Cyndi's Famous Banana-Pineapple Cupcakes with Pineapple Cream Cheese Frosting

These wonderfully rich, and moist cupcakes are a favorite of my dear friend Cynthia Hoffman, who was kind enough to share her recipe with me.

This makes a large batch of cupcakes.  If you don't have enough pans, pour the left-over batter in a square cake pan or large, glass, pyrex muffin cup.

3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup oil
1/2 cup buttermilk
3 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups mashed bananas (about 6 ripe)
1 1/2 cup toasted and chopped pecans
1 8 oz can crushed pineapple (drained, reserve juice)

Frosting:
1 8 oz cream cheese softened
1/2 cup butter
5 cups confectioners sugar
reserved pineapple juice

Preheat oven to 350. Line muffin cups with paper liners.

In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients. Set aside. In small bowl, combine buttermilk, eggs and vanilla.  Gradually add egg mixture to dry ingredients. Beat until combined.  Stir in fruit and nuts.

Spoon batter into paper-lined muffin cups.  Bake for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown and toothpick inserted into one comes out clean. Remove from pans, and cool.

For frosting:
Combine cream cheese, and butter.  Beat until smooth.  Add just 2 tablespoons juice and begin adding confectioners (powdered) sugar by cupfuls.  Beat. When/if the mixture gets too stiff, add more juice. When all five cups of sugar have been incorporated, the frosting should be nice and creamy.  If its runny, add more sugar.

Frost each cupcake with a nice dollop of frosting, serve and enjoy.

Easter Basket Cupcakes

These festive little cupcakes will delight young and old alike.

I like to fill my baskets with strawberry cake, but you can use whatever flavor cake you choose - be creative!

You'll Need:
1 recipe of cake batter
1-2 boxes ice cream cones (depending upon how many you want to make)
1 recipe of buttercream or cream cheese frosting (ready-made will work too)
green food coloring
coconut (optional)
tiny jelly beans
pastel pipe cleaners

Directions:  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Fill 2 standard cupcake pans with ice cream cones.  I usually buy more cones, than I need just in case a few are cracked or crushed.

Prepare your cake batter.  Carefully spoon the batter into each ice cream cone, filling them to about 1/2 inch from the rim.  

Bake according to your recipe's directions for cupcakes (usually about 20 - 30 minutes).  I ALWAYS check the centers for doneness with a toothpick.  If the batter spills over the top and down the side of a cone, don't worry about it.  Just pick it off when the cake cools.

Frost the top of each cone. I use a basic buttercream, or cream cheese frosting, and tint it green with a drop of food coloring.

To tint your coconut, put a drop or two of food color in a medium size plastic container.  Add a cup or so of coconut, leaving at east two inches of headspace.  Cover the container with a lid, and shake it. The food color with turn your coconut green.

Decorate the frosted tops with coconut and candy.  Finally, insert your pipe cleaners. Happy Easter!

Strawberry Cake

This pretty, pink cake is moist-fully delicious, and very easy to make as it has a cake mix base.

Cake Batter:
1 (18.25 oz) boxed white cake mix
3 oz box of strawberry-flavored instant gelatin
1 (15 oz) package of frozen strawberries in syrup, thawed and pureed
4 large eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup water

For Frosting:
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 8 oz package cream cheese, softened
1 small package of frozen strawberries in syrup, thawed and pureed (you only need 1/4 cup - use what's left in smoothies)
1/2 tsp strawberry extract (for added berry flavor)
7 cups (more or less) confectioner's sugar (powdered sugar)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease two 9-inch, round cake pans, and line the bottom of each with parchment paper.

In large bowl, combine cake mix and gelatin.  Add the remaining ingredients and beat until smooth.

Pour batter into prepared pans and bake according to the directions on the cake mix box, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Invert cake from pans, and cool on wire rack.

For frosting:
In large bowl combine the butter and cream cheese.  Beat until smooth.  Add the berries and extract.  Slowly add in the powdered sugar, beating after each addition.  If your frosting is too stiff, add a little more puree.

Assemble the cake.  If I can find them, I sneak a few sliced strawberries between the layers, along with the frosting.  Enjoy!

