Sweets

Ombre Frosting

lizellyn Sweets

Ambre cake

A transition of color for my daughter’s graduation from junior high and transition to high school.  Yes, a little trite but she had been asking for a cake like this for a while and I always like a baking challenge.

Warning: coloring frosting is about art, not math.  Having a degree in engineering, I originally took a mathematical approach to mixing my colors.  I took 1 cup of white frosting and 1 cup of the dark green frosting and mixed the two colors.  I thought that would end up being the middle line of frosting in the cake.  WRONG.  It was way too dark and I ended up using it as the second line from the bottom.

Before applying the ombre decoration on the sides of a cake, skim coat the entire cake and decorate the top.

Decorating Ombre Style

1.  Make a double batch of white frosting (whatever recipe you prefer)

2.  Dye 1 1/2 cups of white frosting to color desired (this will be used as your darkest shade at the bottom) Set aside in a bowl for later

3.  Fill pastry bag, fitted with a decorating tip (here I used a Wilton #32) and about 1/2 cup of the darkest frosting.  Using your decorating skills apply one line of frosting around the bottom edge of the cake.  Squeeze any extra frosting left in your pastry bag back into your bowl of dark frosting.

4. Place the remaining white frosting in your clean mixing bowl

5.  Fill a new pastry bag, fitted with a clean decorating tip and about 1/2 cup of white frosting.  Using your decorating skills apply one line of frosting around the upper edge of the cake.  Squeeze any extra frosting left in your pastry bag back into your mixing bowl.

6.  Place about 1 Tablespoon of the darkest shade of frosting in the mixing bowl of white frosting.  Mix until well combined.  If the shade is not as dark as you desired, add a tad bit more of the darkest shade of frosting and mix well.  When you achieve the perfect desired color.  Fill the pastry bag with this new color.  You can use the same bag and tip but be sure to squeeze out any leftover earlier color in the tip before applying the next line of the new color.    Apply one line of frosting just below the previous line.  Make sure the lines are close together so that no underlying cake shows through.  Squeeze any extra frosting left in your pastry bag back into your mixing bowl.

7.  Repeat step six until you have enough lines to cover the entire side of your cake.  The cake above was a standard two layer cake that was leveled.  I used 8 shades/lines of frosting to fill the entire side.

There are many different ways to apply the frosting to the sides of the cake.  Here are some examples:

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Check out:  BS’ in the Kitchen; The Craftsy Blog; Modwedding; Wilton; and Chocolatechocolateandmore

HAPPY BAKING!

Buttercream Truffles

lizellyn more sweets, Sweets ,

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What do you do with your extra buttercream after decorating a cake?  Eat it with a spoon?  Lick the bowl?  Those are always worthy options.  If you want to turn that extra buttercream into a new dessert then try whipping up some buttercream truffles.  It’s easy, tasty, and makes for a presentable new dessert.

Directions:  Take the extra buttercream and place it in a sealed container.  Store in the refrigerator overnight.  Spoon out about a tablespoon of frosting and roll it into balls.  Place the balls of frosting in the freezer for about 30 minutes.  Melt enough decorating chocolate for whatever amount of buttercream that you have.  Remove the frosting from freezer and dip and cover with melted chocolate.  Allow to cool and dry on wax paper.  Keep at room temperature so that when you bite into these truffles it has a soft gooey inside.

Other ideas:  If you are starting with vanilla buttercream, try adding other flavors to the frosting before placing it in the refrigerator overnight.  The ideas are limitless: coffee, mint, Bailey’s, Rum, chocolate, lemon, or almond extract (just to name a few).  Also, altering the color of chocolate used for dipping can help make these truffles appropriate for any holiday or festive occasion.

HAPPY BAKING!

Blueberry Lemon Pie Bars

lizellyn Sweets

Blueberry Lemon Pie Bars

It’s not technically summer yet, but the weather seems to be turning that way.  I decided it was time to switch to some summer flavors.  Lemon always seems to signify summer to me.  Despite my daughter’s hesitation, lemon and blueberry make a remarkable combination.

Blueberry Lemon Pie Bars (recipe from Fresh April Flours)

