Pumpkin Sheet Cake with Browned Butter Frosting from Dear Crissy

Pumpkin Sheet Cake with Browned Butter Frosting - made September 26, 2025 from Dear Crissy

1 15-ounce can pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)

2 cups granulated sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

4 eggs, lightly beaten

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

Frosting

1/2 cup unsalted butter

4 cups powdered sugar

1/4 cup milk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 9 x 13 baking pan with foil and lightly spray with nonstick cooking spray. 
2. In a medium bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; set aside.
3. In a mixing bowl, beat together pumpkin puree, granulated sugar and oil. Add the eggs and mix until well combined.
4. Add dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture and beat until well combined. Pour into prepared pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool.
5. Make the frosting: in a medium saucepan, melt butter and stir constantly until it foams, a nutty aroma arises and milk solid bits are browned. Remove from heat.
6. In a medium bowl, combine powdered sugar, milk and vanilla. Pour browned butter and beat until well combined. Pour into an even layer over cooled cake.

Just a quick write up as my life has taken a very busy turn that doesn't leave me much time for baking or blogging. The baking I've managed to fit in because I need baked goods for certain occasions but I haven't done much trying of new recipes and have stuck to tried and true ones instead.

And when I did try a new recipe like this one, I went with one that I was reasonably confident would turn out. Sheet cakes are easy to make and in general, turn out well. Such was the case with this recipe. It's fall and we've entered my favorite season of the year. Which means pumpkin. 

This turned out soft and fluffy/cakey. The brown butter frosting pared perfectly with the pumpkin flavor which also went well with the cinnamon. With the oil in the batter instead of butter, this is reminiscent of a carrot cake but without the effort of grating carrots. I liked this cake and baked it to share with several of my niece's friends. They liked it too as two of them asked for the recipe. I always maintain being asked for a recipe is the most sincere compliment someone can give. So make this cake and prepare to be sincerely complimented.

Chocolate Hazelnut Crunch Cookies from Emma's Cake Studio

Chocolate Hazelnut Crunch Cookies - made dough August 1, 2025 from Emma's Cake Studio 

1 1/2 cups (190 grams) hazelnuts, toasted and roughly chopped

1 cup (120 grams) all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons (15 grams) cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar

1/2 cup (100 grams) brown sugar, packed

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Chocolate Coating

8 ounces semisweet or dark chocolate, chopped

1 tablespoon coconut oil or shortening, optional, for smoother coating

1/2 cup (60 grams) toasted hazelnuts, finely chopped, for topping

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spread hazelnuts in a single layer on a baking sheet and toast them in the oven for 10-12 minutes, stirring halfway through. Let cool then roughly chop. Set aside 1/2 cup for topping.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
4. Add egg and vanilla extract; beat until smooth and combined.
5. Add the dry ingredients in two additions, beating on low speed after each addition until just combined. Do not overmix. Fold in toasted hazelnuts.
6. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Portion dough into golf-ball-size dough balls then gently flatten to thick discs.  Evenly space on baking sheets.
7. Bake 10-12 minutes or until edges are set. Remove from oven, let rest on baking sheet for a few minutes then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.
8. Coat the cookies: in a microwave-safe bowl, melt the chopped chocolate and coconut oil in 30-second intervals, stirring after each interval, until completely melted and smooth.
9. Dip each cooled cookie into the melted chocolate, fully coating. Place the dipped cookie on a wire rack or parchment paper.
10. While the chocolate is still wet, sprinkle each cookie with the reserved hazelnut bits. Let chocolate set at room temperature or place in refrigerator for faster setting.

If you want slightly fancy cookies, these are a good choice. Mine didn't spread thin exactly but they definitely weren't as rounded as the ones shown from the original blog, Emma's Cake Studio. Still, they baked into fairly thickly uniform discs.

I used good quality chocolate bars for the coating but in hindsight, I think I should've used chocolate chips so the coating would set more firmly. As it was, they were a little soft and I had to refrigerate the coated cookies to get the chocolate to set, especially in the summer heat.

Although these had hazelnuts in the cookie itself as well as garnished on top, surprisingly I liked the hazelnuts inside the cookie as well as on the outside. They added a nice crunch to the cookie. Usually my objection to nuts in cookies is they steam and soften during baking and I don't like their texture inside a cookie. But the hazelnuts retained their crunch aspect plus the cookie texture itself was more crisp (but not hard) rather than soft-chewy so that paired well. Be warned though that these are a little sweet. Add more hazelnuts to cut the sweetness.

