Dump Cake (All flavors!)

Back around 1990 I finally made my first 'dump' cake.  It seemed too easy, too simple and too few ingredients to be any good.  Not so.  Perhaps that is why this old "Grandma" recipe is included in so many church cookbooks from the past 50 years!  So easy a child can make it but so good.  This is wonderful warm with vanilla ice cream but also good just as it is and even cold.

You can use almost any kind of filling you wish. 
Most people use a canned fruit pie filling but you can make your filling from scratch as well. 

You can also use a white OR yellow cake mix.  I used a sugar free cake mix and low-sugar pie filling for this one, and baked it in my solar oven as it was about 90 degrees outside and I didn't want to heat up my kitchen oven. 

Fillings we've had with this include strawberry, cherry, blueberry and apple.  Our favorite is cherry.  Some people also love pineapple filling and often, you will find nuts on the top crust.  I love nuts, but my family does not like them in baked goods so I leave them out.  It's all up to you.


Dump Cake

1 box dry cake mix (either white or yellow)
1 can prepared pie filling of your choice (cherry, blueberry, apple, crushed pineapple or strawberry are good)
1 stick butter
optional:  1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

In a lightly greased or sprayed pan (9X13 is best but any pan will work - smaller pans make a thicker dessert) dump a can of pie filling.  Spread.  Dump a dry cake mix over all.  Add nuts if you are using.  Drizzle with 1 stick butter, melted.  Bake approximately 30 minutes at 350 or until it's golden brown and bubbly.  Let cool til warm and serve with ice cream or whipped cream or let cool complete. 

 

Melted butter creates the top 'crunch' of the dessert

I baked it in the solar oven this day

Sugar Free Chocolate Cream Filled Cupcakes (and my own little version of Sugar Free Ding Dongs!)

If you follow me on Twitter, then you know I told you I was making a sugar free, healthy chocolate cake this week for my husband.  Only it ends up I changed my mind.  After mixing the batter, I decided cakes are just too boring.  I wanted to make them into Ding Dongs.  A healthy version of a Ding Dong since I don't buy the real ones.  The problem was I only 3 little tiny round Ding Dong shaped pans and it would take a L O N G time to bake all those tiny little cakes!  So I grabbed the cupcake pans, the liners, and went to town.

YUM!  They turned out so good and I don't feel guilty in the least bit giving these to my family.


Low Carb, Sugar Free, Chocolate Cake

2 1/4 c Honeyville almond flour
3/4 c cocoa powder
1/2 c erythritol granules
1/3 c whey protein powder
1 t instant coffee
2 t baking powder
1 t baking soda
1 t xanthan gum
1/2 t salt
3/4 c sour cream
1/2 t lemon juice
1/2 c soft butter (1 stick)
5 eggs
15 drops Sucralose liquid or other sweetener
2 t vanilla
2/3 c almond milk

Place all the dry ingredients from the almond flour to the salt, in a large bowl and mix well with a wood spoon, whisk, etc.  Set aside.  In your mixing bowl, beat the butter, sour cream and lemon juice.  Beat in the eggs, liquid sweetener and vanilla.  Add half the dry almond flour mixture, beat well.  Add the almond milk, beat.  Add the last of the almond flour mixture.  Bake in your preferred pan;  a greased and parchment lined 9X13, a greased bundt pan, 2 greased and parchment lined round 8 or 9 inch pans or make into cupcakes.   Bake at 325 degrees.  Test and bake until the center is done.  Let cool about 10 minutes and remove from pans to cool completely.  Frosting with whatever frosting YOU love best.  You can even fill them by squirting a little frosting into the cupcake and then frosting the top.

Here is one buttercreme frosting I use a lot - but this time I added squares of melted unsweetened chocolate to it to make it into a dark chocolate icing - more like the "Ding Dong" dessert I was going for.  I added 4 squares unsweetened Bakers chocolate - but you could add less or more, just do a taste test and see what you like best.

