Coca-Cola Layer Cake

To me, there is something about a glistening glass bottle of Coca-Cola that screams summer. The beads of condensation sweating from the sides represent the hot hot heat beating down from the sky. When I was a little girl, I can remember bottles of soda being a few and far between treat. My mom was (and is) a bit of a healthy-foods nut. I can just picture the CD-sized chocolate chip cookie sitting on the counter top being split four ways so that I could "enjoy it more than one night." How lame. So no soda and no desserts.

If you told my seven-year-old self that I would one day be eating a chocolate and Coca-Cola cake, I might just die happy on the spot. Good thing I held out for 16 years before I tried it.

If you are thinking that you've seen this recipe before, you're right; however, it is good enough that it deserves another plug.

So, whip out your nostalgia for the days where you drank coke at the swimming pool with skinned knees and one piece bathing suits. Make this immediately... you will be glad you did!

Coca-Cola Layer Cake

2 cups all purpose flour

3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 tsp salt

1.5 cups mini marshmallows

1 cup coca-cola

1/4 cup milk

1.5 sticks softened butter

2 cups granulated sugar

2 eggs

1. Preheat oven to 335degrees and place the baking rack in the middle position. Grease two 9x2 inch round pans and line with parchment paper. Measure dry ingredients (flour, cocoa, salt and marshmallows) in one bowl and wet ingredients (coca-cola, milk) in another. Whisk each to combine and set aside.

2. Combine butter and sugar in a bowl and mix with mixer on low speed for about 3-4 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each. Alternately add the dry and wet ingredients about a quarter at a time without pausing between additions.

3. Pour batter into prepared pans and bake about 30 minutes (edges will be just crispy and a toothpick should come out clean in the center). Cool cakes 15 minutes and invert onto a wire rack.

4. Allow cakes to cool completely before assembling with buttercream. Finish the cake by adding chocolate curls on top and mini marshmallows along the side(To make chocolate shavings, run a veggie peeler along the slightly softened bar of chocolate (make sure it's good quality!) allowing a curl to form. Let the chocolate fall all over the cake.

Old-Fashion Chocolate Buttercream

1 cup milk

3 tbsp all purpose flour

1 tbsp cocoa powder

2 sticks unsalted butter

1 cup granulated sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1-3 oz of bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled

1. Quickly whisk together 4 tbsp of the milk with flour. It will be thick, so make sure you whisk it until smooth. Press out any lumps.

2. Whisk in the rest of the milk and coca powder and transfer mixture into 2-quart heavy bottom sauce pan. Bring to a simmer for about 30 seconds over medium, whisking constantly

3. Remove pan from heat, cover with lid, and cool for about 15-30 minutes. You can also cover with plastic wrap directly against surface. (This prevents a film or skin to form on the top of the chocolate).

4. Meanwhile, combine butter and sugar in the bowl of a mixer and beat on high speed. Add contents from the pot to mixer and continue to beat on high until the buttercream is smooth (about 4 minutes or so) Beat in vanilla and and chocolate slowly.

Creamy Italian Chicken Casserole

When I think of a great meal now, I think of grilled vegetables, fresh proteins with lots of flavor and something that leaves me feeling light and satisfied.

When I was fifteen, a great meal was cheesy, creamy, and filled with pasta.

When you are entertaining for twenty-four teenage girls, save yourself a lot of trouble and make this dish.

You will save yourself a lot of headache, and they will love it.

Creamy Italian Chicken Casserole
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 lbs chicken, cooked and chopped
2 (14.5 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with garlic, basil and oregano
1 cup heavy whipping cream
4 oz cream cheese, softened
2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
10 oz pasta, (I used a combo of macaroni and angel hair)
Oregano, to taste


1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook pasta according to package and keep warm. Lightly spray a 9x13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray.
2. In large skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and cook 3 minutes, or until tender. Stir in chicken, tomatoes and cream. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, let boil for about 3 minutes. Reduce heat, and simmer until sauce is slightly thickened.
3. Add cream cheese and 1 cup mozzarella cheese. Cook while stirring constantly until cheeses are melted. Add pasta, tossing gently to coat.
4. Spoon entire pan into prepared baking dish and top with remaining cheese. Sprinkle with oregano and bake for 30 minutes.

