Name: Instant Pot Lemon Cheesecake With Animal Cracker Crust
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 40 min
Yield: 8 servings
Ingredients: 6 ounces/180 grams animal crackers; 4 tablespoons unsalted butter (1/2 stick/2 ounces/60 g), melted; 16 ounces (2 bars or 800 g) cream cheese, at room temperature; 3/4 cup (6 ounces/180 g) granulated sugar; 1/4 cup (2 ounces/60 g) sour cream; 2 eggs, at room temperature; 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest; 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

16 Delicious Birthday Cakes for Adults

August 17, 2020

Everyone loves a great birthday cake! Kids might be focused on getting as much icing as they can, but most adults crave a little more substance. Here are 16 delicious birthday cakes for adults!

a photo collage showing 4 different types of cakes

Guess what day it is?!?!?! It’s my birthday! And for the most part, when you’re an adult, a birthday is just another day. A reminder of the constant march of time, that you aren’t getting any younger. As if I need a birthday to remind me of that…I have plenty of gray hairs to remind me of that on the daily! Is there a difference between birthday cakes for kids and birthday cakes for adults? I think so. Most kids are just after as much frosting as possible…and while I definitely don’t hate a delicious frosting, I want my birthday cake to have a little something more. I have a standing request for cupcakes from Federal Bake Shop for every birthday, but I would gladly take any of these birthday cakes that anyone would like to bake for me!

Sheet Cakes

If I’m going to bake a cake, I’m going for simplicity. I can’t remember the last time I baked a layer cake. I prefer a bundt, a bar, or, my favorite, a simple sheet cake. I am the queen of taking a cake that is traditionally made as a layer cake and reimagining it as a sheet cake. Here are some of my favorites!

Classic Yellow Cake

You can’t go wrong with a classic yellow cake with chocolate icing! This one is like the boxed mix from your childhood…only not.

Check out this recipe

Italian Cream Sheet Cake

Tender white cake, cream cheese icing, coconut, and pecans? Italian cream cake has it all!

Check out this recipe

Italian cream sheet cake is a classic Southern cake made simple in a sheet pan. With cream cheese icing, pecans, and coconut, it's perfect! #cakes #baking #sheetcake #italiancreamcake #southernfood | Recipe from Chattavore.com

Hummingbird Sheet Cake

This classic Southern cake is usually a stacked-high layer cake, but I simplify it by pouring the batter into a sheet pan. So delicious!

Check out this recipe

Hummingbird sheet cake transforms a slightly fussy classic Southern cake into something easy and portable yet still SO delicious - and pretty. | recipe from Chattavore.com

Banana Pudding Cake

This poke cake has vanilla pudding, bananas, and whipped cream, just like the classic Southern dessert!

Check out this recipe

Banana pudding cake is a from-scratch poke cake with all the ingredients of a classic banana pudding. It's an amazing, flavorful addition to your Easter baking! | recipe from Chattavore.com

Pumpkin Tres Leches Cake

It doesn’t have to be fall to eat pumpkin cake! This one is SOOOOO creamy and delicious!

Check out this recipe

Pumpkin tres leches cake has the traditional flavors of the season-pumpkin and spices-with all the gooey goodness of a tres leches cake! | chattavore.com

Biscoff Cookie Butter Cake

I love cookie butter, and around here Biscoff brand is the easiest one to find. I love to make this cake with cookie butter, crushed Biscoff cookies, and just a hint of coffee flavor!

Check out this recipe

This Biscoff cake with cookie butter frosting is an easy, moist, and fabulously tasty dessert! | recipe from chattavore.com

Caramel Sheet Cake

If you are a frosting lover, this is the cake for you. Look at that layer of caramel frosting!!!

Check out this recipe

Bundt Cakes, Tube Pan Cakes, and Other Single Pan Cakes

I love an angel food cake, a good bundt cake, or any other cake that I can make in a single pan. The pans may not be portable like a sheet pan is, but these cakes are still dead simple and incredibly tasty!

