Royally Burnt Scones

My oven is slowly killing my baking soul....

Why you ask?

These were supposed to be my lightly browned scones that i was going to eat while watching the Royal Wedding. Needless to say, I didn't end up eating these scones, but I figured I would share my ongoing frustration with my oven. It's a nightmare! Not only is it the smallest oven I've ever seen, but it over-cooks everything! You think I would have gotten the hang of using it after 9 years, and up until Friday I thought I had, but no...not true. I like to think this was a crazy fluke (maybe the oven was a bit moody that day), but this still makes me question my baking skills.

Anyway...enough with this sad talk about my evil oven and on to the good stuff.

Scones that were actually edible! I've never had scones before this, but after having them with a nice cup of tea, this recipe is definitely staying in by box for a rainy day.

I don't quite remember where I found the recipe for these, so I don't know where the credit goes. Just know that they are delicious(even yummier when the jam and whip cream is added).

Deliciously Plain Scones
(you can always add dry fruit to recipe)

Ingredients:
2 cups of all-purpose flour
1/4 cup of granulated sugar
2 teaspoons of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup of heavy cream
1/3 cup unsalted butter
1 egg
1 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 415 degrees.

In a bowl, mix all the dry ingredients together (flour, sugar, baking powder, salt). Cut the butter into small pieces and distribute over dry ingredients. With a pastry blender, mix in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. In another bowl, stir the cream, egg and vanilla together. Add the cream mixture to the dry ingredients and stir until combined.

Pat dough into a 1/2 inch thickness on a lightly floured surface. Use a floured round biscuit cutter, or a glass, to cut out rounds and place on a lightly buttered baking sheet. Gather scraps together and repeat until all the dough is used.

Bake for 13 to 15 minutes, or until lightly browned.

Transfer the scones to a wire rack to cool. Scones can be served warm or cooled completely (make sure to store in an airtight container).

Easter Pops

It's become a tradition for me to make the dessert for my family's Easter dinner and this year, I decided to mix things up a bit. Enter...CAKE POPS!

I'd like to say these were a blast to make, but that would be a flat out lie. Now, don't let this discourage you from trying these out yourself, just know that your first time may be a bit difficult.

I can tell you mine was full pops that didnt want to stay on their sticks and candy coating that stuck to me more than the pops. But dont worry, once you get the hang of it, its really a piece of cake.

I have to say, I love these little things. Even though they can be a bit time consuming, it's totally worth it!

I got the idea to make these pops from this cute little book I picked up a couple month ago. It's been sitting on my shelf collecting dust (like mosts of my cooking books,sad story...I know), but after making these once I know it will never be dusty again.

If anyone is interested in attempting these, I recomend picking up this book. It has all the information you need...and then some!

Cake Pops by Bakerella

Yummy Lemon Yogurt Cake

I've been craving lemon cake for months now, but never really took the time to learn how to make it. This recipe has been sitting in my box for a little over a year, so I finally decided it was time to bake me some lemon cake.
Now let me tell you, I don't recomend making this cake if you have any kind of cut. No matter how little, please...just listen to me when I say DON'T. haha. But, if you must, please...wear a glove. I made the mistake of squeezing the lemons with a scratch on my finger, not fun. Not fun at all!

I came across this recipe while watching the Food Network one day and I remember drooling as I watched Ina pour the glaze over the warm cake. There was a bit of deja vu when I was pouring the glaze over my cake, but don't worry...this cake is 100% drool free :)
You can find this recipe here at the Food Network website. It's super easy to make and it comes out AMAZING!

A Cupcake to call my own...

If anyone were to ask me what my favorite cake is, I would tell them it’s my grandmother`s strawberry cake.

Growing up, I remember sitting in the kitchen watching my older sister bake this signature cake. I'd always wait for her to turn her back so I can sneak a taste of the batter or some of that yummy homemade frosting.

Needless to say I was over the moon when I was old enough to make the cake on my own. Sure, there were some times when the cake didn’t quite turn out right. Whoops! But I worked hard to perfect this cake and I liked to think I made it better than anyone in my family. This is where my dad would pipe in and say “Now Missy, no one makes this cake as good as your grandma”. I’d walk away...defeated, until one day I had the amazing idea to take my grandma`s recipe and make cupcakes.

Now, I know this seems like a simple change. I mean, anyone can make cupcakes with cake batter. That doesn’t change anything, right? Wrong. It changes everything.

Behold my amazing creation.

I just tweaked my grandma`s frosting recipe to make it my own and I came up with this: A super moist cupcake with strawberry filling (grandma’s original frosting) and yummy strawberry buttercream to top it off.

I am proud to say that my dad thinks I make these better than anyone. This could be because I'm the only one who has ever made them, but still...it makes the little girl inside me smile.

I know if I ever open a bakery, this will definitely be one of my specialties.

Until next time.

Procrastinate much?!?

So, it had originally been my goal to start this blog at the beginning of 2011...haha. Right.
If you know me, you know I'm truly a procrastinator at heart. So here I am, 3 months later, finally writing my first post.

I'm hoping to use this blog as a way to document my amazing baking skills! haha. Yet again, I've made a funny.
No, my real goal for this blog is to have a place to come and talk about my love of baking. A place where I can share my struggles, and hopefully some triumphs, with this crazy obsession of mine.

The Challenge.
Bake a new recipe every week. Then post my glorious creation here. For the world to see.

Will I be able to do this? Let's wait and see.