Cranberry Orange Granola...

I can't believe it has been five years since I wrote a blog post!

Who am I?!  

Thinking I can actually figure out how this all works again is insanity... LoL

Do you love granola? Me too!

This recipe is super easy & you know exactly what all the ingredients are that you will be eating. 

NOT  like in the store bought ones.

Ingredients

2 cups whole rolled oats

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1/2 cup sliced almonds

1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes, optional

Zest of 1 medium orange

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon Himalayan salt

2 tablespoons melted coconut oil

1/4 cup maple syrup

2 tablespoons creamy almond butter

1/2 cup dried cranberries

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 300 degrees F & line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients & mix well. 

Pour onto your lined cookie sheet & spread out evenly.

Bake for 30 minutes, stirring halfway. Your time could be a little more or a little less. Depending on your oven. Keep a close eye on your granola after about 20 minutes. You want the granola to be a lightly golden color. The granola will crisp up as it cools. 

Store in airtight container for 2~3 weeks.

I will definitely be making this again! 

Let me know how your granola turns out & if you have any questions, please ask me!

A Delicious White Cake...

This is a white cake recipe, that I swear will become YOUR all time go to!

It's that delicious and has become MY all time go to. I don't even think about trying another recipe to see if it's better. This one is that yummy!

What's funny about this little recipe... Is that my sweet husband is the one that wanted to try this recipe in the first place, not me! The original recipe is from, The Joy of Cooking. We just altered a couple of ingredients. What we actually did was make one cake with cake flour and we tried another cake with bread flour to see which was better.

This is what we found... BOTH were delicious, but the one made with cake flour was light and fluffy and the one made with bread flour was heavy and dense. No one could decide which was better or which one was their favorite!

Have all your ingredients at room temperature. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Grease and flour three 8" x 2" round pans.

Sift together twice:

3 1/2 cups sifted cake flour OR sifted bread flour

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

And set off to the side.

Combine:

1 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract if using cake flour ~ 1 1/2 teaspoon if using bread flour

And set off to the side.

In a large bowl, beat until creamy, about 30 seconds:

1/2 pound (2sticks) unsalted butter

Gradually add and beat on high speed until lightened in color and texture, 3 to 5 minutes:

1 2/3 cups white granulated sugar

Add in the flour mixture in 3 parts, alternating with the milk mixture in 2 parts, beating on a low speed and scraping the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula when necessary.

In another large bowl, beat on medium speed until soft peaks form:

8 large egg whites

3/8 teaspoon cream of tartar

Gradually add, beating on high speed:

1/3 cup white granulated sugar

Beat until peaks are stiff but not dry. Use a rubber spatula to fold 1/4 of eggs whites into the butter mixture, then fold in the remaining egg whites. 

Divide the batter among the pans and spread evenly. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Let cool in the pans on a rack for 10 minutes. Slide a thin knife around the cake to detach from pans. Invert the cake and let cool right side up on the rack.  Put parchment paper on your rack, so the cake doesn't get any lines from the rack.

You need to cut the tops of the cake off with a serrated knife. This will make the cakes stack nicely on top of each other.

That would be the tops of the cake, that I couldn't stop eating! Yum...

After you get the top cut off your cakes. Stack them, with parchment paper in between each layer. This way the layers won't stick together and crumble when your ready to decorate your cake. 

 Place the cakes in the freezer for a few hours or over night. You want your cake to be cold when frosting and you want your frosting to be at room temperature. Trust me on this. You do not want to decorate your cake with cold frosting or a room temperature cake!

When decorating any cake I find if you place your cake | cake stand on a lazy Suzanne it's so much easier to decorate. If you didn't already know this, You are going to think I'm your new best friend!

I hope you try this recipe and please let me know what you think. 

If you have any questions, just ask me!

                                                                                                  

Sugared Berries...

Hello...  My other name is, "Procrastination at its Finest."
Have we met before?!

One of the reasons I'm telling you this little secret about me...
Is I absolutely love the look of sugared berries and have wanted to try making them for many many many years now! When I say MANY, I'm seriously thinking probably way over 25 years! Now that's some crazy a.. procrastination! Right?

