Creamy Dump Cake – photo edition
Posted on: March 11, 2010
I thought I’d be creative and try something new tonight. I’m channeling my inner “Pioneer Woman”. I’m going to give you a step-by-step, with pictures, guide. So here is the traditional Dump Cake..revamped..with Brandy!
You will need: Brandy, Butter, Sugar, Heavy [Whipping] Cream. If you’re not into Brandy, you could use Rum or maybe even Sprite.
Dump the ingredients into a small saucepan. 1/4th Cup Brandy, 1/2 Stick Butter, 1/4th Cup Sugar, 1/4th Cup Heavy Cream. Easy as pie. I just reused the small measuring cup I used for the sugar.
Turn on heat to medium. Stir constantly! You don’t want to burn this delicious beauty.
You want to bring it to a slight boil. This is not a slight boil. Don’t do what I did. Anyway, turn off the heat and set this aside.
Next, grab these ingredients: Butter, Yellow Cake Mix, CRUSHED Pineapple, Cherry Pie Filling. I didn’t have any crushed pineapple, so I had to use the chunks and crush them myself. It wasn’t pretty. Don’t do what I did.
Now, dump the [newly crushed] Pineapples into a 13x9in Baking Dish…
…dump the can of Cherry Pie Filling on top of that. Looks a little like cherry cheesecake, doesn’t it? Well it’s not.
Stir them all together using your ugly green spatula until it looks like this.
Let the fun begin! Pour about 3/4ths of the brandy cream mixture into the dish. And ignore the wine glass on the right-hand side of the picture. I don’t know how that snuck into the picture.
You should have about this much sauce left. I didn’t use it all because it would have made the cake too watery. So just set this aside for now.
Now, pour the cake mix (dry) evenly on top of the gooey-cherry-pineapple-brandy-cream mix.
Use a clean, ugly green spatula to smooth it out (just a little because you don’t want to disturb it too much.)
Now, take your butter and cut off small slices. Ideally it should be cold so it’s easier to slice.
Now put the slices on top of the cake mix…
…Until it’s all pretty, like this. Actually that’s not pretty, but that’s beside the point.
Optional: Drizzle the rest of the Brandy Cream sauce over the top! You won’t regret it. Trust me. Let sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes or so.
Now, bake it in a 350 Degree oven for 30 – 45 minutes.
It should look like this. In a perfect world, there will be no dry spots on top. This is not a perfect world.And there’s nothing wrong with the dry spots. It’s all delicious. And not even the slightest nutritious.
Serve with homemade whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. I forgot to take a picture of it after I had dished it out and was getting ready to eat it. Sorry. It was too good to wait.
INGREDIENTS:
1/4th Cup Brandy
4 TBSP (1/2 stick) Butter
1/4th Cup Heavy Whipping Cream
1/4th Cup Granulated Sugar
1 Box Yellow Cake Mix
1 Can Crushed Pineapples
1 Can Cherry Pie Filling
1 Stick of Butter
- Combine the Brandy, 1/2 Stick Butter, Heavy Cream, and Sugar in a small saucepan.
- Turn on heat to medium and bring to a slight boil. Take off heat and set aside.
- Dump Pineapple in 13×9in baking dish, then dump Cherry Pie Filling on top of that. Pour on about 3/4ths of the Brandy Cream Sauce. Mix with spatula and spread evenly.
- Dump Cake Mix on top of fruit mixture, spread with spatula to get it even in the dish, being careful not to disturb the fruit mixture on the bottom.
- Thinly slice the stick of Butter, then place it evenly on top of Cake Mix.
- Drizzle the remaining portion of the Brandy Cream Sauce on top. Let sit at room temperature for 30 min. (these are optional)
- Bake in 350 degree oven for 30 – 45 minutes, until golden brown on top.
Strawberry Brandy Cake Balls
Posted on: March 6, 2010
Strawberry Brandy Cake Balls
INGREDIENTS:
1 Box Strawberry Cake Mix (and ingredients called for on back of box)
- Eggs
- Oil
- Brandy
- Sprite or 7up or Sierra Mist
¾ Tub Cream Cheese Frosting (16oz)
1 Package (20 oz) Chocolate Almond Bark
1 Heaping TBSP Crisco (optional)
- Make Cake as directed on back of box (It’s generally Eggs, Oil, and Water). However, instead of the Water, substitute ½ of it with Brandy and ½ of it with Sprite. (i.e., recipe calls for 1 Cup Water; instead, use ½ Cup Water and ½ Cup Sprite)
- Cool Cake Completely. Once cooled, use forks to crumble the cake in a large bowl.
- Add in about ¾ tub of Frosting, mixing until completely incorporated. It’s easiest to mix it together with 2 forks.
- Roll mixture into small balls. I like to use a 2-teaspoon scoop and then roll them into balls in my hand. Place on cookie sheet lined with waxed paper and chill for a few hours. (You can chill them in the freezer or fridge; about 1 – 3 hrs for the freezer or 2 – 5 hrs for the fridge.)