Copycat California Pizza Kitchen Butter Cake from Simmer and Sage

Copycat California Pizza Kitchen Butter Cake - made August 1, 2025 from Simmer and Sage

1 cup unsalted butter

1 cup granulated sugar

2 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

Cheesecake Layer

3 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

3 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 large egg white

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Lightly spray 6 ramekins with nonstick cooking spray.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter, granulated sugar and cream cheese until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes.
3. Add egg, vanilla and salt; beat to combine.
4. Add flour and beat on low speed until just combined. Divide batter equally between the ramekins.
5. In a separate bowl, beat together cream cheese and granulated sugar until well combined. On low speed, beat in egg white and vanilla extract until combined and smooth.
6. Divide cheesecake batter equally between the ramekins, about a tablespoon on top of each ramekin.
7. Place ramekins on baking sheet and bake 40-50 minutes, until tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes before releasing from ramekins. Serve warm with ice cream.

I love the butter cake from California Pizza Kitchen, even though I haven't had it in years. But I love how they serve it slightly warm, topped with vanilla ice cream. Plus I like the pound-cakey texture and flavor of the cake itself.

I'd been meaning to try a copycat version - any copycat version - for awhile and finally got around to it. Since I haven't had the real thing in years, I can't remember the original well enough to judge how good a copycat this is to it but I will say this is a pretty good cake on its own.

I did underbake it accidentally by a few minutes. I say accidentially as the toothpick test fooled me into thinking the cake was done when the toothpick came out clean. But as with most cakes with a high butter content, sometimes the toothpick test doesn't work. This could've used a few more minutes in the oven. Still, the flavor of buttery goodness with a slight tang from the cream cheese was pretty delicious. Because it could've used a few more minutes in the oven, the texture was a bit soft. But, overall, I'm glad I found this recipe and know how to bake it properly for next time.

Sourdough Discard Chocolate Cookies from Dirt and Dough

Sourdough Discard Chocolate Cookies - made dough July 30, 2025 from Dirt and Dough

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

1 cup sourdough discard, 100% hydration and unfed

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips (I used toffee bits)

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar on medium speed until well combined, light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes.
2. Add sourdough discard and mix until well combined, scraping down sides and bottom of bowl to keep mixture even textured.
3. Add egg and vanilla extract, mixing until just combined. Do not overmix.
4. In a separate bowl, stir together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Add  to butter mixture in 3 additions, mixing on low speed until just combined after each addition and no floury streaks remain. Fold in chocolate chips.
5. Cover and chill briefly (30 minutes) before portioning into golf-ball size dough balls. Cover dough balls and chill another 2-3 hours or overnight.
6. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Evenly space dough balls on prepared baking sheets. Bake 13-14 minutes or until edges are set and middles no longer look shiny or raw.
7. Remove from oven and let rest on baking sheets for several minutes before transferring to wire rack to cool completely.m

Yes, I'm still keeping my sourdough starter alive (at least at the time I made these) by using the discard in various recipes. 

This one made for cakey chocolate cookies. Cakey isn't my favorite when it comes to cookie textures. I like them chewy, dense, chewy-dense but not really cakey.

Not much of a tang from the sourdough but the discard did make the dough rather sticky. I froze the dough balls first but they still weren't super-hard when frozen. They spread a bit but I did the swirling trick to make them smaller, dense and more uniform in appearance.

I didn't have mini chocolate chips and only a handful of regular chocolate chips so I emptied the remaining half a bag of toffee bits into the dough instead. That worked well enough to add a little sweetness and crunch to the cookies.

Soft and Chewy Rolo Cookies from Sweetest Menu

Soft and Chewy Rolo Cookies - made dough July 30, 2025, modified from Sweetest Menu 

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly

1/2 cup (90 grams) brown sugar

1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 large egg

1 1/2 cups (210 grams) all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

pinch of salt, optional

1/2 cup dark or milk chocolate, chopped

1 cup Rolos, roughly chopped, plus extra for garnishing tops of cookies

1. Stir together melted butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, vanilla extract and egg until well combined.
2. Add flour, baking soda and salt, if using, and stir until soft dough forms.
3. Fold in chopped chocolate and Rolos.
4. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
5. Portion into dough balls, cover and chill or freeze for several more hours or overnight.
6. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper and evenly space dough balls. Bake 9 - 10 minutes or until edges are set and middles no longer look raw. Remove from oven and gently press Rolo halves over tops of cookies. Let rest on baking sheets for 5-10 minutes then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

Despite the title of these cookies, I didn't use Rolos. Instead I "stuffed" them with Sanders Milk Chocolate Sea Salt caramels that I got from Costco. I love those things. I can't eat more than one in one sitting but I love them. Which means the Costco jar lasts me a long time if I don't use them in baking.

