Pineapple Upside Down

Love summer? Love to eat? Uh... You and I both! I was watching the food network one afternoon after a swim in the pool and I saw this little diddy being made by the one and only- Paula Deen. Although this cake may make your next skinny dip turn into a chunky dunk... I fully support you to indulge a little with this scrumptious cake 

Paula's  Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

 

 (trust me, it's worth every sweet, sticky bite)

Ingredients

• Nonstick cooking spray
• 3 cups cake flour, plus more for pan
• 1 cup butter, softened, plus 1/2 cup, melted
• 2 1/4 cups sugar
• 5 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/4 cups whole buttermilk
• 1 1/2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
• 2 (20-ounce) cans pineapple slices in juice, drained well (reserve 2 tablespoons juice for frosting)
• 1 (10-ounce) jar maraschino cherries, drained well
• Pineapple Buttercream Frosting, recipe follows
• Chopped pecans, for garnish, optional

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray 2 (9-inch) round cake pans with nonstick cooking spray and coat with flour.

In a large bowl, beat 1 cup butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add the sugar, beating until fluffy. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla and set aside.

In a small bowl, add the 3 cups of flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir to combine. Add the flour mixture into the egg mixture alternately with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture.

Divide the brown sugar evenly into each pan. Pour the melted butter equally over the brown sugar. Arrange the pineapple slices and cherries over the brown sugar. Reserve remaining pineapple slices and cherries for another use.

Pour equal amounts of batter over the fruit and bake until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, about 40 to 45 minutes. Let the cakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes. Invert the cakes onto wire racks to cool completely.

To assemble the cake, carefully arrange 1 cake layer, pineapple side up, on a cake plate. Carefully stack the remaining cake layer, pineapple side up, over the first layer. Frost the sides of the cake with Pineapple Buttercream Frosting. Press chopped pecans into sides of cake, if desired.

Pineapple Buttercream Frosting:

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 2 tablespoons reserved pineapple juice
• 3 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

Beat all the ingredients in a large bowl until well combined.

Yield: about 2 cups

The Whole Fam Damily! (&Cheesecake!)

Like I mentioned in a previous post, I am currently enjoying the summer-like temps and sunshine in Florida with family. The evenings have been somewhat surreal, being at 72 degrees and clear skies for sunset and then cool, clear skies for star gazing. 

I am so blessed to be where I am when I am- with most of my extended family in town from my dad's side of the tree. To celebrate a great family, us Kellers did the best way we know how- With lots and lots of food!

I'm not kidding, people! Fried chicken, coleslaw, hot dogs, cornbread, macaroni salad, baked beans, casseroles, fruit, and desserts! Little need to say, I went to bed stuffed higher than a Boyds Bear, and I couldn't have been happier. 

My contribution to the feast? Another Pinterest find (+ my own little addition) It was a hit! and I highly recommend making one of these babies for your next big occasion (Or just because your sweet tooth will love you in the end.)

Blueberry Kiwi Cheesecake

(Modified from THIS recipe)

What You'll Need-
CHEESE CAKE-
1 (9 inch) pie tin (greased)
3/4 cup milk
2 tsp Vanilla Extract
2 eggs
3/4 cup of sugar
1/2 cup Original Bisquick Mix
2 (8oz) Cream Cheese

___________________
TOPPING

1 Pkg Blueberries
1 Cup Water
3/4 Cup Sugar
2 Tbs Corn Starch (or flour)
1-3 Kiwi

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine all Cheesecake ingredients (except Cream Cheese) into a blender. Blend for 15 seconds
3. Add cream cheese. Blend on lowest setting for 1-2 minutes, until creamy.
4. Pour into greased pie pan. Bake for 40-45 minutes
5. Place in fridge IMMEDIATELY- Cool for 4+ hours
6. In a medium saucepan, pour washed blueberries, water, and sugar. Bring to a light boil.
7. Add cornstarch (or flour) to thicken. Stir as it boils. Remove and place in fridge
8. After cake and berries cool, top with kiwi slivers and blueberry glaze.

