Royal Icing Recipe
Royal icing is extremely popular in the baking world. With royal icing, you can smoothly frost a cake, you can make stiff peaks or corners, or you can make small edible cake decorations or pieces.
Royal icing is typically made of beaten egg whites and sugar. The water binds the sugar and egg whites. Oh, I almost forgot. Meringue powder? It’s just egg whites, a little sugar, and some gum base—no worries.
Royal icing has the tendency to “air crust” if left out, uncovered, for more than a couple minutes. When on a cake, this came make it really easy to smooth your cake.
Wait… we’re getting ahead of ourselves. Let’s just take a look at this royal icing recipe for starters! [singlepic=116,320,240,,right]
Yield: 3 cups
Ingredients:
- 3 level tablespoons meringue powder
- 4 cups sifted powered sugar
- 6 tablespoons water
Directions:
1) Beat all ingredients for 10 to 12 minutes on high speed until icing forms stiff peaks. Add small amount of flavoring if desired (almond, vanilla, lemon, etc.) but only AFTER you beat it.
2) Use paste colors or powder food color to color the icing. (Liquid drops can thin out your icing and make it runny.)
See… this royal icing recipe is easy enough. Royal icing typically stores for about 2 weeks in an airtight container at room temperature. Be sure to stir all of the ingredients back together if you don’t use the using immediately because they have the tendency to separate a bit.
If you choose to make roses, flowers, pearls, or any other hardened decoration, it will store for up to four months! The funny thing is that even after all of that… they will still taste delicious with this yummy royal icing recipe!
Classic Cinnamon Coffee Cake Recipe
Good morning, sunshine! Oh, fine. So we all know that coffee cake is no longer just a morning picker-upper. Would you believe that coffee cake has been around for centuries?! It’s true.
The coffee cake that we all love today evolved from ancient honey cakes. As time went on, the cake shifted towards a simple French galettes, to medieval fruitcakes, to sweet yeast rolls, to Danish cakes made with coffee, and finally ending its journey in an air tight plastic wrapped package on the shelves of grocery stores nation-wide.
This classic cinnamon coffee cake is an easy coffee cake recipe which tastes delicious! I love this recipe and my friends to too. One day I brought these cakes to an early morning meeting at school. People were half-asleep, but as soon as they smelled my hot cakes they were wide awake and piling it onto their plates! [singlepic=115,200,160,,right]
Ingredients:
Crumb Topping:
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, divided use
- 1 3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed, divided use
- 1 1/2 cup butter, softened, divided use
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans
Cake:
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup milk
Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter and flour 9×13 inch pan.
Crumb Topping:
2) Combine 1 cup flour with 1 cup brown sugar, a 1/2 softened butter and 1 teaspoon cinnamon in a medium bowl.
3) Mixture should have the consistency of moist sand. Add 1/2 cup chopped pecans. Set aside.
Cake:
4) In a large bowl, cream together the remaining 1 cup butter, remaining 3/4 cup light brown sugar and 1/2 cup granulated sugar with an electric mixer until smooth and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla and mix well.
5) In a separate bowl combine the remaining 2 cups flour, baking powder and salt. Add this dry mixture to the moist ingredients a little bit at a time. Add milk and mix well. Spoon the batter into prepared 13×9-inch baking pan.
6) Sprinkle the crumb topping over the batter. Be sure the topping completely covers the batter.
7) Bake cake for 50 minutes, or until the edges just begin to turn light brown.
Although, the bake time on these tasty hot cakes is kind of long… they’re definitely worth the wait! I love is classic coffee cake recipe. Cutting them warm (and eating one or two) is such a great benefit of baking this tasty coffee cake; not to mention it makes my whole kitchen smell amazing!
Vegan Cheesecake Recipe
By definition, a vegan is one who makes the choice not to consume animals or make use of any animal by-products for food, clothing, or otherwise. It is many times considered a tough lifestyle, but for those who live it, it is very rewarding.
Many times, people may assume that a vegan cannot enjoy the tasty foods we all get to have. In some instances, it’s true… no ice cream, no fried chicken, etc.
On the other hand, they have their own yummy favorites. I have a vegan friend who loves tofu (obviously) and shared her favorite cheesecake recipe with me.
