frosting

Soft and moist pumpkin cupcakes topped with my favorite cream cheese frosting and pecans.

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe

Soft and moist pumpkin cupcakes topped with my favorite cream cheese frosting and pecans.

Soft and moist pumpkin cupcakes topped with my favorite cream cheese frosting and pecans.

I have to admit, when I look at these cupcakes, all I can see is that cream cheese frosting.

It is just so very ???????? ???????? ????????.

Soft and moist pumpkin cupcakes topped with my favorite cream cheese frosting and pecans.

Back when I thought I wanted to own a cupcake bakery (have I told you about that short lived dream?? Have to say I’m sooooooo glad that didn’t work out!), I would cart cupcakes around to just about everywhere I went, including my full time retail/sales-y/corporate-ish job.

And I remember someone there once saying, “you know, it’s really all about the cake. Anyone can make good frosting, but the cake… you have to really know what you’re doing to make a good cake.”

7-ish years into the business of making A LOT of cakes, cupcakes, frostings, and other desserts nearly every day… I have to respectfully and adamantly disagree.

Soft and moist pumpkin cupcakes topped with my favorite cream cheese frosting and pecans.

Because here’s the thing. A doctored up cake mix makes about as good a cake as I’ve ever had. I’m a cake fiend, and I’m not ashamed to admit I prefer cake mix to from-scratch cakes a good 90% of the time.

This cake mix pumpkin cake recipe has been my go-to for years. It’s simple and easy to remember: cake mix + a can of pumpkin. You could really stop there, but I usually add a little milk, vanilla, and pumpkin pie spice just to give it that “homemade” taste.

Now don’t get me wrong. From scratch cakes have their place. Like I don’t think that  good banana cake can be outdone by a cake mix. And I do actually like Red Velvet from scratch marginally better than a cake mix Red Velvet. But other than that… I hardly see a reason to deviate from my favorite mixes. And that’s the truth.

Classic, creamy, EASY Cream Cheese Frosting recipe

But frosting? I do like the store-bought stuff, and it has it’s place in my recipes for sure. But there are some from-scratch frostings that just cannot be beat by something from the store. Like my mom’s brownie frosting, Grandma’s 6-Layer Cake Frosting, and this soft sugar cookie frosting.

And maybe most especially– CREAM CHEESE FROSTING.

As much as I like store-bought frosting, I have to say that canned cream cheese frosting isn’t even in the same ball-park as homemade cream cheese frosting. It doesn’t even taste like cream cheese! WHAT?!

So when it comes to cream cheese frosting in my recipes, homemade is the only way to go. And it’s really pretty easy as far as frostings go– as long as your expectations are realistic. And what I mean by that is that you can’t treat it like a buttercream. This recipe won’t be as stiff or as sturdy as a decorating buttercream. So don’t plan to do any sharp piping work or anything with it.

But you CAN plan on falling in love with it. It spreads on nice and smooth and creamy. And the flavor is light and dreamy with just a little tang from the cream cheese and a whole lot of vanilla flavor. I love using vanilla paste or crushed vanilla in place of the extract. Can you see those little delicious flecks??

Soft and moist pumpkin cupcakes topped with my favorite cream cheese frosting and pecans.

This recipe is such a keeper, ya’ll. It’s one of those no-fail, timeless classics that’s worth hanging on to and pulling out at least once every Fall.

Enjoy!!

Incredibly moist banana cake with chocolate glaze.

Chocolate Glazed Banana Bundt Cake Recipe

Incredibly moist banana bundt cake recipe with a sneakily easy chocolate glaze.

Incredibly moist banana cake with chocolate glaze.

You know what I’d rather do than watch my husband try to do homework with my first grader? (because o.m.g. it’s like having TWO first graders who won’t stop arguing with each other)

So, yeah. Pretty much anything else would be good.

But this banana bundt cake recipe — and licking that big puddle of chocolate glaze off the plate — would be pretty high up on my list.

Incredibly moist banana cake with a sneakily easy chocolate glaze.

Two things really surprised me about this recipe. And not because one or the other, but because both things are going on here.

One. This cake is supremely soft and moist. Like, crumbs-that-stick-to-your-fork moist. Which I’d typically expect from a banana cake. Except for–

Two. It baked into a fabulously sturdy bundt cake. In my experience, bundt cakes that hold up really well aren’t always high up on the soft, fluffy, and moist scale. Maybe they’re moist. But never quite as tender and fluffy as this cake is on the inside.