Frosting:  7 Minute Frosting (sugar free)

Lighter Sugar Free Buttercreme Frosting

3/4 c granular Xylitol 
1/4 c water
3 large egg whites (separate and use the yolks in another recipe)
1 stick real butter
2 T vanilla extract or use half vanilla sf syrup and half extract
*If you taste test it and find your personal tastes would like it sweeter, use 5-10 drops liquid sweetener

In a saucepan, place the water and Xylitol. Heat over medium high until it comes to 240 degrees.

As you are heating the sugar substitute and water, mix the egg whites in a large mixing bowl.  Beat the egg whites until soft peaks form.  With the mixer running, pour the hot Xylitol mixture down the side of the bowl in a thin stream, mixing into the egg whites.  Beat approximately 7 minutes on high until the egg whites resemble a thick and glossy meringue.

The original recipe I use calls for 3 sticks butter - which turns out beautiful, but I just have a really hard time using that much butter!  This time I cut it down to about a stick - and it still turned out perfect!  So I am listing 1 stick butter but you CAN add up to the original 3 if you wish.   Start to add the butter in chunks, about a tablespoon at a time.  Keep the mixer running and whip the mixture about 7- 10 minutes more.  If the mixture breaks up when you first add the butter and it looks like cottage cheese, no worries.  Just keep whipping until it's smooth again.  Once the frosting is smooth, add your vanilla and whip again for a few minutes.  If it's a really warm or humid day it might get too warm to work with.  Just refrigerate it for about 7 minutes, whip again.  The cooler temperatures will cause it to harden up again.

Filled... unfrosted

Some products I used in the above recipes;

              

NOW Foods Erythritol Natural Sweetener, 1 lb
Ideal No Calorie Sweetener 10.6 Ounce Baking Bag

Candied Caramel Apples

 

I'm not a fan of caramel apples myself, but my husband is.  Every Fall I make sure to whip up some homemade caramel apples for him.

Although I've made gourmet style apples in the past, drizzled in 2 kinds of chocolate and caramel over tiny bits of dark chocolate, toffee and candies, all wrapped in plastic wrap, then pretty cellophane and tied with a ribbon; you don't have to be fancy to be awesome.  These are so easy, it's a great project to do with your kids.  Yes, you may get a little bit messy from the sticky, ooey, gooey caramel, but that's part of the fun! 

Caramel Apples

Apples (washed, dried and refrigerated overnight)
1 package individually wrapped caramels, unwrapped
2 T water or milk
Candies of your choice (optional)
wooden popcicle sticks or craft sticks
parchment or foil

Using cold apples, push a wooden stick into the apple where the stem is (remove it).  Melt your caramels with milk or water either in a microwave or on the stove.  The microwave is easier and less likely to burn.  Microwave about 2 minutes - stirring once or twice during the process.  Have your caramel next to any candies, mini chocolate chips, crushed Oreos, toffee, etc. that you may with to use.  Dip and roll each apple quickly in caramel until well coated. Dip in or sprinkle candies if you wish to use them.  Place on parchment paper or buttered foil and allow to set until the caramel hardens a bit. 

As simple as clean, dry apples, caramels and some candy bits

What will you use? Mini chocolate chips? Candies?

You might also be interested in;
   

Oster should be ashamed of their cheaply made appliances. Gone are the days of quality.

I put a lot of thought into which blender I was going to purchase last year.  I don't have a large budget but one of my top priorities was it had to have a power motor to chop ice for frozen drinks.  My second priority was a simple 'on' and 'off' switch that was not digital or electric as I did not want to deal with those components breaking (as they always do).

I decided on the traditional 'style' Oster blender - the Beehive version (Oster Designer Series Beehive Blender,  Chrome)  because it offers a simple 2 speeds (all we really need) and it's a toggle switch - which I love!  In general I was thrilled.  It's a glass jar, heavy, well made.  The motor was powerful and I love how it crushed ice with ease yet worked great for soups, batters and other items.

Then only hesitation was I read a lot of people had issues with the base cracking.  But... we never think it will happen to us, right?  Wrong.   I have to say;  OSTER - WHY DO YOU MAKE SUCH A CHEAP, FLIMSY, CRAP PLASTIC BASE RING!?   Seriously, the whole machine is awesome except that thin plastic black base that screws the glass jar in.  And it cracks and breaks about as easy as...  a little girls plastic headband. Think of the cheapest, thinnest, most brittle plastic you can.  That is what they used!

