The Ninja Baker - #cake

Pink Chocolate Marble Cake with Fresh Strawberry Frosting, #TheCakeSliceBakers

NinjaBaker — Thu, 21 May 2015 02:57:01 +0000

The Cake Slice Bakers are a group of bakers from around the world. Every month a new challenge arrives...Currently, we are presented with the opportunity to bake one of four preselected recipes from Southern Living’s The Southern Cake Book. I combined two choices and created one Pink Chocolate Marble Cake with Fresh Strawberry Frosting.

Plump, pretty strawberries sway me to their side every time. Japan, my home country, is the world’s biggest consumer of dessert strawberries. This Ninja Baker couldn’t fathom saying no to those gorgeous fruit gems. Childhood influences are indelible, aren’t they?

Sometimes cake with coffee for breakfast is a beautiful thing.
(The frosting contains fresh strawberries so it must be legal, right?)

So, I plucked the Strawberry Mousse Cake option for this month’s Cake Slice Bakers presentation. Time, however, slipped through my hands. Resigned to my fate, I chose the Chocolate Marble Cake recipe. However, I stole the fresh strawberry frosting from the Strawberry Mousse Cake to top off my Pink Chocolate Marble Cake.

Fresh Strawberries 'n Cream in Cake!

Ninja Cake Notes:

Pink Chocolate: White chocolate powder with a dash of rose food coloring (the kind you use for candy) created the pink chocolate. The white chocolate flavor does not translate. Next time, I would melt additional white chocolate to add with the white chocolate powder. (Available at Coffee, Tea & Bean and online.)
Cake Test: The cake, however, does not disappoint. The Southern Cake Book’s marble cake is moist and hums homemade goodness. The kind your grandma, auntie or fill in the blank of your favorite childhood baker made. (I believe the butter may have something to do with this phenomena.)
Marble Magic: Despite the easy recipe, I was still a tad nervous about the marble effect. Would it work? Well, what do you know? Follow instructions and you’ve got a replication of the photo seen in The Southern Cake Book. (Except my marble was in pink instead of dark chocolate.) Perhaps you already know this trick. Basically, you pour vanilla batter into the bottom of the pan followed by the chocolate batter. Gently swirl to produce marble magic!

Pink chocolate marble cake magic!
The strawberry frosting is berry spectacular, too.

Pink Chocolate Marble Cake with Fresh Strawberry Frosting

Pink chocolate marbles classic buttery yellow cake. Topped with fresh strawberry frosting, this fluffy, fun cake recipe is ideal for birthdays. Pink Chocolate Marble Cake with Fresh Strawberry Frosting is great for other celebrations, too...such as making it through Monday!

Adapted from The Southern Cake Book's recipe for Chocolate Marble Cake.

Ingredients:

For the cake:

1 cup butter, at room temperature
1¾ cups sugar
(1½ cups for the vanilla batter, ¼ cup for the pink chocolate batter)
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2½ cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt (skip the fleur de sels, plain table salt works wonders!)
1 cup half-and-half
¼ cup white chocolate powder
3 tablespoons hot water
Rose pink food coloring

For the frosting:

6 tablespoons softened butter
6 tablespoons of finely minced fresh strawberries
2 ½ cups of powdered sugar

Directions:

For the cake:

Line a 13 x 9 pan with aluminum foil. (You probably already know this trick. But it’s worth mentioning and saves sooooo much time and dishpan hands!) Spray the foil with baking spray.

Preheat the oven to 325 (after 15 minutes of baking, you’ll increase the temperature to 350.)

In the bowl of a kitchen stand mixer, whip together the butter and sugar for 5 minutes. One at a time, add the eggs. Stir in the vanilla.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Divide the mixture into thirds. Pour the first third of flour into the butter bowl. (Begin and end with the flour mixture.) Beat on low speed. Alternate the flour additions with the half-and-half.

Once the batter is well combined, scoop out 1¼ cups into a separate bowl. Stir in ¼ cup white chocolate powder with 3 tablespoons of hot water and ¼ cup of sugar. Squeeze in a few drops of pink food coloring. Combine well. (For a more chocolaty taste, add melted white chocolate.)

