Archives for April 2014

Aunt B’s Pound Cake

Do you have one of those recipes that instantly makes you think of someone in particular? This pound cake is that recipe for me. I have loved it since the first time Aunt B made it for me. I always look forward to when she offers to bring dessert, because I hope it is this pound cake.

It is a moist, sweet and dense pound cake – perfect with a scoop of ice cream, fresh berries, or by itself. This is a very large recipe, making three loaves. These cakes freeze well, so just wrap them tightly in plastic wrap, then foil, label and you have an instant dessert right out of the freezer.

Aunt B’s Pound Cake
a Love and Confection Family recipe

Pound Cake Ingredients:
 – 2 sticks Unsalted Butter, room temperature
 – 3 cups Granulated Sugar
 – 7 Eggs, room temperature
 – 1 cup Sour Cream
 – 3 cups All Purpose Flour
 – 1/4 teaspoon Baking Soda
 – 1/4 teaspoon Baking Powder
 – 1 teaspoon Salt

Pound Cake Directions:
 – Heat oven to 300F. Grease and flour 3 loaf pans.
 – In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the Butter and Sugar together for 10 minutes, until light and fluffy.
 – While on a low speed, add in the Eggs, one at a time, scraping the sides as needed.
 – Add in the Sour Cream and mix to combine.
 – Sift together the Flour, Baking Soda, Baking Powder and Salt. Add into the egg mixture gradually.
 – Divide mix evenly between 3 loaf pans and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack and enjoy!

Until next time,
LOVE & CONFECTIONS!

Individual Chicken Pot Pies and the Importance of a Family Meal

 Individual Chicken Pot Pies are perfect for a nice dinner at home!


Baking and Pastry is not the only thing that keeps me in the kitchen. I usually have a home-cooked meal on the table every night – which is a pretty amazing feat with a 4-month old. Growing up, my Mom made dinner for us almost every night. We had the occasional pizza night, but we always ate together. Sitting as a family around the kitchen table is something I truly cherish from my childhood.

It didn’t matter if we had homework or sport practices, we took a break and ate dinner together. That is how I was raised and that is how I want to raise my daughter – to take time out from our busy lives and share a meal. I don’t want to eat dinner alone, or fight to have a conversation over the television; I want to spend what little time I have eating a meal with the ones I love.

I may not make everything from scratch, and the slow cooker is my best friend lately, but I try and that is what counts.  I make food with love – that’s how my Mom and Grandmother made it and that is the most important lesson I have ever learned, do everything with Love!

I have only been blogging about the “confections” in Love and Confections. Now I am going to start posting about the Love too – the savory side of my life and the love of cooking for my family.
Individual Pot Pies
a Love and Confections original
Individual Pot Pie Ingredients:
 – 4 cups Chicken Stock
 – 1 stick unsalted Butter
 – 1/2 a large Onion, chopped
 – 1 cup All Purpose Flour
 – 12 ounces cooked Chicken, chopped (homemade, rotisserie or grilled)
 – 1-12 ounce bag Bird’s Eye Frozen Mixed Vegetables (carrots, corn, green beans and peas)
 – 1/2 cup Heavy Cream
 – Salt and Pepper
 – 1 can of Biscuits (I had a can of 10 small biscuits, but I would recommend a can of 8 larger biscuits)
Individual Pot Pie Directions:
 – Heat oven to 350F. Place 8 ramekins on a sheet pan with sides.
 – Heat Chicken Stock in a medium pan.
 – In a large pot melt the Butter and add in the chopped Onions. Cook the onions until they are soft and translucent. Add in some Salt and Pepper to your liking.
 – Sprinkle Flour over the onions and butter and stir to coat. The flour needs to be completely combined and cooked with the onions so it doesn’t have a raw taste.
 – Slowly add the Chicken Stock to the large pot, stirring while combining. 
 – Add in the Chicken and Frozen Vegetables. After everything is combined, add in the Heavy Cream.
 – Stir often and salt and pepper to taste. It will thicken as it cooks – about 10-15 minutes or until the vegetables are to your liking. If you don’t like slightly crisp veggies you can pre-cook or steam them to soften. 
 – Ladle pot pie filling into ramekins and top each with a slightly flattened Biscuit
 – Bake in the oven for 14 minutes, or until the biscuits are golden brown and done, Let it cool slightly before eating. Enjoy!
Until next time,
LOVE & CONFECTIONS!

Strawberry, Pineapple and Banana Smoothie

A few of my Food Blogging Friends have posted some great looking smoothies recently and it totally got me in the smoothie mood. I hadn’t made any since Baby L&C was born because I didn’t know how she would react to a blender – turns out that kid can sleep through anything: vacuum, blender, people upstairs who sound like a herd of elephants…

The Lemon Bowl’s Chocolate Espresso Protein Smoothie and Aggie’s Kitchen’s Fruity Kefir Smoothie had me wanting to whip up and slurp down a cold, refreshing smoothie. I hadn’t planned ahead for smoothie-making, so I was lucky that I had a few ingredients on hand. Next time I make a trip to the store I am definitely going to get some great produce for smoothies!

