Kahlua Chocolate Cake

So... funny story.  My mom makes this supreme bundt Kahlua chocolate cake every time the holidays come around.  She makes it for my siblings' teachers, friends, and our family! About a year and a half ago we adopted a second Guide Dog breeder, whose name, believe it or not, is "Kahlua." She is such a sweetie pie and now this cake that is made every year has an even deeper correlation with our family.

I have always just eaten this cake... this year I actually learned how to make it! It's super easy and probably only takes about 15 minutes because it is the glorifying of cake mix. 

Make sure you have a good bundt cake pan and once you remove the cake from the oven you must wait for it to cool before dumping the cake out because it can turn very messy very quickly. 

Also: don't forget to spray it with nonstick cooking spray to ensure your creation gets out safely! 

I know that many people have heard of or have had this cake, but now you can make it on your own. 

One of the reasons it is so yummy is that it has 3/4 cup of Kahlua.  My little 10 year old sister saw the cake sitting in the kitchen and said, "Darn! I can't have any!" and I replied with a "Why not?" and she said "Because it has alcohol in it!" But do not fret because anyone can have this at any age as the alcohol cooks out but leaves the flavor for your enjoyment. 

Ingredients: 

This recipe makes one Kahlua chocolate bundt cake.

Devils food cake mix

1 cup sour cream

4 eggs

3/4 cup vegetable oil

3/4 cup Kahlua

1 cup of chocolate chips

Directions: 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 
In an electric mixer combine cake mix, sour cream, 4 eggs, vegetable oil, and Kahlua.  Mix on low until well combined and then on medium-high for several minutes until it becomes a lighter color and has a fluffy texture (2-3 minutes).
Fold in the chocolate chips.
Bake for about 45 minutes at 350 degrees. 
Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.

I know I forgot to do this for my pictures but remember to sprinkle with powdered sugar!

Make this cake. Just trust me on this one, you will not regret it. 

Happy Baking everyone!

Christmas Cookies Galore!

I apologize for the fact that I am posting a Christmas cookie recipe after the holidays but I actually made these cookies on December 26th and handed them out after that so I was a little late but who cares right? They still tasted delicious!

This is pretty much just a basic sugar cookie recipe with royal icing frosting.  I had a package of royal icing that you just add water too until you reach the desired consistency.  Unfortunately it did not make very much so I also just made a lot of plain milk and powdered sugar frosting (continue to add sugar until it is thick enough). 

My mom, my sister and I spent the whole night making these and it was quite fun and quite the project! We had a variety of cookie cutters such as snowflakes, Christmas trees, Santa Claus, birds, bells, hearts, candy canes, gingerbread men, and more!

                 

                               

I used Ziploc bags for piping and had a different bag designated for each color.

Tip: If you are going to do multiple layers of color (which most cookies do have), first outline the cookie, fill it in several minutes later, and allow this base color to dry most if not all the way before moving on to secondary colors.

    

     

Feel free to search the internet to get inspired, use sprinkles, create unique colors, and use your imagination!

I am just going to provide a sugar cookie recipe and provide you with this great royal icing recipe from the blog Bake at 350: Royal Icing.  My mom has been making these cookies since I was a little girl so it is definitely a family recipe that will be passed down.

Ingredients:

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 stick unsalted butter

1.5 cups sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp. vanilla

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350.

Combine dry ingredients in a small bowl: flour, baking powder, and salt.

Cream butter and sugar in a mixing bowl with an electric mixer and once it is thoroughly combined add eggs and vanilla.

Slowly add the dry ingredients until blended.

Divide the dough in half and roll out each one between 2 sheets of parchment paper to form a 15' x 11' rectangle about 1/8-1/4 inch thick. Refrigerate until firm.

Remove dough from parchment paper and cut out desired shapes.

Bake on cookie sheets lined with parchment paper.

Baking time varies based on cookie thickness and size so try to bake cookies of apprx. the same size together.  Remove from the oven when the edges begin to turn golden brown.  

Let them cool completely and then go ahead with your decorating!  

These cookies can be used for any occasion, it does not have to be for Christmas... I hope you try them regardless! 

Happy New Year and Happy Baking!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hey everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday.  I stayed in Half Moon Bay with 20 of my family members at a very nice hotel so I had a buffet Thanksgiving dinner, which oddly enough did not include pumpkin pie... So as soon as I got home 3 days later I busted out the giant can of pumpkin puree and got to it.

This post is not going to include a recipe because I just boring and used the recipe on the can with one exception: I didn't use the full 2 cans of evaporated milk, I just used 1 and a half, which I find often works better.

I used Libby's pumpkin puree and the recipe can be found here: Libby's Pumpkin Pie Recipe.

It didn't totally feel like Thanksgiving to me because most years I am used to slaving away in the kitchen all day and when it is finally time to eat it feels very rewarding. But my family usually has the same meal on Christmas Eve so I will have that to look forward to!

I have many things to be thankful for this year: my great new school and education I am receiving (Lewis & Clark College), my friends, my supportive family, good health, the Giants winning the World Series, and much more! I hope you all have many things to be thankful for as well.

The pie disappeared pretty quickly to no surprise!

In a few days I will be making a cake for two of my friends at school who recently had birthdays so keep your eyes peeled!

Have a great Tuesday afternoon and Happy Baking!