Lightened-Up Cookie Monster Brookie Cake

April 6, 2019 Amanda Plott

As it turns out… I have a cookie monster living in my house and she’s turning 9 years old tomorrow. Though maybe she’s more of a cake monster since she’s somehow managing to get three birthday cakes this year due to a series of fortunate events. Yes, FORTUNATE events.

Every ear for my daughter’s birthday, I make her something special that I can take up to her school at lunch and let her share with her friends. This time around she requested a cookie cake. Which… is what I made last year. And we can’t do the same thing over again. So! I decided to take that cookie cake a step further and make it into a BROOKIE cake. What’s a brookie, you ask? A brownie and a cookie combined together!…

Lightened Up Carrot Cake

March 27, 2019 Amanda Plott

I’ve made a good lot of carrot cakes in my time. Anywhere from traditional to gluten-free, and a few others along the way. There’s a few things I’ve learned in my carrot cake making journey. One is that you always ALWAYS need a good simple cream cheese frosting with it. And two is that it needs to be chunky.

I like my carrot cake loaded up with plenty of the good stuff. Carrots, raisins, pineapple, coconut, and yes… even nuts!

I based this ultimate carrot cake off of the one that I made for my daughter’s 2nd birthday. It’s an ingredient heavy cake, just like most carrots cakes are, but I promise you that the cake itself is rather easy to make. No overly complicated instructions…

Skinny Cranberry Upside Down Cake

December 7, 2018 Amanda Plott

The great Christmas and New Year dessert debate is in full swing! It seems like every year my Mother and I get into ‘the great debate’ over what cookies and desserts we’re going to be making for the holidays. She likes this. I like that. And we aren’t the only ones with opinions on desserts either.

I usually try a few new things out as we get closer and more into the thick of the holidays. Some don’t make the cut, but others become fast family favorites. I think the last one that made the official traditional rotation was my Cranberry Cherry Pie. But… I have to say. This Skinny Cranberry Upside Down Cake may be taking the throne…

Dark Chocolate 'Crazy Cake'

October 18, 2018 Amanda Plott

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Oh. My. Gosh. This Dark Chocolate 'Crazy Cake' is delicious, y’all! The first time I heard about ‘wacky cake’, I was more than a little skeptical. How can you make a good cake with no butter, eggs, or milk?! Well, as it turns out, there’s a couple of secrets to this cake that make it perfectly fluffy and delicious! In fact, it’s one of my favorite cakes. One of these simple swaps is using Mazola® Corn Oil in place of another oil or butter. I’ve been cooking and baking a lot more lately with corn oil. A clinical study showed Mazola Corn Oil reduces cholesterol 2x more than extra virgin olive oil. To learn more about this claim, see MAZOLA.com.

I wasn’t done there though. I also swapped out some of the sugar for a natural sweetener, and the cocoa powder for a dark chocolate cocoa powder. The end result was this tasty and easy cake that’s made all in ONE dish. Yep. No bowls to clean. No beaters to clean…

Halloween Red Velvet Chocolate Bark

October 5, 2018 Amanda Plott

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Alright so… bare with me here. I know that chocolate isn’t the most healthy thing out there but, Halloween is just around the corner and as I like to say ‘everything in moderation’. Plus, we’re using some dark chocolate here so… that’s more healthy than other options, right? The truth is, I’m a firm believer in allowing yourself some treats here and there to keep yourself sane and from making worse decisions later.

So to make this bark a little more guilt-free, I decided to start it off with some dark chocolate. It’s my excuse for any kind of chocolate related candies or cakes. At least it has a few more health benefits than some of the other chocolates out there. That’s my story at least, and I’m sticking to it.

Dark Chocolate & Pumpkin Swirl Bundt Cake

September 15, 2018 Amanda Plott

We’re finally in the 80’s around here, and I can feel Fall in the air just about. It’s one of my favorite times of year. Halloween is just around the corner and pumpkin spice is featured almost anywhere you look. Bring. It. On. I am so ready to get to use my stove and oven again without having to worry about spending the rest of the day cooling the house back off. The struggle is real, y’all.

Baking is not my favorite thing to do in the kitchen. It scares and intimidates me. And today was one of those reasons why. I turned my back for (what seemed like one second) and I over-beat my batter. Meaning my cake collapsed a bit in the middle. I was frustrated beyond belief with myself, but the family didn’t mind at all. In fact, they all said how good the cake was - even though I was mad at it…