My empty nest world of scratch baking and chicken scratch
I had the privilege of making 400 wedding favor cupcakes for my beautiful niece’s wedding last year. This is the frosting that topped the White Sour Cream Almond cupcakes that were given to the guests at the end of the evening. Classic VanillIa Buttercream Frosting 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened 4 cups confectioners sugar (powdered … Read more
This is a twist on the classic sour cream pound cake that uses ricotta in place of the sour cream. Dense, moist and buttery … and easy to make! It is important to beat the butter and sugar for the full 5 to 7 minutes which will incorporate air into this heavy batter. This is … Read more
Heaven in a ramekin! Creme Brulee is my absolute, hands-down, all-time favorite dessert! Most people don’t know how easy it is to make – just four ingredients! Creme Brulee is a rich vanilla flavored custard base that is topped with a contrasting layer of hard (carmelized) sugar. It is fast and easy to make. You … Read more
Blueberry Pudding Cake signifies the start of summer in our house! Freshly picked blueberries that are capped with a slightly sweet batter, baked until golden and bubbly – a little like a cake, a little like a cobbler, and a little like pudding. Serve it warm from the oven either plain (which I prefer) or with fresh … Read more
This rich, velvety chocolate cream filling pairs perfectly with my sweet butter crust! If you don’t have time to make a homemade pie crust, a store-bought crust will work too. Serve each slice with a dollop of whipped cream. I have served this filling in a pre-made Oreo crust and the results were DIVINE! This … Read more
Amazing, hot, buttery, melt-in-your-mouth yeast rolls – start to finish in just one hour! While these rolls are easy enough to make throughout the year, I like to reserve them for holiday meals. This makes them extra special and something that the family looks forward to on holidays. When the rolls come out of the … Read more
This traditional, old-world Italian cookie is commonly presented at Easter and Christmas. This is a tender, buttery, cake-like cookie that is topped with a rich vanilla buttercream icing and then sprinkled with sprinkles of the season – fit for a queen! These cookies are very easy to make. The use of grated orange or … Read more
Okay, so this cookie almost went immediately into the trash after the first stencil. A detailed stencil and black icing are a very frustrating combination. The cookie was just uninteresting; the black food color bled into the pink. Lots of variables to consider when stenciling a cookie that I’ll cover in another post. I … Read more
Let me just start off by stating unequivocally that I am a scratch baker! Period! No room for semi-homemade in this house! That being said, the Oscars were on last night!! I didn’t have time to bake (much less from scratch) but I wanted to make something sweet to mail to my boys in college. … Read more