Foodie Friday: German Chocolate Bars

Posted on January 18, 2013 by BeautyFrosting

German Chocolate Bars: So easy & so delicious!

Well, well, well. Are you all in for a treat or what?

My recipe today is what I like to call one of my “homespun” recipes – taking ingredients that are already premixed and living in your pantry (or grocery store) and throwing ’em together to make an easy, delicious, totally homemade-tasting delight!

German Chocolate Bars. Mmmm…I’m not saying they’re the most delicious, easiest, crowd-pleasing thing to make but they’re the most delicious, easiest, crowd-pleasing thing to make. Oh wait I did say that?

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Total time (with cooling): 1 – 2.5 hours

INGREDIENTS:

2/3 c butter, softened

1 box German chocolate cake mix

1 c semisweet chocolate chips

1 container Coconut Pecan frosting

3 Tbsp milk

Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pan). Lightly grease or spray bottom and sides of 13×9-inch pan. I prefer Baker’s Joy spray as everything comes out beautifully without sticking.
In medium mixing bowl, combine butter and cake mix with fork until crumbly; save 1 cup of combined mixture. Press remaining mixture in bottom of pan so it covers (like a crust).
Bake for 10 minutes. Sprinkle chocolate chips as evenly as possible over baked crust layer.
Drop frosting by tablespoonfuls over chocolate chips.
Stir milk into set aside cake mixture. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto frosting layer.
Bake 24 to 28 minutes or until cake portion is slightly dry to touch; cool 10 minutes. Gently loosen edges of bars with knife.
Cool completely. Refrigerate until firm. Cut into bars. Cover with plastic wrap to keep fresh.

BeautyFrosting’s Signature Cherry Vanilla Cupcakes

Posted on July 20, 2012 by BeautyFrosting

Hi beauties!

This is the perfect pink cupcake, with a cherry on top, for you or your little princesses.

My lifelong obsession with cherries and pink started at a young age. I always used to beg my Mom to make me a pink cake for my birthday. She always made her signature strawberry cake and it was the most delicious!

But I always wondered what a pink cherry cake would be like.

Now, because of my Mom and Nanny, I love baking. This, we know.

Know what I love even more?
Coming up with fast, easy and adaptable recipes that can help you be efficient while baking delish treats for the ones you love.

In this case, I was spinning around trying to prepare for my BeautyFrosting debut party last Sunday. I knew I wanted to make my signature Princess Cherry Vanilla cupcakes but it was already 1 am! Yikes! I was running out of time. This is when I love that I keep oodles of cake mixes on hand as a staple ingredient.

So, I gave myself a little breathing room by relying on a cake mix. Sugar, there’s noooo shame in that.

How did they turn out?
Well, you tell me:

BeautyFrosting Signature Cupcakes: Perfect Pistachio (on left) and Cherry Vanilla (on right)

BeautyFrosting's Signature Cherry Vanilla Cupcakes

BeautyFrosting’s Signature Cherry Vanilla Cupcakes

Makes 24 cupcakes

Cupcakes:

Preheat oven to 350.

1 1/4 c. Warm Water

1/3 c. Vegetable Oil

4 Egg Whites

1 box White cake mix of choice

1 jar Maraschino Cherries (10 oz.)

Drain cherries saving juice for frosting.

Take drained cherries and chop into little juicy bits using a chopper or food processor.

Mix: water, oil and egg whites (one at a time).

Add in cake mix and mix until smooth.

Add in chopped cherry bits and mix until well-distributed.

Bake at 350 for 17-22 minutes.

Let cool before frosting.

Frosting:

1 c. Unsalted Butter

1 c Butter-Flavored Crisco

8 c. Powdered Confectioners Sugar

5 tbsp. Heavy Whipping Cream

1 Tbsp. Clear Vanilla

Maraschino Cherry Juice to taste (varies but about 3 tbsp.)

1 drop Pink Food Coloring

Mix butter and Crisco until smooth.
Add confectioners sugar, a few cups at a time.

Add in vanilla and cream.

Mix with hand mixer until smooth and creamy-dreamy!

Lastly, add the cherry juice sparingly. If frosting is not pink enough for your party guests, add in pink food coloring.

Frost cupcakes and top with a cherry!

