Whipped Buttercream Frosting

    I love cake. It's even better when it's covered with fluffy buttercream! I've been making this frosting for a long time now and it is my favorite. It's not healthy, but it tastes great! My secret is whipping the butter and shortening for several minutes with an electric mixer before incorporating the powdered sugar into the mix. Make sure it gets nice and fluffy before you start to add anything else. If you're looking for a frosting that is perfect for piping, you just found it. I made my friend Lauren a cupcake wedding dress for her bridal shower a few weeks ago and last week, I whipped some up for my Easter bunny cake!

Whipped Buttercream Frosting

Ingredients:

- 1 cup of salted butter, at room temperature

- 3/4 cup of vegetable shortening

- 4 cups of sifted confectioners sugar

- 1 and 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract

- 2 or 3 tablespoons of heavy cream or half and half

    In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the butter and shortening. With the whisk attachment, whip for 4 to 5 minutes. Stop about a minute into mixing and scrape down the sides of the bowl.  Once the butter and shortening mixture is light and fluffy, slowly add in the confectioners sugar. Once combined, add the vanilla. Then, add in the cream one tablespoon at a time until you get your desired consistency. Frost your cake and enjoy.

Orange Creamsicle Poke Cake

    You can definitely feel summer approaching here in Florida! Nothing says summer like sunshine and popsicles! If your childhood was anything like mine, you remember orange creamsicles! They are orange popsicles filled with vanilla ice cream. AKA amazing! I decided to try and recreate the deliciousness in cake form for our little barbecue this weekend. I was not disappointed with this moist, orangey, delicious cake!

Orange Creamsicle Poke Cake

Ingredients:

- 1 box of white cake mix, plus ingredients to make cake

- 1 cup of orange juice 

- 1 box of orange jello

- water to make jello

- 1 and 1/2 cup of whipping cream

- 1 cup of milk

- 1 package of vanilla pudding mix

- mandarin oranges to garnish

    Bake cake according to package directions, replacing the water with orange juice. (I used butter instead of oil as well) Once cake has baked and cooled, take a large fork and poke holes throughout the cake. Prepare the jello as instructed on package. Pour the jello over the cooled cake and make sure to let the jello soak into the holes in the cake. Pop the jello cake into the refrigerator to let chill for an hour or two. When ready to serve, whip the whipping cream to stiff peaks. In a separate bowl, mix together the pudding mix and milk. Fold the pudding mix into the whipped cream. Pipe or spread the mixture on top of cooled cake and serve! 

 

Guinness Chocolate Cake with Bailey's Buttercream

    Stephen finally came home from his deployment last week! Talk about one excited family! In true Irish fashion, I made him a welcome home cake with Guinness beer! It seemed appropriate the weekend before St. Patrick's Day. This cake is so moist! I was super happy with the way it came out. That Bailey's Buttercream is to die for! I decided to dice up some strawberries and layer them with the frosting, it was an excellent idea!

Guinness Chocolate Cake with Bailey's Buttercream

Ingredients:

  For the cake:

- 3/4 cup of butter

- 3/4 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder

- 1 cup of Guinness Extra Stout

- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

- 1 and 1/2 cup of sugar

- 1 and 1/4 cup of flour 

- 1 teaspoon baking soda

- 2 eggs

  For the buttercream:

- 1 and 1/2 cup butter, softened

- 3 and 3/4 cups of confectioners sugar 

- 3 tablespoons of Bailey's Irish Cream 

    Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small saucepan, over low heat, melt the butter. Once completely melted, whisk in the cocoa, Guinness, and vanilla extract. Set it aside to cool. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the sugar, flour, and baking soda. Pour the cooled Guinness mixture over the dry ingredients and whisk in the eggs, mixing until smooth. Pour the batter into two well greased 8 inch cake pans. Bake the cakes for about 30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Set the cakes aside and let them cool completely. To make the buttercream, beat the butter with a hand mixer on high until white and fluffy. Then, beat in the sugar. Once combined, add the Bailey's until you reach your desired consistency. Frost the cake, refrigerate, and enjoy!

Welcome Home Stephen!! One extremely happy family!

Finished product!

Double Chocolate Poke Cake

    Happy National Chocolate Cake Day! One of my favorite days! Last year I made my decadent Flourless Chocolate Cake, it was so fudgy! This year I was a little less ambitious, I used a box cake mix. But, it's all good! I made a poke cake!! This Double Chocolate Poke Cake is a chocolate lover's dream!

