Alysha Yoder Photography
Capturing Moments. Making Memories.
Rain with A Craving for Peanut Butter
Posted on February 22, 2016
What a beautiful Saturday, but terribly gloomy Sunday. As I sat on my couch sorting through the piles of gram’s recipes, I came across two matching cards. One for Peanut Butter Cake and one for Peanut Butter Icing. What delicious pairing for this gloomy day!
Now grams was a BIG cake person. She always had some lying around the house for ‘just in case anyone dropped by.’ My uncle Dave also has a mild obsession with angel cake with homemade sugar icing (heaven forbid it’s anything but homemade sugar icing, you’d never hear the end of it). I’m actually fairly certain that gram’s thought everything was better with icing. I’ll never be able to prove this of course, but it was her thing. Cake too dry.. add icing.. brownies too plain.. why not a good batch of icing? Almost every cake recipe in all her cookbooks and recipe cards include icing.
I have so many fond memories of grams pulling out the beaters and whipping up fresh icing for all her baked goods. Dave would always just ‘happen to wonder into the kitchen’ and be on hand to lick the beaters. Now I will ALSO admit my hubs had a little say in this selection, as he has a mild obsession with everything peanut butter based. As payment, he helped model for a few of my shots AND I made him homemade mac and cheese tonight, so double bonus for him.
So without further ado, I give you gram’s Peanut Butter Cake with Peanut Butter Icing.
Peanut Butter Cake:
Preheat oven to 350°.
Sift into mixing bowl:
- 2 1/4 cups Softasilk Flour (I seriously thought I wouldn’t be able to find this at the store but VOILA there is was. This is just fancy cake flour so if you can’t find Softasilk feel free to use other cake flour)
- 1 1/2 cups white sugar
- 3 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
Add to bowl:
- 1/3 cup shortening (I didn’t have any on hand so I used butter)
- 1/3 cup crunchy peanut butter (feel free to use creamy too!)
- 2/3 cup milk
Mix all ingredients for 2 minutes until light and fluffy.
Now add to bowl and mix till smooth:
- 1/3 cup milk
- 2 eggs
Spray or butter a 9×13 pan and evenly pour batter into. Place in oven for 30-40 minutes until toothpick or knife comes out clean. Once done, remove from oven and allow to cool completely.
Peanut Butter Icing:
This was easiest to make while the cake was cooking and just cover it until ready to use.
Mix together the following ingredients until smooth.
- 1/4 cup crunch style peanut butter (or creamy, your choice)
- 3 cups sifter confectioners sugar
- 1/4-1/3 cup milk (add more if icing too thick)
Once cake is cooled pour icing over cake and spread evenly. Cut and serve. Enjoy!
Alysha Yoder Photography (b) www.alyshayoderphotoblog.com
www.alyshayoderphoto.com (e) alyshayoderphoto@yahoo.com (p) 610.762.7810
Love and Pecan Tussies
Posted on February 15, 2016
Sooooo…. Happy Valentine’s Day everyone! Not only is it the cheesy Hallmark day of love but also my dad’s birthday (Happy Birthday Dad!). Two reasons to celebrate in my book! Plus, I get some yummy Wockenfuss chocolates and roses from my hubs… so double bonus! As I munch on pistachio marzipans and admire these beautiful roses, I’m baking one of my favorite grandma recipes.
Now something that gram’s did for everyone, regardless of the holiday, is she’d send cards. I’m pretty sure she had a closetful of cards for every and any occasion. Halloween, 4th of July, Valentine’s Day.. it didn’t matter. You got a corny card with a little heartfelt message inside signed with love from grandma.
Who knew greeting cards would be one of the things I missed the most? Those little notes from grams just letting you know she cared in her own little way haven’t arrived in my mailbox for 1/2 a year now. This doesn’t stop me from still checking my mailbox every holiday and smiling a little, thinking about and remembering her cards.
This Valentine’s Day annnd first official recipe post I’m making one of my favorite sweet treats gram’s used to make. Pecan Tussies (also known as nut tussies by many). Now I know most people say Tassies, but that’s not how gram’s rolled and I sure as shit am not going to change her recipe name. I even dug out one of gram’s old mini-muffin tins I had hiding in my cupboard. I love it’s old texture. I’m sure it has to be over 40 years old.
These tiny pecan pie bites still manage to bring a smile to my face whenever I make them for Christmas cookie plates or just because. So bake up a batch! This is a great one to do with kids or as a couple. Share them with your sweetie (or sweeties) and enjoy your Valentine’s Day!
Pecan Tussies:
Crust:
- 1 stick butter (1/2 cup) – Gram’s recipe calls for Oleo… but they definitely don’t make that anymore
- 3 ounces of Philadelphia Cream Cheese
- 1 1/4 cups of flour
Mix all above ingredients together and put in mini muffin tins. Use about a tablespoon of dough for each muffin cup.
Filling:
- Finely chop 1/2 cup of Pecans
- Put about 1/2 tsp in the bottom on each muffin cup
Mix together the following ingredients by hand.
- 3/4 cup white sugar
- 1 T butter
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 egg
After throughly mixed, fill each muffin tin (about a tablespoon of filling).
This will make roughly 24 pecan tussies. Put in oven at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until tops start to brown. Remove from oven and cool until filling has set. Use a knife and carefully run around the tussies edge to remove from tin. Serve and enjoy!
-Alysha
Alysha Yoder Photography (b) www.alyshayoderphotoblog.com
www.alyshayoderphoto.com (e) alyshayoderphoto@yahoo.com (p) 610.762.7810
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