Overnight Brunch Bake

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Ingredients

  • 24 oz. (6 cups) shredded colby-Monterey Jack cheese blend
  • 2 tablespoons margarine or butter
  • 8 oz. cooked sausage, cut into thin bite-sized strips
  • 8 eggs
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
  • 1 3/4 cups milk

Steps

  • 1
    Spray 13x9-inch (3-quart) baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Sprinkle half of cheese evenly into sprayed baking dish.
  • 2
    Melt margarine in medium skillet over medium heat. Add onions, 1/2 medium bell pepper and mushrooms; cook until onions and bell pepper are tender. Arrange vegetables over cheese in baking dish. Top with ham strips. Sprinkle remaining cheese over ham.
  • 3
    Beat eggs in large bowl. Lightly spoon flour into measuring cup; level off. Add flour, parsley and milk to eggs; blend well. Pour over mixture in baking dish. Cover; refrigerate 8 hours or overnight.
  • 4
    To serve, heat oven to 350°F. Uncover baking dish; bake at 350°F. for 55 to 65 minutes or until mixture is set and top is lightly browned. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. To serve, cut into squares. Garnish with red bell pepper and fresh parsley.

Easy Oreo Mint Chip Cake

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INGREDIENTS

  • 30 Mint Oreos (1 package)
  • 2 Tbsp butter, melted
  • Plastic Wrap
  • 7-inch Springform Pan
  • 1.5 quart container Mint Chip Ice Cream, softened
  • 8 oz. container Cool Whip Topping, thawed

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Crush 16 cookies in a food processor. Add melted butter and combine.
  2. Cover bottom section of springform pan with plastic wrap and secure ring in place.
  3. Press cookie crumbs into the bottom of prepared pan. Use the bottom of a glass to press the crumbs firmly in place.
  4. Chill pan in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
  5. Remove and spread a layer of mint chip ice cream over the cookie base. Break seven Oreos into small pieces and place on top. Then layer more ice cream almost to the top edge of the pan. You'll have a little bit left over that you can enjoy straight from the box.
  6. Spread on a layer of whipped topping and place in the freezer for 3 hours. It helps to place your cake and serving plates in the freezer as well to keep the cake cold longer once you remove from the freezer.
  7. When ready to serve, unclasp the ring to remove it from the cake. Separate plastic wrap from bottom of cake and place on serving plate. Top with remaining 7 oreos. Cut into slices and serve right away. You can run a knife under hot water and wipe it dry to cut through the cake easily.
Source: © 2014 Bakerella.com


Rubik's Cube Cake

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How cute is this??!! Here's how to make! 

Abby Head of specialty bakery Creative Crumbs Nashville is the mastermind behind the dessert version of the classic toy.

“I started off with a half sheet cake, which I cut into squares and stacked on top of each other to make a cube,” she writes. You can also bake three smaller square cakes — your favorite basic recipe will work just fine — and stack those.

When the cakes are stacked into one mega-cake, frost the whole thing in chocolate frosting. Head then coated her cube with cake spackle, which is a mixture of cake crumbs and icing, before covering it in black modeling chocolate. The spackle is firmer than buttercream and thus holds its shape better, so the modeling chocolate will layer on with no bumps, she says. (If you’re okay with your cake not looking bakery perfect, just do the chocolate frosting step and call it a day.)

For the squares, try Head’s recipe for marshmallow fondant, dyed with food coloring and rolled out super-thin before cutting into 45 squares. To be exact, measure the height and width of your cake, divide each number by three and make each square a little bit smaller than those dimensions (to allow for space between the squares). They should be tacky enough to stick right to your cake.

Great news: All you need to conquer this Rubik’s Cube is a fork!

Marshmallow Fondant

1 16-oz. package marshmallows
2 tbsp. water
1 2-lb. bag confectioners’ sugar
¼ cup shortening

1. Place marshmallows and water in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave 1 minute on high; stir until mixed well. Continue microwaving 1 minute more; stir again. (If you need to tint the entire batch of fondant, add a little food coloring to the melted marshmallow mixture before adding confectioners’ sugar. For smaller amounts of tinted fondant, add gel color to portions of fondant as needed.)

2. In the greased bowl of a standing mixer, combine marshmallow mixture and about 7 cups of the confectioners’ sugar. Using the dough hook attachment, mix on low speed for 5-6 minutes. If the mixture is too soft (it should be pliable but firm), add more powdered sugar.

3. Remove fondant from bowl and knead on a generously greased work surface for 1-2 minutes. Don’t skimp on the shortening — it helps with the texture of the finished fondant.

4. It’s best to allow marshmallow fondant to sit, double-wrapped, overnight before using. Prepare the fondant for storing by coating with a thin layer of shortening. Wrap in plastic wrap and place in a resealable bag, squeezing out as much air as possible. Marshmallow fondant will keep well in the refrigerator for several weeks. When ready to use, knead fondant until smooth and roll out to ⅛-¼ in. thick.

