FRENCH VANILLA CAKE with BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

 This is a keeper for sure.   It’s the best vanilla cake I have ever made.   Looking at the picture makes me want another slice or maybe two! Miss Morgan’s birthday was soon approaching and  I decided I’m gonna have a virtual birthday party for her.   I live in Maine and she’s in Texas.   But that’s ok so I invited 2 of her aunts to come for  dinner and dessert of French Vanilla Cake and ice cream.   The menu was decided and I was making home made chicken pot pie, squash and rolls.   

But because of Covid-19 the quests had to cancel at the last minute so the only quest for dinner were Daddy Dick and myself.   Dinner was delicious and the cake was so good.    I am crazy about this cake.  So what do you do with a 2 layer frosted cake and only 2 people to eat it.   You wrap it.   I had some disposable square containers that I put a slice in and placed a layer of plastic wrap over it and closed the cover.  Then I wrapped each container of cake with freezer paper and placed in the freezer.   So quess what this cake freezes very well.

I discovered this homemade from scratch Vanilla Cake 🎂 from Pinterest.  It’s made by Kara Jane who post all her wonderful sweet recipes at ISCREAMFORBUTTERCREAM.  Go take a look and check out this recipe or maybe you may find another cake that sounds like You gotta try that.   

I frosted my cake with my favorite buttercream.  This frosting is sweet or so sweet   I love it 

Happy holidays and hoping for a normal 2021!   Andi

LIME DELIGHT

Here you go Morgan, a family recipe that my mother made for many years.  The original recipe is from Marjorie Standish.  She was a Maine cook who has a couple of cookbook.  A staple cookbook found in many Maine kitchens.   This dessert is light and fluffy.  Great for after a heavy meal.     

LIME DELIGHT

one can (14 1/2 ounce) can of chilled evaporated milk 

one 3-ounce package of lime gelatin

1 and 3/4 cups boiling water

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup lime juice

2 teaspoon of lemon juice

2 cups of gram cracker crumbs (save some to sprinkle over the top)

1/2 cup of melted butter

In a small bowl add the jello and the boiling water, set in the refrigerator until cold.  Don't allow the jello to set because you will have pieces of lime jello in your dessert.  Whip the evaporated milk until it holds up in peaks.  

Remove the jello from the fridge and mix with your hand mixer then add the juices and the sugar and mix. Pour the jello mixture into the whipped evaporated milk.   Fold the two mixtures together and scrape to the bottom of the bowl to make sure you have the mixture blended well. Add a tiny amount of green food coloring.  Pour this into the lined 9x13 inch gram cracker lined pan.   Sprinkle some of the crumbs over the top of the jello mixture.   Place in fridge until set.  Cut in squares and serve.   

                                                                        

Happy Baking

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memories by the mile

THE BEST APPLE CRISP

Tis' the season for apples and making a pie, or maybe apple crisp.   The best Apple Crisp.  Made just how I like with Oatmeal Crumb Topping!  Yummy-O.  Finish it off with whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.   Serve warm 

This recipe is from allrecipes apple-oatmeal-crisp.  I made this twice, the first time I followed the directions using only 3 cups of sliced and chopped apples.  Way too sweet for me.  Find that a little strange since I am so addicted to sugar.  The next night I made it again and added 6 cups of chopped and slice apples and I love it! Next time I am going back to my old way and will thinly slice my apples.  This is my go to recipe for fall when wanting  apple crisp.  

The best Apple Crisp

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray a 8x8 inch square baking dish.   Recipe suggest to slice and chop the apples but I prefer to slice the apples very thin.  

