Shortcake

Hi everyone,

This is a really quick post to share some Shortcake I (and my fiancé) have been making. We've been using the recipe from the Food Network website, and it is simple and easy- find it here! It's especially easy because you make it in one pan as opposed to cutting out rounds, as I had always done before. The other change we make is putting butter then sugar on top, which makes the shortcake sparkly in looks and taste!

But let's go make some shortcake!

Here's the dough being mixed- you just dump in the dry ingredients and either sift them together or just give them a good whisk- that's what I do! Then pour in your cream and mix until just all together.

Pat the shortcake out into an 8x8'' or 9x9'' pan.

Drizzle with approx. 1 tablespoon butter. (My fiancé J's contribution- not a step to miss!)

Brush butter on shortcake evenly.

Then sprinkle with approx. 1 tablespoon granulated sugar.

Bake 18-22 minutes or until just starting to brown and a tester comes out clean. Enjoy!

Savor it!
love, rue

Red Velvet Cupcakes

Hello yet again!

Finally, we reach the crux of the whole thing- the vehicle upon which to put white chocolate cream cheese frosting and raspberry bourbon sauce, as well as whatever else you'd like! I don't usually make red velvet cake because of the great cost that goes into doing nothing but making it red. But, it is fun to make and play around with every once in a while, and I'm glad the BF gave me the push needed. I have lots of pictures, let's go!

Here's the complete arsenal for the cake and the frosting.

First, cream your sugar and oil.

Meanwhile, mix your dry ingredients in another bowl.

Next, beat the eggs in one at a time.

And now you're ready for the big step...

Add that red food coloring! Then mix on slow speed until uniform, being careful
not to splash any of that color on yourself!

Then add your dry ingredients, one half at a time, alternating with the buttermilk.

And here's adding the buttermilk.

In a small bowl, combine baking soda and vinegar. Stir, then add to batter.

Only beat for about 10 seconds once you add the baking soda and vinegar. And you're done with the batter!

Bake at 350 F for varying amount of time, depending on whether you're making cupcakes, a loaf cake, layer cake, or sheet cake- just remember that it'll be a minimum of 15+ minutes, keep an eye on it, and it's done when a toothpick or tester comes out mostly clean!

For the cupcakes, as with last week's frosting/icing, the BF and I used this recipe, and followed it pretty much exactly, except we made our own cake flour out of all purpose flour and cornstarch instead of using cake flour- still delish! Feel free to use cake flour, and let me know how it goes, I just don't usually keep it around the house :)

I (perhaps obviously) frosted these with the White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting, delish!

And Jordan had the great idea to set the icing a little better for transport by dusting on powdered sugar- yum! Enjoy!

Savor it!
Love, rue

White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

Hey there everyone!

This icing/frosting is seriously good. I'm not usually the biggest white chocolate fan, but for some reason this combination really rounds everything out and is dangerously good :) Let's go!

Cream your cream cheese, butter, and vanilla- well.

Until it looks like this!

Then add your melted white chocolate- it's hard to see because it's all shades of white, but the white chocolate is on the lower right part of the bowl.

And again, beat well.

Until you have a nice consistency for spreading and you're done!

We (the BF and I) used the recipe found here, but only made a half-batch, which was plenty for 24 cupcakes and a loaf cake (the whole cake recipe).

And here are some lovely red velvet (recipe coming soon!!) cupcakes iced with this frosting. Yum!

Savor it!
love, rue

Guinness Irish Cream Cupcakes

Hey everyone!

I made these a few weeks back for a friend's birthday. Now, I don't really do alcohol (just not my thing), so I had to depend on the opinions of my boyfriend and friends- and I'm pretty sure you can't fake that kind of enthusiasm, haha. So these are super easy to make, despite having a few extra looking steps, and got rave reviews about how good they were- so go ahead, give them a shot! Let me show you how...

Your (a little large than usual but still mostly simple) arsenal.

Melt your butter, add Guinness, cocoa, and coffee.

Here's your butter-Guiness mixture on the left, and the egg and sour cream on the right (I only made a half batch).

After beating together the egg and sour cream, mix it all together well. This is when you can add your vanilla as well.

Then add in your dry ingredients...

And mix until just incorporated.

Fill greased cupcake tins/liners about 2/3 of the way full.

For some beautiful cupcakes like this!

And I didn't think I needed to show all the pictures from just another variation on a classic confectioner's sugar icing, so on the right is your Irish Cream Icing, and on the left your cupcakes.

