Orange Crunch Cake: Walking on Water

Zach and I were chatting creek-side on our weekend hike through Paradise Falls.



Stanley was trotting among the large rocks that were embedded in the shallow water leading up to the waterfall's large pool. He was drinking and splashing around and exploring the new world as he walked "on" the water.

All was well with the world when I heard a loud "PLUNK!". I turned back towards where Stanley had been playing, and he was gone, completely out of sight. I was in shock for a moment before his skinny little face popped out of the water, and his long lean legs started paddling. Stan had "explored" himself right into the deep water of the pool at the base of the waterfall...just walked right in!

We were all in for surprises that day. Stan must have been surprised that the ground that has always been below his paws completely vanished for a moment. Zach and I were surprised we didn't have to jump into the freezing cold water after him. He swam the few feet back to the solid ground and pulled himself back up to safety. He made "learning" to swim look like a piece of cake.



I made this cake for a family gathering during New Years. It was a simple recipe I pulled off of allrecipes.com. It is a great treat for a brand new year. It is a nice little twist on a regular ole layer cake. There is a nice orange flavor, and the deliciously surprising crunch layer adds some interesting texture. I used some homemade cream cheese frosting which turned out pretty well. However, I might try this again with a different kind of vanilla frosting with more body to it. I am just not a fan of cream cheese frosting no matter how hard I try to be.



Orange Crunch Cake

(recipe slightly adapted from allrecipes.com)

CRUNCHY, CRUMBY FILLING:
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup butter, softened

CAKE:
1 (18.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup orange juice
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
2 tablespoons grated orange zest (I used orange extract instead - read label for the measurement equivalents)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour two 9 inch pans. Combine the graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar, walnuts and butter. Divide mixture evenly between the prepared pans. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, mix together the cake mix, water, orange juice and oil until blended. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then stir in the orange zest. Pour the mixture evenly over the crunch layer in the pans.
Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool for 10 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack and cool completely before frosting. Frost (crunch side up) between layers, on top and sides. Arrange orange sections on top, then refrigerate.


Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting

(recipe from allrecipes.com)

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
1 cup white sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream

In a small bowl beat whipping cream until stiff peaks form; set aside.
In a large bowl combine cream cheese, sugar, salt and vanilla. Beat until smooth, then fold in whipped cream.

A Makeover and a Cakeover

I am going to be on the TV box.



Living in LA, the percentage chance you will find yourself on television at some point is very high. Now, your being on television might be something like you are walking in the background of paparazzi's video of the cast of Twilight high-fiving fans and darting mysteriously sexy looks in the direction of screaming fans....

OR

Your television experience might come about in the form of getting your bedroom made over by a reality show called Character Fantasy.

Yes, bloganeers. My bedroom was made over for a reality show. It is one of those shows that comes on during commercial breaks of movies (a la "Dinner and a Movie" on TBS). The crew came o shoot at my apartment this week and completed the entire makeover in one day. There was an amazing designer, Ariel Fox, who pulled it all together. I know you are dying to see the transformation so here it is.

The pictures come to you via Ariel's facebook page (as I did not take a single before or after picture!)

BEFORE:


AFTER:


Keep in mind that the picture was taken from the same angle in the room. The way the furniture was moved around really makes all the difference (along with the painted walls, curtains, bed spread, and lamps)! The room feels like a completely different space now, and I could not be happier with it. This was all don in just a matter of hours which is the most amazing part. When I go to work on a room it can take months to finish since I never have gone in with such a clear, specific vision. It sure helps to have someone who knows what she is doing. Ariel made the transformation seem easy (even though all the people working on the room itself were working really hard all day). It is this seemingly effortless makeover that is the inspiration for this post.

It seems like I have no time to cook anymore. I think ever since the move to the new place back in March, it has been rough for me to get into a groove with cooking and trying new recipes. I almost always take the easy route now a days by ordering food or buying premade things and then just cooking the sides or something small as to not deprive you readers of regular posts.

I cheat by making things that are unbelievably easy, but look pretty elaborate. There are just times when all I want for dessert on a hot and sunny summer day are some fresh juicy summer berries with some light whipped cream and a light-as-air kind of cake. Something so simple can be made to look fabulous with a little cake makeover....a cakeover, if you will.

BEFORE:


AFTER:


Bring this cake to a summer picnic for a great lighter option.



