Recipes

  Decorating Whipped Cream Icing
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 Tbsp sifted confectioners sugar
2 Tbsp piping gel
1/2 tsp clear vanilla

Combine whipping cream and sugar in a mixing bowl. Whip to soft peaks. Add piping gel and vanilla, then continue to whip until you have stiff peaks. Do not over beat.

Note: You can find the piping gel at Michael's or other cake supply shop. Also, I recommend beating it or making it smooth before adding it. You will over beat the whipped cream trying to beat out any lumps in the gel.
To make chocolate whipped cream, I added a tablespoon or two of sifted cocoa powder to the cream and sugar.

  Coconut Pecan Frosting
1 cup of sugar
1 cup evaporated milk
1/2 cup butter
3 eggs beaten
1 1/3 cups flaked coconut
1 cup chopped pecans
1 tsp vanilla

In a medium saucepan combine sugar, milk, butter and eggs. Cook over medium heat until the mixture starts to bubble, stirring constantly. Stir in the coconut, pecans and vanilla. Let cool to room temperature. Fill and frost your cake.
Enough to fill and frost 2-9" layers

Cookie Dough Truffles

These are yummy. I also made these for Christmas and have since been asked for the recipe several times. You can actually find it in several places if you just Google it, but here is a link anyway: Cookie Dough Truffles

1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups all purpose flour
1 can (14oz.) sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
candy melts or chocolate bark for dipping and drizzling

In a large bowl, cream butter and brown sugar until fluffy, beat in vanilla. Gradually add the flour, alternating with the milk. Stir in chocolate chips and walnuts.
Using a cookie scoop, scoop out 1" portions and drop onto waxed paper. Loosely cover and chill for about 1 hour.
Remove from fridge and roll into balls. Place back into the fridge for about 1 hour.
Melt candy melts or chocolate and dip the balls coating them evenly. Drizzle with another color of melted chocolate and chill for another 15 minutes or so until set.(Sorry I don't have a picture.)

Gingerbread Play-dough 
Sweet Sugarbelle 

1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup salt
2 tsp cream of tartar
1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp ground cloves
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 cup water
1 tsp orange extract (optional, I used vanilla)

In a medium saucepan whisk together dry ingredients. Next mix in the water, oil and extract until a thick batter is formed. Cook on low-medium heat until a thick dough forms. Turn out onto parchment paper and knead until smooth. Makes about 2 cups of dough.

White Velvet Cutouts
Makes about 7 dozen
Cookies for Christmas From Taste of Home Books

2 cup of butter, softened
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
2 cups sugar
2 egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 1/2 cups all purpose flour

BUTTER CREAM FROSTING:
3 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, divided
3 Tbsp butter, softened
1 Tbsp shortening
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3-4 Tbsp milk, divided
Food coloring

(I used royal icing to decorate.)

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy. Add sugar, egg yolks and vanilla; mix well. Gradually add flour. Cover and chill 2 hours or until firm. Roll out on a floured surface 1/4 inch thick. Cut into 3 inch shapes and place 1 inch apart on a greased baking sheet. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes or until set, but not browned. Cool 5 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool. 
For frosting, combine 1 1/2 cups sugar, butter, shortening, vanilla and 3 Tbsp milk in a mixing bowl. Beat until smooth. Gradually add remaining sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add enough of the remaining milk and food coloring until the frosting reaches desired consistency. Frost cookies.

1 c. {two sticks} of REAL unsalted BUTTER, softened
1 1/2 c. confectioner’s sugar
1 egg
2-3 tsp flavoring {pick what you like, I prefer almond}
2 1/2-2 3/4 c. all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
Cream together softened butter and confectioner’s sugar.  Crack the egg into a separate bowl, and add the flavoring.  I use emulsions, but extract also works well. Add that to the butter sugar mixture and mix until the egg is thoroughly incorporated.  In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt, then add little by little to the mixture.
I can tell the dough is ready when most of it sticks to the paddle.
When I touch it, it has a little give, but does not stick to my fingers.
Roll out on parchment to about 1/4 an inch thick, use flour for dusting as necessary.  Then, cut and bake at 400 degrees for 7-8 minutes.  This version makes 2-2 1/2 dozen, doubled, it makes 4-5 dozen.
When they are cool, they are ready to decorate.

