Sprinkled Cake Batter Cookies

Wow! Tis' the season to be busy!
Christmas has always been my favorite holiday! I love the decorating, the cold (for a little bit), the cheer, the shopping and of course, the baking.

I have made three batches of cookies since Dec. 1st, but have not had the time to sit down and blog about it.
I finally have a second, seriously a second, which is why these cookies are perfect.
They are simple and won't use up all your flour and sugar. I can't tell you how much flour and sugar I buy. Don't get me started on the butter.

Meanwhile, the cookies.....

What you will need:
Makes just under 3 dozen

1 box vanilla cake mix, 18.25 oz
1 tsp baking powder
2 eggs
1/2 C vegetable oil
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
 1 container color sprinkles

The key players.

Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, mix together the cake mix and baking powder. In a small bowl, mix together the eggs, oil and vanilla. Add the egg mixture to the cake mixture and stir to combine. Stir in the sprinkles. Drop by spoonfuls onto a cookie sheet.
Bake for 8-10 minutes, depending on your oven.
I baked mine for 8min, they were still a little soft, but after they cooled they were perfect.

 Easy right?
Everyone needs a yummy easy cookie every now and then.

My boys loved these sprinkly cookies.


Baking from my heart to your kitchen, 

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Vanilla Cake with Vanilla Bean Buttercream

Ok, I'm going to admit something to you.


Try to keep it between you, me and blog-land. I use a cake mix sometimes! Shhh!! Don't gasp so loud.


I was really going to try a new white cake recipe, but I was running out of time and I saw that Duncan Hines box staring at me in the pantry. Before I knew I was whipping up my favorite box mix concoction. 


Judge me if you must, but you secretly love the taste of white box mix cake too.


To make myself feel better I made some vanilla bean frosting that was sooo delicious with this cake.


This was a for a special graduate I know. She is a very talented writer so I thought I would go with a very famous author for inspiration..... Dr. Suess.

I was thinking how every time I read something she has written, I either laugh, cry or am just plain proud of her. This saying seemed appropriate, "Oh, the places you'll go." Not just in her life, but where she takes you in her writing. Perfect for any graduate really. 


Congratulations to all the 2012 graduates!!! Oh, the Places you'll go!

My words of wisdom for you... there's always room for cake!

Easy and DeliciousVanilla Cake

1 Box White Cake Mix (I prefer Duncan Hines)

3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream 
(you can use no cream and use 1 cup of whole milk instead)
8 Tbls (1stick) butter, melted
3 large eggs
2 tsp pure vanilla extract


Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Line three 8 inch pans (or whatever size you want to use) with parchment paper.


Place the cake mix, milk, melted butter, eggs and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for 1 minute. Scrape down the sides. Increase the mixer to medium speed and beat 2 minutes more, scraping the sides down again if needed. The batter should look well bended. Divide the batter evenly into the prepared pans, smoothing it out with the rubber spatula. 


Bake the cakes until they are light brown and spring back when lightly pressed with your finger, about 25 minutes. Remove the pans from the oven and place them on wire racks to cool for 10 minutes.
Allow to completey cool.

Vanilla Bean Frosting

1 cup butter

1 cup shortening

1 vanilla bean 

1-2 tsp pure vanilla extract

3 Tbls heavy whipping cream

6 cups powdered sugar

Scrape the inside of the vanilla bean into the butter and shortening and cream until light and fluffy. About 2-3 minutes.

Add half the powdered sugar and continue beating.

Add the vanilla and 1 Tbls of cream, continue beating.

Add the remainder of the powdered sugar and beat adding cream until you reach your desired consistancy.

Beat for about 5 minutes for optimum fluffiness.

Baking from my heart to your kitchen,

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Chocolate Cake and Fluffy Peanut Butter Frosting

My son had his 3rd Birthday over the weekend and all he wanted for his party was to play basketball.



The theme for his party was a no-brainer....soccer... kidding....basketball, of course.
I had tried a ball cake in the past and was not very successful, so to be honest, I just didn't want that kind of drama in my life right now.


He was sitting on my lap when I was looking for basketball cakes, when we came across I similar one like the one I made. He said, "That one", and there you have it. The decision was made.
I was happy too, it looked yummy and easy to put together. 


Since I was using Reese's pieces I decided to go with the Peanut butter-chocolate combo, always a winner.


I know the cake is not that hard, but here are a few tips. 


Try to resist putting the Reese's pieces on the night before.
The peanut butter oils start messing around with the Reese's overnight and caused them to make a little oil around the bottom.
Totally learned this the hard way.


Here are a few pictures of the process....

First make the basketball outline.


I also measured the distance on each side to try to get them as even as possible. This was for my husband's benefit. He likes things to be even.

Then just start filling in with orange. 
I know what you are thinking, what happened to all the yellow pieces.
Just go ahead and snack on those while you are making the cake.


Totally acceptable.

I did use a few of the yellow to attempt a 3 on the sides.

 

My cute lil' red head had a great birthday filled with friends and basketball!

Just FYI, that peanut butter frosting was a perfect balance of peanut butter and sweetness.
In case you are wondering if it is too peanut buttery, my husband, who is not a huge fan of peanut butter desserts,  he really enjoyed this frosting.

Chocolate Cake

adapted from the Hershey's recipe

2 cups sugar
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup hot coffee

 Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans.
 Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. 

Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes.

Stir in hot coffee (batter will be thin). 

Pour batter into prepared pans.
Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. 

Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. 

Fluffy Peanut Butter Frosting

1-3/4c. creamy peanut butter
 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
 1/3 c. heavy whipping cream
1-1/2 tsp. vanilla
 3 c. powdered sugar

In a large bowl, beat butter and peanut butter until light and fluffy.

Slowly beat in 1/2 of the confectioner's sugar.

Slowly start mixing a little of the cream to smooth the consistancy.

Beat in the remaining confectioners' sugar. Add the vanilla. 

If necessary, add a little more cream until the frosting reaches a good spreading consistency. Makes enough to frost one 2 layer 9 inch cake or one 9x13 inch cake.

Baking from my heart to your kitchen,

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Devil's Food Cake Cookies

The other night I found my husband rummaging through the pantry in search of something sweet. I have banned him from my chocolate chips, you never know when a baker might need them. The bigger dilemma here is that there was truly nothing sweet in the house. Catastrophic indeed! That needed to rectified immediately.

I didn't want to spend too much time making anything, we were in a crisis and needed chocolate stat.
I remember I want to try cookies using cake mix, I mean seriously, a cookie and a cake all in one. A definite winner in my book.


If you reach such a crisis in your house, here is what I did....

You will need:

1 box Devil’s Food Cake Mix
2 eggs
1/3 cup oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ cup powdered sugar


 Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Gently combine eggs, oil and vanilla extract.

 Sift (for easy mixing) in Devil’s Food Cake Mix and stir until combined. Dough will be very firm.

Make dough balls (about 1 ½ T in size) and then pat them out into disks ¾ thick.
 Cover the dough in powdered sugar and place on cookie sheets

Bake for 7-10 minutes.
Enjoy!
Grab a glass of milk. Crisis has been averted!

Baking from my heart to your kitchen,

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