I had no clue that Election Cake used to be a thing until I saw an article recently about this lost tradition! Recipes for Election Cake are found back to the late 18th century, but apparently the tradition has fallen off in recent years.
This yeasted spiced bundt fruitcake was traditionally prepared prior to Election Day and served to hungry voters.
For years, I was the machine inspector for every general and primary election in my South Philly polling location, so any attention I can bring to voting is super important to me! I am also down for any and all food holidays so let’s bring back Election Cake!
I don’t have a ton of experience using yeast, so I looked up a recipe from NY Times Food. Because of the yeast, there are two proofing times in this recipe, so set aside 4 to 6 hours to make this cake.
Ingredients (serves 10):
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
Every year, without fail, I end up with a ridiculous amount of candy leftover after the trick-or-treaters have gone. I have made Day After Halloween Brownies in the past, but this year, because it is still so warm, I decided to make Homemade Halloween Candy Ice Cream using my leftover candy!
This recipe for Halloween Candy Ice Cream can be adapted for any candy you would like in your ice cream. I went with an assortment of chocolate candy: mini candy bars, Reece’s, M&M’s, Kit-Kats, and Snickers, because that’s what I had on hand.
Feel free to add in whatever candy you have leftover, just make sure it ends up being about 2 cups of chopped candy.
Note: I was sent a DREO BaristaMaker Milk Frother in order to write this Ube au Lait recipe. Opinions are mine alone.
I am fairly serious about my coffee. I genuinely cannot think of the last time I did not start my day with a home brewed coffee, or a coffee or espresso-based beverage from a local cafe. Despite my love of coffee, I have rarely tried to make fun coffee drinks at home. The frothers I have tried in the past just don’t really seem to cut it; the handheld frothers have trouble creating the microfoam desired for lattes or creating a thick enough foam for my favorite beverages. Not to mention, they don’t do anything to get that foam to the proper temperature!
I was recently contacted by DREO, a leader in smart home innovation, about their launch of the DREO BaristaMaker Milk Frother, and I couldn’t wait to try it out! The BaristaMaker is the most professional smart milk frother capable of creating latte art with all types of milk (dairy and non-dairy), delivering barista-quality microfoam at the touch of a button. BaristaMaker also offers multiple frothing settings, allowing you to choose from microfoam, thick foam, and cold foam, depending on your preference and the type of beverage you are making.
DREO is not messing around with this BaristaMaker. DREO BaristaMaker is the culmination of extensive research, patented impeller combo design, and tailored algorithms meticulously developed to replicate the technique of professional baristas. After thousands of simulations mimicking the frothing process of expert baristas in their Beverage R&D Lab, DREO has developed a milk frother capable of emulating the froth quality found in commercial coffee shops, surpassing the capabilities of most traditional, off-the-shelf home frothers with unmatched froth quality and texture.
DREO BaristaMaker Milk Frother will be available on Kickstarter from August 13th, with a Super Early Bird offer of up to 30% off the suggested retail price of $99. If you join the DREO community now, you could win a grand prize worth $3,200! Plus, if you sign up for the BaristaMaker launch on dreo.com, you can now enjoy a $15 storewide discount. On September 15th, the BaristaMaker Frother will be available to the wider public at full price on dreo.com and more trusted retailers.
I am still trying to master my latte art making with the snazzy BaristaMaker (and am having a ton of fun trying!), but wanted to share a recipe that shows how easily you can make a cafe-quality cafe au lait with minimal effort.
I wanted to try out the BaristaMaker’s blending abilities as well as highlight the Hot Thick Foam option. I’m pretty sure an Ube au Lait isn’t a “thing,” but it’s too pretty and tasty to not share! (Plus, “ube au lait” is super fun to say.)
This Ube au Lait recipe is so simple to make and tastes as good as it looks! Ube is one of my favorite flavors to incorporate into, well, anything I can. If you’ve never had ube before, the flavor is similar to vanilla, with a bit more nuttiness, so it is a perfect complement to coffee.