Spread the vanilla batter into the prepared pan. Pour the pink batter over the first layer and swirl with a chopstick or knife.

Bake at 325 degrees for 15 minutes. Turn up the oven to 350 degrees. Bake for another 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

For the frosting:

Fluff up the butter with an electric mixer. Add in the strawberries and powdered sugar on low speed (to avoid dry cleaning bills from staining splatters!)

An InLinkz Link-up

Wishing you blessings of berry sweetness.

The Ninja Baker

© ™ Watkinson 2012

The Ninja Baker has guest blogged and contributed recipes to numerous food sites. These additional recipes can be found here.

Follow Ninja Baker @NinjaBaking's board NinjaBaker.com Sweets on Pinterest.

Tags:

#strawberry #frosting

#marble

Green Tea Honeysuckle Minis, #TheCakeSliceBakers

NinjaBaker — Mon, 20 Apr 2015 07:28:40 +0000

Surprise! The Ninja Baker chose the one Asian accented recipe in Southern Living’s The Southern Cake Book. After all, Japanese food and language were all this Ninja Baker knew until age 5. Tokyo was my hometown until age 18. So, yes, when one of the recipes up for experimentation, I mean baking, for this month’s Cake Slice Bakers was Green Tea Honeysuckle Cake, there was no waffling. But, seriously, who knew that besides sweet tea, Southerners have a thing for green tea?

Droplets of honey glaze Green Tea Honeysuckle Mini Rose Cake.

From trying other green tea matcha recipes penned by foreigners, I suspected that more matcha was required. I’m blonde and probably not allowed to use that word. So let me say green tea matcha recipes written by non-Japanese usually result in a whisper of green tea flavor. Yay for learning from experience instead of ignoring the small voice inside. My Green Tea Honeysuckle Minis are still subtle in the matcha department but the distinct taste of green tea is discovered. Heavy overtones of honey prevail in this Southern Cake Book recipe, too. By the way, the original glaze recipe for the cake declares a 3 minute reduction time. Really? Was someone sipping on one too many mint juleps that day? It took more like 8 minutes to get something approaching a syrup or glaze in my pan.

Matcha green tea frosting leaves top a mini cake loaf.

Ninja Note (plus shout out to the husband!): Clean your saucepan right away with tons of scalding hot water. I might have been scrubbing until my next post had the husband not pointed out the hot water trick.

Back to the actual Green Tea Honeysuckle Minis: The mini cakes are wonderfully moist, have a tender crumb and packed with deliciousness. (Those Southerners do seem to have a flair for delicious desserts!) The photo and recipe in The Southern Cake Book reveal a gorgeous vanilla bundt swirled with matcha green tea cake. But, sorry, this Japanese-influenced baker needed to make the whole cake matcha. And to bring even more green tea flavor to the dessert, I added more matcha powder to vanilla frosting and garnished most of the minis. (I thought the Green Tea Honeysuckle Mini Rose Cakes look better without frosting.)

Green Tea Honeysuckle Minis à la Mini Bundt Style!

The link for the original Southern Living The Southern Cake Book recipe is here. My Green Tea Honeysuckle Minis recipe follows.

Green Tea Honeysuckle Minis

Japanese green tea matcha powder mingles with honey in a moist, tender-crumbed cake. More matcha flavor is an option by adding tablespoonfuls to your favorite frosting.

The original recipe from The Southern Cake Book is here.

Ingredients:

For the cake:

1 cup butter, softened
½ cup vegetable shortening (I used the kind without saturated fats)
2½ cups superfine sugar
¼ cup honey
6 large eggs at room temperature
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup French Vanilla Coconut Milk
2 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon matcha green tea powder

For the glaze:

1 cup cane sugar
½ cup butter
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup Triple Sec liquor
3 tablespoons Cointreau
1 teaspoon yuzu juice

Garnish:

Your favorite frosting + 2 heaping tablespoons of matcha green tea powder

Directions:

For the cake:

Set the oven to 325 degrees. Coat mini cake pans with coconut oil. (Lots of coconut oil to ensure easy release.)