Royal Icing
(This will cover 2-3 dozen 3.5 inch cookies in 2 colors; I usually double this recipe.)

4 TBSP meringue powder
scant 1/2 c. water
1 lb. powdered sugar
1/2 - 1 tsp light corn syrup
few drops clear extract (optional)

Combine the meringue powder and water. With the paddle attachment of an electric mixer, beat until combined and foamy.
Sift in the powdered sugar and beat on low to combine. (Do NOT skip the sifting!)
Add in the corn syrup and extract if desired. ( I think the corn syrup helps keep the icing shiny.)
Increase speed to med-high/high and beat for about 5 minutes, just until the icing is glossy and stiff peaks form.
(You should be able to remove the beater from the mixer and hold up and jiggle without the peak falling.) Do not overbeat.
Cover with plastic wrap touching the icing or divide and color using gel paste food colorings.
This "stiff" icing is perfect for outlining and even for building gingerbread houses and monogramming. To fill in your cookies, add water to your icing a teaspoon at a time, stirring with a rubber spatula, until it is the consistency of syrup. This technique of filling a cookie with thinned icing is called "flooding."


Pineapple Upside Down Cake
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar 
1 can (8 1/4 oz) sliced pineapple (I used a 15 oz can and ended up using 7 rings and 1 cup of juice)
Maraschino cherries - halved (one half for each ring)
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup unsifted flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
Melt 1/4 cup of butter and mix with the brown sugar. Spread it into an 8 inch square pan (I used a 9 inch round, you could also use a cast iron skillet). Drain the pineapple, reserving the juice, and arrange the slices over the butter/brown sugar mixture. Place cherries in the center of each ring.
Cream the remaining softened 1/4 cup of butter and white sugar. Add the egg and vanilla. Mix until just combined.
Combine flour, baking powder, and salt.
Alternate adding the flour mixture and the reserved pineapple juice (about a cup) to the butter mixture.Beat just until smooth.
Pour evenly over the fruit in the pan.
Bake at 350 for about 40 minutes or until the cake tests done with a toothpick.
Cool in the pan for about 5 minutes on a wire rack, then invert onto a serving plate. Be careful removing the pan so that your fruit doesn't stick to it (it can easily be placed back on the cake if it does).

Pineapple Upside Down Cupcakes
Makes about 24-30 cupcakes
I melted 1/2 cup of butter and mixed with with 1 cup of packed browned sugar. Then, I line muffin tins with grease-proof cupcake liners and evenly spread each on with about 1 1/2 Tbsp of well-drained crushed pineapple. Then I topped each one with about 1/2 Tbsp of the butter/brown sugar mixture. 
For the batter, I doubled the recipe above for Pineapple Upside Down Cake. I used the juice from a 15 oz can of crushed pineapple and I omitted the cherries. Add the cake batter to the pineapple in the muffin cups. I filled them to within a 1/4 inch from the top of the pan. Than bake at 350 for about 15-17 minutes. They come out perfect. I did have to make more butter and brown sugar and use more pineapple for the batter that I had, but the juice from one can is all you need for the batter.
I topped them with caramel frosting.
Caramel Frosting
Enough frosting for about 12 cupcakes
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 - 2 cups of powdered sugar
In a small saucepan on the stove, combine brown sugar, butter and milk. 
Bring to a boil and cook for 2 minutes until slightly thickened.
Let cool slightly before adding the vanilla.
Gradually add the powdered sugar, add as much or little as you like depending on what consistency you want. (Be aware that this icing with turn to stone once it cools and you have added too much powdered sugar.)
This is where I ventured from the original instructions. 
I poured the mixture into the mixing bowl of my stand mixer. I beat on medium until the mixture cooled. Once cooled I had to add a little more milk to thin it out so that I could get it through my piping bag. Add milk or more powdered sugar and beat until it is the consistency you need. It was still soft when I piped it onto the cupcakes but I immediately put them into the fridge to set up and they were wonderful, just not as pretty as a really fluffy icing. However, the FLAVOR makes up for the lack of fluff. These cupcakes are incredible with this icing!
Double-Crust Pie Dough
From: The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook.
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour, plus extra for rolling out the dough

