Category Archives: Cake

Double Chocolate Banana Bread

Posted on by

Chocolate Banana Bread.jpg

I might have to rename this site, “Jamie Makes Banana Bread.”  I’ve been making other recipes lately — this weekend I made Cinnamon Sugar Pecans that I thought I’d share with you — unfortunately, they don’t believe in photographs.  They tasted pretty awesome though…  Just so you know, I don’t only make banana bread…   but as I’ve said before, it is a weekly event, so when I’m in need of a recipe to make the blog look like someone cares about it, I just change it up a bit. 😉

This double chocolate banana bread turned out amazing.  We had it for dessert as part of a delicious Sunday dinner.  Even though it was only in the low 30s, Mike and the kids spent a few hours outside yesterday afternoon working in the yard and running around.  We are so desperate for Spring!  After they came in we had hamburgers on the grill (Bo ate nearly two!), coleslaw, baked beans, and baked French fries — followed up by generous pieces of this banana bread (Bo also ate two — he must be growing…).  Of course the trio loved this — it was banana bread — plus it had chocolate chips.  I couldn’t really go wrong.

As with all banana bread, this was quick and easy to throw together.  The chocolate make it rich and dessert worthy.  Definitely a new keeper to add to our banana bread rotation.

Print
Double Chocolate Banana Bread
Author: 
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 8
 
Ingredients
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • ⅓ cup oil (Canola, Coconut, whatever you like)
  • 3 overripe bananas
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • ½ cup cocoa powder
  • 1½ cups flour
  • 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 and spray a loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray. In the bowl of your mixer, combine the sugar and the eggs. Add the oil and bananas until the bananas are well mashed and combined. Add the vanilla, salt, baking soda, and cocoa powder. Add the flour and mix until just combined. Fold in the chocolate chips. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 1 hour.

 

Pumpkin Mini-Chocolate Chip Bars

Posted on by

Things have been crazy here at the Five Wooden Spoons house — you’ve probably noticed that I haven’t posted a recipe in eons.  Well — this is due to a lot of factors — too much work, three kiddos with school and activities, and I’ve just felt uninspired to photograph food lately.  I’m still cooking — we have to eat — but I just never love the photos I take, so then I stop taking them.

Ultimately, no one cares (but me…) if my photos are perfect.  So I just need to get over it. Hence, another imperfect photo.

I’ve also been busy being social.  We constantly have something going on with friends these days – which is definitely a good thing!  Last Friday, I hosted a “Mom’s Night Sleepover” at my house.  I invited a big group of moms to my house in their pjs or yoga pants to eat, relax, and chat.  We had good intentions of playing a game, but that never happened. Three of us – Jamie, Jocelyn, and myself — somehow stayed awake the entire night.  I was awake and going for just over 31 hours before I convinced Bo to take a nap with me.  Crazy.

But anyway, for the sleepover, I made these pumpkin mini-chocolate chip bars and they were delicious.  Bo and I cut them into squares and ate all of the edges before the moms arrived.  These are perfect for fall and were perfect for a gathering.

Print
Pumpkin Mini-Chocolate Chip Bars
Author: 
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 12
 
Ingredients
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp. pumpkin-pie spice
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • ¾ tsp. salt
  • 2 sticks butter, at room temperature
  • 1¼ cups granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 can pumpkin puree
  • 1 cup semi-sweet mini-chocolate chips
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13 pan with Baking Pam. Cream the butter and sugar until smooth. Add the egg, vanilla, and pumpkin. Reduce speed and add dry ingredients until just combined. Fold in the mini-chips. Spread the batter in the pan and bake for 35-40 minutes.

 

 

Cinnamon Crumb Cake

Posted on by

School is officially in full-swing and that means my schedule of weekly breakfast dates with a few of my favorite people is also revamping.  Laura and I are meeting up on Wednesday mornings for breakfast and conversation before I work and she heads to the library with her youngest, Cara, who isn’t in school yet.

After talking about it for weeks, I finally made this delicious cinnamon crumb cake this week for our breakfast.  Bo and I were both up at 6 and he helped me make it.  My first attempt I was still asleep and used powdered sugar instead of flour — needless to say by the time it was ready for the oven I realized something wasn’t quite right!  We started over and still had delicious crumb cake for the trio to eat for breakfast and then to share with Laura and Cara after school drop-off.  And yes, I finally bought labels for my pantry staples this week — nothing like a complete disaster to finally motivate that purchase!

This cinnamon crumb cake is very easy to pull together — even for a weekday morning breakfast.  It tastes amazing — and extra special!  It’s perfect with coffee.  Or Coca-Cola if you ask Laura. 😉

This recipe received rave reviews from all who tried it!  Five Wooden Spoons for this one!

