Red Velvet, Cream and Strawberry Parfaits

Happy Valentine's Day Everyone!! I hope your day is filled with loads of happiness and extra sweet. This is actually a round 2 recipe.  I made these delicious parfaits with leftover ingredients from my Red Velvet and Strawberry Short-Cupcakes.  You can make these individual parfaits and it's a perfect size sweet ending to any meal. To make the parfaits I baked a regular sheet cake and cut it into pieces. The cream cheese marshmallow filling compliments the red velvet cake perfectly and the strawberries are the hidden jewels that just give the perfect amount of tartness.  Of course you can make one large trifle with these same ingredients if you prefer. I hope you share a sweet holiday today with you loved ones and don't forget to keep the Valentine's mood alive the rest of the 364 days of the year!! :)


Ingredients:
1 box of your favorite red velvet cake mix or substitute a scratch red velvet cake recipe (see note)
2 (8oz) bricks of cream cheese
1 (7 1/2oz) jar of marshmallow fluff
1 tub of cool whip
1 pint of strawberries

Notes:  I decided to use a box cake mix because it was easy and convenient.  I don't like the really dark almost "black" color the box cake mix comes out so I actually baked a box of red velvet cake with a box of yellow cake mix.  It gave me a more of a Valentine's "red" color and not so much a "black" one. If you do not have access to prepared cake mix you can substitute Paula Deen's Recipe for Red Velvet Cake

 Directions: 



Bake your cake as directed.  I actually use Paula Deen's advice when it comes to baking from a box cake mix to make it richer: 
1. Add an extra egg to to the box cake mix (for example if the box calls for 3 eggs, use 4)  
2. Add butter in place of the vegetable oil  that is called for on the cake box.
3.  Add milk in place of the water that is called for on the cake box.



To prepare your cream cheese whipped topping: Bring the bricks of cream cheese to room temperature.  Then take an electric mixer and whip the cream cheese until it is light and fluffy.  Next add your marshmallow fluff to the cream cheese and mix well.  Finally fold in the cool whip topping until it forms a nice fluffy topping.
Note:  The marshmallow fluff is very sweet and was enough sugar for my whipped topping.  If you desire more sweetness just add some sugar when you are whipping the ingredients together (remember the whip topping will add sweetness too).

Here is a tip help fill your parfait glasses with the cream filling neatly:  Put your cream filling mixture into a pastry bag or a zip-loc bag. Push all the cream filling to one corner and snip off a small corner off the bag so you pipe directly into the glass without getting it all over the sides. .

Layering Directions: Layer the red velvet cake at the bottom, top with the cream filling and strawberries then repeat. Finish off with the cream and strawberries.  Chill and Serve. Enjoy!






Copyright: All recipes, content, and images (unless otherwise stated) are the sole property of Curry and Comfort. Please do not use without prior written consent. Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited.

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Valentine's Red Velvet Strawberry Short-Cupcakes

I tell my hubby not to waste money buying me flowers on Valentine's Day because they are all over priced and "expected".  I would much rather get a few flowers on an ordinary day "just because" than on a day it's expected.   The things that excite me about Valentine's Day now (as a mother) are writing Valentine's Cards with my kids, helping out with their school parties and making sweet and delicious desserts to celebrate the day.  Last year it was my chocolate covered strawberries and whoopie pie fake-outs so I had to top that this year and I was stumped.  All my local grocery stores have strawberries on sale so I decided a strawberry shortcake would be a fun dessert, but I didn't want it to look like a summer-time treat.  I decided to swap out the traditional biscuit style shortcake for a red velvet cupcake.  Red velvet cake is perfect since it's goes with the red theme of Valentine's Day.  These Red Velvet Strawberry Short-cupcakes came out better than I even expected and my kids and hubby were thrilled by them.  I hope you try them out to make your Valentine's Day extra sweet.  Wishing you all a very Happy Valentine's Day full of love and friendship.




Ingredients:
1 box of your favorite red velvet cake mix or substitute a scratch red velvet cake recipe (see note)
2 (8oz) bricks of cream cheese
1 (7 1/2oz) jar of marshmallow fluff
1 tub of cool whip
1 pint of strawberries

Notes:  I decided to use a box cake mix because it was easy and convenient.  I don't like the really dark almost "black" color the box cake mix comes out so I actually baked a box of red velvet cake with a box of yellow cake mix.  It gave me a more of a Valentine's "red" color and not so much a "black" one. If you do not have access to prepared cake mix you can substitute Paula Deen's Recipe for Red Velvet Cupcakes.




