Black Forest Dump Cake

Need a quick easy dessert that's scrumptious? This is the cake for you!!  You basically just layer all the ingredients in a pan and bake, it doesn't get any easier!   

Photo by Taste of Home

Ingredients:

1 can (21 ounces) cherry pie filling

1 can (15 ounces) pitted dark sweet cherries, undrained

1 chocolate cake mix (regular size)

1/2 cup sliced almonds

3/4 cup butter, cubed

 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Spread pie filling into a greased 9 x 13 baking dish; top with undrained cherries.  Sprinkle with cake mix and almonds.  Top with cubed butter.

 

Bake 40-50 minutes or until topping is set.  Serve warm or at room temperature.  Yield: 12 servings.

 

A couple of things:

I omitted the almonds because I didn't have any on hand.

 

I made this dessert twice.  The first time my husband couldn't find any pitted dark sweet cherries, so he bought pitted tart cherries.  The second time I made it with the pitted dark sweet cherries.  We both agreed that we preferred the tart cherries to the sweet.  It didn't make the dessert as sweet and the tart and sweet seemed to compliment each other. 



Taste of Our Home Tuesday: Pistachio Cake

I found this cake recipe awhile back on Pinterest and made it with the intention of posting the recipe right before St. Patrick's day.  I'm a few days late, but thought I'd share it anyway.  The pudding mix in the cake makes for a very moist cake!  There is just enough pistachio flavor without it being too much.  It was a very delicious recipe that I'm embarrassed to say, Justin and I finished off way sooner than we should have.  Enjoy!

Ingredients:

For the Cake

1 box vanilla, white or yellow cake mix

1 (3.4 oz) box instant pistachio pudding

3 eggs

1 cup oil

1 cup milk

green food coloring (optional)

For the Frosting

1 (3.4 oz) box instant pistachio pudding

1/2 cup milk

1 (8oz) tub frozen whipped topping, thawed

green food coloring (optional)

Directions:

Cake:

Preheat oven to 350F degrees.

Spray a 9x13 baking dish with nonstick spray

In a medium bowl, combine dry cake mix with dry instant pistachio pudding.  Mix those together until combined.

Add in eggs, oil and milk.

Stir just until combined.

Add 6 to 8 drops of green food coloring, stir until it is totally incorporated.

Pour into prepared baking dish.

Bake for about 25 to 20 minutes.

(The cake will look brown when you remove it from the oven.  It will be green on the inside)

Allow cake to cool completely before making the frosting.

Frosting:

Put the instant pistachio pudding mix into a mixing bowl and add in 1/2 cup cold milk.  

Stir until combined.

Stir in the thawed whipped topping. 

Add about 5 drops of green food coloring.

Spread frosting onto cooled cake.  

If you like, sprinkle with some crushed pistachios.  This cake needs to be kept refrigerated.  

Original recipe came from The Country Cook.

Taste of Our Home Tuesday: Pretzel Toffee Candy

I love English Toffee and had to try this recipe as soon as I saw it.  It is so yummy and perfect for the Christmas season!  I made a similar recipe before this one (it was exactly the same just without the pretzels) and I didn't cook the butter and sugar long enough.  I ended up with chewy toffee that was slightly grainy.  When I made this recipe I set the timer so I was sure to cook it for the full time.  It turned out perfectly and was delicious!  

Ingredients 
1 cup butter 
1 cup sugar 
2 cups pretzels (approximately) 
1 cup dark chocolate chips 

Instructions 
In a heavy saucepan, melt butter. Add sugar, and stir to dissolve. Continue cooking and stirring until it is the color of a brown paper bag, about 7-10 minutes. (The mixture may separate and look clumped or curdled, and this is fine. The color is a more important indicator than the texture.) 
Prepare a sheet pan (I recommend a quarter sheet pan) by lining with parchment paper or a silicone liner, or by generously buttering. 
Cover pan in a single layer of pretzels. Pour cooked candy onto pretzels as soon as it reaches the desired color. 
Immediately top with chocolate chips. Let chips melt for a few minutes, then use a knife to spread like frosting. Let candy cool by chilling in fridge for about an hour. Use a large knife to break into pieces. Store in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer.

The original recipe came from here.

