Favorite desserts or special ingredients

[Deactivated member 42515]

Hi! So, I'm on a diet and want to torture myself. I would like to live vicariously through you guys and find out what your favorite desserts are. And if you put any special ingredients in to make it your own. Of course, pics are always welcome!

Let the mouth watering begin!

 

[yennyfire]

No photos, but my favorite is my Mom's carrot cake with cream cheese frosting. Hey, it's a veggie cake, so it has to have some redeeming value to it, right?

Seriously though, if you're on a diet, one of my fav sites is: www.skinnytaste.com

I have made at least 30 of her recipes and they are amazing (and I'm not on Weight Watchers, but I like to eat healthy and know calorie/sodium, etc.). She has some great desserts that you can indulge in (assuming that you can eat a single portion, which is something that I struggle with)...

 

[SB621]

oh YT, you are like me. When I'm dieting I torture myself. Stay away from pinterest that place is horrible if you are trying to watch your intake.

I started a thread a while ago about what was everyone's food related Achilles heel. Mine is definitely sweet stuff. In particular I LOVE s'mores, but not the fancy kind you see on pinterest all jazzed up. Just regular old s'mores on a camp fire with a Heresey's bar (must be heresey). I'll see if I can dig it up.

If we are talking traditional dessert though my southern roots come out. I love red velvet and carrot cake, both MUST be with cream cheese frosting made from actual cream cheese. I'm actually sort of curious as I asked this question in another thread before it got deleted but I really do want to know if people put pineapple in carrot cakes. It just seems very strange to me. I know about grapes/ raisins which I'm not a fan of, but pinapple in carrot cake just seems off to me.


Here is my favorite CC frosting receipe. I would seriously put it on anything. I got it awhile ago off the food network and just freaking love it. This is my idea of heaven on cake.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/cream-cheese-frosting-recipe.html
Ingredients
4 ounces unsalted butter, softened (i actually use a mix of applesauce and ICBINB)
4 ounces cream cheese, softened (low fat)
2 cups powdered sugar (I use 1.5 as I don't like it super sweet)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions
In a large bowl, beat together the butter and cream cheese with an electric mixer. With the mixer on low speed, add the powdered sugar a cup at a time until smooth and creamy. Beat in the vanilla extract

 

[yennyfire]

(i actually use a mix of applesauce and ICBINB)

What's ICBINB??? I use applesauce in a lot of things in place of oil/butter, but I'm not sure what ICBINB is???

 

[SB621]

(i actually use a mix of applesauce and ICBINB)

What's ICBINB??? I use applesauce in a lot of things in place of oil/butter, but I'm not sure what ICBINB is???

I Can't Believe It's Not Butter I'm not a butter fan so I almost always use margarine instead.

Yenny what carrat cake receipe do you use? I'm constantly trying new ones out. There was a Japanese woman who married a guy we went to services with. She made the best challah and Carrot cake ever. She gave me the challah receipe but held tight to the carrot cake one and would never share it. I haven't had anything nearly as good since.

 

[yennyfire]

Ah ha!! I Can't Believe It's Not Butter!!! Mystery Solved....and here I thought it was going to be some fantastic new product I hadn't discovered yet!

This is my grandmother's carrot cake recipe. Sometimes I add pecans/walnuts, sometimes I don't....I gave you the recipe as it is and then made notes about the changes I make. Try it the "right" way first and see what you think. I hope you like it as much as we do.

Cake:

3C grated carrot
1 1/4 C vegetable oil (I use about 1 cup)
2C sugar (I use about 1.5 cups)
4 eggs
2 t cinnamon
2 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1 C nuts (optional)
2C flour

Frosting:
8 oz. cream cheese
1 stick butter
1 box powdered sugar
2t vanilla

If I'm doing a 9x 13 cake instead of a layer cake, I usually half the frosting. Cake can be made ahead and frozen. Defrost overnight and the frost cake.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. Mix oil and sugar, then add eggs one at a time. Add dry ingredients and mix. Add carrots and nuts (if using). Bake in greased/floured pans. 30 minutes for 8 inch round pans or 50-60 for 9x13.

For frosting, mix cream cheese and butter til fluffy and then add powdered sugar and vanilla

 

[SMC]

I rarely make stuff myself so no special ingredients. My favorite desserts are probably cupcakes though, in particular lemon ones! I have a weakness for lemon/lime desserts. Key lime pie is another favorite.

 

[UrsTx]

My dessert cravings fluctuate but lately I've wanted brownies or cookies n cream ice cream. Must be a chocolate fixation... When I get the opportunity to go to Houston, I have to stop by Crave cupcake and bring a half-dozen home, which lasts us a week (we live three hours away so we only go 2-3 times per yr). The flavors rotate daily but they're all so freakin good! I can't find a match in Austin.

