Stuffed Strawberries

Fresh berries are so fun!! 

I love these because berries are the main attraction, not just a garnish.  It’s basically glorified strawberries and whipped cream, so delicious.

 

How about with a blueberry on top?  Wouldn’t you like to take these to your 4th of July BBQ??

 

Stuffed Strawberries

Strawberries: How many exactly depends on how big the strawberries are, and also how much you fill them.  I used about 40 average size strawberries

Blueberries, if you want them!

1 small package (4 servings) Instant Vanilla Pudding

1 Cup Whipping Cream

1 Cup Milk

1/2-1 tsp (to taste) almond extract

• Start by hulling the strawberries
• Then starting at the small end of the strawberry, make a slice most of the way down  
• Now make a perpendicular slice.  You don’t want to do down too far, because then the strawberry might break, but far enough to make room for the filling.
• I set them on a plate, and pull the strawberries open a little bit
• 
• Now the filling: whip the 1 C cream until stiff (but not dry) peaks form
• While whipping, in another bowl, whisk the pudding into the 1 C milk
• Add the 1/2 tsp+ almond extract into the pudding, then fold in the whipped cream until it is completely combined
• Pipe the filling into the strawberries
• 

  Go ahead and laugh! One day I’ll learn how to pipe with my left hand
• I used a 1M star tip, but you totally don’t have to. and in the video, it doesn’t open the strawberry evenly, so, with your other hand, try to hold the 4 points of the strawberry open so that it fills evenly.
• Arrange on a plate/tray and top with blueberries

My Favorite Buttercream

I have always enjoyed frosting.  Especially buttercream.  I remember if there was ever left over frosting from something my mom made, I would sneak it later and eat as much as I dared with the hope that my mom wouldn’t notice. Pretty sure she always did.

When I started making my own, I would just get a little butter, dump a bunch of powdered sugar in, then add milk and mix until it was a good consistency.  Never the same, but decent enough.  I thought.  Then I came across this buttercream recipe in one of Martha’s Everyday Food magazines. and I haven’t looked back since.  This buttercream is delicious, I make it all the time.  Not only does it taste good, it is so versatile and the best part: easy to make!!

Buttercream Frosting

1/2 C (1 cube) butter room temp

1 1/2 C powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1-2 tblsp cream or milk (opt.)

• cream the butter

• add the powdered sugar, 1/2 C at a time, mixing until it’s fully incorporated before adding more.

it doesn’t look like it will mix in right away, but just keep mixing and scraping the sides as needed, it will come together

• once all the sugar is added, add the 1 tsp vanilla, then mix on medium-high until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes

This frosting is pretty thick as is, I like to use it like this for piping cupcakes.  But, if I’m going to frost a cake, I will add some cream (or milk) to get to a better spreading consistency. I also use this for frosting sugar cookies.  I’m telling you, this frosting is pretty much awesome.

This recipe doesn’t make a whole lot, but it’s so easy to double or even triple if you need a lot. 

Lemon Cupcakes

I love lemon treats.  Lemon cakes, lemon bars, that kind of thing.  I’ve actually never been a huge fan of lemon candies, like starbursts and such, but lemon cake?? Oh yeah. 

So, I made some lemon cupcakes for a bake sale this past weekend!  I wanted something good, so people didn’t feel cheated on their purchase, but also easy.  Easy, because when you bake in big batches, or 3 separate things in one night, that just makes things, well, easier….  They turned out really yummy, so I thought I would pass along the recipe. 

Lemon Cupcakes w/ Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

1 box of Lemon cake mix -I told you it was easy!  Bake as directed on box to make cupcakes. (I usually use Betty Crocker, but I used Duncan Hines this time, and they were good)

Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting (totally an experiment that I thought turned out nicely!)

1/2 C (1 cube) Butter room temp

8 oz Cream Cheese softened

3 C Powdered Sugar

1/2 tsp Lemon Extract

• Cream the butter and cream cheese together
• add the powdered sugar ~ 1 C at a time, mixing between each addition
• add the lemon extract and mix to combine
• if you need to add a bit of milk to make it perfect piping consistency, go for it!

I frosted mine with the Wilton star tip 1M, then sprinkled some yellow sugar on top, to make them look more yellow lemony, and because sometimes I like the added crunch sugar brings.

I am sorry about the lack of pictures.  I’m sad that I was so excited about selling my cupcakes that I completely forgot to take some legit pictures of them.  But, I will make them again, and when I do, I’ll update this post.  If you make some, post your picture on my Facebook page, I’d love to see them!!

How to: Soften Butter

I know that sounds SO silly, but it’s a great trick that I’ve learned! Almost all baking recipes call for butter to be room temp, right? But honestly who actually remembers to pull out their butter at least 1/2 hour before using it?  And who else besides me has nuked their butter into a melty mess? Welp, here’s trick for for perfect softened butter: (I learned this from my mom!)