Do not skimp on the berries and cream. I like to think of this as berries and cream with a little bit of cake instead of the other way around. The berries should be the starts of the dish so they MUST be ripened to perfection. I used strawberries and blackberries since those looked like the best fruits in the store on the day I bought them, but you can use whatever fruit is in season: strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, peaches, mango or even banana.



Verry Berry Cakeover

1 pre-made angel food cake (can be found in the bakery section of any grocery store – mine was sour cream angel food cake)
1 pints fresh, ripened sweet strawberries
1 small container of blackberries
1 16 oz container of cool whip (I would stay away from the lighter versions since they will be too thin to hold the cake together)

Slice up one pint of the strawberries (leave the other pint whole)
Using a long bread knife, cut across the cake to make three equal layers (set the top 2 layers aside)
Spread a generous amount of whipped topping onto the surface of the bottom layer
Place the strawberries into the whipped topping, as many as you can fit
Cover the strawberries with a little more whipped topping.
Place the middle later on top of the bottom layer, and repeat te same process on to of that.
Place the top layer on top of the middle layer.
Spread out a generous amount of whipped topping on the top of the cake, and decorate with the sliced strawberries and blackberries.
Decorate the rest of the plate with whole strawberries and black berries; fill the hole in the middle of the cake with whole strawberries and black berries as well. This will also help to stabilize the layers.
Cover the cake, and place in the refrigerator or even the freezer for an hour or so.
Serve cold.

It's a Piece of Cake to Bake a Pretty Cake

Cake.



Possibly my favorite food in the world. I love cake. Cakes with frosting must have at least two layers. The thin coat of frosting between two layers of cake is what I imagine Heaven to be like. I am not sure if you will know what I mean because I am getting really specific here, but I like the way the cake sticks to either side of the frosting when the two layers come apart.

Enough about cake with frosting because this cake has something better (yes, better is possible in this situation only): rum. Rum cake is God's love raining down on mankind in the shape of a bundt pan. My aunt Janet has always made the best rum cake every year for Christmas since before I can remember. It is the food I look forward to the most every time our family gets together for Christmas Eve dinner. It is a rich cake with a buttery bittersweet flavor. Sweet pecan bits are baked into the top of the cake to give it a great contrast of texture from the outside to the soft, smooth inside of the cake. It is so easy to make (using cake mix), and it comes out just like my aunt Janet's.



This is one of my favorite desserts in the world. In fact, I would give it a slot in my top 10 (in no particular order):

Stonewood Grill and Tavern Chocolate Bread Pudding
Polar Cup (strawberry or watermelon or lemon) - I always thought this was a huge establishment, but Polar Cup is a hometown thing...you need to find some if you are ever in Tampa, Florida.
Sweet Lady Jane Triple Berry Cake
Yogurtland
Diddy Riese icecream sandwiches
Better than sex cake (chocolate or vanilla - recipes to come later)
Chocolate pecan bourbon pie
Cakies
Almost any kind of frosted cake with multiple layers

And of course, Aunt Janet's Rum Cake:

For Cake:
1 box Duncan Hines golden butter cake mix
1/2 C light rum
1/4 C oil
1 C chopped pecans
1 small box instant vanilla pudding
4 eggs
1/2 C water

For Glaze:
1 C sugar
1 stick butter
1/4 C rum
1/4 C water

Preheat the oveN to 325 degrees F.
In a large bowl, mix all the cake ingredients except for the pecans. Use a beater to combine thoroughly.
Grease a bundt pan, and sprinkle the pecans around the bottom of the pan.
Pour the cake batter in the pan on top of the pecans and bake for 50 minutes.

Start making the glaze when you take the cake out of the oven.
Combine all ingredients for the glaze in a small pot, and bring to a boil for 2-3 minutes.
While the cake is still in the pan, pour the glaze all over the cake (poke holes all over the cake with a fork or a toothpick so that the glaze can seep in).
Once the glaze is absorbed, turn the cake over onto your serving plate.
Allow cake to cool for at least two hours before serving.



The rum flavor in this cake is pretty strong. It is slightly surprising with the first bite; that is how you know it is right!



I will leave you with this video in case you really want to understand the inspiration behind this blog post...and get a great song stuck in your head at the same time.

All Out: Christmas 2009

"If you're gonna go, go all the way".



Of course, that was the first thing Aunt Janet said when we started making the arroz con gandules on Christmas Eve, but I think that statement can be applied here as well.