Whip up the butter and shortening in a kitchen stand mixer. Slowly pour in the sugar. When the mixture looks light and fluffy, add the honey. Drop in the eggs, one at a time.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.

Alternately incorporate the flour mixture with the milk into the butter bowl.

Pour the batter into the mini cake pans. (2/3 full)

Bake at 325 degrees for 26 to 30 minutes depending on the “mininess” of your cake pan. Do use the toothpick in the center method to determine if the cakes are done. A few clinging crumbs are fine. (But not a whole bunch.)

For the glaze:

Combine all the ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Constantly stir (as to avoid burnt sugar) for about 8 minutes.

Garnish:

Whip 2 heaping tablespoons of matcha green tea powder into your favorite frosting.

An InLinkz Link-up

Wishing y’all a week spiked with your favorite food and people!

The Ninja Baker

© ™ Watkinson 2012

The Ninja Baker has guest blogged and contributed recipes to numerous food sites. These additional recipes can be found here.

Tags:

Plum Wine Cake, #TheCakeSliceBakers

NinjaBaker — Fri, 20 Mar 2015 18:58:51 +0000

The Cake Slice Bakers are a group of bakers from around the world.
Every month a new challenge arrives...Currently, we are presented with the opportunity to bake one of four selections
from Southern Living’s The Southern Cake Book.

Amaretto-Almond Pound Cake called to The Ninja Baker. Alas, Italian Amaretto was vacant from this baking ninja’s kitchen.
So, Japanese plum wine was substituted and resulted in scrumptious success!

With the arrival of spring across the Northern Hemisphere, Japanese plum wine is spot on for sipping or pouring into cake. In Japan, flowering plums precede its more famous sakura cherry blossom cousin. Plum blossom viewing parties also commenced long before the idea of a cherry blossom viewing party came into fruition. The change in popularity occurred about the time political allegiances transpired. (When the capital of Japan moved from Nara to Kyoto. The current capital of Japan is Tokyo.) However, the Japanese plum blossom was never banished.

America's traditional Southern pound cake gets friendly with ancient Japanese plum wine.

Plum blossoms may currently take second place to the cherry blossom in terms of popularity. But, Japanese plum blossom festivals and parties are sprinkled throughout Japan. The flower and fruit of the Japanese plum blossom continue to thrive in Japanese culture and cuisine.

Here are 3 reasons why the Japanese plum blossom is still revered:
1. The pretty flowers whisper the promise of the spring.
2. Japanese plum blossom trees are said to ward off evil spirits.
3. The fruits of the tree beckon prosperity because of the restorative qualities of the Japanese plum.
(See The Ninja Baker’s Japanese Plum Sushi post.) Umeboshi - pickled plum - is also added to rice to stimulate the appetites of those who are ailing.

Cheers to your good health and prosperity with Japanese plum wine and cake!

Need any more reasons to bake with Japanese plum wine? Well, try the recipe below and treat yourself to a buttery pound cake infused with pink wine! P.s. Perhaps the Japanese plum wine balances out all the butter and sugar…I don’t guarantee the healthiest cake on the planet. But I do promise you a fusion of Japanese and American yumminess!

Plum Wine Cake

Buttery pound cake of the American South finds a friend in the ancient Japanese plum. The wine of the revered Japanese plum adds a touch of tart to the traditional Southern pound cake.

Adapted from The Southern Cake Book’s Amaretto-Almond Pound Cake recipe on page 217.

Ingredients:

1 cup roughly chopped walnuts
Lots of butter or coconut oil for greasing your bundt pan
1¼ cups softened butter for the cake batter
3 ounces softened Neufchâtel
2½ cups sugar
3 tablespoons Japanese plum wine
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Drops of rose food coloring
2½ cups all-purpose flour
6 large eggs at room temperature

Directions:

Set your oven to 325 degrees. Rub lots of butter or coconut oil in a 10” (12 cup) bundt pan to ensure release of the cake after baking. Sprinkle the walnuts onto the bottom of the pan.

