Red Velvet Oreo Gooey Cake Bars

There’s just something about Red Velvet that is simply irresistible. It's truly a southern favorite. I love Red Velvet cupcakes, but I wanted to change it up a bit. I'm a huge fan of cake bars...especially ones stuffed with chocolate! And of course who can resist something with Oreos mixed in? This combination is perfect! 

Chewy Red Velvet bars stuffed with chocolate chips and Oreos, all drizzled with sweetened condensed milk...making them super ooey and gooey. Un-believable. 

I've made these a few times before, but the entire pan seems to disappear before I can even snap a picture. This time I made them for a little slumber party with my two favorite kiddos. I made sure to take a few photos before everyone came over!

Red Velvet Oreo Gooey Cake Bars
Recipe adapted from Picky Palate 

Ingredients: 
1 box red velvet cake mix
1 large egg
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
5 oz milk chocolate chips (1/2 bag)
10-12 Oreos, broken into pieces
1 can sweetened condensed milk

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a 9x9 inch baking pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil that’s been generously sprayed with cooking spray. 

2. Place cake mix, egg, and butter into a large mixing bowl. Mix until a nice dough forms similar to a cookie dough. Press half of the dough into the bottom of the prepared pan. Layer with Oreos and chocolate chips. Drizzle half of the sweetened condensed milk over top. Top with remaining half of dough pressing evenly. Drizzle the rest of the sweetened condensed milk over the dough.

3. Bake for 28-33 minutes, until cooked through. Remove from oven. Let cool for 5 minutes then take a plastic knife and run along edges to loosen. 

4. Let cool completely then remove bars from pan with foil edges. Cut bars into squares and serve. They are delicious room temperature or chilled.

White Chocolate Gingerbread Truffles with Lemon Ginger Cream Cheese Frosting

If you're still looking for that perfect holiday treat, these are it. I've been on a gingerbread kick lately and let me tell you...these are amazing. Simple, bite-sized pieces of heaven that are perfect for holiday parties!

I've made cake pops/truffles a million times and what I love the most about them is that they are super versatile. You can basically use any flavor of cake and frosting. 

This combination has to be one of my favorites! I loooove the spicy and warm gingerbread with the slightly tart lemon and ginger cream cheese frosting. The perfect pairing. 

Merry Christmas from our family to yours! :)

White Chocolate Gingerbread Truffles with Lemon Ginger Cream Cheese Frosting

Recipe adapted from the Cooking Channel 
Ingredients:

for the cake:
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 stick unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup molasses
1 large egg
1 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup whole milk
12 ounces white chocolate candy melts
1 cup pecans, toasted and finely chopped

for the frosting:

1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup unsalted butter, softened
8 ounces cream cheese, cut into 4 pieces and softened
1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:
For the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8 by 8-inch baking dish. Line a baking sheet with waxed paper.

Using a hand mixer, cream the sugar and butter until light and creamy. Beat in the molasses and egg and continue beating until fully incorporated. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, ground ginger, baking soda, nutmeg, cloves and salt and mix well.

Alternating the dry ingredients with the milk, slowly add to the wet ingredients, while mixing on low, until fully incorporated. Add 1/2 of the milk to the creamed butter, then 1/2 of the flour mixture. Repeat this process and mix until fully combined.

Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish. Bake about 20 to 25 minutes. Allow the cake to cool.

Once the cake has cooled, crumble the cake using a fork and transfer to a large mixing bowl, making sure to break the cake apart really well. Add the Lemon Ginger Cream Cheese Frosting (see below) to a bowl and mix thoroughly. Using a small cookie scoop or a tablespoon, portion out the cake truffles and place them on the prepared baking sheet. Once all the balls have been formed, chill the cake truffles for an hour in the refrigerator.

After an hour, melt the white chocolate over a double boiler by placing it in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of gently simmering water. Making sure the water doesn't touch the bottom of the bowl.

Once the chocolate is melted, dip the cake truffles into the chocolate and, using 2 forks, gently turn the cake in the chocolate. Place the chocolate covered cake truffles back on the wax paper and top with the chopped pecans. Return them to the fridge to set, about 20 minutes.

for the frosting:
Using a stand mixer, cream the sugar and butter together until light and creamy. Add cream cheese slowly, one piece at a time, fully incorporating it after each addition. Add the grated ginger, juice, zest and vanilla and beat until fluffy and fully combined.