This was, no doubt, the most hectic Christmas this family has ever seen. If you know me, you know that by "hectic" I mean a blast. I love a crazy mess every now and then, especially if it means I am surrounded by people I love. Christmas Day was relatively quiet compared to the days surrounding it. The roster consisted of my mom, dad, brother, sister-in-law, two nieces, uncle, uncle's girlfriend and me. We took our time getting to the presents in the morning as we enjoyed this impromptu little spread:



I get nostalgic this time of year. Here are a couple things I was reminded of this time around:

Christmas 1992: My big brother, Brian and Uncle John "hosting" their own sports talk show in front of the video camera. I was in charge of the intro music (for the show opening and coming back from the fake commercial breaks), and my dad would play the voice of "the callers" phoning in to ask their controversial questions about players, coaches and other sports drama.

We went all out.

Christmas 1993: My 3rd grade class memorized and recited the Christmas story from the book of Luke. I remember we would tackle about two verses at a time. At the end of each week, there was a free reading time (if you were really good, you got to sit on a special bean bag chair). Each student was called to the teacher's desk individually to recite the verses for that week from memory. This was done in every 3rd grade classroom so that at the end of the quarter, right before the holiday, the entire 3rd grade class stood in front of the whole school to recite the 20 verses:

Luke 2:1-20
In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be registered, each to his own town. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom his favor rests!” When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

We went all out.



So why wouldn't this family go all out when it comes to the food at Christmas? I know a lot of people cut back on gifts and spending this year for obvious reasons. Two things I love about food is that it is relatively cheap, and it promotes togetherness. There is really nothing I love more than coming around the table with great people to share a meal. Uncle John and his girlfriend, Connie, were gracious enough to bring a delicious ham from the store that is their new obsession: Costco. We all contributed to the table with dishes including: Katie's spinach and artichoke casserole (from a friend's recipe), dad's green bean casserole, Publix's dinner rolls, my stuffed jalepenos wrapped in bacon and goat cheese mashed potatoes and Uncle John's sangria (recipes soon to come).

Everything was delicious, but more importantly, it was really special to have the opportunity to share the meal with some of my favorite people.

Dessert. There is a lot of pressure to finish off a great meal with a delightful dessert dish. The Costco crew brought an extra large pecan pie which I will continue to enjoy for the next few days. However, I wanted to try my hand at another cake. In an attempt to counter the state of the economy, I aimed at making the richest cake possible. I found a recipe for a dark chocolate cake that included ingredients like bailey's liqueur, dark chocolate chips, chocolate pudding and sour cream.



I went all out.

Rich Even When You're Not Chocolate Cake

(recipe from All Recipes)

1 package dark chocolate cake mix
1 package instant chocolate pudding mix (about 4 oz)
16 oz sour cream
3 eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup baileys liqueur
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Grease a 10 inch bundt pan, and lightly dust with cocoa powder.
Combine the dry ingredients in one bowl and the wet ingredients in another (large bowl); whisk the contents of each bowl.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients little by little, mixing in thoroughly.
Beat until ingredients are well blended.
Fold in the chocolate chips to the thick batter.
Scoop the batter into the bundt pan.
Bake for 1 hour.
Cool for 10 minutes in the pan.
Turn the cake out onto a cooling rack and allow to cool completely before serving (even though we ate it warm).
Sprinkle powdered sugar on top of the cake using a sifter to make it pretty.



Tip: A lot of people on the message boards for this recipe on its original post recommend using andes mint chips in place of the semisweet chocolate chips and creme de menthe instead of baileys for a mint chocolate cake. Other suggested adaptations include using raspberry or orange liqueur. Be creative.

Who Wouldn't Want to Live With Annie - a guest blog

One of the best parts about living in Los Angeles is meeting people. I meet new people almost every week at a little social tradition Hollywood assistants call "drinks". "Drinks" is not really the most accurate word to use for these meetings because they are usually right after work, and I am always hungry (working until 7 or 7:30 PM). Most of you may recognize this as "dinner".

I met Annie at a celebratory dinner for our mutual friend when he got his new job. In this crazy town, it is easy to spot good people because they stand out. Good people are also pretty rare so it is always refreshing to meet someone like Annie. I am pretty sure you will like her too. She also has a great blog with some really amazing home decorating ideas along with lots of other projects and recipes that she updates almost daily. Her blog is called Living With Annie, and after reading the below recipe, you may consider asking her if you can move in.

