Spring Bouquet For Mother's Day

I bought these tulip cupcake liners about 3 years ago with the thought that I would make some really pretty Mother's Day cupcakes and that just never happened. Life got in the way, there were other recipes requested and then I misplaced the liners until recently when Hayden was pulling my baking supplies out of a cabinet and playing with them in the living room :-). When Pillsbury® sent me some samples of their new bold Funfetti cake and cupcake mixes, I knew the yellow would be perfect for Spring cupcakes. Sometimes, life just works itself out and things fall into place.

My second mom, Olivia, gave me this Pillsbury Poppin' Fresh doll when she came to visit for Easter. He was the perfect little helper and inspiration in the kitchen and he's just so cute, don't you think? I think he'd approve of my use of  bold Pillsbury flower cupcakes. I'm kind of funny about colored mixes and drinks- I want the flavor to reflect the color so I added some bright lemon zest and juice to the batter along with buttermilk for some extra tang and to provide maximum moisture. So not only do they look like Spring, they taste like it too! The neon pink Funfetti icing was the perfect compliment to the pop of yellow underneath. 

These cupcakes are fun and worthy of a celebration, but they're easy enough that you don't have to stress about making them. They can be decorated any way you want, these flowers are just an idea but you can get more inspiration by visiting Pillsbury on Facebook, PillsburyBaking.com and Pillsbury on Pinterest. Any decorative tips, colors or sprinkles will work. Have fun with it and let everyone help and decorate their own for a truly unique experience. 

Lemon Buttermilk Flower Cupcakes

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• 1- 8.25 oz. package Pillsbury Funfetti Neon Yellow Cake Mix
• 2/3 cup buttermilk
• 1/4  cup vegetable oil
• 1 large egg
• 1 Tablespoon lemon zest
• 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line cupcake tin with paper liners and set aside. 

Place all ingredients in a large bowl and beat with a hand mixer until batter is smooth and creamy and no traces of cake mix remain. 

Evenly divide the cake mix between the paper liners, filling them no more than 2/3 full. 

Bake for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. 

Makes 10-12 cupcakes, depending on size. 

Once cupcakes are baked, allow them to cool in pan for five minutes before removing them to a wire rack to cool completely. 

For the Frosting: 

Transfer your favorite colors of Pillsbury Funfetti frosting to a piping bag fitted with your favorite icing tips and decorate the tops of the cooled cupcakes to resemble flowers. Use the sprinkles and colored sugar that come with the frosting to bring your cupcake flowers to life!

I used these Wilton tips for decorating: 

• leaf tip- #67
• round dot tip- #12
• small flower tip- #224
• swirl tip- #21

Store cupcakes at room temperature, in an airtight container. 

*I was provided with product samples and compensation by Pillsbury®, though the opinions I express here are my own. ©/® The J.M. Smucker Company. Pillsbury is a trademark of The Pillsbury Company, LLC, used under license. 

Apples and Spice

It's almost Thanksgiving, are you all ready? I'm always interested in what people are making. Ham or turkey? Stuffing or dressing? Cranberry sauce- fresh or jellied? Pumpkin or pecan? There are so many different foods, I want a buffet table so I can sample everything! What's on your Thanksgiving menu? Our family does Holiday gatherings pot-luck style so not everyone has to do the work on heir own. Less stress that way. I'm in charge of a side dish and chocolate pecan pies this year. 

I baked my cake in my Autumn Harvest Bundt that my hubby gave me years ago. It's such a pretty pan, but the detail didn't show up as much as I hoped it would. I'm thinking a pound cake would do well in a pan like this, with a light dusting of powdered sugar. 

If you like spice cake, you might like this cake. It was really moist and spicy. A little too spicy for me, if I'm being honest, but if spice is your thing you'll like this. In this applesauce cake was lemon zest too, which was a nice addition. It brightened the flavor and helped cut through the spice. If I made this again, I'd leave out the allspice all together, cut the amount of nutmeg in half and add more chopped apples. The glaze though, was delicious! I could eat the glaze straight out of the bowl with a spoon. Below is the recipe for the cake, as I made it. 