In a large bowl add:

1 cup light brown sugar
1 cup rolled oats  (I used 1/2 old fashion and 1/2 quick oats)
1 cup of flour
mix this then add
1 stick of melted butter and mix until blended

In another bowl mix 1/2 cup of sugar with 2 tsp of cinnamon.  Sprinkle this over and mix with 6 cups of thinly sliced apples.  (Allrecipes calls for 3 cups of apples) Way too sweet for me.  I had a hard time to find any apples, they had cooked down. 

sprinkle about 1/3 of the crumb topping into the prepared baking dish
pour in the cinnamon/sugar coated thinly sliced apples
then sprinkle the apples with the remaining crumb topping
bake at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes

                                                                             Enjoy

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 mizhelenscountrycottage
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RHUBARB STRAWBERRY CRUNCH

OK, I am a sugar addict!!!   But this recipe has strawberries and rhubarb and those are fruits which are good for us.   This is my second attempt at cooking with Rhubarb,  I love it. Next spring,  I will be on the lookout for anyone's garden that has Rhubarb in it.  I would like to make strawberry/rhubarb jam.  Ms. Kathy gave me a bag so that I could make this Rhubarb Strawberry Crunch.  This is a keeper for sure.   I especially like the topping and I am going to try using this topping on other baked goods.   Here is my dessert for this week..........Enjoy    Andi   

Print Recipe

Go check out allrecipes and read the reviews, I think I will add more fruit next time and adjust the amount of the sugar.   The topping is perfect, this is a wonderful recipe and perfect for summer.  

                                        

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greenwillowpond

BLUEBERRY CRUNCH DUMP CAKE

Another fast & easy dessert to put together.  I found this on home cooking memories.  It's very similar to the frans-dump-cake  that I did a short while ago.  

Always nice to have a quick dessert to make just in case.   Never know who may stop in. My picture leaves a bit to be desired but go ahead and add a scoop of ice cream or some whipped cream and you put this over the moon.............Everyone will love you.  I picked these blueberries last summer, only have one bag left in the freezer. I am lucky, out the back door and I can pick till my hearts content. Wild Maine .........Sweet blueberries.  

I used my Pampered Chef Stoneware round baker, its 10 1/2 by 1 3/4 deep. 
     

or this

PRINT RECIPE

1 TBSP of melted butter

11 ounces blueberries or about 2 1/2 cups blueberries

3/4 cup sugar

1 can crushed pineapple, undrained can (20 ounces)

1 box of yellow cake mix 

1 cup chopped pecans optional 

1 stick butter, melted (1/2 cup)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees grease and flour a 9x13 inch baking pan   

1.  Spread the undrained pineapple in the bottom of the 9x13 inch pan

2.  In a bowl add the measured blueberries and coat them with the 1 TBSP of     melted butter

3.  Sprinkle the buttered blueberries with the 3/4 cup of sugar and combine

4.  Spread the berries over the pineapple

5.  Sprinkle the dry cake batter over the berries, making sure to bring the dry mixture to the edge of the pan

6.  Drizzle the melted butter over the top of the dry cake mix and then sprinkle the chopped pecans

7.  Bake at 350 for about 45-55 minutes or til the top is light golden brown

Frozen blueberries from last summer 

11 ounces is almost 2 1/2 cups of berries

Enjoy my friends,   Andi 

memoriesbythemile

  

FRAN'S DUMP CAKE

Need a quick and easy dessert then this is for you!  Got a cake mix and a couple other ingredients and about 35 minutes and you can be enjoying a warm cobbler.  Serve warm out of the oven with ice cream or whipped cream.    Oh, so good! I got this recipe from a co-worker a few years ago.   Thank's Fran..........  

The background is garden bricks that I painted the names of some herbs for my garden.   I saw this on Pinterest for these brick-herb-markers.  I did mine with paint but go check out Pam she gives good instructions on doing this and hers look a lot nicer. I am going to do some more with names of flowers and I will do better on those.  I promise......      

preheat oven to 350 degrees
spray a 9x13 inch baking pan with PAM spray
spread a (15 ounce) can of crushed pineapple juice and all in the bottom of the baking pan
1 (21 ounce) can of red raspberry pie filling and spread this over the crushed pineapple 
you could also use cherry pie filling or even lemon 
Open the box cake mix white or yellow cake and sprinkle this over the pie filling
Sprinkle a small bag of shredded coconut over the dry cake mix
Melt 2 sticks of butter and spoon this over the coconut

Bake at 350 degrees for about 35-40 minutes or until the coconut is browned. Cool for a little then serve warm with ice cream or whipped cream.    Enjoy 

Baxter State Park 

Millinocket, Maine
home of Mike, Kris and Cora 

GRAPE-NUT PUDDING

Here ya' go brother Dicka, this is for you. I can remember mother goose making Grape-nut pudding in my younger days.  I think I excused myself from the table if this was the dessert for the day.  Didn't think it was very pretty then and 40 years later it still isn't very pretty to me. Guess I am not a custard type of girl. I may of stayed at the dinner table long enough to eat the whipped cream off the top of the pudding!

