Cosmos and Cakes, Oh My!

Buttermilk Pudding Cakes

Cocktails anyone?

So, Long Island is in hurricane preparedness mode. I did all my shopping yesterday for essentials so I could get back to baking today. Whether Irene stops by or not, I have orders for the weekend! Armed with water, batteries, candles and Spaghetti O's, I'm free to bake easy. :)


My friend is hosting a bachelorette party this weekend for her soon to be sister-in-law and she asked me to make some cosmopolitan cookies for the girls. I love making these and was happy to do it! Iced sugar cookies are a multi-step process. For instance, with these cookies, mixing, cutting and baking are the first steps. The truly time consuming part was waiting for the white outline to dry before I was able to add the pink....and then waiting for the pink to dry before adding the sanding sugar...and then waiting for the entire cookie to set well enough to bag it without the icing smearing. It can be a bit tedious, but I do love it!!


Here is the finished product:

I hope everyone enjoys them!


During the waiting parts of creating these cookies, I decided to try a recipe for Buttermilk Pudding Cakes I came across awhile ago. It looked SO easy and quick; something you can whip up on short notice with no mess or fuss. I wanted to see if this was true. I'm happy to say it was - In practically no time at all I had 8 perfect little cakes! AND, I did not use a mixer for any part of the recipe (even the whipped cream)...a whisk is all you need!


Here is what you need to make these cakes:

Nearly all of the ingredients, except perhaps buttermilk, are most likely ones you already have on hand, which is another great thing about this recipe.


Here you can find the the directions as posted on Martha's site:

Buttermilk Pudding Cakes

Recipe by Matt and Ted Lee

3/4 cup sifted all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

2 large eggs

3/4 cup whole or low-fat buttermilk

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

5 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon sugar

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temperature (I only had salter butter, and it turned out just fine)

Nonstick cooking spray

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees with the rack placed on the top third of the oven.

Sift together the flour and baking powder and set aside. In another bowl whisk eggs until they are creamy and yellow. Add buttermilk, vanilla, sugar and butter (the mixture should look curdled and broken). Add the dry ingredients and whisk until your batter is smooth and everything is incorporated.

Spray 8 standard size muffin pan cups (nonstick) with nonstick cooking spray. Pour the batter into each cup about two-thirds full.

Bake for about 9 minutes. Check to see if all sides of the cakes are evenly browned by using a knife tip between the rim of the cake and muffin cup. Pull the cake gently to check the color. If the cakes are not evenly browned they will not hold together. If they are not completely browned at 9 minutes, continue baking in 1 minute increments until the cakes are evenly browned.

After removing the cakes from the oven, invert them onto individual plates. Serve with berries and whipped cream if desired.

These cakes do have a nice pudding-like texture and a fruit/whipped cream topping matches perfectly. I warmed up a bit of the blueberry syrup I had left over from my blueberry cupcakes...very tasty! Finally, I whisked up some heavy whipping cream, sugar, and a bit of vanilla to finish off this lovely dessert. When I'm short on time and want to make a little dessert for guests, this will be my go-to!