More-is-Better: Margarita Cake

In the words of Tom Petty, "I wanna free fall, out into nothing. Gonna leave this, world for a while."

Eek! We really did it! Sorry Mom (for the 20th time). This weekend was absolutely incredible. Time spent jumping out of planes, waterskiing, jet-skiing, hanging on the pontoon boat, grooving to just dance, drinking high quality beverages (no Natty here) and eating Mama J's good cooking.

Who is Mama J you ask? Check out More is Better, the home of Judy's cooking and of one of my favorite summer tastes thus far.

We did it!

To celebrate our safe arrival back to earth from the sky, we feasted on Margarita Cake and I just had to share the recipe, though it is not my own. Check it out here, and all of the other great recipes at More-is-Better!!

I have so many great recipes that need to be posted, and I promise, they are coming soon!

Mini Boston Cream Pies

I am the type of person who likes a plan. I like organization. I like schedule. I like routine. I am also the type of person who likes fun. I like surprises. I like to be random. I like to be impulsive. So you could see why I might not sleep much at night. Where I love to be social and having fun I crave order and responsibility. I think I may be crazy.


So, in a perfect combination of my personality, I decided many months ago that I would move to Boston. With or without a job. With or without a home. I am going and nothing will stop me. I am taking a plunge, taking a chance, counting on faith. And you know what? It feels fantastic.


Mini Boston Cream Pies
1 package (Betty Crocker) yellow cake mix
1/3 cup applesauce
3 eggs
1 cup cold milk
1 (3.4 oz) Jell-O Vanilla Flavor Instant Pudding
1 1/2 cups thawed Creamy Cool Whip, divided
4 squares Baker's Semi-Sweet Chocolate


1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine cake mix, applesauce, eggs and water and mix until well combined. Line 30 muffin tins with paper linings and spray well with cooking spray. Scoop batter bake in 30 greased medium muffin pan cups about 2/3 of the way. Bake for 19-23 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 min. Remove to wire racks; cool completely.
2. Beat milk and dry pudding mix with wire whisk 2 minutes or until well blended. Let stand 5 min. Meanwhile, use serrated knife to cut cupcakes horizontally in half. Gently stir 1/2 cup of the whipped topping into pudding. Spoon about 1 tbsp of the pudding mixture onto bottom half of each cupcake; cover with top of cupcake.
3. Microwave remaining 1 cup whipped topping and the chocolate in small microwaveable bowl on HIGH 1-1/2 minutes or until chocolate is almost melted, stirring after 1 minute. Stir until chocolate is completely melted and mixture is well blended. Let stand 15 minutes to thicken. Spread onto cupcakes. REFRIGERATE at least 30 minutes before serving. Store leftovers in refrigerator.


*These are much much better served chilled, unlike most baked goods in my opinion. So please, wait until they are cooled in the fridge before diving in!

Oreo Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies

I remember in seventh grade, a girl Erin got me a package for Oreo's for my birthday. It wasn't the single serving sizes but it also wasn't the entire package. It was probably 15 cookies. It was probably my favorite gift ever.

I remember sitting in my basement, my awkward seventh grade self with the palate expander that gave me not only a gap in my teeth but a lisp, knobby knees and indoor soccer shoes on. What a gem I was! I don't know why I wasn't on more guy's "top fives." What a horrible time. I think I cried almost every single day at Frost middle school when I came home. I wanted to be way cooler than I was but for some reason I guess my training bra wearing self wasn't Grade A material. If they could see me now! Alas, I have grown out of that stage, and my taste for Oreo's has mostly come and gone. Well, with the exception of these, as taken from The Picky Palate.