Chocolate Stout Cake

My husband owns a beer store, so there’s no shortage of new beers to bake and cook with. A great stout pairs perfectly with deep, rich chocolate in this simple but decadent cake!

Check out this recipe

Pumpkin Angel Food Cake

Pumpkin, again! It’s hard to find a recipe for pumpkin angel food cake from scratch…most of them involve boxed mixes. This one is easy, light, and airy. Pumpkin perfection!

Check out this recipe

pumpkin angel food cake from scratch // chattavore

Spiced Apple Cake

This easy cake is packed full of apples with lots of warm spices. It’s an amazing cake!

Check out this recipe

French Yogurt Cake

Yogurt cake is often one of the first things that French children learn to bake, and it’s easy to see why. Just a few simple ingredients measured in equal parts, and it yields a yummy, citrusy cake!

Check out this recipe

Bars

They may not be traditional, but who would turn up their nose at a delicious bar cookie? I certainly wouldn’t!

Wedding Cake Bars

These cake mix bars are thickly flavored with almond and frosted with a layer of almond-flavored icing, and I could easily eat them every. single. day.

Check out this recipe

Red Wine Brownies with Cheesecake Swirl

I mean, read the name of the recipe.

Check out this recipe

red wine cheesecake brownies | chattavore

Mint Cookie Cheesecake Bars

These bars are made with a simple cheesecake batter and mint Oreos, and I wish someone would bring me some right now!

Check out this recipe

Mint cookie cheesecake bars are mint Oreo cheesecake heaven in a bar cookie! | chattavore.com

Apple-Walnut Blondies

Finished with a salted caramel whiskey sauce, these bars are decadent, delicious, and basically autumn in bar cookie form!

Check out this recipe

Salted Caramel Brownies

A perfect finish…chewy, fudgy brownies topped with smooth salted caramel…perfection!

Check out this recipe

Salted caramel brownies are gooey, sweet, a little salty...and worth every.single.calorie. | chattavore.com

What are your favorite birthday cakes for adults?

Instant Pot Lemon Cheesecake With Animal Cracker Crust

July 24, 2020

Instant Pot lemon cheesecake is sunny, delicious, and perfectly-sized! You just need a mini springform pan and a few great ingredients. You won’t want to stop eating!

a close-up picture of a lemon cheesecake

I teach a ton of Instant Pot classes at The Chattery…I couldn’t even tell you how many I have taught. The most popular one is Instant Pot 101, where I teach the basics of using an Instant Pot. One of the most frequently asked questions that I get is, “Have you made a cheesecake in the Instant Pot?” Y’all, my husband doesn’t like cheesecake. So I basically never make them because then I’m stuck eating it by myself. However, when my brother told me that he wanted a lemon cheesecake for his birthday, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to make a test Instant Pot lemon cheesecake for myself. In a 7-inch pan, it seems justifiable, right? I sub in animal crackers for the usual graham cracker crust, but you can totally go with graham crackers if you prefer. Whatever your preference, please just make this!

an angled photo of a slice of lemon cheesecake on a white plate with lemon slices in the background

What You Need:

a photograph showing the ingredients for Instant Pot lemon cheesecake

Animal crackers
Unsalted butter
Cream cheese
Sugar
Sour cream
Eggs
Lemons (juice and zest)
Vanilla extract

How to Make Instant Pot Lemon Cheesecake:

a photo collage showing the first four steps to make lemon cheesecake

A photo collage showing steps 5-7 for making lemon cheesecake

Process the animal crackers into crumbs in the food processor. Add melted butter and process to combine. Alternately, if you don’t have a food processor, you can crush the animal crackers in a bag and combine with the butter in a bowl.
Wrap a 7-inch springform pan with aluminum foil.
Press the cracker crumb mixture into the bottom and up the sides of the pan.
Beat the cream cheese, sugar, and sour cream together with a stand mixer or a hand mixer.
Add the eggs, lemon juice and zest, and vanilla and beat again until thoroughly combined.
Pour the mixture into the pan and smooth the top. Pour water into the Instant Pot, place the rack in the Instant Pot, and cook the cheesecake for 25 minutes using the manual/pressure setting. Allow to release naturally for 15 minutes then manually release any remaining pressure.
Thoroughly chill the cheesecake before removing the ring and slicing.

