Pumpkin Pound Cake with Cream Cheese Glaze

 So there is nothing I love more than pumpkin.  Well almost nothing, but pumpkin makes me very happy, not sure if it is the thought of fall or the yummy smell of it when you are baking.  Whatever it is, I love it!  So I knew that when I saw these super cute bake and serve mini loaf pans I had to make it pumpkin something.

Can you see all those eggs, 15 and three cups of butter.  Man there was so much, that should have clued me in before I started mixing it all together.

 Now I found these super cute pans at the local Winners which is like a warehouse, but not really.  They have home stuff, clothing and such and it is all brand name, just last years style and such.  Anyway, I love that store.  I went after Christmas and was digging and found about 8 packs of these things.  They were for $1.80 on mark down, so for 8 tins for $1.80 you cannot go wrong. They are all different styles, but who cares right? It means I don't have to wash tins and they are cute.  Win win people!

So I was stupid and used my hand blender to beat those egg whites, took forever.  Next time I just clean out my kitchen aid bowl.  And I love how I say next time, like I would do something this stupid again.  Never mind, I probably will.

So to start I sort of wanted to do a bread, but a sweet one.  So pound cake is what I thought of. And so I went on line and looked for the perfect cake.  Basically it had to have pumpkin in it, so it was not too hard to find.  I found this.  The Streaming gourmet made it sound yummy, and easy.  And I also figured I needed to triple the batch.  Sometimes I am just stupid, this is one of those times.

The batter really lightened up with the egg whites, but it was so hard to mix by hand.  Stupid wimpy arms.

Pumpkin Pound Loaf
By the Streaming Gourmet( altered slightly)
This makes one loaf, I tripled this.

-1 cup butter
-2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
-1 TSP baking powder
-1/2 TSP salt
-2 TSP pumpkin pie spice
-1 cup sugar
-5 large eggs, separated
-1/2 cup pureed pumpkin
-2 TSP vanilla bean paste

Pre heat oven to 350 and prepare your pans, if using paper ones like I did no need to prepare them other than putting them on a cookie tray.

Sift all dry ingredients together and set aside. Cream the butter then slowly add the sugar and cream together. Blend in egg yolks one at a time, making sure to fully mix after each one. Add the pumpkin and vanilla and fully mix.

Add dry ingredients in three additions mixing by hand, I used the machine, there was a lot of batter.

In a different bowl beat egg whites until they form soft peaks.  Once done fold into the pumpkin batter to fully mix it.  At this point I was swearing up a storm, there was so much batter and I was getting tired.  But it turned out okay, maybe not as fluffy as was intended but it worked.

Place into your pans and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. It took about 20 minutes for my mini ones, she said over an hour for the large loaf pan. Allow to fully cool.

I just used a larger ice cream scoop, and filled them like I do my cupcakes.  I did use the back of a spoon to spread it out a bit as the batter was super thick.

  So I wanted to triple the batch so I could have enough to share with lots of people.  This meant I called Hubby in a panic needing more eggs, I needed 15 and only had like 13.  I may have also been in my sweat pants and tank top, after changing after work. I never thought I would need that many, so that is why a normal person would fully read the recipe before they start.  Also if I had only made one loaf the can of pumpkin I had would have been way too much so it made sense at the time.  I swear.

See how pretty?  I have a convection oven so they baked pretty evenly, but if I did it again I would turn the pans half way, the ones at the back were darker than the ones at the front.

I ended up with 32 of these little cuties.  I ate one right out of the oven because I was not convinced it was baked through.  It was but it was light and I was sad, I thought a pound cake should be dense.  And it was not.  Oh well I figured no one else had to know, I would just tell them it was pumpkin loaf, not pound cake.  But after they cooled over night they became perfect, so I was thrilled.

Oh gosh, don't you just want to eat that with a spoon. I wonder what it would be like to freeze cream cheese icing and make it sort of like an ice cream.  I now have a new mission, cream cheese ice cream.  I can feel my tummy hurting already!

 I wanted to frost them, but not too much. So I decided on a glaze.  A cream cheese glaze.  I could have eaten just that, but then I would have probably been sick for days. So I refrained, I have some control you know.

Cream Cheese Glaze
by me, just tossing stuff in a bowl

-1 block cream cheese
-1 TBSP vanilla bean paste
-milk and icing sugar as needed

So cream the cream cheese.  And yes I know that sounds redundant, but cream cheese really isn't creamy if you get me. Anyway, do that, then add your vanilla.  Once you have done that add a few TBSPs of milk and then add sugar.  Add sugar until it is thick as you like, I wanted it to have some body, not a watery glaze, so it was spoon able  but it was really thin.  Does that make any sense?  No?  Well just do what you like, I won't judge you; too much.