 And even today you will still see this offered on many menu's.  I'll have a slice of apple pie please.  

 I do like the pottery dish that my neighbor Heidi gave to me. 

I have a box of Grape-nut cereal in the cupboard and what will I do with it? I could make this again because Mr. Dick enjoyed this old fashion pudding or I could make Grape-nut bread. 

A old fashion custard dessert loved by many.  

 I found this recipe in my cookbook from  "The  Maine Alzheimer's Association" this recipe for the Grape-nut pudding was given by The Honorable Tom Allen, US Congressman Portland, Maine 

Enjoy and happy baking my friends,   Andi 

PRINT RECIPE

1 quart milk  I would use whole milk 

1 cup grape-nut cereal

3 eggs, beaten

3/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

pinch of salt

optional add:

1/2 tsp cinnamon and 1/2 cup raisins

grated nutmeg over the top 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix the milk with the grape nuts and let stand about 10 minutes.  Beat eggs, sugar, vanilla and salt. and add the optional cinnamon and raisins if using.   Add the milk mixture and stir well.  Sprinkle the top with grated nutmeg   Bake 45 minutes or until a knife comes clean when inserted in center of pudding

Lemonade anyone?

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stonegable

BAKED APPLES FROM MOTHER GOOSE

Baked Apples from Mother Goose

A day in the apple orchard is always fun. The orchard that we usually go to is set on the side of the mountain, so the walk is uphill or down.  No other way to go.  The sun was warm and the trees were full of those big red gems.  The view from the top is beautiful, you can see the mountain range of New Hampshire.  Doesn't take that long to pick a bag of apples, then the surprise when you get back to the apple shack to pay and you realize that you have a hugh bag of apples.  I didn't mean to pick that many.  But you pay your bill and be happy that you have the opportunity to go to the orchards to pick your own.  I am featuring a recipe of my mom's, she was a wonderful cook.  These are for you, Mother Goose!   

Add a little vanilla ice cream and enjoy

4 cooking apples

1/4 cup raisins

1/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
1/2 tsp orange rind, grated
1/2 cup fresh apple cider
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 tbsp butter
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg

Before Baking

In a small saucepan, add the apple cider, butter, sugars, cinnamon, nutmeg and bring this to a boil. Remove this syrup from the heat. In a small bowl combine the raisins and the nuts and mix this. Peel down about 1/4 to 1/3 down the apple and core them but don't go all the way. You want some base to the apple to hold the nuts and raisins. Place the apples in a baking dish. I filled each cavity with a little of the hot syrup before filling with the nuts and raisins. Fill each apple with the nuts and raisins. Pour the hot syrup over the filling and the apples. Bake for about 30-45 minutes depending on the size of the apple. I used my cake tester to poke them to see if done, you want them to be soft all the way to the core. Every once in a while baste the apples with the syrup. The syrup thickens and is so sweet and grand. Spoon a little of this over the apples and on top of the ice cream.  Serve warm with ice cream or sweetened whipped cream.

done and ready to eat, that syrup is soooo sweet and yummy!

Shared these baked apples
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chef-n-training

BLUEBERRY UPSIDE DOWN CAKE

Blueberry Upside-Down Cake
Cooking from Quilt Country
Amish and mennonite Kitchens
copyright 1989 by Marcia Adams

Another gem of a cake that is made with those little wild blueberries that I picked and froze back in July.  This blueberry upside down cake is not the most attractive cake that I have ever made, but it surely tasted wonderful.  Topped with fresh whipped cream with a nice hint of the orange rind added to the batter.  The body of the cake is mosit, tender and very soft.  Serves about 8-10 depending on the size you cut each piece.  Just make sure your serving platter is a little bigger then the cake pan.  The blueberries did fall down the sides.   This is a keeper for sure.   Happy Baking everyone


Blueberry Topping:
1 tbsp butter
1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp brown sugar
2 1/2 cups blueberries
dash of salt
1/2 Tbsp plus 1 tsp cornstarch
1 Tbsp water
Cake batter:
1 cup sifted cake flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup 1 Tbsp butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp grated orange rind
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup orange juice
Sweetened whipped cream for topping

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 9 inch baking dish with oil.