Taste of Our Home Tuesday (On Friday): Biscuit Cinnamon Rolls

Justin and I had some soup last night and wanted something sweet to go with it.  I quickly opened Pinterest to find something that sounded good.  I had pinned this cinnamon roll recipe earlier in the week and actually had all the ingredients.  (I halved the recipe the best I could for just the two of us)  These little rolls are not as good as real cinnamon rolls, but they were very tasty and work great on a cold evening when you want something quick.  We really liked the glaze.  I had never added sour cream to a glaze before, but it made it very creamy and delicious!!  Enjoy! 

Biscuit Cinnamon Roll Recipe
3 4.5 oz. cans Pillsbury Buttermilk biscuits
Cinnamon
1/3 cup melted butter
Glaze:
1/2 cup melted butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sour cream
Cut each biscuits into fourths and place in 9x13" baking pan. Sprinkle with desired amount of cinnamon and drizzle with butter. Bake at 350° for approx. 20 – 25 minutes.
Meanwhile mix glaze ingredients in a small saucepan and heat over low – medium heat until mixture starts to bubble. After rolls are baked, drizzle with the warm glaze. Serve and enjoy.

Taste of Our Home Tuesday: Chocolate Peanut Butter Croissants

One night we made cherry turnovers using cherry pie filling and crescent rolls. My ratio of cherry filling and crescent rolls did not come out right leaving me with extra rolls. I had seen this chocolate peanut butter idea on Pinterest and tried it with the left over crescent rolls.  They were delicious!!  

Ingredients: 
1 tube crescent rolls 
Peanut butter
Chocolate chips (I used semi sweet)

Directions:
Unroll crescent rolls and spread peanut butter over each triangle.  Sprinkle chocolate chips over the peanut butter.  Roll up the crescent rolls the same way you would if you were just making plain rolls.  Bake according to the package directions.   

Taste of Our Home Tuesday: Coffee Cake with Crumble Topping and Brown Sugar Glaze

This coffee cake is delicious!!  I once again found the recipe on Pinterest and hadn't made it because I didn't have any Greek yogurt.  Instead of buying Greek yogurt I decided to substitute sour cream.  It was amazingly moist!  I will definitely be making this again!! Enjoy!

 

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/4 cups brown sugar, packed
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup Greek yogurt

For the crumb topping:
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

For the brown sugar glaze:
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly coat a 9×13 baking dish with nonstick spray.
To make the crumb topping, combine sugars, cinnamon and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk in melted butter. Add flour and stir using a rubber spatula just until moist. Spread out mixture on parchment paper to dry until ready to use.
In a large bowl, combine flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar on medium-high until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until well combined. Beat in vanilla until well combined.
With the mixer on low speed, add Greek yogurt and dry ingredients alternately in 3 parts, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients, beating just until incorporated.
Scoop the batter evenly into prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with reserved topping, using your fingertips to gently press the crumbs into the batter.
Place into oven and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
To make the glaze, combine brown sugar, vanilla and 2 tablespoons water. Whisk until smooth.
When the cake is done, cool for 10 minutes and drizzle the glaze evenly over the top.

Serve warm.

Original site

Taste of Our Home Tuesday: Easy Oreo Bundt Cake with Chocolate Ganache

This recipe came from Pinterest.  My thinking was, "Oreos are the best, so anything made from them has to be just as good!"  And it was!! This cake was very moist and delicious.  Justin and I ate the whole thing!  I loved how quick and easy it was and how all the ingredients are things I normally have on hand. (minus the Oreos.) Enjoy!

 

Ingredients

1 box Devil's Food Cake

3 eggs

1/2 cup sour cream

1 cup water

2 cups chopped Oreos

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350. Spray bundt pan with non-stick spray; set aside.

Combine cake mix, eggs, sour cream, and water in bowl of stand mixer. Beat for 2 minutes, or until well combined. Stir in crushed Oreos.

Pour into prepared bundt, bake for 35 minutes or until just set. Do not overbake.

Remove from oven. Allow to cool for 10 minutes, then remove to cool on rack. Top with prepared ganache. 
To make ganache, heat 1/2 cup heavy cream to just a simmer. Pour over 1/2 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips. Stir until smooth.

Taste of Our Home Tuesday: Apple Bread Pudding With Caramel Sauce

Justin loves apple pie and apple crisp.  When I saw this apple bread pudding recipe I knew he would love it.  His birthday was on Monday so this was the special birthday dessert, that we had on Tuesday because I'm still working on time management with a new baby.:)  There is nothing healthy about this tasty dessert, but it sure is yummy!!  Possibly better than apple pie!  Enjoy! 