Double Chocolate Poke Cake

Ingredients:

- 1 box of cake mix , plus instructed ingredients

               or

- your favorite chocolate cake recipe

- 1 box of chocolate pudding mix

- 2 cups of milk

- 2 cups of whipping cream

- 1/2 cup of sugar

- 1/3 cup of cocoa powder

    Bake cake as directed in a 9x13 baking dish. Let cool completely and use the end of a spoon to poke holes throughout. Whip together the milk and pudding mix as directed on the box. Pour the pudding over the cake and stick in the refrigerator. In a medium sized metal bowl with an electric mixer, beat together the whipping cream, sugar, and cocoa until just combined. Refrigerate the mixture in the bowl, with the mixing blades for about 15 minutes. Once chilled, remove from the refrigerator and whip for about 3 minutes or until stiff peaks form. Spread the cream over the cake, chill, and serve.

Chocolate Cream Cakes

    My mom has been making these since I was little! They're definitely not the healthiest but they are just so delicious! I've always called it mom's Devil Dog cake! We whipped up a bunch of them for the church's performance last weekend.

Chocolate Cream Cakes

Ingredients:

- 1 package of chocolate cake mix

- 1 package of instant chocolate pudding

- 3/4 cup of vegetable oil

- 3/4 cup of water

- 4 eggs

Filling:

- 3 tablespoons flour

- 1 cup of milk

- 1/2 cup butter

- 1/2 cup of shortening

- 1 cup of sugar

- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

    Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, combine the cake mix, pudding mix, vegetable oil, water, and eggs. Pour the mixture into a greased 9x13 baking pan and bake for 30-35 minutes. In a small sauce pan, combine the milk and flour. Bring to a boil, then cook and stir for about 2 minutes, until it begins to thicken. Let cool. In a separate mixing bowl, cream together the butter, shortening, sugar, and vanilla. Beat in the milk mixture until the sugar is dissolved about 5 minutes. Split the chocolate cake into two horizontal layers. Spread the filling evenly over the bottom, replace the top, and chill for several hours before slicing and serving.

The refreshment table!!

Pumpkin Layered Cake

    Every year around Thanksgiving, our youth group holds a luncheon to raise funds for summer camp. I must say, it went very well this year. The kids did such a great job! I made my homemade cranberry sauce, a fall punch, and a pumpkin layered cake! This cake has a layer of yellow cake on top and a layer of pumpkin pie underneath! Top it with a pudding spiced whipped topping and you can't go wrong!

Pumpkin Layered Cake

Ingredients:

  For the cake:

- 1 box of cake mix, plus the ingredients to make the cake

- 1 (30 ounce) can of pumpkin pie mix

- 1 (12 ounce) can of evaporated milk

- 2 eggs

- 1 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice

  For the topping:

- 1 (3.5 ounce) package of vanilla pudding mix

- 1 cup of cold milk

- 1 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice

- 1 (8 ounce) tub of whipped topping

    Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare the cake mix as directed and pour into a greased 9x13 baking pan. Mix together the pumpkin pie mix, evaporated mik, eggs, and pumpkin pie spice. Pour the pumpkin mixture over the top of the cake batter. Bake the cake for 45-50 minutes, or until dark brown and no longer giggly. In a separate bowl, whisk together the vanilla pudding mix, pumpkin pie spice, and milk. Fold the whipped topping into the pudding and place in the fridge to chill for at least an hour. Once the cake is cooled, top with the topping. I like to pipe it on top with a ziplock bag. You could go a step further and top with some sprinkles or a bit of cinnamon!

The kiddos enjoying some lunch after their hard work!

Carrot Poke Cake

    Happy Father's Day to all of the dads out there! I've been on a poke cake kick lately. It started a few weeks ago with my banana cream pudding poke cake. Then, I went on a camping trip and I made two, a reeses cup and a strawberry jello poke cake. I've yet to be disappointed! My dad likes carrot cake so I made this carrot cake version for him this weekend!

Carrot Poke Cake

Ingredients:

- 1 boxed carrot cake mix ( and ingredients to make cake) or your favorite carrot cake recipe

- 1 box of cheesecake flavored pudding

- 2 cups of milk

- 1 (8 ounce) package of cream cheese, softened

- 1/2 cup of powdered sugar

- 1 (8 ounce) tub of cool whip

- crushed graham crackers to top

    Prepare cake as directed in a 13x9 baking dish. Let it cool. With the back of a spoon, poke holes throughout the cake. Whisk together the pudding mix and milk. Pour the pudding over the cake and set in the refrigerator to chill. Meanwhile, beat together the cream cheese and powdered sugar with an electric mixer. Then, whip in the cool whip. Spread the frosting on the cake and top with crushed graham crackers! 

Zucchini Carrot Cream Cheese Bars

    I loved this dessert recipe. I feel like it's not completely unhealthy since there are vegetables in it. The lemon zest in the cream cheese frosting really added another dimension of flavor! I brought it to church last week for the kids and we enjoyed them. Without the frosting it's probably more of a zucchini bread. With or without the frosting, this zucchini and carrot treat is super good!