[I only made a half batch, so that's what's in the pictures- a half batch made about 12 cupcakes exactly, and a half batch of the icing made enough to have extra if you're more of a medium-amount-of-icing person, and plenty if you're a I-like-a-ton-of-icing person :)]
Guinness Irish Cream Cake
-1 cup Guinness
-1 cup (2 sticks) butter
-3/4 cup cocoa
-1 tablespoon instant coffee
-2 eggs
-2/3 cup sour cream
-1 teaspoon vanilla
-2 cups flour
-2 cups sugar
-1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
-1/2 teaspoon salt
Irish Cream Icing
-1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
-3-4 cups confectioner’s sugar
-1 teaspoon vanilla
-3-4 tablespoons Irish Cream (like Bailey’s)
Cake:
Melt butter on the stove, add Guinness, cocoa, and coffee. Remove from heat, let cool slightly.
Beat eggs and sour cream in a large bowl.
Slowly temper the butter mixture into the eggs and sour cream, mix well.
Add dry ingredients, and mix just until incorporated.
Fill greased cupcake tin/liners about 2/3 of the way full.
Bake for 16-19 minutes, until a tester comes out clean.
Icing:
Beat butter and confectioners sugar together. Add vanilla, beat well.
Add Irish Cream until you reach a spreadable consistency.
Ice your cupcakes once cool, enjoy!

And here are the finished cupcakes!

Savor it!
love, rue

Coffee Cake Muffins

Hi everybody-

These are pretty darn yummy. I don't often have sour cream on hand, but I happened to so I seized the opportunity to bake these. I love having them in muffin/cupcake form instead of a whole cake because it's easier to portion out and control what you're eating (especially if you live alone!)- that in mind, use whatever pan/pans are suitable for your occasion. Let me just show you-

Here are all of your ingredients- not complicated at all!

Mix together your topping ingredients- butter, sugar, nuts.

Here's your topping all made- set aside until you're done with the batter.

Mix sugar, oil, applesauce, eggs, and vanilla.

Add in your dry ingredients, mix well.

And add in the sour cream alternately, mixing well.

Your finished batter and topping- simple!

Here's the muffins half-done - half of the batter is in the bottom of the papers, and then I put half of the topping on.

And here are the muffins with the rest of the batter and topping done and ready for the oven!

 

Coffee Cake Muffins
-3 tablespoons butter, softened/melted
-1/2 cup chopped nuts of your choice (I used walnuts)
-1/2 cup brown sugar
-3/4 cup white sugar
-1/4 cup vegetable/canola oil
-1/4 cup applesauce
-3 eggs
-1 teaspoon vanilla
-2 cups flour
-1 teaspoon baking powder
-1 teaspoon baking soda
-1/4 teaspoon salt
-1 cup sour cream
Mix butter, nuts, and brown sugar together. Set aside.
Beat the white sugar, oil, applesauce, eggs, and vanilla in a mixing bowl.
Add in 1/2 of the dry ingredients, mix well. Add 1/2 of the sour cream, mix well. Then mix in the second halves of each.
Layer 1/2 the batter, then 1/2 the topping, then the other 1/2 batter, then the last 1/2 of topping in whatever kind of greased (or paper lined) pan you are using (I made muffins- works great!).
Bake at 350 F for 18-20 minutes for muffins, about 50 minutes for a bundt pan.

Your finished coffee cafe muffins- delish, and an easy snack to take anywhere!

Savor it!
love, rue

Maple Bacon Cupcakes

Hey everyone!

For The BF's birthday, I had him pick out a cake recipe for me to make for him for the celebration with his friends. He picked a recipe very similar to this, and I just took the idea and changed the method a bit to make it more user-friendly and simpler to follow. These cupcakes got rave reviews- they're delish. Below are the results!

Cream your fats, then add in the sugars. 

Beat in the egg and vanilla.

Add your dry ingredients and the milk, alternating halves (see recipe).

Fold in your bacon (I used at least 1/3 cup or more, not 1/4 cup- however you want it!).

Your beautiful finished batter.

Spoon into about 9 greased cupcake liners.

Maple Bacon Cupcakes

-4 1/2 tablespoons butter, softened

-1/2-1 tablespoon solidified bacon drippings/fat

-5 tablespoons brown sugar

-1/4 cup maple syrup

-1 egg

-1 teaspoon vanilla

-1 1/4 cups flour

-1 teaspoon baking soda

-2 teaspoons baking powder

-1/4 teaspoon salt

-1/4 cup milk

-1/4 cup crispy fried minced bacon + more for topping (I used 8-10 strips total)

Cream the butter and bacon fat, then cream in the sugar and syrup. Beat in the egg and vanilla.

Add the dry ingredients and the milk, alternating (add 1/2 the dry ingredients, then mix, then 1/2 the milk, then mix, then the other 1/2 etc.).

Fold in the minced bacon.

Spoon into greased cupcake liners/muffin tin, about 2/3 full. Makes about 9 cupcakes.

Bake at 350 F for 18-22 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean. Rotate the pan after 10 minutes.

Maple Icing

-1 tablespoon butter, softened

-approximately 1 cup powdered/confectioner's sugar

-1 tablespoon+ maple syrup

Cream together ingredients, adding more syrup or sugar until it is a spreadable consistency.

Ice the cupcakes fairly thinly- it's sweet icing. Then sprinkle or press more minced crispy bacon into the icing while still wet so that it sets in place when it dries.

Your baked cupcakes, finished icing (usual icing making process, I did not feel it needed pictures- just see another one of my posts with icing- all confectioner's sugar icings are pretty similar), and minced bacon.

Your finished cupcakes- YUM! Everyone loved these- go make them soon!

Savor it!
love, rue