Since the day my daughter was old enough to sit up, she has been in the kitchen with me. It doesn’t seem like that long ago that I had her sitting up on the counter top while I measured the ingredients, analyzed recipes, and did my best to place something edible on the table for my family.
As soon as Ting got old enough to help, baking together became a tradition for us. Lately Bug has been in on the action as well, and cooking with my kids has become one of my favorite activities.
At our house Fall doesn’t really bring a longing for pumpkin flavored anything, but it does stir up a need for apple based desserts. I started searching for a new apple-something for us to bake, and I found this Apple Cake recipe on one of those recipe database sites.
The first step for me when cooking with my kids is always prep work. It is so much easier to get all the ingredients measured out before the kids hit the kitchen. I know the day is coming that Ting will be ready to practice measuring, but for now our cooking sessions always begin with pre-measured ingredients.
I love this recipe because it is so simple for both my kids to just pour and mix all the ingredients together. Everything just goes into the same bowl and then it pours over the apples. It makes it easy when both kids can participate at the same level and this cake was definitely on that scale.
We also loved this cake because it smells delicious when it gets in the oven, and it tastes even better when it gets on the table!
Arkansas Women Bloggers https://arkansaswomenbloggers.com/
Karen lives in South Arkansas with her husband and two kids. When she’s not working or chasing kids, she blogs about her family’s life on Ting’s Mom Blog. She also reads books for all ages and reviews them on her book site, Ting’s Mom Books.
By Great Day Farms Brand Ambassador Heather Disarro of Heather’s Dish
Angel food cake is one of those things that’s rarely made but often enjoyed in our house. Fluffy and flavorful with basically zero calories (fine, the calorie part is false…) it’s a cake that is sure to please almost any palate. You can dress it up with whipped frosting and chocolate, dress it down with a scoop of ice cream, or meet it right in the middle, in my favorite way, with a simple creme anglaise and fresh berries.
This summer has been, from my experience and the stories from friends, a very mild one. Just the other day my husband mentioned that we’ve been lucky the past two summers in Arkansas to have relatively mild weather; I told him he better find some wood to knock on because summer isn’t over. Truly though, this summer has been filled with days outside in the warm sunshine, long walks at dusk and sweet baby tan lines. There isn’t a more summer dessert, with the exception of ice cream, than an angel food cake with fresh seasonal berries. Light and sweet and completely satisfying, this is one dessert y’all won’t want to miss!
Very lightly grease ONLY the flat part of a 16-cup tube pan. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whip the egg whites until they start to become foamy.
Add the salt and cream of tartar, then whip until the whites start to get very fluffy.
Increase the speed and slowly stream in 1 cup of the sugar.
Continue to beat until the egg whites form soft peaks.
Add the vanilla and beat until just mixed.
Working in batches, gently fold in the remaining sugar and the flour, alternating, until all of the ingredients have been used up.
Gently work the batter evenly into the pan.
Gently tap the pan on the counter several times to release air bubbles.
Bake at 325 for 55 minutes or until the cake springs back from being touched.
Allow to cool completely upside down; some cake pans have feet to rest on, but if your pan does not then be sure to prop it up slightly on a couple of plates to allow air to circulate.
Gently work a sharp knife around the edge of the cake pan to release once completely cooled.
Cut with a serrated knife.
Serve with creme anglaise (recipe below) and fresh fruit.
By Heather Disarro of Heather's Dish
Arkansas Women Bloggers https://arkansaswomenbloggers.com/
Heather Disarro is a food-centric lifestyle blogger who is passionate about embracing the beauty that surrounds us with in our everyday lives. She is a Texan living the expat life in central Arkansas with her husband, son and two massive dogs. Heather writes her blog, Heather’s Dish, from an office filled with dust, dog fur, toys and plenty of love, grace and music. She specializes in creating delicious and creatively nourishing recipes. Cooking seasonally and with as many local ingredients as possible is an important component to Heather’s style of food, and she revels in the opportunity to bring the love of cooking to the world as a way to love others well!
Before I had kids, I threw the best parties. Any occasion to celebrate, I would open my house and gleefully experiment in the kitchen. I would decorate my house for every holiday and had cute dishes to take to all the parties we went to. Ohhh… and I was a size 4.