Ingredients 
3/4 cup butter, cubed 
4 cups chopped peeled tart apples (about 4 medium) 
2 cups sugar 
1/2 cup raisins 
1/2 cup chopped walnuts 
3 teaspoons ground Ground Cinnamon 
2 teaspoons vanilla extract 

Bread Pudding: 
6 eggs 
2-1/2 cups 2% milk 
1-1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons sugar, divided 
1 cup heavy whipping cream 
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract 
Dash ground nutmeg 
1 loaf (1 pound) French bread, cut into 1-inch cubes 

Caramel Sauce: 
1 cup sugar 
1/4 cup water 
1 cup heavy whipping cream 
2 tablespoons butter 

Directions 
Preheat oven to 350°. In a large skillet, heat butter over medium heat. Add apples, sugar, raisins, walnuts and cinnamon; bring just to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, until apples are tender, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla. 
For bread pudding, in a large bowl, whisk eggs, milk, 1-1/2 cups sugar, cream, vanilla and nutmeg until blended. Stir in bread cubes and apple mixture. Transfer to a greased 13x9-in. baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining sugar. 
Bake, uncovered, 40-45 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. 
For caramel sauce, in a small heavy saucepan, combine sugar and water; stir gently to moisten all the sugar. Cook over medium-low heat, gently swirling pan occasionally, until sugar is dissolved. Cover; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook 1 minute. Uncover pan; continue to boil until syrup turns a medium amber color. Immediately remove from heat and carefully stir in cream and butter. Serve with warm bread pudding. Yield: 16 servings (1-3/4 cups sauce).

Taste of Our Home Tuesday: Snickerdoodle Bread

This bread is delicious!!  I found the recipe on Pinterest and noticed it had sour cream.  Everything with sour cream turns out moist so I had to try it.  I did not have any cinnamon chips so I left them out.  I also made muffins since I don't have small loaf pans.  They are super moist and very tasty!  I'm debating about chopping up some apples and substituting them for the cinnamon chips next time.  I think it would made an excellent apple cinnamon muffin.  Enjoy!

   

Ingredients: 

2 1/2 cups flour 

2 tsp. baking powder 

1/2 tsp. salt 

2 tsp. cinnamon 

1 cup butter softened 

2 cups sugar 

3 eggs 

1 tsp. vanilla 

3/4 cup sour cream 

1 pkg. Hershey's cinnamon chips 

3 TB sugar 

3 tsp. cinnamon

Directions: 

Cream butter, sugar, salt and cinnamon until fluffy. Add eggs and mix well.

Add vanilla and sour cream and mix well.

Mix flour and baking powder in a separate bowl. Add to wet ingredients and mix until all combined.

Add cinnamon chips and stir into batter. Set aside.

Spoon batter into 4 mini loaf pans until about 2/3 full.

Mix 3 T. sugar and 3 t. cinnamon in a bowl and sprinkle over the batter in each loaf pan.

Bake at 350 for 35-38 minutes. Let cool before removing from pan.

For original website click here

Taste of Our Home Tuesday: The Chocolate Cola Cake

If you like sweet, rich, moist, chocolaty goodness, then this cake is for you!  It is very sweet, but I love how moist and soft it stays.  I would recommend eating it with a large glass of milk or a bowl of home made ice cream, or both!:)  Enjoy! 
This recipe came from Pinterest.  The original post can be found here.

First mix: 
2 cups flour  
2 cups sugar  
1/2 tsp salt 
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon 

Then, in a saucepan over medium high heat stir this up good until it boils:
1 cup butter
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup coca-cola (from bottle is my preference!)
1/2 cup buttermilk

Next, take off heat and add that to the flour mix & whisk until combined.

Finally, add:
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract

Mix, put in pan, bake it for about 30 minutes. Don’t over-bake it! A toothpick should come out clean.

Frosting:
Boil together in a saucepan:
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup coca cola 

Remove from heat and slowly stir in 4 cups of confectioners’ sugar until nice and smooth. Then add in about a cup of chopped pecans, and give it a stir.  (I leave out the pecans)

Frost the cake while it's still warm.  The frosting will spread itself out. 

Taste of Our Home Tuesday: Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread

It's that time of year when fresh zucchini is aplenty.  I did not plant any in my garden this year, but still had some left over in the freezer from last year.  I found this recipe on Pinterest and thought I couldn't go wrong with something that is double chocolate.  It's a very rich bread that goes best with a tall glass of milk.  Its probably more of a dessert then a bread.  Very delicious and moist!  Enjoy!!       