Print
Prep time
30 minutes
Cook time
1 hour
Total time
1 hour 30 minutes
Creamy and sweet pie bursting with blueberries and citrusy lemon on top of shortbread crust. In portable bar form!
Author: freshaprilflours.com
Yield: 16 bars
Ingredients
FOR THE SHORTBREAD CRUST
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
  • ½ cup granulated sugar (plus more for sprinkling)
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • the zest of one lemon, divided
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
FOR THE FILLING
  • 8 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 cup (or one 5.3 ounce container) Greek yogurt, lemon flavored
  • remaining zest of one lemon
  • 2 teaspoon lemon juice
  • pinch of salt
  • ½ cup all-purpose flour
  • 3 cups blueberries (fresh or frozen, unthawed)
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line an 8″ x 8″ or 9″ x 9″ baking pan with foil. Leave an overhang on the sides. Set aside.
  2. To make the shortbread crust: stir the melted butter, granulated sugar, vanilla extract, salt, and half of the lemon zest together in a medium bowl. Add the flour and stir until combined. Reserve ¾ cup of the shortbread crust and place in the refrigerator or freezer until needed. Press remaining crust evenly into the prepared pan. Bake for 18 minutes while you prepare the filling.
  3. To make the filling: in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a medium sized bowl with a hand mixer, beat cream cheese on high until smooth. Beat in eggs, scraping down the sides as necessary. Add sugar, lemon flavored Greek yogurt, remaining lemon zest, lemon juice, and salt and mix thoroughly. Add flour and mix again until just combined. Gently fold in blueberries with a spoon or spatula.
  4. Pour filling into crust and add a few blueberries on top of filling. Remove reserved crust from refrigerator and crumble over top of the filling (you may need to separate into crumbs with a knife or fork). Sprinkle with sugar (or Sugar In The Raw). Bake bars for 55-60 minutes minutes, or until toothpick placed in center of pan comes out mostly clean. Allow pan to cool at room temperature on a wire rack. When completely cool, chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
  5. When bars are completely chilled, lift out of the pan using foil overhang and cut into squares. Top with lemon zest before serving. Bars can be stored covered in the refrigerator up to 5 days.
Notes
Shortbread crust from Sally’s Baking Addiction

HAPPY BAKING!

Slutty Brownies, for a Chocolate Whore

lizellyn Sweets ,

Slutty Brownies

These brownies are dedicated to chocolate lovers that never find a dessert “too rich.”  I was a little shocked when I mentioned to my kids that I was making slutty brownies and they knew exactly what I was talking about.  I can’t take credit for the idea, although I elaborated on the name a bit.  After reading a few recipes and speaking to a friend about her experience baking Slutty Brownies, here are my suggestions on how to ensure a great dessert:

1.  Preheat oven to 350

2.  Use a glass 8×8 or 9×9 pan (recipes that are larger do not end up baking well in the center & glass pan ensured that cookie on bottom did not overcook).

3.  Line the pan with two sheets of aluminum foil placed criss-cross

4.  Spray the foil with cooking spray

5.  Make a 1/2 batch of Nestle Toll House Chocolate Chip cookie batter (follow recipe on pkg) place in prepared pan and pack dough in tightly

6.  Place 16 Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups on cookie dough and slightly press into the dough

7.  Place 16 Oreos (not double stuffed – not enough room for everything) directly on top of peanut butter cups

8.  Using a brownie mix for 8×8 or 9×9 pans, follow recipe.  Pour batter over Oreos until Oreos are covered completely.  (I did not use the entire brownie mix- I didn’t want the brownies to heave over side of pan while baking)

9.  Bake for 50-60 min.  Just until toothpick at 2 inches from edge of brownie comes out clean, but center still sticks to toothpick

10.  Remove from oven and allow to cool for at least 30 minutes before covering it to store

11.  Allow to cool completely overnight before slicing and serving!!!

Okay, if you’re really desperate to try it warm – go for it!  Just don’t expect the piece to come out looking pretty or not falling apart completely.  

HAPPY BAKING!

Lemon & Lime Cookies

lizellyn Sweets

lemon & lime cookies

An easy sugar cookie that looks great in spring!  These cookies are flavored with jello and rolled in a sugar/jello combination.  (a minor change to the recipe) I added a little food coloring to perk up the colors.  Find the full recipe at http://www.iheartnaptime.net/jello-cookies/  This would be a great recipe to adapt for other holidays and festive occasions.  I added these to a tray with springtime colored cupcakes.

teacher apprec tray

See Related Post:

Tie-Dye Cupcakes

HAPPY BAKING!

Carrot Cake (gluten free)

lizellyn Sweets , ,

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OMG!  If I ever see a carrot cake with a boring plain cream cheese frosting I may cry.  After tasting this carrot cake with a maple pecan buttercream, I can NEVER go back to boring.  I owe all my inspiration for this combination of a nutty frosting combined with carrot cake to The Vegan Muffin Woman.  See her recipe  I would have tried her recipe, but I didn’t have the necessary ingredients on hand.  Instead, I used a Maple Pecan Buttercream Frosting recipe from The Food Charlatan.  (Recipe below)

The actual carrot cake was a spectacular surprise.  I had been craving carrot cake for 3 months now, but I kept getting side tracked in the kitchen.  Since I’m gluten free, it makes finding a good recipe difficult.  In the past, I’ve used rice flour to substitute in other recipes but the cake turned out way too dense.  By just tasting this cake you would never imagine that not only is it gluten free, but sugar free, as well.  It is based on a combination of almond and coconut flour.  The sweetness comes from crushed pineapple and honey.  It was light and fluffy … amazing for a gluten free cake.  I found the recipe on the site Gluten Free Mix (although a bake mix was not necessary for this recipe).