Whip together the butter and Neufchâtel in the bowl of a kitchen stand mixer. In a steady stream add the sugar. Let the sugar, butter and Neufchâtel dance into fluffiness for about 5 minutes. On low speed, stir in the Japanese plum wine, vanilla extract and drops of rose food coloring. Slowly add the flour. Add the eggs one at a time. Pour the smooth batter into the prepared pan.

Bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until a bamboo skewer or knife inserted in the cake comes out clean. Let the cake cool completely before flipping the bundt pan onto a plate.

Ninja Note: Oh, so gently insert a frosting spatula or thin knife along the edges of the bundt pan to encourage an easy release of cake.

Optional Japanese Plum Wine Glaze:

In a saucepan, over a medium-low flame, bring to boil: ¾ cup sugar, ¼ cup Japanese plum wine, 2 tablespoons water and drops of rose food coloring. Be sure to continually keep stirring. (Cleaning burnt sugar in saucepans is no fun!) Let the mixture reduce. The process should take 3 to 5 minutes. Drizzle the hot glaze over the cooled cake.

You can also spread a bit of the glaze on the bottom of the cake while still hot and in the pan. Once the cake is cooled and the glaze is set, it creates an extra sugary wine crunch on the bottom of the cake.

An InLinkz Link-up

Wishing you a spring which blossoms with happiness!

The Ninja Baker

© ™ Watkinson 2012

The Ninja Baker has guest blogged and contributed recipes to numerous food sites. These additional recipes can be found here.

Tags:

Lemon Brasadella Italian Coffee Cake, #TwelveLoaves

NinjaBaker — Tue, 03 Mar 2015 09:00:00 +0000

When Life gives you lemons, make Sugar Free Lemon Brasadella Italian Coffee Cake! What is the sourest lemon sentence you can give a foodie? A doctor demanding a reduction in sugar, threatening diabetes gave this Ninja Baker a wake-up call. Good news is I lowered my numbers and am no longer on the diabetes precipice. I also learned to eat protein before diving into dessert. Previously I skipped the bacon and filled up a ginormous frozen yogurt cup.

Sugar-free, gluten-free lemon Brasadella Italian coffee cake goodness.

Adapting a gluten-free donut recipe from BabyCakes Covers the Classics by Erin McKenna (vegan and gluten-free guru to the stars, popular owner and cookbook author), I was inspired to experiment like Ms. Erin in the baby stages of BabyCakes. Plus I had great success baking a Paleo Pound Cake using stevia and erythritol (an aspartame-free sugar substitute)…Sooo I decided to put my many lemons, bottles of lemon extract and Penzeys Spices lemon peel into a sugar free, gluten-free Italian coffee cake.

Coffee cake with a lemon pucker Italian style.

Sugar-free, gluten-free Lemon Brasadella Italian Coffee Cake baking in the oven smells luscious. Lemon scents wafting through the apartment had me hopeful. Turning the lemon coffee cake out of the bundt pan proved promising, too. I drizzled a simple lemon glaze (made with organic lemon juice and real powdered sugar) over the coffee cake. I sliced a sliver of Lemon Brasadella; said a quick prayer and took a bite. The texture, the crumb of the moist lemon Italian coffee cake were splendid. A+. Lemon definitely said hello – which is a good thing if you like lemony baked goods. However, there was a slight stevia aftertaste. Next time, I’ll increase the erythritol and reduce the stevia measurements. (Both corrections are reflected in the recipe below. (Originally I used one cup of erythritol and a ½ tablespoon of stevia.) If you were born without a sweet tooth you might like to keep the erythritol to a cup. Plus, if you want to keep true to the tradition of the Italian Brasadella Cake, baking more lemon pucker and less sugar is right in line.

A drizzle of lemon glaze brightens Italian Brasadella coffee cake with a touch of true sweetness.

Love to hear how you’ve turned lemons into sweetness in your life!

Lemon Brasadella Italian Coffee Cake

Lemon fans will love the luscious lemon flavor and the calorie conscious can now allow themselves cake!