Now…
There are two rotting pumpkins on my front porch which, although gross, shows signs of progress as per the fact that we actually decorated with something this year to celebrate fall. My husband Ben is already groaning that he will have to get the Christmas decorations out soon and last year- try not to judge- we didn’t even have a Christmas tree up. I can’t serve more than five people with matching plates at the moment and my “fancy Christmas dish” is a bent Christmas-colored tin that I saved after someone gifted us with a plate of cookies. Moving, having two crazy boys and just good life living have broken a thing or two along the way. C’est le ve. Ohhh and I’m not going to tell you what size jeans I’m wearing today…
Life has been very different- working full time obviously takes up a lot of time and since I’m not home physically anymore, those little free pockets of unexpected time that I had to play with flour, water and sugar in the kitchen have evaporated. These days, I need something quick, dependable yet delicious as chocolate chip cookies for pop-up dinners, community groups and parties.
I love gourmet, will forever search out the fancy and savor the special but for my plain, hectic and frugal phase of life that I am in right now, I have found my special, go-to dessert. Texas Sheet Cake.
Perhaps you’ve heard of Texas Sheet Cake before. It was my Minnesota mother-in-law who introduced me which I find a humorous irony as I’m the one FROM TEXAS but nonetheless I am thankful. At first, I was embarrassed to bring “such a basic recipe” but, event after event I watched people’s faces light up with recognition, watched their eyes close as they took a bite and carried home an empty cookie sheet. I changed my mind.
Really this is the best dessert. You can mix it in a few minutes, it only takes 15 minutes to bake and the homemade icing is a breeze. The incredibly moist, rich, and flavorful cake combined with the chocolaty, buttery icing is one of the best tastes around and because there is no way that I could just follow a recipe without changing it just a little, this cake recipe has been gourmet-ed up for you here today, but don’t worry, it also works when you just have the basic ingredients.
Oh and this is also for my Vlogging Bestie- Taylor over at Texas Women Bloggers! Hey girl! 😉
2 cups flour (OR 1 1/2 cups white flour, 1/2 cup coconut flour)
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 Great Day Farms organic eggs
1 teaspoon soda
1 teaspoon pure vanilla (home-made is best! If you can't, just buy a high quality one.)
1 teaspoon Ceylon cinnamon (I put 2 tsp in my cake!)
1 teaspoon chili powder (optional)
Icing
1 stick margarine (1/2 cup)
4 tablespoon cocoa powder
5 Tablespoon milk (or almond milk)
1 tsp vanilla
1 pound powdered sugar
optional: crushed walnuts
Cake
In a saucepan, add margarine, cocoa, oil and water. Boil for 2-3 minutes.
Mix remaining ingredients together in a large bowl. Add cocoa mixture, mix well.
Bake in a 15 x 10-in.ch jelly roll pan coated with nonstick spray at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.
Cool and frost.
Icing
Boil margarine, cocoa and milk for 3 min. Add remaining ingredients, mix well. While still warm, spread on cool cake.
Notes
Bonus: (for the nights you have an extra 15 minutes)
So much of a recipe is about presentation so on the nights you aren't running out with burning fingers and dripping icing, take a little time to make your cake look as good as it tastes!
After the cake is cool and the icing hardens, carefully cut into large squares. Stack on a plate as neatly as possible in a pyramid shape or put 1 large slice on a desert plate.
Get your sifter out and lightly sift powered sugar on top, then a bit of unsweetened cocoa. Top with a mint leaf and raspberry.
If it's for a Christmas party, sprinkle on some crumbled peppermints.
Enjoy having the best tasting thing at the party!
By Heidi Clark of The Busy Nothings
Arkansas Women Bloggers https://arkansaswomenbloggers.com/
Glammed UpTexas Sheet Cake
Cake:
4 Tablespoons cocoa powder
2 sticks margarine (1 cup)
1/2 cup oil
1 cup water
2 cups flour (OR 1 1/2 cups white flour, 1/2 cup coconut flour)
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 Great Day Farms organic eggs
1 teaspoon soda
1 teaspoon pure vanilla (home-made is best! If you can’t, just buy a high quality one.)
1 teaspoon Ceylon cinnamon (I put 2 tsp in my cake!)
1 teaspoon chili powder (optional)
In a saucepan, add margarine, cocoa, oil and water. Boil for 2-3 minutes. Mix remaining ingredients together in a large bowl. Add cocoa mixture, mix well. Bake in a 15 x 10-in.ch jelly roll pan coated with nonstick spray at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. Cool and frost.