Print
Cinnamon Crumb Cake
Author: 
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 12
 
Ingredients
  • Batter Base and Topping:
  • 1 cup canola oil
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • ½ cup white sugar
  • 2½ cups flour
  • 1 tsp salt
  • Additions to the Batter Base after removing one cup for the topping:
  • 1 cup buttermilk (or 1 cup milk plus 1 Tbsp. white vinegar)
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp nutmeg
  • Additions to the topping:
  • 1 tsp. cinnamon
  • 2 Tbsp. Flour
  • 2 Tbsp. Sugar
  • Glaze:
  • ½ cup powdered sugar
  • 1 Tbsp. milk
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 9 x 13 inch pan with PAM baking spray. In a large bowl, combine oil, brown sugar, sugar, flour, and salt. Mix well. Remove one cup of mixture into another smaller bowl before adding buttermilk, egg, baking soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Pour this mixture into the prepared pan.
  2. Add cinnamon, flour, and sugar to the remaining mixture and combine until crumbly. If necessary, add more flour and sugar until it reaches the desired consistency. Sprinkle the crumbs on top of the batter.
  3. Bake for 25-30 minutes.
  4. While baking, combine powdered sugar and milk. Drizzle with glaze after the cake is removed from the oven.

 

Laura’s Coca-Cola Cake

Posted on by

*****The Weitl clan is on vacation so this post was graciously written by the infamous Laura.  Special thanks to one of my BFFs for contributing!!******

I love Coca-Cola. I love chocolate. I love cake. What I didn’t realize until recently is that I could put all of those things together and come up with delicious yumminess.

I love the get togethers we have with the Weitls. I was supposed to bring a dessert for one of our family dinners and decided to make Chocolate Coca-Cola Cake. I had made it once before and shared a few pieces with Jamie and she really liked it so I decided to make it again. No one was disappointed.

Before this recipe, I had never made a cake from scratch. I didn’t see the point since opening a box was so easy. After this, though, a box cake just isn’t quite good enough. The ingredients are easy to find. In fact, I had all of them in my house when I decided to make it the first time except for one… buttermilk. That was easy to remedy though. Just put ½ Tbsp. of white vinegar into a ½  cup measuring cup and then fill the cup with milk. Let it stand for 5 minutes and you have buttermilk substitute. Clean up is easy as well. There aren’t a lot of dishes to deal with. The hardest part is waiting for the cake to cool a bit before pouring on the frosting.


Print
Coca-Cola Cake
Author: 
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 12
 
Ingredients
  • Cake Ingredients:
  • 2 cups flour
  • 2 cups sugar
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • ½ tsp cinnamon
  • 2 sticks softened butter
  • ¼ c. unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 c. Coca-Cola
  • ½ c. buttermilk
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla (I used Jamie’s Homemade Vanilla)
  • Frosting Ingredients:
  • ½ c. butter
  • ¼ c. unsweetened cocoa powder
  • ½ c. Coca-Cola
  • 4 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
  1. Cake Directions: Preheat oven to 350degrees. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking soda, and cinnamon. Set aside. Put butter, cocoa powder, Coca-Cola, and buttermilk in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir until it comes to a boil. Remove from heat and pour it into the flour mix. Stir until combined. Add 2 eggs and 1 tsp vanilla. Mix. Pour into greased 9x13. Bake for approximately 30 minutes. I like to take it out a little early so it is nice and moist.
  2. Frosting Directions: Combine butter, cocoa powder, and remaining Coca-Cola in a saucepan (I use the same one I used for the cake) over medium heat until it comes to a boil. Remove from heat. Slowly whisk in powered sugar until smooth. Pour frosting over warm cake.

 

 

This cake receives 10 Wooden Spoons — a very high honor!  5 from the Weitl clan and 5 from the Kilmartin clan.  We all loved it and devoured it — as you can tell from Cade’s chocolatey face above!

OREO Cake Creation

Posted on by

On Friday evening, we had the Cetwinski’s over to enjoy our new deck.  We cooked burgers on the grill, allowed the kids to run crazy in the yard (and get covered in mosquito bites), and enjoyed my Oreo cake creation.

On Thursday afternoon, I was trying to think of something I could make that would utilize mostly ingredients I already had.  I ended up making this recipe up as I went and it actually turned out really good.  It’s basically a combo of dirt cake and eclair cake.  It tastes exactly like Oreos that have been dunked in milk.  If you’re an Oreo dunker, you’ll love this cake!

This cake would be perfect for a bbq, potluck, or other family gathering this summer.  Cool, creamy, and delicious!

Print
OREO Cake Creation
Author: 
Prep time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 12
 
2 packages Oreo cookies 1 large box instant vanilla pudding 1½ cup milk 1 - 8 oz. cream cheese, softened 1 cup powdered sugar 2 Cool Whip
Ingredients
  • In a large bowl combine milk and instant pudding until well mixed. Fold in 1 container of Cool Whip. In another bowl, whip together the cream cheese and powdered sugar. Fold into the other mixture. In a 9x13 inch pan, cover the bottom with Oreos. Pour half of the pudding mixture over the top and place another layer of Oreos and then the rest of the pudding mixture. Top with the remaining container of Cool Whip. Chill for at least 12 hours before serving to achieved the "dunked" Oreo effect.

 

Chocolate Pudding Cake

Posted on by

On Saturday evening, Mike was grilling steaks to celebrate our new deck and I threw together this tasty chocolate pudding cake.  I had seen a similar recipe on Something Swanky for Easy Hot Fudge Cake (wish she’d host a photography class…) late last week and it reminded me of this recipe.  However, I knew if I called it Hot Fudge Cake Mike would be 10 times more likely to eat it.  So I dug out my old “Heavenly Dishes” cookbook that my mom and my deceased ex-step-grandma bought for me (I have two copies) when I was around 9 and threw together this recipe, dubbed it Hot Fudge Cake instead of Chocolate Pudding Cake, and it was was enjoyed by all.

This was actually the first cake I ever made from scratch by myself.  It’s extremely easy — it is all mixed in the same 9×9 pan it’s baked in — and turns out super rich and gooey.  I remember eating it as a kid with milk poured on top.  However, it’s even better with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream.  It’s very rich so a little goes a long way.  Definitely one of my ultimate comfort foods!

Print
Chocolate Pudding Cake
Author: 
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 9
 
Ingredients
  • Cake:
  • ¾ cup sugar
  • 1 cup flour
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 2 Tbsp. cocoa
  • ½ cup milk
  • 3 Tbsp. melted butter
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • Topping:
  • ½ cup sugar
  • ½ cup brown sugar
  • ¼ cup cocoa
  • 1½ cups water
Instructions
  1. Combine dry cake ingredients in a 9 inch square pan. Stir in milk, butter, and vanilla. Spread batter in pan. Mix topping sugars and cocoa together and sprinkle over batter. Pour water over all (do not mix) and bake at 350 for 40 to 45 minutes. Serve warm with cream.

 

Laura’s Eclair Cake

Posted on by

I’m starting to wonder if my best bud Laura is trying to make me fat.  🙂  On Saturday evening, we got together to make tortellini and she made this delicious eclair cake for dessert.  She’s made it for me one other time and it always ends up being my nemesis.  I just can’t stop eating it.  I had two pieces on Saturday night and then she left the cake at my house — and I’ve eaten it for breakfast every day this week.  Healthy much?

Laura says that this recipe is quick and easy to pull together — the trick is that it needs to be made at least 24 hours in advance.  However, when you’re getting together for dinner that can be nice because it is all made and cleaned up in advance.  The best part — it’s delicious!  Even Mike, avid pudding hater, thinks this cake is pretty amazing!

Print
Laura's Eclair Cake
Author: 
Prep time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 12
 
Ingredients
  • 1 box graham crackers
  • 2 large packages instant French Vanilla pudding
  • 9 oz Cool Whip
  • 3 cups milk
  • 1 container chocolate icing
Instructions
  1. Spray a 9x13 inch pan with PAM. In a large bowl, combine the milk and pudding until thick. Fold in the Cool Whip. Place a layer of graham crackers over the bottom of the pan. Spread half of the pudding mixture over the top and add another layer of graham crackers, then the other half of the pudding mixture. Add the last layer of graham crackers (3 layers of crackers total). Microwave the icing for 30 seconds to 1 minute until pourable and pour over the top of the graham crackers. Chill for 24 to 48 hours before serving. This is a recipe that gets better with time!

 

Peanut Butter Cup Cupcakes

Posted on by

We had a crazy busy weekend.  How we manage to fit so many things between the hours of 4 pm Friday and 7 am Monday is always a mystery to me — but some how we do — and have fun doing it!

Mike and I spent the night in Chicago on Saturday and followed it up on Sunday with two birthday celebrations with the kids.  The first was a birthday party that we attended and the second was a family dinner with the Cetwinski family at our house to make up for Riley’s 6th birthday party we missed the previous weekend when the trio was sick.  I took some short-cuts with our meal and our dessert — mostly because we arrived home only 2 hours before our guests were set to arrive.

Instead of making a meal, we ordered pizza, and instead of making homemade cupcakes, I just fancied up a box mix.  However, the resulting cupcakes were amazing!  I loosely based this on the idea behind the Oreo Cupcakes I made previously.  These were quick to throw together and truly tasted fancy — as we discussed that evening, they were much better than some of the local cupcake shops we’ve tried.  They are definitely worth a bake!

Print
Peanut Butter Cup Cupcakes
Author: 
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 24
 
Ingredients
  • 2 bags individual peanut butter cups
  • 1 box chocolate cake mix
  • ½ cup canola oil
  • ¾ cup water
  • 3 eggs
  • ¾ cup creamy peanut butter
  • 5 Tbsp. butter, softened
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • ¼ cup milk
  • 1 bag miniature peanut butter cups (optional)
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350. Line 24 muffin tins with cupcake liners. Place a peanut butter cup (regular size) in the bottom of each tin. Prepare cake mix according to package instructions. Fill each cupcake liner ¾ full. Bake for 18-22 minutes.
  2. Once the cupcakes have cooled, prepare the frosting. Cream together the peanut butter and butter. Add the powdered sugar ½ cup at a time until well combined. Add the milk to reach the desired creaminess and texture for the frosting. I used a Ziplock bag to pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes.
  3. To garnish, cut miniature peanut butter cups in half and place on top of each cupcake.

 

OREO Cupcakes

Posted on by

Last Friday, we celebrated the Kilmartin trio’s birthday’s with bowling and pizza.  I volunteered to make the cupcakes — any excuse to bake some sweet sugary goodness!

That morning, I settled on OREO cupcakes.  These cupcakes spice up a traditional boxed cake mix, but could easily be made completely from scratch as well.  If you’re a cookies-n-cream fan, you’ll love these.  They smell and taste delicious!

All of the kids enjoyed these cupcakes.  And so did the grown-ups too!  I sent the leftovers home with Laura so I wouldn’t devour all of them myself!

Print
OREO Cupcakes
Author: 
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 24
 
Ingredients
  • 1 bag OREO cookies
  • 1 Devil's Food cake mix
  • 3 eggs
  • ½ cup vegetable oil
  • ½ cup water
  • 1 - 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
  • 1 stick butter, softened
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp. vanilla
  • mini OREO to garnish (optional)
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350. Line cupcake cups with liners and place one OREO in the bottom of each cup. Prepare the cake mix according to package directions. Mine called for 3 eggs, ½ cup vegetable oil, and ½ cup water. Once the mix is prepared, chop half of the remaining OREOs into bite sized pieces and fold into the cake mix. Using an ice cream scoop, fill each cupcake liner until it is ¾ full. Bake according to package directions.
  2. Allow the cupcakes to cool and then prepare the frosting. Using a blender or food processor, puree the remaining OREOs into crumbs. In a small bowl, beat the cream cheese and butter until well combined. Add the vanilla. Slowly add the powdered sugar, ½ cup at a time until the desired consistency is reached. Fold in the OREO crumbs. Scoop the frosting mixture into a large Ziploc bag. Cut the end off one side of the bag to pipe the frosting on to each cupcake. Garnish with a mini OREO if desired.

 

Laura’s Butterscotch Snack Cake

Posted on by

I’m alive — we’ve been drowning in Christmas celebrations and I’m finally starting to come up for air now that the kids are back in school.  We’ve had so much fun, but returning to our normal routine is kind of nice too. 🙂

You’ve seen my friend Laura’s recipes here before.  We manage to share a meal with our families fairly regularly and recently enjoyed a fun trip to the Dells together.  We are always doing something fun!  She first made this cake for a girl’s night at my house last year — and left the leftovers at my house.  I picked at the cake for days — eating it for breakfast, lunch, snacks, until it was finally gone.  It’s one of those cakes that I think about obsessively when I know it’s sitting on the counter.  Let’s just say I don’t recommend making this if losing weight is part of your resolution this year…

This cake is loved by all — including my trio.  It’s moist, sweet, and ridiculously quick and easy!

Print
Laura's Butterscotch Snack Cake
Author: 
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 12
 
Ingredients
  • 1 - 3.5 oz Butterscotch Cook and Serve Jell-O Pudding
  • 2 cups milk
  • 1 yellow cake mix
  • 1 - 11 oz. butterscotch chips
  • ½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350. In saucepan, combine pudding and milk and bring to a boil over medium heat. Stir in dry cake mix. Pour into a 13x9 inch pan sprayed with PAM. Sprinkle with chips and nuts. Bake for 35 minutes.