They seemed perfect to use for these cookies as they're far superior to Rolos. I made the dough and formed flat discs of small dough balls to flatten and form around each caramel. Make sure to pinch the seams closed and roll into a ball so caramel doesn't risk leaking out during baking. The dough is a little soft so I recommend freezing them first before baking.

I liked these cookies. The cookie itself is similar to a chipless chocolate chip cookie or a brown sugar cookie and you can't go wrong with stuffing it with a milk chocolate covered caramel. It's deceptively simple but makes for a nice bite-sized treat. Don't make the cookies too big as you want the caramel square inside to be the main feature and with just enough cookie surrounding it to provide a surprise in that first bite.

Crave Cookies review #13 - Dubai Crookie

Crave Cookies review #13: Dubai Crookie - visited August 27, 2025

It's been awhile since I've done a review of Crave Cookies because - you guessed it - it's been awhile since I've had a Crave cookie. Or, in this case, a "crookie" or a combination of a croissant and a cookie.  And just when I got done reviewing Crumbl's Dubai brownie offering and saying the Dubai chocolate bandwagon is an expensive fad I'm not really jumping on, I went and got a Dubai chocolate dessert the very next week (insert self eyeroll).

In my defense, I was getting treats for a couple of my fellow food bank volunteers as it was the birthday of one of them. The birthday girl was going to get her favorite white chocolate caramel macadamia on tap for this week. I asked my other friend what she wanted from this week's offerings and she chose the Dubai Crookie. I was curious about it and wanted to see how it held up against the Crumbl brownie version but I could hardly ask my friend if I could have a bite of the crookie I got her, right? Right? So I got my own.

The regular Crave cookie is $4.49. The crookie had an upcharge of $3 so it was $7.49. But I'd had Crave's original crookie before and liked it so I thought the steep upcharge was justified since you're essentially getting a croissant and a cookie.

I have good things and not good things regarding this particular crookie. The good things all come with caveats. IF you're sharing this with 3 other people and IF you all can eat it within minutes of purchasing it, then this is good and it's worth being over $8 including tax. Shortly after purchase the croissant is crispy and flaky and the combination is decadent and indulgent. However, it's messy to eat. Don't try eating this in your car after you buy it. Not unless you want croissant flakes, crumbs and smears of melted chocolate and pistachio cream all over your car.

I only had a test bite when I bought this and left the rest for later as I was on my way to my food bank shift then had lunch with my fellow volunteers afterward. So I didn't properly try this until later that day/night. That turned out to be a mistake as the Dubai Crookie wasn't very good by then. The croissant had staled and was rubbery. It was still messy to eat because of the drizzle of melted chocolate and pistachio cream on top. Unlike the original Crave crookie, there was no cookie baked on top. Instead, the cookie was only in the middle. But that cookie in the middle was way too underbaked and was just a slab of chocolate mush, not even fudgy-set chocolate. There wasn't enough kataifi to make it crunchy like the Crumbl Dubai brownie so it was just mushy. Flavor-wise it wasn't anything special. Still couldn't taste the pistachio and I don't know if that's just how anything Dubai chocolate is or not. Much as I hate to waste food, I will admit I didn't even finish half of this and ended up throwing the rest away. It wasn't worth the calories or the upcharge after all. Sorry, Crave, but your original crookie was way, way better.

Crumbl Cookies review #98 - Dubai Chocolate Brownie

Crumbl Cookies review #98: Dubai Chocolate Brownie - visited August 22, 2025

I have not jumped on the Dubai Chocolate craze. I started seeing it everywhere in every form of baked good/dessert and even drinks and while normally I would be curious and try it, I saw it so often from multiple places that I figured it was just hype and another fad. The contrarian in me was like "nah, what's the fuss?"

Apparently I'm in the minority on this one as it took me three tries to find it in stock at my local Crumbl. The first time I went into the store, it was sold out on the first day. After that, I learned to check the status on the Crumbl app before I bothered to go to the store again. I finally chanced upon it "in stock" yesterday morning when I was out getting a jump start on my errands.

This had a couple of strikes going in. Beyond the fad/hype/craze that my contrarian self wasn't crazy about, this had an upcharge of $2.99, the highest I've seen so far on a Crumbl dessert . The total came to $8.10 at my store, a bit expensive for a brownie. Plus the nutrition info clocked this at over 1,000 calories. That's just crazy-town, even for Crumbl. And if you can tell from the picture of the brownie in the box, it wasn't like it overflowed the box either in terms of size.

I had no idea what kataifi was but figured that and the pistachio qualified it for the "Dubai" moniker as that seemed to be the common theme for all things "Dubai chocolate".