a close up picture of a slice of lemon cheesecake on a white plate

Yield: 8 servings

Instant Pot Lemon Cheesecake With Animal Cracker Crust

20 minPrep Time:

40 minCook Time:

1 hrTotal Time:

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Ingredients

For the Crust

6 ounces/180 grams animal crackers
4 tablespoons unsalted butter (1/2 stick/2 ounces/60 g), melted

For the Filling

16 ounces (2 bars or 800 g) cream cheese, at room temperature
3/4 cup (6 ounces/180 g) granulated sugar
1/4 cup (2 ounces/60 g) sour cream
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

In the bowl of a food processor, process the animal crackers until finely ground into crumbs. Add the melted butter and process until the crumbs stick together when pressed between your fingers. If you do not have a food processor, place the animal crackers in a gallon-sized storage bag and crush with a rolling pin, meat mallet, or heavy skillet, then combine with the butter in a bowl.
Wrap the outside of a 7-inch springform pan with aluminum foil.
Press the butter and animal cracker crumb mixture into the bottom and up the sides of the pan.
Using a hand or stand mixer, beat the cream cheese, sugar, and sour cream in a large bowl on medium speed until thoroughly combined and smooth.
Add the eggs, lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla to the cream cheese mixture. Beat on medium speed until smooth.
Pour the filling into the prepared pan. Smooth the top. Pour 2 cups of water into the inner pot of a 6 or 8-quart Instant Pot. Place the steamer rack into the pot. Fold two long pieces of foil several times lengthwise and place them crosswise across the bottom of the pan to form a sling. Lower into the Instant Pot and make sure that the foil sling is sticking out over the top of the pan. This will make the cheesecake easy to get out of the Instant Pot. Press the manual or pressure button, make sure the pot is set to high pressure, and set the time to 25 minutes.
Once the cook time is finished, press the "keep warm/cancel" button to turn off the Instant Pot. Set a timer for 15 minutes and allow the pressure to release naturally for 15 minutes. Once the natural release has finished, manually release any remaining pressure. Remove the cheesecake from the Instant Pot using the sling and place in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours, until completely chilled and set.
Before serving, run a spatula or thin knife around the inside edge of the pan. Remove the foil from the outside of the pan, then remove the springform ring, slice the cheesecake, and serve.

Notes

*The cook time includes 15 minutes natural release but does not include the time that it takes to come to pressure. This will vary based on your Instant Pot but averages around 15 minutes. *This recipe is adapted from a Williams-Sonoma recipe.

https://chattavore.com/instant-pot-lemon-cheesecake-with-animal-cracker-crust/

Santa’s White Christmas Wacky Cake

November 28, 2018

This post was sponsored by Barnie’s Coffee as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central and all opinions expressed in my post are my own.

Santa’s White Christmas Wacky Cake is super-easy-mixed in one pan-and so delicious with coconut, caramel, and vanilla flavors! Wacky cake is a classic dessert and this one is full of holiday flavors. Everyone will love it! Everything you need is in your pantry – flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, oil, vinegar, and coffee. Santa’s White Christmas coffee from Barnie’s Coffee makes it even more tasty, especially with that coconut cream cheese icing!

Click here to save this recipe on Pinterest!

Coffee = Life

What is your coffee-drinking style? For me, coffee is a ritual…it’s not as much about the caffeine as it is about the smell of coffee wafting through the house, the warm coffee, and a hot cup in my hands. Now, I am a coffee drinker 365 days a year, usually two cups a day: one in the morning and one when I get home in the afternoon.

