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Two sisters who love to bake...

Vanilla Bundt Cake Recipe Made With Oil

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A basic vanilla cake recipe made with vegetable oil instead of butter or shortening.

Vanilla Cake Recipe made with Oil

This was my first attempt at baking a vanilla cake using vegetable oil instead of butter or shortening.  I wanted to bake a cake for someone’s birthday that had severe food allergies.  They couldn’t have butter or shortening and the only two oils I could use were either soybean or sunflower oil.  I have to admit at first I didn’t know if it was possible to make a good cake with oil. But now that the birthday has passed and the cake has been eaten I can safely say it is possible!

I recommend using a high quality vanilla extract for this recipe, Nielsen-Massey makes one of my favorites.

Vanilla Bundt Cake (made with oil)

The cake reminded me of something that was in between a pound cake and a shortcake. I think it works great as a basic cake recipe that can be used for anything from birthday cakes to strawberry shortcake.  It would have tasted great with strawberries and whipped cream frosting on top but I had to keep the cake very basic. I used my Nordic Ware Bundt Pan for this recipe but you can also use a 9×13″ pan or two 9″ round cake pans. I chose to make mine in a bundt pan because a glaze doesn’t require any butter or shortening unlike frosting recipes.

Vanilla Bundt Cake Recipe Made With Oil
 
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Serves: 8-10
Ingredients
  • 2½ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for flouring the cake pans
  • 2 cups sugar
  • ¾ cups vegetable oil (or 1½ sticks of butter)
  • 2¼ teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 4 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • Oil or butter, for greasing two cake pans
  • Optional Glaze:
  • 1½ cups powdered sugar, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, 3-4 tablespoons milk
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350F.
  2. Add the flour, sugar, vegetable oil, baking powder, vanilla and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment. (If you don't have a stand mixer you can use a hand mixer but the batter it pretty thick to mix, I used a hand mixer.) Mix on slow until the ingredients are blended together, then mix on medium for about a minute.
  3. With the mixer on, add 1 egg at a time & mix until each egg gets absorbed. Stop to scrape the bowl with a rubber spatula when needed. After all the eggs have been added, continue to mix for an additional minute.
  4. With the mixer on, add the milk, ½ cup at a time, stop to scrape the sides. Continue to mix for another minute or until the mixture appears smooth. Grease two 9-inch cake pans or a bundt pan with oil or butter, and flour them.
  5. Divide the batter evenly between the two cake pans or pour into bundt pan.
  6. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes for the 9" cake pans or 35-45 minutes for bundt pan or until the top is starting to turn golden brown and is springy to the touch.
  7. Remove from oven and let cool for at least 30 minutes. The cakes should be at room temperature before you remove them from the pan.
  8. Frost or glaze the cake as desired. If you want to make a glaze just mix a little over 1 cup of powder sugar, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, & a couple tablespoons of milk together in a bowl until you have a thin glaze, using a spoon drizzle or pour over the top of cake.

Adapted from Buddy Valastro’s Vanilla Cake Recipe.

(This post contains an Amazon affiliate link. I included this link to help you find the specific product I used. If you purchase the item from the link we receive a small commission.)

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Strawberry Mice Kids Snack

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Strawberry Mice Kids Snack

These are so cute and easy for kids to make. My daughter wants to make them all the time.

Strawberry Mice Kids Snack
 
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Recipe type: snack
Ingredients
  • 1 lb of strawberries, washed
  • 1 small bag of sliced almonds
  • ¼ cup of mini chocolate chips
  • 1 pull n peel twizzler
  • cheddar cheese block
Instructions
  1. cut the stems off the strawberries
  2. poke a hole where the stem was
  3. insert a 4" piece of twizzler
  4. insert mini chocolate chips for eyes and nose
  5. insert almond slices for ears
  6. cut cheese into triangles
  7. serve or refrigerate

 

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Easy 4 Ingredient Artisan Bread Recipe

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Crusty Artisan Bread made with only 4 simple ingredients: flour, water, salt, & yeast. A beautiful crusty artisan bread, it has a wonderful crispy crust on the outside & the inside is soft & dense.