She loves the simplicity of this recipe, not to mention there are no animal products! For this vegan cheesecake, it doesn’t hurt that it tastes pretty good too. [singlepic=114,200,160,,right]
Ingredients:
- 1 (12 ounce) package soft tofu
- 1/2 cup soy milk
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1 (9 inch) prepared graham cracker crust
Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2) In a blender, combine the tofu, soy milk, sugar, vanilla extract and maple syrup. Blend until smooth and pour into pie crust.
3) Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool; refrigerate until chilled.
While this vegan cheesecake recipe doesn’t necessarily turn out tasting the same as that cream cheese cheesecake, it is a fun twist on an old favorite. For some added flavors, try slicing some berries and topping your cheesecake with them. It’s a delicious way to add color to this simple vegan cheesecake. Enjoy!
Moist Banana Bread Recipe
Those bananas are on their last leg. You’ve watched them sit on your kitchen counter… changing colors from a sunny yellow to a dingy brown. There’s even that little squishy part on the bottom. We’ve all lived this nightmare.
Would you believe me if I said you could do something with those mushy brown bananas? No… not garden fertilizer. Some of the best (and moist) banana bread I’ve ever made was from the brownest banana in the bundle! It may sound strange… gross… or even unsafe to eat those rotting bananas, but they are safe (and tasty in bread).
My mom and I have been baking banana bread using this recipe for as long as I can remember. It makes a great holiday gift because you can buy those disposable foil loaf pans. They’re inexpensive and you can easily wrap up your loaves in some festive cellophane wrap (tied with a ribbon) for an extra touch.
It’s a cheap way to say happy holidays… or if it’s not a holiday season, it’s just a good way to remind someone that you’re thinking of them. My neighbors, especially, love these loaves!
Yield: 16 servings (note: the mini foil loaves will only have 8 servings)
Ingredients:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup sugar
- ½ cup butter, softened
- 2 large eggs
- 1 ½ cups mashed banana (about 3 bananas)
- ½ cup plain low-fat yogurt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Non-stick cooking spray
Directions:
1) Preheat over to 350 degrees .Combine flour, baking soda and salt and blend with a whisk. Set aside.
2) Place sugar and butter in a large bowl and beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended (about one minute).
3) Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add banana, yogurt and vanilla and beat until blended. Add flour mixture and beat at low speed just until moist.
4) Spoon batter into an 8 ½ x 4 ½ -inch loaf pan coated with non-stick cooking spray. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until wooden pick inserted comes out clean.
5) Cool 10 minutes in pan or on a wire rack. Remove from pan and cool completely on a wire rack. Enjoy!
I especially love this bread right out of the oven and a glass of milk! For fun variations to this delicious recipe try adding a cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips or a cup of your favorite nut (I like pecans in this recipe.)
You can make the bread plain as well. To distinguish the loaves, sprinkle a little bit of your “special ingredient” on top of the loaves, like the chocolate chips or the pecans. Yum! I think you too will find that this moist banana bread recipe is completely worth the wait for the brown bananas!
How To Freeze Cookie Dough
You’ve slaved away all day in the kitchen making an assortment of cookies. They cover all your countertops, each one more fabulous than the last! Sadly, as time goes on, your lovely cookies turn stale and crumbly and you must throw them out. Wait… what if you didn’t have to? You can make all the cookies you need and freeze the leftover dough for a later date!
Freezing cookie dough is a great way to make cookies ahead of time or freeze extra dough. You can have homemade cookies anytime, without having to spend a day in the kitchen! Freezing cookie dough is so easy and I find that it works with nearly any classic cookie recipe, just as long as it is done the right way every time.
Want to know the secret? I can help you out with that and by tonight, you’ll be freezing tons of your favorite cookies, storing them away for another day! The only limitations is how much frozen cookie dough you can fit into your freezer!
1. Prepare Your Cookie Dough
Prepare your cookies dough the same way as you usually would. If you would like to bake some of your cookies (some people prefer freezing whole batches), do this now… in the same way you usually would. This step is pretty simple.
2. Section The Leftover Dough Into Fractions
With all of your leftover dough, section it into small handfuls (note: the exact amount may vary depending on how much dough you have leftover or how big you want each roll to be. For instance, if you only want half a dozen cookies in each roll, consider putting less dough in each roll.)
