Raspberry Lemon Cupcake with Raspberry Lemon Compote Filling and Meringue Icing

Lemon Raspberry Cupcakes

2 cups flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup butter or shortening

1 3/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

1 tsp lemon extract

4 egg whites

1 1/3 cup buttermilk or sour milk

2 cups fresh raspberries, blended

-Preheat oven at 350*

-Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

-Set aside

-In an electric mixer cream together on medium high butter, sugar, vanilla, lemon and egg whites

- Alternately add flour mixture and buttermilk to the butter mixture on low until just blended

-Stir in raspberries until mixed in well

-put in cupcake liners 2/3 full and bake 17 minutes

Lemon Raspberry Compote 

2 pints fresh raspberries

1 cup sugar

lemon juice from 2 lemons

-In a sauce pan put in all ingredients and simmer until raspberries break down and sauce starts to thicken. 

-Let cool completely before filling

Meringue Icing

5 egg whites

1 cup sugar + 2 tbsp

pinch of salt

- in a double broiler mix all ingredients together

-constant whisking

-cook until all the sugar has dissolved

-put mixture in electric mixer and  mix on high for 8 minutes

Most importantly eat, eat, eat!

Chocolate Oreo, Cookie Dough, Fudge Cake with Mint Icing and Ganache

Chocolate Oreo, Cookie Dough, Fudge cake with Mint Icing and Ganache, yes you read that right! Adam had his 28th birthday and requested this ridiculous cake! It sure was YUMMY though!

Chocolate Oreo, Cookie Dough, Fudge Cake

3 cups brown sugar

3/4 cup oil

3 eggs

2 2/3 cup flour

2 1/4 tsp baking powder

2 1/4 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 tbsp vanilla

1 1/2 cup milk

1 1/2 cup water

1 1/8 cup cocoa

chopped oreos

cookie dough balls

-Preheat your oven to 350*

-Combine brown sugar and oil

-On low speed mix in eggs one at a time

-Keep mixing while sifting flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in separate bowl. 

-In yet another small bowl mix vanilla and milk, set aside

-Boil water and pour over the cocoa and whisk until smooth

-To the egg mixture add the flour mixture alternately with milk mixture starting and ending with flour mixture on low

-Add cocoa mixture

-stir in chopped oreos and small cookie dough balls

-pour into pans and bake 20-30 minutes

***If you want a normal chocolate fudge cake just take the oreo and cookie dough additions out! 

Ande Mint Cream Cheese Icing

1 - 8oz cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup butter, softened

2 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 tsp mint extract

4 - 4 1/2 cups powder sugar

20 Ande Mint mini bars, finely chopped

-Blend cream cheese, butter, and extracts until smooth.

-Slowly add powder sugar

-When smooth combine ande mints until well blended

**If the icing is too thick to ice smoothly add a tad of milk

Ganache

1 1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

3/4 tbsp light corn syrup

3/4 cup heavy cream

- boil heavy cream 

-pour heavy cream over chocolate chips and corn syrup

-whisk until smooth

-After putting on cake refrigerate for approximately 20 minutes for it to harden.

Most importantly eat, eat, eat!

Strawberry N Cream Jake and the Neverland Pirate Cake

My son turned 3 years old last week. He loves strawberries, so I thought what better than to make him a strawberry n cream cake?!

Strawberry N Cream Cake

1 cup butter, softened

2 cups sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp lemon juice

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups cake flour

2 tbsp strawberry gelatin

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup buttermilk

2/3 cup chopped strawberries

-Preheat the oven to 350*.

-Beat the butter on medium until light and fluffy.

- Gradually add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy (approximately 4-5 minutes)

-Add eggs one at a time

-beat in vanilla and lemon juice

-Set aside

-Stir together flour, gelatin, baking soda, and salt

-Add flour mixture alternately with buttermilk into butter mix

-Always begin and end with flour mixutre

-beat on low until JUST combined!

-Stir in strawberries

-Place in pans and bake 30-40 minutes 

Strawberry Cream Cheese Icing

1 - 8 oz cream cheese, softened

2/3 cup powder sugar

2/3 cup chopped strawberries

1 1/2 cup heavy cream

3 tbsp lemon juice

-Beat cream cheese and 1/3 cup of sugar until smooth. 

