Let Them Eat {Banana} Cake

My mom has a banana cake recipe that is literally to die for. And with cream cheese frosting...holy yum! It was a huge hit when I made it for our Easter celebration this year! Don't be fooled, the word banana does not make it healthy by any means. {But it's so good I don't even feel one bit guilty for indulging}

RECIPE: 

1/2 pound butter 

1 cup sugar 

2 eggs 

1 cup mashed ripe bananas 

1 & 3/4 cups unbleached flour 

1/2 teaspoon salt 

2/3 teaspoon baking soda 

5 tablespoons buttermilk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

1 ripe banana 

Handful of walnuts 

• Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour two 9-inch layer cake pans 
• Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well. Thoroughly mix in mashed bananas. 
• In a separate bowl, stir together the dry ingredients. Add the dry ingredients into the butter and egg mixture, stirring completely. Add buttermilk and vanilla extract. 
• Pour batter into the pans. Bake for 25-30 minutes. 
• Cool before frosting 

Cream Cheese Frosting 

2 pounds softened cream cheese 

2 sticks softened unsalted butter 

3 cups confectioners' sugar 

2 teaspoons vanilla extract 

• Beat cream cheese, butter and 1 cup sugar with a mixer until combined. Mix in remaining sugar with mixer running. Add vanilla and beat until fluffy. 
• Frost your heart out and add walnuts and bananas to the top.

Linking up with: Walkabout Wednesday

The Best Brownies You've Ever Had

When I splurge and have dessert, anything chocolate is my go-to. So, when I tried this insanely easy and absolutely delicious homemade brownie recipe, I was super excited. I thought I'd share it for all the chocolate lovers!

Ingredients: 

1 cup of melted butter

3 cups of sugar 

1 tablespoon of vanilla extract 

1.5 cups of flour 

4 eggs 

1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 

1 teaspoon salt 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 and lightly grease a 9x9 pan. 
2. Combine sugar, melted butter, and vanilla in a bowl and then beat in the eggs.
3. Mix flour, cocoa powder and salt in a bowl. Gradually stir in the dry mixture until blended. If you want a little somethin' more, you can also add chocolate chips or nuts. 
4. Bake for 35-40 minutes

And that's it folks. The best brownie that'll ever touch your lips. If you're going to eat dessert, might as well go big or go home, right??

Cherry Pies!

One of my favorite things about coming home from school is using the oven and I'm being completely serious. I love nothing more than baking yummy treats (I'm pretty easy to please, huh?)! This past weekend I decided to get a little wild and switch it up from the usual rotation of brownies, cupcakes, and cookies. So, I made mini cherry pies...crazy, I know. I just can't be tamed!! 

Here's the recipe to the best pie fillin' y'all will ever taste:

1 (14-16 oz) can pitted tart cherries (drained but save the liquid!)

1 (12 oz) package frozen raspberries, thawed, drained, juice reserved

2/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup cornstarch

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 tablespoons softened butter

Combine a half cup of the cherry juice and a half cup of the raspberry juice to make one cup combined and set the cup aside.

Combine both sugars and cornstarch in a small saucepan. Whisk in the 1 cup of fruit juice and cook over medium heat until thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir 2 minutes more. Remove from heat. Stir in almond extract, vanilla and soft butter. Fold in drained cherries and raspberries.

Okay, so I have a secret. I cheated and used a premade pie crust. I literally unwrapped it then used a coffee mug to cut out all of the little crusts.  Then, I put them in the cupcake tin and added the pie filling  (note to self: don't fill them up all the way!). I sliced up the remaining crust and attempted a lattice top on each, some worked more than others. Finally brush the tops with milk and sprinkle some sugar over and put them in the oven at 400˚ for about 20-25 minutes. 
Super easy, super cute, super delicious!!  

Oh, and happy Friday everybody!! This week flew by and I'm definitely not complaining. Any fun plans for the weekend?!