Kerstin – Cake, Batter, and Bowl | Cake, Batter, and Bowl

Author Archives: Kerstin - Cake, Batter, and Bowl

Boston Cream Pie Mini French Toast Stacks

July 8, 2009

While I was visiting my parents in Des Moines last weekend, my mom and I put on our aprons and chef hats, and collaborated on this breakfast treat. She’s the first source I go to when I need any advice in the kitchen because she’s an awesome high school culinary arts teacher! Her classroom consists of several commercial kitchens and a café her students run, which is open to the public for lunch a few times a week. She not only prepares her students for a restaurant career or culinary school, but also takes them to national culinary competitions, where they cook or bake in teams or individually. I wish I could have taken her classes in high school! I’m hoping to convince her to write a guest blog post about her program and famous chocolate cake when her kids are back in school next year.

I already developed a pancake recipe with my mom in mind since she loves sweets for breakfast, so it was only natural that we come up with another breakfast treat. We decided Boston Cream Pie French Toast would be delicious and my mom had the brilliant idea of using soft dinner rolls to make little mini French Toast stacks! We cut each roll into 3 slices and cooked them up as French toast and then filled the layers with vanilla pudding and topped the stack with chocolate ganache. They tasted very indulgent, but are not really all that bad for you. We had ours with strawberries, but I think any kind of fresh fruit would also be great. Oh, and check out my mom’s cool strawberry fan – she’s always teaching me something!

Boston Cream Pie Mini French Toast Stacks
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon milk
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 soft dinner rolls (ours were about 2 1/2 inches on each side), cut into 3 slices each
1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup vanilla pudding (we made instant with 1 3/4 cup milk so it would be on the thick side)
8 strawberries, sliced

Directions:
Whisk 1/2 cup milk, eggs, and vanilla in a pie pan until smooth. Spray large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium high heat. Working in batches, dip 12 roll slices into egg mixture on both sides and cook about 2-3 minutes on each side or until golden brown.

In small microwavable bowl, microwave chocolate chips and remaining 1 tablespoon milk on high for 45 seconds, stirring once after 25 seconds, until melted.

To assemble the stacks, layer the first third of each roll, 2 tablespoons vanilla pudding, another third of the roll, 2 tablespoons pudding, and the final one third of the roll. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of chocolate ganache on top of each stack. Garnish with sliced strawberries. Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition: 257 calories, 10.0g fat, 2.5g fiber, 8.4g protein per serving
Cost: $0.89 per serving

39 Comments - Leave a comment!

Pretzel Coated Hot Dogs with Caramelized Onions, Provolone, and Honey Mustard

July 4, 2009

Happy 4th of July! I’m in Des Moines right now visiting my parents and we gobbled up some delicious hot dogs today. Apolinaras started laughing when I told him about my plan to come up with a great hot dog recipe, because he doesn’t think hot dogs are blog worthy. But I totally disagree, a good hot dog is a completely satisfying summer treat and it’s really the same as posting a unique sandwich recipe!

Anyway, these hot dogs are special because they’re coated in pretzels! I basically breaded them like you would for chicken parm and then served them on a bun topped with melted provolone, caramelized onions, and a tangy honey mustard sauce. The pretzels add a nice crunch and these dogs were SO good! Check out my mom’s super festive plates too – the only time you’ll see anything other than white is when I’m making a mess in her kitchen. I hope everyone is enjoying the holiday weekend with their friends and family!

Pretzel Coated Hot Dogs with Caramelized Onions, Provolone, and Honey Mustard
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
4 beef hot dogs
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup crushed pretzels
2 tablespoons spicy brown mustard
1/2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1/2 tablespoon honey
6 slices provolone cheese
4 whole wheat hot dog buns

Directions:
Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat in a small pan. Add onions and cook 10 to 15 minutes or until caramelized, stirring frequently. Remove onions and add remaining olive oil to the pan.

Meanwhile, coat each hot dog heat in flour, then in the egg, and then in the pretzel crumbs. Brown hot dogs on all sides by cooking for 5 to 7 minutes over medium high heat or until golden brown and warmed.

Mix mustard, vinegar, and honey in a small bowl until well combined.

Preheat the oven broiler. Spread one and a half slices of cheese over each open hot dog bun. Toast in the broiler for 2 to 5 minutes or until buns are toasted and cheese is melted.

