"Dalmatian" Cupcakes

I made these cupcakes for a one-year-old's first birthday party. I dyed the frosting pink in honor of the little girl's big day. The recipe is from Betty Crocker.

2 packages (3 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 cups miniature or regular semisweet chocolate chips
1 package devil's food cake mix
1 1/3 cups water
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
Vanilla frosting (I made my own, you can use pre-made)


1 . Heat oven to 350ºF. Place paper baking cup in each of 24 regular-size muffin cups.
2 . Beat cream cheese, sugar and 1 egg in medium bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Stir in 1 cup of the chocolate chips; set aside.
3 . Beat cake mix, water, oil and 3 eggs in large bowl on low speed 30 seconds. Beat on medium speed 2 minutes.
4 . Divide batter among muffin cups (1/4 cup in each). Top each with 1 tablespoon cream cheese mixture.
5 . Bake 21 to 26 minutes or until tops spring back when touched lightly. Cool 10 minutes in pan. Remove from pan; cool completely, about 30 minutes.
6 . Frost tops with frosting. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup chocolate chips. Cover and refrigerate any remaining cupcakes.

Cinnamon Streusel-Topped Pumpkin Pie

From Cooking Light...

Ingredients

Filling:
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
2 large eggs
1 (15-ounce) can unsweetened pumpkin (or 2 cups fresh mashed pumpkin)
1 (14-ounce) can fat-free sweetened condensed milk

Crust (this time the recipe called for pre-made dough):
1/2 (15-ounce) package refrigerated pie dough (such as Pillsbury)
Cooking spray

Streusel:
1/3 cup all-purpose flour (about 1 1/2 ounces)
1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup regular oats
1/4 cup chopped pecans
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
2 tablespoons chilled butter, cut into small pieces
2 to 3 teaspoons water

Directions
Preheat oven to 375°.

To prepare filling, combine first 8 ingredients in a large bowl; stir with a whisk.

To prepare crust, roll dough to an 11-inch circle. Fit dough into a 9-inch pie plate coated with cooking spray. Fold edges under; flute.

To prepare streusel, lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 5 ingredients (through 1/8 teaspoon ginger) in a bowl. Cut in butter with a fork or fingertips until crumbly. Sprinkle with water, tossing with a fork just until lightly moistened.

Pour pumpkin mixture into crust; sprinkle with streusel. Place pie on a baking sheet. Bake at 375° for 50 minutes or until a knife inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from baking sheet; cool completely on a wire rack.

Caramel Apple Crumb Pie

from Cooking Light...

Ingredients

Crust:
1 Pillsbury pre-made crust (yes, I cheated, if you want the crust recipe, go to Cooking Light)

Filling:
1 tablespoon butter or stick margarine
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
9 cups sliced peeled Granny Smith apple (about 2 3/4 pounds)
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons lemon juice

Topping:
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons chilled butter or stick margarine, cut into small pieces
1/4 cup fat-free caramel sundae syrup

Directions
Preheat oven to 375°.

To prepare crust, fit dough into a 9-inch pie plate coated with cooking spray. Fold edges under; flute. Line bottom of dough with a piece of foil; arrange pie weights (or dried beans) on foil. Bake at 375° for 15 minutes or until the edge is lightly browned. Remove pie weights and foil; cool on a wire rack.

To prepare filling, melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Combine 1/2 cup brown sugar and cinnamon. Add sugar mixture and apples to skillet; cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; stir in 3 tablespoons flour and lemon juice. Spoon into prepared crust.

To prepare topping, lightly spoon 1/4 cup flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour and 1/4 cup brown sugar in a bowl; cut in 2 tablespoons butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse meal.

Drizzle syrup over apple mixture; sprinkle topping over syrup. Bake at 375° for 30 minutes or until apples are tender. Cool on a wire rack.

Lemonade Party Cake

Ingredients:

1 package lemon cake mix
Water, vegetable oil, and eggs as called for on cake mix directions
1/2 can (12 ounce size) frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed (3/4 cup)
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 tub fluffy white or lemon ready-to-spread frosting
lemon and strawberry slices (optional)

Directions:

Heat oven to 350F. Make and bake cake as directed on package for 13" x 9" pan. Cool 15 minutes. Stir together lemonade concentrate and powdered sugar. Poke top of warm cake every 1/2 inch with long-tined fork, wiping fork occasionally to reduce sticking. Drizzle lemonade mixture evenly over top of cake. Cover and refrigerate about 2 hours or until chilled. Spread frosting over top of cake. Garnish with fruit slices. Store loosely covered in refrigerator.

-From Betty Crocker cake package. I made it for book club last year.

Cupcakes!

I made cupcakes for book club last night. The cake is just a devil's food mix, and the vanilla frosting is made from 3 cups of powdered sugar, 1/3 cup butter, 1.5 teaspoons of vanilla, and 2 tablespoons of milk. I decorated them with jelly beans, gummi fruit slices, nonpareils, and sparkling sugar. Cute as well as delicious!