Even if you’re not gluten free, I really suggest trying this cake!

Gluten Free Carrot Cake

  • 1/4 cup oil
  • 1/2 cup honey
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup finely grated carrots
  • 1/2 cup crushed pineapple (canned is fine)
  • 1/2 cup almond flour, packed
  • 1/4 cup coconut flour, packed
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup chopped pecans
  1. Preheat oven to 350.
  2. Whisk together oil, honey and eggs.
  3. Stir in carrots and pineapple.
  4. Whisk in dry ingredients, making sure you get out all the clumps.
  5. Stir in pecans.
  6. Pour batter into greased baking dish.
  7. Bake for 25-30 minutes.
  8. Cool completely before icing.
  9. Top with my creamy vanilla yogurt frosting or your favorite cream cheese frosting.

* Some notes on this recipe.  If you have an oven that tends to turn things dark quickly, lower temperature to 325.  This recipe is perfect for an 8×8 glass dish, pie plate or 12 cupcakes.  For a layered cake or 9×13, double the recipe 🙂

Maple Pecan Frosting
 Yield: Makes enough to frost 1 double layer cake, or 24 cupcakes
 Ingredients
  • 3/4 cup finely chopped pecans, toasted
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) salted butte
  • 3 cups powdered sugar
  • 1/4 cup real maple syrup (I used Grade A)
  • 1 teaspoon maple extract
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt, or to taste

Instructions

  1. Chop up the pecans. You can chop them with a knife or in a food processor. See photos to see what level of choppiness we’re talking.
  2. Set a frying pan over medium heat. Add the pecans and stir occasionally until they start to smell delicious, or until they barely start to brown. Set aside to cool.
  3. In a large mixing bowl or stand mixer, cream the butter to within an inch of its life. Just kidding, beat it for a couple minutes until it’s high and fluffy.
  4. Add 2 cups of powdered sugar and maple syrup. Beat well.
  5. Add 1 cup powdered sugar, maple extract, and salt. Beat well.
  6. Add the chopped pecans when they are completely cooled and beat it. Try not to eat it all with a spoon.

Notes

I used regular syrup and substituted vanilla extract for the maple extract and it tasted amazing!

Tie-Dye Cupcakes

lizellyn Sweets

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What an easy way to show a little team spirit.  Obviously, I was going for a yellow and green theme here (the colors of my son’s tennis team).  For the 1st cupcake I tinted half the batter yellow and half green.  I swirled the two together to make a tie-dye cake.  It was very easy and definitely showed that the cupcakes were not store bought.  My kids are very spoiled and won’t touch a store bought dessert.  I’ve been wanting to try different techniques for tie-dying frosting.  This gave me the perfect opportunity to give it a whirl.  For the 1st cupcake, I painted the inside of the piping bag with yellow and green gel die and filled the bag with white frosting.  The piped colors were very vibrant – perhaps a little too much so and colored everyone’s tongues.  For the 2nd cupcake, I placed white, yellow, and green frosting in a single piping bag.  This only took a little extra time to fill the bag carefully.  I was pleased that the colors didn’t completely blend together.

In the future, I would use these techniques for holiday occasions as well.  Remember when mixing two colors of cake batter that is looks better if you use a bit more of the lighter colors than darker colors.

Tennis Ball Cupcakes

lizellyn Sweets

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Unlike real tennis balls that are empty, these cupcakes are filled with vanilla buttercream.  Besides using a golden yellow frosting on top, I dipped each cupcake in yellow sugar so that it would have a “fuzzy” appearance like a real tennis ball.  It was fun baking these for my son’s tennis team, but nothing is better than playing tennis with my kids.

Should desserts that center around a holiday be limited to those dates?

lizellyn more sweets ,

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Should desserts that center around a holiday be limited to those dates?  Is that what makes the dessert special – the fact that you know you will only get the dessert once a year?  Do the desserts add to the nostalgia of the holiday, creating memories for years to come?  Would you want to eat Xmas shaped cookies in May?  What if it were your absolute most favorite cookie?  Would you make an exception in that case?

As I’ve mentioned before, I am equal opportunity celebrator of holidays if they include fun and tasty desserts.  My daughter’s favorite springtime dessert are these jello eggs that I make for Easter.  Unfortunately, these jello eggs require that I am at home for 7 hours straight.  Each layer must be added precisely one hour after the preceding layer.  If not, the layers will not adhere to each other and will fall apart when separating the molds.  This year, I just couldn’t manage my time to make these on Easter.  Is it wrong to be serving/eating these weeks after Easter has past?  It doesn’t seem to bother my daughter at all.  In fact, I’m grateful that she was understanding that I couldn’t get these done on Easter.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!