Prepare the topping first. In a medium saucepan combine the first 4 topping ingredients, the butter, brown sugar, blueberries and the salt. Bring this mixture to a boil, then simmer over low heat for 10 minutes. Combine the water and the cornstarch in a small dish and add to the blueberries and bring to a boil. Set this aside, but keep warm while you are mixing the cake batter.

In a medium bowl add the sifted flour, salt and baking powder together and set this aside. In another mixing bowl cream the butter then add the sugar, orange rind, and vanilla. Mix this well. Blend in the egg until the mixture is smooth. Add the sifted flour mixture alternately with the orange juice and end with the flour mixture. Mixing a little while adding a little of each.

Pour the blueberry mixture in the 9 inch oiled baking dish. Oil the sides and the bottom of the baking dish. The cake batter is very thick so using a small spoon drop several dollops of the batter over the blueberry mixture. Then using a off set spatula gently smooth each mound into each other to cover the blueberry and make a smooth top of the cake batter. You will have some blue streaks but don't worry its ok. Bake for about 20-25 minutes or until the center springs back when touched with your finger. Having your cake platter ( little bigger then the cake pan) ready immediately invert the cake to the serving tray. Top with sweetened whipped cream while the cake is warm for the best flavor.

I have shared this recipe with      bizzybakesb

LEMON BERRY SHORTCAKE

Another fun and easy summer treat.  A shortbread dessert that you could use any fruit that is in season. Its moist, with a hint of lemon.  Not overly sweet but has a tartness of those summer berries.   Love summer life in Maine. 

Lemon-Berry Shortcake
Taste of Home, Desserts 2011


1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg
2/3 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 tbsp lemon juice (1/2 lemon squeezed)
1 tsp grated lemon peel
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup sliced fresh strawberries, blueberries or raspberries

Topping:
1 1/2 cups slice fresh strawberries, blueberries or raspberries
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tsp sugar
2 cups whipped topping or use whipping cream and whip your own.

In a large mixing bowl, add the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Mix this to combine all the ingredients.

In another bowl add the egg, buttermilk, melted butter, lemon juice, lemon peel and vanilla. Whisk this to combine. Add this mixture to the dry ingredients and mix just to blend. Then fold in the strawberries or blueberries. Pour the cake batter into a tart pan or into a greased and floured 9 inch round cake pan. Bake at 350 degrees for about 20-25 minutes. Allow to cool in the pan for about 10 minutes then remove to a cake plate and cool completely.

Just prior to serving put the layers together. For the topping, whip your whipping cream. In a small bowl add the strawberries or blueberries with the lemon juice and the sugar. Mix and refrigerate until ready to use. Having your cake on the cake plate. Cover with the whipped cream. Arrange the berries on top of the cake. Serve.  Enjoy

PEACH COBBLER

Peach Cobbler
Paula Deen
Paula's Home Cooking
pauladeen

If you could spend the day with one person who would it be?  My ideal day would be with Ms. Paula Deen, I enjoy to watch her tv series, I love her energy, how she acts with her boys, her love of buter, and her wonderful personality. But then any day in the kitchen is always a wonderful day so if I couldn't have her, I'd take any chef that would spent time with me.  Teach me all they know in 8 hours! Any volunteers?  The pages of Paula's food photo's are alway beautiful and make your mouth water.  I didn't have the mint to put on my cobbler for the photo.  No mint growing in my flower patch. But I am growing some basil. Sure she has a recipe to use that in .  We had our taste testers over for dessert, Tim, Heidi and Emily and this was approved by all.  I have to admit that another food I have never had is Peach Cobbler. The peaches I used were ripe and full of flavor. When I was peeling them I did the work over a plate and the juice that came out of the peaches while peeling them, I poured into the saucepan.  This is a make again recipe.  Hope you enjoy. 