Stay tuned for a holiday pie recipe and a giveaway... coming soon! Click to see the other cakes made by the Cake Slice Bakers.

Apple Sauce Spice Bundt Cake 

adapted from Great Cakes by Carole Walter

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• 2 1/4 cups sifted unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 3/4 cup pecans, lightly toasted finely chopped (optional)
• 1/3 cup butter, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• 1/3 cup vegetable shortening
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2/3 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
• 2 large eggs
• 1 medium sized Granny Smith apple, peeled and diced, about 1 cup
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup applesauce

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. utter a 9" fluted tube pan, dust it lightly with flour and invert over the kitchen sink to tap out excess flour.

Sift together flour, baking soda, salt and spices in a triple sifter. Stir in chopped pecans, if using. Set aside.

Place the butter and shortening and lemon zest in large bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the beaters or paddle attachment. Beat over medium-high speed until creamy and smooth, about 2 minute. 

Add the granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, taking 3 to 4 minutes to blend it in well. Add the light brown sugar over an additional 3 to 4 minutes. Scrape the sides of the bowl occasionally.

Add the eggs, one at a time until well blended. Reduce speed to medium-low. Add the fresh apple and the vanilla. 

Reduce mixer speed to low. Add the flour/nut mixture alternately in three additions with the applesauce in two additions, starting and ending with the flour. Beat just until incorporated after each addition. Scrape the sides of the bowl occasionally.

Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Center the pan on the rack and bake in the preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes or until the cake begins to leave the sides of the pan and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Remove from oven. Place the pan on a cake rack to set for 10 to 15 minutes, then invert the cake onto the rack and remove pan. While the cake is still warm you may want to pour Brown Sugar Glaze over the top, letting it drip naturally down the sides. Garnish the top with chopped pecans if you wish.

Brown Sugar Glaze

• 3 Tablespoons butter
• 3 Tablespoons brown sugar, packed
• 3 Tablespoons heavy cream
• 3/4 cup sifted powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

In a small saucepan, melt the butter with the brown sugar over low heat. Then stir in the heavy cream and cook slowly until the mixture comes to a gentle boil. Simmer for 1-2 minutes.

Take the pan off the heat and gradually add the powdered sugar in three additions, whisking until smooth. Add in the vanilla and whisk to combine. 

If the icing is too thick, add another tablespoon of the cream. You want it thin enough to pour but not runny. It sets quickly so get it on the cake as quickly as possible.

My little barefoot donkey on Halloween :-)

Lemons, Limes and Oranges. Oh My!

I made these a few weeks ago and I forgot to share them. Forgive me. I got wrapped up in Hayden's birthday extravaganza that they got lost in the shuffle. I realize Fall is officially upon us but when you have a dessert with this much citrus zest, you just have to share them. Am I right? Besides you have all season long to bake with apples, pumpkins and comforting spices, so today it's all about lemons, limes and oranges. Hooray!

I got this recipe from my friend Memoria of Mangio da Sola. She made these over two years ago and they've been in the back of my mind ever since (Hi Memoria! We miss you!). I love key lime pie and could eat a whole pie by myself, as embarrassing as that is to admit. While I was pregnant with Hayden, I craved it all the time so I was pleased to discover that these bars were very similar. But these are a little different because they have a touch of cream cheese in them that makes these a bit more like cheesecake. 

Busted! Someone discovered toilet paper roll!

Part key lime pie, part cheesecake bar, all goodness. They were creamy, tart, tangy and loaded with flavorful citrus zest atop a buttery golden crust. I misread the directions and baked them in a 9x13-inch pan instead of a square dish so mine were thinner than expected but still great. If you want a thicker, taller bar to sink your teeth into just use a smaller pan. Either way, they're sure to satisfy. Thanks for sharing the recipe with us Memoria. I hope you're enjoying Italy! 