This is my favorite homemade dessert ever - plus it's easy to make: Black Magic Chocolate cake. http://allrecipes.com/recipe/black-magic-cake/detail.aspx?event8=1&prop24=SR_Title&e11=black%20magic%20cake&e8=Quick%20Search&event10=1&e7=Home%20Page

With this ganache poured over it (half a recipe is more than you'll need for a bundt cake). http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/chocolate-ganache-frosting-00000000056623/

We're not heavy-frosting fans so the ganache lends just the right amount of sweetness and locks in the moisture in the cake.

 

[tyty333]

Cheese cake is my favorite dessert!

My family loves Mud Pie and ask for it for birthdays instead of cake. It so easy to make too!

-chocolate graham cracker pie crust
-coffee ice cream
-sliced almonds
-chocolate fudge syrup
-whipped cream

Put some chocolate syrup in the bottom of the pie crust. Spread it around. Layer coffee ice cream, almonds and chocolate
syrup until you run out of tub of ice cream. Top off with layer of chocolate syrup and almonds. Serve with whipped cream.
So yummy!!!

 

[packrat]

jello cake w/strawberry or black cherry jello.

or white cake w/cool whip and strawberries all over it.

 

[OreoRosies86]

*sigh*
This is calorie city, but soooooo good and simple if you run on coffee like I do! I take two generous scoops of Ben and Jerry's tiramisu ice cream (or comparable tiramisu gelato), chilled espresso roast coffee, and a few ice cubes. Whir in the blender until you have a smoothie texture. Top with heavy whipped cream and sip through a straw.

Its the breakfast of champions!

 

[missy]

YT! First of all good luck with your diet. I know it helps me when I cannot eat certain foods (due to dietary restrictions sadly so can never eat them ) to live vicariously through others too so I get that for sure. Here are my two all time favorite desserts though I do not have the recipes on hand right now I will share the pics. One is by my dh-his amazing pumpkin cheesecake. Labor intensive and OMG so mouthwatering delicious. Totally worth the 90,000 calories in each slice haha. And the second dessert is also amazing. My sister's chocolate peanut butter brownies that my dh duplicated and made even better (but don't tell her!)
http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/peanut-butter-bars-i/Detail.aspx

Enough with the chit chat. Onto the main event...droolworthy desserts. Enjoy!

 

[minousbijoux]

*sigh*
This is calorie city, but soooooo good and simple if you run on coffee like I do! I take two generous scoops of Ben and Jerry's tiramisu ice cream (or comparable tiramisu gelato), chilled espresso roast coffee, and a few ice cubes. Whir in the blender until you have a smoothie texture. Top with heavy whipped cream and sip through a straw.

Its the breakfast of champions!

This is sooo up my alley.

Okay, I'm having a craving for mango and sticky rice. I lurve that dessert - so simple and so good!

 

[soxfan]

Hummingbird cake. Holy S**t. I'm training for my 9th half marathon right now, so carbs are my enemy. As is sugar. Google hummingbird cake+paula deen. OMG....

 

[soxfan]

oh and ben and jerrys peanut brittle ice cream. Makes me squeeze my thighs together.

 

[Bunny007]

SB- I use pineapple in my carrot cake. There is also something called hummingbird cake, which, in my inexpert opinion seems really similar to carrot cake and has pineapple. Cream cheese is my favorite type of frosting and I would be happy using it on everything (or by itself)

 

[misskittycat]

I love hummingbird cake. I add bananas to mine as well (and if I am trying to hide vegetables for my toddler, zucchini). Delicious.

I am a huge fan of Nigella's old fashioned chocolate cake. So good. And anything lemony. And a really good cheesecake. And warm chocolate chip cookies. No wonder I am plump!

 

[SB621]

SB- I use pineapple in my carrot cake. There is also something called hummingbird cake, which, in my inexpert opinion seems really similar to carrot cake and has pineapple. Cream cheese is my favorite type of frosting and I would be happy using it on everything (or by itself)

My mind is really blown about this pinapple thing. I'm going to try it this week. I have been inspired to make a carrot cake. I'm going to use Yenny's grandmothers receipe but add pinapple. I'm assuming I just add a half cup or so?

MKC- My kids have always been good about eating veggies but I remember a few times I made Zuccini or banana bread and through in all sorts of other veggies. It tasted great so that is always advise I give to Mom's that are starting kids out on table food as i'm a big fan of having the kids eat what I eat.

 

[misskittycat]

Absolutely SB - my daughter is the fussiest eater I know, and she went from eating everything to nothing, literally overnight. All the vegetables to nothing. We have had to become the masters of disguise - carrot and zucchini in muffins, grated veggies in bolognese (to the point where it's 3/4 veggies), veggie heavy fried rice... At 2.5 she is getting better but it's still not an easy road. She loves fruit, however. Our one saviour!!