I kept getting glaze on my fingers putting these into the bags.  And then I got lazy and just started wiping them on my pants because I was going to bed right after so they would be in the laundry.  I was so tempted to just keep licking my fingers, but I figure that is gross, and well, gross.

So once that was done I put them in clear plastic bags that I pack my cookies in.  They are pleated so they flared enough so that the cake fit perfectly. Then I just tied them with ribbon and put them in the fridge to set up.

See how pretty?  You just pull up the white frill on the wrapper and it pulled apart, there was some glue so you had to work at it, but it was still not too bad.

I took a bunch to work, and they were eaten and loved.  Or so I am told, one guy said his co workers were mean and gave him the one with the least icing.  I felt badly, but not badly enough to share the one I had packed in my lunch.

See how cute it is? 

These are great to eat out of the wrapper, just pull it apart and eat.  I liked slicing it up like a big loaf cake and eating each slice like it was huge, and then I felt like I was pigging out, when really I wasn't  Well not as much anyway. I think these would make cute gifts for the holidays, which I am sure those wrappers were really made for. Either way, I loved them, but would not triple the batch again, because I thought I was going to die mixing it all.  And no cake is worth death, even if it is covered in cream cheese icing.

I couldn't eat a whole one at one sitting, it was too much, but I sure tried.

Mini Fruit Pie Perogie Thingies

So I got all fancy and tried to take a nice picture.  This is what you get, so be impressed, please.

   I want you all to know that I may have to coin that phrase now, "Mini fruit pie perogie thingies" is going to be the name of my new cook book.  Or not, either way you heard it here first.

  So this is one of those, I wanted something fast, and I didn't get what I wanted at the store and I wanted to use an old tool I had, and I wanted it to be easy.  ( That's what she said.)

This was my set up, before the cherry pie filling hit the fan.  Or you know, got all over my stuff.

  Anyway,  I had plans to make some box mix cupcakes and I wanted to make another fast item to post about, and to take to work.  So I decided to revisit the fruit pies that I made with Pork Chop and his friend.  So I hit the store on the way home looking for pie filling and pie crust.  And this store is going in my bad books, I am always finding pass due stuff, but this time topped them all.  All the apple pie filling cans were covered in a thick layer of dust. That should have been my first clue, then I checked the dates.  I am so anal about best before dates, it drives Hubby nuts.  Anyway, they all expired in May of 2011.  It is June 2012 people.  I told a few people working their and the answer was "oh the people are all young here."

What does that even mean?

I have this rolling pin, Hubby really wanted it. I think we may have used it twice, so now it is three times.  We have a kitchen gadget issue obviously.

  So I sent an email to head office, I mean someone could get sick if they eat the old stuff right?  I mean one time it was week past due cottage cheese. But as of this post, no reply so what do I know right?

  Okay back to the pies.  So I ended up with cherry and pumpkin pie filling.  I grabbed three packs of the ready made pie crust and headed home.

I am sure if you wanted you could take the scraps and roll them back out, but you know how I am about extra work right? 

  I wanted to make small perogie size pies, because then you can eat like 4 and it is still not as bad as a big slice of pie.  Sort of.  So I had these perogie makers I got back in college.  And I actually used them in class, twice I think.  They were like $1 in china town, so it was worth it.  I like how easy they are to use and how small they make stuff.

See how clean this is, that was about to change, but not until after I took pictures.

  So to start I wanted to try pumpkin pie until I actually read the label, after I got home, and it said you needed to add an egg and evaporated milk.  I didn't have that milk, and I figured that even if I did it would make the filling too watery to work in my little perogie maker thing.  So I opted to just do cherry.

  As I was setting this all up, Pork Chop asked what I was doing, so I told him "Making baby pies like we did with So and So."  And he looked at me and said something like "I hope they are not ugly like mine" And I felt bad because he only remembered how his looked compared to his friends, not the fun of making them. So being the good mom I was I said "Yours were great!"  And he gave me "the look" and I just kept smiling like crazy, and so he walked away, and I think he was actually shaking his head.

I figured three cherries and just a tiny bit of the sauce was more than enough.  Then brushing the edges with egg wash helps them stick together.

 Anyway,I started by laying out the pie crusts, you get two in a pack.  I rolled it out just a bit to make it a little thinner.  Then I cut out the circles using the perogie maker.  I got 10 large and 6 mini ones out of each package of crust.