Smash Cake!

Cam is turning 1! Our sweet friends asked me to make a smash cake for Cameron's first birthday party and I was soooo excited! 

As soon as I started my search on Pinterest, I found some of the cutest smash cakes. The one that caught my eye though, was tie dyed! And what kid (or adult) doesn't LOVE sprinkles?!

I wanted to make sure the cake was going to be perfect for the big day...so I made a "practice" cake for the pictures the weekend before.  

Here is where my inspiration came from...

• cake recipe from Sweet Home - I used 6 inch cake pans
• frosting recipe from Savory Sweet Life - I made a batch of butter cream frosting and added a packet of Duncan Hines Cotton Candy Frosting Creations
• rainbow sprinkle cake inspiration from The Cake Blog & Best Friends for Frosting
  
• rainbow sprinkle cake topper from Kojo Designs - this method of making a topper is genius and it’s entirely edible – it’s just melted candy and sprinkles!

This little cake was made especially for the birthday boy to smash and dig into! Here’s how it works: place baby in highchair, place smash cake on tray, let baby go for it, take adorable pictures! I'm pretty sure this smash cake was a success! :)

Coconut Gooey Cake Bars

Two words: Ooey. Gooey.

I have to say, I am a HUGE coconut fan. 

The great thing about these bars is how easy they are to make.  You just prepare a basic dough with cake mix, pecans, and chocolate chips, sprinkle it with coconut and drown it in lots of condensed milk.  That’s it.

As the name suggests, these cake bars are well...ooey and gooey! They are even better straight out of the oven. :)

Coconut Gooey Cake Bars

Recipe adapted from Inside BruCrewLife

Ingredients:

1 white cake mix

1 stick butter, softened

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla extract

3/4 cup mini chocolate chips
1 cup chopped pecans, toasted

2 1/2 c. shredded coconut

1 (14 oz.) can condensed milk

1 cup coconut M&M’s

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray a 9x13 inch pan with cooking spray.
• In a large mixing bowl, beat the cake mix, butter, vanilla and egg until a soft dough forms. Stir in the chocolate chips and pecans. Press the dough into pan.
• Combine coconut and condensed milk in a bowl. Spread evenly on top of the cake dough. Sprinkle the top with the M&M’s. Bake for 28-30 minutes.
• Loosen the edges of the cake from the pan with a knife, when it comes out of the oven. Cool completely on a wire rack. Cut into bars. Store at room temperature.

Carrot Cake Whoopie Pies

There's just something about whoopie pies...they are the perfect little snack! 

These little sandwiches are very light and fluffy, with orange specks from the carrots.  I made my classic cream cheese frosting and sandwiched it between the cookies. 

Carrot cake + cream cheese frosting = best dessert EVER.  

The combination of cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger was amazingly delicious! This is the perfect option if you're looking for a dessert to make for Easter.  

Carrot Cake Whoopie Pies

Recipe adapted from Tracey's Culinary Adventure

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups grated carrots

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line baking sheet with parchment.

In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt together.  In the bowl of a stand mixer cream the butter and both sugars on medium speed until light and fluffy.  Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Mix in the vanilla.  Add the dry ingredients and beat just until combined.  Finally, add the grated carrots.

Chill the batter in the refrigerator for at least one hour.

Using a small cookie scoop, place cookies on a prepared baking sheets, about 2 inches apart.  Bake for about 12 minutes, or until the cookies spring back when gently pressed.  Transfer the baking sheet to a wire rack and let the cookies cool for 5 minutes then remove the cookies to the wire rack to cool completely. 

Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:

1 stick butter, softened

8 ounces light cream cheese, room temperature

4 cups confectioner sugar, sifted

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

 

Directions:

In a mixer, beat softened cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy. Slowly add confectioner sugar until just incorporated.  Add vanilla and beat until smooth.

