Mickey Mouse

My fiancé niece birthday is today.  She turned 13 years old today.  Today is also Friday the 13th.  Spooky but awesome.  For her birthday she told my fiancé she wants a Mickey Mouse cake. What? You are about to be thirteen and you want a Mickey what?  It made me laugh.  She is so obsessed with Mickey from the doll down to the book bag.  But I loved the fact she still want to remain a child and not grow up too fast.  I had already had planned out in my head how awesome I want make this cake.  But since she wanted to carry the cake to school she could not bring a cake since she would have to use a knife to cut the cake.  So the next option was cupcakes, but not everyone loves fondant so we settled for a pull a part cupcake. 

I wanted to get the face as close as possible to Mickey color complexion.  I never did a pull a part cupcake.  If you think cakes are a piece of work, pull a apart are no joke.  But at the end of the day I think I did an awesome job, and course she jumped up in joy and loved her cupcakes.

Happy Birthday Ticauya Brookes.  Go Mickey!

Banofee Pie Cups

Until last week I did not know what a banoffee pie was.  When I saw the ingredients I know I had to try it.  A banoffee pie is actually a pastry with bananas, and toffee from boiled condensed milk also known as dulce de leche baked on a pastry crust or a graham cracker crust.  The name Banofee derived from the words banana and toffee.  Some recipes versions include coffee, others had chocolate.  I decided to omit the coffee and give it a try and do chocolate shavings on top of the whip cream. 

Ingredients

·   1 tin of condensed milk

·   1 9 inch refrigerated pie dough or

·   2 ripe bananas, sliced

·   1 1/2 cups chilled heavy cream

·   Cocoa powder to decorate

DIRECTIONS

1.      To make the toffee boil the unopened tin of condensed milk in water for two and a half hours (this can be done well in advance). Leave to cool.

2. Bake piecrust according to package directions.  Cool for 20 minutes and then snap up in pieces.
3. Please pastry pieces in the bottom of pasty cup.
4. Scoop toffee over the pastry.
5. Cut bananas into 1/4-inch-thick slices and pile over toffee.
6. Whip the cream until soft peak stage and dollop over the top of the bananas.
7. Shave chocolate shavings on top of the cream  and chill in the fridge until ready to serve.

Buttery Streusel Crumb Coffee Cake

If you like a traditional crumb cake, with a super thick crumb topping baked with a moist, thick yellow cake base then this is for you. This crumb cake is perfect for  breakfast, brunch or even as an after-dinner dessert.

I must say its better than Starbuck's Coffee Cake.  Mmm, finger licking good.

STREUSEL TOPPING INGREDIENTS
1 2/3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup dark brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 stick unsalted butter (can be cold)cut into tablespoon-size pieces

BUTTER COFFEE CAKE INGREDIENTS

Makes 2, 9-inch cake layers, a 9 x 13-inch pan or 32 - 36 cupcakes
Yield: approximately 8 cups batter

4 cups unbleached all purpose flour

1 Tbsp baking powder
1 Tsp salt
1 1/2 cups whole milk

1 Tbsp vanilla extract
1/2 Tsp almond extract
4 sticks unsalted butter

2 cups sugar

3 large eggs


INSTRUCTIONS
Topping:
1. In a medium-size bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, sugar and cinnamon.

2. Cut-in the cold butter until the mixture resembles bread crumbs. You can also squeeze the butter and flour mixture in between your fingers to "cut-in".

3. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Butter Coffee Cake:
1. Position the oven shelf in the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Grease one 9 x 13-inch pan

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt set aside.  In a separate bowl combine the milk and set aside.

3. Beat the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment, on low until softened.

4. Add the sugar in a steady stream at the side of the bowl.
Increase speed to medium and beat for 1 minute until the butter is lighter in color and aerated.

5. Stop the mixer and scrape the side and bottom of the bowl with a large rubber spatula.

6. With the mixer on low, add the eggs one at a time and beat for 20 seconds after each addition. After the eggs have been added, increase the mixer speed to medium and beat the mixture for 2 minutes.

7. With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture in 3 equal portions, alternating with the milk in 2 equal portions, beginning and ending with the flour.  Add the flour and liquid ingredients in increments quickly; do not wait in between additions too long as you don't want to overmix the batter. After completing the last addition of flour, stop the mixer, and scrape the side and bottom of the bowl with a large rubber spatula.
Then, let the mixer run for 30 seconds on LOW.

8. Remove the mixing bowl from the mixer. With a large rubber spatula, give the batter ONE or TWO quick folds to incorporate any stray flour or milk left at the sides and bottom of the bowl. Then, STOP!

9. Scrape the batter in the prepared baking pan. Spread the topping mixture evenly all over.

10. Bake recipe for 60 to 65 minutes. The cake will be dark golden brown at the edges.
Insert a toothpick in the center of the cake and remove it, and it should have a few moist crumbs attached, but not batter.

11. Cool the cake in its BAKING PAN set on a wire cake rack.

White Chocolate & Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies

I would like to send my apologies to my fans for not keeping up Never Dessert You blog.  I have deserted my followers and this New Year Never Dessert You is starting fresh with new delightful treats from cookies down to delectable pastries.  2011 was a rough year, I went through some rough times, and I lost some wonderful people in my life, a woman that was like a mom to me and my dad.

I have learned to not put my talents too waste and have more confidence in myself. Life is too short to not enjoy what you love to do. I know I am a talented woman and it’s time to show what I am made of.  

With that said I want to treat you to Oatmeal White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies. 

What inspired me to make these cookies?  I really do not like oatmeal by itself but love an oatmeal raisin cookie.  I did not want to do the traditional oatmeal raisin cookie.  Why not use cranberries instead of raisins and white chocolate.  But I am still in the holiday mood so let's put a splash of dark rum in the batter.

These cookies are finger licking good! Come on get in the kitchen and make a batch.

Have A Happy New Year!

Ingredients

•  2 sticks unsalted butter (room temperature)
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar 
•  2 eggs (room temperature)
•  2 Tbs. milk
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 Tbsp. dark rum (optional) 
•  1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 4 cups oats
• 1 bag white chocolate baking chips ( I used Ghirardelli)
• 1 cup dried cranberries

Directions

Preheat oven at 375 degrees Fahrenheit.  In a small bowl sift flour and salt, and set aside. Mix the butter and sugars in an electric mixer with a paddle attachment for about five minutes.  Beat in the eggs, milk, vanilla and rum.

Add the flour mixture to the mixer bowl and beat until combined.  Add the oats to the bowl, mixing until combined.  Stir in the white chocolate and cranberries.

Use a small ice-cream scooper and scoop onto a Silpat baking sheet or a baking pan lined with parchment paper. .  Bake for 9 minutes. 

*Note if you are not a fan of cranberries you can add raisins and a teaspoon of cinnamon. 

Slightly adapted from Eat At Home Cooks