                            
                       
1 1/2 cup of self-rising flour
1 stick of butter
1/2 cup water
2 cups sugar, divided
4 cups peeled, sliced peaches
1 1/2 cups milk
ground cinnamon

before baking

                                                     After baking

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Peel peaches and slice, combine these in a saucepan along with 1 cup of sugar, and the 1/2 cup water. Bring this mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Using a 3 quart baking dish, place the butter in the baking dish and place in the oven to melt the butter. In the meantime, in a medium size bowl or a 4 cup pyrex pitcher add the 1 cup of sugar, flour and slowly add the milk while whisking this until blended. Remove the baking dish from the oven, pour the flour mixture over the melted butter (do not stir) then using a slotted spoon arrange the peaches on top of the batter then carefully pour the syrup over the peaches. Sprinkle with the cinnamon and bake for 30-45 minutes. Serve in big bowl along with whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Serves 8-10

OLD FASHION GINGERBREAD

And who doesn't enjoy warm, moist gingerbread with fresh whipped cream.  Very pleasing to the senses, the kitchen smells delicious. This recipe indicated in the cookbook it is 100 years old.  And still enjoyed today as much as it was when grandma made it all those years ago.  So thank you grandma for this delicious cake.  The finished cake was 2 1/4 inch high.  This recipe makes about 9 servings.




Old Fashioned Gingerbread
The Maine Collection
A Cookbook by the Portland Museum of Art
copyright 1993


1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg, beaten
2 1/2 cups flour, sifted
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup molasses
1 cup hot tap water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9x9 inch baking pan.
In a large bowl, mix the softened butter with the sugar and mix. Add the beaten egg and mix again. Alternately add the sifted flour and all the spices with the molasses and hot tap water. Mix after each addition. Pour batter into the 9x9 inch baking dish and bake at 350 degrees for about 40-45 minutes. Check after 35 minutes. I used a stoneware baking dish from Pampered chef and the gingerbread was done at about 40 minutes.

CREAM PUFFS

Cream Puffs
Marjorie Standish

1 cup boiling water, 1 stick butter, 1 cup flour, and 4 eggs
Using a saucepan add 1 cup water and bring to boil, remove the pan from the stove top. Add the stick of butter and allow this to melt. Add the flour and using a sturdy wooden spoon mix until the mixture forms a big ball in the center of the saucepan.
Put this mixture in your stand mixer and add one egg at a time. Making sure you have allowed it to mix and become thick and stiff after the addition of each egg. Repeat this until all the eggs have been used. Remember to make sure the batter is stiff before adding the next egg.
Prepare your baking sheet with parchment paper. Do not grease the sheet the grease will cause the dough to flatten when baking.
Using about 1/4 cup of dough form mixture in rounds on baking sheet. You could also use a pastry bag or a heavy duty plastic bag and snip one corner and squeeze the batter in rectangular shapes. If you want you could make these any size you want. Just adjust the baking time. make sure the tops are fairly smooth before putting in oven. Use your fingers that have been dipped in water to smooth if needed.
Place the baking sheet in a cold oven and set to 400 degrees. Bake until all bubbles of moisture have disappeared. About 35-40 minutes.

Old-Fashioned cream filling (very tasty)
this filling can be used when making a Boston Cream Pie
2 cups milk, 1/3 cup flour, 1/2 tsp salt, 2/3 cups sugar, 2 eggs and 1 tsp vanilla. you could also add some whipped cream to this.

Scald the milk (heat milk to warm) either on top of stove or in microwave. mix flour, sugar, and salt. Beat eggs, slightly. Combine with flour mixture. Then carefully add a very little at a time the warmed milk to the egg/flour mixture. Be careful you don't want to add it all at once you will end up cooking the egg. Using a double boiler cook this mixture until thick, stirring constantly. Allow to cook for a couple more minutes then remove from the heat source. Using a pastry bag you can squeeze the filling into the cream puffs. Paying attention to the amount you are adding to each puff so that you don't run out of filling. You can also cut the tops and spoon in the filling then replace the top and make a chocolate frosting and frost each cream puff. DO NOT FIll the cream puffs until the last minute.