Oreo Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 sticks softened butter

3/4 cup packed light brown sugar

1 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1 tbsp vanilla extract

3 1/2 Cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

10 oz bag chocolate chips

1 bag Oreo Cookies

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a stand or electric mixer cream butter and sugars until well combined. Add in eggs and vanilla until well combined.

2. In a separate bowl mix the flour, salt and baking soda. Slowly add to wet ingredients along with chocolate chips until just combined. Using a cookie scoop take one scoop of cookie dough and place on top of an Oreo Cookie. Take another scoop of dough and place on bottom of Oreo Cookie. Seal edges together by pressing and cupping in hand until Oreo Cookie is enclosed with dough.

3. Place onto a parchment or silpat lined baking sheet and bake cookies 9-13 minutes or until cookies are baked to your liking. Let cool for 5 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.

Red Velvet Cupcakes and Creative Writing for Mike's Pastry

Part of an application I filled out yesterday asked me to describe my favorite Boston restaurant in 600 words or less. I had a lot of fun writing it, so you get to read it, and then about a fantastic red velvet recipe from Warren Brown's United Cakes of America. 

I kind of felt like I was being herded like cattle. Except there was no burly cowboy riding bareback in the distance. Instead, a woman who I had pinned for a saintly grandmotherly type was elbowing her way through the crowd shouting almost-profanities. A baby was crying. A husband was barking orders from his wife on his cell phone. It was complete chaos. And no, I wasn’t at a crime scene, an Eagles game or a riot. I was fighting my way to the countertops of Mike’s Pastry in Boston’s North End, in hopes of a famous pastry taunting me from inside the glass. 

As a native Virginian, I guess one might call me a Southern Belle, but I was biting and scratching like the rest of the crowd. Before my first Mike’s experience, I wondered if it was worth it to brave the crowd. A cookie is a cookie right? But let me tell you what is in the little white boxes that makes people go bananas. Pride. Pride and pastry.

One foot in the door and I was sucked in by the undertow of the crowd. Fighting my way to the surface I bumped into many a stranger, none thrilled by my incoordination. After weaving in and out of the people, I managed to finally see my destination. I was at a counter! Success!

“What would you like?” she asked, chewing lime green gum on the side of her mouth. I stared blankly.

Nothing came to my mind. Wait, no. Everything came to my mind. I wanted a cupcake, a cookie, a piece of pie. My mouth gaped open and I could feel the eyes of other customers burning holes through my head. Make a decision I thought to myself. Anything.

After what felt like an eternity I managed to squeak out an answer. Oreo cheesecake was the verdict. But why order just one thing? I quickly added a peanut butter cookie and a red velvet cupcake. After all, when in Boston…

As if she knew what I was ordering beforehand, she wrapped all three desserts into one of those symbolic Mike’s boxes. The thread she tied it with literally draped from the sky. In under a minute, I was shuffled out the door and back on to the busy streets of the North End.

Though there were a few tables inside, they were eyeballed by the nearby hawk-like Bostonians looking to take out the legs of some poor tourist to get a seat. Not exactly where I wanted to indulge.

I walked all the way to the Boston Harbor to get a seat away from the crowd and noise. Overlooking the water, I unwrapped my little white box and realized for the first time that I definitely did not need all three desserts. Peer pressure will always get you.

With the sun setting, I removed each from the box and laid them on the table. Desserts had never been so desired. I never fought for a pastry, but that night was a night that would go down in history. Nearby teens gossiped about summer plans but quickly their voices were drowned out by my sighs of relief. I had survived my first Mike’s experience. Alone, but feeling accomplished, I overlooked the Boston Harbor, and gave in to the best desserts on this side of the Mississippi. Mike’s Pastry is where it’s at, so next time you are wandering Hanover Street, check it out. It will be the one that looks like a mob scene, but believe me, it is worth your time.


That red velvet cupcake was divine, but I think I've one upped it. You can find my (new favorite) recipe below. It is perfect for a casual fete, but can be fancied up as red velvet often is. I really like the frosting recipe I used, and it isn't a traditional one. Definitely try this one out! Well, I'm off to my graduation... ta ta!


