Not your typical 'Frozen' Cake!

My sweet little angel girl turned 4 a couple of days ago and like the rest of the 4-year-old population, she is obsessed with the Disney movie 'Frozen'. When I asked her what kind of cake she wanted, "A FROZEN CAKE!" was the obvious reply. As I scoured Pinterest and Bing for cake inspiration, I saw the same blue-and-white-ice-castle-themed interpretations of the movie. Not that that is bad. I saw some gorgeous and creative cakes. I just wanted to do something a little...different.

Personally, I was OBSESSED with all of the beautiful Scandinavian design, fashion, and scenery in the movie. It HAD to be on this cake. Also, instead of the Ice Castle, I wanted to create the Arendelle Castle. Then it came to me... Frozen...in the Springtime!! It is Springtime after all. 

I wanted to pull in subtle aspects of the movie that only a true fan (like my 4 year old who has seen the movie a million times) would appreciate. Let me take you through them...

ANNA:

The repeating design around the cake is the design on Princess Anna's Winter dress that she buys so that she can search for her sister, Queen Elsa, up in the North Mountain.

The Arendelle Castle:

The Arendelle Castle seemed to fit much better with the "Springtime" theme of the cake. Plus...it hasn't been done before. :) This was made from Rice Cereal Treats and fondant. I used an impression mat to get the brick texture on the fondant. 

 Elsa and Anna:

For the portraits of Elsa and Anna, I had them printed out on edible paper and adhered them to some fondant disks that I had cut and dried out ahead of time. Then I piped a delicate beaded border around them with royal icing.

"Sven's Antlers"

I just love that adorable reindeer, Sven. I had to represent him somehow. I cut a pair of antlers out of gumpaste using an exacto knife and painted them brown with food coloring. Then I simply added some beautiful fresh flowers (because it needed some floral) from a vase of flowers that I had sitting on the counter from Easter. It was the perfect touch!

Olof:

Of COURSE I had to represent Olof. But this is a Springtime scene, remember? So I brought in the purple flower that he sniffs a couple of times throughout the movie. I simply cut out the petals using a large leaf cutter and shaped them in a Wilton Forming Tray. Then I painted it purple and added some stamens. The kids pretended to sniff it and quote Olof all night long.

So there it is..."Not your typical" 'Frozen' Cake. Now let's see what YOU come up with!! PLEASE e-mail me your pictures. I would just be so thrilled to see them.

Oh...and here's another something sweet that I just HAD to share with you. My Alice on her birthday enjoying her new clothing rack stocked full of Princess dresses. She's changed 5 billion times already.

I got the idea for this Dress-up-Rack from the blog Dear Lizzy and I couldn't WAIT to do it for my own little Princess. Go HERE to see her MUCH better version. :)

It's Personal...

One of my favorite things to do with cake is to personalize it. Taking the time to add personal touches of your loved one into their cake makes them feel special and loved. It doesn't have to be complicated or difficult. It just has to be personal.

This past weekend was my adorable niece's birthday. Even though I had so much to do for Easter and my own daughter's birthday, I still had time to whip up these easy cupcakes and throw some personalized cupcake picks on top. It took me probably 1 1/2 hrs total and I figure that if I don't have that kind of time to make someone feel special, then chances are I'm probably way too busy. 

And when this is the result...It's all worth it. She almost died laughing from the "Huge Face" cupcake pick. It was the favorite of the night.

This is my brother, Mary's daddy. He sure loves her. In fact, every body loves her and with everyone holding, eating, and talking about these cupcakes that were all about her, she sure felt the love that day.

 So cake on everyone! And spread some love through cake this week. 

Have an Egg-cellent Easter!

The Easter Egg symbolizes when Christ emerged from the tomb bringing forth new life to all. I wish all of you a wonderful Easter filled with family and thoughts of the Savior and his infinite atonement. These are some of the Easter eggs that we colored yesterday. 

The {Actual} BEST Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

{So I know that I told you that I would have cakes coming soon. I promise that this IS for a cake. You are going to need this recipe for my post...get this: The Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake!! It's going to be amazing. }

I have searched and searched for YEARS trying to come up with the PERFECT Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe. 

Guys... I did it. It's done. I can stop tweeking and trying because here it is folks. I give you... 

(...Drum Roll...)

The actual BEST Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe EVER...Really. 

Here you go...because I love you. :)

The {Actual} BEST Chocolate Chip Cookies Ever

4 T. Unsalted Butter (Room Temp) 
2 T. Shortening (Trust me on this one.) 

1/2 C. Granulated Sugar

1 C. Brown Sugar

2 Eggs

2 C. Flour

2 tsp. Pure Vanilla Extract

1 tsp. Baking Soda

1/2 tsp. Baking Powder

2 tsp. Corn Starch 

1/2 tsp. Salt

1 1/4 C. Chocolate Chips (Good quality Chocolate Chips will change your life!)

