Category Archives: Breakfast

Cherry Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake

First of all I want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas!

This year we decided to do the food celebration in our home on Christmas Eve, since we won’t be home on Christmas Day.

I am kind of looking forward to having my food prepared for me on Christmas day, I think it might actually be the first time in my life (as an adult) that I am not cooking.

So, on Christmas Eve we are going to have a buffet style dinner with lots of bites and appetizers and goodies, no real cooking involved and lots of desserts. Of course, lots of desserts.

I am going to put this cake on the table too and I’m kinda hoping there will some left for Christmas morning. Fingers crossed…

It’s a pretty straight forward cake with just some glacé cherries and chocolate chips since kids don’t like to many “things” in their cake.

And the good part is you can make it a day or two in advance.

Ingredients;

1 C. butter, at room temperature and cut into cubes
1 1/4 C. Caster Sugar , packed
3 large eggs at room temperature
2 C. Self Rising Cake Flour
4 tbsp. Whole Milk
1 tbsp. Pure Vanilla Extract
25 red Glace Cherries cut in half
1/2 C. Semi-Sweet Chocolate chips
1 tbsp. flour

INSTRUCTIONS:

Pre heat oven to 160° C / 320° F

Butter your Bundt pan very well and dust with flour. Tap of excess flour.

Beat the butter until light and creamy in the bowl of your mixer.

Add the sugar and beat until pale and fluffy.

Add the eggs one at a time, waiting until fully incorporated before adding the next.

Add the vanilla.

Now add the cake flour in two times alternating with the milk.

Toss the chocolate chips and cherries with the tablespoon of flour, add to the batter. Mix it in with a spatula.

Divide the batter over the Bundt pan and even out with a spatula. Place on a rack, just below the middle in the oven.

Bake for about 60 to 70 minutes, until a wooden skewer comes out dry.

Remove from oven and let cool on rack for at least 20 minutes before turning over the cake.

Decorate with icing or frosting.

If you try this recipe let me know! Leave a comment below and don’t forget to snap a pic and tag it #thecookingspoonblog on instagram! You’ll make my day.

Not quite what you’re looking for? How about Brownie Cookie Squares with Chocolate Fudge Layer

Cream Cheese Cranberry Chocolate Chip stuffed Cinnamon Rolls

32 Replies

Woo Hoo! I am so happy to share this recipe with you. I have been wanting to make these for a while but I was waiting for the perfect moment. So that was this past weekend. I had the whole recipe figured out in my head, ingredients, cooking times, the whole shebang, I just hadn’t actually made them yet because I wanted it to be closer to Christmas. And since today I was having my Christmas tree delivered I had to stay home, and it seemed like the perfect moment had come.

Now about that christmas tree, does anyone else have their tree delivered? Because I had never heard of it. It felt very luxurious somehow. I live in an apartment and the thought of me struggling alone with a giant Christmas tree all the way from the parking lot to the building was more than I could bear so I researched and sure enough you can actually order them online and have them delivered to your living room.

No needles in my car, big hurray to that.

Anyway, I for one, am going to serve these on Christmas morning, among other things but they will have a place on the table. (…like, in front of me)

They are just so crazy delicious. Slightly crispy on the outside, and then a whole lot of oozing soft sweetened cream cheese, cranberry and chocolate chips all mingled together in perfect harmony.

I think I actually jumped a little when I tasted them, I was so excited. Normally I behave like an adult, but with all things Christmas going on I get a little excited and forget my poise.

What’s even better is that I made them with a can of croissant dough, that I had frozen in the can. Yes you can freeze a can of croissants! I took out the frozen can, wiggled off the wrapping (you know, the ones you twist) and defrosted the dough in the microwave for two minute and I was ready to roll, literally.

You don’t have to have anything at room temperature either. So you can decide spur of the moment to bake them without planning.

Serves 4

Ingredients;

1 can croissant dough

3/4 C. Cream Cheese mixed with 2 tablespoons of sugar of choice

1/2 C. cranberry jam / jelly / sauce or Holiday Cranberry and Pear Sauce with Star Anise.

cinnamon sugar made with 1 tablespoon sugar of choice + 2 tsp. cinnamon

1 beaten egg

1/3 Cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate

icing sugar for dusting

Method;

Flour your work surface and pre heat the oven to 180° C / 350 ° F.

open the can of croissant dough and roll it out. You will have a long strip. I flattened it even more with a rolling pin so that it would seal the perforations in the dough.

