Since I'm away from the bloggy today, I'm sharing a recipe
that has been seen on Mom 2 Memphis and Ruby.
I was a guest there back in May.
Get your bake on friends!
Y'all may think I'm crazy. Since I'm on a 100% grain free diet, but love to bake. I may not be able to eat cake, but I can make cake. From scratch. I know what you are thinking. You think that I've gone rogue and now I'm one of those "mommy" bloggers with Martha grade baking pans and expert icing equipment. Wrong. Don't you know me at all?
I don't bake anything that requires things like sifting, piping, or making any kind of essence of anything. It's just not my thing. If it ain't easy, mama don't make it. So imagine my surprise when this scratch cake, change my life, and almost convinced my husband that he needed to re-marry me. Seriously, after one bite he gave a look I hadn't seen in years. It's like he fell in love with me all over again.
Meet The Peanut Butter Monster Cupcake (originally found here)
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| These were a hit! And they were the easiest! |
And Meet his cute sister, Mac's 2nd Birthday Cake
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| Big sis Caitlin provided the sprinkle work. It's pretty genius if you ask me. And we didn't light all the candles. I promise! |
Now both the cupcakes and the frostings are from scratch. And I promise you will only need a hand mixer. I swear. I don't own one of those fancy schmancy Kitchen Aids. Because if I were going to invest that kind of money, I'd probably say "WTH" and buy an iPad. See, I'm not a baker, I just play one on my blog...
Ok, let's get down to biz:
From Scratch Amaze-balls Chocolate Cake (original recipe found here**)
2 1/4 cups flour
1/4 cup cocoa (I used Hershey's Baking Cocoa powder)
2 cups sugar
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups water
2/3 cup oil ( I used standard vegetable)
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
2 TBS vinegar (yes, vinegar, I used white)
In a bowl whisk together dry ingredients and set aside. In another bowl mix all wet ingredients together. Then combine the two and whisk until you have no lumps. I swear NO MIXER needed. Pour batter into a prepared pan (mine was a lg Pyrex) or cupcake pan with liners. Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes for a cake or 22-25 minutes for cupcakes.
Peanut Butter Wowzer Frosting (original recipe for basic butter cream here**)
original recipe for the peanut butter frosting found here
3 sticks butter softened
1 lb. powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/3 cup. peanut butter (I used Planters All Natural)
Now, you will need a hand mixer to beat the butter and peanut butter together. Then add your vanilla, then slowly add your powdered sugar until you like the consistency. I actually went out and bought piping bags and frosting tips when I made these for the hubby's birthday in January. The piping wasn't so bad once you get the hang of it but it's not necessary. Also the cherry on top, isn't really a cherry, it's a peanut butter cup. And it's delicious!
As a side note, if you just want some basic frosting, leave out the peanut butter and you will have a cake or cupcakes similar to Mac's 2nd Birthday Cake. Which I let big sister Caitlin cover in the sprinkles of her choice. I felt it was a nice touch.
Not so bad, am I right? Are you going to get your inner Betty Crocker on and bake from scratch? I promise friends, if I can do it, while my 2 girls run and scream about My Little Ponies, anyone can.