Ingredients
2 cups shredded zucchini (unpeeled), squeeze excess water out 
2 eggs 
⅓ cup honey 
½ cup canola oil 
½ cup brown sugar 
1 tsp vanilla 
1 tsp salt 
½ tsp baking soda 
½ tsp baking powder 
⅓ cup cocoa powder 
1⅔ cups flour 
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips 

Instructions 
Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray an 9×5 inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray. In a large bowl whisk together the eggs, honey, oil, brown sugar and vanilla. Add the salt, baking soda, baking powder, cocoa powder, and flour. Whisk until well combined. Using a spatula fold in the zucchini and chocolate chips. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake for 60-75 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean. Remove from the oven, and allow to cool on a wire rack for at least 15 minutes before removing the bread from the pan. Allow to cool completely before serving. 

Taste of Our Home Tuesday: Fresh Strawberry Yogurt Cake

Fresh strawberries are in season and when they are only 99 cents at Aldi I stock up!  I found this cake recipe and couldn't think of a better way to use up my strawberries.  This cake is super moist and very very tasty!!  There are step by step directions and pictures where I found the recipe here.  Enjoy!!     

 

Ingredients:

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

2 cups sugar
3 eggs
3 Tb. lemon juice, divided
Zest of 1 lemon
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour, divided
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
8 oz. plain or vanilla, Greek yogurt
12 oz. fresh strawberries, diced
1 cup powdered sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease and flour a 10 inch Bundt pan (10-15 cup pan.) Sift together the 2 ¼ cups of flour, baking soda and salt. Mix in the lemon zest and set aside.
2. With an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in 1 Tb. lemon juice. Alternate beating in the flour mixture and the yogurt, mixing just until incorporated.
3. Toss the strawberries with the remaining ¼ cup of flour. Gently mix them into the batter.
4. Pour the batter into the Bundt pan. Place in the oven and reduce the temperature to 325 degrees F. Bake for 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
5. Allow to cool at least 20 minutes in the pan, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely. Once cooled whisk together the remaining 2 Tb. of lemon juice and the powdered sugar. Drizzle over the top of the cake.

Taste of Our Home Tuesday: Caramel in a Can

With summer finally arriving ice cream becomes a big hit. There's nothing better then sweet gooey caramel on a scoop of vanilla ice cream!  I found this recipe on Pinterest and have been so curious if it would actually work.  The other night I got brave enough to try!  Before I went to bed I put my can (label off) of sweetened condensed milk in my crock pot and submerged it in water.  I put the crock pot on low and let it cook for eight hours.  When I woke up in the morning I took the can out, dried it off and put it in the fridge to cool down.  We had to go to Salina that day so I had to wait til later afternoon to open my can and see if I really had caramel.  As soon as we got home I opened my can and sure enough I had the gooiest yummiest caramel begging for a scoop of ice cream!!  It worked!!
Here is the link to the gal's blog who originally posted it. (Click here)  She has excellent easy to follow directions.  I'm off to talk my husband into making some homemade ice cream for me to put my caramel on!  Enjoy!!     

Taste of Our Home Tuesday: Congo Bars

I was searching for a dessert one day on Pinterest and found these bars.  I already have a recipe very similar to this one that I believe are called Blondies.  I've made them numerous times but they were never as good as a chocolate chip cookie.  For whatever reason I decided to give these a try.  To my surprise they tasted very similar to a chocolate chip cookie.  The middle stays gooey and moist and the top has a thin layer of golden brown cookie.  My favorite part is that they are very quick to make!  I needed a snack for life group one Tuesday and hadn't had time Monday night.  I woke up early Tuesday morning before school and quick made a batch.  They were ready to take that evening without me spending forever in the kitchen.  I never know when I'm going to need a quick dessert to take somewhere.  It's nice to have something quick to throw together if needed!  Enjoy!

Picture by Six Sisters Stuff

Congo Bars Recipe:

(Recipe adapted from Bakerella)

2 3/4 c. all purpose flour
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2/3 c. butter, softened
2 c. brown sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 package milk chocolate chips
1 c. chopped pecans (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Set aside. Combine butter and sugar using a mixer until blended. Add eggs, one at a time to sugar mixture, mixing on low in between each addition. Add vanilla and mix. Add flour and mix until combined. Stir in chips and then pecans.

