Skip Right to the Recipe if You Know What is Good for You: Vanilla Buttermilk Cake with Marshmallowy Frosting

Glossy, snow-white frosting glazed over the top of a sugar cookie tasting cake. Oh, sorry, am I making you drool at your computer? I’m not? Huh, well, you should be, because this cake is g-o-o-d, good. The recipe was originally for cupcakes, but I poured most of it into a 9-inch round(greased) cake pan and four cupcakes, which I put too much batter in and then they overflowed slightly. But, that is not relevent. What is relevent is that you should make this cake and frosting combo now. As in as soon as the butter is a room temperature(and I don’t mean go stick it in the microwave, either). It takes all of 5 minutes to whip together and within the hour, you can have some of this yummy cake; the frosting can be made while the cake is in the oven.  I go the cake recipe from the the comfort of cooking blog and the frosting is from the Betty Crocker Cookbook. Now shoo and make some cake!

~thechildcooks

Vanilla Cupcakes

Makes 12 cupcakes

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 cup butter, room temperature

1 cup sugar

1 large egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup buttermilk

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees and line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper cups. In a small bowl, whisk together your dry ingredients until well combined.

In a large bowl, using a mixer, cream together butter and sugar. Add in the egg and vanilla, and beat until smooth. Add half of the flour mixture, stir, pour in buttermilk, stir, and then add the remaining flour. Stir until well combined.

Distribute evenly in muffin cups, filling about 2/3 full. Bake for 18-20 minutes. Allow to cool completely before frosting.

Store in the refrigerator for up to five days.

White Mountain(a.k.a. Marshmallow) Frosting

 1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup light corn syrup

2 tablespoons water

2 egg white

1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix sugar, corn syrup and water in saucepan. Cover;heat to rolling boil over medium heat. Uncover; boil rapidly until candy thermometer registers 242F .

As mixture boils, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Pour hot syrup very slowly in thin stream into egg whites, beating constantly on medium speed. Add vanilla; beat on high-speed until stiff peaks form.

Crazy in the Kitchen

So far this weekend, I have been on a baking spree. Yesterday, I made homemade roti(Indian flatbread) and Rustic Pear-Apple Tarts. Today, I made Pretzel Bites and Brownies with Chocolate Frosting. As for tomorrow, I don’t know what I am going to make, but my sourdough is calling from the ‘fridge; I think that a Sunday Sourdough Pancake Dinner is in order. You may be thinking that all of the goodies that I made are completely random, but they all have reasons for why I made them. The roti is because on thursday, I went to a great Indian place and had bread there. After eating, we stopped and bought some curry and tandoori spices. Then, Friday night we had curry-seasoned turkey cutlets with roti and rice. later that night, I was mooching around the internet, looking at various food blogs and was inspired to go into the kitchen and bake. I saw a slightly too-squishy pear and remembered some granny smith apples in the cellar and a tart was born. Today, once again, I was looking at a multitude of food blogs(seems to be a reoccurring theme, huh?)and was inspired to bake. I wanted to do something with my sourdough, but was short on time, so I made a fast rising pretzel recipe instead. As for the brownies and frosting, my dad teaches a Sunday School class full of hungry children, nuff said. Last Saturday, I made an angel food cake for my grandmother’s birthday, I will add the recipe below. Feel free to add a comment as to what you have been baking lately, I alway could use an inspiration.

~thechildcooks

Roti(Indian Flatbread)

My Version

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

water

Melted butter, optional

Mix flour and just enough water to make a kneadable dough. Mix the water in slowly and stir with your hands as to feel when the dough is ready. Knead for 4-5 minutes or until all flour is absorbed. Let rest for 10 minutes to soften the dough. Knead a few times to further soften the dough. Portion the dough and roll into flat, thin circles. Fry on a ungreased skillet until cooked through. Flip once. Serve with a sauce or use as a tortilla-like wrap.

Soft Pretzels

 

Based of the CDKitchen Recipe

 

1 1/2 cup warm water

1 1/8 teaspoon active dry yeast

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 1/8 teaspoon salt

1 cup bread flour

3 cups regular flour

2 cups Warm water

2 tablespoons baking soda

coarse salt, cinnamon sugar or other topping

Sprinkle yeast on lukewarm water in mixing bowl; stir to dissolve. Add sugar, salt and stir to dissolve; add flour and knead dough until smooth and elastic. Let rise at least 1/2 hour.

While dough is rising, prepare a baking soda water bath with 2 cups warm water and 2 Tbsp baking soda. Be certain to stir often. After dough has risen, pinch off bits of dough and roll into a long rope(about 1/2 inch or less thick) and shape or cut into bites like I did. Dip pretzel in soda solution and place on greased baking sheet. Allow pretzels to rise again. Sprinkle with topping. Bake in 450 oven for about 10 minutes or until golden.

