Super Easy Crème Brûlée

     Crème brûlée is a classic French dessert, and is easier to make than most people think. When I made this for the first time, I expected it to be extremely time-consuming and difficult. But there are only five ingredients, and almost all of the time is...waiting. Waiting was the hardest part for me, because I just wanted to eat it!
     For this, you will need a kitchen torch to caramelize the sugar. I tried to do it with a plastic lighter, but it did not work at ALL. I know that BonJour is a pretty decent brand, and you can get a BonJour kitchen torch at Bed Bath and Beyond, Target or Kohl's, and I'm sure other places as well.
     Here I have a classic vanilla custard, but there are many different flavors you could experiment with such as chocolate, strawberry, and caramel. I got this amazingly simple recipe from Betty Crocker, but I also have it below:

Super Easy Crème Brûlée

(I think we got 6 custards from this recipe)

Ingredients:

- 6 egg yolks

- 2 cups whipping cream

- 1/3 cup granulated sugar

- 1 teaspoon vanilla

- boiling water

- sugar for caramelization

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350°F. In 13x9-inch baking sheet, place 4-6 (6-oz) ceramic ramekins.* In a small bowl, slightly beat egg yolks with wire whisk. In a large bowl, stir whipping cream, 1/3 cup granulated sugar and the vanilla until well mixed. Add egg yolks; beat with wire whisk until evenly colored and well blended. Pour cream mixture evenly into ramekins.

2. Carefully place the pan with ramekins in oven. Pour enough boiling water into the pan, being careful not to splash water into ramekins, until water covers two-thirds of the height of the ramekins.

3. Bake 30 to 40 minutes or until top is light golden brown and sides are set (centers will be jiggly). NOTE: If you aren't sure how to tell when the custards are done, look it up on YouTube. This is important!

4. Using tongs or grasping tops of ramekins with a pot holder, carefully transfer ramekins to cooling rack. Cool to room temperature, about 2 hours. Cover tightly with plastic wrap; refrigerate until chilled, at least 4 hours but no longer than 48 hours.

5. Uncover ramekins; gently blot any liquid from tops of custards with a paper towel. Sprinkle 2 teaspoons granulated sugar over each chilled custard. Holding kitchen torch 3 to 4 inches from custard, caramelize sugar on each custard by heating with torch about 2 minutes, moving flame continuously over sugar in circular motion, until sugar is melted and light golden brown. Serve immediately, or refrigerate up to 8 hours before serving.

Carrot Cake

This was my first time making carrot cake, and it turned out really well. It was extremely moist and easy to make, and I also added nuts. You can add any kind of nuts you want, but we used walnuts. I got the recipe from Everyday Dishes, but I also have it for you here:

Moist Carrot Cake

INGREDIENTS:

• carrot cake
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 1/4 cups oil
• 4 large eggs
• 1 lb package baby carrots, finely grated
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• frosting
• 12 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature, 1½ sticks
• 2 8 oz packages cream cheese, room temperature
• 8 cups powdered sugar, sifted
• 1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract

INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees then line the bottom of two 9" cake pans with parchment paper. Spray the pans and paper with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk the sugar, oil and eggs together until completely blended then set aside.

Add the carrots to the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade and pulse until the carrots are very finely chopped and resemble the texture of wet sand. Then, add them to the sugar, oil and egg mixture, stirring to combine.

Sift the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon on top of the wet ingredients and carefully fold the wet and dry ingredients until completely blended. If you’d like to add nuts or raisins, now is the time to fold them into the batter 

Divide the batter evenly into the two prepared cake pans and bake 45−50 minutes—the cakes will be firm in the center and just beginning to pull away from the sides of the pan.

Remove the cakes from the oven and cool them on a rack for about 10 minutes.

When the cakes have rested but are still quite warm, invert the layers onto a sheet of waxed paper. Remove the pan, peel the parchment paper from the bottom of the cake then replace the pan back over the cake to cover it and seal in the moisture. Leave the cakes covered until they are completely cooled (at least 2 hours).

While the cakes are cooling, get started on the cream cheese frosting. Add the softened butter and cream cheese to a medium-sized mixing bowl and cream together until completely combined and no lumps remain.Then, sift in the powdered sugar, stirring until perfectly smooth.

Add the vanilla and stir once more to combine. If the frosting’s too thick, add a few drops of milk until the consistency’s correct. Cover with plastic wrap and store at room temperature until you are ready to frost the cake.

When the cakes are cool and the frosting has been made, remove the pans to uncover the cakes. Place the first layer on a serving plate and evenly coat the top of the cake with frosting. Place the next layer upside down on top of first layer and press gently but firmly into place. Coat the top and all sides of the cake evenly with the remainder of the frosting.

