Vanilla Buttercream to the Rescue!

Each week our church family comes together, makes a meal together, and shares a discussion over that meal. Each person signs up for a different course or ingredient so that the burden doesn't fall onto one person. It's possible because we're a small group that meets in a house (also, we're part of a larger church network for anyone who may be feeling freaked out by the idea of a "home church" :). However, the point of this post is not about my church or it's logistics, rather it is about food. 

Since we've begun making a meal together each week, my confidence in the kitchen has grown. We've had food themes that push me outside of my comfort zone; sometimes I fail and sometimes I nail it. Luckily for me, everyone is gracious and loving in my attempts at new dishes.



This confidence has encouraged me to branch out and try all kinds of recipes. I found a fun homemade Ding Dong recipe via Pinterest and wanted to give it a shot. I followed the directions well, but ran into some serious trouble with the whipped cream filling. I just could NOT get it to whip and create "stiff peaks". In fact, I was able to achieve a nice top layer of whipped cream, but hidden beneath was a liquidy bummer.



After a brief emotional breakdown (I blame pregnancy hormones), I resolved to find a solution. This lead me to buttercream frosting. My friend Ali has a super delicious homemade recipe and it was the first thing that came to my mind. Hers is pretty fancy (she is a professional baker, after all), so I Googled, "vanilla buttercream frosting". A simple recipe from Savory Sweet Life came up and I had all of the ingredients in my pantry (bonus!).



The frosting was SUPER easy to make and it was really delicious. I was so satisfied with the way that it turned out, and stoked by the fact that my Ding Dongs were not ruined! I filled my little cocoa cakes with this buttery goodness and proceeded to cover them with chocolate. More than just making a yummy dessert, I'm proud that I was able to overcome adversity in the kitchen. It may sound lame, but I thought I wasn't going to be able to save the cakes when the cream wouldn't whip.



Here are some things I learned from both recipes:

Ding Dongs

• I feel like there was a funny after taste and I can't tell if it was the pureed dates or if my vanilla extract went bad. 
• Make sure you have ALL of the ingredients before you begin. I had to go to the store several times because I missed a few things.

Buttercream Frosting

• Follow the instructions - they are easy and it pays off in the end. 

You can find the full recipes and all photos from the links above. 

Sweet Sweets

I am a girl who loves her sweets. No matter how full I may be, I am never too full to eat a sweet treat. Here is a collection of treats I am currently craving, as well as those that are too good to pass up...

What is your food weakness? 
(Chocolate Chip Cookies / Layered Banana Cake / Brown Butter Raspberry Tart / Hot Chocolate / Chocolate Swirl Buns)

Colorful Cake

The gang and I are headed back from Coachella today and I can't wait to tell you all about it! Unfortunately, I'll be in a car most of today and won't be able to fill you in on the details until later this week. In the meantime, I wanted to share this awesome cake I stumbled upon...

Isn't it fun?! I don't know if I would want to eat it because it looks so nice. Ha! Who am I kidding, I'd dive right in.
(Photo: Capital Romance via QuiteLikeHorses)

Snickerdoodles by Sarah

I am very excited to introduce a new series here on Short Story Long! My good friend Sarah K is a personal chef and will be joining us every few weeks to share some of the recipes she's working on. She'll give us insights, tips, and tricks that we can use in our own kitchen adventures. Don't be afraid to ask questions in the comments below. Enjoy!

I've been pretty homesick this week. To pass the time, my mind drifts to the laughter of family and friends, the lights, the hugs, and the smell of the dozen or so varieties of cookies that grace my parents' table each Christmas. One cookie in particular that always makes me think of my mom is Snickerdoodles! So with the holidays just around the corner, I thought I'd let you in on one of my tips for getting ready weeks ahead of time!

This recipe is from Allrecipes.com, with a few small tweaks. :)

Ingredients
1 cup shortening (I used softened unsalted butter)
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
(I added 1t pure vanilla extract)
2 3/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons white sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets (or line them with parchment).
• In a medium bowl, cream together the shortening and sugar. Add eggs one at a time, mixing after each. Sift together the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt; stir into the creamed mixture until well blended.
• In a small shallow bowl, stir together the 2 tablespoons of sugar with the cinnamon. Roll the dough into walnut sized balls and roll the balls in the sugar mixture. Place cookies 2 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheet. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Cookies should be slightly golden at the edges. Remove to cool on wire racks.

Bake some for now, and some for later! Roll the cookie dough in cinnamon-sugar mixture, toss into a zipper bag and freeze for 1 to 2 months. Defrost in the fridge overnight before baking.

Enjoy with a cup of hot apple cider!

Ali Cakes

I am lucky enough to say that my good friend Alison is a professional baker. She has a personal buttercream frosting recipe that melts in your mouth, and I am always amazed by the edible treats she creates.  Last weekend she created some beautiful cakes for our friend's wedding shower. How beautiful is that ruffled cake?!

Alison is the founder and owner of Alison LeClair Cakes, she specializes in fondant, and you can see  more of her work on her Facebook page, here. Make sure to stop by and check her out!

(Photos: Alison LeClair)

Cupcakes!

Life can be stressful. As I have mentioned earlier, I often look for releases and ways to cope with that stress. Sometimes I play fun money saving games, other times I bake.

To me, the precision of baking is therapeutic. Reading and re-reading the recipe and then performing the steps acts as a clear beginning, middle and end. It is so satisfying to see the outcome of my diligence within an hour or so. Plus, there is the added bonus of eating the yummy result!

As I begin to mentally and physically prepare for the start of grad school, I am making a mental list of my favorite, go-to baking recipes. Chocolate chip cookies will definitely be on there, with banana bread closely following, and I can't forget that I make a mean brownie batch, so they will not be forgotten this semester! During my amazing weekend at Blogshop I was able to play around with a few templates and designs, and below is my tribute to the comfort baking brings me.

Happy baking!

Do you enjoy baking? What are your favorite things to bake?

Croissants

When I think of croissants, I can't help but imagine delicious, buttery pastries. Their flakey texture and fattening taste are almost making my mouth water just thinking about it! Although I have a major sweet tooth, I don't know if I'm patient enough to actually put effort into making them.

Luckily, there are people in the world who are motivated to make yummy treats. For example, my friend Sobrina over at Quiet Like Horses posted her take on almond croissants. Check out her post right here.



Doesn't her post make the effort seem so worth it? Do you have any recipes that seemed daunting at first, but ended well?

Blogshop!

Good morning friends! I have recently returned from an unexpected blogging vacation, but I have been inspired by my time away and excited to share my experiences. I was fortunate enough to squeeze into one last spot in the amazing Blogshop workshop put on by Bri Emery of DESIGNLOVEFEST and photographer, Angela Kohler. The amount of information I learned was incredible and I feel excited to incorporate some new techniques here. Plus, Bri sat down for a little Q&A! Being able to pick her brain was a once in a lifetime opportunity.

One of our projects over the weekend was to create a header for a blog. I decided to create a header (or potential advertisement) for my friend Alison's cake business. Check it out below!



P.S. Aren't the details on her cake amazing?!