Place your butter in the microwave, and microwave for 5 seconds full power. (I left mine in the wrapper because I was using the whole cube. If you’re using half, you can cut the cube through the wrapper and leave it wrapped, or unwrap and place in a microwavable bowl.)

Stop the microwave after the 5 seconds, this is important! and flip it over, so what was on the bottom, is now on top

• Now microwave again for 5 seconds, then pull it out and see how it’s doing.  You may need to throw it back in for a couple of seconds depending on how soft you want it.10 seconds usually does it for me! The trick is stopping it half way through to rotate it.  It makes it so there isn’t a melty spot right in the middle, but more of a perfect soft all the way through! Easy huh?? 

**You an also do this with frozen butter, I did it in 8 second increments for a total of around 30 seconds**

Seedless Raspberry Jam

First off, I have a new page on Facebook!! search Fredellicious the page and ‘like’ it!As much as I love the flavor of raspberries, I have a hard time getting over the seeds.  There are so many!!  and they always get caught between my teeth.  I very much prefer anything raspberry to be seedless. (have you ever had Red Mango? They make delicious frozen yogurt, and their raspberry is one of my favorites… it’s seedless!!)

I also love freezer jam.  I remember growing up, one summer my mom made seedless raspberry jam.  and my whole family still has fond memories eating it.  Everyone was sad when the last jar was empty.  So, when I saw that raspberries were on sale at the local store for $.99 I knew I wanted to make some.  and you know what? It’s really easy!! slightly time consuming, but totally worth it!

Seedless Raspberry Jam (adapted from the Sure-Jell package)

1 package Sure-Jell Pectin

5 pints of fresh and ripe raspberries – to make 3 cups of raspberry sauce

5 1/4 C sugar

3/4 C water

• Wash your raspberries. I did this in batches, 1-2 pints at a time.

• Put a batch of the raspberries in a sieve or mesh strainer, and place that over a bowl (or pyrex measuring cup) 

• Get a flexible but firm spatula and start mushing the raspberries through the sieve



• Keep mushing and mushing, until all the raspberry goodness makes its way through the sieve



• Repeat these steps until you have 3 cups of the raspberry sauce with no seeds in it.

• Measure exactly 3 cups of the seedless raspberry sauce, and put in a bowl.

• Stir in the 5 1/4 C exactly of sugar and let sit 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

• While that is sitting, put 3/4 C water and sure-jell pectin in a small sauce pan, over medium-high heat



• Stir all together and bring to a boil. Boil for 1 minute



• Pour the pectin mixture into your bowl of raspberry/sugar mixture



• Stir until all the pectin is mixed in.  Keep stirring until the sugar is dissolved. (to check this, rub a bit between your fingers, it should feel smooth, not grainy)



• Pour into clean freezer safe containers – leave about 1/2” at top for expansion in the freezer



• Let sit at room temperature for about 24 hours, until the jam is set.



• After it’s set, it keeps for 3 weeks in the fridge, or up to a year in the freezer. 

This jam is delicious, bursting with fresh raspberry flavor, and no seeds to get in the way!! I especially love it on whole wheat toast. I hope you like it as much as I do!!

Banana Bundt Cake

My son loves bananas. He kind of goes through phases, but sometimes he’ll eat 1 maybe 2 whole bananas in a sitting.  I think he likes bananas more than any person I know. He’ll eat them so green that I can’t even barely peel them, and then my fingers have that nasty bitter taste on them.  So, I very rarely have bananas that get ripe enough to bake with.  But I think he forgot they were on the counter, or I forgot to offer them to him, because I had 3 bananas that were awesome for baking: lots of brown spots and WAY more ripe than I would eat.Good thing their so delicious in baked goods!  This is probably one of my husbands favorite cakes that I make.

Banana Bundt Cake adapted from Better Homes and Gardens Cook Book

2 eggs room temp

2 1/4 C all-purpose flour

1 1/2 C sugar

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 C mashed RIPE bananas (about 3)

3/4 C buttermilk*

1/2 C (1 stick) butter, softened

1 tsp vanilla

*I rarely have buttermilk on hand, so instead, I make ‘sour milk.’ To make it, place 1 Tblsp white vinegar or lemon juice in a 1 C measuring cup.  Fill to the top with milk. Stir, and let sit for 5 minutes before using.

