Orange Yogurt Loaf Cake.

Recipe 31.

Orange Yogurt Loaf Cake (from Sprinkle Bakes).

This loaf cake was so fun to make.  Zesting oranges, making glaze, quick and easy. What else could you ask for? Well, I guess I'd ask for more cake, but I have a relentless sweet tooth.

Glaze instructions are ridiculously easy. I don't understand why so many times my glazes are too runny or too thick or too not-delicious. But this is the first time I got glaze perfectly right!!! I was so excited that I think I made two or three batches of glaze just to prove that it actually happened! So, it happened. Breanna is a glaze maker. She didn't mess it up. Be proud.

Ingredients:
Cake:
1 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup yogurt (I used plain greek yogurt)
3 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla
zest of 2 large oranges (about 2 tbsp)
1/2 cup oil (I used extra light olive oil)

Glaze:
1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1 cup powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a loaf pan and set aside

Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. In a large bowl, whisk together yogurt, sugar, eggs, orange zest, vanilla, and oil. Gradually whisk in dry ingredients until well blended. Transfer batter to prepared loaf pan. Bake for about 50 minutes (or until tester comes out clean). Let the cake cool slightly, remove it from the loaf pan and then immediately return it to the pan. This helps is not stick but keep its shape.

In a medium bowl, whisk together orange juice and powdered sugar. Pour over the loaf cake and let stand until the glaze soaks into the cake. Slice and serve!

This recipe is a keeper! Definitely going into my favorites list.

America Cake.

Recipe 28.

America Cake (from Ina Garten).

Contessa calls it flag cake if you want to look it up. 

I call it America Cake.

Want to know why? Even if you don't, I'm telling you. I call it America Cake because it's delicious and perfect and amazing and awesome and I had three pieces and didn't even feel bad about it. In America you can have your cake and eat it too.

This is going at the top of my list with that really good focaccia bread I made once. Yes, I'm keeping tabs on my favorites. Yes, I'll be making my favorites for the rest of my life.

Make. This. Cake. Before. You. Die.

Ingredients:

2 1/4 sticks unsalted butter at room temp

3 cups sugar

6 eggs at room temp

1 cup sour cream at room temp

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

3 cups flour

1/3 cup cornstarch

1 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp baking soda

Icing Ingredients:

4 sticks unsalted butter at room temp

1 1/2 pounds cream cheese at room temp

1 pound confectioners' sugar

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

Toppings:

Lots of strawberries and blueberries

Are you excited yet?? 

If you aren't go back and read through how much butter and cream cheese you'll be using.

If you aren't excited now, you need to run to the doctor to get your vitals checked.

Heat oven to 350. Grease and flour an 18 x 13 x 1 1/2-inch sheet pan.

Cream the butter and sugar in your electric mixer, on high, until light and fluffy. With your stand mixer on medium speed, add eggs, sour cream, and vanilla. Stir until smooth.

Sift together flour, cornstarch, salt, and baking soda. With the mixer on low speed, add this dry mixture to the butter mixture until just combined. Pour into pan, smooth the top, and baking for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool to room temperature!!

For the icing, combine the butter, cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla with an electric mixer, just until smooth. Spread across cooled sheet cake. Create the field of stars with blueberries. Cut strawberries (or use raspberries) for the stripes.

Cut the cake into pieces, open your apartment window, post a picture on a social networking site, and watch it disappear in twenty minutes. Flag day was a month ago and people are still talking about it!

Swiss Chocolate Mousse Cake.

Recipe 23.

Swiss Chocolate Mousse Cake.

One of my favorite people at my school is a sweet German lady who pulls my students and does interventions with them. She got a glimpse of my baking blog while she was in my classroom, and offered me a family recipe. She told me she doesn't give it to everyone, but she knew I would use it well. I asked her permission to share it with all of you and she said, "Of course!" She gave the recipe to me in gram measurements, so I took some time converting it into customary units and perfecting the amounts to make it easier for us Americans. My friends raved over this cake, and you will too!

