Tag: Baking

11..., Baked Goods, In The Kitchen, Lifestyle

11… Kitchen To Dos in 2021 and Chocolate Mousse Crêpe Cake Recipe

RaeAnna
It’s a little wobbly, but look at this awesome and delicious crêpe cake!

I’m a big lover of food. Like a BIG lover of food. I’m the epitome of a foodie. I love everything about it. From grocery shopping to cooking to eating to talking about food to watching cooking shows. I’m an adventurous cook and an even more adventurous eater. There’s really nothing I won’t try once. By once I mean, I’ll keep on trying to make sure I wasn’t wrong the fourth or seventh times. Sure, there are a few things that I’m not a huge fan of, but there’s really nothing I won’t eat if it’s put before me. The only real things I don’t love and avoid are ketchup and mustard. I don’t love them, but again, I will eat them if they’re placed in front of me.

Cooking and baking are things I do for fun, to show my love, to get creative, to destress, to have something to eat. Food is one of my love languages. If you enter my house and stay for long, I will try and feed you… By try, I mean, I almost always succeed. 

I’ve never been one for setting goals or resolutions. I am creating an In The Kitchen To Do List for 2021. There are things I’ve never made but have always wanted to or things I just haven’t gotten around to or things I’ve been scared to take on. I’m going to try my hand and some of these things… Finally.

  1. Full English Breakfast
  2. Bûche de Noël
  3. Jägerschnitzel
  4. Kringla
  5. Beef Wellington
  6. Croissants
  7. Black Bean Burgers
  8. Pelmeni or пельмени
  9. Black Forest Cake
  10. Gluten free bread (gluten free baking scares me)
  11. Italian Beef ala Portillos

January is pretty much a wash for me baking and cooking for a variety of reasons. That being said, if I tackle one of these every month, I can have the list done by next year. One a month… That’s not too daunting. I can do it. Probably.

Alright, I’m using a picture of a Chocolate Mousse Crêpe Cake with Candied Pecans I’ve made more than a few times over the years. I won’t be mean and not include the recipe. It’s delicious. All the parts individually are really easy. A crêpe cake seems far more daunting than it actually is. The hardest part is making the crêpes, and I promise you can do it… Just make a double batch and throw the first five out.

A delicious Chocolate Mousse Crêpe Cake!

Ingredients
Crêpes

  • 1 cup flour
  • 1¼ cup milk
  • 3 eggs
  • 3 tbs. melted butter
  • ¼ tsp. salt
  • 2 tbs. sugar
  • 1 tbs. vanilla extract

Chocolate Mousse

  • 8 oz. cream cheese
  • 2 cups heavy whipping cream
  • 1½ cups powdered sugar
  •  ½ cup cocoa powder
  • 2 tbs. vanilla extract

Candied Pecans

  • 1 cup halved pecans
  • ¼ heavy whipping cream
  • 2 tbs. butter
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1 tsp. cinnamon
  • ½ tsp. nutmeg
  • ¼ tsp. cloves 

Directions
Crêpes

  • Sift flour into a large bowl, and mix in dry ingredients.
  • Whisk in milk, eggs, and vanilla.
  • Fold in the melted butter.
  • Let rest for an hour. This really is an important step. (You can make the mousse!)
  • In a hot pan, (you don’t have to have a crêpe pan, just as flat as possible, nonstick is easiest) melt butter. Pour in enough batter to thinly coat the pan. Swirl the pan to evenly spread the batter.
  • Once little bubbles start to form, flip the crêpe. 
  • When the crêpe is done, put on a plate to cool. (I put a sheet of wax paper on top so I can stack the crêpes without them sticking together.) 
  • Repeat the cooking of the crêpes until all the batter is gone. Try and keep them equally sized and shaped… to the best of your ability. 
  • Set aside to cool completely.

Chocolate Mousse

  • Make sure cream cheese is room temperature.
  • In a glass bowl, whip the heavy whipping cream until it becomes whipped cream. Set aside.
  • Whisk (either by hand or in an electric mixer) together the remaining ingredients until they are well blended. You can always add more or less cocoa powder to whatever your tastes are.
  • With a spatula, gently fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture.
  • Place in the refrigerator until ready to assemble.

Candied Pecans

  • If you prefer walnuts (weirdo), you can do this with walnuts. 
  • Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • In a skillet, melt butter, brown sugar and spices. 
  • Once the sugar mixture is bubbling and sugar is no longer grainy, pour in heavy whipping cream. Whisk until combined and bubbling.
  • Pour in the nuts and stir until they are completely coated in the sugar mixture.
  • Spread the nuts onto the baking sheet to cool completely.
  • Once cooled, crumble and separate the nuts so they’re not one giant glob.

