The Best Buttercream Frosting

 

I have made soooo many cupcakes the last few weeks 16 dozen to be exact ... that is 192 cupcakes but who's counting right. This is by far my very favorite frosting. It is creamy and smooth and easy to work with. Try it the next time you need forsting. You will never use a canned frosting again ;)

Quick Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

(Printable Version)

from melskitchencafe.com

*Makes about 4 cups of frosting

½ cup (1 stick, 8 tablespoons) butter, softened to room temperature

3 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature

16 ounces powdered sugar (about 3 ½ cups)

¼ cup heavy cream

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

In a large bowl using a handheld mixer or the bowl of an electric stand mixer, beat the softened butter and cream cheese together until it is light and creamy, about 2 minutes. Mix in the vanilla. Add the powdered sugar gradually and mix in fully after each addition. Cream at low speed until well blended and creamy. Pour in the heavy cream and whip until the frosting is light and fluffy.

For a chocolate butter cream you can add 4 oz of melted chocolate or 1/2 C. of cocoa. 

Enjoy!

Sugar Cookies for Valentines Day

Perfect Sugar Cookies
6 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups butter, softened
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a large bowl, whisk flour, baking powder and salt until completely combined.

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at at time, then mix in vanilla extracts.

Add flour, 2 cups at a time, until the dough combines and the flour is incorporated.

Split dough into 3 or 4 sections and immediately roll out between two pieces of parchment paper. Stack doughs and place in the refrigerator before cutting for a couple hours.(I put them in the freezer for 30 minutes instead)Preheat oven to 350

Remove dough sheets from the refrigerator and cut into shapes. Transfer to baking sheets and bake for 8-10 minutes, just until the edges turn a light brown. Reroll the scraps between the leftover parchment paper and continue cutting out shapes - if the dough gets too soft - place in the freezer or refrigerator for a couple minutes.

Sugar Cookie Frosting
"Add food coloring to decorate your favorite sugar cookies."
Ingredients:
4 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup shortening
5 tablespoons milk 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
food coloring

Directions:
1. In a large bowl, cream together the confectioners' sugar and shortening until smooth. Gradually mix in the milk and vanilla with an electric mixer until smooth and stiff, about 5 minutes. Color with food coloring if desired.

Perfect Cakemix Cupcakes and frosting

Perfect Cake Mix Cupcakes
1 box (18.25 oz) cake mix (vanilla, devil’s food, or yellow etc.)
1 cup buttermilk (in place of water called for on the box)
Vegetable oil (the amount on the box)
4 eggs (in place of the number called for on the box)

Preheat oven to 350F. Line muffin cups with paper liners.
Follow the box instructions, putting all the ingredients in a large bowl and using the buttermilk in place of the water specified on the box, using the amount of vegetable oil that is called for, and adding the eggs. Beet with an electric mixer until moistened, about 30 seconds. Increase the speed to high and beat until thick, 2 minutes longer
Fill paper liners two-thirds full. Bake 13 to 15 minutes or until toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean. Cool completely before icing













Raspberry Jam Butter cream
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
5-6 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup Raspberry or Strawberry jam (the really smooth kind)seedless
red food coloring (enough to make it a pretty pink color)

Place butter and jam in a mixing bowl or an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and cream until well incorporated, about 2 minutes.
Add powdered sugar, one cup at a time, until you reach desired consistency. If frosting gets too thick you can add a little milk to thin it out. Put on your favorite cupcake.

















Shortcut Peanutbutter Frosting
(This tastes like a creamy peanut butter cup filling)
1 can of vanilla ready made frosting
1/2 C. Creamy Peanutbutter
Simply whip together and your done. Credit for this amazingly easy frosting goes to my sister Haven! Thanks for sharing .......

Bûche de Noël (Yule Log) Recipe

"Parker learned about "traditions" this year at school. He informed me that according to history we should be making the "log dessert" because our family originated from England." Here is an attempt that Parker and I made. It looks as though it will be a Holiday Tradition for years to come.Parker thinks it tastes like a fancy HOHO.


