Cinnamon Chocolate Bundt Cake and an AWESOME Giveaway!

I have exciting news for you all today.

1)  I get to do a really big and awesome giveaway thanks to Redwood Hill Farms and Green Valley Organics.  You guys do not want to miss this one.

and

2) I made a really delicious chocolate bundt cake, also thanks to Redwood Hill Farms and Green Valley Organics because I got the same package that I get to give away.

and

3)  I’m now obsessed with Redwood Hill Farms and Green Valley Organics… can you tell?

I had never tried lactose free yogurt or kefir before, but I honestly can’t tell the difference.  The only difference is that the lactose free kefir is not as thick as regular kefir.

Redwood Hill has all sorts of recipes, news, events, and other information on their website.  Definitely make sure to check it out!

Okkkay, now what you guys have been waiting for…

GIVEAWAY:

The prize package (minimum value of about $57.55) will include:

– 1 Eco-friendly insulated green “Get Your Goat, Have a Cow” co-branded tote bag (approximate value $5)

– 1 t-shirt (winner’s choice of Redwood Hill Farm Goat, Green Valley Organics Cow OR RHF kid-size shirt; approximate value: $15)

– 6, 6-oz cups Redwood Hill Farm Goat yogurts or free product coupons (valued at about $2.19 each = $13.14)

– 6, 6-oz cups Green Valley Organics Lactose Free yogurts (valued at about $1.59 each = $9.54)

– 1 32-oz bottle Redwood Hill Farm Kefir (about $6.39)

– 1 32-oz bottle Green Valley Organics Kefir (about $4.49)

– 1 12-oz Green Valley Organics Sour Cream (about $3.99)

Are you excited yet? Because when I received my package, I felt like a little kid in a candy store.

To enter, all you have to do is:

1. Leave a comment saying why you want the prize package.

For extra entries:

1. Like Green Valley Organics on Facebook and leave a comment saying you did so.
2. Like Redwood Hill Farms on Facebook and leave a comment saying you did so.
3. Like What Katie’s Baking on Facebook and leave a comment saying you did so.
4. Follow Redwood Hill Farms on Twitter and leave a comment saying you did so.
5. Follow What Katie’s Baking on Twitter and leave a comment saying you did so.
6. Subscribe to my RSS feed and leave a comment saying you did so.

The giveaway will end on Tuesday, October 2nd at 12:00 am.  Good luck! 🙂

If you don’t win, don’t worry, you can just buy their products!  Redwood Hill Farm and Green Valley Organics products are available at Whole Foods Markets, natural food stores and specialty grocers nationwide. To find a store near you, go to redwoodhill.com/store and greenvalleylactosefree.com/stores/

Now, for this deliiiiicious recipe (which got devoured extremely quickly in my house):

Cinnamon Chocolate Bundt Cake

Adapted from: Leite’s Culinaria

Ingredients:

Cake:

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, plus more for the pan
• 1/3 cup (1 ounce) cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup water
• 2 cups (9 ounces) all-purpose flour, plus more for the pan
• 1 3/4 cups sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup plain Green Valley Organics plain yogurt
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon, plus extra for pan coating

Glaze:

• 1/3 cup cocoa powder
• ½ stick butter
• 1/3 cup Redwood Hills plain Kefir
• 1/3 cup sugar

Directions:

Make the cake:

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Butter and sprinkle cinnamon in a 10- or 12-cup Bundt pan and set aside.
2. In a small saucepan, combine the butter, cocoa powder, salt, cinnamon, and water and place over medium heat.
3. Cook, stirring, just until melted and combined. Remove from the heat and set aside.
4. Place the flour, sugar, and baking soda in a large bowl and whisk to blend.
5. Add half of the melted butter mixture and whisk until completely blended (the mixture will be quite thick). Add the remaining butter mixture and whisk until combined.
6. Add the eggs, one at a time, whisking until completely blended before adding the next egg. Whisk in the Green Valley plain yogurt and vanilla until smooth.
7. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. Let the cake cool in the pan for 15 minutes and then invert onto a rack. Let cool completely before glazing.

Make the glaze:

1. Just before glazing the cooled cake, combine the Green Valley kefir, cocoa powder, butter, and sugar in a small saucepan and put over medium heat. Stir constantly until the sugar is dissolved.
2. Drizzle the glaze over the cooled cake, allowing it to drip and dribble down the sides.  It will soak into the cake and taste delicious.

 

The Best Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Until last year, I had always thought that there was this big secret to red velvet cake.

I didn’t think it was chocolate, I thought the flavor was just “red,” so when I found out that it is just chocolate and red food coloring, it made red velvet cake a little less magical.  That’s when I looked it up to see why anyone would ever just add red food coloring to cake.