Directions: 

1. Pre-heat oven to 350.

2. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, cornstarch, and salt. Set aside. 
3. Cream room temp butter with the granulated and brown sugar until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes). 

4. Add eggs to the butter mixture one at a time until well incorporated. Add that vanilla now too. 

5. While your mixer is on low speed, slowly incorporate the flour mixture into the butter, sugar, and egg mixture until well combined. 
6. Add in the chocolate chips and combine.
7. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 min. Once those bottom edges give the slightest hint of turning brown, take those babies out. There's nothing that disappoints me more than an over-baked cookie. :)

Strawberry Scones

 Ok...I know what you're thinking... 1.) I wanna lick the screen. (And that's okay.) 2.) Betheny...this isn't a cake. And neither was your last post.
I know, I know. I just couldn't help it because they are so super delicious. There are cakes coming soon, I pinky-promise. 

Today we are making Strawberry Scones just in time for SPRING!!!
Not a fan of Strawberries? Not a problem! Switch them and the preserves out with Blackberries!!

Need ideas on what to serve for your next garden or tea party?? 

Strawberry Scones. 

Wondering what to serve at that baby or bridal shower that you are throwing next week?

Bam! Strawberry Scones.

OR do you just need something super yummy to put in your face?

 The answer to all these questions are very obviously "Strawberry Scones".

Enjoy.

Strawberry Scones

3 C. Flour (Plus more for your counter top)

1/4 C. Sugar

1/2 tsp. Kosher salt

1 Tbs. Baking Powder

3/4 C. (1 1/2 sticks) of cold Unsalted Butter (cubed)

1/4 C. Strawberry preserves

1 C. cold Heavy Cream (For a lower fat option, use Half & Half or whole milk)

1 C. Chopped Fresh Strawberries

Strawberry Glaze:

1 C. Powdered sugar

1 Tbs. Strawberry preserves

1 Tbs. Lemon Juice
1 tsp. Milk

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.

2. I have a food processor, so I combine all the dry ingredients and the cubed butter in the processor and blitz it a couple of times so that the butter is a little less than pea-sized throughout. You can also do this by using two knives, a pastry blender or a fork, cutting the butter in until you see little tiny pea-sized(or smaller)bits of butter throughout your dry ingredients. Transfer dry ingredient and butter mixture into a large bowl. Set aside.

3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the strawberry preserves and the heavy cream.

4. Make a well in your dry ingredient and butter mixture. Pour in the Heavy cream, Strawberry preserve mixture and Fresh strawberries. Stir just until your dough comes together. (Add more heavy cream a tiny bit at a time if the dough seems too dry.) Don't overwork your dough!

5. Sprinkle your counter top with a bit of flour and form your dough into a flat disk (about 1 inch tall and 8 inches in diameter). Use a large knife or a bench scraper to section the dough into 12 "pizza pie" slices.

6. Place slices on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 20 min. or until you see the edges of your scones turning a beautiful golden brown.

7. While the scones are cooling, measure out 1 C. of Powdered sugar in a medium bowl and set aside. Whisk together the strawberry preserves,lemon juice, and the milk. Then whisk the strawberry and lemon juice mixture into the powdered sugar.  Drizzle scones with your glaze.

8. Stuff your face with these yummy beauties!! 

Banana Bread Breakfast

It was a

banana-bread-for-breakfast-and-look-at-pretty-cakes-on-Pinterest

kind of morning...

(A little whipped cream never hurt anybody, right? Right.)

And I may or may not have had it for lunch as well... 

Want a recipe for the PERFECT banana bread recipe??!! Yes, I know you do.

I got this recipe from the FABULOUS Kelsey Nixon. I got to meet her at her book signing and she is just so awesome. So sweet, so down-to-earth, so helpful.

The book is absolutely perfect. I bought her new book 'Kitchen Confidence' and I have not put it down! No joke, it's in my hands every day! I'm so in love with this book. You have to get it. I've already made so many home-run recipes from this book. She is genius. She does a fabulous job at teaching you HOW to cook and bake. Go buy it today so that you can eat this yummy banana bread for breakfast lunch and dinner too.

Irish Creme Chocolate Caramel Cupcakes!

Irish is in my blood. Literally. And I love it. My great, great, Grandmother, Margaret McCleve Hancock immigrated here from Ireland with her parents and her siblings in 1856 in the pursuit of religious freedom.  (Read her full story at the bottom of this post)

Represent!

In honor of St. Patrick's Day and my Irish heritage, I've created a fabulous cupcake so that we may all enjoy a little taste of Ireland today. 