Directions: 


Bake your cupcakes as directed.  I actually use Paula Deen's advice when it comes to baking from a box cake mix to make it richer: 
1. Add an extra egg to to the box cake mix (for example if the box calls for 3 eggs, use 4)  
2. Add butter in place of the vegetable oil  that is called for on the cake box.
3.  Add milk in place of the water that is called for on the cake box.



To prepare your cream cheese whipped topping: Bring the bricks of cream cheese to room temperature.  Then take an electric mixer and whip the cream cheese until it is light and fluffy.  Next add your marshmallow fluff to the cream cheese and mix well.  Finally fold in the cool whip topping until it forms a nice fluffy topping.
Note:  The marshmallow fluff is very sweet and was enough sugar for my whipped topping.  If you desire more sweetness just add some sugar when you are whipping the ingredients together (remember the whip topping will add sweetness too).

Here is a tip to pipping the topping onto the cupcakes:  Put your topping mixture into a pastry bag or a zip-loc bag. Push all the topping to one corner and snip off a small corner off the bag so you pipe your topping neatly.

Cut your cupcake in half and pipe the topping in the middle and load it with some fresh sliced strawberries.  Then add the top of the cupcake and top it again with the whip topping and strawberries. Serve and Enjoy!









Copyright: All recipes, content, and images (unless otherwise stated) are the sole property of Curry and Comfort. Please do not use without prior written consent. Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited.

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Valentine's Red Velvet Strawberry Short-Cupcakes

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Banana Bundt Cake with the Works

I always say I am not a real baker.  I just like to pretend I'm one from time to time. I am a cook by nature because I like to throw little bits if this and a little bits of that into a batter and put it into the oven with a prayer to see what comes out.  Well, I believe if you put enough good things into a baking pan something good should come out of the oven and that's just what I did with this cake.  I decided to finish up all the fresh cranberries, oats, chocolate chips and flaked coconut that I had leftover from my holiday baking with four  sad ripe bananas.  I could have called this a Banana, Oat, Cranberry, Chocolate, Coconut Bundt Cake, but decided to just call it a Banana Bundt Cake with the "Works".   I put it into the oven with a prayer and my prayers were answered. This cake came out even better than I expected. I loved the chocolate with the tartness of the fresh cranberries and the texture given by the flaky coconut and oats.  When I got two thumbs up from my daughter and my husband decided he wanted a second slice... I knew I had a winner on my hands.

PS:  For my international friends that are unfamiliar with the phrase "the works" it just means adding everything you can into something.



Ingredients:
1 cup of flour
1 cup of old fashioned oats (not instant)
1 tsp of baking soda
1 tsp of cinnamon powder
1 cup of sugar (or baking splenda)
1 tsp of vanilla
4 ripe bananas mashed
2 eggs
1/4 cup of buttermilk
1 cup of chocolate chips
2 cups of fresh cranberries
1 cup of baking coconut flakes
1/2 tsp of salt
walnuts (optional)


Chocolate Glaze:
3/4 cup Chocolate chips
2 Tbs of milk



Directions:


Mash your bananas and mix in the eggs, sugar, cinnamon, buttermilk and vanilla.  Then add your salt, flour, oats and baking soda. Stir gently.  Finally add your chips, cranberries and coconut.  Mix all the ingredients gently without over-mixing.






Pour into a sprayed or butter bundt pan and put into a 350 degree oven for 45-55 minutes. Bake until a knife comes out clean.








Allow to cool at to room temperature before adding the chocolate glaze. 





Pour chocolate glaze over cake and serve.  Enjoy.







 

Copyright: All recipes, content, and images (unless otherwise stated) are the sole property of Curry and Comfort. Please do not use without prior written consent. Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited.

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Imagination Cake (Upside Down Fruit Cake)

I call this upside down fruit cake, "Imagination Cake" because your imagination can create as many variations of this cake as you like. This is not really a recipe at all, it's more of a method of preparing a delicious dessert.  It's so wonderfully simple, I was almost embarrassed to put it here.  Then I thought it's too fun not to share.  You can actually make this dessert with any flavor combination of  fruit and cake so the number of desserts are limitless.  This fruit cake combination is also reminiscent of dessert favorites like fruit cobblers, crumbles and dump cakes.  These desserts all place fruit on the bottom and top with a cake or crumble mixture that is baked until bubbly and brown. Since this cake is so much like a cobbler dessert, I think it is best eaten warm and goes extremely well with ice cream.  I made this cake recently for my family and they loved it more than I expected.  I love when a dessert is super easy, but gets raves like I spent hours in the kitchen.



