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Raspberry Cheesecake Morning Buns

Raspberry Cheesecake Morning Buns

I WENT INTO TARGET FOR ONE THING.

Raspberry Cheesecake Morning Buns

See, Target has a new line of products, Simply Balanced, and I was excited to pick one or two items from it to try. The line is designed to “take the guesswork out of eating well” by including only foods that meet these basic nutritional requirements: low sodium and fat, zero trans fat, no hydrogenated oils or high fructose corn syrup, and no synthetic colors, artificial preservatives, flavors or sweeteners.

It’s way too much trouble for me to manage all of these criteria on my own during my busy workweek, so I usually just end up chuggin’ down the aspartame and red dye 15 or whatever all week long. I pick a few nutritional criteria to manage (calories, carbs, and dairy intake for me) and tune out everything else. So Simply Balanced is a healthier way for me to pick up a quick grocery item: they managed all the considerations that I don’t have time to.

Raspberry Cheesecake Morning Buns

When I first looked at the line a few months ago, they only had a few items, but they’ve since expanded it to dozens of simple, healthy staples. I chose to use their Simply Balanced DHA Omega 3 Organic Whole Milk for this recipe.

Which brings me back to how I went to Target for ONE THING.

You know what happened, right? I saw (insert my husband’s huge eye roll here) A RAMEKIN. You may not understand the significance of this if you aren’t hanging out with us over on Willow Bird Baking’s Facebook page, but let’s just say I have, um, a strong affinity for ramekins. This particular ramekin was a gorgeous red heart. And then I saw a heart plate. And a pink bird mug. And a white mug. And.

Raspberry Cheesecake Morning Buns

Put it this way: I have a lot of new dishes. And from now on, I’m not allowed in Target alone.

Worth it! I’m so glad I discovered the Simply Balanced line. Granted, I took my healthy new milk and used it to make these decadent, sinful morning buns, but I still love knowing that they’re a touch healthier than they would’ve been otherwise. These buns, by the way, were sort of an accident. I took my amazing Lemon Cheesecake Morning Buns and adapted them per some readers’ suggestions into Raspberry Cheesecake Morning Buns — only I accidentally doubled the cheesecake filling. Oops? And also yay?

They’re springy, fantastic rolls that combine the joy of a delicious yeast roll with fresh raspberries and indulgent cheesecake. Enjoy!

Other amazing “cinnamon roll” recipes:
Lemon Cheesecake Morning Buns
Buttery Coconut & Almond Morning Buns
The Ultimate Sausage Breakfast Buns
Savory Sweet Potato & Chorizo “Cinnamon Rolls”
Buttery Almond Stuffed Morning Buns

One year ago: Spaghetti Squash Baked “Pasta” Boats
Two years ago: Caramelized Banana Upside-Down Coconut Cake & Coconut Whipped Cream
Three years ago: Two Exquisite Tea Sandwiches
Four years ago: Pecan Maple Bacon Pancakes

Raspberry Cheesecake Morning Buns

Recipe by: Willow Bird Baking
Yield: 24 rolls

These Raspberry Cheesecake Morning Buns combine the world’s best yeast dough with fresh raspberries and indulgent cheesecake. I’ve used a sweet almond glaze to round out the flavors, but if you’re not an almond fan, you can use vanilla extract in the glaze instead.

Roll Ingredients:
1 package (2 1/4 teaspoons) active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water (100-110 degrees F)
2 tablespoons white vinegar
2 cups milk minus 2 tablespoons, room temperature
2/3 cup cold shortening
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
5 cups flour
2 tablespoons butter, melted, for after baking

Filling Ingredients:
4 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
2 sticks salted butter (or 2 stick unsalted butter and 1/2 teaspoon salt), melted
1 (12-ounce) jar raspberry jam
1 pint fresh raspberries (plus more for topping)

Glaze Ingredients:
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon milk
1/8 teaspoon almond extract (or vanilla if you prefer)
sliced almonds for garnish (optional)

