1/3 cup water for icing the cake -or- 1/4 cup water for stiff consistency
1 teaspoon flavoring of your choice
Directions
Cream butter, shortening and extracts. Gradually add confectioners’ sugar and water. Mix thoroughly on medium speed (hand mixer), or low speed (stand mixer) until smooth and creamy. Do not over mix or mix on high speed.
Storage
Icing can be refrigerated in an airtight container for 2 weeks. Iced cake can be stored at room temperature for 2-3 days.
Recipes
Basic Buttercream Frosting
1/2 cup hot water (in mixing bowl)
2 pounds sifted powdered sugar
Mix 3 minutes on slow speed
Then add 1 1/2 cups hi ratio shortening (sweetex or alpine) dash of salt
1 teaspoon Princess Cake and Cookie flavoring or Flavoring of your choice
Then mix for 10 minutes at medium speed
This frosting will keep, on the shelf, for 1 - 2 weeks. If you have extra frosting, you can keep the frosting in the refrigerator for a month and in the freezer indefinitely.
Cookie and Petit Four Icing
...very easy to make and use
Cookie and Petit Four Icing: Add enough water to the Dry Candy Fondant to make an icing that will flow over the cakes. Contains: Cane Fondant Sugar
10 parts Dry Candy Fondant
1 part water
Flavoring
Food Coloring
Make this icing thicker by adding more dry candy fondant. Or thinner by adding more water. Color or flavor as desired. Just stir until no lumps remain.
Simple Caramel Icing
1 stick butter
2 cups sugar
1 small can evaporated milk
16 oz package caramel bits**
1 teaspoon vanilla
Dash of salt
Cook butter, sugar and milk to soft ball stage* Remove from heat; add caramels, vanilla and salt. Stir until smooth. Work fast, as icing will harden.
Rich, Thick, Caramel Frosting
½ cup butter (1cup) softened
1 cup Dark Brown Sugar, Packed
¼ tsp salt
2/3 cup milk
3 cups Powdered Sugar
Melt butter in saucepan; stir in brown sugar and salt. Bring to a rolling boil and boil rapidly 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, stir in milk, then return to a rolling boil. Cool 20 minutes or until lukewarm. Beat in powdered sugar until smooth. Add more liquid if necessary if frosting is too stiff.
* Use a candy thermometer for soft ball stage
Candy Centers
1 pound Dry Candy Fondant
2 Tbs whipping Cream
6 Tbs Butter
Bring whipping cream and butter to the boiling point. Stir in dry fondant and knead with the liquid. Add flavor, nuts, fruit fillings, icing fruits, coloring etc. Roll into balls and dip into candy coating or tempered chocolate.
Champagne Cake
1 box white cake mix*
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sour cream
3 whole large eggs
2 T champagne extract
1 1/3 cup water
In large bowl mix dry ingredients. In mixer bowl place eggs, sour cream; champagne extract & water. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix. Mix on medium until incorporated. About 2 minutes in a stand mixer. Put into greased and floured pan. Bake in at 325 for 50-60 minutes. Test with toothpick or cake tester. (if cake pulls away from sides of pan it is *overdone*).
*one of the following flavors can be used: white; french vanilla or golden vanilla.
*note* - this is enough batter to make one of the following cake sizes: 12"round; or 10"sq; or 9"x13".
Vanilla-Hazelnut Buttercream
1 Cup Crisco
1 Cup Butter [room temperature]
1/2 Cup Hazelnut Flavored Non-Dairy Creamer Powder
1/4 Cup Hot Water
1/4 Whipping Cream
2 lbs of powdered sugar
2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract
Dissolve creamer in 1/4 cup hot water. Set aside.
Cream butter and crisco together for about 5 minutes until completely blended.
Add creamer/water mixture to butter/crisco mixture. Blend completely.
Add powdered sugar and vanilla. Beat at lowest speed to blend.
Warm whipping cream to lukewarm [about 105 *F] in microwave.
Add cream, a little at a time, until a smooth icing is produced. Beat at lowest speed 5 to 10 minutes until very smooth. Add more cream if necessary to thin.
Allow to sit about 1 hour before using so that mixture firms up.
VARIATIONS
If available, you can substitute LIQUID HAZELNUT NON-DAIRY CREAMER found in the grocer's
refrigerated section, for the
powdered creamer/water and whipping cream....use about 1/2 cup, warmed in the microwave.
If you desire a more mild flavor, adjust the hazelnut creamer as necessary.
I use this icing with a chocolate butter cake filled with NUTELLA brand chocolate/hazelnut spread. The
combination is delicious. The icing is also good on yellow butter cake.
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TIPS
The use of powdered food colors will reduce the potential for bitterness when making a deep or dark color like red or when coloring royal icing. Powdered color may be added to your dry ingredients before mixing or dissolved in the recipes liquid (ie when using a liquid whipped topping add to liquid and dissolve before whipping.