• grease/flour a Bundt pan (or just use a spray with flour in it!!)
• stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, and baking soda
• add bananas, buttermilk, butter and vanilla, beat on low to combine
• add eggs, beat on medium for 2 minutes, then pour into pan
• bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes, until a toothpick poked in the middle comes out clean
• let cool in pan on rack for ~10 minutes then flip out to cool

Cream Cheese Drizzle

2 oz cream cheese room temp

1 Tblsp butter room temp

3/4 C powdered sugar

~2 tsp cream

• cream butter and cream cheese until combined
• add powdered sugar, 1/4 C at a time, combining before next addition
• add enough cream to make it a fairly runny consistency, so you can drizzle
• put it in a ziplock bag with a corner cut off, and drizzle away!I drizzled it lopsided though: for more equal frosting to cake ratio, don’t drizzle it in so far into the middle, and be more generous on the outside

mini Chocolate Peanut Butter Hi-Hats

Remember how my niece came to town? And she loves to bake too? well, she had a recipe that she wanted to share with me.  And boy am I glad she did.  She did her take one these.  Yum.  I can’t lie though, these bad boys are pretty rich. that’s why I made mine mini style:Just you wait…That frosting is fluffy peanut butter goodness.  Awesome right? 

These cupcakes have been a big hit with some of my reliable taste testers.  Comments like, “honestly the best cupcakes I’ve ever had” or “to die for” and my personal favorite, “holy yummy oh so deliciously sinful cupcake”

want to make some??

Chocolate Peanut Butter Hi-Hats

*this recipe makes a ton of mini cupcakes just so you’re aware*

• Start with a chocolate cake mix (Sure you can use a mix!! the frosting is the star in this recipe! I used Betty Crocker’s Devil’s Food) + the oil, water, eggs
• divide evenly into lined cupcake pans. You don’t want to fill them too full, it’s better if they come out with a fairly flat top.
• mini cupcakes don’t take very long to make, and you don’t want to over bake them! I started at 8 minutes, then removed them when a toothpick came out clean.  Cool on racks

Peanut Butter fluff recipe

1 1/2 C (3 sticks) butter room temp

1 1/2 C creamy Peanut Butter

1 1/2 C Marshmallow creme

3 C powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla

~2 Tblsp milk

• cream butter, then add peanut butter

  *tip for adding peanut butter: line the measuring cup with plastic wrap before putting the PB in:then just flop it out. see how nice it comes out?

  

• add marshmallow crème and mix to combine

• add the powdered sugar 1/2 – 3/4 C at a time

• beat until fluffy, then add the vanilla.

• Add milk 1 T at a time until it’s a good piping consistency

it should look about like this, and yes, I took lots of taste tests.now pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes.  I just used a ziplock bag with a hole cut into the corner.

now, throw them into the freezer for about 20 min, you want the frosting pretty firm to the touch

Chocolate Coating

1 bag of chocolate chips

3 Tblsp oil

while the cupcakes are freezing, melt the chips with the oil in the microwave on 1/2 power, stirring every 30 seconds.  You’ll want the chocolate to be in a cup or bowl that is deep enough to dip the cupcakes into, but with a wide enough mouth so it’s easy.  I used big mug

dip em in, then pull em out, and let the excess drip off a bit.

let the chocolate harden.  I recommend storing these cupcakes in the fridge, in a container or with plastic wrap on top.  It makes the chocolate coating more of a shell, so you bite through chocolate shell, chilled PB fluff, and then the soft cake. Pretty dang good!

Easy Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream

I have fond memories of homemade ice cream while growing up.  It was a special treat.  and So delicious.  The ice cream maker would run outside, and it was so exciting to hear the machine slow down, because that meant it was ready! 

A couple of years ago, my husband wanted to start making ice cream.  So, we got an ice cream maker!  We tried Several vanilla recipes.  That’s the basic, so we needed to get it right.  Some had so much cream, you’re mouth would be coated within a couple of bites.  Some were too sweet.  Some have lots of ingredients that I don’t usually have on hand.  Some you have to cook, then cool, but I would never think to make it early enough. You get the picture.  Then I found a recipe that contains only 4 ingredients:Yup. that’s right.  Boo-yah! 

and that vanilla on the right, is from Mexico.  Let me tell ya, Mexican vanilla is delicious.  When I smell it, I kind of want to drink the whole bottle….

So, 4 ingredients, no cooking, no eggs, perfect cream ratio, sounds good to me! 

Vanilla Ice Cream for a 2 quart ice cream maker

2 C heavy whipping cream

2 C milk

1 can Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk (I’ve tried Great Value… it’s not the same)

2 Tablespoons vanilla extract

• combine all ingredients whisk to combine (whisking seems easier to me)
• put into an ice cream maker to chillthis is the one we use.  perfect little 2 quart-er.  and it doesn’t involve ice and rock salt, which makes it even better.

and when it looks like this is when you should be very excited!  Since the ice cream is so soft, and melts quickly, you can put bowls into the freezer while making the ice cream.  The cold bowls will help keep it frozen longer. I forgot to freeze my bowl, you can see it starting to melt around the edges.  But you know what? It’s still delicious.  Eat it plan like this, or with fresh fruit, or with oreos, or pie, or cobbler….  the options are endless! Enjoy!