Triple Citrus Bars adapted from Mangio da Sola via Cook's Illustrated

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Crust:

1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs

3 Tbsp packed brown sugar 

5 Tbsp. butter, melted

pinch of salt

Filling:

2 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

1 1/2 tsp grated lime zest 

1 1/2 tsp grated lemon zest

1 1/2 tsp grated orange zest

1 14-oz can of condensed milk

1 egg yolk, room temperature

6 Tbsp lime juice 

2 Tbsp lemon juice 

2 Tbsp orange juice 

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Butter an 8x8-inch pan (for thicker bars) or a 9x13-inch pan (for thinner bars) and set aside. 

To make the crust: In a medium bowl, mix graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar and salt. Drizzle butter over crumbs and stir until crumbs are evenly moistened with butter. Press crumbs evenly and firmly into bottom of prepared pan. Bake until deep golden brown, 18 to 20 minutes. Cool on wire rack while making filling. Do not turn off oven.

To make the filling: While the crust cools, in medium bowl, stir cream cheese with the lemon, orange and limes zests with a rubber spatula until softened, creamy, and thoroughly combined. Slowly add sweetened condensed milk and whisk vigorously until incorporated and no lumps of cream cheese remain; whisk in egg yolk. Add juices and whisk gently until incorporated (mixture will thicken slightly).

To assemble and bake: Pour filling into crust; spread to corners and smooth surface with rubber spatula. Bake until set and edges begin to pull away slightly from sides, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool on wire rack to room temperature. Cover with foil and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, at least 2 hours.

Cut into squares and serve chilled. Will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. 

Summery Birthday Cupcakes & A Winner!

My sweet angel boy Sam would have turned 6 years old this past August 15th. It's hard to believe that that much time has passed. Every year we celebrate by baking him up a cake or cupcakes, and going to the cemetery for a balloon release. This year was no different only Hayden was with us and he sent the balloons up to his big brother. He will always be my first born even if he's not here. And I will always celebrate his life as long as I'm his momma. This year it was with strawberry lemonade cupcakes. 

Strawberries and lemons just scream summer to me and these were the perfect refreshing treat. They were sweet and tangy, bright and loaded with lemon zest in the cupcake, in the filling and in the buttercream. I found the recipe at Four Points Foodie and adapted it to my liking. I can't say that I've seen a cupcake filled with fresh diced lemony strawberries before so I was definitely intrigued. These were delicious and perfect for celebrating a sixth birthday. 

There are a few more days of Summer left and if you're looking for a seasonal recipe to whip up for your Labor Day weekend, these might be the cuppies for you! For the winner of the "Whatever Happened To Sunday Dinner?" cookbook head to the bottom of this post. 

Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes adapted from Four Points Foodie

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For The Cupcakes:

• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste
• 3/4 cup flour
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/8 tsp of salt
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
• Zest of 1 lemon

For The Strawberry Lemon Filling:

• 1/4 cup diced strawberries
• 1 1/2 tsp sugar
• Zest of 1 lemon

For The Lemon Buttercream:

• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
• 1 tsp lemon zest
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2 tsp lemon juice

For The Cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line 8 cupcake tins with paper cups.  

In a mixer, cream butter until light and fluffy then add the sugar and mix well. Add the egg and the vanilla  then stir.  Alternately add the flour and the milk, mixing well after each addition. Add the salt and baking powder then scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the lemon juice and zest then stir well.   

Scoop into cupcake papers filling no more than 3/4 full. Bake for 20-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centers comes out clean.  Remove from oven and allow to cool completely on a wire rack. 

For The Strawberry Filling: In a small bowl, mix the strawberries, lemon zest and the sugar and let sit for 10 minutes.   

For The Buttercream: In a medium bowl, cream butter until light and fluffy. Add lemon zest then slowly add the powdered sugar til well combined. Mix well then add the lemon juice and beat until fluffy.

To Assemble The Cupcakes: Cut the center of each cupcake out with a sharp paring knife. Spoon strawberry lemon filling into hole then using a large tip, frost over the filling on each cupcake.   

NOTE: Makes 8 cupcakes. Recipe can be doubled. 

The winner of "Whatever Happened To Sunday Dinner?" by Lisa Caponigri chosen by random.org is my friend Heather of Kitchen Concoctions. Yay! 