To cut to the chase, I ended up liking this brownie. The brownie itself wasn't as cloyingly rich as other Crumbl brownies I've tried but it was still rich enough. What made the brownie for me was the crunch from the kataifi. It was reminiscent of feuilletine, which I love, but a bit straw-ish seeming because of its shape. I didn't really taste the pistachio though, just chocolate and the crunch. The milk chocolate layer on top was good but even the drizzle of pistachio cream didn't taste of pistachio,

Do I think it was worth the $2.99 upcharge? Not really. Is it worth 1,010 calories? Also not really. I ate about a fifth of it and walked on the treadmill for an hour (hey, the new season of Wednesday on Netflix was a good way to pass that time) to offset those calories. It was delicious and I enjoyed it but if anything Dubai Chocolate is more expensive and contains that many calories, I'll probably let this fad pass me by.

Sourdough Vanilla Cake from Farmhouse on Boone

Sourdough Vanilla Cake - made July 24, 2025 from Farmhouse on Boone 

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups granulated sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 cup butter, softened

1/4 cup coconut oil, melted

1 1/2 tablespoons vanilla

1/2 cup sourdough starter

1 cup water or milk

3 large eggs

Buttercream Frosting

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

4 cups powdered sugar

1/4 cup heavy cream

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9 x 13 pan with foil and lightly spray with nonstick cooking spray.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
3. Add softened butter and mix to combine.
4. In a separate bowl, combine sourdough starter, milk, eggs, melted coconut oil and vanilla.
5. Slowly add the wet ingredients to the butter-flour mixture. Mix on low speed to incorporate then increase speed to medium. Beat until smooth, scraping down the sides and bottom of bowl to keep mixture even-textured.
6. Pour into prepared pan and smooth top. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Let cool completely before frosting.
7. Make frosting: in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat softened butter until smooth and creamy.
8. Add powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, and mix on low speed after each addition. Once all of the powdered sugar has been incorporated, increase speed to medium and beat until smooth and fluffy. Add whipping cream, salt and vanilla and whisk for 1-2 more minutes. Spread evenly onto cooled cake.

I haven't been too thrilled with some of the sourdough discard recipes I've been trying so I might stop for awhile and/or let my starter die. Plus still struggling to write these blog posts because life feels heavy so apologies in advance that some of these posts get curt. I will admit I'm trying to find joy where I can and some days, I don't succeed.

The flavor of this cake was okay but I didn't love the texture. It was cakey, because, hello, it's a cake but I think my preference is for cakes that have more of a pound cake texture. Plus I wasn't wild about the frosting. I'm not a buttercream fan and that's what this was. 

This isn't too sweet so if you want more sweetness, try using a simple vanilla glaze instead of frosting.

Lemon Cake from My Grandma's Pie

Lemon Cake - made July 6, 2025 from My Grandma's Pie 

2 cups (250 grams) all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup vegetable oil or melted coconut oil

1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

2-3 tablespoons lemon zest

Optional add-ins for extra moisture and flavor

1/2 cup sour cream or Greek yogurt

1/4 cup milk or buttermilk

Lemon Glaze

1 cup powdered sugar

2-3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 9-inch round or loaf pan.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together oil, sugar, eggs and vanilla extract until smooth and slightly fluffy.
3. Stir in lemon zest and lemon juice. If using sour cream or yogurt, add now for additional moisture.
4. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
5. Gradually add the dry ingredients to wet ingredients, alternating with milk or buttermilk if using. Mix on low speed until just combined. Do not overmix.
6. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
7. Lemon Glaze: whisk together powdered sugar and lemon juice util smooth. Drizzle over cooled cake.

In an attempt to bring a little sanity and normalcy to my small corner of the world, I made this lemon cake to share with my fellow volunteers at the food bank. I made a small version for the taste test and the baked the rest of the batter in a loaf pan so I could slice it up and pass out the slices to the volunteers at our mobile harvest distribution.

The texture was a bit dense, which I like, but also probably because I underbaked it just slightly. Not on purpose but because the toothpick test was misleadingly crumb-free when I poked it in the center. It could've used a few minutes longer in the oven.

Still, it was pretty good with the right balance between lemon and vanilla. It was a little fragile though so I'm glad I wrapped each piece in plastic wrap before I gave them out. I added the optional sour cream and buttermilk for the moisture factor and am glad I did as this was a nice moist cake. Don't be shy about using the lemon zest to get that lemon flavor punch. And I always know something’s a hit when one of the volunteers asks me for the recipe. It’s the most sincere compliment a baker can get so I was happy to share both the cake and the recipe.