Easy 4 Ingredient Artisan Bread

This is the simplest bread recipe I have ever made! This recipe only has 4 ingredients in it & chances are you probably already have at least 3 out of the 4 ingredients on hand: water, flour, salt, & yeast.  If you have never made bread before then this recipe is a great place to start! I love that this recipe doesn’t require the use of a bread machine or for you to spend any time kneading dough. You just mix it up in a bowl & let it rise. The only thing hard about this recipe is having the patience to wait for the dough to rise. From start to finish it takes about 3 hours but the majority of that time is spent just waiting for the dough to rise & then bake in the oven.

Easy 4 Ingredient Artisan Bread

Everyone in my family loves this bread so much that I try to make it once a week. I love to make this bread to go with dinner, it tastes so good served warm from the oven with butter. It stays fresh & great tasting for a few days after you make it too.  I love to use the leftovers to slice up & eat it with butter on top or to make sandwiches.

Easy 4 Ingredient Artisan Bread

The recipe below is half of the original recipe because I didn’t want to make a huge batch of bread. With this recipe I like to make 2 smaller sized loaves instead of one big one but you can make it however you like. I also chose to bake mine on a cookie sheet instead of a baking stone because it was easier.

Easy 4 Ingredient Artisan Bread

Source: This recipe is from the amazing book Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day (amazon affiliate) by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois. The authors also have a great video on YouTube that is very helpful: Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day. For more information on this bread you can also visit the website they have:  Artisan Bread in Five.

Easy 4 Ingredient Artisan Bread
 
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Recipe type: Bread
Ingredients
  • 1½ Cups warm water
  • ½ Tablespoons + ¼ Teaspoon Salt
  • ½ Tablespoon Yeast (I used Red Star Quick-Rise Yeast)
  • 3¼ Cups unbleached all-purpose flour
Instructions
  1. Add yeast to large mixing bowl, next add warm water to activate the yeast.
  2. Add flour & salt to the large mixing bowl & stir all the ingredients together.
  3. The bread should be just a little sticky but not too much, if it's really sticky & wet add a little extra flour, if the dough is super dry then add a little more water (sometimes I have to add a little extra water to mine).
  4. Cover the bowl but not airtight (I placed a clean kitchen towel over the top of the bowl) & let it rise for 2 hours.
  5. After 2 hours place the dough onto a well floured surface. If you want to make 2 smaller sized loafs of bread then divide the dough in half.
  6. Shape the dough by picking it up & using your hands to fold the edge of the dough under until you have a round loaf shape with smooth edges. Place onto a greased cookie sheet.
  7. Using a serrated knife cut the loaf (about a ¼ inch) into the center & then also make one about 1 inch to the left of center & one to the right so the top doesn't crack while its baking (See picture above).
  8. Let it rise for 40 more minutes.
  9. After the 40 minutes, preheat oven to 450 degrees BUT first place a metal 9x13 inch pan onto the bottom rack of your oven (*WARNING*: Do Not use glass, it can explode or shatter!)
  10. When the oven is preheated place cookie sheet with bread onto the middle rack of your oven then quickly add 1 cup of water to the bottom 9x13 pan you have on the bottom rack. This pan is used to create a steam in the oven while the bread bakes, in the end it will make your bread have a nice hard crusty texture on the outside but still be soft inside.
  11. Bake for 18-30 minutes or until the top & bottom are a nice golden brown color. If your making 2 small loaves it will probably be done in 18-20 minutes but if your making one large loaf it will take longer.
  12. Remove from oven & let it cool for awhile so it will slice easier, then enjoy!

 

 

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Cinco de Mayo Avocado Dip

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Cinco de Mayo Avocado Dip

 

This is such a yummy recipe and so easy too.

I use a handful of cilantro and about 3 green onions.