Ingredients:

1 1/3 cup butter

1 1/3 cup sugar

9 eggs, separated

11.5 oz chocolate chips, melted

1 1/3 cup flour

The steps are simple. Beat the separated egg whites in a bowl. In a large bowl, combine butter, sugar, chocolate, and flour until well mixed. Then fold in the egg whites. Bake for 30-45 minutes at 300 degrees. The middle of the cake should be almost solid, but not fully cooked. It is mousse cake, so you want it to be soft and gooey in the middle. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Eat your heart out.

This is a recipe that I plan on using time and time again. It is beautiful, classy, and still a crowd pleaser. It's going in my all-life-time favorites. Which is saying a lot!

Cheesecake Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars.

Recipe 21.

Cheesecake Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars (adapted from Heat Oven to 350).

Seriously, go back and read the name of this. Cheesecake. Chocolate chip. Cookie. Bar. I have no words except for these: Heavenly deliciousness in your mouth.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1/2 cup butter flavor shortening

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

2 tsp vanilla

3/4 tsp salt

1 large egg

1 tsp baking soda

2 cups flour

2 cups chocolate chips

8 oz cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg

1/2 tsp vanilla

Cream together butter, shortening, sugars, vanilla and salt in a large bowl. Beat in the egg, then the baking soda and flour. Mix in the chocolate chips, divide the dough in half, and set aside.

In a separate bowl, cream the cream cheese with 1/2 cup sugar. Beat in 1 egg and 1/2 tsp vanilla.

Spread 1/2 the cookie dough on the bottom of a 9x13 pan. 

Spread the cream cheese mixture over the cookie dough.

Flatten chunks of the remaining cookie dough and place them near each other on top of the cream cheese layer. Just try to cover the surface as well as possible.

Bake at 350 for 35-45 minutes or until the top is browning. Cool completely, store in the refrigerator. Try not to eat them all in one sitting.

Focaccia Bread.

Recipe 18.

Focaccia Bread (adapted from here).

Everyone. Pay attention. I'm not even kidding. This may or may not be my favorite thing I've made so far. And it was so easy. Please make this bread. I want to share all my joy and happiness with you.

Ok now that we are through with that, this bread was fantastic! Dip it in a little olive oil and pepper and it doesn't get any better than this, folks. And it only took a couple hours! Who could ask for more?

Ingredients:
2 tsp yeast
1 cup warm water
2 tbsp sugar
3 1/2 cups or more flour
1 tbsp coarse salt
1/4 cup olive oil

Toppings:
2 tbsp olive oil
minced garlic
shredded Parmesan
coarse salt
black pepper
fresh rosemary

In your mixer's bowl, proof the yeast by combining it with the warm water and sugar. Stir gently to dissolve, and let sit for 3 minutes until foamy.  Turn mixer on low and slowly add the flour to the bowl. Dissolve the salt in 2 tbsp of water and then add it to the mixture. Pour in the 1/4 cup olive oil. Increase the speed, and scrape the dough off the hook periodically.  After about 10 minutes the dough should be smooth and elastic.  Add flour when necessary.

Fold and knead the dough on the counter a few times, form into a ball, and set into a well-oiled bowl.  Oil every side of the dough so it doesn't form a skin, and cover with plastic wrap.  Let rise in a warm place for only 45 minutes!

Coat a pan with olive oil. Once the dough is doubles in size, roll and stretch it into an oval-ish shape that will fit on your pan. Put it on the pan and let the dough rest for 15 minutes.  Preheat oven to 400.

Uncover the dough and press into it with your fingertips to create the 'dimples.' Brush the surface with more olive oil and then add as much garlic, olives, cheese, salt, pepper, and rosemary as you'd like! Try topping it with nearly any spice! Bake on the bottom rack for 15 or 20 minutes. Enjoy!

Please please tell me if you make this and how it turns out! I want to make it again right now.