Cake Batter Blondies

I know I don't say this often, but this is one of the most delicious things I’ve ever eaten. I'm obsessed with using cake mixes for everything...and they always turn out perfect!

This recipe is super simple and soooooo delicious. The blondies come out super chewy and soft. I used Christmas sprinkles to stay in the holiday spirit and they turned out great!

Cake Batter Blondies

Recipe adapted from The Girl Who Ate Everything

Ingredients:

1 (18.25 ounce) box yellow cake mix

1/4 cup canola or vegetable oil

1 egg

1/4 cup milk

1/2 cup sprinkles

1 cup white chocolate chips

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine first three ingredients in a large bowl.

Add the milk slowly and mix well. You want to cake batter to be as dense and thick as possible for a chewy blondie so try to use the least amount that you can.

Mix in the sprinkles and white chocolate chips.

Pour into 8 x 8inch baking pan, sprinkle a few more sprinkles on top, and bake for 25-30 minutes until edges are just turning brown. The blondies will still be gooey in the middle just out of the oven but after they’ve completely cooled they will be perfectly chewy and soft.

Allow to cool for at least 30 minutes so the center sets, before cutting into squares.

Strawberry Basil Cake

Last weekend we went to the first annual "Love & Homegrown Tomatoes" at the Community Gardens of Henry. My parents are avid gardeners and insisted we come along. They have been involved with their community garden for quite a while. The fundraiser included tours of Wesley Way Gardens, music, booths, a silent auction, door prizes, and a good ole' tomato sandwich buffet! Nothing truly defines summer in the south than a tomato sandwich and big glass of sweet tea! 

The Helping Harvests are specifically for growing fresh produce for donation to local non-profits and food pantries. More than 16,000 pounds of fresh produce has already been donated since they began! Proceeds from the fundraiser will help them sustain and expand the Helping Harvests and their five community gardens.

Now, what does this have to do with strawberry cake??

At the fundraiser there was a booth called Dani Jamz and she was selling this delicious homemade strawberry basil jam. As soon as I tasted it I knew I wanted to make a cake with it!

And so here we are...

I used my new "go-to" cake recipe with Greek yogurt and it turned out just perfect. I was a bit unsure as to how it would taste with a yellow cake mix, but it was just as good as the chocolate!

The cake was moist and perfect and the frosting was so light and yummy! It’s like strawberry shortcake, but better. I just can’t say enough about this recipe, and the strawberry basil jam adds the perfect touch!

This is seriously the BEST. STRAWBERRY. CAKE. EVER.
It is sooo insanely delicious!

Strawberry Basil Cake
Ingredients:

Cake:
1 box yellow cake mix

1 cup Greek yogurt, non-fat

1 cup water 

1 tsp vanilla extract

Frosting:

1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tub Cool Whip
6 tbsp strawberry basil jam (you can use regular strawberry jam instead)

1 1/2 lbs strawberries, hulled, sliced (about 3 cups), divided

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine cake mix, Greek yogurt, vanilla, and water. Pour batter evenly into to two greased 9 inch round cake pans. Bake for 22-25 minutes. Cool completely. (I put mine in the freezer for about 20 minutes to speed up the process!)

In a separate mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add in vanilla. Fold whipped cream into frosting. Cover; chill for about 30 minutes.

Place the first cake layer onto a plate.
Spread 2 tbsp of strawberry jam over the cake, then spread 1/2 of the frosting over the jam. Arrange 1/2 of the sliced strawberries on top of the frosting in a single layer. Repeat with the second cake layer, jam, frosting, and strawberries.

Ice Cream Sandwich Cake

When it comes to cooking, I am so incredibly thankful for my mother and future mother-in-law! These ladies know how to cook. I'm always asking them for new recipes...and they are always sending us home with extra food! :) We are super lucky to have such amazing parents! 

Yesterday we went over to Evan's parents house for Father's day. After cooking up a delicious Thanksgiving-esque lunch for everyone, his mother whipped out this amazing cake! This simple frozen dessert was a huge hit. It was delicious, decadent and quite impressive! This would be a perfect dessert to take to a summer cookout.