Directions:
Note: I don’t recommend halving yeast recipes; instead, if you don’t want 24 rolls at once, consider freezing some for later. To freeze some of the unbaked rolls, just wrap them well before the second rise and freeze them. Once frozen, pop them out of the pan all together and store in the freezer, wrapped in plastic wrap and in a zip top bag or wrapped in foil. When you want to bake them, stick them back in a greased pan, thaw them in the fridge overnight, proof for the instructed amount of time, and bake like usual. These bun/roll recipes also provide the perfect opportunity to try two different flavor combos. I often make half sweet buns and half savory buns (like these or these) and half to make sweet buns for dessert. If you do this, just half the filling recipes and roll out the dough half at a time.

Mix the warm water and yeast in a medium bowl and let the yeast foam for about 10 minutes. Put 2 tablespoons white vinegar in a measuring cup and then add milk up to the 2 cup line. Set this aside. In a separate large bowl (or the bowl of a mixer fitted with a dough hook), whisk together flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, and baking powder and cut the shortening into the mixture with two knives or a pastry cutter until the shortening looks like small peas. Stir yeast mixture and milk mixture into the dry ingredients and mix well, kneading just a few turns. Transfer the dough to a bowl lightly sprayed with cooking spray, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and proof in a warm, draft-free place (such as a closed, turned-off oven), for around 70 minutes or until doubled in size.

After proofing the dough, cream the softened cream cheese in a medium bowl until fluffy before adding the sugar and eggs. Mix together until well combined.

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and roll it into a large rectangle about 1/8-inch thick (I carefully cut the dough in half and worked with half at a time to make it more manageable; if you do this, just spread on half of the filling ingredients for each half you roll). Spread the melted butter over the surface of the rolled dough and then dollop the cream cheese mixture all across the surface, spreading gently to create an even layer. Dollop raspberry jam on top and spread it gently across the cream cheese. Sprinkle on raspberries. Gently roll the dough up into a spiral (I find using a bench scraper to encourage the dough to roll up during this process incredibly helpful) and cut it into 2-inch rolls, placing them close together in a 9 x 13-inch baking dish sprayed with cooking spray (at this point, you could wrap and freeze the rolls for later if you wanted).

Cover the rolls let them rise in the fridge overnight (they will have nearly doubled.) When you’re ready to bake, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F, letting the rolls rise on top of the preheating oven covered by a clean dish towel. Bake them for about 25-30 minutes or until lightly browned on top (don’t underbake or they’ll still be doughy in the center). Brush with 2 tablespoons melted butter and return to the oven for 1 more minute. Whisk together the glaze ingredients and drizzle the glaze over the warm rolls. Serve immediately.

Take the guesswork out of eating well. Introducing Simply Balanced, a new brand from Target that’s thoughtfully crafted for taste and goodness.

Disclosure: Compensation was provided by Target via Glam Media. The opinions in this post, however, are all mine.

January 12, 2014 by Julie Ruble | 25 Comments

other

Buttery Almond Stuffed Morning Buns

Buttery Almond Stuffed Morning Buns

I wrote this post as part of the Plugrá Butter Brigade. Thanks, Plugrá, for sponsoring this post and for making my favorite butter!

Mike and I accidentally celebrated our 5-month wedding “anniversary” yesterday. You may wonder how it’s possible to accidentally celebrate an anniversary. Allow me to regale you with a tale of intrigue and fondue (okay, or incompetence and fondue.)

Buttery Almond Stuffed Morning Buns

Mike and I have always been bad at anniversaries. It’s not because we don’t love each other or whatever. It’s just because dates and times and calendars and schedules are hard and stupid and I hate them. And apparently I’m a sullen 5-year-old about it. So there.

I have trouble knowing what day of the week or month it is at any given time (I’ve even surrendered the job of writing the date on the board in my classroom to my students’ more capable hands). So year after year while dating, we let our anniversary pass us by (and we had around 14 of those before getting married!)

