Red Velvet is a timeless, classic Southern cake. It has a particular combination of ingredients that make it entirely unique. This year for my husband's birthday he wanted a red velvet cake because he likes the red velvet cake balls I make at Christmas (see my past blog posts for the recipe!). I had made red velvet cake before from a box, but never from scratch, and I wanted to give it a try! I researched on Pinterest and found two great recipes and combined them. I liked the frosting recipe best from one and the cake recipe best from another. I don't have a lot of photos of the baking process to share, but I wanted to share the recipe because it turned out to be delicious and blew the box cakes I had made in the past out of the water! I will definitely be adding this one to my collection of recipes to use in the future! Hope y'all enjoy it! Cake The cake recipe I found from Savory Spicerack (you can find their site here). Ingredients (Ensure that ingredients are room temperature before starting) 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1 1/2 cups sugar 1 tsp baking soda 1 tsp salt 2 Tbsp cocoa powder (I used Hershey's) 1 cup vegetable oil 1 cup buttermilk 2 large eggs 2 Tbsp red food coloring 1 tsp white distilled vinegar 1 tsp vanilla extract Directions Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray three 9 inch round pans with baking spray and set aside. In a large bowl, sift together dry ingredients. In another large bowl, whisk together vegetable oil, buttermilk, eggs, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla extract. With a mixer, combine the dry and wet ingredients. Mix batter just until blended. Pour batter evenly into the round pans and bake for 18-20 minutes (but check at 16 minutes), or until toothpick comes clean, rotating cakes halfway during the baking process. Cool cake layers completely before frosting. Frosting The frosting recipe I used is from Everyday Made Fresh (you can find their site here). Ingredients 16 oz. cream cheese, room temperature 1 stick butter, room temperature 4 cups powdered sugar 2 tsp vanilla extract 2 Tbsp heavy whipping cream (I ended up using more) Directions Begin making the frosting when the cake layers are completely cooled. Beat cream cheese, butter, and vanilla until combined. Slowly add powdered sugar, until you've added all 4 cups. Mix in heavy whipping cream and beat for 4 minutes. If it's too thick, add a teaspoon at a time of more heavy whipping cream...OR...if it isn't thick enough, add 1/4 cup powdered sugar at a time until you reach the desired consistency (I ended up adding a good bit more heavy whipping cream because I wanted the frosting to be light and fluffy). Level cake layers if necessary with a large serrated knife (I did this to one of mine). Stack the cake layers, frosting between each layer. Then frost the sides and top of the cake. You can serve like this...OR...I used the extra cake that I cut off of one of the layers to make it even and crumbled it on top and around the edge of the cake to decorate it!
0 Comments
One of my favorite desserts is coconut cake. Several years ago, my mom found this recipe in Our State Magazine by Janet Truckner (I LOVE their magazine...you can find their website here). This is our go-to coconut cake recipe and it does not disappoint! I recently made this delicious cake for our family's Easter dinner dessert! The assembly takes a little time, but the recipe is actually pretty simple and quick! Ingredients (pictured above are the ingredients for the entire cake...this cake has 3 separate parts). Filling 2 (8-oz.) containers sour cream 2 cups sugar 1 (6-oz.) package frozen coconut, thawed Mix filling ingredients. Cover and store in fridge for 24 hours (if you're in a time crunch, you can put it in the freezer for a short time period instead). Cake Duncan Hines Classic Yellow cake mix 3 eggs Vegetable oil Prepare 2 layers of cake according to directions on the box. Allow layers to cool, then divide them (I used a large serrated knife) into 4 layers. Stack the layers on a cake plate, spreading filling on top of each layer. Don't forget to spread filling on the very top layer as well. The filling will make the cake super flavorful and extremely moist. Frosting 1/2 pint sweetened whipped cream (I didn't use this entire Cool Whip container) 1 (6-oz.) package frozen coconut, thawed Frost sides and top of the cake with the whipped cream. Sprinkle entire cake with coconut. Cover the finished cake with foil (or a glass dome for your cake plate). Refrigerate for 24 hours before serving. When you cut into the cake, the filling will be juicy, but that's okay...that makes it delicious!
