Yummy Cake!

 

 

I mentioned in Tuesday's post that I'm not so good on decorating cakes.  While I definitely don't claim to be the world's best baker either, I'm happy when I can make a cake from scratch and it come out pretty yummy. 

 

 

I tried a white cake recipe a few years ago for Ryan's birthday and I wasn't that pleased with the overall taste.  It seemed heavy and just kind-of blah.  I hadn't been searching a new recipe out, but came across a recipe through a good source, on Pinterest of course, a few weeks before Colin's birthday and figured I'd give it a go. 

 

 

 I was a little nervous.  I didn't have some of the things that she says you needed or highly recommended.  IE Cake Flour, a sifter, a mixer with a paddle attachment, a scale, or a cooling rack.  I didn't even know there was even such a thing as Cake Flour, and/or what a paddle attachment was.  I have an electric mixer, but it doesn't work on the stand very well, so normally I just hold it.  And even though it says there are 7 speeds, there is pretty much fast, faster, and crazy fast.  So when the recipe says beat at a low speed, that doesn't really work for me.

 

 

I read through the recipe carefully, and her notes on the bottom, and it still seemed doable.  Which, by the way, just in case you don't have Cake Flour on hand (they don't even sell it at the Commissary here), she has a link at the bottom to one of her other posts with how to substitute it.

 

 

On the same post she also has her recipe for Whipped Vanilla Frosting.  It was simple; but again I was a little nervous as I don't have a sifter.  It seemed to turn out just fine though.  I just had a lot left over.  I'm assuming it's because I didn't have as many layers to put icing in between.

 

 

Just about the only thing I did differently was I used my large springform pan, about 10" I think, to create a wider 2-layer cake, opposed to her suggested 8" 4-layer cake.  That alteration in itself made me nervous.  All her instructions and calculations seem to be perfectly thought out.  I wasn't sure if there was a reason behind the 4 layers.  The recipe also states it serves 10, but I was able to get much more than that.

 

 

So, without further ado....

 

 

Sweetapolita:  How to Make a (Perfectly Delightful) Vanilla Birthday Cake

 

 

 

 

Considering it's late Monday night as I'm typing this, and there is only a tiny sliver left I would have to agree that it is Delightful! 

 

 

I love me some sweets.  The best way to not eat them it to make them disappear.  And of course the best way to make them disappear is to eat them.  Hehe.

 

 

If you scroll far enough down on her page she has a few personal notes on the recipe and she claims that the icing tastes like ice cream.  I didn't really make the connection, but Ryan did.  He stated today after eating a piece, "Mom, the blue icing tastes like ice cream!" 

 

 

I honestly wasn't sure how I felt about it while eating my first piece (almost seemed too sweet), but after having a few more (hehe) I will be permanently adding this to my recipe book!  If you try it, let me know what you think!



Homemade {Strawberry Lemonade}

If you remember about a week or so ago, we went to a local Strawberry Field to pick some of the amazing goodness right off the vine!  To be perfectly honest, we aren't HUGE strawberry eaters.  (Don't judge!)  I knew we would eat some of them, but probably not all.  I had plans to make a jam.  Finally got the pectin I needed, and a recipe from a friend, but then realized I had no jars to put it in.  I'll be working on that these next few weeks! 

Onto the next best thing...Strawberry Lemonade!!!  I have been using Pinterest more as a "Google" lately and after looking at a couple links I was able to find this great, yet very simple, recipe.

What you need:

A small container of fresh strawberries.  (I just filled one of our bigger breakfast bowls full.)

1 cup freshly squeezed Lemon Juice. (I used 6 lemons to get 1 cup of juice, but they were LARGE lemons.  I would also buy one or two extras just in case you have any....uhummm..spillage...uhummm)

1 cup of white sugar

6 cups of cool water

Wash the strawberries and cut off the green part.  In a blender add the strawberries, lemon juice, and sugar.  Blend till nice and smooth.  (I don't own a blender..again..no judging, but I do have a Bullet so I just did half at a time.)  Pour into a pitcher and add 6 cups of cool water.  Mix well and pour over ice to enjoy!!

This recipe makes a little over 1/2 gallon.  As I have never made homemade lemonade of any kind, I was a little nervous with how "frothy" it looked, but it tasted delicious!  Just make sure you shake/stir well before each serving as it tends to separate in the pitcher.  In our pitcher there is probably only enough left for one more glass, and we made it yesterday!  It's a perfect summer treat!

The only thing I would like to do different next time is find a use for all the lemon peel/meat I threw away!  I felt like I was wasting something that could have been put to better use.  If you have any great recipes/ideas to help me with that I'd love to hear!

That Was Easy {Breakfast Granola}

Once again, another recipe I put off for no reason really.  I'm SO glad I finally did it!  It's super cheap, fast, and oh so yummy!  I used a recipe that my friend posted on her blog.  Here's what you need:

 

1 cup Quick Oats

1/2 cup slivered almonds

1/2 cup shredded coconut

3 TBls Vegetable Oil

2 TBls Honey

 

Preheat to 350.  Mix the Oats, almonds, and coconut in a bowl.  Mix the Oil and Honey in a separate bowl and pour over the oat mixture.  Stir it around to coat all the oats.  {I have been mixing my oil and honey in a small measuring cup.  I have also been using local honey which seems to be thicker so I'll pop it in the microwave for a few seconds to make it easier to blend with the oil.}

Pour onto a baking sheet with sides.  A jelly roll pan works well.  I have also been lining mine with Parchment Paper just in case.  Bake for 10 minutes.  Stir it around, then bake for another 8-10 minutes until browned.  Let it cool and store it in an air-tight container.

 

I doubled this recipe the first time I made it..with a little less almonds since that's all I had.  It was amazing!  The boys and I have been eating this for breakfast with Stonyfield's French Vanilla Organic Yogurt (the only yogurt you can buy in the "bulk" size at the Commissary, but I'm not complaining!)!  Ryan even requested it for breakfast the other morning, finishing off the little we had left!

We already made a second batch, and we tripled the recipe!  Honestly, the hardest part is not to eat all of it off the tray when it comes out of the oven!  SOOOOOO GOOOOOOD!!  (Thanks again Krystle for another great, simple recipe to use!!)  Just typing this up is making me hungry and I think I might go eat some right now!