Assemble the hot dogs by placing one hot dog on each bun and topping each with the onions and honey mustard sauce. Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition: 546 calories, 35.0g fat, 2.9g fiber, 22.9g protein per serving
Cost: $1.69 per serving

32 Comments - Leave a comment!

Roasted Beet, Mango, and Avocado Spinach Salad

July 1, 2009

My problem on weekends is that I tend to sleep in until after noon and then half the day is already gone! Plus, then I end up not being able to fall asleep until very late on Sunday night, which makes it hard to get up on Monday morning. But, I struggle to change this habit for two reasons, 1.) maybe my body just needs the sleep? and 2.) I better enjoy it now because I’m sure I won’t be able to sleep in after we have kiddos! I’ve decided middle ground may be the way to go and got up by 10:30 both mornings this weekend. I was super productive and ran a bunch of errands and assembled my DIY light box!

I can’t believe I didn’t get around to putting this light box together earlier! My hubby bought the lights months ago when he volunteered to make my light box, but when I learned of his grand plans to use PVC pipe and curtains to make a huge lighting studio, I realized things had gotten a bit out of control. I found this site and made a cheap version myself. I’m still playing around with it, but it’s nice to finally feel like a real food blogger!

I also made this lovely salad this weekend. The flavors were inspired by the Salad of Hiramasa Sashimi course we had at our anniversary dinner at Craigie on Main. I made a caramelized shallot vinaigrette that I mixed with spinach, roasted beets, mango, avocado, and toasted pine nuts. I don’t make “fancy” salads very often at home, but I think this one is worth taking a few extra minutes to assemble! It was also my first time roasting beets and I can’t believe I haven’t done it before.

Roasted Beet, Mango, and Avocado Spinach Salad
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 large beet, scrubbed
1 cup chopped mango
1/2 avocado, chopped
1/4 cup finely chopped shallots
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon apricot jam
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 cups packed fresh spinach leaves
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400˚F. Wrap beet in aluminum foil, place on a baking sheet, and roast in the oven for 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until tender. Let cool for 10 minutes, then peel and slice into chunks.

Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat and sauté shallots for 7 to 10 minutes or until caramelized. Cool to room temperature and whisk in remaining tablespoon olive oil, red wine vinegar, apricot jam, and salt.

Toss spinach leaves with vinaigrette, roasted beets, mango, and avocado, and top with toasted pine nuts. Makes 2 servings.

Nutrition: 435 calories, 32.3g fat, 7.6g fiber, 6.5g protein per serving
Cost: $2.01 per serving

32 Comments - Leave a comment!

Roasted Eggplant, Zucchini, and Red Pepper Tart with Feta

June 27, 2009

Have I professed my love of feta yet? You can probably tell from my recipes that I’m completely obsessed with goat cheese, but feta is a close second. My hubby always wonders what I’m going to do with the one and a half pound tubs of crumbled feta we get from Costco, but it always disappears really quickly! I crave veggies more in the summer and recently decided to make a roasted veggie tart. Eggplant and zucchini just remind me of summer! And the feta adds another layer of flavor and richness to the dish.

I made another chickpea crust to keep things on the lighter side. But, I mixed in some herbs and lemon zest this time. This is a very tasty way to sneak your veggies in and is also pretty enough to serve to company!

Roasted Eggplant, Zucchini, and Red Pepper Tart with Feta
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 eggplant, cut into small cubes
3 medium zucchini, cut into small cubes
2 red peppers, cut into small chunks
4 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas, drained
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 red onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup crumbled feta cheese

Directions:
Heat oven to 400ºF. Toss eggplant, zucchini, and red peppers in 2 tablespoons olive oil and 1/2 teaspoon salt and spread onto a large cookie sheet. Bake at 400ºF for 20 to 25 minutes or until veggies are tender.

Reduce oven to 350ºF. Lightly grease a 10-inch tart pan with removable bottom. Pulse chickpeas, flour, lemon zest, oregano, thyme, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 2 tablespoons olive oil in a food processor until soft dough forms. Spread dough evenly over the greased tart pan. Bake the crust for 20 to 25 minutes at 350ºF or until light golden brown.

Meanwhile, heat remaining 1/2 tablespoon olive oil over medium high heat in a medium skillet. Add red onions and cook for 5 to 7 minutes or until tender. Add garlic and sauté one additional minute. Remove from heat. Toss onions with other roasted veggies and feta cheese.

Bake at 350ºF for 20 to 25 minutes or until crust is set. Cool for 10 minutes. Makes 8 servings.