Apparently, “the reddish-brown color of the cake originally was from a reaction of the cocoa powder with an acidic ingredient such as buttermilk.”  Did you guys know that?  I had no idea.  Now, though, people just add food coloring to make the red tint.  Before food coloring, bakers boiled beets as homemade food coloring.  Cool, huh?

Well, there’s my lesson for the day!  Let me just tell you how good this cake is.  SO good!  I love how thick it is and the pieces of chocolate chip are delicious.  The cake isn’t super sweet, but the frosting is, so it goes perfectly with it.  The frosting is amaaazzinnng.  I was so proud of myself because I always seem to mess up cream cheese frosting, but this is the first fail-proof cream cheese frosting recipe that I’ve found.  So creamy, thick, and just plain yummy! I made this for my friend’s birthday and she loved it!!!

Red Velvet Cake

From: Cheeky Kitchen

Ingredients:

• 4 eggs
• 1 1/2 c. brown sugar
• 1/2 c. olive oil
• 1 package instant chocolate pudding
• 1 tsp. salt
• 3/4 tsp. baking powder (double if baking at low altitude)
• 2/3 c. cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 c. flour
• 1 c. sour cream
• ½ c. water
• 1 c. mini chocolate chips
• 2 tsp. red gel food coloring

1.  In a large bowl, beat together eggs, brown sugar, and olive oil, and instant pudding mix, creaming until very well mixed. 

2.  Add salt, baking powder, cocoa powder, and flour. Beat just until incorporated. 

3.  Add sour cream and water, and beat again just until incorporated. 

4.  Fold in mini chocolate chips, then scoop batter into a bundt pan which has been generously greased and floured (use cocoa powder, instead of flour, for a nice chocolatey finish to the outside of your cake). 

5.  Bake in an oven preheated to 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes, or just until the center part of the cake ring springs back to the touch. Watch your cake closely! You don’t want to overcook it! Once cooked, wait for the cake to cool to the touch before turning it out onto a cooling rack. Allow to cool, then cover tightly in plastic wrap and store in the fridge overnight before frosting.

The Best Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:

• 2 sticks butter
• 8 oz. cream cheese
• 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1-2 Tbsp. milk 

Directions:

1.  In a large bowl, beat together butter and cream cheese until very light and fluffy.

2.  Slowly add powdered sugar until well mixed. Add vanilla extract.
3. Tip in a Tablespoon or two of milk, if needed to make frosting piping consistency (soft but not drippy). 4.Spoon into a large plastic zip-top bag. Snip a 1-inch hole in the corner of the bag and pipe giant frosting petals onto cooled cake. Enjoy!

Brown Sugar Blackberry Bundt Cake

I’m baaackk!!

Wowowowow! I had a great family reunion and Stuart’s and Jane’s (Kellen’s brother and now sister) wedding was amazing! Portland is absolutely beautiful and it was such a bummer coming back to such hot and humid weather.  It’s 112 degrees here today, can you believe that?!  It’s hell…literally!

I’m just going to do what I did when I went to New York and let the pictures I took describe the trip because words can’t do it justice. *Warning: This is a picture heavy post.

Chicago: 

Had to do it!  The Bean in Millennium Park.  P.S. My cousin just played there!

Portland:

All of the pictures so far have been taken at Jane’s parents’ beautiful home.

At the coast!

My poor attempt at a heart.

Yakuza Lounge… where I had the BEST burger of my life. Not even exaggerating.

Original Pancake House!

VOODOO!!

Demolished.

Candy seeds?? Awesome!

Completely homemade.

My favorite picture. Such a ridiculously good looking family.

Anyway, like I said, I had an awesome time in Chicago with family and my aunt did a great job setting up and preparing everything for us.  It was so good to see all of my family that I haven’t seen in such a long time!  I couldn’t have asked for a better time in Portland.  The scenery is beautiful and we were so lucky to have been able to see the best of Portland right in Jane’s backyard.  The wedding ceremony was breathtaking, the weather was gorgeous, the food was delicious, and the hospitality was outstanding.  I can’t use enough positive adjectives to describe the time we had.

Buuttt, that was vacation and vacation always ends, so here I am!  I’m happy to be back and baking, though, especially since I have something so yummy to share with you all.  This recipe turned out awesome!  I wasn’t expecting the best of it because it’s one of those “I have too much of something, so I need to get rid of it” kind of recipes.  I had a surplus of blackberries just sitting in the freezer, so I decided that I’d make blackberry budnt cake.  I didn’t have any eggs, so I used flax eggs and the cake came out a little dense, but the taste is phenomenal!  I was pleasantly surprised at how great this tastes.  A+!

Brown Sugar Blackberry Bundt Cake

Adapted from: Baseball Baking and Books

1 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup white sugar

1 cup brown sugar
1 cup sour cream, room temperature
2 eggs at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 & 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 & 1/2 cups fresh or frozen blackberries

1 tablespoon flour

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1. Preheat your oven to 350 and grease and flour a 9″ bundt pan. 

