Cate, Author at Chez CateyLou

Gooey Butter Cake

August 20, 2013 by Cate 19 Comments

I spent this past weekend visiting my family in my hometown of St. Louis, Missouri. I always like to bake something when I am there (more people to eat my food!) so I decided to make a St. Louis original – Gooey Butter Cake! This cake is usually eaten as a breakfast coffee cake, and as the name indicates, it is rich!! The legend of the Gooey Butter Cake is that it was first made in the 1930s by accident. A German American baker in South St. Louis reversed the proportions of sugar and flour while trying to make regular cake batter, and the rest is history. (Read more about it here). There are several different recipes out there for this cake. The version that I grew up eating has a thin layer of dense, moist cake on the bottom and then is topped with a gooey, buttery filling. Yes, it is made with cake mix which some people might think is cheating. But I say why not take a little help when you can get it! This recipe came from my mom’s cousin, although it is very similar to Paula Dean’s recipe …

Bacon Bread

August 15, 2013 by Cate 24 Comments

The title of this entry says it all for this one: Bacon.Bread. Delicious, fluffy bread with tons of bacon baked inside. Does it get any better? I really don’t think so. I’m pretty sure TheBetterHalf would be happy if this was the only bread I ever baked going forward. I mean what is not to love about three quarters of a pound of bacon being added to your bread dough? And imagine the sandwich possibilities with this loaf. A turkey sandwich…on bacon bread. A grilled cheese with tomato…on bacon bread. A BLT!….on bacon bread. What doesn’t sound better when you put it on bacon bread? I think even a PB&J would be phenomenal on this bread. I may or may not have tried that….TheBetterHalf was grossed out, but I thought it was amazing! The sweet and salty combo, mmmm….

Peachberry Buckle (Peach Blueberry Coffee Cake)

August 13, 2013 by Cate 8 Comments

My absolute favorite fruit to eat in the summertime is a ripe peach (or nectarine – to me they are interchangeable!). They are so sweet and juicy – I just can’t get enough of them. And berries are a close second, so when I saw a recipe for a peachberry buckle on King Arthur Flour, I just knew I had to make it! They made up a word that fuses together my two favorite fruits, how could I not try it?! If you are wondering what the heck a buckle is, it is just a coffee cake made with fresh fruit. This version has a very light and fluffy cake layered with sweet peaches and berries and topped with a delicious cinnamon crumb topping. It is heavenly! The fruit keeps the cake moist and gives it an amazing flavor. You can use any kind of berry that you want. I used blueberries in mine and it turned out really well. The crumb topping has a splash of almond extract – you can omit this if you aren’t a fan of that flavor. This buckle / coffee cake is a perfect way to highlight summer’s delicious fruits! …

White Sandwich Bread

August 6, 2013 by Cate 20 Comments

As you might have noticed, I love baking bread. Since I started baking it in January of 2012, I don’t think we’ve bought any bread – I won’t allow it! Homemade bread is just so much better! And we usually have a lot leftover from the loaves I bake, so I just slice it up and pop it in the freezer. You can put a frozen slice in your toaster and you have delicious toast ready in a few minutes! …

Chocolate Chip Cookies – made using cornstarch

July 29, 2013 by Cate 8 Comments

This is not the first chocolate chip cookie recipe that I have posted on ChezCateyLou, and it certainly won’t be the last. There are just so many recipes out there for this classic cookie, and I love trying different versions! It also helps that TheBetterHalf loves chocolate chip cookies – have to keep him happy! I have made the Jacques Torres recipe and a recipe using browned butter, and I really love them both. But when I saw this recipe on Sally’s Baking Addiction, I wanted to try them because one of the ingredients intrigued me – cornstarch! I have never used cornstarch in my baking. The cornstarch makes the cookies light and fluffy, always a good thing in my book! And wow, these cookies were so soft and fluffy! The recipe uses dark brown sugar, which I love for chocolate chip cookies because it gives the cookie a caramel-y flavor that works so well with the chocolate chips. I can’t wait to try cornstarch in other cookies recipes! …

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