Category Archives: Let’s Bake

>From Christina’s Kitchen to Yours -Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting-

Posted on by
5

>Summer is a good time to try new recipes. So I will be sharing with you every week a recipe from the kitchen of some of my friends.

This week Christina shares with us her recipe for Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese topping.

 

This is, hands down, the moistest Red Velvet cake recipe I’ve ever made. I discovered this recipe, adapted from the New York Times Heritage Cook Book, a few years ago on a blog called Pinch my Salt. I’ve done it a few times and my only variations, if you will, are that I use shortening (as the original recipe calls for) instead of butter.

 

Red Velvet Cake

2 1/2 cups sifted cake flour (Sift once before sifting again as per directions below with other dry ingredients)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2 oz. red food coloring
1/2 cup shortening
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk @ room temperature
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon baking soda

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour two 9-inch round cake pans.
2. Sift together the cake flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl; set aside.
3. In a small bowl, mix food coloring and cocoa powder and set aside.
3. In a large bowl (using a hand mixer or stand mixer) beat butter and sugar for about 3 minutes until light and fluffy.
4. Beat in eggs, one at a time, then beat in vanilla and the red cocoa paste, scraping down the bowl with a spatula as you go.
5. Add one third of the flour mixture to the butter mixture, beat well, then beat in half of the buttermilk.
6. Beat in another third of flour mixture, then the second half of buttermilk.
7. End with the last third of the flour mixture, beat until well combined, making sure to scrape down the bowl with a spatula.
8. Make sure you have cake pans buttered, floured, and nearby.
9. In a small bowl, mix vinegar and baking soda. Add cake batter and stir well to combine.
10. Working quickly, divide batter evenly between the cake pans and place them in a preheated 350 degree oven.
11. Bake for 25-30 minutes.
12. Cake is done when toothpick comes out clean.
13. Cool the cakes in their pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes.
14. Remove the cakes from the pan.
15. Allow cakes to cool completely before frosting.

 

Cream Cheese Frosting (I like to double the ingredients below & add a little more confectioners sugar to make it extra sweet!)

16 oz. cream cheese (2 packages) softened
1/2 cup unsalted butter (one stick) softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
sifted
pinch of salt

1. Blend cream cheese and butter with an electric mixer until smooth.
2. Turn mixer to low speed and blend in confectioners sugar, salt and vanilla extract.
3. Turn mixer on high and beat until light and fluffy.

Thank you, Christina!

May your day be sweet, dear friends!

Becky

Would you like to share a recipe with us this summer?
Contact me at dailyonmywaytoheaven@yahoo.com

>What About a Pears, Ginger and Lemon Zest Cobbler?

Posted on by
4

>

I am enjoying a wonderful time in Colorado Springs with my Beloved and one of our daughters, who turned 16 years old last week. I am grateful to the Lord, for providing this beautiful time for us to share laughters, hugs and chocolates!
So, I thought, that since I am not having lots of time to blog, this would be the perfect time to share with you all a recipe that I just love! (reposting from my former blog).
Enjoy!
*****************************
I want to share with you this great recipe; I got inspired in a red big book that my dear friend, Jen, gave me a few years ago, however, I made several changes, because I never use solid vegetable shortening and I love cranberries and cheese!
I hope you enjoy it as much as my family and I do.
Pear, Ginger and Lemon Zest Cobbler.
What You Need:
10 ripe pears. Do not peel them, just core them and cut them into thick cubes.
2  tsp grated fresh ginger…my favorite!
1/2 c. plus 3 tsp of sugar
1 tbsp.  fresh lemon juice…I actually plucked a lemon from our beautiful tree for its juice.
Finely grated zest of 1/2 lemon
1/2 cup  dried cranberries
2 cups of unbleached all-purpose flour
Pinch of salt
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 cup of butter
1 egg
1/3 cup milk
Cheese, any kind of Manchego or Gruyère; several thick slides.
How to do it:
1.  As always, pre-heat the oven to 425º F (220ºC). Butter a large casserole or 2 soufflé dish.
2. In a bowl, combine the pears, ginger, 1/2 cup of sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest, and dried cranberries.  Enjoy the aroma as you spoon into the dish.
3. In another bowl combine the flour, salt, baking powder,  1 tbsp of sugar, and butter. Work these ingredients with your fingertips, (this is a great time to call in for little hands’ help!)  until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
4. In a very small bowl beat the egg lightly and milk; stir into the other mixture. Knead, and knead, you might need to add a little bit more flour just to form a soft and nice dough. Not sticky, please.
5. Break off portions of the dough (as if you were to make cookies) and place them on top of the fruit. cover all the fruit and then sprinkle the rest of the sugar over the dough. Can you imagine it now? Yummy!
6. Bake until well browned, 35- 40 mins.
7. Serve immediately along with 3 or 4 slices of your favorite cheese.
Forgot to mention that this cobbler goes great with a French press of strong coffee.
Enjoy with  your family and good friends.
Every good gift comes from above, from our Heavenly Father.
 Becky

