CakeSpy Note: Remember that amazing "So You Wanna Be a CakeSpy?" Contest?Well, with the winner's trip to Seattle coming up, I thought I'd take some time to focus on several of the finalists and profiling them and their recipes. Let's get to know grand-prize winner Molly, whose winning recipe for Neapolitan Blondiesis bringing her to Seattle *today* to eat dessert with me, Head Spy Jessie!
-What does being a CakeSpy mean to you? Being a CakeSpy,to me, means eternal sweet glory. Since I have found CakeSpy, I continue to be incredibly inspired. I have posted for her several times, and just love the motto behind the site. The world really would be a much happier place if everybody ate cake (or another sweet treat) each day.
-How did you dream up your dessert? I knew I needed something cute. I knew I needed something fun. I knew I needed something delicious, new, and exciting! My favorite thing to bake is definitely Blondies, mainly because I can add so many things to them like Butterfingers or Candy Corn, and they always turn out deliciously! I ended up deciding that I needed to use that as my base and go from there. When it popped in my head, I was eating a bowl of Neapolitan Ice Cream, my favorite. The idea sparked, I looked it up, and found out that nobody else on the web has made such a treat! Neapolitan cake and cookies, definitely, but not Neapolitan Blondies! Then I wrote it down, baked, and magic came out of the oven.
-Cake or pie? Absolutely CAKE. No competition there.
-What would be your "last meal" dessert? A lot of cake. Specifically, 1/2 a dozen Red Velvet Cupcakes and 1/2 a dozen Carrot Cake Cupcakes. Oh, and don't be skimpy on the cream cheese frosting either, I like a huge dollop.
Here's the recipe for Neapolitan Blondies--it also appears on Molly's website.
Neapolitan Blondie Bars
The Vanilla Layer:
- 1/2 C Butter, Melted
- 1 C Light Brown Sugar
- 1 Egg
- 1 Tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
- 1/2 Tsp Baking Powder
- 1/8 Tsp Baking Soda
- 1 1/3 C Flour
Procedure
- Beat the butter and sugar, then add the egg. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, then beat until a thick batter forms. Set this aside, until each batter is complete.
The Strawberry Layer:
- 1/2 C Butter, Melted
- 1 C Light Brown Sugar
- 1 Egg
- 1 C Smucker’s Strawberry Sundae Syrup
- 1/2 Tsp Baking Powder
- 1/8 Tsp Baking Soda
- 1 1/3 C Flour
Procedure
- Beat the butter and sugar, then add the egg. Pour in the Strawberry Syrup and continue beating. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, then beat until a batter forms. This batter won’t be as thick as the vanilla layer. Set this aside, until each batter is complete.
The Chocolate Layer:
- 1 Stick of Butter (1/2 Cup), softened
- 3/4 C White Sugar
- 1/2 Tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
- 2 Eggs
- 1/2 C Flour
- 1/4 Tsp Baking Powder
- 1/2 C Cocoa
- 1/4 Tsp Salt
Procedure
- Cream the butter and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla, and continue to beat. Stir in flour, baking powder, salt, and cocoa until a thick batter forms.
Assembly:
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
- Using a greased rectangular pan, pour in the Strawberry layer. Scoop the Vanilla layer on top, aiming to cover the 1st layer evenly. Top the Vanilla Layer with the Chocolate brownie layer.
- Bake for 28-30 minutes, until the top begins to crack and an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
- Let the bars cool and set.