Who doesn't love a good ice cream sandwich? This was (and still is) probably my most favorite dessert growing up. We ALWAYS had them in the freezer. The best thing about this cake is you can change it up in so many different ways. Switch up the ice cream sandwich flavors, ice cream toppings, and use tons of different types of candy.

*Please excuse the photos, I had to use my cell phone. But you still get the idea of how incredibly delicious this cake was! :)

Ice Cream Sandwich Cake (Recipe adapted from Taste of Home)
Ingredients:
17 miniature ice cream sandwiches, divided
1 jar (12 ounces) caramel ice cream topping
1 carton (12 ounces) frozen whipped topping, thawed
1/4 cup chocolate syrup
 

Directions:
Arrange 14 ice cream sandwiches in an ungreased 13-in. x 9-in. dish. Cut remaining sandwiches in half lengthwise; fill in the spaces in the dish. (You could also create two layers of sandwiches with some extra caramel sauce in the middle!)

Spread with caramel and whipped topping. Drizzle with chocolate syrup. Cover and freeze for at least 45 minutes. Cut into squares.

Chocolate OREO Cookie Cake

The only word for this cake is heavenly. No other word could possibly describe it. It's just...everything I could ever want in a cake. 

chocolate. 

oreos.

cool whip.

cream cheese.

 Are you drooling all over your keyboard yet??

I made this cake for father's day and it was quite a hit. The best part is that I even tried to make it somewhat "healthier" and it worked! I don't know if you can really make a chocolate covered oreo cookie cake healthy, but at least I didn't feel that bad eating a slice...or two. 

I will probably never make a boxed cake with eggs and oil again. I substituted Greek yogurt and it turned out to be the most amazing cake. I also added some coffee to boost the chocolate flavor! Moist, velvety, and rich. Seriously good. Shout out to Dr. Oz for sharing the cake recipe on his show! :) 

I promise this cake will not disappoint!

Oreo Cookie Cake (Recipe adapted from Kraft)
Ingredients:
1 pkg. (2-layer size) devil's food cake mix
1 cup Greek yogurt, fat free
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup brewed coffee, cooled
4 squares semi-sweet chocolate
1/4 cup butter
1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened, reduced fat
1/2 cup sugar
1 pkg thawed cool whip topping, fat free
15 Oreo cookies, coarsely crushed, reduced fat

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine cake mix, Greek yogurt, coffee, and water. Pour batter evenly into to two greased 9 inch round cake pans. Bake for 25-30 minutes.

Microwave chocolate and butter in small microwaveable bowl on HIGH 2 min. or until butter is melted. Stir until chocolate is completely melted. Cool 5 min. Meanwhile, beat cream cheese and sugar in large bowl with mixer until blended. Gently stir in COOL WHIP and crushed cookies.

Place 1 cake layer on plate, spread with cream cheese mixture. Top with remaining cake layer. Spread top with chocolate glaze; let stand 10 min. or until firm. Keep refrigerated.

Chocolate Cake with Salted Caramel Frosting

The other night we went to Bocado in Midtown to celebrate my good friend Jenna's birthday. We had a delicious dinner and enjoyed catching up. I'm usually not one to go out to dinner without getting dessert (you know me, I prefer dessert first!); however, we decided not to that night. Boy did I regret that decision!! As we were leaving I happened to walk by the most amazingly delicious looking chocolate cake with salted caramel frosting. My mouth was literally drooling as we walked out! Since then, I have been bound and determined to make it, and today, I did. 

Now, trust me, this cake is not nearly as pretty and perfect as the cake at Bocado...but it sure is yummy! The chocolate cake is super moist and the frosting is to die for! I can't wait to use this salted caramel frosting in another dessert...I'm thinking over brownies with pecans and toffee?! The entire process is a bit labor intensive, but totally worth the effort! 

Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:

1 box devil's food cake mix

1 1/4 cup brewed coffee, cooled

2 tablespoons cocoa powder

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 eggs

1/2 cup vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease your cake pans. 

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine eggs, oil, and vanilla. In a separate bowl, mix together cake mix and cocoa powder. With the mixer on low speed, alternate dry ingredients and coffee until everything is incorporated. Use a spatula to scrape down the sides and make sure everything is combined and there are no lumps. Divide your batter between your cake pans. I made three 8 inch layers about 1/3 full. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Let cool for 10-15 minutes and then remove to a cooling rack to cool completely. 

