Chocolate and Salted Caramel Whiskey Cake Recipe

Heellllooo out there!  Long time no see!  I’m so excited that I finally have the chance to create a brand new post for all of you.  This one is a pretty sweet one… literally!

When Daniel’s birthday comes around, I always love to bake him a delicious and unique treat.  In the past I’ve made him cheesecake, as that’s one of his favorite desserts.  This year, however, I was very inspired by all the boozy cupcake recipes I had been seeing on Pinterest.  After hinting a little at some possible ideas, Daniel told me he’d rather have a cake over cupcakes.  So I looked at various recipes for some ideas, and eventually created this Chocolate and Salted Caramel Whiskey Cake recipe!  Then I found a Salted Caramel Buttercream Frosting to top it with.  Excited?  Check it out!

Ingredients for Chocolate and Salted Caramel Whiskey Cake

The Cake – Here’s what you need:

  • 1 box of chocolate cake mix
  • 2 TBSP of whiskey
  • 1 tsp of vanilla extract
  • Milk
  • Butter
  • Eggs
  • 1 jar of salted caramel sauce

Ok, I know some people believe using a cake mix is blasphemous, but I was running on limited time and needed that little bit of extra help (did I mention I was also making Daniel a birthday dinner?).  I obviously wanted to serve a delicious cake, so I looked up some tips on how to make cake mix taste homemade.

Here’s what you do:

Follow the directions for the cake mix, BUT replace water with milk and vegetable oil with softened butter.  Also, add in one extra egg than the cake mix calls for.  Also add 1 tsp of vanilla extract and 2 TBSP of whiskey.  Mix until combined.

Divide batter into two, lightly oiled 8-inch or 9-inch round cake pans.  Swirl about 1 TBSP of salted caramel sauce into each pan.

Salted Caramel Drizzle in Cake Batter

Bake as directed, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.  Allow cakes to cool completely on cooling racks.

Finished Cake Layers

While your cakes are cooling you can make the Salted Caramel Frosting!  I followed this recipe, except I doubled it so I would have enough to frost a two-layer cake and add decorative piping.

Ingredients for Salted Caramel Buttercream Frosting

The Frosting – Here’s what you need:

  • 2 cups of butter (room temperature)
  • 2/3 cup salted caramel sauce
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 3 cups of powdered sugar
  • 2 pinches of salt

Here’s what you do:

  1. In a large bowl, beat butter for 1 minute with an electric mixer.
  2. Add salted caramel and vanilla extract, beat for 2 minutes, occasionally scraping the sides of your bowl.
  3. On a low speed, beat in powdered sugar and salt until incorporated.
  4. Increase speed and beat for an additional 2-3 minutes, or until frosting is creamy and well-combined.

If you prefer desserts that aren’t too sweet, you will probably want to find a different frosting, as this one is pretty sugary!

Once your cakes have cooled, use a serrated knife to slice off the rounded top layer of each cake, making cakes flat on both sides.

Spread Buttercream Frosting Between Both Cake Layers

Spread about a 1/4-1/2 in. layer of frosting on one cake and top with the other.  Then all that’s left is to frost the whole cake and add some decorative piping.  I also drizzled more salted caramel sauce on top and sprinkled a little coarse salt for garnish.  Take a look at the finished cake below!

Chocolate and Salted Caramel Whiskey Cake

Chocolate and Salted Caramel Whiskey Cake with Salted Caramel Frosting

Chocolate and Salted Caramel Whiskey Birthday Cake

Daniel with his Chocolate and Salted Caramel Whiskey Birthday Cake

I’m happy to say Daniel loved the cake (can you tell?), as did I!  I hope all of you will enjoy it as well!

Note:  The whiskey flavor is subtle.  If you want more pronounced flavor, I suggest sprinkling whiskey on the cakes as soon as they come out of the oven, allowing the cakes to absorb the liquid while they cool.

As always, let me know in the comments section if you make the cake and how it turns out!  Can’t wait to hear from you.  Happy Eating!

Bonus!  You all know how I love to share gift wrapping that I’ve done.  For Daniel’s birthday I decided to focus on a modern color scheme – check it out!

Blue and Green Color Scheme Gift Wrapping

[The “To My Human” card is from our cat!]