Coat a 9×13 pan with non-stick spray and spread batter evenly into dish.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until top is golden brown. Make sure you don’t over bake.

Taste of Our Home Tuesday: Peachy Keen Bars

I found this dessert on Pinterest and decided it looked too delicious to pass up!  I had some leftover cherry pie filling that I needed to use before it got old, so I decided to substitute that instead of the peaches.  It ended up making it pretty sweet, but after heating up a slice and adding a scoop of vanilla ice cream, IT WAS PERFECT!!  Next time I make this I want to use peaches.  As someone stated on Pinterest, "Best Pinterest recipe yet!"  Enjoy!

 

Ingredients

1 pkg dry cake mix-white, yellow or french vanilla

1/3 c butter, room temperature

2 lg eggs, divided

29 oz can light peach slices, drained

8 oz cream cheese, room temperature

1/3 c sugar

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13” pan with nonstick cooking spray.

2. In a large bowl combine cake mix, butter and 1 egg; mix with fork just until crumbly. Set aside 1 ½ c. crumbs for topping.

3. Press the remaining crumbs on bottom of prepared pan; Bake 10 minutes.

4. Cut peach slices into 1” pieces; Spoon onto partially-baked crust.

5. In a large bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar, 1 egg and vanilla extract; beat with mixer until creamy. Spread over top of peaches.

6. Sprinkle with reserved crumbs; Bake 30 minutes.

7. Chill at least 30 minutes before serving; Serves 12. Store leftovers in refrigerator.

Taste of Our Home Tuesday: Soft Monster Cookies

I found these cookies on Pinterest and pinned them immediately because I LOVE big soft peanut butter cookies!  I think these cookies are delicious!  Justin says they aren't his favorite.  He prefers these monster cookies instead.  Give them a try and see which ones you prefer!   

Soft Monster Cookies

1/2 cup or 1 stick of butter (at room temperature)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup quick cooking oats
3/4 cup m&ms
1/4 cup chocolate chips
1/4 peanut butter chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Start by combining the butter, brown and white sugars in a large bowl using a hand/stand mixer or your own brute strength. Add the peanut butter, stir again. Add the egg, stir, vanilla stir.
Measure in the baking soda and flour and stir just until combined. Stir in the oats, m&ms, chocolate chips and peanut butter chips.
Scoop using a cookie scoop or two teaspoons measuring about 2 tablespoons onto a cookie sheet lined with a Silpat mat or sprayed with cooking spray (just in case). Press down gently as they do not spread on their own.
Bake for 9-10 minutes but no longer. You want these to stay soft. Remove from the oven and let cool on the cookie sheet for 2-3 minutes then move to a cooling rack.

Taste of Our Home Tuesday: Apple Dump Cake

I needed a quick dessert and found this easy cake on Pinterest.  I made a few changes because I didn't have a few of the ingredients I needed.  I only had one jar of apple pie filling from my canning last year and I had no pecans.  I decided to make 2 small desserts instead of one large one.  I used 2 nine by nine pans and put the apple pie filling in one and blueberry pie filling in the other.  I sprinkled half of the pie mix over the apples and the other half over the blueberries.  Because I didn't have pecans I just omitted them and continued on with the butter.  They both turned out very well and could be used with any kind of pie filling!  I will definitely be making this again in the future.  Enjoy!

Ingredients:

2 cans apple pie filling

2 Tbsp. cinnamon

1 box yellow cake mix

2 sticks butter

1 C pecans, chopped

Whipped cream or Ice Cream

Directions:

Dump 2 cans apple pie filling into a 9 x 13 pan.  Sprinkle with cinnamon.  Crumble the dry cake mix over the apple mixture.  Sprinkle the pecans over the cake mix.  Slice each stick of butter into 12 equal pieces, and place the pieces on top.  Bake at 375 degrees for about 45 minutes or until golden brown. 

Taste of Our Home Tuesday: Lemon-Blueberry Pound Cake

I love lemon, but Justin prefers desserts that just have a mild lemon flavor.  This cake looked yummy so I thought we'd give it a try.  I was very pleased.  It had enough lemon flavor that I could taste it and it wasn't to over powering for Justin's taste.  Enjoy!!