Get ready for a Irish Creme Chocolate Caramel Cupcake that will knock your socks off and spread Happy St. Patty's Day cheer to all!
The cake is super moist and the Irish Creme flavor is so creamy and hazel-nutty and just so divine.

We are cheating today and doing an enhanced box mix! Easy and Yummy! 

(Easy) Chocolate Cake:

Ingredients: 

1 box of Triple Chocolate Fudge cake mix

1 sm. package of Instant Chocolate Pudding mix

1 C. Sour Creme

1/2 C. Irish Creme Coffee Creamer 

1/2 C. Vegetable Oil

4 eggs

Directions: 

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. 

2. Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl and mix until well combined. 

3. Pour into 24 cupcake liners and bake for 16 min.

4. When the cupcakes are done, take them out of the cupcake pan so that they stop cooking.

5. Let cool completely

Irish Cream Buttercream:

5 C. Powdered Sugar - Sifted

1 C. Unsalted Butter - Completely Room Temp

1/2 C. (minus 2 Tbs) Cold Irish Cream Coffee Creamer

1 Tsp. Vanilla
1/4 tsp. Kosher Salt
1/2 tsp. Butter Rum Extract OR 1 tsp. Hazelnut Extract

                                

Directions: 

1. Beat butter in an electric mixer until nice and creamy. 

2. Slowly add in the sifted powdered sugar a little at a time, allowing it to incorporate between each                   addition. 

3. When all the powdered sugar is incorporated, add the Irish Cream Coffee Creamer and whip, starting on      low and working your way to high, until it is light and fluffy (about 2 min.) 

Ganache: 

Ingredients: 

1 C. Good quality semi sweet chocolate, chopped 

2 Tbs. Unsalted butter - Room temp

1/2 C. Irish Coffee Creamer

Directions:

1. Place chocolate in a large bowl and add butter.

2. In a small saucepan, bring the Irish Coffee Creamer to a simmer (Do not scald creamer)

3. Once the Coffee Creamer has come to a simmer, pour over chocolate and let sit for 30 seconds.

4. Stir with a wisk until everything is incorporated well. 

5. Let Ganache come to room temp before you drizzle it over the cupcakes. You don't want it warm at all or     it will melt the buttercream.

To Decorate the Cupcakes:

Core a hole in the top of each cupcake. Fit a pastry bag with your choice of caramel or ganache filling.  (If you don't want to core cupcakes, fit your filling pastry bag with an eclair tip). Fill a pastry bag fitted with the piping tip of your choice and pipe buttercream onto cooled cupcakes. 

Drizzle Ganache and store-bought (or home-made is even better) Caramel onto iced cupcakes.
Sprinkle with gold confetti sprinkles and enjoy!

For my family: Here is Margaret McCleve's Story down below:

Taken from familysearch.org website: (Contributed by Dixie H. Krauss)

Margaret’s childhood… 

Margaret McCleve, daughter of John McCleve Jr. and Nancy Jane McFerren, was born in Belfast, Ireland, on September 17, 1838. She was the third of ten children. Her father was one of the caretakers of a large estate situated near the ocean. Margaret spent a happy childhood roaming the beautiful grounds and enjoying the nearby sandy beach. These pleasant memories sustained her through the trials in the years to follow. When her parents joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, persecution followed. Margaret and three of her sisters were baptized August 26, 1850, in the Irish Sea after dark. Her parents finally took their family to America for religious freedom. Margaret’s two older sisters went first; then the rest of the family followed. They landed in Boston, Massachusetts, on May 23, 1856; then traveled by rail to Iowa City, Iowa. There they joined the second handcart company and started for Zion on June 11, 1856. When only seventeen years old, Margaret walked 1300 miles across the plains pushing the back of the handcart. She also helped care for her sick baby brother and shared her small portion of food with him. Margaret’s dear father succumbed to the hardships of the trek just two days from their destination. The fatherless family arrived in the Salt Lake Valley on September 26, 1856.

Marriage and family…

Margaret’s mother moved the family to Payson, Utah, and remarried the following year. Mosiah Lyman Hancock  met Margaret in nearby Spanish Fork. As she arose from her chair to shake hands with him, he heard a voice say, “Mosiah, behold your wife.” They were married on January 9, 1857.

Tribute to Margaret… 

She was a natural born nurse and an excellent midwife, delivering over 1500 babies into this world. Her interest in these children continued, and she claimed them as her own. “Though her trials were many, she was always firm in her faith and found comfort in bringing comfort to others. She had a very kind and sympathetic nature, charitable to those in need or in trouble. She was loved and trusted by all who knew her. It can truly be said of her that the world was a better place by her having lived in it.” —Rhoda P. J. Wakefield, granddaughter.