Happy Valentine’s Day!
Posted: February 14, 2015 Filed under: Breakfast, Brunch, Holiday Recipe, Meatless, Quick Leave a commentStarted the day off right with our favorite, Waffles of insane greatness and hot cocoa!
Have a wonderfully loving Valentine’s Day! 😍
Lighter dirty Shirley
Posted: August 22, 2014 Filed under: Beverages, Holiday Recipe, Light and healthy, Quick Leave a commentI love a good cocktail on a Friday night. But I hate drinking so many calories. Recently, my sister shared the Dirty Shirley with me. I lightened it up by using either diet sprite or my preferred method club soda!
Enjoy!
Ingredients:
1 ounce good vodka
5-6 ounces club soda or diet sprite
Dash/splash of grenadine
Directions:
Pour vodka over ice cubes in a highball glass. Fill the rest with your soda of choice. Add in grenadine and garnish with cherries or lemons and serve immediately!
Waffles of insane greatness
Posted: July 18, 2014 Filed under: Breakfast, Brunch, Holiday Recipe 1 CommentI’ve made these awesome waffles before, yet decided to update and repost. These are my husbands favorite. They are crunchy on the outside, nice and soft inside, and have fantastic flavor. So for his recent birthday, I decided to revamp the recipe. I did use most of the ingredients, but had to up the flour a bit and used vanilla bean paste instead to up the vanilla flavor. They were perfect!
Enjoy!
Ingredients:
3/4 cup all-purpose flour (I used a full cup)
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup whole milk or buttermilk
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract (I used vanilla bean paste)
Butter and syrup, for serving
Directions:
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; mix well. Add the milk, vegetable oil, egg, sugar and vanilla and mix well. Let the batter sit for 30 minutes.
Preheat a waffle iron. Do not use non-stick spray on the waffle iron; the oil in the batter will allow the waffle to release easily. Follow the directions on your waffle iron to cook the waffles. Serve immediately with butter and syrup.
Lemon cream cake with vanilla bean frosting
Posted: May 9, 2012 Filed under: Cakes/Cupcakes, Dessert, Holiday Recipe Leave a commentWe were invited to my aunt and uncle’s Derby party and needed a dessert. I thought a lemon dessert would be nice and refreshing. I had recently seen this recipe and thought it would be perfect for the party! It was a hit. The cake is quite moist, the filling is to die for and the frosting is perfect. Definitely make this for your next get together. It’s impressive and delicious!
Enjoy!
Ingredients:
For the cake:
3 cups cake flour
1 tbsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
16 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
Zest of ½ a lemon
2 cups sugar
5 large eggs, at room temperature
1¼ cups buttermilk, at room temperature
1 tbsp. lemon extract
1 tsp. vanilla extract
For the filling:
4 oz. mascarpone or cream cheese, cold
2½ tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
1¼ cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
2 tsp. lemon extract
Zest of ½ a lemon
1 cup heavy cream, chilled
For the frosting:
1½ cups plus 2 tbsp. (3 sticks plus 2 tbsp.) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
Pinch of salt
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 tbsp. heavy cream
For the candied lemon slices: I omitted this
1-2 whole lemons, preferably organic
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
Directions:
To make the cake, preheat the oven to 350° F. Butter and flour the edges of 3 8-inch round cake pans and shake out the excess. Set aside. Line the bottoms of the pans with parchment paper.
In a medium mixing bowl, combine the cake flour, baking powder and salt. Whisk together and set aside. Add the butter to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the lemon zest to the bowl of the mixer with the butter. Beat on medium-high speed for 3 minutes, until light and creamy in color. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat for one more minute.
Add the sugar to the butter mixture, ¼ cup at a time, beating 1 minute after each addition. Mix in the eggs one at a time until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Combine the buttermilk and the lemon and vanilla extract in a liquid measuring cup. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients alternately with the wet ingredients, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients and mixing just until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix for 15 seconds longer.
Divide the batter between the prepared baking pans. Bake until golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 20-22 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through baking. Let cool in the pans about 10 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack and let cool completely.