🍌🍌🍌 CELEBRATE BANANAS with us: our favorite Banana Bread Recipes 🍌🍌🍌

Basically, this is the superhero of bundt cakes. And banana cakes. It’s the superhero of all cakes.

Incredibly moist banana cake with a sneakily easy chocolate glaze.

And that Banana Bundt Cake recipe glaze…

Also, that chocolate glaze. ????????

And want to hear my dirty little secret about that? It’s store bought frosting. YES. IT. IS.

Listen. I have really solid, fool proof, fantabulous chocolate ganache recipe right here that would work perfectly for this cake. And if you want to go the all homemade route, please! Be my guest!

But if you’re running short on time (who isn’t?), melting down about half of a can of Pillsbury Milk Chocolate frosting to pour over this cake is an excellent option. It tastes delicious, and it pours beautifully. Plus, it takes about 30 seconds and is virtually mess-free. You won’t be sad if that’s the way you go, I promise.

Incredibly moist banana cake with a sneakily easy chocolate glaze.

No matter how you slice it, it’s always better than watching my husband attempt homework with a first grader. ????

Soft and moist, spiced pumpkin cupcakes perfectly paired with whipped Nutella buttercream.

Pumpkin Nutella Cupcakes Recipe

Soft and moist, spiced pumpkin cupcakes perfectly paired with whipped and fluffy Nutella buttercream. 

Soft and moist, spiced pumpkin cupcakes perfectly paired with whipped Nutella buttercream.

Alright you guys– where are my pumpkin freaks???

And I use the term “freaks” ever so lovingly. Because, don’t I know it, I’m one of them. And now that September is FINALLY here, and we have officially passed the Labor Day benchmark… you know what that means! Yes, my friends. It’s time to pumpkinallthethings. As all the hashtags have been no-so-subtly reminding us for the past 6 days ????.

This year, I’m especially anxious for Fall to get underway because…. I want to move into my house already!!!! I’m like a kid doing the potty dance waiting for this house to get built. Seriously. I love ya September and October– but this year, we’ve got to get a move on!

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In the meantime, we might as well talk cupcakes in order to distract me from my toe-tapping.

And what better distraction than pumpkin cupcakes?? Pumpkin cupcakes with Nutella buttercream to boot!

Not only are these cupcakes (obviously) the culmination of a perfect flavor pairing and utterly, sinfully delicious. But they are also SUPER easy. I used my favorite 2-ingredient pumpkin + cake mix recipe for the base. It’s ridiculously easy peasy.

After that, all you have to do is whip up a simple Nutella buttercream– which is at least 10 times easier than it sounds.

Soft and moist, spiced pumpkin cupcakes perfectly paired with whipped Nutella buttercream.

Happy pumpkin season babes! If you need me, I’ll be creepin’ the construction crew at my future house. ????

Kidding. I bring them donuts. They totally know I’m not weird.

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Yellow Birthday Cake with Creamy Chocolate Frosting Recipe

This is the perfect birthday cake recipe! Buttery golden yellow cake with creamy, fudgy chocolate frosting. And lots of sprinkles, of course!

This is the perfect birthday cake recipe! Buttery golden yellow cake with creamy, fudgy chocolate frosting.

I’ve mentioned before that I don’t do birthday cakes.

I don’t make my husband’s birthday cakes. I don’t make my kids’ birthday cakes. And I don’t make my own birthday cakes. It’s a very firm personal policy that I established a few years back.

Why? It’s just too much unnecessary stress. And I can’t emphasize the unnecessary part enough. I mean, between planning a party, buy and wrapping gifts, and setting up the whole DAY in general, whyyyyyyyyyyy go through the ordeal of making a cake too? After enough birthdays of ending up grouchy and tired in a sticky, messy kitchen, I decided to abandon the practice of birthday cake-making altogether. I’d rather spend the day in celebration and eat a delicious cake from one of my favorite bakeries.

If you ask me, there’s absolutely no shame in that (especially when I’m baking cakes nearly every other day of the year!).

But, back when I used to make birthday cakes for myself, this is what I would make. A perfect, simple yellow cake with glorious fudgy frosting and a ridiculous amount of sprinkles! It’s everything that a birthday cake should be!

This is the perfect birthday cake recipe! Buttery golden yellow cake with creamy, fudgy chocolate frosting.

When I was in college, we’d make this cake on each roommate’s birthday. But we used a box cake and store-bought frosting and pink crystal sprinkles.