Ingredients:

Lemon Brasadella Italian Coffee Cake

2 cups rice flour blend
½ cup coconut flour
1¼ cup erythritol
¾ teaspoon liquid stevia
Rind of 1 lemon
1½ teaspoons lemon juice
3 teaspoons lemon extract
1 teaspoon (Penzeys Spices) powdered lemon peel
3 teaspoons baking powder
3 tablespoons organic all vegetable butter flavor shortening
4 eggs, slightly beaten
8 teaspoons milk

Lemon Glaze

¾ cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice

Directions:

Lemon Brasadella Italian Coffee Cake

Fold all ingredients together by hand in a large bowl until well combined.

Ninja Note: The batter is more like bread dough and less like cake batter.

Spread the batter into a bundt pan well greased with coconut oil and floured with coconut flour.

Bake in a 375 degree oven for 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Lemon Glaze

Whisk together the powdered sugar and lemon juice until smooth. Drizzle over the cooled cake.

#TwelveLoaves is a monthly bread baking party created by Lora from Cake Duchess and runs smoothly with the help of Heather of girlichef, and the rest of our fabulous bakers. Our host this month is Rossella from Ma ch ti sei mangiato, and our theme is Italian Breads. For more bread recipes, visit the #TwelveLoaves Pinterest board, or check out last month's mouthwatering selection of #TwelveLoaves Olive Breads!

Calzone from A Baker's House
Ciabatta from Ma che ti sei mangiato
Italian Easter Cheese Bread from Kudos Kitchen By Renee
Lemon Brasadella Italian Coffee Cake from NinjaBaker.com
Pane Bianco Filled with Tomato, Basil, and Garlic from Never Enough Thyme
Pane di Genzano from Karen's Kitchen Stories
Pane di Pasqua (Italian Easter Bread) from Cake Duchess
Pane Toscano (Tuscan Bread) from girlichef
Parmesan Garlic Grissini from From My Sweet Heart
Rosemary Red Onion Beer Bread from Shockingly Delicious
Quick Focaccia Bread from Basic N Delicious

If you'd like to bake along with us this month, share your Italian bread using hashtag #TwelveLoaves!

Wishing you sour lemons which are easily transformed into sweet delights.

The Ninja Baker

© ™ Watkinson 2012

The Ninja Baker has guest blogged and contributed recipes to numerous food sites. These additional recipes can be found here.

Follow Ninja Baker @NinjaBaking's board NinjaBaker.com Sweets on Pinterest.

Tags:

Chocolate Pocky Cake, #SundaySupper

NinjaBaker — Sat, 17 Jan 2015 08:47:00 +0000

Dorothy clicks her ruby red slippers and declares three-times: “There’s no place like home.” Magically, the little girl and her dog, Toto are transported back to safety and comfort. Do you ever wish you could click your heels and go back in time? When challenged with the unfamiliar, foods singing of childhood memories do seem to beckon this Ninja Baker.

After School Snack Time in Tokyo: Chocolate Pocky & Strawberry Cream Pocky

Japanese Pocky is one of those foods for me. You know the skinny cookie/biscuit stick dipped in classic chocolate or strawberry cream or green tea matcha? In my hometown of Tokyo, Pocky is the perfect snack for transporting on the train. The chocolate topping melts in your mouth, not on your hands. (Yes, Pocky could be the M & Ms of the cookie family.) Plus, who can beat the combo of chocolate and cookies in one bite?

Luscious Chocolate Cake and Frosting with a Pocky Garnish!

The sweetest part of the Pocky is the memory of sharing the boxes with friends. Innocent chitter-chatter about school plays; homework and slumber parties took center stage. No talk about gas prices or water shortages or paying mortgages. My friends and I led sheltered lives. Like the trains we rode where we chatted and savored our Pocky chocolate covered cookie sticks, time rumbled forward. And at 18 as I stepped on a flight from Narita to LA, with my pack of Pocky for the airplane ride, I couldn’t fathom the changes in store. Yes, it was culture shock. I was a stranger in a strange land…, which was weird because I was blonde and blue-eyed and looked more like the people of the land. Yet, as many turbulent rides as I took in adjusting to my new hometown, I feel as if angels and a higher force were always there; whispering that all is well when I listen to my heart and remember “There’s no place like home.”

