I am feelin’ this mocha biscuit cake, y’all. And I gotta tell ya: I have a soft spot for desserts that come together easily…and this dessert falls into that category.
No Bake Mocha Biscuit Cake
No Bake Peanut Butter Cup Pie
I have missed you guys. I’m serious…#forreal. We could squabble about why I was away for so long, but it is of no consequence. I have returned, this time with No Bake Peanut Butter Cup Pie. Read More…
REFUSE – Personal Work
I’m always looking for something new to shoot and this project literally dropped out of the sky.
It started when my next door neighbor stopped by and “warned” me she was going to trim her 100 ft palm tree. I smiled and thanked her for the notice, but during the exchange I was thinking – “Why is this crazy lady on my porch bothering me with this nonsense.” Read More…
Bourbon Pecan Pound Cake
Time has slipped away from me. How did it happen? …in so many ways but most of all it was work. Once you start baking and shooting for other people, your own work might fall by the way side. Not to worry. I return to you bearing a boozy gift: Bourbon Pecan Pound Cake.
Recently, I made a mini peanut butter bundt cake which is handy if you want a bundt cake that bakes in under 30 minutes. This here bourbon pecan pound cake is more traditional (60 minute bake time), but I might like it more. Why?
Bourbon.
Bourbon is like bacon: it makes everything better. Out of all the recipes I’ve tested for Clabber Girl so far, it’s definitely one of my favorites.
When I first tasted the silky, boozy batter I shouted “Glory be!” to no one in particular. Ok, I don’t think those were my exact words, but you get the gist. Bourbon is great in my glass and my pound cake. You know what I’m talking about.
Just try not to drink all the booze before you start baking. Eh, who am I kidding? Drink it, if you’ve got it.
Recipe for Bourbon Pecan Pound Cake
Recipe for Bourbon Pecan Pound Cake adapted from Clabber Girl
Bourbon Pecan Pound Cake
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
One Bourbon Peace Pound Cake, 9 x 5in
Author: Mondo
Serves: 12
Ingredients
- Cake:
- ½ c. vegetable shortening
- ½ c. butter
- 1½ c. granulated sugar
- 2 c. cake flour
- 1½ tsp. Clabber Girl Baking Powder
- ½ tsp. salt
- ¼ tsp. Clabber Girl Baking Soda
- ⅓ c. sour cream
- 3 tbsp. bourbon whiskey
- 4 eggs
- ¾ c. chopped pecans
- Glaze:
- 1 c. confectioners' sugar
- 1.5 tsp. bourbon whiskey
- 1.5 tbsp. water
Instructions
- Coat 9 x 5 X 3 inch loaf pan with baking spray.
- Place rack in the middle of the oven.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
- Place butter, shortening, and sugar in a bowl and mix on medium for 1 minute.
- In a separate bowl combine Clabber Girl Baking Powder, Clabber Girl Baking Soda and salt; mix well. Reserve one tablespoon for the pecans.
- Add dry ingredients to the butter mixture and mix on low for 1 minute.
- In a measuring cup combine sour cream, whiskey, and eggs. Add mixture to the batter and combine on medium for 1-2 minutes. Make sure to scrape the side of the bowl.
- In a small bowl coat the pecans with the reserved tablespoon of flour (this should prevent the pecans from sinking to the bottom).
- Gently fold pecans into batter.
- Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 50-55 minutes.
- Let cake cool before glazing.
- Glaze
- Combine whiskey, water and powdered sugar until smooth. Pour over cooled cake.
Peanut Butter Maple Bacon Granola Bars
School is back in session, my friends, which means I’m happy and sad.
I’m happy because:
a) As soon as school started (3 days ago) the weather became more like Fall, and you know how I feel about Fall.
b) Dave bought me some back-to-school supplies ( I gotta have my Zebra F-402s)
c) Most of my day is spent learning American Sign Language
I’m sad because:
a) My days are no longer free which means I have less time to bake, shoot and write.
b) Chevron is taking all my money (why is school 60 miles, roundtrip?)
c) Some of my classmates don’t realize that high school is over (let’s keep it drama-free, shall we?)
Still, I get to hang out with the cool, smart classmates and occasionally share my latest culinary adventure. This time around it’s Peanut Butter Maple Bacon Granola Bars. What?
I’d never made my own granola bars before, but I learned how easy it was while testing recipes for Clabber Girl this summer (super-cool job, btw). I’m not sure why everybody doesn’t make their own. Perhaps, they’re newbies, like me. Or maybe they’re just intimidated by the millions of recipes on Pinterest (please forgive my hyberbolic-speak).
Want my advice? Choose a no-frills peanut butter granola bar and get started; I suggest this recipe by the always trustworthy Jessica from How Sweet Eats. I just added a ton of bacon (Jessica would be proud) and used maple syrup to sweeten the deal.
Delicious!
Now, if I could just figure out how to trade them for gas…
Recipe for Peanut Butter Maple Bacon Granola Bars
Recipe for Peanut Butter Maple Bacon Granola Bars adapted from How Sweet Eats
Peanut Butter Maple Bacon Granola Bars
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Makes 12-15 Bars
Author: Mondo
Serves: 15
Ingredients
- 4 cups rolled oats
- 1T sesame seeds, optional
- ½ cup salted peanuts, chopped
- ¾ cup natural peanut butter, melted
- 2T butter
- ½ cup maple syrup
- 10 strips of bacon, cooked, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Place parchment paper in 9 x 13 pan.Push down into corners and make sure that it overlaps.
- With your hands combine the oats, peanuts, bacon and sesame seeds(if using) in a large bowl.
- In a separate microwave safe bowl, melted peanut butter and butter; watch carefully.
- Pour melted peanut butter, butter and maple syrup into bowl and mix until thoroughly combined.
- Place mixture in in pan. Press down evenly.
- Bake granola bars for 25 minutes.
- Cool bars in pan for 10 minutes.
- Lift out of pan an cut while still warm.
- Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks (I like to keep mine in the frig).
- Enjoy!
How To Become A Better Photographer
Do you want to be a great photographer? Do you think you have what it takes to be the next Annie Leibovitz?
Over the years, I’ve been fortunate enough to be around a lot of photographers. I’ve worked as an assistant, an academic lab tech, a retoucher, and professional photographer. In these roles, I’ve encountered a lot of shooters moving up and down the ladder of success.
Although the great ones typically have widely variant personalities, most execute the same habits and traits that promote greatness. The following list is simple but effective. If you really want to be great, this is how you do it: Read More…