 

Rustic Pear-Apple Tart

 

Crust:

1 1/2 cups flour

 

1/3 cups vegetable oil

 

1/8 teaspoon ground ginger

 

Pinch of salt

 

2-3 tablespoon of water

Mix flour, ginger and salt in large bowl. Add oil and stir. Gradually add water a bit at a time until the dough comes together. Gather into a ball, wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 20 minutes or while you prepare the filling.

 

Filling:

1 medium pear

 

2 small granny smith apples

 

A few dashes each(to your taste)cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice and cloves

 

1 tablespoon brown sugar

 

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

 

1/8 teaspoon almond extract

 

2 teaspoons apple juice

 

Preheat oven to 350F. Peel both the pear and apples. Cut into 1/4 inch pieces and add spices, sugars, extract and apple juice. Place fruit in fine mesh strainer over bowl to draw out some of the juices. Begin rolling out the dough into a large round as thin or thick as you like. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Once a small amount of juices have come out of the fruits, dump them in the middle of the dough circle and fold up the edges over them. Brush the crust with the fruit juice and bake for 20-30 minutes checking to make sure the crust is not too brown and that the fruit is soft. Remove from oven and cool.

 

Brownies(From Betty Crocker)

 

2 ounces of unsweetened chocolate

 

1/3 cup shortening

 

1 cup sugar

 

2 eggs

 

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

 

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

 

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

 

1/2 teaspoon salt

 

1/4 cup mini-chocolate chips(I added this in place of 1/2 cup chopped nuts)

 

Preheat oven to 350F. Heat chocolate and shortening in 2-quart saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly, until melted. Remove from heat. Mix in sugar, eggs and vanilla. Stir in remaining ingredients. Spread in greased 8x8x2 pan. Bake brownies until the sides begin to pull away from the pan edges, 30-35 minutes. Cool slightly and frost with chocolate frosting(do not use all of the recipe unless you enjoy a lot of chocolate).

 

Chocolate Butter Frosting(Also from Betty Crocker)

 

1/3 cu softened butter

 

2 ounces melted, unsweetened chocolate(cool)

 

2 cups powdered sugar

 

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

 

2 tablespoons milk

 

Mix butter and chocolate. Stir in sugar. Beat in vanilla and milk until frosting is to spreading consistency.

 

Angel Food Cake(Pillsbury Healthy Baking Cookbook)

 

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

 

3/4 cup sugar

 

1 1/2 cups(approximately 12) egg whites, room temperature

 

1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar

 

1/4 teaspoon salt

 

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

 

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

 

3/4 cup sugar

 

Preheat oven to 375F. In small bowl combine flour and 3/4 cup sugar. In large bowl beat egg whites, cream of tartar, salt, vanilla and almond extract until mixture forms soft peaks. Gradually add 3/4 cup sugar and mix on high-speed until stiff peaks form. Spoon flour-sugar mixture 1/4 cup at a time over the egg whites; fold in gently just until blended. Pour batter into ungreased 10-inch tube pan. With knife, cut gently through batter to remove large air bubbles. Bake on lowest oven rack for 30 to 40 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and cracks are very dry. immediately invert cake onto funnel or soft drink bottle; let hang until completely cool. Remove from pan. 

Sourdough Bread and Starlight Cupcakes

Here my fellow bloggers are the recipes for a basic sourdough bread and Starlight Cupcakes.

Sourdough Bread using the starter from this post

1 cup sourdough starter

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cup warm water(105-115F)

3 3/4 to 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

3 tablespoon vegetable oil

Cold water for baking

Start the night before you wish to make the bread or start in the morning and bake at night.

Mix sourdough starter, 2 1/2 cups flour and 2 cups warm water in 3-quart glass bowl with wooden spoon until smooth. Cover; let stand in warm, draft free place for 8 hours.

Add 3 3/4 cups of flour, the sugar, salt, baking soda and oil to the mixture in the bowl; stir with wooden spoon until smooth and flour is completely absorbed. If necessary add some of the remaining 1/2 cup flour.

Turn dough onto heavily floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Place in greased bowl, turn greased side up and cover. Let rise in warm, draft free place for 1 1/2 hours.

Punch down dough; divide into halves. Shape each half into a round, slightly flat loaf. Place loaves on parchment lined baking sheets and score each loaf 3 times on the top. Let rise until double, about 45 minutes.

Heat oven to 375F. Brush loaves with water and place into preheated oven. Bake, brushing occasionally with water for 50 minutes or until loaves sound hollow. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool.

Note: Because you used your sourdough starter, you should feed it 3/4 cup milk and 3/4 cup water by stirring it in and letting it set on the counter for 12 hours. Return to refrigerator and use once a week to 10 days.  

Starlight Cupcakes

2 1/4 cups all purpose-flour

1 1/2 cups sugar

3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup butter

1 1/2 cups milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 eggs

Heat oven to 350F and line approximately 27 standard cupcake tin holes with liners or spray. Beat all ingredients on low for 30 seconds then on high for 3 minutes, scraping frequently. Pour batter into tins.

Bake until wooden toothpick comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Remove immediately from pans to cooling racks.