1/2 - 1 cup crushed tinned pineapple should be enough - it adds some sweetness so you might want to drop the sugar in the cake a touch. I love hummingbird and carrot cake. So delicious!

 

[dk168]

No photos, however, the usual 3 desserts that I make are chocolate mousse, Tiramisu and cheesecake.

For cheesecake, I usually make strawberry ones, however, for special occasions and for those who like peanut butter, I would make one with peanut butter with chocolate fudge topping.

DK

 

[monarch64]

It's not my favorite dessert, nor does it have any special ingredients, but I made this giant cupcake recently for the wedding anniversary of our close friends. It was really fun and it looked beautiful! Devil's food cake with vanilla buttercream frosting. My usual go-to dessert is a fruit pie or tarts, or fresh fruit cobbler. In the winter I make fudge and buckeyes (chocolate covered peanut butter balls).

 

[minousbijoux]

It's not my favorite dessert, nor does it have any special ingredients, but I made this giant cupcake recently for the wedding anniversary of our close friends. It was really fun and it looked beautiful! Devil's food cake with vanilla buttercream frosting. My usual go-to dessert is a fruit pie or tarts, or fresh fruit cobbler. In the winter I make fudge and buckeyes (chocolate covered peanut butter balls).

Okay, Monnie, I would not kick that cupcake out of bed for eating crackers...yum!

 

[smitcompton]

Hi YT,

No, I'm not going to tell you my favorite desserts. I will tell you one I find refreshing and satisfying when on a diet. Don't yell at me, I really enjoy this.

Buy several different flavers of sugar free jello- cherry, raspberry. lime ect. Buy light coolwhip. Make jello, refrigerate, put one -two tablespoons of low cal coolwhip. Eat. It tastes even better if your husband makes it for you.

You'd be surprised how nice it tastes when on a diet.


Annette

 

[Deactivated member 42515]

Hi YT,

No, I'm not going to tell you my favorite desserts. I will tell you one I find refreshing and satisfying when on a diet. Don't yell at me, I really enjoy this.

Buy several different flavers of sugar free jello- cherry, raspberry. lime ect. Buy light coolwhip. Make jello, refrigerate, put one -two tablespoons of low cal coolwhip. Eat. It tastes even better if your husband makes it for you.

You'd be surprised how nice it tastes when on a diet.


Annette

Hahhaa! Tastes even better when your husband makes it for you! Hilarious!

Sounds good, but I can't eat jello. Vegetarian and all

Everything looks an tastes good right now on my diet! Haha, I ate an apple yesterday and it was heaven on earth.

I WILL indulge on my birthday though. I am counting down the days until this weekend when I will take one bite of cake. One bite! I cannot wait! Hahaha

Funny how I love to watch the food network when I'm on a diet. And get all kinds of grumpy and angry! Haha

 

[ckrickett]

this might sound nuts, but my favorite dessert is a Butternut Squash Curry Chocolate Chip quick bread....

it
is
amazing!


and super easy to make!

 

[minousbijoux]

Really, YT, really? One bite?! I don't want to influence you one way or another, but wouldn't one bite have the opposite effect of just serving as torture?

 

[smitcompton]

Hi Again,

I was just going thru the ads and thought of another tht I enjoy. One of my real favorites is strawberry shortcake with whipped cream. I found that strawberries with the lowcal coolwhip is just lovely together. I usually find the strawberries aren't sweet enough for me, and i do put one packet of sweet and low sprinkled and mixed in the strawberries. Cover with saranwrap for a few hours, pull out low-cal cool-whip and its delicious. This is the begining of strawberry season out here, although you can get them all yr round.

An apple can taste great as well. Enjoy a piece of cake for your birthday, and then back to apples and strAWBERRIES.

I don't bake. I always get it wrong, so I buy what I need.


Annette

 

[Boatluvr]

Trifle - it's the only dessert I have ever made (I'm a 'savory' cook) that people have raved about. I use fresh peaches and raspberries, homemade pudding, lady fingers and, of course, a few sprinkles of Irish whiskey. It's also nice to drizzle a bit of Chambord on the top!

 

[Deactivated member 42515]

Trifle - it's the only dessert I have ever made (I'm a 'savory' cook) that people have raved about. I use fresh peaches and raspberries, homemade pudding, lady fingers and, of course, a few sprinkles of Irish whiskey. It's also nice to drizzle a bit of Chambord on the top!

How about beef sautéed with peas and onions? Hahhaahha

 

[SB621]

this might sound nuts, but my favorite dessert is a Butternut Squash Curry Chocolate Chip quick bread....

it
is
amazing!


and super easy to make!

You have peeked my interest. I'm off to google that one. i like butternut squash, love curry and chocolate chip's on anything has to be good right?