Buttery Almond Stuffed Morning Buns

When we got married, I was pretty sure this phenomenon of forgetting anniversaries would end. In fact, we were so honeymoonish and in love and gross that I was pretty sure we were going to start celebrating monthly anniversaries like those cloying couples on Facebook. YOU KNOW THE ONES.

Then we missed the first one. And the second. BUT I WAS BUSY. We were up to our ears in moving boxes! Whatever! It would happen.

Three months, four months. Every now and then I’d count up how long we’d been married and be shocked. Time goes so fast! Who has time to celebrate? We were still unpacking!

Buttery Almond Stuffed Morning Buns

Another thing we were similarly lame about was using the awesome fondue set my parents had given us for our wedding. I kept promising Mike (who was for some reason really adorably excited about fondue?) we would set it up and have fondue when we were finally “settled in.” You know, SETTLED IN: boxes recycled, apartment assembled, some semblance of normalcy achieved. Only we never seemed to get there. Who can clean when you’re planning 3 entirely new English curricula plus two other preps and trying to keep up with Dance Moms?

Buttery Almond Stuffed Morning Buns

Finally, winter break came and we were able to fully clean the apartment for the first time since we’d moved in. I was shocked my vacuum cleaner still worked. I hadn’t seen my feather duster in months. I found I’d grown kind of sentimental about the pile of unsorted mail towering on the bookshelf. Stop looking at me like that.

One night we were sitting in our newly cleaned living room and I realized I finally felt home. It was time to celebrate! Mike and I decided to have a New Year’s celebration with (drumroll) THE FONDUE SET. We couldn’t manage it on New Year’s Eve, though (midweek and all that), so we moved it to the weekend.

YOU KNOW, THE WEEKEND. JANUARY 4. OUR FIVE-MONTH ANNIVERSARY. And that’s the story of how, with no actual planning or intention, we managed to finally, accidentally celebrate our flippin’ anniversary. Now someone please set an alarm for August 4. And hire someone to clean my apartment. Thanks.

Swiss Fondue

It was pretty snazzy accidental celebration if I do say so myself! The fondue was fancy-schmancy and delicious (we made a traditional Swiss fondue with Gruyère and Chardonnay). We watched the finale of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, because we’re nerds and we do that sort of thing. And for dessert, we had these incredible Buttery Almond Stuffed Morning Buns.

These buns are definitely a special occasion treat. They’re the best yeast rolls, soaked with butter (using my favorite Plugrá Butter), stuffed with an indulgent almond mixture, and drizzled with a sweet almond glaze. Basically, they’re insane. If you’re an almond croissant fan like me, you’ve gotta try them! Maybe it’ll accidentally be your anniversary? You never know . . .

One year ago: Boozy Icebox Cake
Two years ago: Healthy Roasted Tomato and Onion Bread Soup
Three years ago: Two Exquisite Tea Sandwiches
Four years ago: Pumpkin Cheesecake Bread Pudding

Buttery Almond Stuffed Morning Buns

Recipe by: Willow Bird Baking
Yield: 24 buns

If you love yeast rolls and almond croissants, you’re going to adore these incredible Buttery Almond Stuffed Morning Buns. The buttery texture and incredible almond flavor make these my new favorite breakfast item!

Roll Ingredients:
1/4 cup warm water (100-110 degrees F)
1 package (2 1/4 teaspoons) active dry yeast
2 tablespoons white vinegar
2 cups milk minus 2 tablespoons, room temperature
5 cups flour
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
2/3 cup cold shortening
2 tablespoons butter, melted, for after baking

Filling Ingredients:
1 pound butter, softened (I use Plugrá Butter)
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
2 cups almond paste (this is about two 8-ounce cans)
1 teaspoon almond extract
2 eggs
dash of salt
1 1/2 cups sliced almonds, divided

Glaze Ingredients:
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon milk
1/8 teaspoon almond extract