3. Wrap It And Roll It!
Place one cookie dough section into a sheet of plastic wrap. Form the plastic wrap around the cookie dough and shape it into a log roll. Take you plastic warp log roll and wrap that in aluminum foil. This just further protects your cookie dough from freezer burn.
4. Freeze Until Needed
Place your aluminum foil wrapped log into a freezer bag. Label the bag with a date and the type of cookie. Freeze until you’re ready to chow down! Most cookie doughs will stay fresh for up to 6 months, but I’ve never waited more than about two because I bake them so often! Grab a large glass of milk when you’re ready to bake these tasty cookies and slice off some dough from the roll for how ever many cookies you want. Bake them, remembering that the cooking time may take a little longer. Enjoy your lovely frozen cookie dough until then!
No Bake Cereal Bar Recipe
No bake recipes are perfect for any occasion. The best part about them is that they don’t need an over so they’re great for hot summers.
In addition, kids love helping with this fun recipe… and it’s safe too! No bake recipes are even known for their ability to cut down on energy costs!
This no bake cereal bar recipe is the perfect snack for any occasion. I remember that one day when I made this recipe for a day at the park with some friends.
This snack didn’t melt, didn’t turn sticky, and when all was said and done… there were NO leftovers! These no-bake cereal bars were a huge hit!
Yield: 15 bars
Ingredients:
- 4 cups Cheerios
- 2 cups crisp rice cereal
- 2 cups dry roasted peanuts
- 2 cups M&M’s
- 1 cup light corn syrup
- 1 cup sugar
- 1-1/2 cups creamy peanut butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions:
1) In a large bowl, combine the first four ingredients; set aside. In a large saucepan, bring corn syrup and sugar to a boil. Cook and stir just until sugar is dissolved.
2) Remove from the heat; stir in peanut butter and vanilla. Pour over cereal mixture and toss to coat evenly. Spread into a greased 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pan. Cool. Cut into 3-in. squares.
Yum! This recipe is perfect and it’s a great blend of many kids’ favorite snacks! I really love it… with any luck, you may love it too! It’s a great no-bake cereal bar recipe– one in a million!
No-Bake Crispy Peanut Butter Balls
They’re crispy, they’re sweet, they’re delicious, and they don’t even require an oven! They’re no-bake cookies… or something of the sort.
I especially love this recipe because (obviously) it’s so easy! There are four easy ingredients that I usually have in my house so no matter the day, these no-bake butter balls are on the way!
For children especially, this recipe is so much fun to make. Usually, baking is only semi-hands-on for kids (partially) because of the dangers associated with ovens or stoves. With this delicious no-bake peanut butter ball recipe, they can help with the whole process!
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup peanut butter (Use reduced fat for less calories.)
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 2-3 cups of crispy rice cereal
Directions:
1) Combine the peanut butter, honey, and vanilla. Stir in enough cereal to make balls.
2) Place the balls on waxed paper and chill. Enjoy!
As a little hint, when rolling the balls (after step one) try wetting your hands a little bit. This makes it easier to roll the balls into a ball, without it sticking to your hands too much. Once you get these tasty balls all rolled all you have to do is chill and wait!
Once you take a bite, be sure to share because everyone will be wondering how you came across this great no-bake peanut butter ball recipe!
White Chocolate Fudge Recipe
One of my favorite desserts is one which is many times overlooked—the ever beloved fudge. Chocolate fudge is a dense, yet delicious dessert. Originally it was produced with dark or milk chocolate. This recipe is a tantalizing twist on classic chocolate fudge; a white chocolate fudge recipe.
Along with my other fudge recipe, a milk chocolate fudge recipe, this fudge is extremely heart healthy. Nuts like almonds, cashews, macadamia nuts or pecans are great ways to keep your heart healthy.
While, yes, fudge is typically a splurge, who’s to say that it can’t be good for you too? No one! It doesn’t usually take much fudge to satisfy a sweet tooth, so this white chocolate fudge recipe is a great dessert for pretty much any occasion. Enjoy! [singlepic=111,320,240,,right]
Ingredients:
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 12 ounces white chocolate, melted
- 1 1/2 cup pecans (or walnuts or macadamia nuts)
Directions:
1) Beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla in large mixing bowl at medium speed with electric mixer until well blended.