Strawberry season is almost upon us! So I wanted to share this Strawberry Bread that I made the other week for friends visiting from out of town! You can really make this bread anytime of the year though! This recipe comes from my aunt who is an awesome cook...until a few years ago, I had never heard of strawberry bread but is the perfect, delicious blend of strawberries, a little cinnamon, and pecans! Ingredients 3 cups flour 1 tsp. salt 1 tsp. baking soda 1 Tbsp. cinnamon 2 cups sugar 3 eggs, well beaten 1 1/4 cups oil 2 (10-oz.) packages frozen sliced strawberries, thawed 1 cup pecans, chopped Directions Combine dry ingredients, making a well in the center of the mixing bowl. Beat eggs and oil together and add to dry ingredients. Stir until moistened. Stir in strawberries and pecans. Spoon batter into 2 greased 8-inch loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees until bread tests done (I baked mine a little over an hour, but checked it at 45 minutes). Leave in pan about 20 minutes. Wrap in foil or plastic wrap and let stand overnight before slicing (if you're in more of a time crunch, you can let it cool and then wrap it in foil and place in the fridge for a few hours like I did). Hope y'all enjoy!
The perfect centerpiece for your Easter dinner table!My mom found a cool flower arrangement similar to this one in a magazine and I decided to try and replicate it! It is a pretty simple project but adds a creative twist to a basic flower arrangement that is super festive for Easter! All you need is:
First, paint the eggs in the color of your choice. I used a light pink color on some of the eggs. For the others, I mixed light cream paint in with the pink paint to make it an even lighter shade of pink on some of the eggs. That way I had two different shades of pink to mix into the arrangement. Allow them to dry well. Next, use your sponge to speckle light brown (or another color you choose) lightly onto the eggs. This adds a little texture. Allow them to dry completely. Next, fill the plastic cup with water and place it inside the large vase or hurricane. Arrange the eggs inside the vase, carefully placing them around the plastic cup. Then, arrange your fresh flowers inside the plastic cup of water. Now you have a colorful and creative arrangement to use for Easter! It serves as a great centerpiece for the dining table!
Hey y'all! After taking a looong break, I'm getting back on the blog! I've been off of here for over a year...a LOT of great things have happened in that time! We had a sweet baby boy last April and our little family has moved from Boston to Brooklyn to Milwaukee, with many trips back to the sweet state of North Carolina as often as possible! I'm loving life as a mama and am excited to share more of my little projects, recipes, decorations, etc. again! Hope y'all enjoy! A sweet Christmas treat!It's Christmas cookie season and one of my favorite treats to make is Red Velvet Cake Balls! Several years ago, my cousin gave my mom and I the recipe...now we make them every year! They are so festive and pretty...and delicious! Ingredients 1 box red velvet cake mix (cook as directed on the box) 1 can cream cheese frosting (16 oz...you can use the regular frosting or the whipped) 1 package of white chocolate chips or a bar of white baking chocolate Wax paper Directions After cake is baked, let it cool completely. Crumble the cake into a large bowl. Add can of cream cheese frosting and mix thoroughly. Roll mixture into quarter size balls and lay on cookie sheets. Chill for several hours. The freezer speeds the process along. Melt chocolate in the microwave according to the directions on the package. Place the cake balls on wax paper. Dip some of the cake balls in the melted chocolate. Use a spoon to drizzle the melted chocolate in different designs on top of the other cake balls. Once the chocolate has dried, place cake balls in mini cupcake baking cups. Chill and store the cake balls in the refridgerator!
Cornucopia CenterpieceRecently I filled and decorated a cornucopia my mom already had. We picked out several fall floral picks, berries, pumpkins, wheat, acorns, decorative corn, etc. to fill it. I thought it turned out pretty and festive and wanted to share my little DIY project on the blog! I used a simple floral foam cone inside the cornucopia, as well as some floral wire to anchor the decor. You can find cornucopias at craft stores and fill them with any fall decor to match your table setting or room! This makes a perfect centerpiece for a Thanksgiving table setting! I even used a few pheasant feathers coming out of the cornucopia, as well as some cotton to create a slightly rustic but elegant centerpiece! As always, some cotton sure adds some southern charm! Happy Thanksgiving y'all!
"Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His steadfast love endures forever." A Sweet Fall Treat!One of my favorite treats for Halloween has always been popcorn balls...and my mom makes some delicious ones. The cool thing is, you don't just have limit them to Halloween. Popcorn balls are a great little treat to make anytime in the Fall. They're a fun project and taste awesome. Perfect to give away to friends! Recently, my mom and I made a small batch together and had a lot of fun! We displayed them on this rustic metal cake plate she found...how cute is that?! Below is the recipe and it makes about 8 popcorn balls. Ingredients 1/2 cup sugar 1/4 cup butter 1/2 cup light corn syrup 1/2 tsp. salt 8-9 cups popped popcorn Directions Go ahead and pop your popcorn. Measure out the 8-9 cups into a large bowl. In a medium saucepan, mix together sugar, butter, syrup, and salt. Heat to a boil. Have a small cup of cold water and drop a small amount of the mixture into it. If it is the consistency where you can make a small ball out of it, it is good to go. This is a good way to test the mixture. Pour the mixture over the popcorn in the large bowl. With a wooden spoon, gently mix so that the popcorn is coated in the mixture. Be careful not to break up too much of the popcorn. Run your hands under cold water, then shape into about 2.5" balls. Gently shape them so they do not become too hard when they cool. Place the popcorn balls onto wax paper to cool. Once the popcorn balls have cooled, you can put them into cute plastic bags and tie ribbon around the top! We did two different bags, super fun and festive for Fall!
Happy Fall Y'all!I found this recipe a couple years ago through Pinterest. It's from The Happier Homemaker (you can find it here). I recently made this with apples from our trip to the orchard. I've been making this bread recipe the past two years for the fall and it's delicious! It is an awesome recipe for autumn...perfect for breakfast or with a cozy cup of coffee or tea! I love to make Apple Cinnamon Bread when we have company. It smells amazing coming out of the oven and it's a great treat for when guests arrive! This is also a great bread to make, double the recipe, and give one loaf to a friend! Ingredients 1/2 cup packed brown sugar 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon 2/3 cup white sugar 1/2 cup butter, softened 2 eggs 2 tsp. vanilla 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder 1 1/2 cup flour 1/2 cup milk 1 large apple, peeled and chopped Directions Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9 x 5" loaf pan. I go ahead and peel and chop the apple before the other steps. Mix brown sugar and cinnamon together in a bowl and set aside. With a mixer, combine white sugar and butter until smooth. Add eggs and the vanilla. Continue to beat on medium speed until combined. Add flour and baking powder. Then add the milk. Mix until combined. Pour half of the batter into the pan. Cover with half of the apples. Pat apples into the batter with the back of a spoon. Sprinkle with half of the cinnamon/sugar mixture. Repeat with the rest of the ingredients. Pat topping into the batter. Bake for about 50 mins, until toothpick comes out clean. Cool before taking loaf out of the pan. Enjoy!
Apple Picking in New England!If you're looking for a fun, outdoor activity for the fall, apple picking is a great one! My husband and I went apple picking a while back at an orchard in Massachusetts with some friends and had a great time. It was such a pretty area and it was a blast trying the different kinds of apples and picking a "peck!" With some of the apples we picked (turns out a "peck" is a lot!), I made my grandma's recipe for apple dumplings...they were delicious! I also baked Apple Cinnamon Bread...I'll be sharing the recipe for this on my next blog post! It's perfect for fall!
|
BLOG OF A...Southern Belle and Carolina girl who loves Jesus, family, and life below the Mason-Dixon line. A Fan of Southern hospitality, grits and biscuits, pearls and bow ties, cotton and magnolias, sunshine and sweet tea, and all things monogrammed! Archives
December 2016
Categories |