Directions:
Note: I don’t recommend halving yeast recipes; instead, if you don’t want 24 rolls at once, consider freezing some for later. To freeze some of the unbaked rolls, just wrap them well before the second rise and freeze them. Once frozen, pop them out of the pan all together and store in the freezer, wrapped in plastic wrap and in a zip top bag or wrapped in foil. When you want to bake them, stick them back in a greased pan, thaw them in the fridge overnight, proof for the instructed amount of time, and bake like usual. I also love making a full dough recipe and using half to make savory buns (like these or these) and half to make sweet buns for dessert. If you do this, just half the filling recipes and roll out the dough half at a time.

Make the yeast dough: Mix the warm water and yeast in a medium bowl and let the yeast foam for about 10 minutes. Put 2 tablespoons white vinegar in a measuring cup and then add milk up to the 2 cup line. Set this aside. In a separate large bowl (or the bowl of a mixer fitted with a dough hook), whisk together flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, and baking powder and cut the shortening into the mixture with two knives or a pastry cutter until the shortening looks like small peas. Stir yeast mixture and milk mixture into the dry ingredients and mix well, kneading just a few turns. Transfer the dough to a bowl lightly sprayed with cooking spray, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and store in refrigerator overnight.

Make the filling: The next morning, in a large bowl, cream together softened butter and sugar until pale, fluffy, and smooth. Add in almond paste, dash of salt, and almond extract and mix until well combined — it’ll be a little lumpy, and that’s okay. Beat in egg.

Roll out the dough: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and lightly spray a 9 x 13-inch baking dish (or two smaller baking dishes) with cooking spray. Turn the chilled dough out onto a well-floured surface and roll it into a large rectangle about 1/8-inch thick (I carefully cut the dough in half and worked with half at a time to make it more manageable; if you do this, just spread on half of the filling ingredients for each half you roll). Spread the almond paste mixture gently and evenly all over the dough and sprinkle on about half of your sliced almonds. Gently roll the dough up into a spiral and cut it into rolls, placing them close together in your prepared baking dish (at this point, you could wrap and freeze the rolls for later if you wanted).

Proof the rolls, bake, and glaze: Cover the rolls with a clean dish cloth and let them rise in a warm spot (I set them on my oven’s heat vent) until they’ve nearly doubled, about 2 hours. Bake them for about 15-20 minutes or until browned on top (if you take them out at just lightly golden brown, they may still be doughy in the center). Brush with 2 tablespoons melted butter and return to the oven for 1 more minute. Whisk together ingredients for the glaze and drizzle it over the rolls. Sprinkle with remaining sliced almonds. Serve immediately.

January 5, 2014 by Julie Ruble | 26 Comments

cakes

The Ultimate Gooey Caramel Brownie Mug Cake Sundae

The Ultimate Gooey Caramel Brownie Mug Cake Sundae

Thanks to Werther’s Original® for sponsoring this recipe post!

I secretly love making resolutions at New Year’s. Really, I love resolutions all the time. I love GOALS! They make everything seem so clear, concrete, focused. You know that feeling when you get to check tasks off your to-do list as you complete them? Every check is so satisfying — even if it’s just the first item (and even if that item happened to be, “Make a to-do list.” You know you do that, too!)

I even love all the little logistical details that come along with goals. I love tracking progress, measuring my advances in various ways, keeping track of data, adjusting my efforts based on data. Oh man. I just get this nerdy thrill out of it. It’s the same nerdy thrill I get in an office supply store. You guys get that, right? Tell me you get that, please.

The Ultimate Gooey Caramel Brownie Mug Cake Sundae

I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. I think it’s part of what makes me an effective teacher and part of what helps me grow as a person. I also think the resolutions and goals we set for ourselves can become a distraction — a way of procrastinating on the real, hard, nebulous work we need to do.

