Vanilla Bean Cake with Buttercream Frosting

This moist and dense vanilla bean cake is absolutely divine! The vanilla bean takes this batter to a whole new level, while the sweet buttercream frosting locks in the flavor. Top with fresh berries or dust with powdered sugar and you have an amazing and gorgeous cake!

This recipe is for a triple layer 8 or 9 inch cake. Obviously I have two tiers of multiple layers in the pictures, but all I did was double the recipe (and yes, that makes for needing a LOT of butter!).

Cake:

3 sticks salted butter, room temperature
2 1/4 c. sugar
4 egg whites, room temperature
3 tsp. vanilla
1 vanilla bean, cut in half and seeds scraped out
3 c. flour
1/4 tsp. baking soda
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 c. milk

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray three 8 inch round cake pans with non stick cooking spray (with flour, or use regular spray and parchment paper), and set aside. Beat the butter and sugar in an electric mixer until a paste forms. Scrape down the sides. Add the egg whites, vanilla and vanilla bean and mix until just combined. In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda and powder. Add 1/3 of the flour mix to the wet ingredients and mix until incorporated. Add 1 cup of the milk and slowly mix. Add another 1/3 of the flour, followed by milk, and end with the remaining flower. Scrape down the sides again and mix once more if need be. Divide the batter evenly among the 3 pans. Bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes until the tops are golden and the inside is cooked through (comes out fairly clean with toothpick, very moist so you may still have some on the toothpick). Cool the cakes fully before frosting.

Frosting:

3 sticks butter, softened
1 1/2 c. shortening
12 cups powdered sugar
1 Tbs. vanilla
6-7 Tbs. milk

(This will make enough for the cake in the pictures, if you are only doing an 8 inch 3 layer cake, cut in half.) Beat the butter and shortening in an electric mixer until combined. Add in 6 cups of powdered sugar and let mix together. Add the vanilla and 4 Tbs. of milk and mix until smooth. Add in the rest of the powdered sugar. Test for thickness, and add the remaining milk, 1 tablespoon at a time if necessary.

I went for more of a naked cake look, so I frosted about 1/3-1/2 inch frosting between the layers, and then put a very thin layer around the edges, scraping off the excess.

Patriotic Sprinkle Cookies

This is a great cookie recipe to make with family for the 4th of July or any patriotic holiday. The dough is easy to put together, easy to roll, and tastes unbelievably delicious!

Ingredients:

1 box white cake mix
1 stick butter, melted
1 egg
1-2 tsp. almond extract
1 c. white chocolate chips
1 tsp. red, white and blue sprinkles (extra for dipping)

(My nieces and nephew helping roll the cookie dough!)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. In a large bowl, mix the cake mix, butter, egg, extract and white chocolate chips together. Add in 1 tsp. of sprinkles and mix through. Roll 1 1/2-2 teaspoons of the cookie dough into small balls. Pour about a tablespoon of sprinkles onto a plate and dip the cookie dough  balls on one side.

Place sprinkle side up on the parchment paper. Bake for 10-11 minutes until golden on the bottom. Let cool two minutes on the baking sheet, and then transfer to a wire rack to cool fully.

Strawberry Mango Salsa

Best fruit salsa EVER! The cucumbers give it a nice crunch and the mix of the fruits combined with the cilantro and lime sends it over the edge!

 Ingredients:

1 cucumber, chopped into small cubes
1 mango, peeled, cored and chopped into small cubes
1 lime, juiced
2 Tbs. fresh cilantro, chopped
12 large strawberries, stem removed and chopped

Combine all of the above ingredients together in a large bowl. Ta da! It's done! It is so simple and so fresh!

Mini Baked Crab Cheesecakes

Ingredients:

8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 c. shredded Parmesan cheese
1 egg
1/4 c. sour cream, light
1 tsp. orange zest
1 lemon, zested
5 Tbs. fresh chives, chopped
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
2 (4-4.5 oz) cans lump crab meat, drained and picked over
1 1/2 c. Panko
1 stick butter melted
Fresh chives and sour cream for garnish

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray 1 1/2 mini muffin tins with non stick cooking spray (makes about 24-30 crab cakes). In a medium size bowl, combine the cream cheese, grated Parmesan, egg, sour cream, orange and lemon zest, 1 Tbs. fresh chives, salt, cayenne pepper, and lump crab meat until everything is combined well together. In a smaller bowl, combine the Panko, melted butter and 4 Tbs. of fresh chopped chives. Push about 2-3 tsp. of breading mixture into the bottom of each cup and press down. Scoop about 1 tbs. of cream cheese crab mixture on top of each Panko crust and spread on top.

Bake for about 20 minutes until the top of the cheesecake is golden brown. Let cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes and then use a rubber pastry spatula or spoon to help get them out of the cups. Drizzle with sour cream and top with fresh chives before serving.

Turkey Pickle Roll-ups

Do you need a super easy roll-up recipe? Then this is that recipe. They take about 10-15 minutes to make and people love them because they taste fresh and light.

Ingredients:

3 (10 inch) soft tortilla shells
Sliced hamburger pickles (in a jar, already sliced rounds)
Oscar Mayer Deli, Oven Roasted Turkey Breast
4 oz. 1/3 less fat cream cheese, softened
Romaine lettuce

Lay out each tortilla. Spread with about 1.5 ounces of cream cheese in an even layer, making sure it reaches the edges. Place 5 slices of roasted turkey on top of the cream cheese. About a third way down the tortilla, place a single layer row of sliced pickles. On top of the pickles, place two romaine lettuce leaves (removing the last inch of stem). Fold the tortilla over so that it is covering the pickles and lettuce and tuck in tight. Then continue to roll forward until the tortilla shell is rolled up completely. Place picks about every inch to keep the pinwheel shape. Slice in the middle between each pick and place on your serving tray.

