Its back…..!!

 

I just wanted to thank you all so much for all your awesome comments on my last post! Rockin advice! So my cereal is back.

I think my main problem was I was eating a big bowl of cereal right before bed. While I don't think this is a huge thing it made me feel kind of restless at night. The tofu pudding went down way easier today so I think Im going to keep my cereal eats for afternoons or mornings. I think its just more what my body handles a bit better. So thank you all so much!

During my trip to While Foods I did find this and I thought it sounded kind of great.

It was really tasty! Not overly flavorful but awesome with the cinnamon and goes really well with almond milk. What I really like was the ingredient list.

Wheat bran, whole grain corn flour, whole grain wheat flour, corn bran and cinnamon. Thats it!

But enough about my cereal! Today was some serious cookin! After my usual gym run and Whole Foods shop a thon I came home and had to whip up some of Averie’s PB cups. It was one of those things that I have been meaning to make forever since they look absolutely amazing. I was on my computer at home looking them up and my husband walked by and says....”Why have you not made those yet?!”

So PB cup time it was!

I made some white chocolate and dark chocolate ones. All stuffed with loads of peanut butter.

I topped a few with sea salt. I love the salty sweet combo. And some with cinnamon.

Thank you Averie for some awesome cup recipes!!

While my hubs was away getting a massage I decided to bake him a cake too. (Hes spoiled, JK!) ;)

Its a pecan pie cake hybrid. Pecan pie on the top and a fluffy vanilla bourbon cake on the bottom.

Sounds awesome, right? Only I made one horrid mistake on this pup. Heres my lined spring form pan..

 

Instead of using one piece of aluminum foil I used a few. Total fail. When you pour the pecan pie filling in first, top with cake batter and throw in the oven it leaks out everywhere. Im sitting on my couch and all of a sudden billows of black smoke are pouring out of my oven since some of the sugar mixture leaked out of the pan and onto the bottom of the oven. Awesome.

 

No matter! I pulled out the cake (opened all the windows so the smoke alarms wouldnt go off..) cleaned the oven like a crazy person, lined the oven with foil, shoved it back and in and prayed it wouldnt fall.

Luckily sucess!! So next time when making this cake…leak proof the pan first. =)

Overall the cake is super fluffy, light. The pecan pie topping seeps a bit down into the cake, the hubs loved it! So total success.

Pecan Bourbon Vanilla Cake

Ingredients

For the Pecan Layer:

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/3 cup light corn syrup
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 1/4 cups pecans, toasted and diced

For the Cake:

• 1 1/2 cups cake flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
• 1/3 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
• 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons bourbon
• 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup pecans, toasted and chopped

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9-inch springform pan, then line the bottom and sides with parchment paper and butter the paper. Wrap the outside of the pan with foil. (Leak proof it!)

Make the pecan layer:

Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the brown sugar, corn syrup, kosher salt and vanilla. Spread in the prepared pan and scatter the pecans on top; set aside.

Make the cake: Whisk the flour, baking soda, nutmeg and fine salt in a large bowl. Whisk the buttermilk, bourbon and vanilla in another bowl.

Beat the butter and granulated sugar with a mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy, 10 minutes. With the mixer on low, beat in the eggs, one at a time. Add the flour mixture in three parts, alternating with the buttermilk mixture, starting and ending with flour. Fold in the pecans.

Pour the batter into the pan and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Cool on a rack, 30 minutes. Remove the springform ring, invert the cake onto a plate and remove the paper.

Tips on unwrappin the cake:

Let cool for about 30 minutes. Then pull up on foil.

Remove springform pan and push down on foil to get it out the way.

With your hand or a plate (my case my hands) gently flip your cake over so pecan topping is on top.

Remove all foil and Done!

 

Whew and now Im tired. One gross oven later I had one tasty cake. Actually after my sugar faux pas this was a pretty easy cake to whip up. Although I’ll make a confession. I dont really like pecan pie! Ack I know! I just never did. My hubs on the other hand, LOVES it.

Its his favorite so of course I always look for ways to make it once in awhile. So he was my taste tester on the cake and it passed with flying colors!

Do you find yourself making things you don't necessarily like just for others?

Tommorrow starts another week! Woohoo! Circuit training, spinning, weights and elliptical action. Im ready for it all! Any big plans for the week?

Happy Monday!!