Summer Fun At The Pool

Whew! It has been a week, let me tell you. Hayden caught a virus that gave him a high fever for several days. He was okay until Wednesday night when he couldn't keep food down. Then he stopped eating and drinking and started to get dehydrated so we took him to the ER Thursday afternoon. The doctor there gave him some anti-nausea medicine that helped settle his stomach, which in turn allowed him to eat and drink and keep it down. It worked, he took a nap, drank milk, felt better then started flirting with the nurses. The doctor was happy with his progress so he didn't have to be hooked up to an IV afterall. Thank goodness. After the fever broke, he got a rash for a few days and that is finally going away. He is just about back to normal and acting like his silly self again. 

Over the weekend we went swimming at a family friends' house. Hayden has never been in a swimming pool before but we hoped he would like splashing in the water. He loved the water and was so relaxed by it. Instead of splashing around and having fun, he took a nap- twice! The water was so soothing and he was so relaxed in my arms that he just drifted off. He did have fun lounging in his floaty too. And I have to tell you, he is so darn cute in swim shorts and a cap :-)

I made these bars about a week before my birthday and they were freaking delicious. If you like key lime pie, you will love these. It's essentially the same recipe but in bar form and it uses lemon juice in stead of lime. These bars also have the summery addition of blueberries too, but raspberries or blackberries would be just as good. Heck if you want to use lime juice, go ahead and make them your way. These bars are the epitome of summer- they're bright and citrusy, fruity, tangy and creamy. I made them on an ordinary day but they're the perfect treat to enjoy poolside to beat the heat. 

Blueberry Lemon Bars slightly adapted from Two Peas and Their Pod

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For the crust: 

• 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 6 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• Zest of one lemon

For the filling:

• 2 large egg yolks
• 1 (14 ounce can) sweetened condensed milk 
• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 cup fresh blueberries

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray an 8x8 inch baking dish with cooking spray. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, sugar, and lemon zest. Stir until graham cracker crumbs are moist. Press crumbs firmly into the bottom and slightly up the sides of prepared pan. Bake the graham cracker crust for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool to room temperature.

To make the filling, combine the egg yolks and condensed milk in a medium bowl. Stir in the lemon juice and lemon zest. Stir until mixture is smooth and begins to slightly thicken. Gently fold in the 3/4 of the blueberries, reserving some for the top. 

Pour the lemon blueberry filling evenly over the graham cracker crust then top with the remaining blueberries. Bake for 15 minutes, or until just set.

Cool for 10 minutes at room temperature, then refrigerate until completely chilled. Cut into bars and serve. 

Sunny Citrus

Last month I had a giveaway for Baking Basics and Beyond cookbook, that Becca from Cookie Jar Treats won. We decided to pick a recipe and bake it "together". We both scanned the book and quickly settled on a recipe with bright refreshing flavors- Sunny Citrus Bars. Since both our mothers love citrus, we made these for them on Mother's Day. I made a full pan and presented half of them to my mother and the other half to my mother-in-law. It's the perfect tangy treat for sharing. 

Sunny citrus bars are essentially lemon bars with a shortbread crust, but the filling includes tart lemon juice and zest as well and sweet and aromatic orange juice and zest. So rather than a zingy filling, these are a little on the sweet side, especially since they're topped with a powdered sugar glaze after they've baked and cooled. They weren't as orangey as I thought they'd be, nor were they as lemony, but they were a nice balance in between. The filling was a little gooey, the crust a little crunchy. All in all, they were quite good and would satisfy any citrus craving. 

As far as lemon bars go, I think I prefer one with more pucker and these meyer lemon-lime bars are my still my favorite. I did, however, LOVE the shortbread crust and would definitely make that part of the recipe again. In fact I caught myself cutting off the edges of the crust "to make them prettier and more presentable" just so I could nibble on the buttery, crumbly, crunchy base. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

Sunny Citrus Bars from Baking Basics and Beyond
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For The Crust: 

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 3/4 cup cold butter

For The Filling: 

• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• 1 teaspoon grated orange zest

For The Glaze: 

• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 2-4 Tablespoons orange juice

Heat oven oven to 350 degrees F. with oven rack in the middle. Lightly spray bottom of a 9x13-inch baking pan with non-stick cooking spray. 