Strawberry, Pineapple and Banana Smoothie
a Love and Confections original

Strawberry, Pineapple and Banana Smoothie Ingredients:
 – 1/4 cup Pear Juice (any juice will work)
 – 100 grams fresh Pineapple
 – 100 grams Strawberries (if using frozen let them thaw)
 – 1 very ripe Banana
 – Ice (optional)

Strawberry, Pineapple and Banana Smoothie Directions:
 – Place ingredients in blender, and blend until smooth. I did not use ice because I didn’t want to chance waking up the baby. My blender is pretty loud with ice and doesn’t crush it all the way.
 – Pour into a glass with a fun straw and enjoy!

Until next time,
LOVE & CONFECTIONS!

Carrot Cake Muffins

 I don’t know about you, but I L-O-V-E carrot cake. There is something about eating it that just feels right. I love it as a celebration cake – sheet cake, layer cake, loaf, muffins. I can’t think of a way that I don’t like carrot cake – especially when it is topped with a delicious cream cheese frosting.

Sometimes I put nuts in my carrot cake. I usually use walnuts, but decided to make a nut-free recipe today. These muffins are great warm, right out of the oven with some butter. I sometimes cut mine in half, put it in the toaster oven, then top it with some whipped cream cheese!



Carrot Cake Muffins
adapted from a culinary school recipe

Carrot Cake Muffin Ingredients:
 – 15 ounces All Purpose flour
 – 2 teaspoons Baking Powder
 – 2.5 teaspoons Baking Soda
 – 2 teaspoons Salt
 – 1 tablespoon ground Cinnamon
 – 2 sticks Unsalted Butter, room temperature
 – 8 ounces Granulated Sugar
 – 8 ounces Brown Sugar
 – 4 large Eggs
 – 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
 – 1 pound Carrots, peeled and grated
 – 5 ounces chopped Walnuts (optional)

Carrot Cake Muffin Directions:
 – Heat oven to 325F. Line cupcake tins with wrappers or coat using baking spray.
 – Sift together Flour, Baking Powder, Baking Soda, Salt and Cinnamon and set aside. If using walnuts, add them into the flour mixture now, so they get coated and won’t sink to the bottom of the batter once mixed in.
 – Cream Butter, Granulated Sugar and Brown Sugar in the bowl of your stand mixer.
 – Add Eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition
 – Add Carrots and mix until incorporated.
 – Slowly add the flour mixture into the batter and mix well.
 – Portion into baking cups using a scoop to have uniform muffins.
 – Bake for 25-30 minutes or until done when a toothpick stuck into the center comes out clean.

Until next time,
LOVE & CONFECTIONS!

Disclaimer: I received some packages of carrots from Gimmway Farms for #Brunchweek. I was not compensated for this post. All opinions are my own.

Easy Strawberry Shortcakes

Strawberry Shortcakes are the perfect quick dessert that’s not too sweet and highlights those perfect berries!


A lot of people associate strawberry shortcake as angel food cake topped with strawberries, but if you are from the south you know different. This is a true strawberry shortcake. The biscuit is buttery and crumbly and best eaten as soon as it cools off. If you want to give yourself a workout – like I did – hand whip your heavy cream – it’s a lot quieter than turning on the stand mixer, especially when Baby Grace is taking a nap.

I was actually out of milk, so I substituted heavy cream. Next time I will probably try the milk, just to see how it turns out. I recommend a disher or ice cream scoop, so they are uniform in size – I got 8 from this recipe at about 2.75 ounces per shortcake.

Strawberry Shortcake
adapted from Bisquick

Strawberry Shortcake Ingredients:
 – 1 pint Strawberries, hulled and diced
 – 2 & 1/3 cups Bisquick mix
 – 3/4 cup Heavy Cream
 – 3 tablespoons Granulated Sugar
 – 3 tablespoons Unsalted Butter, melted
 – 1/2 cup Heavy Cream, kept well chilled
 – 2 teaspoons Powdered Sugar

Strawberry Shortcake Directions:
 – Heat oven to 425F. Prepare strawberries and set aside.
 – In a medium bowl, combine the Bisquick mix, Heavy Cream, Sugar and Butter until it is combined and a soft, sticky dough is formed.
 – Using an ice cream scoop or disher, drop dough onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Press down slightly so it flattens a bit.
 – Bake for 10-12 minutes, until golden brown, depending on your oven. Let the shortcakes cool while you prepare the whipped cream.
 – Either by hand or using a stand mixer, whip the Heavy Cream and Powdered sugar until soft peaks form.
 – Slice the shortcakes, fill with whipped cream and strawberries. Enjoy!

Until next time,
LOVE & CONFECTIONS!