  Then I layed one crust in the maker, and pushed it in a little to make a dent.  Then I put a tiny bit of filling, too much and they explode.  Don't ask me how I know this.  Then I brushed the edges with egg wash.  I just mixed an egg with some water.  Then close and press the perogie maker and it seals it all together.  I placed them all on a parchment lined cookie sheet and brushed them with more egg wash.

After this one everything was covered in cherry pie filling.  I got a little carried away with it and wanted to put more in.  This was one of those times when less is more.  Which really makes no sense at all.

  I baked them in a 350 degree oven for about 9 minutes, just until the crust was browning.

  Then I used the mini circles to make chocolate peanut butter pies.  I needed something tiny and did not just want  chocolate so I used these itty bitty peanut butter cups I had.  I had to be careful, 3 of them was the max that would fit in the pie.  I sealed and egg washed them like the big pies, and they took about 7 minutes to bake.

This was my first try, I tied to put in 4 of those tiny candies and it made the stupid pie crust break, so only 3 would fit.

   Now I did bring a few to work, but I actually put a bunch in a plastic container and froze them.  I figure I can pop them in the toaster oven for a quick treat and that would be perfect.

  Pork Chop really wanted to try them, but didn't actually as far as I know.  But I loved them, and I swear one day I will do pumpkin.  This is a little pricey as the pie filling and crust are not that cheap, but if you are not lazy like me you could actually do it all from scratch.  And you know that will never happen in my home right?

Again, the professional picture I took.  I know, I just keep telling myself you come here for the humor and not the pictures.

 Also I think that pie is the new pop tart, you know, only without lots of icing.  So they are a healthier option for us.

  See what I did right there?  I just justified you being able to eat these for breakfast.

  Your welcome!


I'm linking up HERE

 

Cupcake's from Scratch

This is the whole shebang set up at Hubby's work.  I cannot complain about the "back ground" as my pictures usually have worse at home.

You all know me right?  I mean those of you that have read my blog before know I am not the queen of fancy stuff.  I like simple, I love boxed cake mix, I love to make things the easy way.  So when Hubby asked me to make some cupcakes for his work I was all over it.  

See I am all ready to bake.  By the time I was done it was no longer light out.  Darn Canada!

Then I may have made the mistake of asking what he wanted.  And the mention of a box mix may have come up, then an awkward silence may have happened.  And I may have said, "fine I won't use a mix"  Then I may have bought a new cook book to try out, because none of the other ones I had in my home had a good cupcake recipe in them.  I didn't look, but I am fairly sure that out of the 50 books I have (give or take) there was nothing worth while.

See how dark it is out now?  But look at all those yummy cupcakes!

  So I decided that I would use my blog as a platform to spend money, and try out a new recipe and get a new cook book that I have been dreaming of.  It all worked out, but a box mix would have been easier, and cheaper, you know, just for your information Hubby.

So I finally got the new Sugarliscious book I have been trying to win on all the cool blogs.  Even though all the cool blogs don't do give aways in Canada, I still wanted to win. I don't hate them, it just means I need to win the lottery and buy a second home in the states.  Preferably Florida so I can go to Disney all the time. Anyway I gave up, bought the book then spent a while feeling like a dolt because there is a lot of cute in that book, and I bet I will never make any of it.  But I have it, so that counts.

 I planned to make mini cupcakes, half vanilla and half chocolate.  I planned to make an extra batch of vanilla because the people at my part time job say they like vanilla.  I sort of don't know how I can even look at them when they say things like that.  Chocolate is the clear winner people, but you know I aim to please.  So I went to work.

  When I bake in bulk I usually measure everything out for each batch and you know do that mes en plase thing.  (have everything ready before you start mixing)  I don't do that when I am doing one batch of something I have made before and know I have everything.  So I did that then got to work.  My plan was to make one batch of each for Hubby to take to work.  The recipe said it made 48 minis, which was perfect.  but then I started to scoop, and scoop and scoop.  About 50 minis in I gave up and made the rest into large cupcakes, and I got about 7.  So 50 minis and 7 large and I still had a little batter left.  But I ate it, don't judge, I wasn't about to toss it or make another cupcake.  And I had to do quality control.

And just so you know, Pork Chop heard me say "don't judge me."  And asked me what it meant.  So I told him "it means, don't think badly of me."

Now he will say it all the time.  He toots and I look at him to say "excuse me"  And he comes out with "don't judge me."  Drops a book or whatever, "don't judge me!"  I know, stupid kids, thinking they know everything.  How can you get mad at them for not saying excuse me when they say that?  You cannot, because you are trying really hard not to laugh. Darn parenting is hard!