I bet you know what I mean. Do you ever clean your kitchen to avoid doing the laundry? Dust your bookshelves to avoid going to the store? Plenty of otherwise productive things can be used to avoid our real needs. I sometimes tell my students, “Don’t ‘study’ to procrastinate from studying. Don’t ‘read over your notes’ when you know you should be doing math problems to really understand concepts. Don’t spend an hour making pretty flashcards when you know you should be quizzing yourself for most of that hour. Don’t lie to yourself.”

The Ultimate Gooey Caramel Brownie Mug Cake Sundae

Goals are fun because we can tell ourselves to eat fewer sweets when we really need to find a way to love ourselves, to change our whole outlook and lifestyle. We can tell ourselves to read a certain number of Bible chapters a day when we really need to make time to commune with God again — that quiet space where we sit with Him in humility and openness. We can tell ourselves to spend less money when we really need to examine our priorities, look at our possessions with new eyes, and change how we value things.

Don’t get me wrong. Eat fewer sweets (uh, start after this mug cake, though. Trust me.) Read the Bible. Spend less money. Those are all great goals if they’re right for you. But also value yourself enough to be vulnerable to big, real changes in your perspective. What’s been knocking on the door to your heart or conscience lately? Let it in and listen.

The Ultimate Gooey Caramel Brownie Mug Cake Sundae

Here are some things I’ve been considering resolving:

1. Practice mindfulness: sit with feelings for longer, observing them and seeking to understand them fully before reacting to them. To accomplish this, I can picture myself going outside more each day, observing my surroundings more than I do now, talking less than I do now. I imagine more baths, more music, and more time spent throwing my dog’s rubber squeaky toy. Just being where I am.

2. Start living a more humane life. I want to think about the food and other items I buy and how they affect the environment. I especially care that the food I’ve purchased for so long has caused undue suffering to animals. While avoiding any perfectionism or obsession, I want to make better choices, buying meat and produce from places I trust. It might hit me in the pocketbook, but I’ll pay more to know I haven’t participated in unethical practices.

3. Listen with a totally open heart to God. This means being willing to abandon doctrine I’ve grown up with my entire life if it conflicts with what I know about freedom in — and willing service to — Christ. This is something that’s been in the works in my heart for years, and indeed, this past year I feel like I’ve made great strides. Christ didn’t die so I’d follow a set of rules and it hurts real people — real souls — if we as a Church keep pretending like He did. I’m sure I’ll write more on this in coming posts. It’s weighing on my mind.

The Ultimate Gooey Caramel Brownie Mug Cake Sundae

I can’t decide if those goals are distractions or if they’re the real life work I need to do this coming year, but either way, they’re a good start for me. I’m hoping for more discernment as the year unfolds. I also want to break down this year’s goals (whatever I end up settling on!) into a few things I can do monthly (I got this idea from the unsteady), so I can keep track of my progress and make sure my goals are meaningful. Oh, is my nerd showing again? Lemme just tuck that back in and move on to the cake!

OH BOY, what a cake! Imagine you’re home in your jammies and a dessert craving hits. You could just have a bowl of vanilla ice cream. You could have a handful of chocolate chips. OR YOU COULD GATHER UP A FEW THINGS FROM YOUR PANTRY AND HAVE THIS CHOCOLATE MONSTROSITY.

I made this one for Mike in just a few minutes, snapped some photos (which involved Mike drizzling chocolate while I said, “More. More. A little more. Still more.”), and bam! he was digging in to a decadent dessert à la mode.

What are you considering for your New Year’s resolution?

One year ago: Spiced Crispies (Chivda, or Indian Snack Mix)
Two years ago: Brown Butter Cookie Dough Pretzel Bars
Three years ago: Magic Bars
Four years ago: Taco Stuffed Crescent Rolls

5 from 1 reviews

The Ultimate Gooey Caramel Brownie Mug Cake Sundae

Prep time

5 mins

Cook time

5 mins

Total time

10 mins

I took an already-great mug cake from one of my faves, America’s Test Kitchen, and pumped it up! I added some espresso to deepen the chocolate flavor and a slew of my favorite toppings from my pantry to create a dessert as decadent as one it takes hours to make. Throw this together at home when you want a special dessert but don’t want to get out of your jammies! I used a big espresso mug for this cake, but you can use any regular size coffee mug that’s microwave safe. Different microwaves may require different cooking times, but your finished cake should look set up but very moist.