This machine needs a sturdy base.  Everyone on Amazon seems to have to purchase a replacement base - and again, it's the cheap plastic.   After mine cracked I grabbed some gorilla glue and duct tape.  I glued the base to the glass jar, used duct tape to hold it in place while the glue dried and then removed the tape.  So far so good... I just have to be careful with it.   Works for now and I still love the powerful blender and thick, heavy duty glass jar and sharp blades... but hate the cheap plastic base that forces me to GLUE MY BLENDER!   Oster... you should be ashamed.


This is the blend I bought;

Mmmmm Chocolate Cake with Marshmallow Frosting (7 Minute Frosting) - but it's healthy! Flour free!

With out of town guests in the next room, I quickly sneak a photo of the cake!

This is a repost from the beginning of the year but posting again as it's what I'm making today.  Having a bit too much flour over the past few days with the homemade pasta, homemade ravioli and the homemade bread (whew!) my stomach and digestive system will be happy to be sans-wheat products for the rest of the week.

Baking with almond flour and natural sugar substitutes is so much healthier and good for you than GMO wheat products and white sugar, but admittedly a lot of recipes are trial and error tested as almond flour and sweet substitutes are all so very different and you often need to tweak recipes.  Sometimes it's just so easy to 'fall back' to using flour because you know what the end result will be - even if you have to endure bloating, cramps and digestive issues from the flour.  But THIS recipe is one I have made a couple times and as you can tell from my quick picture snapped (no fancy dancy photo shoots on this blog... it's all about the food, not the camera) - this recipe is a keeper because it's tried and true and I know it turns out and tastes great.

My husband loves chocolate and I don't indulge him nearly enough as I probably could.... since I love vanilla and lemon more then chocolate!  Ha.  So today he can be thrilled when he returns home from work to find this waiting for him.


Low Carb, Sugar Free, Chocolate Cake

2 1/4 c Honeyville almond flour
3/4 c cocoa powder
1/2 c erythritol granules
1/3 c whey protein powder
1 t instant coffee
2 t baking powder
1 t baking soda
1 t xanthan gum
1/2 t salt
3/4 c sour cream
1/2 t lemon juice
1/2 c soft butter (1 stick)
5 eggs
15 drops Sucralose liquid or other sweetener
2 t vanilla
2/3 c almond milk

Place all the dry ingredients from the almond flour to the salt, in a large bowl and mix well with a wood spoon, whisk, etc.  Set aside.  In your mixing bowl, beat the butter, sour cream and lemon juice.  Beat in the eggs, liquid sweetener and vanilla.  Add half the dry almond flour mixture, beat well.  Add the almond milk, beat.  Add the last of the almond flour mixture.  Bake in your preferred pan;  a greased and parchment lined 9X13, a greased bundt pan, 2 greased and parchment lined round 8 or 9 inch pans or make into cupcakes.   Bake at 325 degrees.   I baked in two- 9 inch round pans about 32 minutes.  Test and bake until the center is done.  Let cool about 10 minutes and remove from pans to cool completely.

For a layered cake like I made, I sliced each round in half to make 4 layers.  In between each layer I used a heavy dollop of 7 minute frosting and covered the cake in buttercream.  Ultimately I love the buttercream for the filling and covering the cake in the marshmallowy goodness of the 7 minute frosting.  I only did it this way because I didn't want to double the 7 minute frosting recipe to make enough to cover a 4 layer cake, while I knew the buttercream frosting recipe makes enough to easily cover a layer cake.  Use whatever frosting recipe you like best or here are my two favorites;

Frosting:  7 Minute Frosting (sugar free) or  Sugar Free Butter Cream Vanilla Frosting


Here is my 7 Minute Frosting (Marshmallowy Goodness!)