Red Velvet Cupcakes
Sweet Milk Cream Cheese Frosting (recipe follows)
10 oz Cake Flour
2 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
8 oz unsalted butter (room temperature)
12 oz superfine granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 oz red food coloring (or try food gel, much less used)
Canned Milk Cream Cheese Frosting (recipe follows)


1. Preheat oven to 335 and place the rack in the middle position. Spray a cupcake pan with non-stick oil and line with paper liners.
2. Measure dry ingredients (flour, cocoa, salt, baking soda) and wet ingredients (buttermilk, vanilla, vinegar) into two separate bowls and whisk each to combine.
3. Measure butter and sugar into the bowl of a standing mixture and cream together for about 5 minutes (don't rush this process).
4. Add eggs one at a time until combined. Alternately add the dry and wet ingredients about a quarter at a time. Beat in the dye.
5. Pour batter into cupcake tins and bake for 20-24 minutes or until a wooden skewer comes out clean. Cool for about 5 minutes and allow them to cool to room temperature before frosting them.


Sweet Milk Cream Cheese Frosting
8 oz cream cheese (room temperature)
3 oz unsalted butter (room temperature)
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
12 oz powedered sugar, sifted
1/4 cup evaporated milk
Pinch of Salt
1 tbsp orange juice


1. Whip cream cheese until fluffy. Add butter and brown sugar and mix until smooth. Add powdered sugar and beat at high speed for three minutes.
2. Add milk, salt and orange juice. Beat thoroughly for 2-3 minutes. Frost or pipe onto cupcakes.

Lemon Cream Pie

My parents, apparantly, used to be cool. They were hip thirty-somethings running the streets in semi-smalltown Racine, Wisconsin. Living the dream, I believe.

Somewhere in there, perhaps after children or steady careers or moving into suburbia, my parents lost all semblence of a social life.

I'm sure you could blame it on the fact that they are amazing parents. They've missed less soccer games than I can count on one hand, and I'm pretty sure my dad saw enough of my sister's equestrian to tide him over for a lifetime.

I believe over the years, they've become comfortable being comfortable. But though they say that group socializing isn't really their thing anymore, both tend to love the excitement of a big city and manage to go out to an Irish pub almost every weekend. This suggests, to me at least, that perhaps with a little reconditioning, they could get their groove back.

So after many years, we entertained for dinner last weekend. It was by no means a big crowd, only my friend and her mother, but what was one small step for mankind, was huge progression for the Davis family. If you're having guests for a springtime fête, try this Lemon Cream Pie, even for finecky dessert eaters. The tart of the lemon with the subtle sweet of the whipped cream and crunch of the graham cracker crust is delightful, and I can assure you, you won't be disappointed!


Lemon Cream Pie
Graham Cracker Crust, Prepared
3/4 cup sugar
5 tablespoons cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup water
2/3 cup buttermilk
2 whole eggs
2 whole lemons, juiced (1/2 cup lemon juice)
2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 tsp vanilla
1-2 tbsp confectioners sugar


1. Crack eggs into a bowl and whisk together to combine. Meanshile, in a heavy saucepan, combine the cornstarch, salt and sugar. Gradually stir in water and buttermilk until smooth. Bring to a boil; cook for 2 minutes or until thickened, stirring constantly.
2. Remove from the heat. Stir a spoonful of hot filling into eggs to temper. Return all to pan, stirring constantly. Bring to a gentle boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes longer. Remove from the heat. Stir in lemon juice and peel. Pour into crust. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
3. In a large bowl, whip heavy whippung cream until stiff peaks are just about to form. Beat in vanilla and sugar until peaks form. Make sure not to over-beat, cream will then become lumpy and butter-like. Just before serving, spread whipped topping over filling. Yield: 8 servings.


**You can alter this recipe by using store bought whipped topping (such as Cool-Whip), using 1/2 cup of egg substitute instead of eggs or using bottled lemon juice instead of fresh squeezed. I tried to keep it as homemade as I could, but the above alterations may be a time saver.