Beatles Birthday Gift Wrapping

Blue and Green Gift Wrapping Close Up

Close Up of Blue and Green Gift Wrapping


Buttery and Soft Lemon Cookies with Icing Recipe

This week we’ve been having outrageously beautiful weather in Portland.  The sun is shining, the temperatures are warming, birds are singing, and there’s that distinct smell of spring in the air.  I decided to bake a batch of cookies that reflect the cheeriness I feel with this gorgeous weather, and the lingering sun (thanks to the time change).

Buttery and Soft Lemon Cookies with Icing RecipeLast year I had stumbled on this lemon cookie recipe while randomly searching for cookie recipes on Pinterest.  They sounded pretty good to me, so I decided to make them.  Guys, I cannot even begin to describe how amazing these cookies are.  They are SO buttery and soft, and have the perfect amount of lemon flavor.  They are addictive.  Daniel and I seriously can’t hold back when these are in the house.

So in honor of spring (hopefully) being around the corner, here is the Lemon Cookies with Icing Recipe!

Lemon Cookies IngredientsHere’s what you need:

  • 2 cups + 2 TBSP flour
  • 1 TBSP cornstarch
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 3/4 cup butter, softened
  • 1 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • Zest of 2 lemons (about 2 TBSP)
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 2 TBSP fresh lemon juice
  • 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 1-2 TBSP milk

Here’s what you do:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a medium bowl, stir together flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt.  Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together softened butter, sugar, and lemon zest until light and fluffy.  About 2-3 minutes.  I used an electric hand mixer for this, but an electric stand mixer would also work well.

Cream Butter, Sugar, and Lemon Zest

Add in the egg and egg yolk.  Then add in the lemon juice and vanilla extract.

Add in Eggs to Lemon Cookie Batter

Slowly add in thirds of the flour mixture until just combined.

Zesty Lemon Cookie Batter

Drop large tablespoons of cookie dough on lightly greased baking sheet (or lined with parchment paper) about 2 inches apart.  Bake for 9-11 minutes.  I baked mine until they had just set up and were lightly brown on the bottom.

Allow to cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet, and then GENTLY (as they will still be very soft) transfer to cooling racks to cool completely.

Buttery and Soft Lemon Cookie Recipe

Once cookies are completely cooled it is time to ice!  I just made a simple sugar icing by whisking the powdered sugar with just enough milk to make it spreadable, while still being quite thick.  You’ll want it to be thick so it doesn’t drip off the sides.

Refreshing Lemon Cookies with Icing

Once the icing hardened, I stored by cookies in airtight containers with wax paper separating each layer of cookies.  For me, this recipe made 18 cookies.

The original recipe was just for plain cookies, but I thought adding a little sugar icing would create the perfect balance between zest and sweet.  Boy, was I right!  This is one of my absolute favorite cookies to make and, of course, eat!  And now I hope it will be one of your favorites too!

Be sure to let me know in the comments section if you try out the recipe!  Enjoy!


Spicy Cashew Brittle Recipe

Spicy Cashew BrittleHey guys, so today I’m going to share an outrageously delicious Spicy Cashew Brittle recipe.  I made this for Daniel for Valentine’s Day, and he said it was the best brittle he’s ever had!  Not only is it delicious, but it’s also ridiculously easy to make!

Here’s what you need:

  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup light corn syrup
  • 1 cup cashews, chopped
  • 1 tsp butter
  • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • Pinch of ground nutmeg
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

The original recipe called for a 1/2 tsp of rum extract and a 1/2 tsp of vanilla.  I couldn’t find rum extract anywhere, so I just upped the vanilla.  I also upped the cayenne because Daniel loves spicy food, but the brittle is still easy to eat for someone that can’t handle a lot of spicy (aka, me).  And my last deviation was using all cashews (original used 1/2 cup of pecans), because they are Daniel’s favorite!

Here’s what you do:

  1. Butter a cookie sheet and set aside.  I also highly suggest setting up all your ingredients, as each step happens pretty fast and you’ll need to move quickly.
  2. Lightly grease a 2-qt. microwave safe bowl, and combine sugar and corn syrup.  Microwave uncovered for 3 minutes, then stir.  Microwave an additional 2 1/2 minutes.  Stir in cashews, butter, cinnamon, cayenne, salt and nutmeg.
  3. Microwave uncovered for 2 minutes, or until mixtures turns a light amber color (caution:  this will be extremely hot, so please be careful!).  Quickly stir in baking soda and extract until light and foamy.  Immediately pour mixture onto prepared pan, and evenly spread with a greased metal spatula.  Cool completely.