2. Place blackberries in a small bowl and toss with 1 tbsp flour and 1 tbsp lemon juice.

3. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy; beat in eggs one at a time; stir in sour cream and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt.  Stir it into the butter mixture until well blended; gently fold in your “floured” blackberries.  Carefully pour or spoon the batter into your prepared bundt pan.
4. Bake the cake for 55 to 60 minutes in a preheated oven. (I took mine out at 50 because a toothpick came out clean, but it could have stayed in a little longer; the center ended up being a little gooey.)  

5. Cool cake (in the pan) on a wire rack for about 10 minutes before turning out onto a cake plate.  

*I added a lemon glaze on top of mine!

Cake Ball Trifle and a Linky Party!

My beautiful friend Molly awarded me with the “Stylish Blogger Award”.


I’m feeling very lucky… thanks Molly! 🙂  I’ve mentioned her blog on here a few times, but if you haven’t checked it out yet, you definitely should!


Da Rules:

1. Say seven things about yourself

2. Pass on to other bloggers

3. Contact them and let them know!

I’ve already said 7 things about myself… but I’m going to try and do it again.

1.  I’ve never been to a concert.  Local concerts, yes, but never a really famous concert.  I would love to see Adele, Norah Jones, or Jack Johnson.  


2.  I go through phases… of everything.  Exercise, a certain food, reading, etc.  So when I don’t exercise for a while, I don’t tend to worry about it because I know I’ll be back to it soon.


3.  I’m nervous about living with 3 other girls that I don’t know next year.  Last year my roommate was a good friend of mine so I wasn’t worried about it (and these year my roommates are my parents haha), but I’ve never met these girls!  Although I’m nervous, I’m also very excited.

4.  Even though my least favorite color has always been pink, I’ve started to like it more lately.  But I don’t like admitting that.

5.  I can’t stand to see anyone or anything get hurt.  Today, my cat killed a bird and all I could think about was the bird’s family lol.

He’s lucky he’s cute.

6.  I eat my baked beans with honey.

7.  My current goal right now is to win this contest I’ve entered.  I am so excited I can barely take it.  It ends on May 20th and I can’t stop thinking about it.  It would seriously make my day, year, life if I even made it to the final round.  More details later! 🙂

8.  I love linky parties.  I enter almost every single one I see and I love clicking through and finding new blogs.


Since I love linky parties so much, I decided to host my own.  No pictures, though, I’m just testing it out.  Let me know if you guys like it! Pleeeasse add your yummy treats to the list at the bottom of this post! 🙂

Cake Ball Trifle
*This is soooo adaptable, but using cake balls was probably the best idea I’ve ever had!


Ingredients

• 2 cups crushed up Cake Balls
• 1/2 (3.9 ounce) package instant chocolate pudding mix
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• 1/2 package instant vanilla pudding mix
• 2 cups heaving whipping cream
• 1/4 cup sugar

• • 2 cups chocolate chip

• • Instructions

• 1. Beat heavy whipping cream with sugar until stiff peaks form.
  2. In a large bowl, combine chocolate pudding mix, 1/4 cup water and 1/2 can sweetened condensed milk. Mix until smooth, then fold in 1/2 of the whipped cream mixture.
  3. In another bowl, combine vanilla pudding mix with the other 1/4 cup water and other 1/2 of the can of sweetened condensed milk.  Do not add whipped cream to this mixture!
  4. In a trifle bowl or glass serving dish, place half of the cake balls, half of the chocolate pudding mixture, half of the vanilla pudding, half of the chocolate chips and half of the whipped cream in layers. Repeat layers. Refrigerate 8 hours before serving. (or not…) 

I’m passing the “Stylish Blogger Award” on to:

Kimberley
Alaina
Jessica
Ari
Kat
Sherri Lynn
Kerry
Vicky
Xinmei
Kate
Sheila
Meghan
Clare

Iced Pumpkin Bundt Cake

So, I love fall, but I froze my butt off today.

I’m a wimp when it comes to “cold” weather.

I don’t know how many people came into the store today saying “Oh, isn’t it just beautiful outside?”

I’m sorry, Miss, but no, it is 55 degrees outside and unless you have a space heater in your purse, I cannot agree with you.  Thanks for asking, though, have a nice day!
 
I wasn’t sure if I would look silly walking out of the house with a winter coat, gloves, a hat, and a scarf on today or not, so I opted for not.  

Luckily, I got to do my favorite thing EVER before it got too cold.  (P.S. it was probably 60 degrees when I did this and I still had a scarf on.  I’m a big baby.)

Any guesses??

Now any guesses?!

Ahh, I love decorating for Halloween.  🙂  (Sorry for the crappy photos!)