What treat tickles your taste buds back to memories of your hometown?

The #SundaySupper crew is preparing a feast of hometown goodies to share around the virtual Twitter dinner table. (Scroll down to see your detailed invite.) I baked a Chocolate Pocky Cake. The recipes for the classic American chocolate cake and frosting are from the back of the Ghirardelli cocoa powder. Japanese Pocky is crumbled into the whipped cream filling and serves as the crunchy and scrumptious garnish.

Chocolate Pocky Cake and Chocolate Buttercream

A smooth chocolaty cake blends with whipped cream. Crumbled Pocky gives the dessert a pleasant surprise crunch...Nuts are great additions to cake...But, Pocky is better!

The recipes are closely adapted from Ghirardelli's Grand Fudge Cake and Chocolate Buttercream recipes.

Ingredients:

For the Chocolate Cake:

2 cups all-purpose flour
¾ cup unsweetened cocoa
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup softened butter
1¾ cups sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 large eggs
1 1/3 cups coconut milk (or almond or regular)

For the Chocolate Frosting:

12 tablespoons softened butter
4 cups powdered sugar
1 cup unsweetened cocoa
2/3 cup coconut milk
1 teaspoon vanilla

For the Cream Filling:

1/2 pint heavy cream
1/4 cup powdered sugar

For the Garnish and Cream Filling:

2 packages of Chocolate Pocky
2 packages of Strawberry Cream Pocky

Directions:

Set the oven to 350 degrees. Butter, flour and line two 9-inch pans with parchment paper.

Whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, soda and salt.

In another bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy and light. (About 5 minutes.) One at a time, add the eggs and vanilla. Pour in the flour mixture alternately with the milk. When the batter is smooth, stop the mixer. Divide the batter between two 9-inch pans.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool.

Cream the butter to a fluffy lightness. Whisk together the sugar and cocoa. Add to the butter bowl alternately with the coconut milk. Stir in the vanilla.

Whip up a 1/2 pint of heavy cream with 1/4 cup of powdered sugar until stiff peaks appear. Slather the whipped cream in between the layers with 1/4 cup of crumbled Pocky. (I used Strawberry Cream Pocky.)

Frost the cake. Arrange the Pocky around the cake. Crumble the rest of the Pocky and decorate the top of the frosted chocolate cake....Or enjoy as a snack!

Coleen, The Red Head Baker leads this dance down memory lane for tonight's #SundaySupper. The red-headed Coleen is culinary program-trained baker. Lucky for us she shares her yummy creations. Her sophisticated but homey goodness infused Spinach, Sausage and Polenta Breakfast Casserole is but one example. (By the way, Coleen is also a talented graphic designer!).So, while your significant other is enraptured by a football game, open your computer, pop in those ear buds and join us around the #SundaySupper at Twitter.

Breakfast

Alamo City Breakfast Tacos by The Weekend Gourmet
Gluten Free Cinnamon Raisin Bagels by Cupcakes & Kale Chips
Mickey Mouse Waffles by Wallflour Girl
New York Style Bagels by The Girl In The Little Red Kitchen
Peanut Butter and Fluff French Toast by Momma’s Meals

Drinks

Candied Kumquat Peels, Kumquat Syrup, and Kumquat-Ade by Recipe for Perfection
Wine Pairing Recommendations for Hometown Food by ENOFYLZ Wine Blog

Appetizers and Snacks

Baked Buffalo Chicken Wings by Peanut Butter and Peppers
Cuban Sandwich Crostini by Casa de Crews
Cuban Sandwich Dip by Family Foodie
South Jersey Boardwalk Popcorn by Take A Bite Out of Boca