Fresh Strawberry Cupcakes

My mother-in-law and niece were in town for a visit.  And they like to bake too! It was a super fun week filled with lots of baking.  Then, they were kind enough to watch my kiddos while my husband and I got to go to Cancun. So, that’s where I’ve been the past couple of weeks.

but now back to baking!

I love strawberries (especially when they’re always on sale).  I like them by themselves, with yogurt and granola, dipped in chocolate, on pancakes, with ice cream, etc. And these cupcakes were no exception. I very much enjoyed them. They have a great fresh strawberry taste.

Strawberry Cupcakes adapted from Martha Stewart makes about 18

1 3/8 C all-purpose flour

1/4 C cake flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 C (1 stick) butter room temp

1 1/8 C sugar

3/4 tsp vanilla extract

2 eggs

1/2 C milk

1 C finely chopped fresh strawberries

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin tins with liners
• Sift together both flours and baking powder
• Cream butter, sugar and vanilla on med-hi until pale and fluffy
• Add eggs one at a time, beating until incorporated, scraping down sides as needed
• With speed on low, add flour mixture in 2 batches, alternating with milk, beating well until combined
• Fold in chopped strawberries by hand
• Fill the lined cups 3/4 full, and bake 20-25 minutes
• Let cool for 15 minutes in tins before tipping out onto racks, then let cool completely

Strawberry Buttercream from Martha makes about 2 1/2 C

3/4 C fresh strawberries rinsed, hulled and coarsely chopped

2 large egg whites

1/2 + 1/8 C sugar

3/4 C (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons, room temp (I only had salted butter, and the frosting was good on the cupcakes, but I think it would have been better to use unsalted)

• puree strawberries in a food processor
• combine egg whites and sugar in heatproof bowl, set over simmering water
• whisk constantly by hand until mixture is warm and sugar has dissolved – should feel smooth
• place egg/sugar mixture in a standing mixer with whisk attachment- start low and increase to med-hi
• mix until stiff but not dry peaks form, and the the bottom of the bowl no longer feels warm, around 10 minutes
• turn speed to med-low, add butter 1 Tlbsp at a time, mixing well after each addition
• after the butter has been added, scrape down sides of bowl and switch to the paddle attachment, beat on low for about 2 minutes
• add strawberries and beat until combined (this step took a lot longer then I thought it would, at first it looks like the strawberries will never mix in.  But they do!)
• stir with a flexible spatula until the frosting is smooth

I used Wilton tip #4B to frost these

Coconut Cupcakes w/ Coconut Buttercream

If you like coconut, you will love these cupcakes.  They are seriously delicious.  And every time I make them, they turn out. I even love them without frosting!  If I want a coconut treat, this is what I’ll make.  The cake is so moist, and I absolutely love the coconut flavor from the milk and shredded coconut.  Then to top it off, the frosting is rich, and smells divine.  

Coconut Cupcakes (From Martha Stewart’s Cupcakes book) makes about 20

1 3/4 C all purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 C packed sweetened shredded coconut

3/4 C (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temp (I use salted and omit the salt)

1 1/3 C Sugar

2 large whole eggs plus 2 egg whites, room temp

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

3/4 C unsweetened coconut milk (I find mine in the Asian food isle. I shake the can before I open it, then stir it all up before using it. After that, I stick what’s left in the fridge to use for my next batch something else)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin tins with liners

Whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.

Pulse shredded coconut in a food processor until finely ground, and whisk into flour mixture

With an electric mixer on med-hi, cream butter and sugar until pale and fluffy.

Gradually beat in whole eggs, whites and vanilla, scraping down sides of bowl as needed.

Reduce speed to low, add flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with 2 additions of coconut milk, and beating until combined after each.

Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling 3/4 full. Bake about 20 minutes (I only baked mine for 16) Remove from oven and turn out onto wire racks to cool completely

and if you want to eat them all right now, I totally don’t blame you.

Martha uses a 7 min frosting in her book, but I decided to try a coconut buttercream instead.

Coconut Buttercream (Adapted from one of Martha’s basic buttercreams)

1 stick butter room temp

1 1/2 C powdered sugar

1/2 tsp coconut extract

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

1-2 Tblsp whipping cream (or milk)

cream the butter (hand or standing mixer works fine)

add the powdered sugar, 1/2 C at a time, mixing it in completely before adding more

mix in the extracts

to thin it out a bit, for easier spreading or piping, add some milk or cream

**I only frosted about 1/2 the cupcakes with this recipe. 

So if you want them all frosted, double the recipe, or just put less frosting on each cake**

I used Wilton tip 1M in a disposable pastry bag to pipe the tops

And then I thoroughly enjoyed one! (or maybe two…)