Samoa Bundt Cake

Samoa Girl Scout cookies are a special treat that comes once a year. That blend of crisp cookie, gooey caramel, toasted coconut and drizzle of chocolate is to die for, and now we won't have to wait any longer to get our 'fix'. Introducing... the Samoa Bundt Cake. This recipe was another Pinterest find and its appearance had perfect timing, a few days shy of my husband's birthday. I know how much he loves Samoa cookies (and sweets in general), so this was perfect to try out. I generally shy away from baking cakes unless we are having company or taking it somewhere; otherwise we have to eat the whole darned thing! It was a birthday cake, though, which means a celebration, and I knew we'd have plenty of family members to help demolish it.

From beginning to end (including clean up time), this cake took a little over 2 hours which isn't too shabby for a made-from-scratch cake. Keep in mind that the frosting needs to chill for one hour, the cake needs to bake for 50-60 minutes, and then it needs to cool completely before you frost it, so it's best to make the frosting first.

To toast the coconut, I used a large skillet on the stove set to medium-high. You must constantly keep an eye on the coconut and stir continuously until it reaches a golden brown. If you take your eye off, pieces will start to burn. How do I know tihs? Let's just say I took a second trip to the grocery store :( Another option is to toast the coconut in a 350 degree oven, keeping a watchful eye on it, and stirring it every few minutes. This seemed a lot of (hot) work to me, hence I went with the stove approach.

Making the frosting is really simple with a hispanic product called Dulce de Leche. Most grocery stores should have this next to the sweetened condensed milk. The brand name I used is La Lechera and its manufactured by Nestle. They make both Dulce de Leche and sweetened condensed milk, so pay close attention to what you grab. If your supermarket doesn't carry it, find your closest Hispanic grocery store as they should have it in stock.

Lots of bowls are used in this recipe due to two different cake batters being made in addition to the frosting, which means I even had to pull out my hand mixer. No worries, if you don't have a stand mixer and a hand mixer, just clean your supplies in between each step.

Combining the two batters to make it marble is kind of fun. First make sure you spray down your bundt pan heavily and dust it with some flour. I forgot the flour step and some of it stuck to the pan, but it was nothing that a little frosting couldn't patch up ;)

Once last tip - after you melt your chocolate, let it cool down a little bit before applying. I didn't do this and some of it slid right off the cake. The cooler it is, the better it will stick.

The overall verdict on this cake was that it was absolutely delicious, tasting very similar to the aforementioned cookie. It is super sweet, and a little goes a long way. I recommend serving it with milk or coffee. The next time you crave a Samoa cookie during the summer, fall, or whenever, this cake will definitely satisfy.

Samoa Bundt Cake

Frosting Ingredients

• 1 can of Dulce de Leche
• 1/2 cup confectioners sugar
• 2 T vanilla extract
• 2 sticks butter, softened
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup toasted coconut

Beat Dulce de Leche, butter, confectioners sugar, vanilla and salt for 3 minutes. Add in 1 cup toasted coconut. Chill for 1 hour.



Batter #1 Ingredients

• 1 stick of butter, softened
• 1 cup of dark brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup All Purpose flour
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup whole milk

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Beat butter and sugar on medium high until fluffy. Add in eggs, one at a time, mixing well. Add in milk and mix until well combined. In a separate bowl sift together the remaining dry ingredients. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients slowly and mix until well combined.



Batter #2 Ingredients

• 1 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup + 2 Tbsp All Purpose flour
• 1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp cocoa powder
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup oil
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup boiling water
• 1/2 cup milk

Beat oil and sugar on medium high until combined. Add in egg, mixing well. Add in milk and vanilla and mix until well combined. In a separate bowl sift together the remaining dry ingredients. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients slowly and mix until well combined. Stir in boiling water.

Grease and flour the bundt pan well. Layer the cake, pouring some of the brown sugar batter, then cocoa batter, then brown sugar, until both batter bowls are empty. Tap the bundt pan on the counter a couple of times to remove bubbles. Bake approximately for 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. (mine only took about 50 minutes). Let the cake cool for 15 minutes in the pan and then turn it out onto a cooling rack.



Topping Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups toasted coconut
• 3/4 cup chocolate chips

Once the cake is completely cooled, frost it and then sprinkle with coconut. On the sides and center you may need to gently pat it to stick. Melt the chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl in 15 second intervals until it is completely melted. Place chocolate in a ziploc bag with a corner cut out about 1/4″ up from the corner. Let it cool a little and then drizzle stripes on the cake.