To make the filling, combine the mascarpone and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat on medium-high speed until smooth and well combined. Mix in the confectioners’ sugar and beat on low speed until incorporated. Blend in the lemon extract and lemon zest. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl and set aside. Wipe out the mixer bowl and fit with the whisk attachment. Add the heavy cream to the bowl and whip on high speed until stiff peaks form, being careful not to overbeat. Mix about a third of the whipped cream into the lemon-mascarpone mixture to lighten. Gently fold in the remaining whipped cream until no streaks remain and the mixture is evenly blended.
To make the frosting, add the butter to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whip on medium-high speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Add the confectioners’ sugar to the bowl and mix on medium-low speed just until incorporated. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean pod into the bowl and add in the salt. Continue to beat on medium-high speed until smooth, about 1-2 minutes. Mix in the vanilla extract and heavy cream on low speed just until incorporated. Increase the mixer speed and whip on high speed until light and fluffy, scraping down the bowl as needed, about 4 minutes.
To make the candied lemon slices, wash and dry the lemons thoroughly. Use a sharp serrated knife to make very thin slices of lemon. Poke out any seeds in the slices with a toothpick. Combine the sugar and water in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Heat the mixture until the sugar dissolves. Add the lemon slices to the mixture so that they are in a single layer (none overlapping), reduce the heat to medium-low and let simmer about 20 minutes, turning the slices at least once so both sides are candied. Remove from the heat. Store in a container with the syrup until ready to use.
(Level cake layers if necessary.) To assemble the cake, place one of the layers on a serving platter. Top with half of the lemon-mascarpone mixture and smooth in an even layer. Place a second cake layer on top of the filling and top with the remaining filling. Place the final cake layer on top. Frost the top and sides of the assembled cake with the vanilla bean frosting. Use a pastry bag with a decorative tip to pipe accents on the cake. Garnish with the candied lemon slices.
Funfetti cheesecake cupcakes with cake batter cream cheese frosting
Posted: April 9, 2012 Filed under: Cakes/Cupcakes, Dessert, Frosting, Holiday Recipe 3 CommentsThe title says it all. This dessert has cheesecake, cream cheese icing, cake batter and cake all in one. It’s awesome! I needed some desserts for our Easter celebrations and knew there’d probably be a lot of fruit flavored ones as spring always brings, so I’d thought I’d go in the other direction. Glad I did! These are incredible.
Enjoy!!
Ingredients:
Confetti (or Funfetti) cake batter, use your favorite homemade or boxed version)-I used homemade
8 oz package cream cheese, softened
1 egg
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 and line 24 muffin tins with liners.
Spoon cake batter into each tin until it is about 1/2 full. In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese, egg, sugar and vanilla on medium speed until smooth. Spoon one spoonful over the top of each cupcake. Bake for about 15 minutes or until set.
Cake Batter Cream Cheese Frosting:
1 stick salted butter, softened
8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon Baker’s Mystery Flavor (you could omit this, I omitted as my bottle I ordered didn’t arrive in time. Darn you smart post!!)
3 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup white cake mix (MIX–NOT BATTER)
Directions:
In the bowl of a mixer, beat butter, cream cheese and extract(s) on medium speed until smooth. Add powdered sugar and cake mix and beat on low until just combined. Increase speed to medium-high and beat for 2 minutes. If frosting is too thick, mix in a bit of heavy cream or milk until desired consistency is reached.
Once cupcakes are cool, frost generously. And decorate as you wish!
Chocolate orange pound cake
Posted: April 4, 2012 Filed under: Breakfast, Brunch, Chocolate, Dessert, Holiday Recipe Leave a commentYum yum yum! This pound cake is crazy good. I tried a bit of it to make sure it was ok for guests and omg so good. This was easy to make and was perfect for a breakfast treat or snack for our guests visiting! Definitely a hit!
Enjoy!
Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 tablespoons orange zest
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup dark chocolate pieces
Directions:
Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees F. Grease a 9×5-inch baking pan and dust with flour. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
On a clean cutting board or counter, place the granulated sugar. Add the orange zest. With a bench scraper or the back of the spoon, work the zest into the granulated sugar, creating a fragrant and orange flavored sugar. Set aside.
In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together softened butter and cream cheese. Stop the mixer occasionally to scrape down the bowl and make sure that the butter and cream cheese are evenly mixed. Add the citrus zest to the butter and cream cheese mixture, and beat on medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 3 minutes.