Carrot Cake with Pineapple and Coconut

This delightfully rich and moist carrot cake is from the original Silver Palate cookbook, which I received as a gift early in my marriage. It was my first real gourmet cookbook, and this was the first recipe I tried.  I've been making it at Easter ever since.

3 cups all-purpose flour
3 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 1/2 cups corn oil
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups pecans, chopped
1 1/2 cups shredded coconut (plus a small bit for garnish)
1 1/3 cups pureed cooked carrots
3/4 cups drained, crushed pineapple
Cream-Chees Frosting

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease two 9-inch layer cake pans, lined with parchment paper.

Sift dry ingredients into a bowl.  Add oil, eggs, and vanilla.  Beat well.  Fold in pecans, coconut, carrots, and pineapple.

Pour batter into pans.  Bake on middle rack in oven for 30 to 35 minutes, until edges have pulled away from sides, and a toothpick inserted into the center, comes out clean.

Cool on wire rack for 3 hours.  Fill cake, and frost top and sides with Cream-Cheese Frosting.  Sprinkle the top with coconut.

Irish Apple Cake

A deliciously moist, delicately spiced, apple cake.  Serve with a dollop of fresh whipped cream.


4 tablespoons butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg beaten
4 apples, cored, peeled and diced
1/4 cup pecans, finely chopped
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease an 8 inch cake pan (I like to use a spring-form pan).

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until fluffy.  Add eggs, and beat.  Add apples, nuts, vanilla, and stir with large spoon to combine.

Sift dry ingredients together, and mix with a spoon, into apple mixture (batter will be very thick).  Spoon batter into pan (pressing down with the back of the spoon to make sure you spread evenly).

Bake until cake is lightly browned, about 45 minutes.  Let cool in pan for 5 minutes, then turn out, or spring cake from pan.  Sift powdered sugar over the top, and serve with fresh whipped cream.

Bit O'Shamrock Cake

My mother's traditional St. Patty's Day dessert.  Mom always used a Bundt-cake pan, but I've used a 13 x 9 casserole dish, and cupcake pans with success too.  Another option, is to bake the cake and prepare the frosting as directed, but assemble as an old-fashioned ice-box cake.  No matter how you serve it, the end result is delicious!


1 package Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe Yellow Cake mix, or similar yellow or white cake mix
2 (4 serving size) packages, instant pistachio pudding mix
4 eggs
1 cup water
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 large container Cool Whip
milk

Combine cake mix, 1 package of pudding mix, eggs, water and vegetable oil in large bowl.  Beat to blend well.

Pour into a well-greased cake pan or cupcake tins.  Bake, according to the directions on the back of the cake-mix box (make sure toothpick inserted into the thickest part of cake comes out clean).  Invert Bundt pan and cool.

For frosting:
Prepare remaining box of pudding with milk, according to package directions.  In large bowl, fold Cool Whip into the prepared pudding.

When cake is cool, apply frosting and refrigerate until ready to serve.

For Ice-box Cake:
Pour cake batter into 13 x 9 inch pan, or glass casserole dish.  Bake, and cool.  Prepare frosting and set aside.  Cut cake into large, bite-sized pieces, and toss into a 13 x 9 inch casserole.  Spoon pudding-Cool Whip frosting over all, and tamp down with the back of a large spoon.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.  To serve, scoop out of casserole dish and serve in pretty glass dishes, or large wine glasses.

Eggnog Trifle

I love serving a trifle at Christmas to cap off our traditional English menu of roast prime rib of beef and Yorkshire pudding.  If we've a big crowd, I make enough to fill my footed trifle dish.  When there's only a few of us, I think its fun to serve individual trifles in pretty crystal or vintage glasses. I even have a few special child-friendly glasses for the children!

To add a bit of extra flare, sprinkle in a variety of berries (fresh or frozen).  Another fun idea I've run across, is to bake the cake in a 13 x 9 dish, then slice sections vertically to about 1 inch thickness.  Use a cookie cutter to cut enough cake shapes to line the outside of a large glass trifle dish.  Proceed with cubing and layering as directed.  The cut shapes look so pretty from the outside.

Ingredient amounts vary according to how many you'll be serving.  The following will make six individual trifles.