When greasing and flouring your cake pans, DO NOT use butter as your grease. Butter is about 20% water. As the cake bakes, the water in the butter turns to steam, and you will have a soggy bottom on your cake.
Use pure cane sugar in icing for truer colors that hold their color longer with less fading. Beet sugar will not hold colors and will fade faster.
Decadent Caramel Pecan Brownies
One 16-ounce package caramel bits**
1/4 cup plus 1/3 cup heavy cream
One 18-1/2-ounce package German chocolate cake mix
3/4 cup (1-1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
1 cup chopped pecans
6 ounces chocolate chips or 6 oz bittersweet chocolate* cut into chunks
Heat the caramels and the 1/4 cup heavy cream in the top of a double boiler over simmering water. Stir frequently until they're well mixed.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F, with a rack in the middle. Lightly butter a 13-x-9-inch pan.
Combine the cake mix, melted butter and the remaining 1/3 cup heavy cream in a large bowl until well blended. Stir in the chopped nuts. Pat slightly more than half of the mixture into the pan.
Bake for 6 minutes, remove from oven and sprinkle the chocolate chips evenly over its surface. Pour the caramel mixture over the cake layer and refrigerate the pan until the caramel is hard. Refrigerating the mixture will make the next step simpler.
Pat the second half of the German chocolate dough over the now-firm caramel layer. Bake the brownies for 18 to 20 minutes; a toothpick gingerly inserted into the top layer of the cake will not necessarily come out clean, but the cake should no longer be doughy. Cool brownies and then cut into squares. Makes one 13-x-9-inch pan,
Granny Smith Caramel Apple Pie:
Make a regular old apple pie, but use tart Granny Smith apples and add caramel bits before baking. DEEEicious.
**Caramel Bits by Kraft
Chewy 3/8 inch bits are ideal as baking pieces, especially in dense batters for brownies, cakes, bar cookies and fruit pies. They also melt wonderfully to be used in candy making or baking.
To find out why you may want to add lemon juice or glucose to your recipe and to learn more about the science of Caramel visit www.exploratorium.edu/cooking/candy/caramels-pop.html#cornsyrup
Pumpkin Muffins as seen on Chicago Works!
INGREDIENTS • 1 cup butter • 3 cups sugar • 3 eggs • 3cups all-purpose flour • 1 tablespoon baking powder • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda • 1 Tablespoon Pumpkin Pie Spice • 1 teaspoon ground Mace • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract • 2 cups pureed fresh pumpkin (see directions below)* or 1 (16 ounce) can pumpkin puree
DIRECTIONS 1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line muffin pan with paper muffin liners*
2. If using fresh pumpkin. Secure pie pumpkin on cutting board(make sure pumpkin sits flat) and using a chef knife carefully slide the knife into the center of the pumpkin and then remove knife slowly to make several slits. (This will keep pumpkin from exploding is microwave) Place pumpkin into a microwave safe dish and microwave at 15 minute intervals until pumpkin is soft. Cool pumpkin. After pumpkin has cooled peel skin from the pumpkin and discard. Cut pumpkin in half and remove seeds and string. (seeds may be reserved for roasting) Puree pumpkin pieces using a blender or food processor.
3. Measure out 2 cups of pureed pumpkin* 4. In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs; mix well. 5. Combine dry ingredients 6. Stir dry ingredients into creamed mixture just until moistened. Stir in pumpkin puree. 7. Scoop batter into prepared muffin liners. 8. Bake for up to 25 minutes or until muffins spring back when touched or a toothpick comes out clean.
*Make Muffin Tops instead
(Chef Lori’s Favorite)
Scoop pumpkin batter about 2 inches apart directly onto silicone or parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Bake for up to 10 minutes. Sprinkle with powdered sugar when cooled.
Pumpkin FAQS
Choose a "Pie Pumpkin" for cooking (about the size of a small canteloupe) Three pounds of fresh pumpkin will yield about 3 cups mashed cooked pumpkin Pureed pumpkin can be stored refigerated for up to 3 days and frozen for up to 1 year Pumpkin puree an excellent source of vitamin A, low in sodium and fat-free Most recipes that call for winter squash or sweet potatoes may be successfully prepare by substituting pumpkin puree
Not Even Close to Low Calorie Cream Cheese Whipped Icing INGREDIENTS 1 cup cold Whipping Cream 1 cup sugar
8 oz cream cheese
DIRECTIONS 1. Chill whisk and metal bowl in freezer. Pour whipping cream into bowl and whip to soft peaks. 2. Add softened cream cheese and vanilla to whipped cream. Until blended. 3. Pipe icing onto muffin with pastry bag and tip or serve icing in bowl
Pumpkin Pancakes
Substitute 1/2 cup pumpkin puree for the same quantity of milk in your favorite pancake recipe. Cook as usual.
Roasted Pumpkin Seeds Clean seeds in cold water removing any pulp and string. Boil seeds for 15 minutes in salted water Drain seeds, dry in clean towel and toss in olive oil Roast in 300 degree oven until golden brown. (up to 1 hour) Cool and eat!