Sprinkle over the entire length, the cinnamon sugar leaving an inch from the seam free so that it will stick when closing.

With the help of a small spoon, place the cranberry jelly on top, followed by the cream cheese.

Divide the chocolate chips over the entire length.

Brush the seam with the beaten egg. Carefully roll the strip over to close it.

Divide into four pieces with a knife, sealing the edges a little with your fingers. Carefully roll each one into a coil.

Put onto a baking sheet that has been covered with parchment paper.

Brush the tops with the remaining egg.

Place in the middle of the oven and bake for about 25 to 30 minutes.

Remove from the oven and let cool on a rack before dusting with icing sugar.

If you try this recipe let me know! Leave a comment below and don’t forget to snap a pic and tag it #thecookingspoonblog on instagram! You’ll make my day.

Caramel Pumpkin Pie Baked Oatmeal

7 Replies

This oatmeal bake is so comforting, it has the warm spices we typically associate with fall, and it warms you up from the inside. I usually make it in the weekends and it may or may not last for a day or two. You can heat up any leftovers the next morning adding a splash of milk. And since it’s “Pumpkin Season”, yes, it has lots of pumpkin in it, so nice and creamy with a slight caramel flavor, you’ll love it.

Serves 6

Needed: Baking Dish 8.1″ Square (2 quart)

Ingredients;

1 lb. peeled pumpkin cubes

1 tbsp. melted butter

1/4 tsp. Pumpkin Pie Spice

1 tbsp. Organic Coconut Sugar

2 tbsp. milk of choice, I use Unsweetened Organic Soymilk

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2 2/3 C. Breakfast Oats (gluten-free)

1 1/2 tsp. Baking Powder

1/2 tsp. Pumpkin Pie Spice

1/4 tsp. Pink Himalayan Salt

1/2 C. Dark Chocolate Chips

2 C. milk of choice, I Use Unsweetened Organic Soymilk

2 large eggs

5 tbsp. Maple Syrup

1/2 tsp. Caramel Extract

1/2 tsp. Vanilla Extract

Method;

Preheat oven to 350° F

Place the pumpkin cubes in a bowl, add the spice, melted butter and coconut sugar. Toss to cover. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place all the pumpkin on the sheet distributing evenly. Bake for 25 minutes until tender when pierced with a fork.

Let cool. Place the pumpkin in a food processor and blend until smooth with 2 tbsp. of milk. Set aside.

In a bowl, whisk the two eggs with the milk, extracts and maple syrup. Stir in the pumpkin mash. Mix well, but it doesn’t matter if there are a few little lumps.

In an other bowl combine, oats, baking powder, spice, chocolate chips and salt. Stir to mix.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir to combine. Grease an oven dish and add the mixture.

Bake in the oven for 20 minutes until set and slightly wobbly in the middle. Let sit for a few minutes before serving and pour over some Maple syrup.

Serve warm with some crème fraîche, sour cream or thick greek yoghurt and more maple syrup. Leftovers can be heated with an extra splash of milk.

Halloween Donuts

36 Replies

GUESS what…it’s almost HALLOWEEN….

So exciting, I love Halloween. We also love making all food Halloween-ish, like these cute little Halloween Donuts. They are super easy and are baked rather than fried in oil. Everyone loves them, see for yourself.

Makes 6 Donuts

Needed: Donut Pan

Ingredients;

1 C. All Purpose Flour
Remove one tablespoon and replace it with Corn Starch
1 tsp. Baking Powder
1/4 tsp. Baking Soda
pinch of Pink Himalayan Salt
1 large egg at room temperature
1/3 C. fine Caster Sugar
6 tbsp. Buttermilk
2 tbsp. melted Butter
1 tsp. Pure Vanilla Extract

Method;

Pre heat oven to 350 F

Sieve the first four ingredients very well together.

In an other bowl, combine the remaining ingredients.

Stir in to the flour mixture. DO NOT OVER MIX.

Grease your doughnut pan or oil spray. Divide the batter between the holes.

Bake for 8 – 10 minutes. Insert a tooth pick to test if they are done. If it comes out dry they are ready. Remove them from the oven. Let cool completely before icing.

For the icing I have used confectioners sugar with natural food colours

and a Halloween Sprinkle Mix.

The icing has to be quite thick or it will absorb into the doughnuts.