    Spicy Cashew Brittle Recipe

  4. Once cooled, break into pieces and enjoy!  Store in an airtight container.

Recipe for Spicy Cashew BrittleI’ve never been a huge fan of brittle, but I seriously can’t get enough of this one!  I thought it worked particularly well as a Valentine’s Day gift, because of the spice and heat.  It would also make a great Christmas treat as well – the cinnamon and nutmeg definitely give this brittle a holiday flavor!


Chocolate Chipotle Cupcakes & Creamy Cinnamon Frosting

Chocolate Chipotle Cupcakes

The very first Valentine’s Day Daniel and I celebrated together I made him cupcakes as one of his presents.  Not just any cupcakes though… Daniel has a love affair with spicy foods, and when I was looking for sweets to make, I was specifically looking for HOT recipes.

In my search I came across this recipe for Chocolate Chipotle Cupcakes, and I thought, “This is perfect!”  It’s got spicy, it’s got chocolate (who doesn’t love chocolate?), and it’s definitely more unique than other cupcake flavors I could of made.  I was sold and decided to make the recipe, and I was super impressed with how delicious they turned out!

Now I’d like to share the recipe with my changes and suggestions with you!

Chocolate Chipotle Cupcake IngredientsHere’s what you need:

  • 1 box of chocolate cake mix
  • Any ingredients the cake mix calls for (usually water, oil, and eggs)
  • 2 TBSP pureed chipotle peppers in adobo
  • 1 1/2 tsp of cinnamon
  • 1/4-1 tsp of cayenne pepper (depending on heat preference)

Here’s what you do:

At first glance, what I loved about this recipe was how simple and quick it was.  It would be really great for anyone running short on time, or for a novice baker!

Preheat oven to temperature indicated on your cake mix.  Then puree your chipotle peppers.

Pureed Chipotle Peppers

Next, in a large bowl mix all of your ingredients until blended.  In a prepared cupcake pan, fill cupcake liners 3/4 of the way full.  Then bake in preheated oven for 15-18 minutes, or until cake tester comes out clean.  Cool on a wire rack and you’re done!

Freshly Baked Chocolate Chipotle Cupcakes

This recipe made 20 cupcakes for me.  Now, the cayenne pepper is my suggestion if you actually want these cupcakes to have a kick.  While the chipotle peppers give a delicious flavor, it really didn’t give off any heat to us.  While you may be thinking, well, why don’t I just add more chipotle… that’s what I thought too.

The second time I made these cupcakes that’s exactly what I did, I doubled the amount of pureed chipotle pepper, and it was WEIRD.  I’m not sure if it had to do with something in the adobo sauce, but it completely changed the texture of the cake and made it way too salty.  I would definitely recommend learning from my mistake!

Cinnamon Buttercream Frosted CupcakesThe original recipe suggests sprinkling the cupcakes with powdered sugar and cinnamon, but a cupcake isn’t a cupcake to me without icing.  I wanted these cupcakes to take decadent, so I knew I wanted to use a buttercream frosting.

I found this delicious recipe that is apparently from a Sprinkles cupcake mix.

Here’s what you need:

  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 3 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
  • 1 tsp milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • 2 TBSP cinnamon (I added this)

Here’s what you do:

  1. In a medium bowl, combine butter, sugar, salt and cinnamon.  Beat until blended.
  2. Add the milk and vanilla, and beat until smooth and creamy.

This frosting is amazing!  I added in cinnamon because I wanted to play up that flavor in the cupcakes, and I was not disappointed.  One heads up though, the recipe states that the serving size is 12 cupcakes… well, I frosted 20 and had tons left over.  The second time I made them I even used some to pipe extra decorations, but still had maybe 3/4 of a cup leftover.  Maybe I don’t add as much frosting as other people though, this buttercream is also very sweet so you don’t need a whole lot either.  While it’s better to have more frosting than too little, you might want to adjust the measurements depending on how much you need.

As for decorations, I kept it pretty simple, and rimmed the sides with chocolate sprinkles and chili powder.

Decorated Chocolate Chipotle Cupcakes

I remember Daniel absolutely loved them, and I know it made our first Valentine’s Day very memorable.  They also freeze really well too!  Since Daniel had a whole box of cupcakes to himself, this Valentine’s Day gift lasted for the next few months!  What a sweet reminder for your man (of their girlfriend or wife that made them)!


Spinach and Prosciutto Lasagna and Other Christmas Recipes

Before Christmas, I shared with you all a few recipes I intended to make for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.  As promised, I now want to share how they all turned out!