2 Tbsp sugar

1 tsp salt

8 Tbsp shortening, cut into 1/2 inch pieces and chilled

12 Tbsp unsalted butter, frozen in stick form until very firm

6-8 Tbsp ice water

Whisk the flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Add the chilled shortening and press into the flour using a fork. Grate the frozen butter on the large holes of a box grater into the flour mixture then cut the mixture together with a pastry cutter or 2 butter knives, until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
Sprinkle 6 Tbsp of ice water over the mixture and stir and press the dough together with a stiff rubber spatula until the dough sticks together. Add additional water a Tbsp at a time until it does come together if it doesn't the first time around.
Divide the dough in half and press into 4 inch rounds. Wrap with plastic wrap and chill about 1 hour. 
Let the dough soften slightly at room temperature before rolling out on a floured surface.
For the lattice top, roll dough out into a 10x13" rectangle and trim the edges with a pizza cutter. Using a pizza cutter and ruler, cut the dough into 1 1/4 inch wide strips that are 13 inches long. Transfer them to a cookie sheet lined with waxed paper and freeze them for about 30 minutes. 
Meanwhile, line the pie plate with the first rolled out dough and brush with beaten egg white. The dump in 2 cans of cherry pie filing. (Frankly, the stuff is yummy and it would cost considerably more for me to make it from scratch than to use the stuff that is so good I could eat it out of the can.) 
Using the frozen strips of dough lay four parallel strips about 1 inch apart across the top of the pie filling. Weave the remaining strips, one at a time over and under the first four strips. Lift gently so they don't break. 
After strips thaw and soften for a few minutes, trim the over-hanging edges of dough to 1/2 inch with a pair of kitchen sheers or a knife. Tuck the edge under and crimp. Brush the top with beaten egg white and sprinkle with sugar.
Place the pie on a line baking sheet (just in case it bubbles over) and bake according to the directions on the can of pie filling. I covered the edges with foil to prevent burning and removed the foil in the last few minutes to they could brown.
 

Pumpkin Cupcakes

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon coarse salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
  • 1 cup packed light-brown sugar
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
  • 4 large eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin puree

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake pans with paper liners; set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and allspice; set aside.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together, brown sugar, granulated sugar, butter, and eggs. Add dry ingredients, and whisk until smooth. Whisk in pumpkin puree.
  3. Divide batter evenly among liners, filling each about halfway. Bake until tops spring back when touched, and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes, rotating pans once if needed. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool completely.

Cinnamon Brown Sugar Butter Cream
  • 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
  • 1/4 cup shortening
  • 1/3 cup dark brown sugar, packed
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 3 cups powdered sugar (varies based on temperature/humidity)
  • 3 tablespoons half and half (varies based on temperature/humidity)
In a large mixer bowl, combine the butter and shortening. Whip together with the whisk attachment until light and fluffy.  Add the brown sugar and cinnamon and whisk until well combined.
Gradually add the powdered sugar, 1/2 cup at a time. Alternately add the half and half, whipping the icing on medium-high speed after each addition, until the desired consistency is reached.


Dark Chocolate Cupcakes


From: The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook.