This is my grown up version of that.

Moist and tender, butter yellow cake made extra soft by using whole milk and incorporating sour cream into the batter (is there anything not made better by sour cream??). It’s thick and puffy, and crazy delicious.

The coup de gras of this cake, however, is the chocolate frosting on top. I took my favorite chocolate fudge frosting and made one teensy-weensy, but oh-so-significant alteration… I omitted 3/4 cups of the powdered sugar from the recipe.

What does that mean?

It means that we’re taking out just enough powdered sugar to make this frosting extra creamy by increasing the ratio of fat to dry ingredients. You wouldn’t want to frost a free-standing cake with this frosting, because it wouldn’t firm up well enough to stay where you put it. But if you’re frosting a sheet cake? That’s a different story! It’s the perfect vessel for all that creamy, indulgent goodness.

This is the perfect birthday cake recipe! Buttery golden yellow cake with creamy, fudgy chocolate frosting.

This rich, indulgent, fudgy frosting is the perfect compliment to that buttery yellow cake underneath. The only thing that could make it any better?

SPRINKLES. And lots of them. So don’t forget to add plenty of those!

And hey– Happy Birthday 🙂

Super rich and fudgy brownies stuffed with Oreos and smothered in vanilla buttercream.

Oreo Brownies with Vanilla Buttercream Recipe

Super rich and fudgy brownies stuffed with Oreos and smothered in vanilla buttercream.

Super rich and fudgy brownies stuffed with Oreos and smothered in vanilla buttercream.

Ultra fudgy brownies. Buttercream piled sky high. Stuffed with Oreos. And topped with an obscene amount of sprinkles and more Oreos.

This is a brownie lover’s dream.

Super rich and fudgy brownies stuffed with Oreos and smothered in vanilla buttercream.

I used my mom’s from-scratch brownie recipe and my favorite homemade buttercream for today’s recipe. And they go together better than peanut butter and jelly ????.

This recipe is so, so easy! But if you really wanted to make it fool proof, you could even use a box brownie mix and store bought frosting. Seriously. Go ahead, I won’t tell. You’ll still end up with outrageously decadent, gorgeous, swoon-worthy brownies.

Super rich and fudgy brownies stuffed with Oreos and smothered in vanilla buttercream.

Super rich and fudgy brownies stuffed with Oreos and smothered in vanilla buttercream.

Once you have the brownie batter mixed up, these come together pretty quickly. Spread about 1/3 of the batter on the bottom of the dish, and then layer the Oreos over that. Pour the rest of the brownie batter on top and spread it out so that all the Oreos are covered. Having brownie batter on both the bottom and top of the Oreos ensures that fudgy goodness will soften up the Oreos a little bit, so that they sort of “melt” into the brownie making it even richer.

I baked my brownies in a 9×13, but you could also bake them a little thicker and use an 8×8 baking dish instead. Just be sure to alter the baking time, they’ll need a little bit longer in the oven. And you’ll probably want to half the buttercream recipe as well.

Or not.

In my house, we all agree that the frosting is the best part…

PicMonkey Collage

 

This Southern classic is banana bread and cupcake all rolled into one! A super moist banana cupcake with crushed pineapple, coconut, and pecans folded into the batter topped with an irresistibly dreamy cream cheese frosting.

Hummingbird Cupcakes Recipe

This Southern classic is banana bread and cupcake all rolled into one! A super moist banana cupcake with crushed pineapple, coconut, and pecans folded into the batter topped with an irresistibly dreamy cream cheese frosting.

This Southern classic is banana bread and cupcake all rolled into one! A super moist banana cupcake with crushed pineapple, coconut, and pecans folded into the batter topped with an irresistibly dreamy cream cheese frosting.

You already know that I’m obsessed with Southern food, thanks to my Carolina roots. And these Hummingbird Cupcakes are nothing if not good and Southern ????.

…because the fried chicken leg is the obvious official emoji of the South, right? ????

Anyway. The point is, if you are looking for a sweet Southern treat that is perfect for spring and summer, look no further! Banana bread and cupcake rolled into one, these pretty cups are packed with sweet summer flavors and topped with a rich cream cheese frosting.

This Southern classic is banana bread and cupcake all rolled into one! A super moist banana cupcake with crushed pineapple, coconut, and pecans folded into the batter topped with an irresistibly dreamy cream cheese frosting.