3/4 c granular Xylitol 
1/4 c water
3 large egg whites (separate and use the yolks in another recipe)
3 sticks real butter
2 T vanilla extract or use half vanilla sf syrup and half extract
*If you taste test it and find your personal tastes would like it sweeter, use 5-10 drops liquid sweetener

In a saucepan, place the water and Xylitol. Heat over medium high until it comes to 240 degrees.  With normal sugar this would be soft ball stage but because Xylitol and Splenda do not thicken, you cannot test this by traditional soft ball stage.

As you are heating the sugar substitute and water, mix the egg whites in a large mixing bowl.  Beat the egg whites until soft peaks form.  With the mixer running, pour the hot Xylitol mixture down the side of the bowl in a thin stream, mixing into the egg whites.  Beat approximately 7-10 minutes on high until the egg whites resemble a thick and glossy meringue.

Start to add the butter in chunks, about a tablespoon at a time.  Keep the mixer running and whip the mixture about 7- 10 minutes more.  If the mixture breaks up when you first add the butter and it looks like cottage cheese, no worries.  Just keep whipping until it's smooth again.  Once the frosting is smooth, add your vanilla and whip again for a few minutes.  If it's a really warm or humid day it might get too warm to work with.  Just refrigerate it for about 7 minutes, whip again.  The cooler temperatures will cause it to harden up again.





You can use any brand ingredients you feel comfortable with or regularly use, however some of you might be interested in the products I used to make this;


Almond flour
Isopure Whey Protein Isolate, Unflavored
NOW Foods Erythritol Pure Sweetener, 16 Ounce Bags
Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Xanthan Gum

              

FAST DINNERS: Stuffed Ravioli with Alfredo Sauce and Smoked Gouda

This dish is one I posted about a year or two ago and is easy and so fast to whip up for an amazing dinner at the last minute if you have store bought products on hand.  I like to make it from scratch with homemade ravioli and homemade alfredo sauce but you can't deny that putting a 10 minute dish on the table using store bought is a blessing some times!

If you wish to make the ravioli yourself, I've posted numerous versions over the years and you can find one of them with photos of the steps here: Ravioli.  For an amazingly easy alfredo sauce, try this;

Quick Alfredo Sauce

1/2 stick butter
1 t fresh, minced garlic
8 oz. cream cheese, cubed
1 1/2 c milk or light cream
1/2 - 3/4 c parmesan (or mozzarella if you are out of parmesan)

Melt butter in a pan over medium high.  Add the garlic.  Add the cream cheese and milk.  Whisking and cooking til smooth.  Add the parmesan and serve over pasta.



Stuffed Ravioli with Alfredo Sauce and Grilled Chicken

1 batch or pkg. stuffed ravioli of your choice
1 package pre-cooked grilled chicken breasts or strips
1 jar alfredo sauce
1 loaf french or garlic bread
Smoked Gouda Cheese - about 1/2 cup grated
Diced red peppers (also can add diced green peppers, sliced green onions, broccoli or mushrooms)
*optional:  crisp, crumbled, cooked bacon on top for flavor/garnish

Boil the ravioli according to package directions.  While the pasta is cooking, heat the oven and bake the french bread and heat the chicken strips.

Pour the sauce into a saucepan on the stove and add about 1/2 - 3/4 c diced fresh red pepper (I usually add broccoli and mushrooms as well but didn't this night that I took photos).   Warm the sauce.

Serve the pasta in a large bowl with strips of hot grilled chicken, topped with the sauce and grated smoked gouda on top.  Serve with warm french or garlic bread and a side salad.  So good for a 10 minute to table meal on a very busy night!

You might also be interested in these related products from Amazon;

 AmazonBasics 8-Piece Nonstick Cookware Set
Cuisinart 77-7 Chef's Classic Stainless 7-Piece Cookware Set
Ikea Home Indoor Saucepan set of 3 black

 

Fajitas

When you say stir-fry you usually think Chinese food but it also is a pretty good description of mixing up a quick batch of chicken fajitas.  I throw this together when I want to use up peppers that are just starting to get a few wrinkles in them or if I have a bunch of leftover grilled chicken from the night before.  Substituting leftover grilled steak is another version of this - and it's usually how I 'use up' leftover steak!!!  Throw it together and serve with a side salad and Spanish Rice.  So quick and easy.