Hello lovely readers of Sammy's Bite Me blog!I am long time fan, first time guest poster - Ms AnnieBelle, here to share with you the joys of a four layer pumpkin cake!

I first fell in love with this recipe when I received it in the Kraft Foods Family & Fun Recipe Magazine. If you don't already receive it, I highly recommend signing up for it. It comes quarterly, has tons of pictures of great recipes, and it's super free! You can sign up at kraftfoods.com.

Anyway, the original recipe includes too much pumpkin for my taste (including using pumpkin in the filling) so I've adapted it to the recipe you see below. This is a great and really impressive cake for any fall event and I think you'll find that most anyone will love it even if they swear they don't like pumpkin. I've converted many people with it - starting with myself. I've also done this very successfully as cupcakes that look equally impressive.
Good luck and happy baking!

Ingredients:
1 pkg. (2-layer size) yellow cake mix
1 cup of canned pumpkin
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup oil
4 eggs
1-1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice, divided
1 dash of cinnamon (to taste)
1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tub (8 oz.) COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, thawed (Preferably french vanilla)
1/4 cup caramel ice cream topping
1/4 cup chopped Walnuts or Pecans

Directions (almost directly from the Kraft Foods recipe):
HEAT oven to 350°F.

BEAT cake mix, 1 cup pumpkin, milk, oil, eggs and 1 tsp. spice in large bowl with mixer until well blended. Pour into 2 greased and floured 9-inch round pans.

BAKE 28 to 30 min. or until toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 min. Remove from pans to wire racks; cool completely.

BEAT cream cheese in medium bowl with mixer until creamy. Add sugar, remaining spices; mix well. Gently stir in COOL WHIP. Cut each cake layer horizontally in half with serrated knife; stack on serving plate, spreading cream cheese filling between layers. (Do not frost top layer.) Drizzle with caramel topping just before serving; top with nuts. Refrigerate leftovers.



Tip: A great way to move the layers of cake is to use a flat cookie sheet. Slide the cookie sheet between the already sliced cake, completely beneath the new cut layer. Then you can cleanly move it and even flip it over using another cookie sheet or a plate. Be careful though, the top will stick to any surface if you don't spray it before hand so if you want a perfect top, definitely do that!



For more recipes and other fun, feel free to visit my blog, Living with Annie. Cheers!

Once Upon a Time

"Hey, let's celebrate your birthday on Friday. How about Frenchy's?", he said casually. She didn't realize how much he had invested in that particular casual suggestion. What if she decided she wanted to go elsewhere for her birthday dinner? He knew her too well. She would never turn down the chance to eat at one of their favorite restaurants on Clearwater Beach.

Friday night could not come quickly enough. The ring sat in its box on the desk, in his pocket, on the nightstand just screaming to be on her finger. Everyone knew except for her.

The sun was setting when they arrived at the beach. It was particularly beautiful, bringing peace to the end of a stormy day. "Let's go down to the sand. I want to give you your birthday present", he said.

The box was not shaped like a camera as she expected. The Bible inside the wrapping was engraved with her future last name. "Oh my. That is beautiful. Thank you so much", she said.

It was not until he opened the book and began to read that she realized this was it. She began paying close attention to the moments that seemed to start speeding by. She wanted to remember everything.

He asked her if she wanted to marry him. She said yes. Then he asked her if she wanted to see the ring. She said yes to that as well.

Her parents were there, ready to pop out of their disguises as soon as they were signaled. They were dressed as a homeless couple with nice cameras. This is exactly the way she would have wanted it.

They engaged couple left the beach and headed to a party at her parents house where about 25 of their closest friends waited to congratulate them. The party guests brought food. One particular party guest brought cake.

Happily Ever After Engagement Cake

(cake recipe from Smitten Kitchen, frosting recipe from All Recipes)

Cake:
4 1/2 C cake flour
3 C sugar
5 1/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
3 sticks (12 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 C pureed frozen strawberries
8 egg whites
2/3 C milk
4-5 drops red food dye



Frosting:
1/2 C unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 C confectioners' sugar, sifted
2 tbsp milk

Cake Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter three 9-inch round or 8-inch square cake pans. Line with parchment or waxed paper and butter the paper.

