Update #1! Brownies, Apple Cake, & Banana Bread!

This week was Spring Break and I had SO much fun! I also baked quite a few things!

I went home for a few days to surprise my mom for her birthday! The first night we celebrated I made my homemade brownies with oreos and chocolate chips! Served with vanilla ice cream, it was perfect after b-day dinner!

Candle for the birthday girl of course (she had already blown it out when I took the pic though)!!

the brownies...mmmmmmm

Birthday celebration night #2 I made Merryfield Apple cake. It is a super delicious, moist cake with apples, raisins, and walnuts, dusted with powdered sugar! It's one of my parents' favs! :)

THEN, back in DC, I had bananas ready to bake with! So I made fat-free whole wheat banana bread! But instead of one big bread, this time I made 3 minis! Brought one into work and froze the other two for later!

To see what else I baked this week, check out update #2!! There's a picture limit per post so I'm making two posts for the week!

And the Oscar goes to...

Peanut butter, Oreos, and Chocolate!!

Since it's such a winning combination of flavors, I decided to use them to bake for the Oscars (as if I really needed a reason)! I made a peanut butter oreo sheet cake and frosted it with chocolate oreo frosting!

They look a littttle sloppy...I was in a rush so the cake wasn't completely cool before I put the frosting on. So that's why it was gooey...

...but oh-so-delicious! The cake was really moist and the frosting was wonderfully chocolaty!!

One thing I love about sheet cakes is that you can cut them into bars ahead of time, making them easier to eat at group gatherings. No need for cutting a cake while everyone waits for a piece, no forks, and really plates aren't even necessary (though it doesn't hurt if you have them)! Also, it makes it so the quantity goes further! I used them for three different things!

(1) I brought some to the Oscars party I went to with my sorority sisters, (2) kept some for me and my roommates, and (3) am bringing the rest to work tomorrow!!

Enjoy!

Have a great week!

Look what you can do with a bottle of wine...

Wine + Baking = AMAZING! Now, I'm not a big cake person...I personally prefer the denseness of a brownie to the fluffy crumb of a cake. BUT this cake, along with the ~2 others posted on this blog, are the exceptions.

First time making this Red Wine Chocolate Cake, and it certainly will not be the last! The wine and chocolate flavors meld well together and create a unique taste that is out of this world! So moist it's like it melts in your mouth. Made some whipped mascarpone topping to go with it and it was the perfect compliment to the cake! Picture it with some fresh strawberries (when the season is right)...mmmmmmm.....

Red Wine Chocolate Cake with Whipped Mascarpone

My first piece :-D

SO the way I got started with baking with Red Wine was with these cookies. I made them for the first time in May and have been doing so ever since! Simple Red Wine Cookies. The flavor of the wine is subtle and the cookie is just sweet enough. You won't be able to eat just one (which is why I make them little)! ;)

Some new treats...

Haven't posted in awhile! The pictures say it all- YUM!

The most moist chocolate cake EVER with peanut butter frosting, topped with peanut butter cups. Oh. baby.

Should have taken a picture after cutting into it. Guess I'll have to make another one! :)

Super-thick, gooey, delicious, Oreo brownies. A personal favorite of mine and a sure crowd-pleaser!

Oatmeal cookies with cut-up Hershey's minis (milk chocolate, dark chocolate, Mr. Goodbar, & Krackel) and Hershey Kisses. Eclectic? Perhaps, but a wonderful combo!

And finally, Pumpkin Bread. with 1/3 less sugar than the recipe originally called for actually. Make this one every fall- another fav!

the center is my favorite part ;)

That's all for now!! More to come soon! Recommendations? Shout 'em out!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOHN!

First birthday in the Taste of DC office! This is a peanut butter banana cake, frosted with chocolate peanut butter frosting, and then topped off with peanuts for the words!
I must say, it was finger-licking good. YUM!

Zucchini Spice Cake! YUM

This is DELICIOUS! A wonderful, moist, flavorful spice cake. And full of zucchini! Perfect as a breakfast bread, snack, or even dessert!

Red Velvet Cupcakes

fantastic, homemade, from scratch (duh) Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting. Personally, I think they are far better than any of those you'd get at the expensive cupcake places (I'll leave names out), but you should try for yourself :)

Chocolate oreo cake

This cake should look kind of familiar. I've posted about it a few times, but I will never make any other chocolate cake. The first picture was when I made the chocolate cake and frosted it with cookies 'n' cream frosting (vanilla frosting with oreos mixed in) and topped with more oreos, some of which are in the shape of an A (for my friend Andria's birthday).

Then other people who had seen the cake but didn't get to eat it wanted some, so I decided to make another one the next weekend just for fun (and let's get real, I wanted more of it too) SO, the same chocolate cake recipe, but I frosted it with half chocolate cookies 'n' cream frosting, and half of the frosting I made for Andria's cake, the regular cookies 'n' cream.

amazing. best cake ever. (but you must like chocolate in order to enjoy the full experience ;))

Carrot Cake bars!

I dont remember what I made these for, but I know everyone loved them and I did too! moist carrot cake with cream cheese frosting

Katya's 21st!!!

LOVE Birthdays!!! A GREAT reason to make a cake! :)
This is my go-to chocolate cake recipe. It's the first time I decorated with vanilla frosting. And this frosting tasted great! I saved the extra to eat with...well, whatever will be good with frosting? My cake writing skills need some work, but the cake itself = YUMMMMMYYYYYY! and Oreos make everything better :)


Cake + frosting (before I spread it)

Spread the SCRUMPTIOUS chocolate oreo frosting. Yes, I included crushed up oreos in this frosting recipe!
Happy Birthday!

Way better than store-bought :)