Ingredients (makes 2 coffees)
1 cup (8 oz) milk of your choice (I’ve used whole milk and oat milk)
If you follow me on Instagram, you probably noticed that I pick up a student-run CSA share every week from a high school in New Castle, Delaware, which means I have a bunch of fruits and vegetables in my home that need using! (If you’re in the area, definitely check out Penn Farm CSA!)
The last couple of weeks have included beautiful peaches so this week, I knew I had to make a homemade peach ice cream!
This rich and creamy homemade peach ice cream can be made in an electric ice cream maker (paid link). This recipe includes small chunks of fresh peaches as well as the juice of the peaches, so it’s chock full of peachy flavor!
Ingredients (makes 1 quart):
2 cups peaches, peeled and roughly chopped (about 3 peaches)
This recipe for Strawberry Shortcake Whoopie Pies was a result of my desire to bring a different dessert to a gathering with some of my college friends. My friend who was hosting is a big fan of Strawberry Shortcake. That, plus my love for whoopie pies made Strawberry Shortcake Whoopie Pies a no brainer!
These Strawberry Shortcake Whoopie Pies are made of fresh whipped cream and sliced strawberries sandwiched between two vanilla cake-like cookies.
Ingredients:
Whoopie Pies:
1 1/4 cup whole milk
1 tablespoon white vinegar
5 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
So, I’ll be honest. I was actually trying to make a different ice cream than what I ended up with. But this oh so chocolatey Homemade Chocolate Ice Cream is so delicious, it was quite a happy mistake!
My original goal/inspiration was to recreate the now defunct Capogiro’s scuro gelato – the most decadent and beautifully silky dark chocolate gelato. It was my mom’s favorite gelato ever and she’s basically been chasing the high of Capogiro’s scuro gelato ever since they sadly closed in December 2018.
I didn’t quite get to dark chocolate status this round (don’t you worry, that will be a future post!), but I am pretty sure this is the best chocolate ice cream ever. EVER. Don’t believe me? Try this recipe out for yourself!
My niece’s first birthday is soon, and my sister asked if I would make her smash cake; what an honor!
My sister requested a chocolate cake with chocolate frosting, and as this will be my niece’s first taste of chocolate, I have to make sure it’s tasty with a few more baby-friendly adjustments.
This Chocolate Smash Cake is a fluffy, chocolatey mini cake perfect for (obviously) first birthdays, or for smaller get togethers.
Ingredients:
Chocolate Cake:
3/4 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 cup flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup coconut sugar
1/4 cup applesauce
Chocolate Frosting:
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
I love Oreos. They are easily my favorite cookie since childhood, and I used to eat them almost every day as my after-school snack. So, it probably goes without saying that Cookies and Cream Ice Cream is one of my favorite ice creams.
I have no idea why it took me so long to make my own homemade cookies and cream ice cream, but after making this recipe, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to go back to the store-bought stuff!
This recipe for Homemade Cookies and Cream Ice Cream uses just 6 ingredients. Because there are no eggs in this recipe, there is no heating of the milk mixture so it comes together pretty quickly. Note that this recipe does still require you to refrigerate the mixture overnight and churn the ice cream the next day.
Ingredients (makes 1 quart):
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup whole milk
2 cups heavy cream
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 sleeve Oreos (regular, not Double Stuf), chopped
Note: I was sent some baking tools from OXO in order to write this post. Opinions are mine alone.
It’s the holiday season which means another cookie recipe inspired by some goodies from OXO! This year, I’m making something a little different for me: Christmas Pinwheel Cookies.
I tend to gravitate toward drop cookies because they are simple, decidedly not fussy, and still delicious! These Christmas Pinwheel Cookies are slice and bake cookies instead, which means you roll them into a log, slice them into equally sized slices, and bake.
Every year, OXO supports Cookies for Kids’ Cancer and the fight against pediatric cancer. Before I share my cookie recipe, I want to share a bit about Cookies for Kids’ Cancer.