Salted Caramel

Ingredients:

1 cup sugar
4 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1. Combine the sugar, water, and the corn syrup in a large saucepan and stir with a wooden spoon over medium heat until sugar is dissolved.2. Cover the saucepan and let it cook over medium heat for 3 minutes.
3. After 3 minutes, remove the lid, increase the heat to medium-high, and bring to a boil.
4. Do not stir from this point on, but instead swirl the liquid around the pan so that the caramel doesn’t burn.
5. Continue to cook until the caramel turns an even amber color then remove from the heat and let stand for about 30 seconds.
6. **Be very careful! Pour the heavy cream into the mixture. The mixture will bubble up significantly and is very hot.
7. Stir the mixture, again being careful. Add the butter and salt. Stir until combined.8. Stirring occasionally, allow to cool until thick and warm to the touch, about 20 minutes. Save any extra in a sealed container in the refrigerator.


Salted Caramel Frosting
Ingredients:
1 stick butter at room temperature
8 ounces of cream cheese
3-4 cups sifted powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup salted caramel (recipe above)

1. Beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed until creamy.
2. Add 2 cups of the powdered sugar into the butter/cream cheese mixture and beat to combine.
3. Add 1 cup of the salted caramel and beat to combine.
4. Add additional powdered sugar until the frosting is your desired sweetness and consistency.
ENJOY!!! :)

White and Milk Chocolate S'mores Gooey Cake Bars

So...the title of this post says it all. White chocolate? Milk chocolate? S'mores? Cake? Yes, please!! My good friend and co-worker showed me this recipe a few months ago and I literally had to wipe the drool off my face when I saw it! These bars are pretty much to die for. Ooey and gooey and rich and yummy. I can only take about two bites and that's enough until I go back later for more.

I made these yesterday to take over to our friend's Christmas party and they were quite a hit! 

Press half of the cake mix into the bottom of a lined pan.

 

Place the graham crackers in a single layer over the cake mix.

 

 Sprinkle the milk and white chocolate chips over the graham crackers.

 

 Then the mini marshmallows...

Spread out the rest of the cake mix over the grahams, chocolate and marshmallows.

 

 Pour over the sweetened condensed milk.  This gooey stuff is super sweet on it’s own, so go easy with it.

The bars were very rich, so I cut them into bite sized pieces. The top was gooey and the bottom was chewy with a crispy center. You have the best of all textures in one little bite!

 

OH. MY. WORD.

White Chocolate S'mores Cake Bars
Recipe adapted from Picky Palate

*I doubled the original recipe to fit a 9x13 pan. Cut the ingredients in half to fit an 8x8 pan. I also added both white chocolate and milk chocolate chips because I had half a bag of each on hand.  

Ingredients: 
2 boxes yellow cake mix
2 large eggs
2 sticks (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
10 full graham crackers
5 oz white chocolate chips (1/2 bag)
5 oz milk chocolate chips (1/2 bag)
2 cups mini marshmallows
1 cup sweetened condensed milk

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a 9x13 inch baking pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil that’s been generously sprayed with cooking spray. Make sure foil goes all the way up and over the edges for this one. It will be a full pan.

2. Place cake mix, egg, and butter into a large mixing bowl. Mix until a nice dough forms similar to a cookie dough. Press half of the dough into the bottom of the prepared pan. Layer with graham crackers, white chips then marshmallows. Top with remaining half of dough pressing evenly. Drizzle sweetened condensed milk over top. You might want to go a little light on this as mine had to much and was a bit runny even when the bars were done.

3. Bake for 28-33 minutes, until cooked through and golden brown on top. Remove from oven. Let cool for 5 minutes then take a plastic knife and run along edges to loosen marshmallow (this will make your life easier when pulling foil out of pan to remove bars. Let cool completely then remove bars from pan with foil edges. Cut off all edges if desired, about 1/2 inch each side. I save the edges to snack on too. Cut bars into squares and serve. They are delicious room temperature or chilled.