Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Creamy Cranberry Coffee Cake

I've had this "thing" for cranberries lately so I baked a cake on Tuesday for my church's annual Cake Auction.  It looked and smelled so good, my husband wanted me to make another one tonight.  So, I did...


2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 egg
3/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups coarsely chopped fresh or frozen cranberries
1 tablespoon grated orange peel

Cream Cheese Layer
1 pkg (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup sugar
1 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Topping
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup cold butter

In a large bowl, combine the first four ingredients.  Combine the eggs, orange juice, butter, and vanilla; stir into dry ingredients until well combined.  Fold in the cranberries and orange peel.  Pour into a greased 9-inch springform pan.

In a small mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth.  Add egg and vanilla; mix well.  Spread over batter.  Combine the flour and sugar; cut in butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle over top.

Place pan on a baking sheet.  Bake at 350 degrees for 70-75 minutes or until golden brown.  Cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes before removing sides of pan.  

Yield:  12 servings

I found the cake a little dry so you might try a little corn syrup in the batter to moisten it.  Also, if you have a food processor, use that to chop the cranberries.  Much easier than using a knife!

Enjoy!

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Bottle Bombs

This came across my email this morning and since it's true, I thought I would share it on my blog and Facebook and try to reach as many people as possible.

A Bottle Bomb is made of Drain-O and Tin Foil mixed together inside a plastic bottle. The chemical reaction makes a build up of gases inside the bottle and it then detonates with a great amount of force.

People have discovered these bombs in their fronts yards. They look like trash and had intended on removing them. The detonation takes place 30 seconds after moving the bottle.

If you find one of these, PLEASE do not move it! Call your local police.


snopes.com: Bottle Bombs