2) Gradually add chocolate; mix well. Stir in nuts. Spread in greased 8 inch square pan. Chill several hours. NOTE: you can also use 3/4 cup nuts and 3/4 cup dried apricots or other dried fruit.
Some of my favorite things to add into this delicious white chocolate fudge recipe include, mini chocolate chips, M&Ms, a variety of nuts, or dried fruit. For holidays, you can try swirling in some food coloring, like red and green for Christmas or blue for Hanukah! This white chocolate fudge recipe is a great way to make any occasion a special one so have fun with it!
Stand Mixers
This year we celebrate the 100th anniversary of one of the world’s greatest kitchen innovation of all times—the stand mixer. Back in the year, 1908, a man by the name of Herbert Johnson was watching a local baker knead bread dough with a large metal spoon.
It was then that he thought up a mechanical arm which would make this job much easier. It came in the form of an 80-quart mixer and by 1915 it was customary in large bakeries nationwide. In 1919, Johnson sensitive to home bakers as well, reformatted his original idea until it was just right for the every day kitchen of a consumer.
With the birth of this second generation stand mixer, people everywhere flocked to buy a stand mixer of their own. These were called Hobart stand mixers, now-a-days known as KitchenAid mixers. [singlepic=110,320,240,,right]
Today, with a new name, KitchenAid offers many different varieties to Johnson’s classic design. Sizes for the average home, vary from 9-cups to 14-cups capacity. Stand mixers are also capable of doing many other functions besides solely mixing, like Johnson had originally planned.
KitchenAid sells attachments that even Johnson probably never imagined. A stand mixer mixes, kneads, whips, folds, (with the right attachments) makes pasta, makes ice cream, grinds meat, slices/strains fruits, grinds cheeses, grates potatoes, etc.
The possibilities are nearly as endless as the attachments you can buy for a stand mixer of your own! I’ve worked in the kitchen with my stand mixer for as long as I’ve remembered.
While, yes, every now and then it is kind of fun to knead my own breads or hand mix cookie dough, in most cases the added strain on my wrists and hands just isn’t worth the effort. After all, Johnson’s intention with the stand mixer was so that bakers would no longer have to hand mix dough. May the stand mixer dream not live in vain!
Lemon Dotted Birthday Cake
One of my favorite birthday cakes of all times actually comes from a box. This birthday cake takes an everyday white cake and turns it into a lemony explosion of color!
I made this birthday cake for one of my good friends last summer. She loves lemon and so the light lemony flavor was an unexpected treat.
For the candies, feel free to experiment!
Some people like Skittles, gumballs, Lifesavers, Gobstoppers. Have fun with it! If you don’t like fruity candies, try using miniature chocolate (or mint chocolate) chips. [singlepic=109,320,240,,right]
Ingredients:
- 2 packages (18-1/4 ounces each) white cake mix (I’ve always been a Betty Crocker kind of girl!)
- All ingredinets needed to prepare mixes
- Grated peel of 3 lemons
- 2 containers (16 ounces each) lemon frosting
- Pastel-colored coated fruit candies or mini chocolate chips
Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350°F. Line bottoms of one 6-inch, one 8-inch and one 10-inch round cake pan with parchment paper. Spray pans with nonstick cooking spray.
2) Prepare cake mixes according to package directions, stirring lemon peel into batter. Pour about 1-3/4 cups batter into 6-inch pan, about 2-3/4 cups batter into 8-inch pan and about 4-1/4 cups batter into 10-inch pan.
3) Bake 10-inch cake 28 to 30 minutes and 6-inch and 8-inch cakes 33 to 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted into centers comes out clean. Cool completely in pans on wire racks.
4) Place 10-inch cake upside down on serving plate; frost top and side of cake. If top of 8-inch cake is rounded, cut off top with long serrated knife. Place cake flat side down centered over 10-inch cake. Frost the top and side of cake. If top of 6-inch cake is rounded, cut off top with long serrated knife. Place cake flat side down centered over 8-inch cake. Frost the top and side of 6-inch cake. Decorate with candies as desired.
Yum! This easy lemon birthday cake is fun for people of all ages and taste buds. There are about as many possibilities as there are birthdays! Enjoy this fantastic easy birthday cake recipe.