Recipe with Irish Cream Liquor - Enjoy!

Bailey's Irish Cream Bundt Cake
1 (18.25 ounce) box yellow or chocolate mix ( I prefer the yellow cake and vanilla pudding combination over chocolate)
1 (3.4 ounce) box instant vanilla or chocolate pudding and pie filling mix
4 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup Bailey's Irish Cream liqueur (Remember - does not need to be Bailey's)
Topping:Sifted confectioners' sugar or Bailey's Irish Cream
    Glaze or Bailey's Cream Cheese Frosting

In a large bowl, combine cake mix, pudding mix, eggs and oil. Beat at medium speed of an electric mixer, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary. Beat in liqueur. Spoon into a greased 10-inch Bundt or tube pan. Bake in a preheated moderate oven (350 degrees F) for about 50 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out into a wire rack to finish cooling.

Turn Bundt cake upside-down and tube cake, right side up or upside down as desired. Sift confectioners' sugar over top of cake or drizzle Bailey's Irish Cream Glaze over top and down sides of cake. Or, frost cake with Bailey's Irish Cream Frosting.

Store in an airtight container at room temperature or in the refrigerator. May also freeze cake, tightly wrapped in aluminum foil, for up to 3 months.

Bailey's Irish Cream Glaze:

Yield: enough for 1 (10-inch Bundt cake)

About 1/2 (16 ounce) package confectioners' sugar, sifted
1 tablespoon butter or margarine, at room temperature
3 to 4 tablespoons Bailey's Irish Cream liqueur or as desired

In a deep small bowl, beat confectioners' sugar together, gradually beat in liqueur until desired drizzling consistency is achieved and glaze is smooth.

Variation: Omit Bailey's Irish Cream, add 3/4 cup Kahlua or Amaretto liqueur to batter and use Kahlua or Amaretto in the glaze.

Bailey's Cream Cheese Frosting:

Yield: enough frosting to frost a 9-inch round layer cake or a 10-inch Bundt or tube cake

6 ounces cream cheese or reduced-fat cream cheese, at room temperature
About 2 tablespoon Bailey's Irish Cream liqueur
Pinch of salt
1 (16 ounce) package confectioners' sugar, sifted (about 4 1/2 cups)
1 cup coarsely chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)

In a medium bowl, combine the first four ingredients, beating until smooth. Gradually add confectioners' sugar, beating until mixture is smooth and fluffy. Add additional cream as needed to achieve desired spreading consistency. Fold in nuts, if desired.

St. Patrick's Day Recipe - One of My Favorite Holidays!!!

One of my favorite holidays is St. Patrick's Day.  I am never able to go out and celebrate but I soo.... love this holiday.  My ethic background has quite a bit of Irish - something I am very proud of.  One day - I am sure I will be able to go out and celebrate the food and drink of Ireland on St. Patrick's Day but for now it will have to wait.  This year - I decided to make several desserts with Guiness or Bailey's Irish Cream to share with friends and coworkers.  YUM!!  Two wee 'lil tidbits about baking with Irish liquor or beer...Guiness is on sale this time of year so using this beer this time of year is smart and you can buy any Irish Cream Whiskey (and skip the expensive Bailey's) to bake with and it turns out great.  Enjoy! GUINNESS CHOCOLATE BUNDT CAKE   A wonderful recipe by Erin Bolger - The Happy Baker

1 cup butter, softened 2 cups sugar 4 eggs 2 tsp. vanilla extract 1 cup Guinness 1 cup unsweetened cocoa 2 1/2 cups flour 1 1/2 tsp. baking soda 1 tsp. baking powder 1 tsp. salt 1 cup buttermilk - make homemade buttermilk and it turns out perfectly (while saving some money).  (Homemade buttermilk is one tablespoon of white vinegar in a one cup measurement cup and then fill up the rest with milk/stir) Thoroughly grease a bundt pan. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Mix together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla;mix until just combined. Stir in the Guinness. In a separate bowl whisk or sift together the cocoa, flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Gradually add to the wet mixture; mix Once combined gradually stir in the buttermilk. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.  Bake for about 1hr or until a toothpick inserted closer to the middle comes out clean.  Check on it at 50 mins to see how it is baking.  Remove from the oven. While the cake is slightly warm and cool enough to touch place a plate on the top. Invert the cake. GUINNESS CHOCOLATE GLAZE 1/2 cup butter 2 tbsp. cocoa 1 cup sugar 1/4 cup water 1/4 cup Guinness In a small saucepan over medium heat combine the butter, water, cocoa and sugar. Bring to a boil and continue boiling for about 5 minutes. Mixture will thicken up. Stir often. Remove from the the heat and stir in the Guinness. Let the sauce sit until it reaches room temperature. It will thicken up as it cools. Just before you are ready to serve the cake (30 minutes before) brush or spoon the sauce on to the outside of the cake. Letting the sauce soak in. Serve & Enjoy!! Store any uneaten pieces in an airtight container in a cool dry place or the fridge. HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY EVERYONE!!!!!

Strawberry Cream Cheese Pound Cake Will Make You Feel Like Spring Is Coming!

Hello everyone!!  I know I have found a good recipe when my son asks twice in one week for me to bake this.  Enjoy this easy recipe from Southern Living -

Ingredients

• 1 1/2  cups  butter, softened
• 3  cups  sugar
• 1  (8-oz.) package cream cheese, softened
• 6  large eggs
• 3  cups  all-purpose flour
• 1  teaspoon  almond extract
• 1/2  teaspoon  vanilla extract
• 2/3  cup  strawberry glaze
• 1  (6-inch) wooden skewer

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Beat butter at medium speed with a heavy-duty electric stand mixer until creamy. Gradually add sugar, beating at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add cream cheese, beating until creamy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until blended after each addition.
2. Gradually add flour to butter mixture. Beat at low speed just until blended after each addition, stopping to scrape bowl as needed. Stir in almond and vanilla extracts. Pour one-third of batter into a greased and floured 10-inch (14-cup) tube pan (about 2 2/3 cups batter). Dollop 8 rounded teaspoonfuls strawberry glaze over batter, and swirl with wooden skewer. Repeat procedure once, and top with remaining third of batter.
3. Bake at 350° for 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes or until a long wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack 10 to 15 minutes; remove from pan to wire rack, and cool completely (about 1 hour).

What did you do today?

Sorry I have not been around lately.  The fall came and went and then we sped thru the holidays.  So here we are in the new year.  What will 2011 hold?  Hmmm...

I heard something today I wanted to share.  How many times have you asked your child, spouse, friend - "How was your day today?  What did you learn?"  These words are asked countless times.  Another interesting question to ask is "What questions did you ask today?"  Minds are precious things and our curiousity helps us grow, sustain growth and knowledge and learn.  So next time, ask "What questions did you ask and learn from?" 

Happy New Year to all!  I hope to write more this year and share with you what things I am learning and asking questions about.