  Anyway, back to cupcakes.

So seeing as I was stupid and did all that measuring, I was stuck having to make 3 batches.  Which, as my mom said, I could have just put the dry stuff in a bag and saved it, but you know, I was baking anyway.  So all said I had like 1 million mini cupcakes and 2 dozen large ones.  For work I just used the left over cream cheese icing I had, because I could keep them in the fridge at work.  Then for Hubby I made vanilla and chocolate butter cream.  I used a larger star tip, but not large large, just like a regular Wilton large star.  I know that made no sense, just pretend you get me.


My Cream Cheese Icing
(which may totally be a legit icing recipe somewhere, but I just put stuff in a bowl and mixed)

-1 block cream cheese
-1/2 cup butter
-1 TBSP Vanilla bean paste ( or just vanilla)
-milk and icing sugar to your liking

So just beat the cream cheese and butter with the vanilla and then add some milk and icing sugar, add icing sugar and milk, alternating between the two until you have it as thick as you like, and as much as you need.

You cannot really see the disco dust, it is night time after all.  I should have put on  a sixlet or something to make it cuter

Vanilla cupcakes
From Sugarlicious by Meaghan Mountford

-2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
-2 1/2 TSP baking powder
-1/4 TSP salt
-1 cup unsalted butter
-2 cups sugar
-4 eggs
-1 1/2 TSP vanilla
-1 cup milk

Cream the butter and sugar, add one egg at a time and mix, then add the vanilla.  Sift all the dry ingredients together and add some to mixture, then some milk, then alternate between the milk and dry ingredients until they are all mixed. Bake at 350 until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

For some reason the chocolate cupcakes did not rise as much as the vanilla ones.  Maybe  I screwed up, but they were still amazing.

Chocolate cupcakes
From Sugarlicious by Meaghan Mountford

-2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
-1 cup unsweetened cocoa
-2 TSP baking powder
-1/2 TSP salt
-1 cup butter
-2 cups sugar
-3 eggs
-1 TSP vanilla
-1 1/2 cups milk

Follow the same directions as for the vanilla cupcakes.

This is how I pack large amounts of mini cupcakes, as long as there are enough they won't slide around.  And I think this box with the cake board was $7 at the warehouse.  I am cheap and clean it and use it again.  

I don't know why I felt you needed to see this picture, but I am not used to bright in focus pictures so  I am using it.

So for work I piped on the cream cheese icing, and sprinkled on some disco dust with my super cute pixie dust shaker.  Then for the minis I did the same thing with the butter cream and packed them all up.  I even let Hubby use my cupcake stand that I made.

Not sure if you remember but I got this cake stand in a kit at the scrapbook store. It was just particle board or something.  I painted it all and then put it together, should have put it together first, it was a pain to try to put together with the blobs of paint in the seams.

 The cupcakes went over very well at my work, although they keep saying I am trying to make them all fat.  They should have figured that out months ago, I mean I could work out or something, or I could feed them and that would be way easier.

  I knew you would understand.

Can you see the cupcake wrappers?  They were not too much, I think $2.50 for 75, and they are grease proof, so they held their colour. Totally worth the splurge!

Hubby said the cupcakes went well at work, but he brought home a lot.  He said there were no where near as many people as he thought there would be.  So I ate like 100  minis over the next few days and finally had to toss out the left overs.  I felt sort of sad.  I mean I never have left overs.  I felt like a failure.

It looks like it's leaning to the right, oh well, I blame Hubby for that.

So to rate the recipe, it was really simple, and you got way more than the recipe quoted, which was great because more is always better with cupcakes.  The cake was nice and dense but not heavy, and the chocolate ones were so good, I would make them again in a heart beat.  The vanilla was really good too, if you like that sort of thing.  I mean I would not turn it down, but chocolate will always have my heart.

I love how they look!

I now want to try making cake balls with this recipe, but sort of worry I will really like it.  Then where would I be?  I mean I am sort of attached to my cake mix, so you know, don't expect me to change any time soon

Looking down, because Hubby had strict instructions to make sure he took pictures.

Oh and just so you know, I am totally going to use this trick again, because not only did I get to get a new cook book, I also got to buy fancy cupcake wrappers that did not lose their colour when baked.  It was like a total reason to splurge.  I may have to offer up my services to Hubby more often.

  My baking services that is, the other, that wouldn't get me a new cook book.  Unless.........well I may have to try that tactic.  I'll let you know how that pans out.

Ha get it?  Pan's?

I know, I'm lame.

And this is the artsy back light shot, better than anything I have done.