Rose Cake

When I saw this on iambaker, I knew I had to find some reason to make it. Luckily, I was asked to make a birthday cake for an 18 year old girl, and this was perfect.

Strawberry cake (4 layers) with a white chocolate buttercream filling & frosting.

Wilton Cake

This is my final cake from Wilton's Basic Cake Decorating Class.

It's a 3 layer lemon cake with strawberry filling & lemon curd/whipped cream filling, and a basic buttercream frosting.

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

When watching "Throwdown with Bobby Flay" I find myself usually wanting to try the competitors recipe more than Bobby's.Although Bobby is an amazing chef, his twist on the recipes aren't usually what I'm looking for. After watching the Pineapple Upside Down Cake, that was exactly what I did.

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

from the Brass Sisters

Ingredients
½ cup butter, melted
1 cup dark brown sugar, packed
7 slices/rings of canned pineapple from 20 oz can, and 5 Tablespoons reserved juice
1 cup cake flour (not self rising)
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
3 eggs, separated
1 cup white granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions
Preheat oven to 350. Rack should be in middle position.
Sift together cake flour, baking powder and salt into a medium bowl and set aside.
In 9 inch cake pan (I used a cast iron skillet), swirl butter to coat the bottom and sides of pan. (Do it over the sink in case of drips) Most will settle to the bottom. Sprinkle brown sugar over the bottom of the pan. Using a paper towel pat pineapple slices dry on both sides and arrange in a decorative pattern on the bottom of the pan. In a large bowl stir egg yolks just to break them up and add sugar, vanilla and 5 Tablespoons of reserved pineapple juice. Mix well and stir in flour mixture until combined. Set aside. Place egg whites in bowl of electric mixer fitted with whisk attachment and beat until just stiff but not dry. Fold egg whites into the batter already in the large bowl until fully combined.

Pour batter into cake pan and bake 45-55 minutes until tester inserted into middle comes out clean. Cook pan on rack 2-3 minutes then invert onto another cooling rack. It will still be quite warm and very moist. Scrape any remaining bits of sugar or fruit from pan onto top of cake.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

Egg, Ham & Cheese Breakfast Bake

This was something I created by throwing together our favorite breakfast foods. It's so simple to throw together - bake on a Sunday night and have breakfast for the week. It reheats great in the microwave! You can easily substitute bacon or sausage for the ham. Diced peppers, spinach, or tomatoes would be great in this too - the options are endless!

Serves 12

18 eggs
2 cups diced ham
20 oz uncooked hashbrowns or diced potatoes
1 medium onion, diced
1 small can mushroom pieces (could use 2)
8 oz freshly shredded cheese
1/4 cup milk or water
Salt, pepper, & other favorite seasonings to taste.

Preheat the oven to 350. Grease (or spray) a 9x13 pan.  Unless you're a fan of standing over the sink and scrubbing dishes, I recommend lining the pan with parchment paper.

Crack the eggs and whisk with the milk. Add hashbrowns, onion, mushroom, cheese, & ham. Stir to combine, and add seasonings. I did about 1 tsp of salt, fresh cracked black pepper, & onion powder and it was seasoned perfectly!

Bake for 45 minutes, or until a knife comes out clean.  It's taken up to an hour before!

Let sit for 5 minutes, slice & enjoy!