German Chocolate Cake

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Complete recipe:
  • Heat oven to 350°F.
  • Cover bottoms of 3 (9-inch) round pans with parchment; spray sides with cooking spray. Microwave chocolate and water in large microwaveable bowl on HIGH 1-1/2 to 2 min. or until chocolate is almost melted, stirring after 1 min. Stir until chocolate is completely melted.
  • Beat egg whites in small bowl with mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form; set aside. Combine flour, baking soda and salt. Beat butter and sugar in large bowl with mixer until light and fluffy. Add egg yolks, 1 at a time, beating well after each. Blend in melted chocolate and vanilla. Add flour mixture alternately with buttermilk, beating until well blended after each addition.
  • Add egg whites; stir gently until well blended. Pour into prepared pans.
  • Bake 30 min. or until toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Immediately run small spatula around cakes in pans. Cool cakes in pans 15 min. Remove from pans to wire racks; cool completely.

Chick fil A Copycat: Frosted Lemonade

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INGREDIENTS
  • 1 cup Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice (Sunkist brand is recommended)
  • 1/2 cup Sugar 
  • 2 1/2 cups Water Edy’s Slow Churn Vanilla Ice Cream 
DIRECTIONS
Add lemon juice and sugar to pitcher. If you are using bottled lemon juice, increase amount to 1 1/2 cups. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Add water and stir until well mixed. Refrigerate at least 1 hour to chill. Add 1 cup chilled lemonade and 2 cups (about 4 scoops) ice cream to blender. Pour into cup and garnish with lemon slice.

Oreo Cakester Copycat Recipe

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These yummy treats were discontinued in 2013, but you can make them at home! 
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Ingredients 
  • 2 eggs, beaten 
  • 1 cup oil 
  • 3 cups flour 
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda 
  • 8 tablespoons cocoa 
  • 2 cups brown sugar 
  • 1 teaspoon salt 
  • 1 cup evaporated milk 
  • Filling 
  • 1 cup vegetable shortening (Crisco preferred) 
  • 1/3 cup evaporated milk 
  • 2 cups powdered sugar 
Directions 
1.Preheat oven to 350�2.Sift flour, baking soda, salt, and cocoa together into a large bowl. 
3.Add remaining ingredients; mix together. 
4.Drop chocolate batter by teaspoons about 3-inches apart on cookie sheet. 
5.Bake for 5 minutes. 
6.Remove to a cooling rack. 
7.Beat filling ingredients together until creamy. 
8.Put the white filling between two cooled chocolate cookies like a sandwich.

25 Vintage Baking Tips

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  • To avoid lumps in batter, add a pinch of salt to the flour before it is wet.
  • How to sugar doughnuts? Shake the sugar and doughnuts together in a paper bag. The same method may be used with flour and chicken, or salt and french fried potatoes.
  • Raisins for cakes and breads will be plump and juicy if soaked in warm water before being added to the batter or dough.
  • Zip up your gingerbread and molasses cookies by adding a bit of grated orange peel to the batter.
  • If chilled ice-box cookie dough shatters when cut with long sharp knife, let stand at room temperature for 1/2 hour to soften very slightly before slicing!
  • Butter and sugar can be creamed easily when butter is hard by warming the sugar slightly.
  • Light-colored molasses can be darkened to make dark gingerbread by adding a teaspoonful of melted chocolate to each cup of molasses.
  • Cream which is hard to whip will whip quickly by adding a few drops of lemon juice.
  • Molasses can be prevented from sticking to the measuring cup if the cup is first greased with butter or lard.
  • Custards will not curdle so readily if a tablespoon of flour mixed with sugar is added.
  • Boiled frosting will not be brittle or break when cut, if a teaspoon of vinegar is beaten into the frosting when the flavoring is added.
  • Add one tablespoonful of jam or jelly to cookie dough. It will add flavor and make the cookies stay moist longer.
  • Doughnuts will not absorb grease if a teaspoonful of vinegar is added to cold fat.
  • Fruit Cake: When baking, place a cup of water in the oven to keep enough moisture in air and prevent cake from drying out while baking. 
  • Muffins: Drop a teaspoonful of peanut butter in each muffin pan, over which pour batter. This gives muffins a delightful nutty flavor. 
  • When a recipe calls for a quantity of melted butter, take care to measure the butter after melting, not before.
  • To soften butter, fill a small china bowl, one just sufficiently large to cover the butter, with boiling water; let stand a minute or two or until thoroughly heated, then empty the water and immediately turn the hot bowl upside down over the butter. In a few minutes, the butter will be softened so it is just right.
  • When separating the yolk from the white of an egg, if you drop a portion of egg yolk into the whites, moisten a cloth with cold water, touch to the yolk and it will adhere to the cloth.
  • Never beat egg-whites in an aluminum pan, as it is sure to darken them.
  • When baking a milk pudding, place the dish in a tin of water in the oven. Then prevents the pudding from burning or boiling over.
  • When cream will not whip, add the white of an egg to your cream–chill it and it will whip.
  • Shortening can be measured exactly. If recipe calls for 1/3 cup, fill measuring cup two-thirds full of water, add enough shortening to bring water to top of cup, pour off water and you have exactly 1/3 cup of shortening.
  • Sour milk can be made by adding two (2) tablespoonfuls of vinegar to one (1) cup of sweet milk and then letting it stand for a few minutes. Your baking will be just as light as if real sour milk were used. Also see Handy Substitute Recipes For Baking.
  • Whipped cream substitute, delicious in flavor, can be made by adding a slice of banana to the white of an egg and beating until stiff. The banana will dissolve completely.
  • Cornstarch is sometimes used in place of eggs when recipe calls for more than you have on hand. A tablespoonful is used for each missing egg. In making custard, omit one or two eggs, and use cornstarch instead (1/2 tablespoon for each egg).