Ingredients:
2 (15oz) cans of fruit (any variety)
1/4 cup of brown sugar
1 box of prepared boxed cake




 Directions: 
Drain the canned fruit and reserve the juice.  Prepare you box cake per package instructions, but use the reserved canned juice as your liquid (in place of water).  Butter a 9x13 pan well or spray with cooking spray.  Then add your drained fruit .  Sprinkle the fruit with your brown sugar.  Then pour the cake batter over the entire pan of fruit.  Bake per package directions (35-45 minutes at 350 degrees).  Serve warm with vanilla ice cream. 


Here are some more variation of this cake:
1. canned cherry pie filling with yellow or chocolate cake
2. canned pineapple, pears, peaches, fruit cocktail, mandarin oranges, etc.. with yellow or butter cake.
3. Apple pie filling with spice cake mix.  You can also mix nuts with this version.


**remember if you use canned pie filling you will need to bake the box cake using water since you will not have fruit juice to use.



Serve with ice cream or whipped topping. Enjoy.




Copyright: All recipes, content, and images (unless otherwise stated) are the sole property of Curry and Comfort. Please do not use without prior written consent. Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited.

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Happy Halloween Pumpkin Cake

Happy Halloween Everyone! Trick or Treat?  Well, no tricks here, just a whole lot of treats.  I am so excited to show you how to make this fun and festive pumpkin shaped cake.  If you have been to my blog before, you know I'm still working on getting comfortable with the world of baking.  Now I'm also exploring the beauty of cake decorating.  Anyone can make this fun cake because I did it!  I used a box cake mixed, but I followed a tip baking guru Paula Deen gave on a cooking show.  I love her tips because it takes an ordinary box cake mix and turns it into super rich and moist cake.  Now if Paula Deen uses a box cake mix occasionally, I'm sure going to feel less baking challenged when I do too. : )   I hope you all have a very sweet and safe Halloween.   



Ingredients:
2 boxes of any flavor cake mix.  I used classic yellow.
(See notes fpr Paula Deens tips to enhance box cake mix)
2-3 tubs of frosting or your favorite white frosting
sprinkles (optional)
Yellow, Red and Green food coloring (see note)
1 ice cream cone

Notes on Box Cake Mix:  Paula Deen advised that you can turn a regular box cake mix to a richer cake mix by doing the following:   
1. Add an extra egg to to the box cake mix (for example if the box calls for 3 eggs, use 4)  
2. Add butter in place of the vegetable oil  that is called for on the cake box.
3.  Add milk in place of the water that is called for on the cake box.

Notes on Frosting:  You can get some help from the store and buy orange and green cake frosting.  That's actually what I did. 

Notes on the baking pan:  You will need a bundt cake pan for this cake so you can get the right shape.  You will either use two bundts pans to bake the cakes or have to bake one cake at a time using the same bundt pan.  That's what I did.


Directions:
Bake the two cakes per the box baking instructions until done.  Allow cakes to cool completely on two separate plates.



Then frost the dome part of one bundt well.  Next, take your cake plate (the plate that will hold your final pumpkin cake) and invert it over the frosted cake. Then flip the frosted cake over so the frosted side is now the bottom half of the pumpkin and the flat side of the bundt is facing up.

Now frost the flat side of the bundt cake well. This will become the center layer of frosting between the two bundt cakes.  Next, place the second bundt cake on top of the bottom cake by placing the flat sides together.  The dome of the 2nd bundt should be the top of the pumpkin now.



  Frost the top bundt cake as well. Use the back of a spoon and give it some texture up and down the cake to make the ridges of the pumpkin.








Next take a flat bottom ice cream cone and frost it will with the green frosting.  Place the frosted ice cream cone in the bundt cake hole so it looks like the stem of the pumpkin. 










Voila you have just created yourself a pumpkin shaped cake.  Now you can decorate with sprinkles and novelty plastic spiders to give it a real fun finish.  Slice and enjoy.  Serves a party.