9. DEVOUR! 

Happy Thursday, lovelies!

Baked in the name of Love

Call me strange, but sometimes, I wake up with an urge to bake. Like an itch I can't scratch on the corner of my heel, I can't do anything until I pop something in the oven. Luckily, a little thing called Pinterest lead me to a recipe that incorporates Pecans, Scones, and Streusel-all in one (Too good to be true, right?). The recipe (which can be found Here) calls for blueberries, but my lazy bones couldn't be dragged to the grocery store, so I used nuts that I had in the freezer instead.

Now, the best part! Sharing the goodness that are these scones with my Meemaw and enjoying one over coffee. 

Happy hump day, one and all!
(Oh, and happy baking adventures, as well!)

Quick Cakes

Have you ever heard of The Cupcake Diet?

( PS- After I go to pastry school, I WILL learn how to make these... then devour them, starting with animal)

I hadn't either until I stumbled upon a recipe on Pinterest and it lead me to the website designated to helping women lose weight by keeping up with their cupcakes. (Insane Awesome, right?) I am going to try this new mentality with my own few tweaks. Like I said in a previous post, it's not about eating less, but rather eating right! It's also about moderation and self control.

So the basic jist of this thing is to make a batch of cupcakes. FULL FAT, FULL SUGAR CUPCAKES! No fat free cake mix, no sugar free splenda sweetened frosting. Do the whole 9 yards! Because these tasty treats are yours to enjoy!

But in exchange, they must be the ONLY dessert you have a day. So no cookie after lunch and a cupcake after dinner. No, you must learn the value of dessert, and appreciate your cupcake with all the love you would shed on a child (Ok... a little extreme, but we ARE talking cupcakes here!)

Since I am a sucker for peanut butter and chocolate, I said fare-thee-well for a month. JUST A MONTH, and made these quick and easy chai minis to have with a cup of decaf tea after dinner. I must say, I had my first one last night, and they were scrumptious!

(Use the 1 cup water, but steep with 2 black chai tea bags)

+

(Add 2 Tbs honey and stir until fully mixed)

+

(Garnish with nutmeg)

Voillaa! Now you can make your cuppycakes and eat them too!



Eating Healthy on a Budget!

Last night, I found myself a little rumbly' in the tumbly' and craving something healthy yet quick. Of course I thought "ha, Maxann, you know that's an oxymoron right?"

Then I snapped out of it and jumped to my feet with great angst, "I CAN DO THIS!"
*Cue the dramatic batman fight theme music*
I tore through my almost barren fridge (That's what you come to when your family has been out of town for nearly a month) and to no avail, I was almost reaching for the jar of peanut butter and a spoon. But ALAS! Plan B is never that far from thought!

 I raced down the stairs to the extra freezer (Ok, I'll admit, I fell down the stairs *Cut dramatic batman fight theme music*) and opened the door to find a bag of frozen brussel sprouts, which happen to be my favorite vegetable, and some pre-patted turkey burgers. *Cue Hallelujah music*

So with a little creativity and a stove+oven, I came out with this for dinner:

Turkey Burger on top of a bed of arugula and sliced Roma tomatoes alongside oven-roasted sesame garlic Brussels sprouts.  (Total calories 350-375)

So content (and full!) with my dinner choice, I settled in for the evening with the latest issue of Self
(But not before eyeing a 5-minute chocolate mug cake recipe. You can find the recipe HERE and to make it healthy healthier, use truvia instead of sugar and skim milk instead of whole.) 

But hey, your dinner was healthy, so take on dessert with a spoon and a clear conscious.

Prepping for a REAL Challenge

Next week, my roommate and I will be packin' up the ol' Element and heading to Raleigh to compete in NC State: Krispy Kreme Challenge. 4 miles, 12 doughnuts, 2400 Calories. Sounds exhilarating, doesn't it?! Or maybe just nauseating. The two of us, plus a few of our amazing friends will be meeting in Raleigh to run 2 miles, eat a dozen doughy, sugary doughnuts, then finish the 2 mile trek back. 

Good thing I don't mind training... eh?

Happy Wednesday!