Author: Willow Bird Baking, adapted from America's Test Kitchen

Serves: 1

Ingredients

Cake Ingredients:

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons chocolate chips (half bittersweet and half semisweet)
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon instant espresso powder
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1 square of your favorite dark chocolate bar

Topping Ingredients:

3 Werther’s Original® Baking Caramels
2 teaspoons milk
melted chocolate chips
vanilla bean ice cream or gelato
crushed toasted nuts
crushed cookie
whipped cream

Instructions

Place butter and chocolate chips in a coffee mug and heat on half power for 15 second intervals, stirring between each interval, until melted (about 45 seconds total). In a separate small bowl or ramekin, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. In a separate small bowl or ramekin, whisk together the egg, vanilla extract, and espresso powder. When the chocolate is melted in your mug, stir in sugar and cocoa powder. Stir in the egg mixture. Stir in the flour mixture. Stir well to eliminate lumps.
Microwave the mug on half power for 30 seconds (I set mine on a plate just in case there’s spillover). Stir. Microwave on half power for 35 seconds (the cake will rise over the top of your mug like a giant soufflé, but stay calm.) Press the square of chocolate bar down into the center of the cake (I broke mine into two pieces), being careful not to burn your fingers. Microwave on half power for 40 seconds. Let the cake cool in the mug for 2 minutes while you prepare your toppings.
Melt the chocolate chips by heating on half power for 20 second intervals, stirring between each, until melty. Melt the Werther’s Original® Baking Caramels by placing them in a small bowl with the milk. Heat on 30 second intervals, stirring carefully between each, until melty. Top your mug cake with a big scoop of vanilla bean ice cream, caramel sauce, chocolate sauce, whipped cream, crushed toasted pecans, a crushed cookie (I used a Biscoff cookie), and the kitchen sink. Just kidding about the sink. Enjoy!

December 31, 2013 by Julie Ruble | 40 Comments

cakes

Brown Butter Pecan Gooey Butter Cake with Spiked Whipped Cream

Brown Butter Pecan Gooey Butter Cake with Spiked Whipped Cream

Thanks to Werther’s Original® for sponsoring this recipe post!

When I moved to Raleigh, there seemed to be no time to make friends before school started and I was immersed in planning my new curriculum. No complaints, since that’s one of my very favorite things to do (my dream job is one where I plan curriculum and have a grading assistant — all the teachers out there, gimme an “amen!”) but I did feel pretty isolated. However, since I’m the world’s most committed introvert, I can’t quite rely on my own motivation to get out of the stuck-at-home rut — someone usually has to invite me somewhere or otherwise intervene. But there wasn’t much possibility of that in a brand new city.

Brown Butter Pecan Gooey Butter Cake with Spiked Whipped Cream

Thankfully, there was some divine intervention. Out of the blue, my online-friend-of-several-years Meghan moved back to the triangle area from NYC and invited me out to dinner immediately. We turned out to be just as perfect for each other in real life as I’d suspected we would be from the internetz. And then, in another bizarre twist, I found out some of my very best friends from college, Kristen and Bill, lived in the area.

Brown Butter Pecan Gooey Butter Cake with Spiked Whipped Cream

Kristen and Bill felt like a “Welcome Home” party in a place that decidedly did not feel like home yet. We had dinner and it felt like being back at Davidson, laughing and talking like we’d never been apart. They also told us about their church, and since we’d been visiting around looking for one, we decided to try it. After our first dinner together, several weeks passed with us visiting the church but never seeing Kristen and Bill — we figured they must go to the late service, and we always went to the early one. We kept talking about making more plans with them, but again, I’m so bad at reaching out.