Main Dishes

Chicken and Dumplings by Food Lust People Love
Crockpot Cincinnati Chili by Palatable Pastime
Fried Rice Vermicelli with Vegetable Fritters by Brunch with Joy
Honey Cola Baked Ham by Magnolia Days
Hot Brown Ham Sliders by A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures
Joe's Special by Nosh My Way
Lentil, Cauliflower and Sweet Potato Curry by Mess Makes Food
New England Beans and Cod by Cooking Chat
Oven Toasted Ravioli by Curious Cuisiniere
Philadelphia Tomato Pie by The Redhead Baker
Pierogies by Hezzi D's Books and Cooks
Portobello "Philly Cheese Steak" by PancakeWarriors
Pozole Rojo by Simply Healthy Family
Revved-up Poutine by Jane's Adventures in Dinner
Rice with Pork and Pineapple by Basic N Delicious
San Francisco Cioppino by Eat, Drink and be Tracy
Seattle-Style Dungeness Crab Roll by Bobbi's Kozy Kitchen
Tex-Mex Cheese Enchiladas with Chile con Carne by The Texan New Yorker
The Pittsburgh Devonshire Sandwich by Seduction in the Kitchen
Upper Peninsula Pasties by Recipes Food and Cooking
Victory Pig Sicilian Style Pizza by Rants From My Crazy Kitchen
Xiang La Tu Zi // Hot & Spicy Rabbit by Curried Canteloupe

Side Dishes

1905 Salad by Supper for a Steal
Chicken Rice Pilaf by Crazy Foodie Stunts
Classic Italian Risotto in Bianco by La Bella Vita Cucina
Greek Salad with Potato Salad by Ruffles & Truffles
Korean Steamed Eggs by Hip Foodie Mom
Smoke House Cheesy Garlic Bread by Peaceful Cooking

Desserts

Apple Crisp by Serena Bakes Simply From Scratch
Buckeye Cupcakes by Desserts Required
Carob Bumpy Cake by Pies and Plots
Chocolate Earthquake Cake by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
Chocolate Pocky Cake by NinjaBaker
Grandma Sweeney's Chocolate Cream Pie by Lifestyle Food Artistry
Lemon Buttermilk Bundt Cake by Alida's Kitchen
Memories of Mom; Michigan Apple Cake by A Day in the Life on the Farm
Mile High Strawberry Pie by Cindy's Recipes and Writings
Pear Parkin by Happy Baking Days
Vegan Timbits by Killer Bunnies, Inc
Vernors Cake by Country Girl in the Village

Join the #SundaySupper conversation on twitter on Sunday! We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm ET. Follow the #SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. To get more great Sunday Supper Recipes, visit our website or check out our Pinterest board. Would you like to join the Sunday Supper Movement? It’s easy. You can sign up by clicking here: Sunday Supper Movement.

Wishing you a safe place to return daily and know you are always loved.

The Ninja Baker

The Ninja Baker has guest blogged and contributed recipes to numerous food sites. These additional recipes can be found here.

Follow Ninja Baker @NinjaBaking's board NinjaBaker.com Sweets on Pinterest.

Tags:

Paleo Pound Cake, #SundaySupper

NinjaBaker — Sat, 27 Dec 2014 00:24:29 +0000

Is a year ever wrapped up with a neat little bow? Are you still basking in the gratitude of unexpected gifts? Or are you grappling with unforeseen circumstances? Maybe it’s a bit of both. 2014 brought the exhilarations and unexpected lessons of first time home buying for husband, David and me.

Our (now former) Boulder, Colorado condominium.
If you're interested in one of the top school districts in the country, we now have a beautiful home for rent here.

Also, thanks to a sweet friend, I’ve renewed my Screen Actors Guild membership and am reacquainted with the joys of acting. And, as always, doing my best to keep my eyes focused on driving in my lane. My ego seems to need frequent reminders to take a back seat. Sometimes it’s a nudge; other times it’s a shove!

Paleo Pound Cake: Surprisingly similar to the real stuff!