Frosting Friday: BeautyFrosting’s Boy or Girl? CreamCup Cupcakes

Posted on May 18, 2012 by BeautyFrosting

So, my sweet neighbor-friends, Hope and Jay, asked me to be part of their Reveal The Baby’s Sex Shower. Yaya! But, now, I had a verrry big secret to keep.

A secret can either be stressful or fun! In this case, it was DEFINITELY the latter!

Boy or Girl? Baby Shower Cupcakes

The hardest part was figuring out how to keep the blue or pink-hued frosting away from prying neighbors’ eyes!

I always turn to my Easy Sour CreamCup Cupcakes recipe when I have a big batch like this one! 72 cupcakes, y’all!!!

6 dozen Boy or Girl Cupcakes

So, here we go:

BeautyFrosting’s Easy Sour CreamCup Cupcakes

1 stick (1/2 c) Butter, softened

2/3 c. water

3 eggs

1 c. sour cream

1 box White Cake Mix

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

In a mixing bowl, combine water and butter. Add eggs one at a time and mix completely until a bit foamy. Add sour cream and mix well. Add cake mix, one cup at a time. Stir until baby-butt smooth.

Pour into 24 cupcake cups in pans.

Bake for 25-35 minutes.

BF Bite: If you’re unsure if they’re done, gently insert a toothpick or sharp knife into center of center cupcake. If it comes out dry, they’re ready! If it’s still wet, they need to bake some more!

BF’s Sweet CreamCup Frosting

1 c. Butter-flavored Crisco (room temp)

1 c. Unsalted Butter (room temp)

8 cups confectioner’s sugar

1/2 tsp Salt

1 Tbsp Vanilla

1 c. Heavy Whipping Cream (add until desired texture is met)

Cream butter and sugar until well-blended.

Add confectioners sugar cup by cup. Add vanilla and salt.

Add heavy cream as needed, as you go, until fluffy, creamy buttercream is achieved.

Filling

Set aside 1/3 of frosting for filling.

Add 1/2 c. of seedless raspberry jam to frosting. Mix until evenly distributed.It will give the cupcakes a little zing! Add either pink or blue food coloring. In the case of Hope & Jay, it was pink!

Now, for proper filling, you really wanna have a Bismarck tip (Wilton #230).

Wilton Bismarck tip #230

Trust me. It will make life much sweeter for you.

Take the tip (which you have attached to pink/blue raspberry frosting-filled icing bag) and insert the tip into the center of the cupcake. Squeeze. And withdraw the tip.

Do this for all cupcakes.
You’ll have a lovely frosting-filled cupcake like so:

It's a girl!!!

Next, frost with your Sweet CreamCup frosting. And decorate with an even-number of alternating pink and blue question marks.

What to do if the sex is undetermined at this point? YELLOW!!!

xoxo,

Thirsty Thursday: BeautyFrosting’s Ginger Tea Punch

Posted on April 19, 2012 by BeautyFrosting

BeautyFrosting's Ginger Tea Punch

If you want a punch that’s perfect for all ages, women AND men and isn’t overly-candy-sweet, this is your go-to punch. I love the stuff! And I always end up giving the recipe to my guests.
I made this last batch last weekend at my good neighbor-friends’ “Reveal the Baby Sex” party. It was a hit! And the party was a ball! But more of that on Saturday Social Hour!

Here’s the tasty tea punch recipe that will be one of your favorites too!
BeautyFrosting’s GINGER TEA PUNCH
Makes 1 gallon. I usually double for my 2 gallon punchbowl.

3 Tbl. Instant Tea (the “powdered” kind, plain, no sugar, no lemon)
1 ½ cups Granulated Sugar
6 cups warm Water
2 cups diluted Orange Juice
6 ounce can frozen Limeade, defrosted and undiluted
2 liters Ginger Ale (or enough to make 1 gallon)

Combine the instant tea, sugar and water. Stir well to ensure the sugar
is dissolved. Add the orange juice and Limeade. Refrigerate until ready
to serve.

Just before serving, add enough Ginger Ale to make 1 gallon of liquid.

Garnish with orange slices and mint sprigs. Depending on “theme”, I have also garnished with limes and lemons.

Garnish with orange slices - BeautyFrosting's Ginger Tea Punch

Beautiful for a wedding shower, baby shower, ladies lunch, brunch, party or holiday!