Nutrition: 242 calories, 12.5g fat, 6.6g fiber, 7.6g protein per serving
Cost: $1.98 per serving

32 Comments - Leave a comment!

Pistachio Mint Chocolate Chip Bar Cookies

June 23, 2009

Does anyone else hoard baking chips? My drawer is currently overflowing with regular chocolate chips, chocolate chunks, mini chocolate chips, mini M&Ms, regular M&Ms, Heath toffee chips, and Andes Crème de Menthe chips. And I recently used all my peanut butter chips! I don’t know what it is about the baking aisle. I feel the need to constantly replenish my chip stocks with different kinds even if I have no plans to use them in the near future. I guess I like keeping my options open!

This was actually my first time using Andes Crème de Menthe chips, and I really liked them. They taste just like Andes mints, which have been a favorite of mine since childhood. I would be happy just eating the remaining half of the bag straight on their own! I decided to pair the chips with pistachios that I ground up in the food processor. I like adding ground nuts instead of a bit of flour in cookies because it adds so much flavor. And, of course I made bar cookies because I’m too lazy to make individual cookies! I’m sure I’ll end up buying more chips the next time I’m at the store, too bad I still can’t find cinnamon chips!

Pistachio Mint Chocolate Chip Bar Cookies
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup pistachios
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2/3 cup Andes Crème de Menthe baking chips

Directions:
Heat oven to 350˚F. Lightly grease an 8×8-inch square pan. In large bowl, cream butter and sugar; mix in egg and vanilla.

Pulse pistachios in a food processor until ground. Stir in ground pistachios, flour, salt, and baking powder until soft dough forms. Stir in mint chocolate chips. Spread dough in bottom of the greased pan. Bake at 350˚F for 20 to 23 minutes or until set. Cool for 30 minutes and cut into 4 rows by 4 rows. Makes 16 servings.

Nutrition: 226 calories, 14.1g fat, 1.1g fiber, 3.3g protein per serving
Cost: $4.73 total

37 Comments - Leave a comment!

Toasted Almond and Roasted Red Pepper Pesto Pasta

June 19, 2009

Please don’t judge this recipe by the picture. It’s not the best looking pasta dish to begin with and my hopeless photography skills definitely don’t help do it any justice, but I can guarantee you that it’s worth making! I was recently asked whether I usually end up trying new recipes or cooking old favorites during the week. You can probably tell from my blog that I’m always trying new dishes or experimenting with flavor combinations, but there are a few pasta dishes that I crave often and make at least once a month. One is my peanut sauce pasta and another is this toasted almond and roasted red pepper pesto pasta. Both are very comforting dishes that are so good that I inevitably end up sneaking back to kitchen to eat more forkfuls over the pot….

This recipe comes together in 20 minutes, so it’s perfect for a quick weeknight meal. The pesto is made of shallots, garlic, toasted almonds, roasted red peppers, and tomato sauce. I threw the fresh basil in because we have an abundance of it in our little balcony herb garden right now, but I’ve also made the pasta without it, so you don’t need to buy a package of basil just for this recipe. Goat cheese is perfect on top because the creaminess balances nicely with the crunch of the almonds. So simple, but so good!

Toasted Almond and Roasted Red Pepper Pesto Pasta
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 pound whole wheat fusilli pasta
1 1/2 cups (9 ounces) whole raw almonds
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup chopped shallots
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 12-ounce jars roasted red peppers, drained
1 1/2 cups of your favorite tomato sauce (I’m a fan of Prego)
12 fresh basil leaves
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon salt
2 ounces goat cheese, crumbled

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain the pasta in a colander, return it to the pot, and keep warm.

Place almonds on a cookie sheet and toast for 10 minutes at 350ºF or until almonds are golden brown.

Meanwhile, heat olive oil over medium heat and sauté shallots for 5 to 7 minutes, or until soft. Add garlic and sauté one additional minute.

Place toasted almonds, shallot mixture, red peppers, tomato sauce, basil, red pepper flakes, and salt in a food processor. Pulse until a smooth pesto forms. Toss pesto with pasta in a large pot until well mixed. Place pasta on serving dishes and garnish by sprinkling goat cheese over each serving. Makes 6 servings.