Picture by Taste of Home

Ingredients
1/3 cup butter, softened
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 egg white
1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups fresh or frozen unsweetened blueberries
3 cups all-purpose flour, divided
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (8 ounces) lemon yogurt
GLAZE:
1-1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup lemon juice

Directions
Grease and flour a 10-in. fluted tube pan. In a large bowl, cream the butter, cream cheese and sugar until blended. Add eggs and egg white, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in lemon peel and vanilla.
Toss blueberries with 2 tablespoons flour. In another bowl, mix the remaining flour with baking powder, baking soda and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with yogurt, beating after each addition just until combined. Fold in blueberry mixture.
Transfer batter to prepared pan. Bake at 350° for 55-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes before removing to wire rack; cool for 15 minutes.
In a small bowl, mix confectioners' sugar and lemon juice until smooth. Gradually brush onto warm cake, about one-third at a time, allowing glaze to soak into cake before adding more. Cool completely. Yield: 12 servings.

Taste of Our Home Tuesday: Pumpkin Crumb Cake

Around Thanksgiving I had found this recipe on Pinterest and pinned it.  I love anything pumpkin.  I didn't have time to try it until Sunday.  It is super moist and delicious!  The topping is a little crunchy and hard to cut through without smashing the cake underneath.  I really like that it's made in a loaf size pan instead of a large cake pan, it's easier for us to get it eaten before it's not good anymore.  Here is the original site where the cake was pinned from.  Enjoy!     

Picture by: Mommy? I'm Hungry!

Cake Batter
1 3⁄4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1⁄2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
3⁄4 teaspoon salt
1⁄2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 1⁄4 cups sugar
3 large eggs
1 cup canned pureed pumpkin
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1⁄3 cup milk
3⁄4 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Topping
2⁄3 cup plus 2 tablespoons rolled oats
1⁄2 cup all-purpose flour
1⁄2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1⁄2 teaspoon cinnamon
6 tablespoons unsalted butter

Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F.
-Grease a 9x5x3-inch loaf pan and line with parchment paper.
-To make the topping, combine 2⁄3 cup oats, flour, sugar, and cinnamon in processor. Add butter and cut in until crumbly. Transfer mixture to medium bowl. Stir in remaining 2 tablespoons oats. Set to one side.
Sift the flour, pumpkin spice, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a bowl.
-In a separate bowl, beat the butter with an electric mixer until smooth. Gradually beat in the sugar and 1 egg at a time.
-Add the pumpkin and vanilla extract to the wet batter mix.
-Gradually beat the dry ingredients into the batter. Slowly add the milk and stir in the walnuts (optional). Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and spread with the topping.
-Bake the loaf cake until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, about 55 minutes. Cool in the pan for 15 minutes.
-Turn the cake out onto a rack and cool completely.

Taste of Home Tuesday: Simple Cream Cheese Danish

Yesterday we had some friends over for dinner.  I was looking for a quick dessert and found these cream cheese danishes I had pinned on Pinterest a while back.  Justin thought they sounded good so we quick made them.  We like cherries so I added cheery pie filling to each danish.  They were delicious!!  I loved how simple and quick they were!  We will be making these often in the future. 

Ingredients:
2 cans of crescent rolls
1 8oz package of cream cheese at room temp.
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tsp lemon juice
3/4 tsp vanilla
1 tsp sour cream
Optional: pie filling or fruit preserves of your choice
Icing:
1 cup confectioner's sugar
1 tbsp milk
1 tbsp softened butter

Preheat the oven to 350.
Open the crescent rolls carefully to avoid unrolling or tearing the dough. You'll need to leave it in it's cylindrical shape. Slice the dough into pieces about 1/4 inch thick (as though you're slicing cookie dough). Place the slices on a cookie sheet and press the center in to make an indentation for the cream cheese filling.
In a large mixing bowl, mix together the cream cheese, white sugar, lemon juice, vanilla and sour cream. Add a dollop of the mixture to the indentation you made in each circle of dough. I find that about a tbsp works well, but you can use as little or as much as you like. If you like fruit with your danish, you can also add it to the rolls before the cream cheese mixture. (I like cherry pie filling or blackberry preserves, personally.) Bake for 15 - 20 minutes.
While the danish are baking, you can make a quick royal icing to drizzle over the tops. Mix together the confectioner's sugar, milk and butter in a small bowl. You can use a spoon to drizzle it over the tops of the danish, or you can put it into a small zip-top bag and snip of the corner for an easy "piping bag." Take the danish out of the oven and allow them to cool for 10-15 minutes before icing.
Voila! Cream cheese danish without leaving the house or breaking a sweat.