Zucchini Carrot Cream Cheese Bars

Ingredients:

- 2 eggs, slightly beaten

- 3/4 cup of brown sugar, packed

- 1/2 cup canola oil

- 1/4 cup of honey

- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

- 1 1/2 cups of shredded carrot

- 1 cup of shredded zucchini

- 1 1/2 cup of flour

- 1 teaspoon of baking powder

- 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda

- 1/2 teaspoon of ground ginger

- 1 (8 ounce) package of cream cheese, softened

- 1 cup of powdered sugar

- zest of half a lemon

    Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, brown sugar, oil, honey, and vanilla. Then, fold in the carrot and zucchini. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and ginger. Fold the dry mixture into the wet mixture until just combined. Pour the batter into a greased 9x13 inch baking pan and bake for about 30 minutes. When a toothpick comes out clean, it is done. When finished, let cool completely. Prepare the frosting when cake has cooled and you are ready to serve. With an electric mixer, beat together the softened cream cheese, powdered sugar, and lemon zest. Top the cake with the frosting and serve.

Banana Cream Poke Cake

    So, I've discovered an extremely easy and ridiculously good idea! It's called a "poke cake". I want to find the person who came up with the idea and shake their hand. I'm definitely going to be playing around with the concept this summer! This particular recipe is a yellow cake with creamy banana pudding! It was so good! The kids at church loved it! 

Banana Cream Poke Cake

Ingredients:

- 1 box yellow cake mix, prepared as directed in a 9x13" baking pan

- 2 boxes of banana pudding mix

- 4 cups of milk

- 1 (8 ounce) container of cool whip

- 2 cups of crushed vanilla wafers

    With the end of a spoon poke holes throughout the cooled cake, about a 1/2 inch apart. Whisk together the pudding mix and milk until it starts to thicken. Pour the pudding over the cake and set in the refrigerator to chill for at least an hour. When ready to serve, spread the cool whip on top of the pudding and top with crushed vanilla wafers. 

Flourless Chocolate Cake

    Today is National Chocolate Cake Day! In honor of this incredible holiday, I've created a masterpiece. This is a flour free recipe and it's everything you'd want in a rich and moist chocolate cake. It reminds me of Toojays' Killer Cake! You will definitely need a glass of milk with this one! It's best served chilled.

Flourless Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:

- 1 (12 ounce) package of semi-sweet chocolate chips

- 1 cup, plus 3 tablespoons of butter, divided

- 1 cup of granulated sugar

- 5 large eggs

- 1 cup of cocoa powder, sifted

- 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract

- 1 tablespoon of pulp free orange juice

-2 tablespoons of confectioners sugar

    Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large microwave safe bowl, add 1 cup of the butter and half of the chocolate chips. Microwave in 30 second intervals, whisking the mixture until it is smooth. Add in the sugar until well combined. Whisk in eggs, one at a time. Fold in the sifted cocoa powder until combined. Line the bottom of a spring form baking pan with parchment paper and spray the entire pan and paper generously with non-stick baking spray. Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 35 minutes. Test with a tooth pick. When it comes out clean, with only crumbs, it is finished. Allow cake to cool for a few minutes before removing from the pan. While the cake is baking, in a smaller microwave safe bowl, combine the remaining chocolate and 3 tablespoons of butter. Microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring until smooth. Once melted, add in the vanilla, orange juice, and confectioners sugar. Once the cake has cooled, spread the glaze mixture on top and refrigerate uncovered for 30 minutes to and hour before serving. 

Pineapple Cream Cheese Cake

    Such an easy and simple dessert! It's basically pineapple cake with a cream cheese frosting. It's called Pineapple Cream Cheese Cake because the cream cheese frosting definitely makes the dessert a complete entity, I couldn't imagine one without the other! I brought it into work as a treat tonight at the Olive Garden and I'm happy to say that they loved it! 

Pineapple Cream Cheese Cake

Ingredients:

- 2 cups of granulated sugar

- 2/3 cup of vegetable oil

- 2 large eggs

- 1 can of crushed pineapple (20 ounces)

- 2 cups of flour

- 1 teaspoon of baking powder

- 1 teaspoon of salt

- i package of cream cheese (8 ounces), softened

- 1 stick of butter, softened

- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

- 2 cups of powdered sugar

    Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine the sugar, vegetable oil, eggs, pineapple, flour, baking powder, and salt. Pour mixture into a greased 9x13 baking pan. Bake for 35-40 minutes. Let cake cool. In another bowl, whip together the butter and cream cheese. Add the vanilla. Then, slowly add in the powdered sugar. Once the pineapple cake has cooled, top with the cream cheese frosting and serve!