 For 24 cupcakes you will need the following:


16 Tbsp of unsalted butter (2 sticks), cut up
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder (I am cheap and used regular old unsweetened cocoa powder)
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
4 large eggs, room temperature
2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup sour cream

Microwave the butter, chocolate and cocoa in a bowl stirring often until smooth and to prevent burning. Then set it aside to let it cool until just warm.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line two cupcake pans with paper liners.
Then whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl and set it aside.
Whisk the eggs and vanilla together in a large bowl and slowly whisk in the sugar until combined. 
Whisk in the cooled chocolate mixture slowly. (Remember to cool the mixture, you don't want scrambled eggs in your cupcake.)

Sift one third of the flour over the batter and whisk.

Whisk in the sour cream. Then whisk in the remaining sifted flour mixture. The mixture will be nice and thick, you can still mix it together by hand.
Fill the cupcake liners with batter to about 2/3 full. The best way is with an ice cream scoop. I prefer the red #24 scoop that I bout at Smart & Final.
Bake at 350 until a toothpick comes out clean, about 18-22 minutes. Technically you should rotate the pan half way through baking but I usually don't. As much as my electric oven sucks, it does cook pretty evenly.
Let them cool on a wire rack for a few minutes in the pans then, remove and cool completely before icing.



Waldorf-Astoria Red Velvet Cake (1920s Recipe)

http://www.food.com/recipe/waldorf-astoria-red-velvet-cake-1920s-recipe-425556

Ingredients

    • 3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
    • 2 cups granulated sugar
    • 4 large eggs
    • 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
    • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
    • 2 cups all-purpose flour ( I would use cake flour!)
    • 2 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
    • 1/4 teaspoon salt
    • 1 1/2 lbs canned beets, drained and pureed
    • 1 teaspoon red food coloring
    • 2 cups heavy cream
    • 12 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
    • 12 ounces mascarpone cheese
    • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted

Directions

Pre-heat oven to 350°F.
  1. Butter three 9" round cake pans and line them with parchment paper or waxed paper.
  2. Melt Chocolate in a metal bowl set over a saucepan of boiling water or in the top of a double boiler (or melt in microwave for 20 – 25 seconds).
  3. Meanwhile. place the sugar, eggs, oil and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix on low speed for two minutes.
  4. In a mixing bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda and salt.
  5. Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture and continue to mix on low speed, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a spatula so everything is well incorporated.
  6. Add the melted chocolate to this mixture and continue to mix on low speed. Add the pureed beets and food coloring.
  7. Continue to mix on low speed until everything is thoroughly combined.
  8. Evenly divide the batter between the three prepared pans and tap down to remove air bubbles.
  9. Bake in the middle of the oven for 20 – 25 minutes or until center of cake springs back when touched, or when an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
  10. Remove the pans from the oven and transfer to a cooling rack. Let cool for ten minutes in the pans, then turn the layers out onto the rack and let cool completely.
  11. Icing: Pour cream into a small bowl and whip to soft peaks. Set aside in the refrigerator.
  12. Place the cream cheese in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix on low speed until it is soft and smooth.
  13. Add the mascarpone and continue to mix on low speed until the cheeses are well combined.
  14. Add the vanilla and powdered sugar and mix until everything is just combined.
  15. Turn off the mixer and fold in the whipped cream by hand with a spatula.
  16. Keep refrigerated until ready to assemble.
  17. Chef’s note: Sliced canned beets are easier to work with in this recipe than whole beets.
  18. Original Poster’s note – This cake works well as a wedding cake but use a cream cheese/buttercream as the icing noted here will not harden. 