Brown Butter Pecan Gooey Butter Cake with Spiked Whipped Cream

Again, divine intervention — this time in the best way! Mike and I were at their church one Sunday, not expecting to see them, when suddenly, the pastor announced that he had a baptism scheduled. I love watching baptisms because to me, it’s the absolute most poignant moment — where a person shares an inward revolution of heart with their church family. Imagine my surprise when I realized that it was Kristen on stage! I just cried. I couldn’t believe that God not only brought me back to Kristen and Bill so long after college, but also ordained that I’d get to spend this special moment with my friend.

In a city where I wasn’t sure how to build a new life, God gave me one of those life moments that I won’t ever forget.

(We also watched Catching Fire together last night and that was awesome too. Baptism still wins, though!)

* * *
Brown Butter Pecan Gooey Butter Cake with Spiked Whipped Cream

Speaking of friends, here’s one way to make some: whip up a Brown Butter Pecan Gooey Butter Cake with Spiked Whipped Cream and pull out some forks. This cake has All The Good Things in it: nutty brown butter; bloomed cinnamon and cloves; toasted pecans; and billowy, barely sweet whipped cream spiked with dark rum. I also used Werther’s Original® Baking Caramels to make the simplest caramel sauce known to man to top the cake without a lot of fuss. The result is a warm oasis of bliss in an otherwise icy winter day.

One year ago: Rosemary Thumbprints with Clementine Curd (and The Day I Went to Ina Garten’s Cookie Swap!)
Two years ago: Salted Caramel Chocolate Trifle
Three years ago: Browned Butter Pumpkin Croquemcake with White Chocolate Chai Mousse
Four years ago: Cannoli

Brown Butter Pecan Gooey Butter Cake with Spiked Whipped Cream

Recipe by: Willow Bird Baking
Yield: 6 servings

This delicious cake has everything delightful in it: nutty brown butter, bloomed cinnamon and cloves, toasted pecans, a simple caramel sauce, and spiked whipped cream! It’s perfect for a holiday table, but easy enough for an anytime dessert.

Crust Ingredients:
1 cup cake flour
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/3 cup cold butter

Filling Ingredients:
1 cup (2 sticks) butter
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup evaporated milk
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup toasted pecans*
icing sugar

Topping Ingredients:
2 cups heavy whipping cream
4 tablespoons powdered sugar
2 tablespoons dark rum (optional)
20 Werther’s Original® Baking Caramels
2 tablespoons whole milk

Directions:
*NOTE: To toast pecans, spread them on a baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees F for around 6-7 minutes, tossing occasionally, until fragrant. Chop while still warm.

NOTE 2: If you don’t have a skillet, I believe you can bake this in a greased 9-inch square baking dish (I’d use a glass one if you have it, and check it early and often. Remove when there’s some jiggle left.) Let us know how it goes if you try it this way for all the other skilletless people!

Make the brown butter: Cut the 1 cup butter into 1-tablespoon cubes. Place it into a heavy-bottom saucepan over medium heat and brown the butter, whisking often. The butter will melt, foam, and then begin to brown, and the whisking is important so that it browns evenly. Whisk in cinnamon and cloves. Pour your brown butter into a shallow, wide dish to cool for a bit before sticking it in the freezer to set up. After it’s set up, set it back out at room temperature to soften for use.

Make the crust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk together cake flour and sugar in a medium bowl. Cut in the cold butter with a pastry cutter or two knives until the mixture resembles fine crumbs and starts to cling together (I often use my food processor for this step, pulsing the cold fat into the flour). Press the mixture into the bottom and up the sides of a 10-inch cast iron skillet using a flat glass or the back of a spoon.

Make the filling: Cream together the softened brown butter and white and brown sugars until fluffy (about 2-3 minutes). Mix in the egg until just combined. Alternate adding the flour and evaporated milk, mixing after each addition. Mix in the corn syrup and vanilla. Stir in the toasted pecans. Pour the filling into the crust and sprinkle the top with icing sugar.