Assembly

  • On whatever serving platter you’re going to use, lay the first crêpe down in the center.
  • Spread a thin layer of chocolate mousse on the crêpe. 
  • Place the second crêpe as centered as you can on the first, then spread a thin layer of chocolate mousse.
  • Continue this process until you have used all the crêpes or it’s as tall as you want.
  • Cover the top of the cake with a thick layer of chocolate mousse. If you want, you can also cover the sides… I like a rustic looking cake, so I leave the sides bare.
  • Sprinkle the candied pecans over the top of the cake in whatever quantity makes you happy.
  • Place in the refrigerator to set for at least one hour.
  • CUT AND DIG ON IN!

bisous und обьятий,
RaeAnna

Baked Goods, In The Kitchen

Raspberry Oatmeal Muffins

RaeAnna

These are super yummy and pretty healthy. You can have them for a quick breakfast on the go or an afternoon snack. These hardly take any time to make, so they’re great if you’re feeling like baking during the week or want a warm muffin on a weekend morning.

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Personally, I love settling down with a book and a hot cup of black tea and a muffin in the late afternoon because I eat dinner so late. I like to fill my muffins with texture and flavor. The oatmeal has a great chew; the raspberry brings a tart softness; and I add pecans for small crunch in every bite.

Ingredients

  • 1 ¼ cups of oatmeal (quick oats or regular oats work)
  • 1 ¼ cups of flour
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • ½ cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ¼ cup pecans (optional)
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • ¼ cup of vegetable oil
  • ¾ cup of raspberries (fresh or frozen)

Directions

  • Preheat oven to 425 degrees and grease the muffin tins. I like to use liners and grease the liners with butter. More flavor!
  • In a large bowl mix together dry ingredients.
  • In a smaller bowl mix together wet ingredients.
  • Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Combine until well mixed. Fold raspberries into the mixture – do not beat raspberries into mixture.
  • Fill the muffin tins ¾ of the way full.
  • Bake for 20 to 23 minutes. They will be golden brown at the top and cooked all the way through when pierced with a toothpick.
  • Cool on cooling rack for five minutes before devouring.

Variations

  • You can use blueberries or blackberries instead of raspberries.
  • Pecans are optional, but you can substitute almonds or walnuts.
  • Add a teaspoon of cinnamon for extra zing!

Baked Goods, In The Kitchen

Banana Bread Surprise

RaeAnna

Banana Bread Surprise

It’s not a secret I like to eat… or cook… or bake. If you follow along on Instagram, you’ll probably see the ridiculous amount of things I consume by way of my stories. I like food. Nay, I love food. It’s the perfect partner while reading.*

I have always had a soft spot for banana bread. It’s the right amount of sweet and nutty because I fill mine up with nuts. The other day, I was craving banana bread and cheesecake simultaneously. I decided to make banana bread. I wanted to add a little something extra because I’m adventurous like that. You can imagine where this is going… Banana bread with a cheesecake surprise filling!!! “How?” you ask… I’ll tell you because we’re friends!

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Ingredients
Banana Bread

  • 3 ripe bananas
  • ⅓ cup butter
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • Pinch of salt
  • ¾ cup sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 ½ cups of all-purpose flour
  • ½ cup crushed nuts *optional* (I prefer pecans but walnuts are great too)

Cheesecake Filling

  1. 8 oz cream cheese
  2. 1 egg
  3. ½ cup sugar

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F, and butter a 4×8-inch loaf pan.
  • In a bowl, mix together cream cheese, egg, and sugar until smooth. Set aside for later.
  • In a mixing bowl, mash the ripe bananas with a fork until completely smooth. Then on high speed mix butter and sugar into mashed banana until light and fluffy.
  • Mix in the egg. Add baking soda, salt, and vanilla extract. Mix in the flour.
  • Fold in the nuts.
  • Pour half of the batter into your prepared loaf pan. Pour the cream cheese mixture onto the batter. Then pour the remaining batter to cover the cream cheese mixture.
  • Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, or until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean.
  • Remove from oven and let cool in the pan for a few minutes. Then remove the banana bread from the pan and let cool completely before serving.
  • When slicing there should be a layer of cheesecake between the banana bread layers.
I came up with this idea because I have weird cravings, which are absolutely not pregnancy related! I am just a weirdie. It looks like a normal loaf of banana bread until you cut into it.

I explained this recipe to several people. Several were hesitant, but they all tried it. Much to their surprise, I’m a secret genius… I ended up making a few batches because it was so popular!

*Aside from my dog, but she is a given. Assume Beau is the best pawtner in everything I do!