Peanut Butter-Chocolate Twist Cupcakes
Better Homes and Gardens Special Interest:Cupcakes
Makes 34-36 cupcakes (I only got 25)

1/2 cup butter
3 eggs
2 1/2 cups flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup milk
4 ounces of melted and cooled milk chocolate (I didn't have time to wait for it to cool because of the rug rat running around and my batter was way too thick)

1 recipe for peanut butter frosting
1 recipe for chocolate frosting
  1. Allow butter and eggs to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, line muffin pans with liners. In a medium bowl combine flour, baking powder and salt.
  2. Preheat oven to 375. In a large bowl beat butter on medium speed for 30 seconds. Add peanut butter and beat until combined. Gradually add brown sugar and granulated sugar, about 1/4 cup at a time, beating on medium speed until combined. Scrape the sides of the bowl; beat about 2 minutes more until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Alternately add flour mixture and milk to butter mixture, beating on low speed after each addition just until combined.
  3. Place half of the batter into a separate bowl; add melted chocolate. Beat with mixer on low speed just until the chocolate is combined. 
  4. Fill prepared muffin cups by alternating spoonfuls of the peanut butter and chocolate batter, filling each cup about 2/3 full. Use a skewer to swirl the batter in each cup. (Had my chocolate batter not been so thick this would have been easy to do. So, once again, let the chocolate cool before adding it to the batter.)
  5. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool the cupcakes in the pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes then remove to cool completely.
  6. Fit pastry bag with the tip of your choice. Spoon peanut butter frosting down one side of the pastry bag and spoon the chocolate frosting down the other side of the pastry bag. Pipe frosting into swirls onto the cupcakes

Peanut Butter Frosting
Allow 8 ounces of cream cheese to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. In a large mixing bowl beat cream cheese, 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter, and 2 tsp of vanilla on medium speed until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in 6 cups of powdered sugar. Add milk 1 tsp at a time until it is piping consistency. Divide the frosting into 2 portions and set one aside for the chocolate frosting. (Makes two 1 1/2 cup portions.)
Chocolate Frosting
In a medium bowl combine one portion of the peanut butter frosting and 4 ounces of melted and cooled milk chocolate.
Beat on medium speed until combined. If necessary beat in additional milk or powdered sugar to get the consistency you need.  (Makes 1 1/2 cups.)

New Duchess Spice Cake
Betty Crocker Picture Cookbook

2 1/3 cups sifted All-Purpose Flour
1 cup sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
3/4 tsp nutmeg
3/4 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp salt
1 cup brown sugar
2/3 cup soft shortening
1 cup buttermilk
3 eggs

Sift together the flour, sugar, soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and salt. Add the brown sugar, shortening and buttermilk. Scrape the sides of the bowl and beat 2 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time. Once they are all mixed in, beat an additional 2 minutes.
Pour into prepared pans (I used Pam for baking). This is where I wrapped my pans with the amazing bake even strips. Bake at 350 for about 30-35 minutes or until cake tests done. Cool on a wire rack.

Cinnamon Sugar Cream Cheese Filling

1 pkg (8 oz) cream cheese softened
1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 cup milk

In a large bowl, cream the cream cheese first (I didn't, it get lumpy). Then add the rest of the ingredients and beat with a mixer until well blended. Store in the refrigerator until ready to use. 

Basic Buttercream Frosting
I modified this recipe to make more volume without the extra butter that melts easily.

4 cups powdered sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup softened butter
2/3 cup shortening

Combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer. To make black icing I mixed in a little cocoa powder with the black gel coloring to get a deep black.

Marshmallow Fondant
There is a good tutorial video on here too.

16 oz mini marshmallows
3 Tbsp water
1 tsp vanilla
2 lbs powdered sugar
Crisco Shortening

Heavily grease a large microwave safe bowl, the bowl of an electric mixer and the dough hook that goes with it.
Melt the marshmallows with water in the microwave on high for about a minute to a minute and a half until melted. Stir until smooth and stir in vanilla.
Reserve about 1/4 cup powdered sugar and sift the rest of it into the greased mixing bowl. Pour in the marshmallow mixture and begin mixing until a dough forms. If it is still sticky add the remaining powdered sugar. Beat until the dough is soft and smooth. Pull it out of the bowl and knead on a greased surface with greased hands. Knead in color if you want. Knead about 5 minutes until smooth and wrap in plastic wrap and let rest for about 1 to 2 hours. When ready to use roll out on a very lightly powdered sugared surface.




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