Pink Lemonade Cake

Pink Lemonade Cake - I had never heard of it but it sounded good.  I mean, really?  Can you go wrong with cake and pink lemonade?  You got your sweet and sour all together!

It took me awhile to get to making it but yesterday was the day!  It was a unique experience. 

First off, the recipe called for this:

Setting my butter and eggs out at room temperature for 30 mins before making the cake.  The brown eggs are from our friends that have a farm and do a CSA, which we have a 1/2 share in this year.

So I let it sit out and then you're supposed to beat the butter with a hand mixer for 30 seconds.  I kept clogging up the mixer.  It wasn't whipping up like I thought it should.  Then gradually add sugar.  What this picture does not show is the huge mess I made all over my counter.

Getting better (the beaters aren't as clumpy):

Got everything all mixed together and turned it pink!

Bake.  The recipe says 30-35 mins but it probably took more like 45 mins.  Admittedly, my oven needs cleaned so that may be why it took longer.

Let cake cool while taking children outside to play in the mud puddles and blow bubbles.
Come inside and have supper:

It was snack food night so we had Orange glazed little smokies ( http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/orange-glazed-smokies) which have been a favorite of ours since I found them shortly after we got married, croissants and carros/dip.  Kids also had apple slices.  Well, DD did but DS refused his fruit and veggies so he did not get to try this cake.  But anyway ...

After supper DD and I resumed our cake baking by making the frosting.  This was the first time she had seen anyone make frosting and it was an interesting concept for her.

First you start with softened butter (or melted butter if you're like me and microwave it too long):

And now for all the yummy powdered sugar! 

Official opinion:  It is a dense cake and the lemon flavoring was almost overpowering.  I normally really like lemon stuff but I was surprised at how strong the flavor was.  But there is pink lemonade concentrate in the cake and frosting.  Plus, I didn't have buttermilk so I made the buttermilk for the cake and I discovered that instead of using vinegar like I was accustomed to, you can use lemon juice so I did.  So yeah, lemon overload.  But it was good.  A lot of work for a 'just because' cake but worth it if you had a special event that called for it.

Here is the full recipe and link to original website:

Recipe from Better Homes and Gardens- Lemonade Cake

Ingredients

For the Lemonade Cake:
• 1/3 cup butter
• 3 eggs
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/3 cups sugar
• 1/4 cup frozen pink lemonade concentrate, thawed
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 1/4 cups buttermilk or sour milk
• Red food coloring (optional)
For the Lemon Butter Frosting:
• 1/3 cup softened butter
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1/3 cup frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoons frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
• Thin lemon slices (optional)

Instructions

For the Cake:
1. Allow butter and eggs to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, grease a 13x9x2-inch baking pan; set aside. In a medium bowl stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large mixing bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Gradually add sugar, about 1/4 cup at a time, beating on medium speed until well combined. Scrape sides of bowl; beat for 2 minutes more. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in pink lemonade concentrate and vanilla. Alternately add flour mixture and buttermilk, beating on low speed after each addition just until combined. If desired, stir in a few drops of red food coloring to get the pink color you desire. Spread batter into prepared pan.
3. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until top springs back when lightly touched. Cool in pan on a wire rack.
For the Frosting:
4. In a large mixing bowl beat softened butter with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Gradually add the 1 cup powdered sugar, beating well. Beat in the 1/3 cup frozen lemonade concentrate and vanilla. Gradually beat in the additional powdered sugar. Beat in additional frozen lemonade concentrate to reach spreading consistency. Makes 2 cups.
5. Spread cake with Lemon Butter Frosting. If desired, garnish with lemon slices and cut straws (slices should be removed before eating).

http://www.grandbaby-cakes.com/2014/07/pink-lemonade-cake/

 

Interesting Green Stuff, Pt. 2

My previous post about the shamrock shakes happened last Thursday.  Friday morning I didn't have to be at work until later so it was the perfect day to knock out a science experiment I had been wanting to get done.  Starting work even 2 hrs later can be huge to a home-school mom who also works full-time outside the home.  So I wanted to do a color mixing experiment.  Unbeknownst to me, DD (age 5) already knew that blue & yellow make green but she still thought it was cool.  It was entertaining for DS (age 2) as well. 