 Isn’t it cute?! 🙂

After doing that, I figured it was necessary to bake something fall-ish, so I made this delicious, moist, sweet, spice-infused Pumpkin Bundt Cake!  I made it with a powdered sugar glaze, but mom apparently thought it also needed cream cheese frosting, so she made some just for her piece.  (And I wonder why I’m addicted to sugar).

If you aren’t crazy like us, the powdered sugar glaze is plenty.

Whisk together ingredients in separate bowls.

Beat butter and sugar, add the eggs.

Add the two mixtures, alternating between the two.

 Put it in the oven until it looks like this!

 Yummmm!

Iced Pumpkin Bundt Cake
Adapted from: Dinner with Kirsten
(Hers is so pretty! Check it out)

For cake:
1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened, plus additional for greasing bundt pan
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour plus additional for dusting pan
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups canned solid-pack pumpkin – you’ll need a 15-ounce can (not the whole thing though)
3/4 cup buttermilk, well-shaken
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs
For icing:
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons well-shaken buttermilk (I used regular milk.  I don’t like the taste of buttermilk)
1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
Special equipment: a 10-inch nonstick bundt pan – but I’d love to try this as cupcakes, also
For cake:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray bundt can with cooking spray, then dust with flour and knock out the excess.
Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, ginger, cloves and salt in a bowl.
Stir together pumpkin, 3/4 cup buttermilk, and vanilla in another bowl.
Beat 1 1/2 sticks butter and granulated sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Then add eggs and beat 1 minute. Reduce speed to low and add flour and pumpkin mixtures alternately in batches, beginning and ending with flour mixture and mixing until batter is just smooth.
Spoon batter into pan and smooth top. Then bake  about 45 to 50 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick or skewer inserted in center of cake comes out clean. Cool cake in pan on a rack 15 minutes. Then place rack over cake and flip the cake onto rack. Cool 10 minutes more.
For icing:
While cake is cooling, whisk together milk and powdered sugar.  Wait until the cake is cool and then drizzle icing over cake.

Iced Pumpkin Bundt Cake

So, I love fall, but I froze my butt off today.

I’m a wimp when it comes to “cold” weather.

I don’t know how many people came into the store today saying “Oh, isn’t it just beautiful outside?”

I’m sorry, Miss, but no, it is 55 degrees outside and unless you have a space heater in your purse, I cannot agree with you.  Thanks for asking, though, have a nice day!
 
I wasn’t sure if I would look silly walking out of the house with a winter coat, gloves, a hat, and a scarf on today or not, so I opted for not.  

Luckily, I got to do my favorite thing EVER before it got too cold.  (P.S. it was probably 60 degrees when I did this and I still had a scarf on.  I’m a big baby.)

Any guesses??

Now any guesses?!

Ahh, I love decorating for Halloween.  🙂  (Sorry for the crappy photos!)

 Isn’t it cute?! 🙂

After doing that, I figured it was necessary to bake something fall-ish, so I made this delicious, moist, sweet, spice-infused Pumpkin Bundt Cake!  I made it with a powdered sugar glaze, but mom apparently thought it also needed cream cheese frosting, so she made some just for her piece.  (And I wonder why I’m addicted to sugar).

If you aren’t crazy like us, the powdered sugar glaze is plenty.

Whisk together ingredients in separate bowls.

Beat butter and sugar, add the eggs.

Add the two mixtures, alternating between the two.

 Put it in the oven until it looks like this!

 Yummmm!

Iced Pumpkin Bundt Cake
Adapted from: Dinner with Kirsten
(Hers is so pretty! Check it out)

For cake:
1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened, plus additional for greasing bundt pan
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour plus additional for dusting pan
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups canned solid-pack pumpkin – you’ll need a 15-ounce can (not the whole thing though)
3/4 cup buttermilk, well-shaken
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs
For icing:
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons well-shaken buttermilk (I used regular milk.  I don’t like the taste of buttermilk)
1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
Special equipment: a 10-inch nonstick bundt pan – but I’d love to try this as cupcakes, also
For cake:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray bundt can with cooking spray, then dust with flour and knock out the excess.
Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, ginger, cloves and salt in a bowl.
Stir together pumpkin, 3/4 cup buttermilk, and vanilla in another bowl.
Beat 1 1/2 sticks butter and granulated sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Then add eggs and beat 1 minute. Reduce speed to low and add flour and pumpkin mixtures alternately in batches, beginning and ending with flour mixture and mixing until batter is just smooth.
Spoon batter into pan and smooth top. Then bake  about 45 to 50 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick or skewer inserted in center of cake comes out clean. Cool cake in pan on a rack 15 minutes. Then place rack over cake and flip the cake onto rack. Cool 10 minutes more.
For icing:
While cake is cooling, whisk together milk and powdered sugar.  Wait until the cake is cool and then drizzle icing over cake.