Chicken Fajitas



Olive Oil
2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken (can use leftover grilled from another meal!)
1 lg onion, sliced
2 bell peppers (red, green, orange or yellow peppers, sliced)
2 T chopped garlic
2 T chili powder
1 T. cumin
1/4 t cayenne pepper
black pepper to taste
cayenne if you wish
1/2 lime
Flour Tortillas
Optional:  tomatoes, jalapeno's, black olives, cheddar , sour cream, shredded lettuce, salsa, guacamole

In a large skillet over medium high heat, cook chicken, onion, peppers, garlic, and seasonings.  Squeeze half a lime over the mixture, reduce heat and cook an additional 3-4 minutes.  Season to taste - adding as you prefer. Serve in flour tortillas and offer toppings listed above.  You can also add 1-2 cups diced tomatoes to the mixture while it's cooking if you wish. 

A Healthier Cake Donut - (Low Carb, Gluten Free, Diabetic friendly, Sugar Free options)

Freshly glazed they look ooey gooey sweet but nope!  Just the right mixture and sugar free.

While the rest of the world may swoon over a hot, fresh Krispy Kreme donut, they along with any 'yeast' donut dripping in sugary glaze will quite literally make me sick.  They are just far too sugary and sweet for me and my stomach can't handle it.

But, a Cruller or plain cake donut?  I can do that style.  I don't know if it's the yeast or sugar or mixture of both in a 'raised' donut but even the smell puts me off.   I have been on a quest to find a decent recipe to make Crullers and baked cake donuts at home.  For years I've kept my eyes out for a nice Cruller recipe and although this post doesn't feature it, I did a very, very close recipe test last week.  I just want to tweak it a bit.  Today however, you get my latest 'healthy' version of a cake donut.  A cinnamony sugar nutmeg hinted cake donut with an optional glaze and it's BAKED, not fried.

You can make this sugar free if you wish!   I used sugar free honey in the donut and Xylitol in the glaze.  That is up to you.  I also opted for a "mini" donut pan (I'll link at the bottom of this post) but you could use a regular sized pan and get about 4-5 regular sized donuts from it.  I also want to point out I had enough extra batter after the 12 mini donuts to make a tiny little mini loaf pan as well and it baked up perfectly so I also will say if you choose to use tiny little loaf pans, they make adorable little coffee cake loaves. 

Cake Donuts

1 heaping cup almond flour
1 T good quality coconut flour (if you don't have this, just use about 1/4 c more almond flour)
1 t nutmeg
1/4 t salt
1/4 t baking soda
1/4 t cinnamon
1/8 t ginger
1/8 t mace if you have it - if not, leave it out - no worries
1 extra large egg or 2 smaller eggs
1/4 c butter, melted
2 T honey
1/2 t vanilla

Mix the almond flour, coconut flour if you are using it, nutmeg, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, mace in a bowl with a fork or whisk.  Make a hole in the center.  Crack the egg, whisk while pouring in the melted butter, honey and vanilla.  Incorporate into the dry mixture.  Place the mixture into a frosting decorator or a ziploc baggy for easy pouring into a lightly greased donut pan, mini loaf pans or regular sized donut pan.  If you don't want to use a baggy or frosting bag, spoon the batter in and smooth around with a spoon or your finger.  Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven until done.  I can't give you an exact time as I baked mine in a solar oven outside in the sun on my patio.  But start to check around 8 minutes.  Let set in the pan to cool for about 3 minutes and turn out to cool on a wire rack. 

You can dust with sugar, cinnamon, powdered sugar or substitute equivalent or if you want a simple glaze as I did, I mixed about a tablespoon of granulated Xylitol with a bit of cinnamon, about 1/2 teaspoon butter and a bit of almond milk (maybe a teaspoon?) and spooned this over my mini donuts.

Here is my donuts baking in my Global Sun Oven®... and no I don't expect you to bake that way!  I know most people don't have one, which is totally fine!  Which is why you can bake them in your oven.  I used this option because it was 90 degrees that day and I didn't want to heat up my kitchen.

You can see I got 12 mini donuts plus a mini loaf pan.