Baking with Kathy — COOKSMART

Made with fresh blueberries, this Smash Cake recipe is easy, allergy-friendly, and made without added sugar. It has the most delish Blueberry Frosting, and you can bake the cakes a day ahead if needed. So yummy! This egg-free is an especially great option for kids with some allergies and it’s also just an easy smash cake to make if you have a kiddo who loves blueberries.   Ingredients You Need This cake includes whole grain flours, bananas, blueberries, and cinnamon for a flavorful, yet really simple cake. Here’s a look at what you’ll need for the recipe. Bananas: You’ll want them to be very ripe with lots of brown spots, which indicate sweetness. Whole wheat flour: This flour has nutrition and fiber but also absorbs moisture well so it helps the cake bake through well. Oat flour Baking powder and baking soda Cinnamon Butter: preferably with unsalted butter to control the level of salt in the cake. Blueberries: Fresh or frozen blueberries are stirred into the batter so they’re evenly distributed throughout the cake. TIP: This cake is a no-added-sugar so the natural sweetness from the fruit shines through.    Step-by-Step Instructions This smash cake is very easy to make, even if you aren’t a regular baker. Here’s a look at the steps involved. Scroll down to the bottom of the post for the full info. Start with very ripe bananas. The browner they are, the sweeter they will be! Add to a blender and blend into a puree. Add to a medium bowl with the rest of the ingredients. Prepare your 6-inch cake pans by coating with nonstick spray and adding a round of parchment paper. This will ensure that the cakes come out of the pans easily once they are baked. Divide the batter between the pans. Bake and let cool in the pans.     How to Make Natural Frosting with Blueberries Here’s a look at the general process for making the blueberry frosting. Place the freeze dried fruit into a blender or spice grinder. Blend to make a fine powder. Add the rest of the ingredients and the powder to a medium bowl. Beat. Spread some of the frosting onto one cake. Top with the second cake and add more frosting on top. Frost the sides to finish.        

This four ingredient toffee recipe is the perfect Valentine’s Day sweet treat! Topped with sprinkles, this is an incredibly easy toffee that you’ll crave for every special occasion. Why You’ll Love this Valentine’s Toffee It’s fun and festive It’s amazing! If you’ve had it, you’ll know why it’s such a crowd pleaser! Foolproof You don’t need a candy thermometer Valentine’s Day Toffee Ingredients Saltine Crackers – Salted, to create the toffee base. You can also use Ritz Crackers, Club Crackers or Graham Crackers. Butter – Salted or unsalted, your preference, keeping in mind that the crackers are salted. Brown Sugar – Combines with butter to make the rich toffee layer. Chocolate Chips – Use your favorite including milk chocolate, semi-sweet, dark or white chocolate. Sprinkles – Have fun with it! The more festive, the better!  

An easy Valentine's Day treat to share with your loved ones!   Prep Time: 25 minutes Cook Time: 10 minutes Total Time: 35 minutes   Servings: 14   INGREDIENTS 3 tablespoon unsalted butter 1 bag of large marshmallows 6 cups rice krispy cereal 1 bag of dark chocolate chips 4 ounce white chocolate chips Valentine's day sprinkles Heart shaped cookie cutter Cooking spray INSTRUCTIONS Prepare a 9 x 13 baking dish by spraying it with cooking spray. Set aside. Also prepare a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside. In a large stockpot, melt 3 tbsp. of butter on medium high heat then add in the bag of marshmallows. Stir the marshmallows until they all melt. You must keep stirring to avoid burning the marshmallows. As soon as the marshmallows are all melted, remove from heat and pour in the rice krispies. Mix it all together until all the rice krispies are coated in marshmallow. Pour the mixture into the baking dish then spray your hands with cooking spray. Using your hands, press down the rice krispies in the baking pan. Using a heart shaped cookie cutter, press it into the rice krispy to cut out the heart shapes then place them on the prepared baking sheet. Keep doing so until you run out of space, then reform the rice krispies and continue to cut out until you can't anymore. Let the rice krispies rest for 15 minutes to harden up. In the meantime, over a double boiler, melt your dark chocolate and white chocolate in 2 separate shallow bowls. When ready, take a heart and dip the bottom side of it into the dark chocolate then lay down the non-chocolate dipped side on the parchment paper. Continue until all hearts have been dipped in chocolate. Pop the baking sheet in the refrigerator for 10 minutes to let the chocolate harden. When ready, flip the hearts over and drizzle white chocolate on the non-chocolate dipped side with a fork and sprinkle the sprinkles on top. Store in an airtight container.