Cookies for Kids’ Cancer (CFKC) is a nonprofit founded by two OXO employees after their son, Liam, was diagnosed with pediatric cancer. Through grassroots bake sales across the country, CFKC raises funds to develop new, improved and less toxic treatments for childhood cancer. Liam Witt’s legacy lives on as the organization works toward a cure for pediatric cancer, helping children and families everywhere.
For every cookie baked, OXO donates $1 to Cookies for Kids’ Cancer up to $100,000, so here is my new cookie this year to support the cause and spread the word!
Here are some of my old cookie swap and Cookies for Kids’ Cancer posts, in case you’re in a baking mood:
You didn’t think I’d let October pass without sharing multiple new pumpkin recipe, did you? Especially with all the ice cream recipes I’ve been making lately, it should come as no surprise that I wanted to share a Homemade Pumpkin Ice Cream recipe!
Pumpkin ice cream is my absolute favorite ice cream. More specifically, Woodside Farm Creamery‘s pumpkin ice cream — their version is so wonderfully rich and creamy!
So I knew it was about time I tried to make my own at home. This recipe uses egg yolks to achieve that uber creamy texture!
I love all things pumpkin, both savory and sweet. Despite already sharing over 30 pumpkin recipes, I have yet to share a recipe for Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies!
I am happy to finally rectify that huge oversight, and I promise these cookies were worth waiting for!
Ingredients (makes about 30 cookies):
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 egg plus 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups flour
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup chocolate chips (I used mini, regular size work too)
Note: I was sent samples of Vanilla Bean Powder, Vanilla Beans, and Vanilla Extract from The Sweet Bean in order to write this post for Homemade French Vanilla Ice Cream. All opinions are my own.
I am still madly in love with my ice cream maker (paid link) and the delicious homemade ice creams I can now make! Today, I am excited to share a classic: Homemade French Vanilla Ice Cream, featuring The Sweetest Bean‘s Pure Vanilla Bean Powder.
The Sweetest Bean, a woman-owned company based in Colorado, sources its organic, whole-bean vanilla from Uganda where they employ a team who hand cures all of their gourmet vanilla. The company has a purpose of building an economy on the other side of the world, and is committed to one-single-supplier, their workers, their children, their futures, with the hope of true sustainable economic growth. Ugandan vanilla beans are known for their strong vanilla flavor, so the flavor stands out more in recipes.
source: thesweetestbean.com
The Sweetest Bean’s Pure Vanilla Bean Powder is made from 100% pure, ground, Ugandan bourbon vanilla beans. The vanilla beans spend months curing our beans in the sun, and then are ground fresh, to produce a fine powder rich in flavor and aroma. Pure vanilla bean powder was touted recently by the Wall Street Journal as the next spice you need to own. The powder can be used in both savory and sweet recipes, including barbecue rubs, soups, stews, fish, pork, smoothies, and coffee — vanilla adds a touch of sweetness without additional sugar.
The Sweetest Bean sent me their 3 Product Gift Set and have generously offered an additional set to one lucky I Can Cook That reader! Details for the giveaway after the recipe.
So let’s get churning! This Homemade French Vanilla Ice Cream has just 6 ingredients. The egg yolks, which makes this ice cream “French Vanilla,” adds wonderful richness without competing with the vanilla flavor.
I’m sure you’re thinking to yourself, “Avocado Ice Cream? Really??”
Me making a Homemade Avocado Ice Cream is actually a long time coming. I have a coworker who absolutely loves avocados. And years ago, I mentioned that (the now shuttered and very much missed) Capogiro Gelato in Philadelphia had an avocado ice cream, and that I’d buy her a pint the next time I saw it. Well. Capogiro sadly closed at the end of 2018 without me ever bringing her a pint. So, now that I am feeling more comfortable making my own homemade ice cream, it was time to finally deliver on my promise!
This recipe might be my easiest ice cream recipe to date. It has just 4 ingredients, does not require heating the cream mixture, and doesn’t even need to refrigerate overnight!
Ingredients (makes about 3/4 quarts, or 1 1/2 pints):