Step 1.  Fill 2 cups with water.  Put blue food coloring in one and yellow food coloring (which, incidentally looks red in the bottle) in another.

Step 2.  We took 2 smaller paper towels and folded them in half.  One went from the blue cup to an empty cup in the middle and one went from the yellow cup to the same empty cup in the middle.

Step 3.  Wait

Once you have waited awhile you should have a pretty green cup in the middle.  However, when conducting this experiment with a 2-year-old in the house, please be warned that it will still work but it may not be pretty.

The medicine cups, etc in front of the glasses were what he decided to play with (ie. get water out of the glasses, try to drink it when Mom wasn't watching).  The green blob shows what happens when the same 2-year-old gets a hold of the blue food coloring that Mom really thought she had put back in the upper cupboard - not pretty but yes, blue and yellow do make green!

I did not get an ending picture but eventually the water and more color did make it's way into the middle glass.

http://fromabcstoacts.com/2013/12/toddler-science-color-changing-experiment.html

Interesting Green Stuff, Pt. 1

Who else loves Shamrock Shakes?  I can't be the only one!  I love mint stuff.  When I was a kid, my favorite ice cream was mint chocolate chip.  When we would go to Baskin Robbins for the birthday club, that's what I would always get!  So when I found this copycat recipe for Shamrock Shakes, I got pretty excited!  

Last Thursday it got pretty warm here (or at least it felt like it for April) so it was the perfect day to try out this recipe.  


Step 1.  Combine ingredients in blender and blend.  
Easy enough, right?  So I put 4 cups of vanilla ice cream in my blender.  My blender (which technically I don't think is a blender but a food processor thing) has markings on the side for cup amounts so I just used that.  Add 1 tsp of vanilla.  Get the milk out because it needs 1 1/2 cups milk.  Notice milk has expiration date of the current day.  Ponder if milk is still ok.  Sniff milk and feel unsure because my nose is stuffed up.  Go outside with milk to ask hubby what he thinks.  Wait while hubby deals with children who were playing with a bunch of boards and one hit the other on the head (or something like that).  Ask hubby about milk.  Turn back so I can't see him taking a drink out of milk jug (it just grossed me out, even though he was careful to not touch his mouth to the jug).  Get seal of approval.  Go back inside.  Measure out first cup of milk and pour in blender.  Watch milk pour right back out on to countertop.  Scream and grab paper towels.  Answer DD's inquiry as to what was wrong and send her out to get Daddy.  Wait for Hubby/Daddy.  Explain problem to hubby.  Wait while hubby inspects blender and lovingly points out that the dispense nozzle was not put back together properly after last use.  Watch hubby fix and re-install dispense nozzle.  Re-pour milk, having to get out the new gallon of milk anyway in process.  Notice that ice-cream has melted and wonder how this will work..  Add 1/4 tsp peppermint extract (imitation even though the original recipe calls for pure). Add 3 Tbp sugar (having to open a new bag of sugar for, like, 2 Tbp).  Add 1/4 tsp green food coloring.  See photo below for what it looks like after this step.

Step 2.  May add or subtract milk for desired thickness.  See Step 1 that ice-cream was melted so it was all runny anyway.

Step 3.  Use whipped topping or sprinkles for garnish if desired.  Mentally refer to goal to lose weight and eat healthy, remember high calorie content of shamrock shakes and pour in glasses without garnish.  Serve to family and feel good that they are enjoying their treat.

Shamrock Shake Copycat Recipe

 

Ingredients

• ¼ tsp green food coloring
• 3 tablespoons of sugar
• ¼ tsp pure peppermint extract
• 1.5 cups of milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 4 cups vanilla ice cream

Instructions

1. Combine all ingredients in blender and blend until desired consistency.
2. May add or subtract milk to reach desired thickness.
3. Use whipped topping and sprinkles for garnish if desired.

http://bargainbriana.com/shamrock-shake-copycat-recipe/#_a5y_p=3398752