Adapted from BetsyLife

Cornmeal and Rosemary Cake with Balsamic Syrup

When most people think of cake, they usually picture a tall, fluffy, soft, crumbly slice topped with a slather of frosting. Don't get me wrong, I love this 'normal' type of cake - but sometimes I want something a little different. I came across this recipe a couple of years ago while watching Giada on the Food Network and had never gotten around to making it. While sifting through my notebook of recipes (yes, I still have an old school recipe log), I came across this again and decided to go for it.

Rosemary and cornmeal are two ingredients usually not found in cake, but they work really well together here, especially with the balsamic syrup. This cake is dense and has the same texture of cornbread, but it's sweet, savory, and satisfying all at the same time. The syrup is extremely strong, and a little goes a long way so I recommend cutting the recipe for it below by a third unless you will have a use for the remainder of it (which is highly doubtful).

If you're craving something sweet, try this recipe out. I hope it warms your heart (and fills your belly) like it did mine.


Cornmeal and Rosemary Cake with Balsamic Syrup


Ingredients for the Cake

• 1/2 cup fine yellow cornmeal
• 1/2 cup cake flour
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary leaves
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups powdered sugar, plus more for dusting
• 4 large egg yolks
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup sour cream

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour an 8-inch round cake pan.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, cake flour, minced rosemary, baking powder, and salt.

Using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, on low speed beat the butter and vanilla together until combined. Slowly add the powdered sugar. Once the sugar is incorporated increase the speed to high and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg yolks and eggs, 1 at a time. Reduce the speed to medium and add the sour cream. On low speed add the dry ingredients just until incorporated.

Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and smooth the surface with a spatula. Bake in the lower third of the oven until the cake is golden and pulls away from the sides of the pan, about 35 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool. Transfer the cake from the pan to a serving plate and dust with powdered sugar. Serve with Balsamic Syrup on the side.


Ingredients for the Syrup

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 small sprig fresh rosemary

Place the sugar, balsamic vinegar, and rosemary in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and simmer until the sugar is dissolved, about 5 minutes. Discard the rosemary sprig and let the syrup cool.

Adapted from Giada de Laurentiis

Nutella Banana Bread

Nutella is one of those products that I have a love/hate relationship with. I absolutely love the way it tastes but hate that most recipes don't call for a lot of it. What does that problem lead to? I'll tell you what - a half-eaten container of Nutella in my pantry that I end up digging into with a spoon late at night.

Jokes aside, I really do love Nutella. I was first introduced to it a couple of years ago by Giada De Laurentiis on her Everyday Italian show. I remember thinking, how have I not heard about this stuff before? To my delight, when I travelled over to Paris a short time later, each hotel I stayed in offered little packets of Nutella at breakfast, just like your standard jelly, but only bigger!

As I was saying before, most recipes that call for Nutella just don't use enough of it in my opinion. Well this recipe is different. It calls for 3/4 cup of Nutella, giving you that rich, chocolatey, hazelnut flavor along with a little gooeyness in the middle from the added banana. This is definitely my kind of dessert. Yes, this is called Nutella Banana Bread, but in my opinion, it's more like a cake. It's dense like a cake, is definitely as sweet as a cake, and even comes out with a marble swirl, like the pound cake my grandma used to make.

With baking, you have to follow the recipe to a T if you want the result to come out perfectly. Therefore, I didn't touch a thing with this recipe and wouldn't recommend doing so. My bread came out moist and delicious and was best served warm. Pour yourself a nice glass of cold milk and enjoy - I sure did.

Banana Nutella Bread

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/4 cups mashed ripe banana (2 large or 3 small bananas)
• 1/3 cup skim milk
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 3/4 heaping cup Nutella

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray  an 8×4-inch loaf pan with nonstick spray.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt.

In a separate large bowl, beat sugar and butter with an electric mixer at medium speed until blended. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add banana, milk and vanilla. Beat until blended. Add flour mixture and beat at low speed just until the flour is incorporated (don’t overmix)

Spoon Nutella into a small dish and soften in the microwave for about 15 seconds. Add 1 cup of the banana bread batter to the Nutella and stir until blended well. Spoon Nutella batter alternately with plain banana bread batter into the prepared pan. Swirl batters together with a knife.

Bake 50 to 60 minutes. It will seem a tiny bit undercooked but that’s what you are looking for. Cool for at least 15 minutes in the pan, and then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.


Adapted from Six Sisters' Stuff