Showing posts with label home made icing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label home made icing. Show all posts

Thursday, December 19, 2013

Tis the Season for Baking, Baking, and More Baking!!!

   It's that time of year, where families come together, laugh, catch up, open gifts, eat so much food they want to pass out! The minute December first arrives, it automatically kick starts our family get togethers, December is our busiest month out the year because we have so many family things to do, plus our oldest sons birthday is this month as well. So far  I have made my 4 Layer Berry Delight, which is always a hit! I also made some home made sugar cookies that are just fantastic for doing fun cookie cutter shapes. Did it as a practice run for Santa Clause, and of course all my Wild Things, including daddy wild thing taste tested. Not only are they good, My kids had a blast decorating them and getting messy. I found a great home made sugar cookie recipe, perfect for holding shape, and a great icing recipe that went quit well with the cookies and was really good for filling in and hardening nice, but not to hard!
    Recipe is as followed, and I will post the link where I got it from.

Ingredients:
2  1/2 cups unsalted butter (at room temperature)
2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
3 tsp vanilla 
5 cups flour
1/8 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt

Directions:
1. Cream the butter and sugar together in the bowl of an electric mixer on low to medium speed.  (Use the paddle attachment).  Mix until thoroughly incorporated – for about one minute.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a plastic spatula and mix again for a few seconds more.
Over mixing the butter and sugar in this step will cause too much air to be incorporated into the dough.  If you’d like a light and fluffy cookie, that’s ideal, however the dough will spread more during baking; not ideal if you’d like the cookie to hold its shape.

2. Add eggs slowly and mix.  Scrape down the bowl with your spatula at least once and mix again.

3. Add vanilla extract.  Stir briefly.

4. Sift your dry ingredients together.  (Flour, baking powder and salt).

5. Add all of the flour mixture to the bowl.  Place a large tea towel or two small tea towels between the edge of the bowl and the electric mixer so that the flour won’t escape.  Mix on low speed for 3o seconds.  Remove the tea towels and observe the dough mixing; when it clumps around the paddle attachment it’s ready.  It’s also important at this stage not to over mix the dough (the glutens in the flour develop and the dough can become tough).

6. Roll the dough out between 2 large pieces of parchment paper.  Place on a baking sheet and into the fridge for a minimum of 1 hour.

7. Roll out the dough further if you need to, and cut out cookie shapes.  Place on parchment paper-lined baking sheet.  Re-roll scraps and repeat.

8. Put cookie dough shapes back into the fridge for 10 minutes to 1 hour to chill again.  They will then hold their shape better when baked.

9. Preheat your oven to 350°F

10. Bake cookies for 8-12 minutes or until the edges become golden brown.  The baking time will depend on the size of your cookie.

11. Let cookies cool to room temperature and decorate!
After Baked, shape held together very well!


Original Recipe from : Sweetopia

    Now for the Icing recipe I used, its super, super simple, just a few ingredients, I added a little something extra, tastes great, and is actually a really good consistency for decorating, and holds together very well. Hardens nice, but doesn't get to hard! My kids enjoyed these to much.

Ingredients:
1 cup powder sugar (confectioners sugar)
1 tablespoon milk
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1 drop lemon juice (can be fresh)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
* you don't taste the lemon juice at all, it just counteracts all that sugar to make it taste better!

 

Directions:
  • Place one cup of powder sugar in sifter. Try not to skip this step! Lumps in icing are hard to fix.
  • Add one tablespoon milk, one tablespoon corn syrup,1/2 teaspoon vanilla and one drop lemon juice.
  • Mix everything together. If the mixture still looks a little dry then add a little more milk 1 teaspoon at a time.
  • Start decorating!
Came out just pretty!
Recipe originated from: I am Baker


Monday, April 2, 2012

Home made Carrot Cake & Cream cheese Icing

  
 WOW this cake is fantastically great not to mention super simple. Another recipe from my aunt, she made it this weekend for one of her grand daughters birthday party. I have never tried carrot cake before and I tell you this is the best time to try is home made. It was all organic and completely delicious. I was a little skeptical at first, but as soon as I took a taste of that cream cheese icing I was hooked. I just had to have a piece! I have had this recipe for quite some time now and haven't tried it out yet. Needless to say next get together this will be the dessert to bring, as I am usually in charge of desserts. I hope you try and enjoy, it is definitely a must make!

Carrot Cake Ingredients 

  • 1-1/2 cup salad oil 
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 cup chopped pecans
  • 2 cups flour
  • 2 cups grated carrots
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 4 eggs
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda

Mix oil, eggs, and salt. Add remaining ingredients. Bake at 350 degrees in greased and floured pan for 40 minutes or until toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean.

Cream Cheese Icing

  • 1 stick melted margarine
  • (1) 8oz package
  • 1/2 cup chopped pecans
  • 1 box sifted powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
Mix all ingredients and spread on cooled cake.


Friday, March 30, 2012

Home made Icing (perfect for fancy cakes)


    This recipe I got out of my baking cook book The Taste of Home Baking. I tried on Tuckers 4th birthday cake because he wanted a super hero cake. So I did a three layer cake and each layer was a different super hero theme, My cake came out pretty messy but I was on a time schedule, however I left the cake out over night and the icing got hard, which is good, If I had taken the time to smooth it out the icing would have been a lot prettier the next day once it hardened. I'm still proud of it though it was my first time making it and Tucker couldn't have been more happier! Next time I will take the time out to smooth everything.



(Note: All accessories were made from cardboard and construction paper)












What you will Need:
1-1/2 cups butter, softened 
15 cups confectioners' sugar
3/4 cup half-and-half cream
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
Food Coloring (any kind is fine, I used liquid)

    In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and confectioners' sugar ( I had to add confectioners' sugar a few cups at a time). Add the cream, vanilla and salt; beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. (Frosting may need to be made in batches, I did not have to but is in the book). Once frosting is mixed and ready (there will be a lot), separate into bowls, and add food coloring.
    For decorating, frosting can be put into pastry bags or heavy duty resealable plastic bags. Place decorating tips onto bags and viola. When decorating cover remaining frosting with a damp clean cloth until ready to use.


You can also find The Taste of Home Baking on Amazon.com