Peaches & Cream Heaven Cake

Serves 8-10

Are you tired of eating heavy cakes with greasy frosting that sit in the bottom of your stomach like a bowling ball? Well, peaches and cream heaven cake is light, moist and refreshing. I call it heaven because this two-layer cake recipe is literally to die for. When you taste this cake you will feel like you're in heaven.

I originally came up with this idea for this cake for my mom's birthday a few months ago. She wanted a cake that was like strawberry shortcake, but since she is allergic to strawberries I decided to substitute the strawberries with peaches. The result was a sweet (and less tart) alternative that melts in everyone’s mouth and even comes with its own syrupy ingredient.

You will need:

• 2 round 9-inch cake pans
• 1 whisk
• 1 wooden spoon
• 1 large mixing bowl
• 1 measuring cup
• 1 strainer (about the size of your large can)
• 1 knife (optional)

Ingredients:

• 1 large can of sliced peaches in syrup
• 1 box of vanilla cake mix
• 3 egg whites
• 1 1/3 cup of peach syrup
• 1/3 cup of vegetable oil
• non-stick cooking spray
• 16 oz of fat free whipped cream

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees then grease your baking pans with the cooking spray. Add the cake mix, egg whites, oil, and peach syrup. Use the strainer to pour the syrup into the mix without letting the peach slices fall in as well. Stir the mix until all the ingredients are incorporated and the lumps are gone.

Pour the mix into both baking pans evenly, then lightly bang the center of the pans so there are no air bubbles that bake up with the cakes. Place both pans into the oven and let them bake for about half an hour or until golden brown. You'll know when the cake is done because the edges will separate from the pans. Another method is to pierce the center of the cakes with a toothpick. If the toothpick comes out clean the cake is done.

Take the cakes out of the oven and let them cool. It is important to let the cakes cool down before you start working with them because you don't want your whipped cream to melt and your peaches to cook (Note: cooked peaches turn into jelly, and this recipe tastes better with solid peaches). Once the cakes cool down turn the pan upside down and allow the first cake to gently fall onto the cake platter. Spread about two spoonfuls of whipped cream evenly over the cake before arranging the sliced peaches around the center of the cake in circles and covering them with more whipped cream.

If you feel the peach slices are too thick, it’s best to slice them into smaller pieces, especially those slices that are placed in between the two cakes, to make sure the cake will not end up lopsided.

Now flip the other pan and place the second cake on top of the first one and do the exact same thing you did to the first cake. Place your masterpiece in the refrigerator and let it chill out for about 2 hours. This will allow everything to set up and come together.

Homemade Doughnuts

Serves 5

Tired of eating stale doughnuts (is it doughnut or donut?) from a local coffee shop or bakery? Well I’ve got a quick way to whip up a batch of fresh delicious doughnuts as a treat for your co-workers or just to enjoy at home. If you’re diabetic or just looking to cut down on your sugar intake, toppings can just as easily be made with Splenda or any other sugar substitute. After trying this easy recipe, you may never buy another donut again! Believe me when I tell you that they will taste just like any other donut you’d find elsewhere.

You will need:

• 1 4-inch quart pot
• 1 measuring spoon or biscuit cutter
• 1 pair of tongs
• 1 plate or cookie sheet
• a few sheets of paper towels

Ingredients:

• 1 can of buttermilk or home-style biscuits
• 2 cups of canola oil

To make rings and pop-ems:

Start by pouring your canola oil into the pot and preheating it. I use canola oil because it has zero trans-fat and I think it tastes better when I fry certain foods in it. Carefully separate the discs of raw biscuit dough from each other, then scoop out the center of the biscuit with your spoon and place the little ball of dough aside, leaving a ring (check my new instructional video for details). The little balls will be made into pop-ems, or munchkins or holes or whatever you call them. They go by many names.

You will know that the oil is hot enough to fry the dough when you will see smoke coming from it. You can also take the end of a wooden spoon and place it in the oil then if you see the bubbles around the handle then the oil is ready. Make sure you cook them on each side until they are golden brown. After they’re done, place the donuts on a cookie sheet with paper towels to drain all of the excess oil off. These plain donuts are ready to eat once they are dry.

Toppings

Here’s where you can get really creative as well as give those plain donuts a taste you and your guests will never forget!

Powdered

You will need:

• A small resealable food storage bag (at least big enough to hold a few donuts)
• A cooling rack

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup of confectionary sugar (or Splenda)
  
• 1/2 cup of ground cinnamon.