Step one. You’ll need two overripe bananas, so that you get the maximum sweet banana flavor in your cupcakes. I’ve seen a lot of recipes that call for chopped bananas, but I can’t stand the texture of banana chunks in a cupcake. So in my recipe, we’re mashing the bananas and mixing them into a smooth batter.

Some other ingredients you’ll need:

  • crushed pineapple, with the juice
  • coconut
  • pecans

And, of course, make sure you have cream cheese for the frosting. It’s heavenly. ????

This Southern classic is banana bread and cupcake all rolled into one! A super moist banana cupcake with crushed pineapple, coconut, and pecans folded into the batter topped with an irresistibly dreamy cream cheese frosting.

This Southern classic is banana bread and cupcake all rolled into one! A super moist banana cupcake with crushed pineapple, coconut, and pecans folded into the batter topped with an irresistibly dreamy cream cheese frosting.

Each tender bite is bursting with the sunny flavors of banana, pineapple, and coconut. Cinnamon adds a bit of warmth to the mix, and the pecans add a perfect touch of crunch.

If you’re anything like me, you’ll feel like these ingredients shout SPRING ☀️ and SUMMER ???? and the arrival of beautiful warm days filled with blue skies.

This Southern classic is banana bread and cupcake all rolled into one! A super moist banana cupcake with crushed pineapple, coconut, and pecans folded into the batter topped with an irresistibly dreamy cream cheese frosting.

The thick layer of cream cheese frosting is what elevates these from glorified muffins to glorious cupcakes! It’s my very favorite frosting recipe, because even though it’s rich and creamy, it’s somehow light and fluffy too. And it’s so easy to whip up, which is always a plus.

And if WHEN you make a batch for yourself, don’t forget to tag me on Intagram! I can’t wait to see what you bake up ????!

Rich and fudgy homemade brownies completely from scratch topped with a decadent chocolate frosting. You'll never reach for a box mix again!

Fudgy Frosted Brownies Recipe

Rich and fudgy homemade brownies completely from scratch topped with a decadent chocolate frosting. You’ll never reach for a box mix again!

Rich and fudgy homemade brownies completely from scratch topped with a decadent chocolate frosting. You'll never reach for a box mix again!

 

I found this recipe from my mom in our family cookbook a few years ago when she was compiling it. I was helping her sort the pages into binders for everyone and this particular brownie recipe caught my eye. Related: Here’s an article on brownies. It’s called everything you need to know about brownies.. In the description, my mom had said that it was our family’s favorite recipe that we made every Sunday night.

It stood out to me particularly because I distinctly remember all of our Sunday night brownies– and they came from a box mix…….. (sorry Mom ????).

Rich and fudgy homemade brownies completely from scratch topped with a decadent chocolate frosting. You'll never reach for a box mix again!

Here’s the thing. I’m the oldest of six kids. And a lot of things changed when I left the house that I was never a part of.

For instance.. everyone in my family became a dog person my freshman year of college. I came home from my first semester and all of a sudden there was a dog inside the house. On the couches. On the beds. Under the kitchen table. Everywhere we went, the dog went.

To me, it was bizarre. That just wasn’t the way we did pets when I was a kid.

Another boat I missed– my family got all healthy while I was away at school. They may say different (like that they’ve been health conscious all along), but I don’t remember health being a big priority when I was living at home. And now they’re all like runners and conscientious eaters and stuff, and here I am…. with a dessert blog.

Womp womp womp.

I totally got left in the dust on that one.

And the brownies from scratch thing? Yeah, that didn’t happen back in my day. Which brings us full circle back to these apparently famous-in-my-family brownies that we’ve been making for years. And the dessert freak in the bunch, me, didn’t have a clue. ????

I finally sank my teeth into these for the first time about a month ago. The clouds parted and the heavens sang, and I asked my mom, “where can I get this recipe????“

And she said, “it’s the one we always make,” (like it’s the most obvious thing in the world) “it’s the one in the family cookbook.” ????

Rich and fudgy homemade brownies completely from scratch topped with a decadent chocolate frosting. You'll never reach for a box mix again!

I may have been the last one in my family in the loop here, but now I can finally share with you my family’s favorite brownie recipe and say with 100% certainty that it is THEE BEST. It’s rich and fudgy, and *omg* that creamy frosting!

Please, please, please– do me a favor and don’t do what I did: don’t sit on this recipe forever and not make it. There’s no reason for you to live one more day without the best brownies you will ever eat. Ever.

From my family cookbook to yours ❤️.