So when I decided I was going to make a Naked Cake {which I never have made before} for my oldest daughters birthday. I needed something very pretty for the top of the cake and fresh flowers with sugared berries won!

Ingredients

Fresh blueberries, raspberries and or blackberries

Egg whites

Granulated sugar

Two small bowls | fork and spoon

Parchment paper or a silpat mat


Instructions

Whisk the egg whites for about 30 seconds.

Then just gently drop your berries into the egg whites, scoop out with a fork, so the extra egg whites will drip off.

Then place berries in your granulated sugar and completely coat them with the sugar.

Place on a tray that is lined with parchment paper or a silpat mat to dry.

The drying time depends on the size of your berries and the thickness of the egg whites and sugar.

I made mine the day before I needed them and that worked out perfect.

The berries really only stay good for about 24 hours | While drying place in a cool area | Do not refrigerator.

These sugared berries are super easy to make and the crunchy little coating makes them even more delicious!

I definitely will be making these again, to go on top of some pretty summer desserts.  Let me know how your sugared berries turn out and if you have any questions, please ask!


                                                 

HomeMade Buttercream Frosting...

I love cake, but I love frosting even more!  So with that being said,  I have spent the last three hours researching on the internet all the tips, tricks and recipes for a delicious buttercream frosting.

My oldest daughter, Lindsey Nicole has a birthday coming up (she too, loves buttercream frosting) and I want to make her a really pretty and yummy birthday cake from scratch.  After scrolling through Pinterest, looking and dreaming over all the beautiful cakes, I decided I would try my skills at making a Naked Cake.  

Lets talk about the buttercream frosting for now though. The Naked Cake Shenanigans will be my next blog post.

This is what I learned through all my reading this morning...

Buttercream frosting (BCF)  is the frosting of choice for most beginner and professional cake decorators, you may use this creamy deliciousness in the cake fillings, exterior coverings and piped decorations. This simple BCF will form a crust due to the high sugar content, but will be lovely and soft on the inside.

With the proper storage, you may store your BCF for several months! If you don't plan on using your BCF immediately, then put in an airtight container and place in refrigerator. Avoid placing next to strong fragrant foods, such as fish/onions. There is a chance your BCF could absorb those not so desired scents. Yuck! BCF will keep safely in the refrigerator for six weeks and the freezer for as long as three months. When ready to use, transfer from the freezer to the refrigerator to thaw overnight.  Remove BCF from the refrigerator to allow it to come to room temperature before using. You can restore the BCF to its original consistency by stirring with a spatula/spoon. This process works best when the BCF is at room temperature.

Ingredients

4 sticks or 2 cups unsalted butter, room temperature

8 cups powdered sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

2 Tbsp. heavy whipping cream, more if needed for desired texture

3 tsp. clear vanilla extract

Instructions

Beat the room temperature butter on a medium speed for about 30 seconds with the paddle attachment (if using a kitchenAid mixer) until smooth.

Slowly add in the powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time.  Alternate with small splashes of your heavy whipping cream.

Once your BCF is fully mixed, add in the clear vanilla extract/salt and beat on low until the ingredients are completely mixed and the desired consistency is reached. If your BCF is too thick, add more heavy whipping cream, 1 tsp. at a time. If your BCF is too thin, add a little more powdered sugar, 1/4 cup at a time.

Extra Tips For Successful Buttercream Frosting

Again... Make sure butter is at room temperature and all the lumps are completely beaten out before you add your sugar. Also add sugar a little at a time.

Try not to over~beat your BCF after all ingredients are added, because you might add bubbles, which could ruin the texture.

If you want a snowy white BCF, you have to use a professional quality shortening and clear flavors. Butter and pure brown vanilla extract will create a pale ivory frosting, instead of your snowy white.

If you are tinting you BCF it is important to let sit for at least 3~4 hours before using, because the colors will deepen over time. If you decorate your cake/cupcakes before ~ it's too late to adjust the colors, if it's not what you wanted!

Using powdered coloring is best. Liquid or gel can sometimes ruin the texture of you BCF.

Use professional quality shortening, if you aren't using butter! It gives you a very nice non~greasy texture. Standard vegetable shortening is NOT ideal to achieve the best results.

Hope you love this buttercream frosting as much as we do!