Nutrition: 489 calories, 24.8g fat, 11.8g fiber, 17.7g protein per serving
Cost: $1.28 per serving

31 Comments - Leave a comment!

Coconut & Lime Cheesecake Dessert Sushi

June 15, 2009

coconut and lime cheesecake dessert sushi kerstin sinkevicius cake batter and bowl blog

I’ve been wanting to develop another dessert sushi recipe for awhile now since I know it’s something people are very interested in (my Fruit-Filled Coconut & Chocolate Dessert Sushi recipe gets more google hits than any other recipe by far on my blog). I finally found the perfect opportunity to do so this weekend when I noticed that Rachel at Coconut & Lime is having a contest to celebrate her five year blogoversary! She has 900 original recipes on her blog, which is quite inspiring. I was happy when I recently realized I had finally posted over 30 recipes and could register for Food Blog Search! Anyway, I decided to come up with a recipe using Rachel’s favorite ingredients, coconut and lime.

One of the first things that came to mind when I started thinking about this flavor combination was cheesecake. So, I made a chocolate dough that substituted for the “seaweed” and piled on a coconut and line cheesecake layer as the “rice” and then filled the roll with fruit. I just used kiwi and mango this time, but I like to use strawberries when we have them around. This recipe is a bit tricky, so definitely use it as a starting point. The amount of fruit I add varies a bit depending on the way it’s cut. I have a couple more dessert sushi ideas floating around my head, so don’t be surprised to see a few additional twists at some point!

Coconut & Lime Cheesecake Dessert Sushi
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
6 ounces cream cheese, softened
7 tablespoons granulated sugar
Juice of one lime
2 cups shredded coconut, toasted
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 tablespoon milk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
5 ounces colorful fresh fruit, sliced into long strips
3 ounces milk chocolate, melted

Directions:
Mix cream cheese, 4 tablespoons sugar, and lime juice in a medium bowl until smooth. Stir in coconut.

Meanwhile, melt butter and chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl in the microwave for 1 minute on high. Stir in remaining 3 tablespoons sugar, milk, and vanilla until smooth; stir in flour and salt until a soft dough forms.

Roll chocolate dough into a 13-inch log and place down the middle of a large sheet of waxed paper. Place another piece of waxed paper on top of the log and use a rolling pin to roll the log into a 13×6-inch rectangle. Remove top sheet of waxed paper.

Spread coconut and lime cheesecake mixture on top of chocolate dough rectangle in a 13×5.5-inch rectangle, leaving a 1/4-inch border on both long sides of the rectangle. Line up sliced fruit down the middle of the sushi roll and roll up dough into a cylinder like a “sushi roll” by lifting up waxed paper and sealing the ends of the dough together. Roll the roll on the counter and press together firmly. Remove waxed paper from the roll and carefully cut into 16 dessert sushi pieces with a sharp knife.

Place melted milk chocolate into small soy sauce containers. Serve dessert sushi with melted milk chocolate and eat with chopsticks! Makes 8 servings.

Nutrition: 317 calories, 19.2g fat, 1.9g fiber, 3.8g protein per serving
Cost: $3.42 total

49 Comments - Leave a comment!

Mini Bean Black Cups Stuffed with Guacamole

June 11, 2009

There’s nothing better than sitting outside drinking margaritas and munching on guacamole and chips in the summer! We always order guac when we see it on a restaurant menu and I love to make it at home too since it comes together so quickly. Avocados are part of my hubby’s weightlifting diet, but he’s not allowed to have chips, so I thought it would be fun to come up with a more nutritious way to enjoy guacamole. I dreamed up these cute little black bean cups that are very healthy and flavorful!

I made the dough with black beans, cumin, whole wheat flour, and olive oil, and then pressed it into mini-muffin cups. Then I filled the little cups with this yummy Roasted Pepper Guacamole I saw on Culinary Wannabe’s lovely blog. I love the color and flavor the red peppers added to the guac! These adorable little appetizers are the perfect healthy treats to bring to a BBQ this summer!

Mini Bean Black Cups Stuffed with Guacamole
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 (15.5 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup of your favorite guacamole

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350ºF. Spray a 24 cup mini-muffin tray with cooking spray. Pulse black beans, flour, cumin, paprika, salt, and olive oil in a food processor until soft dough forms. Place dough evenly into the 24 mini-muffin cups and form mini-cups by spreading dough up the sides of each cup. Bake the cups for 15 to 20 minutes at 350ºF or until set. Cool completely, about 30 minutes, and fill cups evenly with guacamole. Makes 6 servings.

Nutrition: 261 calories, 15.0g fat, 8.1g fiber, 7.2g protein per serving
Cost: $0.55 per serving

35 Comments - Leave a comment!