Put the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large mixer bowl. With the electric mixer on low speed, blend for 30 seconds. Add the butter and strawberry puree and mix to blend the ingredients. Raise the speed to medium and beat until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes; the batter will resemble strawberry ice cream at this point.





In another large bowl, whisk together the egg whites, milk and red food dye to blend. Add the whites to the batter in two or three additions, scraping down the sides of the bowl well and mixing only to incorporate after each addition. Divide the batter among the three prepared pans.




I only had two pans so I had to bake the third pan after these were done.

Bake the cakes for 30 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow the layers to cool in the pans for 10 to 15 minutes. Invert and turn out onto wire racks and peel off the paper liners. Let stand until completely cooled before assembling the cake, at least an hour.

Frosting Directions:

Cream room temperature butter with a hand mixer until smooth and fluffy. Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar until fully incorporated. Beat in vanilla extract.
Pour in milk and beat for an additional 3-4 minutes.



Assembling the Cake:

Once the cakes are completely cool, use a long serrated knife to trim off the rounded tops of each cake to provide a flattened surface.





Spread frosting between each cake layer as you stack them.



Continue generously icing the cake on the top and outside, smoothing icing out.



Decorate and serve it up.





Congratulations to the beautiful couple, Jonathan and Megs. I could not be happier for you, and I wish you all the best forever and ever!



...and they all lived happily ever after.

The Opposite of Cookie Cake

I always knew what kind of cake there would be at birthday parties growing up. Every friend had her own favorite, and that would be the type of cake everyone would make sure she had. It is difficult for me to remember what my friends' favorite cakes were (not to mention tastes have changed), but there is one friend's favorite I will always remember: Becky likes cookie cake. I know some other favorites included funfettie (vanilla cake with sprinkles baked in)and ice cream cake, but Becky always had a cookie cake for her birthday. It was the one time a year I could count on encountering one. A cookie cake is a huge, thick cookie in cake form, also called a "cakie". The store-bought ones always beat the homemade ones to me, but maybe someday someone can change my mind.

This recipe is not about cookie cake; it is about the opposite, cake cookies, which I suppose can also be called "cakies". They are cake in the shape and form of cookies. They are for cake lovers because you do not need a special reason to eat a cookie. This cake cookie is made with store-bought cake mix. I am still experiementing, but I believe you can use any flavor you like.

Yesterday was the 4th of July. Some of my best friends in the world are in town for the weekend, and it has been a great one so far. I am not going to attribute all of the good times we are having to these cookies, but I will say they have certainly had an impact.

Even cookie cake lovers like Becky can appreciate them:



My favorite thing about these cookies (besides the fact that they are so easy to make) is the way you can decorate them to reflect a special occasion (even though of course you don't need one). I like to put M&M's on top of them, but you can really use whatever you want. Chocolate chips work well (white chocolate on a chocolate cookie would be nice). You could also try using funfettie cake mix for a colorful cookie. I have also considered decorating with icing to really give it a cake-like feel, but I think M&M's are a good start for your first batch. I used only red and blue M&M's for the ones I made for Independence Day, and for Christmas I used red and green. I have only ever used yellow cake mix (they taste like cold stone cake batter ice cream) and dark chocolate cake mix (these taste almost like brownies), but I certainly plan on trying some new cake mix flavors like strawberry (decorating with white chocolate chips), red velvet (also decorating with white chocolate chips), maybe carrot (decorating with walnuts and maybe raisins?), and chocolate (decorating with mint chips or maybe just chunks of Andes mints. I recommend starting out with something simple and then experimenting. You could get very creative with this. It is hard to assign a name to these cookies because they will be completely different depending on how you make them by just substituting your own cake mix flavor and topping when following this basic recipe:



Cakies

1 box yellow cake mix
1 large egg
1/2 C vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract (use this with any flavor, even chocolate)
3 tablespoons cold water
M&M's (or anything you want to experiment with)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

In a large bowl, mix the came mix, egg, oil, vanilla extract, and water to make the dough and form into balls. If you prefer a more gooey textured cookie, use a hand mixer for about 45 seconds at the highest speed to mix the dough. Otherwise, just mix with a large spoon (and maybe your hands) until blended.

Press M&M's into the dough (I do about 5 per cookie). Try to keep the dough in the shape of a ball (do not smash them down because they bake down more evenly than if you flatten them). Bake on a cookie sheet for about 10 minutes, or until they start to turn golden.