You can substitute the filling with softened ice cream and drizzle with hot fudge instead of the rich chocolate icing. If you want to get creative, you could use any flavor of cake mix and filling combos........This is very easy. My favorite was a chocolate cake peppermint ice cream combo.
This would be a great summertime dessert as well. You can store one in the freezer up to 1 month .

Ingredients:
Cake:
3 eggs
1 3/4 C. Betty Crocker Super Moist devils food cake mix (from 18.25 oz. box)
1/3 C. water
2 TBL Oil
1 TBL Powdered Sugar

Rich Chocolate Frosting
1/2 C. Whipping Cream
1 C. Semisweet Chocolate Chips (6oz)
1 TBL corn syrup
1/4 teas. vanilla

Filling use your favorite buttercream icing or ice cream:
This is what we used:
4 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup butter
5 tablespoons milk 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
food coloring  

1. Heat oven to 375* Line bottom only of 15x10x1 in. jelly roll pan with wax paper or foil. Spray with baking spray with flour.

2. In a large bowl beat the eggs with an electric mixer on high for about 5 minutes until thick and lemon colored. Add cake mix water and oil. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds,then on medium speed for 1 minute,scraping bowl occasionally. Pour into pan.

3. Bake 11 to 14 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touched in center.
Turn cake upside down onto clean kitchen towel sprinkled generously with powdered sugar,carefully remove foil or wax paper. While hot roll up cake and towel starting from the narrow end. Cool completely on cooling rack for about 1 hour.

4. Meanwhile in a medium microwavable bowl, microwave whipping cream uncovered on high 1 minute to 1 minute 30 seconds or until it just starts to boil. Stir in the chocolate chips and corn syrup, let stand 3 minutes. Beat gently with wire whisk until smooth add vanilla. Refrigerate about 1 hour stirring every 15 minutes, until spreading consistency.

5. Unroll cake carefully and remove towel. Spread filling evenly over cake, roll up cake. Place on cooling rack on a sheet of waxed paper. Frost cake with the chocolate,using a fork to drag the tines through frosting to resemble a log.(Don't be intimidated by this, Parker did the fork tines part and it turned out great.)
Let stand 15 minutes. Transfer to a serving platter. Store loosely covered in refrigerator.

Grandma's Molasses Cookies

1 egg
1 cup sugar
1 cup oil
1 cup molasses
1 cup warm water
1 Tbsp soda
1 Tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp vanilla
*Mix eggs sugar and oil first then add other ingredients. Add 6 1/2- 7 cups of flour or until dough is soft. Flour counter and roll out and cut.

*Bake @ 350 degrees for 10 min.

*Icing

1 stick of butter
About 1 Tbsp vanilla( I use 1 teaspoon of real Mexican vanilla)
milk
and powered sugar till frosting is thick.

Pumpkin Roll

Pumpkin Cake Roll
adapted from Lion House Desserts

For Cake:

3 eggs
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup canned or cooked pumpkin
1 teaspoon lemon juice
3/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg*
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped nuts, optional**
Powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 10x15 inch jelly roll pan with wax paper and grease paper. Set aside. Beat eggs till lemon colored. Gradually add sugar. Stir in pumpkin and lemon juice. Sift flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt; add to egg-pumpkin mixture. Pour batter into pan; sprinkle with chopped nuts (if using.) Bake for 15 minutes. Sprinkle powdered sugar on kitchen towel. Turn cake onto towel, and remove wax paper. Roll up cake and towel lengthwise. Cool. Refrigerate or freeze.

For Filling:***

1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 8-oz package cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Whip butter and cream cheese together. Beat in 1 cup powdered sugar. Add vanilla. Unroll cake and spread with filling. Roll up again. Wrap in plastic wrap until served.

*I used freshly ground nutmeg (for the first time ever!) and I really think it made a huge difference!( you can substitute pumkin pie spice 3 1/2 teas. for spices)
*