Zippy's Orange Tube Chiffon Cake - available until October 3, 2021

Thank you to our sponsor for the complimentary gift certificates!

One of the bakery specials at Zippy's for the month of September is their Orange Tube Chiffon Cake.  I remember buying this cake from Zippy's when I was growing up! I'm so glad Zippy's still offers it (even though it's a special and not on their daily menu).  

This Orange Tube Chiffon Cake is light, airy, moist, with a hint of orange flavoring.

I love this cake because it's not overly sweet or dense like regular cake, and it just melts in my mouth.

On a whim I decided to turn this chiffon cake into an ice cream cake. Here's how I did it....

First I sliced the cake in half (horizontally).  Then I applied a layer of softened ice cream (Tillamook vanilla bean works great but you can use any ice cream!) on the bottom half of the cake and smoothed it out with a knife.  Then I put the top half of the cake on the layer of ice cream, and placed the ice cream cake in the freezer for a few hours. 

The result? An ice cream cake take that tastes just like a Creamsicle!  

But don't forget, the Orange Tube Chiffon Cake is a September Special at Zippy's, therefore you have until October 3, 2021 to order it.  If you do decide to try this dessert hack, let me know how yours turns out!

Read More

Boba Lava Cake at Miss Chen’s Cake

My daughter and I both love sweets and boba drinks rank high on our list.  One lazy afternoon, I asked her if she wanted to try a boba cake. Her response was, “what kind of question is that? Of course!” So off we went to Miss Chen’s Cake located at 808 Sheridan Street. 

The cake shop is located right behind the valet area on the first floor.  The showcase was filled with slices of crepe cakes, roll cakes, cream puffs, and what we came for - 4 inch lava cakes! We quickly ordered the boba cake to be eaten at the shop.

I let Lauren do the honors of pouring the boba on top and then removing the wrap to release the boba lava all over the cake which was quite satisfying to watch.  Then we dug in. YUM. I thought the boba was pretty perfect and complimented the tea flavored frosting.  I also liked that the frosting wasn’t overly sweet. The cake itself had a really nice texture and wasn’t too light. We finished the cake in record time and didn’t even have to pay a parking fee! 

We look forward to returning to try out the other cakes!  One that really caught our eye was the black sesame crepe cake.

Miss Chen’s Cake is open daily from 11am to 10pm to satisfy all your cake cravings. Check out their Instagram page for custom cakes too! 

$15 Boba Lava Cake

Read More

Blueberry Streusel Cake

Whenever I buy blueberries from the local warehouse club, my kids will only eat them for a couple of days, which means I have lots and lots leftover.  I usually end up freezing some, and with the rest, I try to bake something.

I decided to make a Blueberry Streusel Cake.

This cake is great on its own.  I love the sweet, crunchy topping combined with the light, fluffy cake!

The only thing missing was a scoop of vanilla ice cream!

Blueberry Streusel Cake

Ingredients:

Streusel

• 1/3 c sugar
• 1/2 c flour
• 1 t cinnamon
• 1/8 t salt
• 1/4 c butter

Cake

• 2 c flour
• 2 t baking powder
• 1/2 t salt
• 3/4 c sugar
• 1/4 c butter
• 1 large egg
• 1 t vanilla extract
• 1/2 c milk
• 2 c fresh or frozen blueberries

Directons:

• Preheat the oven to 375°F. 
• Combine the streusel toppings in a small bowl until the mixture is crumbly. 
• In a separate medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt.
• Add in the sugar, butter, egg, and vanilla and mix well.
• Stir in the milk, then fold in blueberries.  
• Pour the batter into 9x9 parchment-lined pan. 
• Sprinkle streusel topping over the batter.
• Bake for approximately 40 to 45 minutes. 
• Cool before cutting into squares.

You can find the original recipe here on the King Arthur Flour website.

Read More

Pink Velvet Whoopie Pies Recipe

I love checking out the baking aisle when I go to the store and on a recent trip to Target, I found a box of Duncan Hines Pink Velvet cake mix.  I thought for sure my daughter would love it.  On the box was a recipe for Pink Velvet Whoopie Pies that looked like a lot of fun to bake as well as eat.

To the cake mix, you add:  1/2 cup sifted flour, 3 eggs, 1/2 cup vegetable oil, and 1 1/3 cup of water.  Mix batter well.  Line your baking sheets with parchment and you can either scoop a tablespoon of batter on the sheet or you can pipe your batter for a more uniform look.  About 12 will fit on a cookie sheet.  Space them out as the batter will spread.  Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.

After the pies have cooled, spread one half with frosting and top with another half.  If you aren't a fan of Pink Velvet, you can find many recipes on line that will take your favorite cake mix and turn them into whoopie pies.  Happy Baking! 

     

 

Read More