Golden Rum Cake - Happy Halloween!!

Golden Rum Cake 

I purchased the cookbook "Booze Cakes" this last summer and I am still trying the various recipes.  This weekend I made the Golden Rum Cake, let me just say scrumptious!!!

You must try this recipe it is a keeper for sure.

Golden Rum Cake:

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup dark rum

Golden Rum Glaze:
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup dark rum

Finishing:
3 tablespoons confectioners' sugar

Prepare:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. grease and flour a 9 or 10-inch bundt or tube cake pan.

Make:

2. In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition.

3. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and slat. In another bowl, combine milk vanilla, and rum. Beat flour mixture and milk mixture into the butter in three alternation additions. Pour batter into the prepared pan. Bake 1 hour, or until golden brown.

Finish:

4. For the glaze: Melt butter in a saucepan over low heat. Stir in sugar and 1/4 cup water and bring to a boil; cook 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in rum.

5. Place cake on a serving platter. Slowly pour glaze over top and sides until completely absorbed. Dust with confectioners' sugar.

Celebrations, Fancy Flowers and Bubbly on a budget!!

 

Glassware, Acrylic Tableware, Martini Moments, and Candles
  
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I just love all the goodies at Lolita's!!  They have some wonderful collectibles for the girls night out and/or get together.  

  

 

Cupcakes Now Made Easy

Daisy Oreo Mold Instructions-PDF

 

Opulence and economics don’t always go hand-in-hand, but this time-tested guide to everyday luxury suggests that the glamorous life is matter of bold refined style, not a stunning bank statement! Penned by Marjorie Hillis and originally published in 1937, this handbook from Chronicle Books offers strategies for saving on fashion, food, entertaining, and divine daily living. Each chapter collects elegant solutions on a theme, complemented by case studies and quizzes to make you a true master of frugal fabulousness. So before you bend over backwards to find the right couture, cheese, or car, consult this priceless paperback to make brilliant work of your budget!

Pink ✿ Champagne, Lemonade, Cake, Cupcakes and Cookies

Recipe courtesy Paula Deen

Prep Time:

25 min

Inactive Prep Time:

10 min

Cook Time:

33 min

Level:

Easy

Serves:

10 to 12 servings

Ingredients

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened, plus more, for coating pans
• 1 (18 1/4-ounce) box white cake mix
• 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3 tablespoons sweetened pink lemonade drink powder
• 1 pound confectioners' sugar
• 5 tablespoons frozen pink lemonade concentrate
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter 2 (8-inch) round cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper or waxed paper.

Prepare the cake batter according to the package directions. To the batter, stir in the lemon zest, vanilla, and pink lemonade powder. Pour the batter evenly into the prepared pans. Bake until golden and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Let the cakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes. Carefully turn the cakes out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

While the cake is baking, prepare the frosting by beating together the confectioners' sugarand remaining 1 cup butter until fluffy. Beat in the remaining frosting ingredients until combined.

Transfer one cake to a cake stand or large platter. Using an offset spatula, spread the top of the cake with a layer of frosting. Place the second cake on top of the first. Spread the remaining frosting over the top and sides of both layers.

 

This is so delicious and very easy to make.  I made it to share with our friends and all that was left was crumbs.  When we got home my husband asked me to make it again, he loved it that much and only got one slice.☺

 

Ingredients

   Cups

1

package (16 oz) Pillsbury® Ready to Bake!™ refrigerated sugar cookies

Champagne Buttercream

1

cup butter, softened

3

cups powdered sugar

1/4

cup pink champagne

1

to 2 drops red food color

Decorations

White candy sprinkles, if desired

• 1Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 24 mini muffin cups with cooking spray.
• 2Remove cookie dough rounds from tray. Place 1 cookie dough round in each muffin cup. Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until light golden brown.
• 3Using end of wooden spoon, carefully press into center of each baked cookie to make 1-inch-wide indentation. Remove cookies from muffin cups onto cooling rack. Cool while making Champagne Buttercream.
• 4In medium bowl, beat butter with electric mixer on high speed until soft peaks form. Gradually add powdered sugar while beating 1 to 2 minutes. Add champagne and enough food color to create pink champagne buttercream; beat 1 to 2 minutes until stiff peaks form.
• 5Fill each cooled cookie cup with about 1 tablespoon champagne cream. Decorate tops with candy sprinkles.

Expert Tips

For a more finished looking dessert, pipe frosting from a decorating bag into the cups.

Sparkling grape juice can replace the champagne for a nonalcoholic version of the buttercream.

Source: Pillsbury

I also found at Walmart Pillsbury - Pink Lemonade Cookies

These cookies are easy and scrumptious!!