One thing I could not sweep aside at year’s end was my health. Blood tests revealed the accumulation of bad choices. The bottom line: Sugar intake must drop and protein intake needs to increase. (Dramatic, somewhat traumatic events, for a sweet-toothed mostly vegetarian Ninja Baker.) Apparently, the Japanese diet of sticky white rice, tofu, a little fish and giant frozen yogurts with Oreos is not the best option for this body. (Confession: I've still got vanilla and chocolate Oreos in my freezer...Maybe I'll toss them by 2015...We'll see.)

This Paleo Pound Cake to quote Mary Poppins is "practically perfect in every way."

Enter the husband, David, with his Paleo friendly e-cookbooks….Nooooooo, I’m not giving up brown rice or gluten-free breads or Greek yogurt. But the Paleo e-cookbooks do contain some good-looking sugar free desserts. Plus, David’s been craving a Paleo friendly dessert. My husband is the hero who’s signed me up with a weekly visit to a nutritionist. So the fellow deserves a sweet reward, right?

Paleo Pound Cake with paleo approved raspberry garnish!

I started with this Paleo Pound Cake recipe. It’s no Sara Lee. The cake is moister and less dense. In all fairness, the density factor may have something to do with the use of granulated rather than powdered erythritol. (Seriously, I am over the moon that this magical and healthy substitute for sugar is in my life!) The Paleo Pound Cake is similar in taste to a regular pound cake. The recipe gives the option of coconut oil or grass-fed sourced butter. You can bet I used the butter! (I do have a bit of a rebellious streak at times…That’s what happens when you separate a Ninja Baker from her Oreos!) At any rate, whether you’re going Paleo, counting calories and praying to fit into that summer swimsuit, this pound cake is for you.

Cindy of Cindy's Recipes and Writings is our host today of a year-end cravings fulfilled themed #SundaySupper. (Scroll down for your invite to the virtual #SundaySupper at Twitter.) Cindy is a fabulously talented chef. She's made sure your cravings for every season are satisfied.

Comfort Food Cravings

- Beef Tenderloin Citrus Arugula Salad from Family Foodie
- Chunky Beef Chili from MealDiva
- Cowboy Candy and Cream Cheese from Rhubarb and Honey
- Creamy Veggie and Chip Dip from La Bella Vita Cucina
- Golabki (Polish Cabbage Rolls) from Healthy. Delicious.
- Jalapeno Poppers Wrapped in Bacon from Peanut Butter and Peppers
- Lightened and Loaded Potato Soup from Momma's Meals
- Prime Rib Roast from Confessions of a Culinary Diva
- Roasted Cashews & Walnuts with Honey and Herbs from Delaware Girl Eats
- Russian Black Bread from Curious Cuisiniere
- Sausage and Cheese Stromboli from Casa de Crews
- Steak and Eggs from Nosh My Way
- Steak Tartare from The Texan New Yorker
- Swiss Onion Bread from The Foodie Army Wife

Quench Your Thirst Cravings

French 75 Cocktail from Ruffles & Truffles
Sparkling Peach Cocktail from Magnolia Days

Seafood Cravings

Crab Artichoke Bread from Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks
Mussels in Coconut Broth with Garlic Toasts from The Wimpy Vegetarian
Seafood Scampi from Cindy's Recipes and Writings

Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth Cravings

Apple Bundt Cake from Pancake Warriors
Dark Chocolate Potato Chip Fudge from Nik Snacks
Dulce de Leche Rice Krispy Treats from Bobbi's Kozy Kitchen
Hot Chocolate Milky Way Brownie Pie from Take A Bite Out of Boca
Lower-Sugar Carrot Cake Jam from What Smells So Good?
Maple Syrup Creme Brule from Jane's Adventures in Dinner
Mint Infused Deep Dish Brownies from The Perfect Brownie
Paleo Pound Cake from NinjaBaker
Pizzelle from Eat, Drink and be Tracy
Sweet Potato Sheet Cake from Pies and Plots

Wishing you great health and happiness!

The Ninja Baker

The Ninja Baker has guest blogged and contributed recipes to numerous food sites. These additional recipes can be found here.

Follow Ninja Baker @NinjaBaking's board NinjaBaker.com Sweets on Pinterest.

Tags: