Tag Archives: cake

Sour Cream Crumb Cake

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Remember when I went MIA last month? This is what I was doing. Making crumb cake after crumb cake, giving them away, picking them apart—I am patting myself on the back for only having to deposit two directly into the garbage.

Sour Cream Crumb Cake

I mean, how difficult could crumb cake be to make, you know? People have been making it forever. Slightly dense, buttery cake topped with a crunchy cinnamon crumb simply could not be that much of a challenge…right?

Sour Cream Crumb Cake
Sour Cream Crumb Cake
Sour Cream Crumb Cake

Wrong. So wrong. Seventeen dud crumb cakes wrong. I mean, they all tasted right (well, all but two), but they sunk in the center, too. Every single one. It didn’t matter what I did—adding eggs, changing the amounts of flour and sour cream, reducing the amount of crumb (heaven forbid!)—I could not get them to come out even.

But then. But. Then. I remembered that while baking powder helps cakes to puff, too much can cause them to collapse. I barely reduced the baking powder in my up-to-then best recipe and, well, here we are. Slightly dense, buttery cake topped with a crunchy cinnamon crumb, just like people have been making forever.

Sour Cream Crumb Cake
Sour Cream Crumb Cake
makes 1 8-inch pan, about 12 servings

Crumb:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 Kosher or sea salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Cake Batter:
1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda 
1/2 teaspoon Kosher or sea salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg, room temperature
1/4 cup full-fat sour cream
1 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons milk of choice

For Garnish (optional):
confectioner’s sugar

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease an 8-inch square pan. Line with parchment, leaving overhang on two sides, then grease again. Set aside.

Make the crumb. In a small mixing bowl, use a fork to whisk together flour, light brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Add melted butter and stir together until everything is moistened and clumps form. Set aside.

Make the cake batter. In a small-medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to cream butter until very light and fluffy (about 2 minutes). Beat in granulated sugar. Mix in egg, followed by sour cream. Add vanilla and milk. With the mixer on low, mix in dry ingredients in two installments. Batter will be thick.

Spread batter into the prepared pan. Scatter crumb evenly over the top and lightly press them into the batter. Bake 45-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Let cake cool completely in the pan on a rack.

Run a small, thin knife along the edges of the pan, then use the parchment overhang to lift the cake onto a cutting board. Dust with confectioners sugar, if desired. Slice into 12 pieces.

Serve cake room temperature or slightly warm. Leftovers may be kept covered at room temperature for a few days or in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Peanut Butter Cupcakes

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Where have I been? Making crumb cake, that’s where.

“But Liz,” you say, “this post isn’t a recipe for crumb cake. This is an update of your Peanut Butter Cupcakes.”

Peanut Butter Cupcakes

Yeah, yeah, I know. I decided I had to take a little break after 15+ crumb cakes over the course of the last three weeks, so I switched to another recipe lest I go insane, never to blog again. The full crumb cake deets are on their way the second I figure out why it tastes great but is sinking in the center.

(Help.)

Peanut Butter Cupcakes

For now though, let’s talk about Peanut Butter Cupcakes. I posted a recipe for them in the first few months of blogging, blanketed with Oreo frosting, and I was so, so proud. I think I ate like four in a day when I finally got those right. But then I made them again a year or two ago for some dude’s birthday and they were…dry. And I can’t be going around peddling recipes for dry cupcakes. It’s bad for my brand.

Peanut Butter Cupcakes
Peanut Butter Cupcakes

So, for my tenth sobriety anniversary, I went back to the drawing board with seven more years baking experience and a mission to fix these peanut butter beauties. I upped the butter, swapped buttermilk for an extra moist mix of sour cream and whole milk, adjusted the bake time, and well, the results speak for themselves. Especially with a little chocolate buttercream and a mini peanut butter cup garnish.

Peanut Butter Cupcakes
Peanut Butter Cupcakes
makes about 14-16 cupcakes

Cupcakes:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon Kosher or sea salt
1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 cup full-fat sour cream
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
2/3 cup creamy-style peanut butter*
1 cup dark brown sugar, packed
2 large eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Chocolate Buttercream & Garnish:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
2 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
3/4 cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder
pinch of Kosher or sea salt
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 
6 tablespoons heavy cream
mini peanut butter cups, for garnish

Preheat oven to 350F. Line 14-16 cups in muffin/cupcake pans with liners. Set aside.

Make the cupcakes. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In a liquid measuring cup or small bowl, whisk together whole milk and sour cream.

In a large mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to beat butter and peanut butter until combined and fluffy. Mix in dark brown sugar. Beat in eggs one at a time, followed by vanilla. Add half the dry ingredients followed by half the milk/sour cream. Add the remaining dry ingredients followed by the remaining milk/sour cream.

Fill prepared muffin cups 2/3 full of the batter. Gently tap pan on the counter five times to release any large air bubbles. Bake cupcakes 22-24 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in a couple of cupcakes comes out clean. The tops will look crackly—this is normal.Let cupcakes cool in the pan for five minutes before removing to a rack to cool completely.

Make the buttercream. In a large mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to beat butter until light and fluffy (about two minutes). Beat in confectioner's sugar, followed by cocoa powder and salt, scraping down the bowl as necessary. Add in vanilla and heavy cream. Beat on high for 1-2 minutes, until very fluffy.

Load into a piping bag fitted with a tip (I used a star tip here) or use an offset icing spatula to frost cupcakes. Garnish with mini peanut butter cups as desired. Serve.

Leftover cupcakes will keep covered at room temperature for a few days or in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Chocolate Chip Cake

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Chocolate Chip Cake

This is just to say that if you have an inkling that you should throw a ton of mini chocolate chips into your yellow cake batter…well, you should follow that urge.

Chocolate Chip Cake
Chocolate Chip Cake

And if, once baked, you’d like to paint the cake layers with simple syrup and sandwich them with a trusty chocolate buttercream and some more mini chocolate chips (for texture & fun, duh), you should absolutely do that, too.

Chocolate Chip Cake

And if you feel like you want to frost the whole thing per usual layer cake practice, go right ahead. But if you want to leave it a little naked and rustic, you should—you guessed it—follow that instinct.

Chocolate Chip Cake

And if, at the end of this process, you’ve found that you’ve made a triple-decker Chocolate Chip Cake for no real reason, well, you’re not alone. I did, too.

Chocolate Chip Cake
Chocolate Chip Cake
makes one 3 layer 9-inch round cake

Cake:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon Kosher or sea salt
1 cup mini chocolate chips 
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature, cut into pieces
3 large eggs + 2 large egg yolks, room temperature
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup whole milk
1/3 cup full-fat sour cream 

Simple Syrup:
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup granulated sugar

Chocolate Frosting:
3 ounces dark chocolate 
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature 
1 1/2 cups confectioner’s sugar
1/2 cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder 
1/4-1/2 teaspoon Kosher or sea salt
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 
2 tablespoons heavy cream

For Assembly & Garnish:
1/2-2/3 cup mini chocolate chips (or more, if desired), divided

Place an oven rack in the center position. Preheat oven to 350F.

Grease three 9-inch round cake pans. Line with parchment and grease again. Set aside.

Make the cake batter. Combine flour, cornstarch, granulated sugar, light brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Whisk ingredients together (I like to do this by running my mixer on its lowest speed for about a minute). Add mini chocolate chips and mix to distribute.

Add butter to dry ingredients. Gradually turn the mixer from low up to medium, to mix in the butter until there are no large pieces and the texture is rubbly. This will take a few minutes.

With the mixer running, add eggs and yolks one at a time, followed by vanilla. Mix until combined.

In a measuring cup or small mixing bowl, use a fork to whisk together milk and sour cream. Running the mixer on medium, add the milk mixture in two installments and mix until combined. Scrape down the bowl well to ensure even mixing.

Divide batter evenly among prepared pans. Tap each full pan on the counter five times to release any large air bubbles. Bake layers on the center rack for 25-27 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the centers comes out clean. Let let layers cool in their pans for 15 minutes. Run a thin knife around the edges of the layer before turning out onto a rack to cool completely.

Make the simple syrup. Combine water and sugar in a small saucepan. Heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar has dissolved (about 4-5 minutes). Remove from heat. Set aside.

