and are delicious without the glaze. I wasn’t a huge fan of the glaze because I found it to be a bit bitter, which was probably caused by the grapefruit zest. If I were to make the glaze again, I would use the juice from the grapefruit instead of the zest. These would also be good with a grapefruit-based cream cheese frosting.
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Sweet Indulgence: Baked Peanut Butter Donuts with Peanut Butter Glaze
Source: Averie Cooks
Nothing beats the combination of chocolate and peanut butter! These baked donuts are a breeze to make and don’t require many dishes or any baking machinery. You will, however, need a donut pan.
Taste: 4 sweet burps out of 5
Level of Difficulty: Very Easy
Overall Impression: Light and Fluffy! The glaze makes the donut, so don’t omit it. Baked donuts are best eaten on the day they are made, so I like the fact that this batter only makes 6-8 donuts.
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Sweet Indulgence: Cranberry Date Pecan Bars
Source: The Candid Appetite
These delicious, and somewhat healthy, bars are packed full of cranberries, nuts and dates. The sweetness from the dates, the tartness from the cranberries and the crunchiness from the nuts work well together to satisfy a variety of cravings.
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Sweet Indulgence: Ghirardelli Stuffed Brownies
Source: Bluebonnets and Brownies
I’ve had this brownie recipe bookmarked for quite a while, but had a hard time finding Ghirardelli Chocolate Squares anywhere. After a very long search, I finally found some, and can tell you that these were well worth it! I used the milk chocolate caramel squares which turned out to be heavenly in these brownies! During baking, the caramel oozes out of the chocolate and into the batter while leaving behind large chunks of milk chocolate. With so many types of Ghirardelli Squares to choose from, the possibilities are endless!
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Sweet Indulgence: Cinnamon Roll Muffins
Source: Cannella Vita
Making cinnamon buns often requires patience and and pre-planning because of the yeast used in the dough. These cinnamon buns, however, do not use yeast which cuts down on your wait time considerably and it means they can also be made on a whim, but are they really worth the time that you save?
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Sweet Indulgence: Dolly’s Crisp Toffee Bars
Source: Food.com
These crisp cookies come together quickly and easily and require very little effort. They are also egg-free.
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Sweet Indulgence: Cinnamon Roll Cake
Source: Chef in Training
This is a great cake to make for those times when you feel like having cinnamon buns, but don’t have the time to deal with a yeast-based dough. You get the great taste of a cinnamon bun, not to mention the divine smell while it bakes, with hardly any effort.
If you’re easily deterred by recipes with more than one part, don’t be. This cake couldn’t be any easier to make.
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