- Melt Chocolate as directed on package, in microwave or in double boiler on stove. Add crisco, if using, and stir until combined.
- Roll balls in chocolate and lay on waxed paper to firm up. (I use a fork to dip it in the chocolate, then a spoon to spoon the chocolate over it, then bang the fork on the rim of the bowl a few times before putting the ball on waxed paper.)
- I like to store them in Tupperware the fridge to keep them cool. Now… go forth and eat one. Just one. I dare ya!
You can use any different combination of cake mixes and frostings! You could do Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting, Yellow Cake with Chocolate Frosting, Yellow Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting, Strawberry Cake with Vanilla Frosting, etc. I actually put about ¼th of a Cup more Sprite in the cake to make it extra moist.
Simple Salad
Posted on: February 8, 2010
- In: Sides
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I discovered this a couple of months ago at a friend’s house and have been making it like it is going out of style ever since. I think I have just about worn myself out on it. I made this for a post-Christmas family dinner and even my 7 year old nephew enjoyed it. Score!
*Simple Salad*
Serves: 4 – 6
Prep Time: 5 – 10 min.
INGREDIENTS:
1 Head of Lettuce, cut into salad sized pieces (I use Green leaf Lettuce)
1 Small Sweet Onion, finely diced (or even ½ regular sized onion)
1 Medium Tomato, finely diced
Garlic Salt
1 TBSP Olive Oil
- Put Lettuce, Onion, and Tomato in a large salad bowl.
- Sprinkle on Garlic Salt; anything from a couple of shakes to a whole tablespoon, depending on your salty tastes. And your blood pressure level.
- Drizzle on Olive Oil and toss. Serve immediately.
Notes: Because I am a lettuce snob, I like to cut up my lettuce as opposed to ripping it apart. This salad doesn’t keep very long due to the olive oil wilting factor, so make sure there are no leftovers. Go ahead…eat the whole thing. You’ll thank me later.
How To Brine A Turkey
Posted on: November 26, 2009
I brined my turkey this year for the first time. All I can say is…YUMMMMO!
Plan on “brining” the turkey for about 1 hr per pound of bird. Since I have a 12lb turkey I will brine mine for about 12 hrs. It is much better to brine for too little time than too long. Too long of a brine will make for far too salty of a bird (or so I’m told). Make sure to start with a fully thawed turkey. I thaw mine in the fridge for a few days beforehand so it will be ready when it’s time to brine. I get a CLEAN, unused bucket that will hold the turkey completely and allow it to be completely submerged. The ratio is about 1 Cup of Kosher Salt and 1 Cup of Sugar for every 1 gallon of water used. The salt breaks down the connective tissues inside the turkey and helps hold in juices, making it tender and juicy, whereas the sugar helps to counteract the salt, making it not be too salty.
• 1 Turkey (about 12lbs)
• 1 Big Bucket (about 5 gallons, or whatever is big enough to hold the turkey)
• 2 Gallons of Water
• 2 Cups KOSHER Salt (don’t use table salt)
• 2 Cups Granulated Sugar
• 1 Head of Garlic, cut in half
• 1 heaping TBSP Peppercorns
• 1 TBSP Allspice Berries
• 1 tsp Whole Cloves
• 2 Sprigs of Rosemary Leaves
• 2 Sprigs of Thyme
• 2 Bay Leaves
- Start with a fully thawed turkey. Rinse it and take the giblets and goodies out of the inside. Also, cut the string that holds the legs together and throw away. Set turkey aside.
- Pour the water into the bucket and stir to dissolve the salt and sugar. (If you have to dissolve it over the stove in a pan, don’t let it come to a boil and make sure it is completely cooled before the turkey touches it.)
- Add the rest of ingredients to the bucket. (garlic, peppercorns, allspice, cloves, rosemary, thyme, bay leaves) Give it a big stir. Or two.
- Carefully lower the turkey into the bucket, breast side down. Make sure there is enough water to cover the turkey – if not, simply add a little more. Cover bucket and set in fridge for about 12hrs. If possible, turn one time about halfway through.
- After the 12hrs, take the turkey out of the brine. Rinse it in the sink to get all of the salt water off. Make sure to pat the bird dry with paper towels, especially if you are planning to fry it. (A wet turkey going into a hot fryer is a potential recipe for a fire.) Throw out the brine mixture; It has been contaminated with raw poultry and cannot be used again. Thoroughly clean and disinfect the bucket – set aside if you are planning to use it again next year, and never use it for storing chemicals or anything other than food.
*Remember poultry safety. Don’t touch a surface that has been touched with poultry unless it has been cleaned. When you touch raw poultry, make sure to thoroughly wash your hands afterwards and before touching anything else. And always disinfect the area and the area around where raw poultry has been.