Pour the sugar and ground cinnamon together into your food storage bag. Confectionary sugar is very sweet, so the cinnamon balances out the sweet taste. Unfortunately, Splenda does not make their product in powdered form (I checked their website). If you want powdered Splenda you can put it into a hand held coffee grinder or a food processor to grind it into a fine powder.

While your donuts are still warm, drop them into the food storage bag and shake the bag up and down so the donuts can be covered as evenly as possible (check out my new instructional video for more details). Carefully remove the doughnuts from the bag and place them on a cooling rack to dry and allow the topping to stick.

Chocolate glazed

You will need:

• A bowl
• A cooling rack

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of semi sweet chocolate chips

Pour your chocolate chips into a bowl and place it in the microwave for about 2 minutes. You will know when it’s done once they are completely melted. While the chocolate is still hot, place one side of your donuts (or flip them over and cover both sides) into the melted chocolate.

Sugar glazed

You will need:

• A teaspoon
• A bowl

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup of powdered sugar
• 3 teaspoons of water

Pour your sugar into a small bowl and add water. Stir with the spoon until the contents mix completely and resembles a smooth sticky glob. Place one side of your donuts (or flip them over and cover both sides) into the glaze and let dry. This method works best when your donuts are still warm.

The sticky glaze will make it easier to decorate a donut with sprinkles. Rainbow sprinkles, chocolate sprinkles, or even the sprinkles I used in my besos. The only limits are your imagination.

Kottonmouth Kookies (Legal Version)

Serves 25

In celebration of April 20th, I decided to come up with a sweet little cookie sure to keep you in the spirit of the holiday. This leaf-shaped green sugar cookie is sure to leave your mouth dry and your spirits high! This tasty treat is best enjoyed with friends in a circle. For this recipe you’ll need a leaf-shaped cookie cutter, like the one I bought from Stonerware. The guys at Stonerware must be botanists, they like plants so much!

You will need:

• 1 rolling pin
• 1 leaf-shaped cookie cutter
• 1 lightly greased cookie sheet
• 2 sheets of wax paper
• 1 teaspoon
• 1 pair of disposable latex gloves
• 1 cooling rack
• 1 mixing bowl
• At least 25 small disposable zipper storage bags (optional)

Ingredients:

• 1 18 oz. tube of sugar cookie dough
• 2 1/2 teaspoons of green food coloring
• At least 2 oz. of green sugar crystals

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Because you’re going to shape the dough and not just slice little discs of dough from the tube, it’s best to simply cut open the tube and squeeze the dough into a mixing bowl. Get your latex gloves ready, because this is where it gets too messy, even for me! Put on your gloves and add the green food coloring to the dough. Knead the dough until it is completely green. Place a sheet of wax paper on a stable flat surface and position your green glob of dough on it.

Remove the gloves and cover the glob with a second sheet of wax paper so the dough won’t stick to the rolling pin or the flat surface. Push the wax paper-covered dough down with your hand when you flatten it to about one half inch thick. Make sure the rolling pin rolls the dough horizontally as well as vertically so the dough isn’t stretched out into some oval shape. To do this, simply turn the wax paper and dough 90 degrees in either direction and roll the pin in the same vertical motion.

Once flattened, peel the top layer of wax paper off and firmly push the cutter down into the dough. Lightly grease the cookie sheet with cooking oil and place the shaped cookies on it. If the dough seems to be sticking to the cutter, gently push the dough out of the cutter with your fingers. When you run out of available space on the dough for your cutter, simply join together all the excess dough, cover it with second wax paper and flatten it again with the rolling pin. Keep this up until you have run out of unshaped cookie dough.

In the event that you end up with a piece of dough that is not big enough for the cookie cutter, simply roll it up in to a ball and slap it on the sheet with the rest of the cookies. After the cookies are baked, gobble up that little green cookie ball so no one else will ever know of its existence.

For more detailed instructions on how to roll dough and shape cookies, check out my new instructional video.

Sprinkle the green sugar crystals onto the shaped dough until the surface of the dough is completely covered. For chewy cookies leave them in the oven for about 8 to 10 minutes. But if you like your cookies with a crunch then keep them in for about 10 to 12 minutes. Let the cookies cool on the sheet or on a plate before storing them away or the cookies will stick together. I usually store my cookies in a tin with wax paper between them. The cookies should hold up for about two weeks or so, but kottonmouth kookies may end up being consumed before April 21!

If you want you can place each cookie in an appropriately-sized "baggie". Be sure to drink lots of water with your cookies. And remember, when handling a plate full of Kottonmouth Kookies among friends, munch, munch, pass!