For The Crust: Mix the flour and powdered sugar in a medium bowl. Cut in butter with a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some pea-sized pieces. Press crust evenly in bottom and slightly up sides of baking pan. (Mixture may appear a little dry and crumbly- this is okay.)

Bake 20-25 minutes or until the edges begin to brown. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees F. 

For The Filling: Combine sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Beat in eggs using wire whisk. When smooth, stir in butter, both lemon and orange juice, then stir in both lemon and orange zests. Mix well and pour over the hot crust. 

Bake 25-30 minutes or until the filling is set in the center and a knife comes out clean, although it will still be be wet. Cool on a wire cooling rack to room temperature. 

For The Glaze: Combine powdered sugar and 2 Tablespoons orange juice in a small bowl and beat with a small whisk until smooth. If glaze is too thick, add more juice. Spread glaze over cooled bars. Allow glaze to set up then store bars in the refrigerator. 

Head on over to Becca's blog and check out her citrus bars. And while you're there, leave her a note of congratulations, she graduated from high school this past weekend! Congratulations Becca!

The Cake Slice: Baking With Maranda

I have a special "Cake Slice" cake for you today. "What makes it so special?" you may be asking yourself. It's special because I got to co-bake with my fellow Cake Slice Baker- Maranda of Jolts & Jollies! I first met Maranda in person back in December when she was visiting family and friends over the holidays. We wanted to bake together but time was limited. Lucky for me, she just moved back to Texas a few weeks ago, so hanging out together in the kitchen was finally possible.

Every month we get to vote on a selection of cakes and usually there is a definitive winner. However, this month there was a tie between Lime Chiffon Cake and Fresh Strawberry Cake with White Chocolate Chips so we got to choose which one we wanted to bake. Maranda made one and I made the other. So today, you get two recipes for the price of one!

Maranda actually made her cake a couple times. She had issues with the first one and wasn't so pleased with it, but the second one came out beautifully- it was tall, light and airy. She even added a glaze to it to send it over the top. The step by step recipe for the Lime Chiffon Cake can be found on her blog- Jolts & Jollies.

My strawberry white chocolate chip cake came together really quickly and effortlessly. I did forget to dust my strawberries in flour before I folded them in, but it turned out just fine. The fresh strawberry flavor came through, there were sweet little buttery pockets from the white chocolate chips, and the lemon zest, was just enough to brighten it up without making it taste like lemon. It was really moist from the addition of the sour cream and I thoroughly enjoyed this cake. So much that I may or may not have eaten it for breakfast a couple days in a row :-) It was a little plain jane looking, but a little sweetened whipped cream and a strawberry garnish go a long way.

Strawberry White Chocolate Chip Cake from Cake Keeper Cakes

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• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 8 oz. strawberries, stemmed and sliced
• 1 cup white chocolate chips or chunks

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8-inch square baking pan and dust it with flour, knocking out any extra. Set aside.

Combine the egg, egg yolk, sour cream, lemon zest and vanilla in a large glass measuring cup and lightly beat. Combine 1 1/4 cups. flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium mixing bowl.

Combine the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl and cream with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl once or twice as necessary.

With the mixture on medium-low speed, pour the egg mixture into the bowl in a slow stream, stopping the mixture once or twice to scrape down the bowl.

Turn the mixture on low speed and add the flour mixture, 1/2 cup at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. After the last addition, mix for 30 seconds on medium speed.

Combine the strawberries and remaining 1/4 cup of flour in a medium bowl and toss to coat. Fold the flour covered berries along with the chocolate chips into the batter with a rubber spatula.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Bake the cake until it is golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Let the cake cool in the pan for about 5 minutes, invert it onto a wire rack, and then turn it right side up on a rack to cool completely. (I let mine cool in the pan). Cut into 9 squares and serve.

Store uneaten cake in a cake keeper or wrap in plastic and store at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Be sure to check out all the other Cake Slice Bakers' cakes!