As always, if you try it, please take pics and tell me how it worked for you!

xoxo,
BF

Easter Recipe: BeautyFrosting’s Blackberry Patch Punch

Posted on April 12, 2012 by BeautyFrosting

BeautyFrosting's Blackberry Patch Punch

My Blackberry Patch Punch was a HIT!
When I was preparing the menu for my Classic, Southern Easter dinner, I thought it would be so nice to have the perfect Easter punch. I looked online but there were no fitting recipes. See, when I think Easter, I think purple.
So I thought of blackberries and mint and, ta-dah, a new recipe was born.

Since I had adults, non-drinkers and children at my dinner, I kept it unspirited but added mixing options on the side. If you want a spirited version, I highly recommend making it a Bourbon Blackberry Patch Punch! Delish!

Try it and, as always, let me knw your results and thoughts!

xoxo,

BeautyFrosting's Blackberry Patch Punch

BeautyFrosting’s Blackberry Patch Punch

64 oz. Trader Joes’ Blackberry Crush Juice

1 bottle Cost Plus World Market Blackberry Pomegranate Soda

1/2 gallon Limeade

2 – 2 Liter Ginger Ale

2 tbsp. Vanilla Extract

Blackberries & Mint Sprigs to garnish

Combine all in a punch bowl/pitcher/server.

Garnish mixed punch with mint and blackberries. Set aside some to garnish glasses.

Serve each glass with mint and blackberry

And, if a cocktail is desired, add a bottle of bourbon to the mix. Or, if entertaining all ages, put the bourbon, as an add-in, on the side.

Tanya sipping BF's Blackberry Patch Punch

Super easy, super lovely and super tasty in no time at all!

BeautyFrosting’s Buttermilk Lemon Chess “Peep Pie” Recipe

Posted on April 9, 2012 by BeautyFrosting

Hi beauties!
I hope your Easter and Passover were memorable!

My “Classic Southern Easter Dinner” was such a lovely time.
There’ll be more details on that tomorrow but, for now, I wanted to give you a little taste.
And by taste I mean my Buttermilk Lemon Chess “Peep Pie” recipe.

BeautyFrosting's Buttermilk Lemon Chess Peep Pie

BeautyFrosting’s Buttermilk Lemon Chess Peep Pie

1 c Sugar

3 tbsp. All-Purpose Flour

3 large eggs (beaten well)

1/2 c Unsalted Butter (1 stick), melted

1 c Buttermilk

1 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract

3 Tbsp fresh-squeezed lemon juice

1-2 Tbsp Lemon Zest

Preheat oven to 425.

You can either make a Shortbread cookie pie crust, a Cornflake pie crust (recipes below) or use a frozen pie crust to keep it simple.

Filling:
Combine flour and sugar. Mix well.

Add butter, eggs, buttermilk, vanilla, lemon juice and lemon zest.

Fresh-squeezed lemon juice is super easy with a juicer!

MIx completely until smooth. There will be bits of lemon zest.

Pour into pie crust of choice.

Bake at 425 for 10 minutes.

Turn down oven to 350 and bake for 30-35 minutes longer.

Filling will be puffed up a bit and a little jiggly.

Remove from oven and cool so it firms a bit.

At Easter or in Spring, top with yellow duck Peeps.

Best served warm! But chills beautifully, as well.

A little slice of lemon-y, Peepalicious heaven!

Shortbread Cookie Pie Crust

1 c Butter

1/2 c confectioners’ sugar

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

In a large bowl, cream butter and confectioners’ sugar until light and fluffy. Stir together flour and baking powder; blend into butter mixture. Press into a 9 inch pie plate

Bake at 350 for 12 to 15 minutes, or until edges are golden.

Use pie guard to protect edges while baking pie, OR,

Let cool before filling with prepared filling.

Corn Flake Cereal Crust

6 Tbsp (3/4 stick) Unsalted butter, melted

1 1/2 c Cornflake Crumbs

1/4 c Sugar

Combine butter, sugar and corn flake crumbs.

Press into a 9-inch pie pan/dish.
Bake for 8 minutes.

Remove from oven and let cool on rack for 10 minutes.

Use pie guard to protect edges while baking pie.

I’ll have a full rundown tomorrow and recipes will be going on for daaaays!!

Enjoy.

And,as always, if you try a BeautyFrosting recipe out, please shoot me a note or a pic letting me know how it went. I love that!

xoxo,

BF Asks: Have you ever had chess pie before?