Refrigerate the cake until ready to serve.

NOTE: For leftover cake, cover the exposed inside cake with plastic wrap so it doesn't dry out!

Snicker-Doodle Cupcakes

          Hey everyone! My best friend made these cupcakes, and they are delicious. They smell and taste like a snickerdoodle cookie (one of my favorites, though I have lots), with a yummy cream cheese frosting to go with it. I got this recipe from Real House Moms, but I also have it for you here:

Snicker-Doodle Cupcakes:

INGREDIENTS:

For the Cupcakes:

• 1 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup buttermilk (or whole milk)
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 2 egg whites
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

For the Frosting:

• 4 ounces (1/2 cup) butter, room temperature
• 4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

INSTRUCTIONS:

For the Cupcakes:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line muffin tins with cupcake liners (12 regular, 24 mini, or a combo of 6 regular and 12 minis).
2. In a mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
3. In another bowl, melt butter and whisk in the sugar, buttermilk, sour cream, and vanilla. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry and mix until just combined. Set aside.
4. With an electric mixer, beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Fold into the batter until combined.
5. Spoon batter into cupcake liners (I like to use an ice cream scoop).
6. Mix sugar and cinnamon together and sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon on the top of batter. Reserve remaining.
7. Bake for 15-18 minutes until toothpick comes out clean. (If you are baking mini and regular cupcakes, bake the mini ones first and then the regular.) Leave in tin for a couple minutes until able to remove onto a wire rack. Cool completely before frosting.

For the Frosting:

1. In a mixing bowl, beat butter and cream cheese with an electric mixer on medium speed. Add the powdered sugar a little at a time and beat until smooth and creamy. Mix in the vanilla extract.
2. Place frosting in a piping bag fitted with a 1M star tip. Swirl frosting on top of each cupcake and then sprinkle the remaining cinnamon sugar mixture on top.

Lemon Cupcakes with Blackberry Frosting

In October my sister turned 16, and I made these cupcakes for her party. They were incredible! They tangy-ness of the lemon pairs well with the blackberry, and they look pretty, too! I found the recipe at The Gracious Wife, but I also have it below. Happy baking!

Lemon Cupcakes

Makes 12 cupcakes

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 lemons freshly zested (at least/about 2-3 tablespoons)
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup 1 stick butter, melted
• 1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 large egg whites

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. In a large mixing bowl, add lemon zest and sugar. Combine them by rubbing it together between your fingers. The sugar will look slightly fluffy when you're done, and you shouldn't see any large chunks of lemon zest.
2. Add the melted butter to the sugar mixture. Cream mixture until fluffy and combined.
3. Sift together flour and baking powder, and add to the sugar mixture, beating until combined.
4. In a separate bowl, add milk, sour cream, vanilla, and egg whites. Whisk together.
5. Add the milk mixture to the flour and sugar mixture, and beat at medium speed, just until combined. Mixing too much will cause the cupcakes to be too firm.
6. Line a greased muffin tin with cupcake liners. Divide the cupcake batter evenly between 12 molds. (I probably used a quarter to a third cup of batter per cupcake). Bake in a 350° oven for 15-19 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the top comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before frosting.
   
   
   
   
   Lemon Blackberry Frosting
   
   
   (Makes enough frosting for 24 cupcakes)
   INGREDIENTS:
   
   

   
   

   • 1 cup blackberries
   • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
   • 1 cup 2 sticks butter, room temperature
   • 4 cups powdered sugar
   • 1 teaspoon vanilla
   • 1 tablespoon milk or cream

   
   

   Instructions:

   
   

   1. Add blackberries and lemon juice to a small saucepan. Over medium heat, bring mixture to a simmer, stirring often. Your blackberries will become soft enough that they will basically mash themselves while you're mixing. Simmer for about 20 minutes, or until you have about 1/3 cup of blackberry puree mixture.
   2. If you don't want seeds or skins in your buttercream, strain the blackberry puree through a fine mesh strainer at this point. (I did not strain mine, but did run it through a food processor to make sure it was extra smooth) Allow to cool to room temperature
   3. In a large mixing bowl, add butter and blackberry puree. Beat together with a mixer until mixture is smooth.
   4. Add in the powdered sugar, and beat on medium-high until mixture is smooth and creamy.
   5. Add your milk or cream and vanilla and beat again to combine. Test your buttercream now. If it's still too thick, continue adding milk or cream, 1 tablespoon at a time until buttercream reaches desired consistency.
   6. You can frost your cupcakes with the blackberry buttercream as soon as they are completely cooled. You can spread or pipe it on. For the picture above, I used my Wilton 2D tip.