Luscious Lemon Cake, Vanilla Bean Buttercream

I was so excited when I tested the batter for my lemon cake recipe. It was so perfect-- it had the tang of lemon with the mild sweetness of a yellow cake. I was so excited to get these guys in the oven and get them frosted!

I'll admit (shame on me?) that I use lemon oil from the candy making aisle of Michaels (Hobby Lobby or Joanns) instead of fresh lemon. SHAME! OH THE humanity! But...it yields such a great and consistent flavor.

Lemon Cake with Vanilla Bean Buttercream

(thanks to allrecipes.com)

1/2 Cup Butter

1 1/4 Cup Sugar

3 Eggs

1 tbsp Vanilla Extract

at least 1 tsp lemon oil/lemon extract. flavor to taste!

2 Cups flour

2 Tsp baking powder

1 Cup milk (However, I used 1/2 milk, half buttermilk. GREAT result)

Whip the butter and sugar until light and creamy.

Add the eggs one at a time.

Add the extracts.

Sift the flour and baking powder.

Add the milk and flour mixture to the butter alternately.

Pour into cake pan that's been greased. (I used 2 9 inchers for a double recipe)

Bake until toothpick comes out clean. Don't overbake. I baked mine for 20 minutes and then checked it every 4 minutes after that.

Cool and frost.

Fluffy Vanilla Bean Buttercream

(thanks to wilton.com)

1/2 Cup Shortening

1/2 Cup Butter (softened)

1 Tbsp Vanilla Extract (OR if you have fresh vanilla beans, use 3.)

2 Tbsp milk or heavy cream

max of 4 cups powdered sugar

Whip the shortening and butter until very fluffy and pale. LONG time..as in...15-20 minutes.

Add the extract and milk.

At this point, you could either dump the full 4 cups in the butter mix or add powdered sugar one cup at a time until it's the consistency and taste you'd like.

Honestly, the best thing here is just to taste it after about 2 cups. I hate that artificial sugary powder flavor that frostings overwhelm in cakes and cupcakes. If you don't add the full amount, it'll still set up GREAT and it'll taste just smooth and creamy as it should be.

Use!

If you put it in the fridge, whip it up real quick before you use it. It'll get a little stiff.

Enjoy making these lemon cupcakes...man...they are tasty!

Chocolate Cupcake

Just finished baking and decorating my chocolate on chocolate cupcakes and cake. Here's a teaser.

Yum! The cake was a request from a coworker and the cupcakes are a leaving for deployment gift to a friend from work.

Homemade Vanilla Bean Extract

I don't know if I can express to you my utter joy and excitement when I realized what I wanted to make for Christmas presents this year. I'm a huge fan of homemade gifts and have been mulling over homemade cocoa mixes, stamped card sets, etc. Suddenly, like a deer in the headlights, my eyes lit up and I thought of what I wanted to do-- Homemade Vanilla Bean Extract.

I set my sight on purchasing vanilla beans wholesale. Who else is frustrated at the price of vanilla beans in store? Two for $7.99? SERIOUSLY? Shoot me now. I mean, with prices like that, saffron won't any longer be the most expensive spice.

I did a little research and found a site called Amadeus Vanilla Beans. I searched their site and almost keeled over in my chair when I found the price for a pound of vanilla beans-- $45.99. GASP! Oh the humanity! Then I realized how many beans were in a pound-- over ONE HUNDRED vanilla beans. Oh my goodness.. is there ANY way I could NOT buy these guys?!

I placed my order for one pound of Tahitian Vanilla Beans.

I waited by the mailbox...

I eyed the postal worker suspiciously with a hint of hope when he drove up and dropped off the mail...

I waited...

FINALLY They came! My hours of waiting at the faux mailbox finally paid off when I opened it and saw a little box with my name on it!

I opened it up..and..

VANILLA BEANS!

Oh boy... I was giddy.

My next goal will be to find little glass jars with lids and some high quality vodka to finish my ingredient list for homemade vanilla bean extract. The process isn't hard but it is time consuming. Vanilla extract won't be ready overnight...in fact...it's best to let it cure for about 6 months.

SIX MONTHS?!!!

Yes. Six months! The bean needs time to settle into the vodka (alcohol) and release all the flavor. In all actuality, I've read that flavors get released within two months..but the longer you let it sit and marinate, the more potent your extract will be!

I have yet to test this recipe, but it's pretty straightforward how it works. Happy Extracting!

Homemade Vanilla Bean Extract

(Thanks to Stephen Block)

2 cups vodka (you can use brandy or rum)

6 vanilla beans

glass jars/vials with lids, sterilized (boil them for about 10 minutes to kill germs)

Pour the vodka into the jars/vials.

Cut the vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape the seeds out the bean. Place both the bean and the scraped seeds into the vodka. If the bean won't fit, cut it in half or thirds.

Shut the lid and shake vigorously. Some people recommend you shake it daily, others say shake it weekly. Either way, shake it up!! Keep it stored in a dark place.

Voila!

Not only would this make an excellent addition to your spice cabinet, but it would make an even better gift!! Oh the possibilities--lemon extract...hazelnut extract.... WEE!!!!

Have a fantastic day. I'm off to go enjoy my vanilla beans!!