Bake and assemble the cake: Bake for 25 to 35 minutes or until cake is nearly set (mine was probably ready around 30). Some jiggle is fine — do not overcook! It’ll finish setting up as it cools. Let it cool in pan for 2 hours. Whip the heavy cream, powdered sugar, and rum to stiff peaks. Melt the caramels and milk together in a microwave safe bowl for 2 minutes, stirring often but carefully, until the hot caramel sauce is ready. Pour caramel sauce over cooled cake and top with a giant mound of spiked whipped cream. Serve from the skillet with a few forks or on plates, if you like things a little more formal.

November 24, 2013 by Julie Ruble | 9 Comments

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Thanksgiving Dessert Recipes

Thanks, Foodie, for sponsoring this post.

You don’t want just any old Thanksgiving Dessert Recipe. It needs to be the best. If you’re going to indulge in an epic feast, you want every bite to count. I get it. Below are the no-joke absolute stunner recipes from Willow Bird Baking — the ones you’ll want your whole family to taste. The ones you’ll want to use to impress your mother-in-law. The ones you’ll want to shock your relatives with. YES, EVEN YOUR PICKY AUNT GLADYS. ESPECIALLY YOUR PICKY AUNT GLADYS.

The best of the best, tailored for your Thanksgiving dessert table. Prepare to enter dessert utopia.

Willow Bird Baking's 20 Best Thanksgiving Dessert Recipes

1. PUMPKIN STREUSEL SWIRLED CREAM CHEESE POUND CAKE.

cooking difficulty: intermediate

2. PUMPKIN SPICE PULL-APART BREAD WITH BUTTER RUM GLAZE.

cooking difficulty: intermediate

3. CHOCOLATE COCONUT CREAM PIE BARS.

cooking difficulty: easy

4. SOPAPILLA PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE BARS.

cooking difficulty: easy

5. GOOEY CARMELITAS.

cooking difficulty: easy

6. PUMPKIN OAT CAKE WITH BROILED COCONUT ICING.

cooking difficulty: easy

7. TRES LECHES COCONUT CAKE TRIFLE.

cooking difficulty: intermediate

8. CARAMELIZED BANANA UPSIDE-DOWN COCONUT CAKE WITH COCONUT WHIPPED CREAM.

cooking difficulty: easy

9. THE ULTIMATE, MOIST, FLUFFY, RIDICULOUS COCONUT CAKE.

cooking difficulty: intermediate

10. COFFEE COOKIE DOUGH FUDGE CHEESECAKE.

cooking difficulty: easy but long

11. BROWN BUTTER PUMPKIN CROQUEMCAKE WITH WHITE CHOCOLATE CHAI MOUSSE.

cooking difficulty: advanced

12. SALTED CARAMEL CHOCOLATE TRIFLE.

cooking difficulty: intermediate

13. STICKY TOFFEE PUDDING CHEESECAKE.

cooking difficulty: easy but long

14. BROWN BUTTER PUMPKIN CAKE CHEESECAKE WITH SALTED CARAMEL.

cooking difficulty: intermediate

15. GERMAN CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE.

cooking difficulty: easy but long

16. RED VELVET CHEESECAKE.

cooking difficulty: easy but long

17. CARAMEL FUDGE BROWNIE CHEESECAKE.

cooking difficulty: intermediate

18. CHOCOLATE POKE CAKE WITH WHIPPED COCONUT ICING.

cooking difficulty: easy

19. NANAIMO BARS.

cooking difficulty: easy

20. SAMOA MONKEY BREAD WITH GANACHE DIPPING SAUCE.

cooking difficulty: easy

Want more Thanksgiving inspiration from other bloggers I love? Check out my Inspiring Thanksgiving Recipes Foodie Collection for side dishes, cocktails, desserts, and more!

November 19, 2013 by Julie Ruble | 5 Comments

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