Coffee Baked Goods

I love an iced latte but this time of year it’s all about warmth…not that it’s cold here yet, but it’s getting closer. When the holiday season hits I love all the scents of the season – cinnamon, nutmeg, chocolate, and coconut. Fresh baked goods always call for a cup of coffee, and if I can find a way to squeeze some coffee into the baked goods, even better.

Santa’s White Christmas Coffee

Honestly, I can’t think of a better coffee to drink this time of year than Santa’s White Christmas from Barnie’s. I remember when there was a Barnie’s Coffee at our local mall, smelling the caramel-coconutty-vanilla scents at the holiday season and getting a Santa’s White Christmas granita. Always a treat!

Barnie’s Coffee has been making Santa’s White Christmas for 37 years (almost my whole life!) and this coffee is much-beloved around the country…not just for it’s delightfully festive flavors but also for the fabulously high quality that you can always count on from Barnie’s Coffee.

Wacky Cake!

Santa’s White Christmas coffee is the perfect coffee to make this wacky cake. This chocolate wacky cake is mixed right in the pan and topped with a cream cheese frosting. The cream cheese frosting has just a touch of coffee mixed in and a sprinkle of coconut.

My wacky cake is simplicity and flavor in under an hour with minimal dirty dishes! If you sift the powdered sugar and make sure the butter and cream cheese are super-soft, you don’t even need to use a mixer to make the icing!

You can find a variety of Santa’s White Christmas products in stores or on the Barnie’s Coffee website. Use the promo code CHATTAVORE30 to get 30% off of Barnie’s Coffee products!

How do you like your Santa’s White Christmas from Barnie’s Coffee? Show us your Santa!
Shared on The Weekend Potluck on The Country Cook!

Click here to save this recipe to your holiday and Christmas baking boards on Pinterest!

Santa’s White Christmas Wacky Cake

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Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
heaping 1/4 cup natural cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
1 cup brewed Barnie's Santa's White Christmas coffee

For the Icing

4 ounces (1/2 block) cream cheese, room temperature
4 ounces (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
2/3 cup powdered sugar, sifted
Pinch salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons brewed Santa’s White Christmas coffee
Sweetened, shredded coconut (optional, for topping)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350? Fahrenheit.
Place the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, and salt in an 8-inch ungreased square glass or ceramic pan and use a fork to combine.
Create 3 wells in the dry ingredients. Place the vinegar in one, the vanilla in another, and the oil in the third. Pour the coffee over the top and use the fork to combine the ingredients completely.
Bake the cake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 25-30 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack before icing.
To make the icing: in a large bowl, mix together the cream cheese and butter with a wooden spoon or an electric hand mixer until smooth and well-combined. Add the sifted powdered sugar, salt, vanilla extract, and coffee. Stir or cream together until well-combined. If you mix it by hand there may be a few lumps but it will not affect the flavor. Spread the icing over the cooled cake. Top with shredded coconut, if desired.

https://chattavore.com/santas-white-christmas-wacky-cake/

Blueberry Dump Cake From Scratch

June 13, 2018

Knowing how to make dump cake from scratch is a valuable skill to have. Forgive the name but dump cake literally just requires dumping ingredients in a pan and baking them. This blueberry dump cake from scratch is a delicious, perfect summer recipe, and you probably have all the ingredients you need!

Click here to save this recipe for later!

Dump Cake?

First of all, let me apologize to you for the name of this recipe. I hate the term “dump cake”. I mean, I get that it is called that because you literally dump the ingredients into a pan and bake them, but GAH. It just sounds very unappetizing. Ditto for “dump dinners” (I have seen a cookbook in my favorite local used book store with this name and I. Just. Can’t.).

But alas, when you write a blog you have to give the people what they are looking for, and according to Pinterest and Google, people are looking for dump cakes. Or, if they are like me, they are looking for “dump cake from scratch”.