1 box vanilla pudding mix (the cheesecake pudding works well too)
2 cups eggnog
1/2 pint heavy whipping cream
powdered sugar to taste
2 - 3 cups fresh berries, or frozen berries, thawed and drained

1/2 recipe of Eggnog-Spice Bundt Cake (2 - 3 cups cubed cake)

port wine, sweet sherry, madeira, or apricot brandy

Prepare pudding according to package directions, using eggnog instead of milk. Place plastic wrap directly on the pudding, and set aside.





Beat the whipping cream until stiff.  Add powdered sugar to taste.




Traditionally, a trifle is made by first soaking the cake with a sweet liquor, and then layering as follows: cake, fruit, pudding and whipped cream.  Dividing the ingredients into more layers, makes a more interesting and better tasting overall dessert.  Be creative!


For the above trifles, I started with a dollop of whipped cream, a large berry, a dollop of pudding, a few cubes of cake - sprinkled with your choice of suggested liquor (omit for the kids) - a spoonful of berries, pudding, more berries, whipped cream, cake (sprinkled with liquor), pudding and whipped cream.  I finished each trifle off with a blueberry on top!

For the children in the family, I make alcohol-free trifles in special holiday glasses (plastic, in this case)!

Eggnog Spice Bundt Cake

This cake is really different from an ordinary Bundt recipe because it's so light in both taste and texture.  You don't have to be a fan of spice cake, or eggnog, to enjoy this truly unique sponge cake.  I'm substituting pumpkin spice pudding this year too.  It's always fun to change things up a bit!  

Finally, if you don't have a Bundt pan, no worries.  This bakes equally well in a 13 x 9 glass dish, 2 - 9 inch layer pans or a large loaf pan.  Just keep an eye on your baking time by testing for doneness with a toothpick.


Another quick and easy recipe.

1 (18 ounce) box spice cake mix
1 (4-serving size) box instant vanilla or cheesecake pudding and pie filling mix
1 cup nonfat vanilla yogurt
1/4 cup canola oil
1 cup eggnog
1 egg
3 egg whites
1 1/3 cups toasted chopped pecans
powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Coat a non-stick Bundt pan with cooking spray (I sprinkle a little Wondra flour in the pan too).
Combine all ingredients except pecans and powered sugar, in a large bowl.  Beat until creamy.  Stir in pecans.  Pour into prepared pan.  Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Remove from pan, and cool on wire rack.  When cool, dust with powdered sugar.

Almond-Apple Cupcakes with Cinnamon Streusel

The perfect little bite to accompany a cup of coffee or tea.

These pretty little cupcakes are akin to coffee cake.  I found the recipe in a Cooking Light magazine so they're supposed to be a bit less caloric, and have a slightly lower fat content than a traditional breakfast cake.  

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp baking soda

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup less-fat cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup butter softened

2 T amaretto (almond-flavored liqueur, or 2 T milk and a 1/4 tsp almond extract)

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 large egg

1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream

1/4 cup 2% milk

3/4 cup finely chopped cooking apple

1 T all-purpose flour

Streusel Topping:

2 T all purpose flour

2 T brown sugar

1/4 tsp cinnamon

2 T butter, chilled

2 T sliced almonds

Glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar

4 tsp 2% milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and place liners in 12 muffin cups.  Spray top of muffin tray with cooking spray.

Combine 1 1/2 cups flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a small bowl.  Set aside.

In large bowl, combine granulated sugar, 1/4 cup butter and cream cheese.  Beat well.  Add amaretto, vanilla and egg to sugar mixture, and beat with an electric mixer.  

In another small bowl, combine sour cream and milk.  Whisk until blended.  

Combine apple and 1 tablespoon flour.

Add flour mixture and sour cream mixture alternately to sugar mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture.  Beat just until blended (don't over-mix).  Fold in apples.

Divide batter evenly into muffin cups.

To prepare streusel, combine 2 tablespoons flour, brown sugar and cinnamon.  Cut in 2 tablespoons butter with a hand pastry blender (photo at right).  Add the sliced almonds.  Crumble the streusel evenly over each cupcake.

Bake at 350 degrees for 27 minutes or until wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.  Remove from pan and cool on a wire rack.

Prepare glaze.  When the cupcakes are cool enough, drizzle the glaze over each one.  Serve and enjoy!