Stop the mixer. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. On medium speed, beat in one egg at a time, beating for one minute after each addition. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Beat in vanilla extract.
Add dry ingredients all at once. Beat on low speed until dry ingredients are completely incorporated. Fold in the chocolate pieces.
Spoon batter into prepared pan. Bake for 50-60 minutes, rotating once or twice during baking. Bake until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean, or with just a few crumbs.
Cake will last, well wrapped at room temperature, for up to four days.
Glazed donuts
Posted: February 19, 2012 Filed under: Breakfast, Donuts, Holiday Recipe, Quick Leave a commentI am so in love with my donut pan. It is so incredibly easy to whip up a pan of donuts for breakfast. I prefer, and have to, the healthier donuts I made, but H wanted some “real” donuts, so I searched online for a perfect donut recipe. Sure enough, Nicole’s blog came up with a fantastic donut. I did use my own glaze of powdered sugar, heavy cream and vanilla but top as you like!
Enjoy!
Ingredients:
2 cups all-flour flour
1 cup sugar
2 Tbsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
2 eggs
1 cup skim milk
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup canola oil
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 450 F.
Stir the dry ingredients together. Add the egg, vanilla, and milk then whisk together for 1 minute. Add the oil and continue to whisk until well combined.
Grease the muffin tins. Fill each 2/3 of the way. Bake for 7-9 minutes. Cool completely before icing. Yield: 30 doughnuts.
Top or glaze to your liking!
Secret heart cupcakes
Posted: February 1, 2012 Filed under: Cakes/Cupcakes, Holiday Recipe Leave a commentAs soon as I saw these cupcakes, I knew I had to try them! And omg are they ever cute! Definitely make for your Valentines Day celebration!
Keep close eye on the direction of your cupcake so when you bite in the heart is facing you. If not, when you bite in all it will look like is a rectangle. I put a heart in the front to indicate it.
The cupcake recipe below is from where I found the cupcakes but I chose to top them with my favorite marshmallow frosting. Top however you’d like!
Happy Valentine’s Day! 💘💗💘
Enjoy!!
Ingredients:
Cupcakes and the hearts:
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 c. granulated sugar
3 eggs
2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
the seeds from half a vanilla bean
1/4 t. salt
2 1/2 c. flour
1 1/3 c. whole milk
red food coloring
Buttercream below cupcake recipe
Directions:
Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees (F).
Mix the butter and sugar together at medium speed for about 90 seconds, until fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing until creamy. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl so everything gets well combined. Add the baking soda, baking powder, salt, and vanilla and mix until the batter is smooth. Finally, alternate between the flour and milk, beating on med-high speed until the batter is light and creamy.
Pour a little more than 1/3 of the batter (about a cup and a half) into a smaller bowl. Add red food coloring until you get your desired pink or red color. Pour the batter into a non-stick (or lightly greased) 8×8 baking pan and bake for about 20 minutes (mine only took 10 mins)until the edges of the cake start to turn golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
Allow to cool completely. Once the sheet cake is cool, loosen the edges away from the pan with a knife and then invert the pan onto a cutting board. Use a small heart-shaped cookie cutter to cut out a dozen cake hearts that are small enough to fit into an average-sized cupcake pan.
Spoon two heaping tablespoons of the remaining batter into paper-lined cupcake tins, so they’re about half-full. Put one heart into each tin and press it point down into the batter. Keep all the hearts facing forward in the pan. Cover with another teaspoon of batter and bake for 24 minutes. Allow the cupcakes to cool before frosting.
Here’s where it gets a bit tricky. Keep the cupcakes facing forward so you get the right cross-section of the heart when you cut or bite into the cupcake (to get the full heart effect). So keep all the cupcakes facing forward as you move them from the cupcake tin to a cookie sheet for cooling/frosting. After frosting, put heart candy on them (or some other decoration) that can also face forward so you know which way to cut the cupcake in order to see the heart shape inside (if you cut the heart in the wrong direction you just get a rectangle shape—not very romantic!).
Marshmallow frosting:
2 sticks of butter ( at room temp.)
1 cup of confectioners sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 – 7 ounce tub of marshmallow cream
Directions:
In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter until creamy.
Beat in one fourth of the sugar until fluffy, then repeat with the remaining sugar.
Beat in vanilla, then stir in the marshmallow cream until well blended.