-Add strawberries beat until blended

-Set aside

-Beat heavy cream and lemon juice on medium until foamy.

-Increase speed to medium - high and slowly add 1/3 cup sugar

-beat until stiff peaks form

-Fold half of heavy cream mixture into cream cheese mixture until blended

-Fold in remaining heavy cream mixture 

-Use Immediately!

Most importantly eat, eat, eat!

Summer Berry Cake

There is this wonderful woman named Pat Morris and she babysat my two cute boys so my honey and I could go on a date! Pat is a woman of service and she is amazing with children. She has grandchildren and is probably one of the greatest grandma's ever! Anyway, to thank her I made this cake for her and of course I doubled it so I could have some too! It sure was YUMMY! This cake isn't meant to be a breakfast cake, but I think it'd be a great breakfast cake!

Summer Berry Cake

1 cup flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

4 tbsp unsalted butter, softened

2/3 cup + 1 1/2 tbsp sugar

1 egg, at room temperature

1 tsp vanilla

zest of 1 lemon OR 1/2 tsp lemon extract

1/2 cup buttermilk, at room temperature

1 cup fresh or frozen berries

-Preheat your oven at 400*

-Prepare one 9 inch round cake pan 

-In a small bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

-In a large mixer bowl beat unsalted butter with 2/3 cup sugar at medium-high speed until creamy (about 3 min)

-Beat in egg, vanilla, and lemon zest or lemon extract at low speed until blended well.

-Beat in buttermilk and flour mixture alternately. End with dry ingredients. DO NOT overbeat!

-Pour batter into prepared pan.

-Scatter berries over batter and gently press them into batter.

-Spring remaining 1 1/2 tbsp sugar over cake

-Bake for 28-30 minutes

Most importantly eat, eat, eat!

Lemon Sunshine Cupcakes

Like always I LOVE to bake! Lemon is one of my favorite flavors of all time! I made these cupcakes and boy are they YUMMY!

Lemon Sunshine Cupcakes

2 cups sugar

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

3 large eggs, room temperature

seeds from 2 vanilla beans

1/2 tsp almond extract

3 cups cake flour - I used all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup buttermilk

-Preheat the oven at 325*

-In a small bowl whisk flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

-In a mixer bowl beat sugar and butter until creamy (4-5 minutes)

-Add eggs one at a time

-Add vanilla beans and almond extract

-Add 1/3 of flour mixture to sugar mixture. Beat at medium-low speed until just combined.

-Add half of the buttermilk. Beat.

-Repeat last 2 steps until it is all mixed together. 

-Put into cupcake liners and bake for 18-22 minutes.

There's a filling! 

Whipped Cream Lemon Curd

2 Tbs lemon curd - I used about 4 Tbs because I like the flavor more bold

1 cup heavy whipping cream

-In a cold bowl whip heavy whipping cream until stiff peaks appear. 

-Place the lemon curd in a separate bowl and stir to break it up a little.

-Add 1/3 of heavy whipping cream to the lemon curd and stir to combine. 

-Fold remaining whipping cream into lemon curd until well combined. 

-Pipe into cupcakes

ICING!

Lemon Swiss Meringue Buttercream

5 egg whites

2 cups unsalted butter, soft but cool diced in 2 tbs cubes

1 1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 tsp lemon extract 

zest of 2 lemons

2 tsp vanilla extract

-Mix egg whites, butter and powder sugar until well blended

-Add vanilla, lemon, and zest until combined.

-Pipe icing onto cupcake

Most importantly eat, eat, eat!

Old Fashioned Oatmeal Cookies

Can I just say I do not like most oatmeal cookies. I never have liked them. One day I wanted to bake something because that's what I love to do. I didn't have much in the house to use except a lot of oatmeal. I decided to find a good recipe for oatmeal cookies and I did! I love this recipe! It's so yummy!

Old Fashioned Oatmeal Cookies

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2 large eggs, beaten

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup flour

3 cups oats

1 cup pecans

-Preheat oven at 350* and prepare cookie sheet

-Beat sugars and butter until creamy. 

-Add the eggs, cinnamon, and vanilla.

-Gradually add flour until mixed. 

-Continue with oats and nuts

-Place about 1 tsp worth of batter on cookie sheet and bake for approximately 8-9 minutes. 

-Yields approximately 3 dozen 

Most importantly eat, eat, eat!