Strawberry Cake Batter Blondies

Sorry about the picture overload, but I could not get over how cute these Blondies were! I made Cake Batter Bars over the summer (excuse those TERRIBLE pictures) and they were honestly one of the greatest desserts I've ever tasted. I am OBSESSED with Funfetti and Cake Batter desserts (see here for more), so making an ooey, gooey cake batter pastry always sounds like a good idea to me.

I was itching to make a Valentine's Day themed dessert and I immediately thought about what I could make with strawberry cake mix. I LOVE strawberry cake, but I don't think it ever gets the glory it deserves. All too often, strawberry cake mix is left behind on the shelf in favor of chocolate or yellow. I decided to change all this. Your time has come strawberry cake. You deserve it.

I wasn't in the mood to whip up a traditional cake, though, and my mind was being drawn to Sally's Baking Addiction's Cake Batter Blondies. While I didn't use her recipe when I originally made my Cake Batter Bars, I knew I wanted to try it because I am obsessed with her blog! I mean, first of all, the layout is adorable and secondly, every single one of her recipes leave me salivating. She is a baking genius I tell you!

These treats are simply to die for. They have a similar texture to my Chocolate Chunk Blondies in that they are almost buttery and melt in your mouth. They are moist (everyone loves that word, right?) with the perfect strawberry flavor. Plus, you get a little crunch and vanilla-y love with the white chocolate chips. While I didn't add any sprinkles into my mix, you certainly could! I do recommend garnishing yours with these cute little heart sprinkles I found at Target to get in the Valentine's spirit.

So, whether you'll be celebrating with that special someone or alone eating chocolate and watching "He's Just Not That Into You" (guilty of the latter), you should add these Strawberry Cake Batter Blondies to your February 14th plans. I promise they'll be the perfect date. Enjoy!

Strawberry Cake Batter Blondies
Recipe slightly adapted from Sally's Baking Addiction

• 1 box strawberry cake mix
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1 egg
• 1/3-1/2 cup milk
• 3/4 cup white chocolate chips + 1/2 cup for drizzling (if you desire)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray an 11x7 inch baking pan with nonstick spray. Set aside.
2. Combine first four ingredients in a large bowl. Add the milk slowly. You want the cake batter to be as dense & thick possible. Mix in the white chocolate chips.
3. Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and bake for 25-30 minutes until edges are just turning brown. 
4. Allow to cool for at least 30 minutes so the center sets, then melt your white chocolate chips (I used the microwave) and drizzle them on top of the bars, if you choose. Once the bars and the melted chocolate have cooled, cut your blondies using a serrated knife. 

***The blondies will look like they are not fully done because the center will be quite gooey, but that's what you want! After about 30 minutes of cooling, they will be easy to cut using a serrated knife.

I've linked this post up over at ZentMrs & The Mr, Inside BruCrew Life, Hungry Little Girl, Buns in My Oven, Semi Homemade Mom

Blueberry-Buttermilk Breakfast Cake

                           

It's healthy because it's stuffed full of blueberries, am I right??!

I have no doubt that my dad is the greatest (and cutest) man to have ever walked the planet. As a married man AND the father of 3 daughters, he is truly a saint. He gives so much of himself for us, works hard to provide our family a wonderful life, and helps around the house A LOT! I will eternally be indebted to him for all he has done for me and I am so lucky to have him as a father. Love you, Dad!!!

In order to properly honor my dad on Father's Day, I decided to make him breakfast :). Nothing says love like waking up to an amazing meal!

My dad loves cobblers and fruity desserts, so when I came across this Buttermilk-Blueberry Breakfast Cake recipe, I knew he'd absolutely love it! And lucky for me, we had about 2 tons of blueberries sitting in our fridge (LOVE summer berries!).

What's best about this dessert? It's clearly a health food. It's packed with blueberries which are packed with antioxidants which in turn means that eating half of the pan by yourself in one sitting is actually a good idea. Really. You're doing yourself a favor.

The cake was the perfect breakfast sweet (healthy sweet, y'all...remember?). It was light, fluffy, and slightly flaky. It had a buttery taste as any good (healthy) breakfast cake should, while the lemon zest was a refreshing complement to the blueberries. We ate our cake the day after I made it, so we heated it up in the microwave before consuming and it was so tasty when served warm. Pair it with a cup of coffee and your morning will promise to be a little slice of summery heaven.

Blueberry-Buttermilk Breakfast Cake
Recipe from Alexandra's Kitchen

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 tsp. lemon zest or more - zest from one large lemon
• 7/8 cup* + 1 tablespoon sugar**
• 1 egg, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 cups fresh blueberries
• 1/2 cup buttermilk

*7/8 cup = 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons
**This 1 tablespoon is for sprinkling on top of the cake.

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cream butter with lemon zest and the 7/8 cup of sugar until light and fluffy.
2. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined. Meanwhile, toss the blueberries with 1/4 cup of flour in a small bowl, then whisk together the remaining flour (1 3/4 cup), baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl.
3. Add the flour mixture to the batter a little at a time, alternating with the buttermilk. Fold in the blueberries.
4. Grease a 9-inch square baking pan (or something similar, like I used) with butter or non-stick spray. Spread batter into pan. Sprinkle batter with the remaining tablespoon of sugar. Bake for 35 minutes. Check with a toothpick for doneness. If necessary, return pan to oven for a couple more minutes. (Note: Baking for as long as 10 more minutes might me necessary. I had to leave mine in for 12 more minutes.) Let cool for at least 15 minutes before serving.

Had to proudly show off this beauty. 

Fresh blueberries. Yum, yum, yum!

Batter...covered in sugar, delish!

And it's pretty!

Neiman Marcus Cake

Birthday Fun!

Cake Mix makes this recipe SUPER easy!

I may not be able to afford anything at Neiman Marcus, but I will certainly eat as decadently as one of their shoppers! (Lolz. Trying to be funny. Is it working???)

During my family's trip to California, we were able to celebrate my wonderful Aunt and Godmother's birthday. Living so far from our extended family, this rarely happens so we were excited to be able to share in the fun! I decided to bake a cake for my Aunt Cathy's birthday just as a token of my love! I needed an easy recipe, though, because I wanted to fully enjoy my vacation time (and not completely destroy my grandmother's kitchen!).

Before my trip, I had looked up recipes that use cake mix because I found about 5 boxes in my family's pantry. I came across this Neiman Marcus Cake recipe and knew that I had to make it at some point. Despite it's simplicity (it was so easy to make), it was completely delicious. Made with some of life's most decadent ingredients, it was an absolute treat. It was gooey, buttery, and rich, and when topped with cool whip and fresh berries it was the perfect dessert for a summer party! Enjoy!

Neiman Marcus Cake

Recipe from All Recipes

• 1 (18.25 oz.) package yellow cake mix
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup butter
• 8 oz. cream cheese (I used 1/3 the fat)
• 4 cups confectioners' sugar

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease one 13x9 inch baking pan.
2. Combine the yellow cake mix, 2 of the eggs, and the butter or margarine and mix well. The batter should be stiff. Spread the batter into the prepared pan.
3. Combine the cream cheese, confectioners' sugar, and the remaining 2 eggs. Mix well and pour over the top of the cake batter.
4. Bake at 350 degrees F for 35 minutes.

Look at my Nana's old school mixer!

Cake Batter

Cream Cheese Mixture

Yumz!