Make the Chocolate Frosting. For a thicker coat or for piping, make 1.5x the recipe as written. Place chopped dark chocolate in a small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in 15 second increments, stirring just until melted. Cool to room temperature (this can be done quickly by putting it into the fridge for 5-8 minutes, then whisking quickly with a fork).

In a large mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to beat butter until very light and fluffy (about 4-5 minutes). Beat in confectioner's sugar, followed by cocoa powder and salt, scraping down the bowl as necessary. Mix in melted chocolate, followed by vanilla and heavy cream. Beat on high for 1-2 minutes, until very fluffy.

Assemble the cake. Place the base layer on a serving plate. Paint the top with 1/3 of the simple syrup. Let soak in for a minute or two. Top the layer with a thin layer of frosting (about 1/3 of the batch), then top with 2 tablespoons of mini chocolate chips. Repeat this process with the remaining two layers. Frost the outside as desired, then decorate with more mini chocolate chips.

Layer cake will keep covered at room temperature for up to three days, or in the refrigerator for up to five.

Carrot Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

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Truth be told, people probably ask me to make Carrot Cake more than anything else. It makes sense—I make damn good Carrot Cake. It’s super moist, flavored with brown sugar and spice, and filled to the brim with carrots, raisins, and nuts. I know there are about a million ways to make a Carrot Cake, but I swear mine’s the best.

Carrot Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting​

That said, it’s nice to have alternatives for when I don’t feel like making a layer cake. I’ve made carrot cake blondies, vegan gluten-free carrot cake, carrot cake petit fours, and cream cheese carrot muffins that are honestly a masterpiece. I’ve been on a cupcake kick lately, so this year, I’m adding Carrot Cupcakes to my repertoire.

Carrot Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting​
Carrot Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting​
Carrot Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting​
Carrot Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting​

These little cakes have the perfect amount of spice, and are extra moist thanks to brown sugar, sour cream, and an abundance of shredded carrots. They bake up in twenty minutes and cool in under an hour. They’re finished with my best-ever cream cheese frosting and some sweet little piped carrots. You don’t have to put the carrots on top, but it seems kind of illegal not to, you know?!

Carrot Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting​

I know Carrot Cake (er, cupcakes) is super popular for Easter, but I get requests for it all the time, so it’s a year-round thing as far as I’m concerned. Okay? Okay. Don’t let anyone tell you any differently.

Carrot Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting​
Carrot Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
makes 16-18 cupcakes

Cupcake Batter:
1/3 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)
~1/2 cup water, for raisins (optional)
1/3 cup raisins (optional)
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon Kosher or sea salt
1 cup light or dark brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup neutral-flavored oil (I use canola)
2 large eggs, room temperature
1/4 cup full-fat sour cream
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3 cups freshly shredded carrots, not packed (about 3 medium carrots)

Cream Cheese Frosting:
8 ounces full-fat brick-style cream cheese, softened to room temperature
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1 pound confectioner's sugar
pinch of Kosher or sea salt
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

For Decoration:
1/4 cup Cream Cheese Frosting (see above)
orange food coloring (or red and yellow)
green food coloring


Preheat oven to 350F. Line 16-18 cups in muffin/cupcake pans with liners. Set aside.

Toast the nuts. Place chopped pecans (or walnuts) on a dry rimmed baking sheet. Place in the oven and let toast until fragrant, about 5-7 minutes. Let cool completely.

Plump the raisins. Pour water into a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in raisins. Let sit while you prepare the cake batter.

In a small-medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together brown sugar and oil. Mix in eggs one at a time, followed by sour cream and vanilla. Add dry ingredients in two installments, whisking just until combined. Scrape down the bowl as needed.

If using raisins, drain and discard soaking water.

Use a silicone spatula or wooden spoon to fold carrots into cake batter. Stir in raisins or nuts, if using.

Scoop batter into prepared liners, filling them 1/2-2/3 full (about 2 generous tablespoons). Bake 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the centers comes out clean.

Let cupcakes cool in the pan for about ten minutes before transferring to a rack to cool completely.

While the cupcakes are cooling, make the frosting. In a large mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to beat cream cheese and butter together until light and fluffy. Add confectioner's sugar and salt in two installments, until completely combined. Beat in vanilla. Once combined, beat on high for two additional minutes, until light and fluffy.

Frost cupcakes as desired, reserving 1/4 cup of frosting if you want to pipe carrots.