Bruschetta "Caterpillars"

I am a huge fan of caprese salads and bruschetta. These little bites use all of the same flavors only are packed down into little bite size bundles. I think next time I make these, I will make the balsamic into a thick reduction so that it stays on the tomatoes a little bit better. And also add a lot more basil!

Ingredients:

1 pint Cherry tomatoes
20-30 Mozzarella Pearls
1 Tbs. (approx) balsamic vinegar
Fresh Basil, chopped

Slice the tomatoes hasselback style, slicing about 3/4 of the way through. Make 4 or 5 slices in each cherry tomato. Slice the pearl Mozzarella balls into thin slices. Place a slice of Mozzarella cheese into the hasselback tomatoes. Top with a fresh piece of chopped basil, and drizzle with balsamic vinegar.

(Above picture is from a 4th of July party)

Happy 4th of July!

I know the forth of July was last Friday....but this is the first opportunity I have had to upload my pictures. It was such a relaxing weekend out at camp and I got to spend the 3rd of July (in Michigamme where our camp is, the fireworks are on the 3rd) with family and friends. It was wonderful! Here are some of the goodies that were there!

 

Chewy Red Velvet Patriotic Bars

Ingredients:
6 cups Rice Krispie Cereal
4 cups, plus 2 cups, mini marshmallows
4 Tbs. margarine (I used Smart Balance tub butter)
2 heaping Tbs. Red Velvet cake mix
1/2 container vanilla (red) frosting, melted
Patriotic sprinkles

Melt the butter and 4 cups of marshmallows on medium heat in a small saucepan. When most of the marshmallows are melted, add the cake mix and stir until well combined. Meanwhile, add the cereal and 2 cups of marshmallows to a large bowl. Spray a spatula with non stick cooking spray. Prepare a 13x9 pan with tinfoil, and spray with non stick cooking spray. Pour the melted liquid onto the cereal mixture and stir until everything is well coated. Spread out evenly in the pan and press down with the spatula. Drizzle with the melted frosting. Sprinkle with the patriotic sprinkles and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight. Cut into bars.

Melting Ice Cream Cake Pop

Ingredients:

1/2 recipe of Black and White Pound Cake or your favorite cake of choice
1/2 c. strawberry ice cream syrup
22-24 mini ice cream cones
1 container Pillsbury red frosting (or white with red food dye)
Red, white and blue sprinkles


Mash the pound cake and strawberry ice cream syrup together with your fingers, or a fork, until everything is well combined. Roll into a cone shape into your hand, and push lightly into the cone, making sure that there is a mount on top like a scoop of ice cream. Refrigerate for at least a half an hour.

Melt the frosting until you reach a runny like consistency. Dip the top of each cake pop into the red frosting, swirl slightly to get some of the extra frosting off, and place flat side down into a cake pan. Sprinkle with the patriotic sprinkles. Repeat for the remaining cake pops. Refrigerate until the frosting is set. These little cones are adorable, and the perfect bite size treat!

Patriotic Cupcakes

Ingredients:

1 box white cake mix (and ingredients listed on box)

2 c. blueberries

2 c. white chocolate chips

2-3 drops blue food coloring

vanilla frosting (store bought or home made)

red paper liners

red and blue sprinkles

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line the cupcake tins with paper liners. Mix the cake mix ingredients together, and gently fold in the chocolate chips and blueberries, saving about 1/4 c. of each. Fill the cupcake tins 2/3 of the way full. Sprinkle the tops with the remaining chocolate chips and blueberries (a few of each on top). Bake for 15-18 minutes or until the center comes out clean on a toothpick. Let cool fully on a wire rack. Top with store bought or home made vanilla frosting, and then add the patriotic sprinkles for the finishing touch.

Patriotic Jell-O Cookies!

Ingredients:

3 1/2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 c. butter (3 sticks)
1 c. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 egg
2 boxes (3 oz.) of both Strawberry and Berry Jell-O (4 boxes total)
sugar (granulated)
Red and Blue food coloring

 Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat the butter in an electric mixer until creamy. Add the sugar, egg and vanilla and continue to combine. In a large bowl, sift the flour, baking powder and salt together. Slowly add the dry ingredients on low speed to the wet until everything is mixed together well.

Divide the batter into three equal portions. Leave one of the portions plain and set aside. To one of the portions, add 2 Tbs. of the berry jello mix and about 5 drops of blue food coloring. Mix with your hands until the batter looks almost tie dyed. Do the same for the strawberry dough, and use about 6-8 drops of red coloring. Dump each of the remaining jell-o powder, along with the unopened boxes, onto plates (berry on one, strawberry on another, and plain granulated sugar on a third).

Roll the dough into 1 inch circles and place on the plates (color coordinated the same) and roll in the extra powder or sugar. Place on parchment lined baking sheets two inches apart. Bake for 8 minutes. Let cool on wire rack.

Salsa Cheesecake

Ingredients:
2 pkg. (8 oz. each) cream cheese
2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
16 oz. sour cream, divided
3 eggs, beaten
1 c. salsa
1 can (4 oz.) green chilies, drained
Guacamole
Diced tomato

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and shredded cheese until light and fluffy. Beat in 1 cup of sour cream. Add the eggs and beat on low speed. Stir in the salsa and chilies. Pour the mixture into a greased 9 inch springform pan. Place on a jelly roll pan. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until the center is firm. Remove from the oven and spread the guacamole on top. Then spread the remaining sour cream on top of that (i like to leave about 1/2-1 inch of the guacamole showing for presentation). Top with the fresh diced tomatoes. Slice, or serve with a cheese knife.