Boil margarine, cocoa and milk for 3 min. Add remaining ingredients, mix well. While still warm, spread on cool cake.
Bonus: (for the nights you have an extra 15 minutes)
So much of a recipe is about presentation so on the nights you aren’t running out with burning fingers and dripping icing, take a little time to make your cake look as good as it tastes!
After the cake is cool and the icing hardens, carefully cut into large squares. Stack on a plate as neatly as possible in a pyramid shape or put 1 large slice on a desert plate.
Get your sifter out and lightly sift powered sugar on top, then a bit of unsweetened cocoa. Top with a mint leaf and raspberry.
If it’s for a Christmas party, sprinkle on some crumbled peppermints.
Enjoy having the best tasting thing at the party!
Heidi is a wife, mom and lover of beauty. She has been blogging since 2007 and enjoys writing about a variety of topics on her lifestyle blog TheBusyNothings.com, which she now writes with a few friends as co-contributors. Heidi is the director of social media marketing for Great Day Farms and loves that her passion for social media and writing are now what she does full time.
In an effort to eat more veggies, today I shall have carrot cake!
I love a good carrot cake. Honestly, I love cake PERIOD! There is just something about a carrot cake that makes me feel like a kid again.
In a single bite it takes me right back to the “pie” auctions the Cattlemens Association used to have.
I loved going to the auction with my Godfather. What little kid wouldn’t want to go bid on cakes and pies?!? Plus, everyone always said things like “Oh, I see you brought the boss with you.” Me? The boss? Alright I could handle that.
My Godmother, in what I chose to believe was an effort to make me smile throughout the year, but was more likely an effort to keep her husband’s wallet a little thicker, started making me carrot cake any time I asked.
Yes, I was that spoiled by them.
You’re going to need:
A couple large mixing bowls
A mixer (unless you’re crazy and want to do this by hand)
A large spoon
An oven heated at 350 degrees
Either a 13X9 cake pan
OR two 8 or 9 inch round pans
A little bit of shortening
A tiny bit of flour
As well as:
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar1 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups shredded carrots
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
and to frost it you’ll need
1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
2 to 3 teaspoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 cups powdered sugar
Now that you have everything needed, I’ll tell you just want to do with it.
If you read this from the start, your oven should already be preheating to 350 degrees. If not, do that now.
Grease the bottom and sides of the pan(s) with shortening and lightly flour them.
Get one of those large bowls and your mixer and beat the granulated sugar, oil and eggs on low for about 30 seconds or until its well blended.
To that, add the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, 1 teaspoon vanilla and the salt; beat on low 1 minute.
Stir in the carrots and the nuts. STIR, with the large spoon I mentioned earlier.
Pour your batter into the pan(s).
If you used a 13×9-inch pan you’ll want to bake it 40 to 45 minutes.
If you used the round pans, bake them 30 to 35 minutes
Either way, you want to bake them till a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Once baked, let them cool completely. You can cool the 13X9 in the pan or on a cooling rack. Cool the rounds about 10 minutes in the pan then remove them and let them finish cooling on a rack. It should take about an hour.
While that’s cooling you should probably make the icing so get the other mixing bowl and your mixer back out, or cleaned off.
You’ll want to beat the cream cheese, butter, milk and vanilla on low until its smooth. Gradually mix in the powdered sugar. Gradually… like 1 cup at a time. Your mixer should still be on low so just keep it going till its smooth and spreadable.
Since that didn’t take an hour let your cake(s) finish cooling.
Now you can frost the 13X9 or fill and frost the rounds.
If by chance you have leftovers, store them in your fridge or invite me over.
Shannon is a 30-something Mom to 5 beautiful children. Yes, 5! You could call it a modern day version of yours, mine, and ours. Her blended family of 7 keeps her on her toes and on the go. Add in working from home as a legal secretary and quickly you’ll see her life is crazy and often chaotic, but she wouldn’t trade one sarcastic moment of it. Her blog, Still Seeking Martha is just a place she goes to share the ups & downs of blended mommyhood, like mowing what feels like 127 acres with a push mower, favorite foods and recipes, mostly cake, and sometimes some DIY projects like great teaching tools. You can stalk Shannon at http://stillseekingmartha.blogspot.com, on Facebook, Twitter, or just email her at seekingmartha@gmail.com.