If piping carrots, divide frosting into two separate bowls, dying each with either orange or green food coloring. Put it into small piping bags, snip the tips, and create your carrots. Instructional video here.

Cupcakes will keep covered at room temperature for up to two days, or in the refrigerator for up to five.

Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Sour Cream Frosting (and a story about burnout)

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Hi. Is anybody still here?

I’ve been a little MIA recently, owing mostly to the burnout I’ve been rocketing toward for the last year. It happened gradually—I went down to one post a week in February, quit posting to social media in June, didn’t do anything blog-related during my vacation in August, then took three more weeks away. I tried everything in my power not to disappear completely from this place, but nearly seven years into this endeavor, I was just…tired.

Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Sour Cream Frosting (and a story about burnout)​

Running this one-woman show isn’t easy. Between testing, photographing, writing, posting, and promoting, each post takes about twelve hours start-to-finish. I make income from this blog, but throwing all the daily tasks of running it on top of my day job, trying to have some semblance of a social life, and regularly scheduled introvert hours had me on the verge of a breakdown. So, I stepped away.

I didn’t stop baking though. In fact, I have baked more. I have baked, dare I say, *better.* With more passion, without any expectations. I made things I wanted to make, whether or not they were seasonally appropriate or trending.

Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Sour Cream Frosting

Take this Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Sour Cream Frosting, for instance. I wanted to make it for months, and finally did it once I took the pressure off myself. It’s old-fashioned and simple, made with my go-to chocolate cake recipe and finished with a silky, tangy chocolate frosting. It’s rich and chocolaty, unfussy and unpretentious, with a glossy finish usually reserved for the cover of Southern Living Magazine. In short, it’s everything I want in a chocolate cake. I’m just glad I finally took the time to make it. I hope you will, too.

I am a little hesitant to dive back in here, but I think I am ready to get back to blogging. I’ve missed it. Posts may be twice a week or may just be once depending on how the rest of my life is going. For now though, I am back and oh-so glad to be in this little corner of the internet.

Hello, out there.

Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Sour Cream Frosting
Chocolate Cake
makes two 9-inch round layers

Cake:
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch Process)
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup light or dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon espresso granules (optional, but recommended)
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon Kosher or sea salt
1/2 cup neutral-flavored oil (I use canola)
2 large eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk (low fat is fine)
1 cup boiling water

For assembly:
1 recipe Chocolate Sour Cream Frosting (below)

Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease two 9-inch round cake pans. Line the bottoms with parchment and grease again. Set aside.

Make the cake batter. In a large mixing bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, granulated sugar, brown sugar, espresso granules (if using), baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk to distribute ingredients evenly. Set aside.

In a separate medium-large mixing bowl, whisk together oil and eggs, followed by vanilla and buttermilk. Whisk half the egg mixture into the dry ingredients, just until combined. Add half the boiling water. Whisk in the remaining egg mixture followed by the remaining water. Batter will be thin.

Divide batter evenly between the pans. Tap full pans on the counter five times to release any air bubbles. Bake 25-27 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Let cakes cool in their pans for at least 30 minutes. Run a small, thin knife around the edges. Invert cakes onto cooling racks and discard parchment. Allow to cool to room temperature.

While layers are cooling, make the frosting (recipe below).

Assemble the cake. Place one layer on a cake plate. Top with about 3/4 cup frosting, then sandwich the other layer on top. Frost and decorate cake as desired.

Frosted cake will keep covered at room temperature for up to two days, and in the refrigerator for up to a week.


Chocolate Sour Cream Frosting
makes enough for two 9-inch round layers

2 1/2 cups confectioners sugar, sifted
3/4 cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
pinch of Kosher or sea salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 
6 tablespoons (heaping 1/3 cup) full-fat sour cream

In a medium mixing bowl, sift together confectioner’s sugar, cocoa powder, and salt. Whisk together to distribute evenly.

In a large mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to beat butter until light and fluffy (about 2 minutes). Beat in half the dry ingredients, scraping down the bowl as necessary. It may seem like too much, but it will incorporate. Mix in remaining dry ingredients. Add vanilla and sour cream, then beat on high for 2-3 minutes, until smooth and fluffy. Use to frost a 9-inch round layer cake (or whatever).