>Lemon Tart with Rasperries for the Weekend -and some links and a book recommendation-

Posted on by
5

>I want to share with you a great recipe I found last week, and turned out GREAT! Keep in mind that this tart is delicious cold so, you may want to make it at least 8 hrs before you plan serving it.

You can find the recipe  here;  the only thing that we changed was adding lots of raspberries at the end, and believe me… the combination of the lemon, and raspberries is phenomenal.

Now, as for the weekend links…

Petra’s pen has written a beautiful poem, Homophones.

Diane has a great, well… excellent post on Calvinism that speaks for me too, please read it here, What’s in a Name?

Diane also brings to us words of comfort from the hand of Mrs. Spurgeon, Thanksgiving Street.

Rebecca’s Theological Term of the Week is an important one, Hyper- Calvinism

And one more little thing…

I am starting to read this book:

I am so grateful for the authors… this is a book we all need to read as our children grow into adulthood. Remember how many books you and I used to read on childrearing when our children were all little? Well, now I have a son who is almost 18 and is leaving for college this summer {lump in my throat} and I am grateful I found this book in which I am learning the art of being a mom to a young adult man.

May your weekend be full of moments in which you find yourself thinking on Him and His Word!

>What About Some Oatmeal Cookies?

Posted on by
7

>When you bake cookies, you are not just baking sweets, you are building memories, you are sharing the goodness in the every day ritual of our lives.

I learned this recipe when I was around sixteen yo. and was visiting with my dear friend Sandy in Dallas; She taught me how to make these delicious, old fashioned oatmeal cookies and since then they have been a favorite treat in our family.

I thought you might enjoy the smell, the taste, the goodness, so here is the recipe for you to try in a cold afternoon, with a good cup of coffee.

Old Fashioned Oatmeal Cookies
What you need to gather:

3/4 c. of butter (room temperature)
1 c. brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla (Mexican please!)

1 3/4 flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powered
1 tsp salt

3 cups oatmeal

 Call your little ones and have them follow the instructions:

 1. Mix all the blue ingredients in a large bowl, until you have a creamy, nice and smooth batter.

 2. Sift together all the pink ingredients.

3. Put together the blue batter with the pink dry ingredients. Add the oatmeal  and mix them all with a wooden spoon. It will be hard to do it!

4. If you wish you can add 1 cup of chocolate chips, walnuts, pecans, raisins, dried cranberries, or white chocolate in little pieces.

5. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto greased cookie sheet.

6. Bake for about 8-10 min. at 350ºF (200ºC)

   The Secret for Success: 

DO NOT LEAVE THE KITCHEN, LEST YOU FORGET ABOUT YOUR COOKIES!

  Yes, the secret is to take them out of the oven when they are still “bubbling” but cooked already. DO NOT OVER BAKE because if you do so, they won’t be soft and chewy, but hard.

Happy baking!