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Happy Halloween Pumpkin Cake

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Pina Colada Cake

My sister asked me to make a dessert for my brother-in-law's birthday yesterday and I was at a loss on what to make.  So I opened up the pantry doors and the first thing I saw was a can of pineapple.  Then I saw a can of coconut milk and I got an idea-- Pina Colada Cake!  I had no idea what I was going to do or how it was going to turn out.  Yes, I was setting out to make another cake experiment!   I was a little nervous. I think more than the last cake experiment because I had to serve this at a party.  The good thing is everyone knows I take pictures for this blog; so I had to do take my "glamor photos" and I got to taste a slice in advance. I really liked it, but would my family like it as well? (insert impending doom music here"Dunt, Dunt Dah, Duuuuunt")




































Ingredients:
1 box of yellow cake mix ( I used Pillsbury brand that has pudding in it)
3 eggs
1 (15oz) can of diced pineapple with  juice (see note)
1/3 cup apple sauce (substitution for the oil used in box mix)
1 cup of coconut milk (unsweetened)
some maraschino cherries (optional)

Notes:  You will use the juice from the canned pineapple to replace the water that the cake box instructions require. I got a little over 2/3 of a cup of pineapple juice from the can so I used water to make up the difference and equal 1 cup of liquid.  The pineapple juice is an important component in making the "Pina" part of this cake..


Directions:
Prepare your cake batter by mixing your cake mix with the pineapple juice, apple sauce, 3 eggs.  Take your maraschino cherries and lay them along your cake pan in a pattern because this will become the top of your cake.   Then place your drained pineapple bits on top of the cherries.  If you have very large chunks you may need to break them a part.  Now spray the sides of the pan well with cooking spray so the cake won't stick. Next sprinkle about 1-2 Tbs of brown sugar over the pineapple (picture not shown). 


 










Pour your prepared cake batter into the pan over the brown sugar and pineapple.








Bake according to box instructions for your pan size. I baked this bundt cake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes.


Next poke some small holes into your cake with a fork (wooden skewer, chopstick or the back of a wooden spoon.  You want to do this gently because you want the cake to stay intact.  The holes are where the coconut milk will seep into the cake.  Pour your one cup of coconut milk very slowly over the entire cake.






Allow the cake to absorb all the coconut milk and put it it the fridge to chill for 1-2 hours.









Invert your cake over to a large plate. Now you can slice and enjoy.













Okay so did my family like, it?  Yes! They sure did.  Here's to another successful cake experiment.  Hooray!

Copyright: All content, photos and text are property of Curry and Comfort and cannot be used without permission 

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Pina Colada Cake

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Gummy Worm Halloween Cupcakes

I'm more than a month early, but I'm getting into the Halloween spirit already.  The leaves are changing color and Fall is definitely in the air.  I decided to make these fun gummy worm cupcakes with my kids and we had a lot of fun.  This is not so much a recipe than a method of decorating cupcakes for a "ghoulish" good time.



Ingredients:
1 box yellow, white or chocolate cake mix
1 can of chocolate frosting
1 bag of gummy worms
10-12 Oreo cookies




Directions:



Prepare the cupcakes per package instructions.   Allow to cool well before proceeding to the decorating steps.







In a food processor crumb your Oreo cookies well. The Oreo cookies will represent the dirt. Pour crumbs into a bowl so you can dip your cupcake.








Frost your cupcake well then dip into the bowl of "dirt" Oreo crumbs and cover the top completely.








Place a gummy work on top of each cupcake and Enjoy.










Makes about 24 cup cakes.  Enjoy.

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Gummy Worm Halloween Cupcakes

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My Cake Experiment

I decided to try a little cake experiment today.  I had a container of low- fat cottage cheese that I wanted to use so I decided to just throw it into box cake mix.  I had no idea what would come out of my oven... a cake or a flop.  Well... sometimes taking chances pays off.  What a luscious, moist and creamy cake. It tasted like a marriage made in Heaven between a yellow cake and a cheesecake.  I served it with fresh raspberries and a raspberry sauce.  My husband asked me why I would put cottage cheese into a cake. But after eating two pieces... he wasn't asking why anymore, he was just asking for another piece.



Ingredients:
1 box of yellow cake mix ( I used Pillsbury)
2 cups of plain cottage cheese
3 eggs
2/3 of a cup of orange juice

Directions:
Mix well and pour into a well greased pan.  I baked it at 350 degrees for 55-60 minutes in a  Bundt pan.  If you use another type of pan, you will have to start at 30 minutes and check in 10 minute intervals to see if your cake is done.

 To make the raspberry sauce:
Take 20-25 clean raspberries and 2/3 of a cup of orange juice and blend with a immersion blender or in a food processor until smooth. 


Then add 1tsp of cornstarch, 1 Tbs of honey or sugar and heat on medium heat until the sauce thickens.  Strain with a fine mesh strainer to separate all the raspberries seeds out.  Allow the sauce to cool before serving.






 




Enjoy. Store in the fridge.

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