 

Ingredients

• 12 ounces strawberries, hulled and cut into 1/4-inch dice (2 cups)
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
• 3 ounces (6 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 2/3 cup heavy cream
• Sanding sugar, for sprinkling

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine strawberries, lemon juice, and 2 tablespoons granulated sugar. Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and remaining 7 tablespoons granulated sugar in a large bowl. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter, or rub in with your fingers, until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in cream until dough starts to come together, then stir in strawberry mixture.
2. Using a 1 1/2-inch ice cream scoop or a tablespoon, drop dough onto baking sheets lined with parchment, spacing evenly apart. Sprinkle with sanding sugar, and bake until golden brown, 24 to 25 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack, and let cool. Cookies are best served immediately, but can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 day.

Source: Martha Stewart

Ghost Furniture Home - Eco-chic Furniture and Accessories Designs

I came across this very cool site "Ghost Furniture". They have some very unique pieces and great ideas for home decor!!  

Last Thursday I was on my way home from work when a tornado hit my town, it was absolutely terrifying. I had to pull over off the road at a local business to find safety.  Once it was over it took me over 2 hours to get home and this would normally had been a 20 minute drive in all.  Every road I turned on had trees blocking the road and down utility lines.  We have some of the most beautiful trees here in Upstate New York and I have never seen anything like this.  Nature can show herself in so many ways and on this day she grabbed my attention.

Pink Icing Petits Fours 

- Amy Atlas Entertaining Ideas - Country Living

These looks scrumptious and so easy to make!!

Turn premade pound cake into chichi petits fours.

"People will swear these are from a fancy bakery," says Atlas of this tempting shortcut. To follow her lead: Use a serrated knife to cut the crust off a pound cake, then slice the cake into one-inch squares. Place them on a cooling rack with parchment paper underneath, pour icing over the squares, and let set for an hour. Atlas's 60-second icing recipe? Mix four tablespoons of water to two cups of sifted confectioner's sugar. Tint the mixture by stirring in a bit of gel food-coloring.

 

 

  

"I would rather regret the things that I have done than the things that I have not."

Lucille Ball

Snowman Cookie Friends Recipe from Betty Crocker

Snowman Cookie Friends Recipe from Betty Crocker

Make “snow” much baking fun inside, and do it easily with cookie mix!

1 pouch (1 lb 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker® sugar cookie mix 1/3 cup butter or margarine, softened 2 tablespoons Gold Medal® all-purpose flour 1 egg 1 container Betty Crocker® Whipped fluffy white frosting Betty Crocker® decorating icing (assorted colors, as desired) Betty Crocker® blue, green and yellow decorating sugars Betty Crocker® red cinnamon decors

Save $$$ on your favorite brands
1 Heat oven to 375°F. In medium bowl, stir cookie mix, butter, flour and egg until dough forms. Roll dough on floured surface to about 1/4 inch thick. Cut with cookie cutters. Place 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheet.
2 Bake 7 to 9 minutes or until light golden brown around edges. Cool 1 minute before removing from cookie sheet; cool completely.
3 Spread frosting on cooled cookies. Decorate as desired with remaining ingredients.

Expert Tips

Allow frosted or decorated cookies to harden or become set before storing. Store them between layers of waxed paper, plastic wrap or foil.

Easy Spritz Cookies Recipe from Betty Crocker

Easy Spritz Cookies Recipe from Betty Crocker

Celebrate a rich and buttery classic cookie using a shortcut cookie mix.
1 pouch (1 lb. 1.5 oz.) Betty Crocker® sugar cookie mix 1/2 cup Gold Medal® all-purpose flour 1/2 cup butter, melted* 1 teaspoon almond extract 1 egg Betty Crocker® decorating decors and colored sugars, if desired White decorator sugar crystals

Save $$$ on your favorite brands
1 Heat oven to 375°F. In large bowl, stir cookie mix, flour, melted butter, almond extract and egg until soft forms.
2 Fit desired template in cookie press; fill cookie press with dough. Force dough through template onto ungreased cookie sheets. Sprinkle with decors or colored sugars. Sprinkle with sugar crystals.
3 Bake 6 to 8 minutes or until set but not brown. Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheets to cooling rack.

Chocolate Eclaire Cake

1 box graham crackers
3 cups milk
2 sm. instant vanilla pudding
1 (8-oz) Cool Whip
1 cup powdered sugar
1 can chocolate frosting

Mix milk with vanilla pudding. Fold in Cool Whip with pudding mixture. Add powdered sugar until mixed well. Layer graham crackers, broken into squares, in a 9 x 13 pan. Spread a layer of pudding mixture. Repeat so there are at least 2 layers of graham crackers and pudding. For the last layer/top of cake, ice graham cracker squares with chocolate frosting. This recipe must be made ahead of time so the graham crackers will be soft at serving time.