You may remember that the main event was a Spinach and Prosciutto Lasagna from Martha Stewart.  After reading the reviews, I omitted quite a few things and added others.  I also made mine a lot bigger since the original only made 4 servings.  Not nearly enough leftovers for the amount of work, I think!

Here’s what you need:

  • 2 (10 oz.) packages of spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
  • 16 oz. ricotta cheese
  • 4 oz. thinly sliced prosciutto, diced
  • Lasagna noodles
  • 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
  • 1 1/2 jars of tomato sauce
  • 1/2 white onion, diced
  • 4 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 9 button mushrooms, sliced
  • 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp oregano
  • 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
  • 1 green bell pepper (optional)
  • 3/4 red bell pepper (optional)
  • 3/4 yellow bell pepper (optional)

Here’s what you do:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Over medium high heat, saute your onion and mushrooms in olive oil for 3-4 minutes.  Add your spices and saute another minute or so.  You don’t need to cook the veggies too long, since they will finish cooking in the oven.  Set aside to cool slightly.

Sauteed Vegetables for Lasagna

Lasagna Spinach and Mushroom FillingIn a medium bowl, combine ricotta, spinach, garlic, and cooled veggies.  Set aside.  Also in a medium bowl, thoroughly mix your diced prosciutto with your tomato sauce.  Set aside.  You can use any sauce you’d like, we combined a four cheese sauce and a basil marinara, both from Trader Joes.

In a 9×13 casserole dish, spread a thin layer of sauce on the bottom of the pan.  Then place a layer of noodles on top.  I used no boil noodles because that’s all Trader Joes had, but either will do!  If you do use no boil noodles, I highly suggest soaking them in hot water for 5-10 minutes before working with them.  This will make them more pliable, and help to ensure they will cook all the way through.

Evenly crumble 1/3 of the spinach and ricotta mixture on top of your noodles, and then spread 1/4 of the remaining sauce.  Repeat noodles, mixture, sauce two more times.  Place one more layer of noodles on top, the last 1/4 of your sauce, and then top with shredded mozzarella.

Assembling Lasagna Layers

Bell Pepper Christmas TreeNow, if you did see my previous Christmas recipe post or just went to my Pinterest board, you know I planned to create a Christmas tree topper for my lasagna.  That’s where those optional bell peppers come in!  You’ll want to slice the green peppers, dice and create a tree stump from the red pepper, and dice and create a star from the yellow pepper.  I thought it was pretty awesome looking, what do you think?

With or without the topper, bake uncovered until brown, about 35-40 minutes.  Then let stand 5 minutes before serving and enjoy!  My recipe will make about 12 servings, and Daniel said it was the best lasagna he’s ever eaten!

Here are a few pictures of our tasty lasagna and our Christmas Eve!

Christmas Lasagna

We served our lasagna with garlic bread and salad, and plenty of wine, of course!

Christmas Eve Dinner

Christmas Eve Table Setting

Daniel and Michele on Christmas Eve

For dessert, as I suspected, we were too tired to make this peppermint bark cheesecake.  So sadly I can’t tell you if it was delicious or a fail, BUT I can tell you that the frozen cheesecake sampler from Trader Joes is worth a try!  It comes with 2 slices of 3 different kinds of cheesecake, and all you have to do is thaw it for an hour on the counter.  A great find if you want something easy!

Cranberry Mimosas

We did make breakfast and mimosas for Christmas morning though!  We made cranberry mimosas, and they were pretty tasty, although the orange juice really overpowered the cranberry.  I think next time we make them I’ll fill the glass with mostly cranberry juice and add just a splash of orange.

We had a few unused glasses already rimmed with green sugar from our holiday party, and Daniel had the brilliant idea to use them that morning.  I LOVE how festive they look!

We also made baked french toast and baked bacon!

Christmas Day Breakfast

I followed this french toast recipe exactly, and it turned out beautifully!  The top is the perfect french toast consistency, and the bottom has a delicious buttery brown sugar sauce – it didn’t even need syrup!  This was the first time I had ever baked bacon in the oven, while I wouldn’t say it made the clean up any quicker, it did produce an entire pan of perfectly crisp bacon.  So I definitely think I will be cooking it in the oven from now on!

Family on Christmas MorningWell, it’s always a little sad to see Christmas come and go.  It was a very relaxing and quiet Christmas with my best friend and love, and all around favorite person in the world.  It will be a Christmas that I will cherish forever!