The dump cakes from my previous experience are absolutely delicious and are made with a few basic ingredients:

Canned pie fillings
Cake mix
Butter
Maybe some other ingredients like canned pineapple, brown sugar, etc., but these are not necessary.

Dump Cake from Scratch!

And you guys know me…I have an insatiable need to make everything from scratch (i.e. without a mix or a can). Mostly because I know that I am always going to have some sort of fresh or frozen fruit, butter, and dry ingredients for a cake in the house. But also because I really do, at least in theory, try to avoid processed food as much as possible (though I have not been as good at this lately. Stress, am I right?).

I did a little poking around the interwebs trying to figure out how to make a dump cake from scratch. I found a recipe on Simply Recipes and riffed on that a bit. My filling follows their formula but my dry cake is actually a divided recipe for yellow cake from the book The Perfect Cake from America’s Test Kitchen, which I somehow miraculously managed to score the Kindle edition of last week for $3.99. A miracle indeed, because ATK books never go on sale!

I used frozen blueberries for mine, but you could definitely use a variety of fruits instead. And while this may not be a literal “dump and go” recipe like the original dump cake, dump cake from scratch is still dead simple and you probably have the ingredients in your house:

fruit
sugar
cornstarch
flour
baking powder
baking soda
butter

Easy, right? And because when I use a bowl for dry ingredients I just wipe it out with a towel and put it back, the only dishes that I dirtied were the pan and the bowl I used to melt the butter. 100% worth it for this delicious dessert that is perfect for summer and that, by the way, I baked in my Breville Smart Oven so I didn’t even have to heat up my kitchen.

Oh yeah – vanilla ice cream is non-negotiable. Don’t even try.

Shared on The Weekend Potluck on The Country Cook!

Click here to save this recipe to your Pinterest baking or cake boards!

This post contains affiliate links. This means that if you click the link and make a purchase from Amazon, I will receive a small commission. This does not affect the cost to you. For more information, please see my disclosures. Thank you for supporting my blog!

Products used for this recipe:

Mary

Yield: 1 9x13 inch cake

Blueberry Dump Cake From Scratch

This recipe is adapted from Simply Recipes and from the book A Perfect Cake from America's Test Kitchen.

10 minPrep Time:

45 minCook Time:

55 minTotal Time:

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Ingredients

For the filling

3 pounds fresh or frozen fruit (there is no need to thaw frozen fruit)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
pinch salt

For the cake

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks or 12 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted
Vanilla ice cream, for serving

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375? Fahrenheit.
In a 9x13 inch pan, combine the fruit with the sugar, cornstarch, and salt.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Sprinkle the dry cake ingredients evenly over the fruit mixture.
Use a spoon to drizzle the melted butter evenly over the dry cake mixture.
Bake the cake for 35-45 minutes, until the cake is light golden on top and the fruit is bubbling. Frozen fruit may need to bake slightly longer (my fruit was frozen and I baked my cake for 55 minutes). There may be a few small patches of dry ingredients on top. I just smoothed these with a spoon.
Cool the cake for at least an hour before serving. I know that this is a difficult step but eating the cake too soon will result in unpleasant mouth burns! Vanilla ice cream is non-optional!

https://chattavore.com/blueberry-dump-cake-from-scratch/

6-Ingredient Orange Cheesecake Bars

March 23, 2018

6-ingredient orange cheesecake bars are delicious and sunny and just what you need right now if you are dreaming of warm weather!

It’s officially spring (though I don’t know how many times I have muttered the words “I hate the cold!” this week, with temps dropping into the thirties). When the daylight hours stretch longer, I start to crave sunnier flavors like these 6-ingredient orange cheesecake bars. I made them with beautiful Red Cara navel oranges that I picked up at the store and they make me dream about the day (that can’t possibly be too far away!) when I finally get to wear my shorts again.

Find the recipe for 6-ingredient orange cheesecake bars over at SoFab Food!
https://chattavore.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Red-Orange-Cheesecake-Bars-4.jpg