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After you have put the ingredients in the food processor it should look something like this:

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Cinco de Mayo Avocado Dip
 
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Recipe type: appetizer
Ingredients
  • 2 tablespoons minced garlic
  • 3 green onions
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons lime juice
  • 1 handful of cilantro
  • 12 oz bag of frozen corn, cooked (or a can or corn)
  • 1 can of black beans, rinsed
  • 1½ cups of quartered cherry tomatoes
  • 2 avocados diced
Instructions
  1. In food processor add garlic, oil, onions, lime juice, cilantro and salt. Mix until well blended
  2. In large bowl add corn, beans, tomatoes, and avocados.
  3. Add cilantro mix into the large bowl and stir until well blended
  4. Best if chilled in refrigerator for an hour.
  5. Serve same day or don't add avocados until day you are serving. They will turn brown in a day or so.
  6. Serve with tortilla chips

 

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Copycat Rumchata

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So my friend Heather is a rumchata drinker, but complained that it was so expensive. I came up with my own recipe for her and she loved it. Super easy too, you should have most things on hand already. As for the milk I think that 2 percent or whole would taste better or you could add a little half and half to some skim milk.

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So basically your making the non alcoholic base for the drink then adding in vanilla rum and ice to taste. This makes a small pitcher of rumchata then add 1/2 cup rum and some ice. If you want to make just the base and pour singe drinks, then add a shot (or a half shot)  of rum and half a glass of ice to a glass, the pour base over that until full.

Copycat Rumchata
 
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Recipe type: Drinks
Ingredients
  • Base:
  • 3 cups milk
  • 1 cup simple syrup ( ½ cup sugar, ½ cup water)
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • a pinch of nutmag (a little goes a long way)
  • Add to your liking:
  • ice
  • vanilla rum
Instructions
  1. first make the simple syrup in a small pan on the stove top with sugar and water a heat on medium heat until sugar is dissolved
  2. let simple syrup cool
  3. in pitcher add milk, syrup, cinnamon, vanilla and nutmeg.
  4. mix well
  5. add ice and rum to taste (I started with about ½ cup of rum)
  6. serve immediately

 

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Sour Cream Coffee Cake

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A sour cream coffee cake recipe that is super moist with a layer of cinnamon & sugar in the middle & topped with cinnamon & sugar.

Sour cream Coffee cake Recipe

Sour cream is quickly becoming one of my favorite ingredients to add to baked goods. So many of my favorite recipes have sour cream in them. For example: this coffee cake recipe, banana bread, pancakes, cupcakes, biscuits, sugar cookies, & I’m sure there are more but I can’t think of them at the moment.  This is the recipe that started my love for sour cream in baked goods. I’ve been making this coffee cake now for over 10 years & it is still one of my favorite coffee cake recipes.

Sour Cream Coffee Cake Recipe

The recipe listed below makes a 9×13 inch pan so I usually only make half a recipe & use an 8×8 inch pan since I am not baking for very many people. This recipe can be made the night before & stored in the refrigerator over night so you can just pop it in the oven in the morning. Another nice thing about this recipe is that you can make it in a bundt pan instead of a 9×13 pan if you want to.

Sour Cream Coffee Cake
 
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Recipe type: Breakfast
Serves: 12-16
Ingredients
  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 8-oz. (1 cup) carton sour cream
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • Topping:
  • 6 Tablespoons brown sugar
  • 4 Tablespoons white sugar
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • ½ cup chopped nuts (optional)
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9x13 inch baking pan & set aside.
  2. Using an electric mixer cream together the butter & sugar in a large bowl. Add the eggs, sour cream, & vanilla, beat for 30 seconds.
  3. In a medium bowl, stir the flour, baking powder, salt, & baking soda together. Add flour mixture to the large bowl with the liquid ingredients. Beat with mixer for 2 minutes or until well combined.
  4. Topping: In a small bowl stir the brown sugar, white sugar, cinnamon, & nuts (optional) together.
  5. Pour half the batter into the greased baking pan (I use the back of a spoon to spread it out so it's all laying evenly). Using a spoon sprinkle half the topping over the batter in the pan. Pour the remaining batter into the pan, using a spoon to spread it out gently over the topping. Sprinkle remaining topping over it.
  6. Bake at 350 for about 35 minutes or until a wooden toothpick comes out clean after being inserted into the center. Cool a few minutes before serving.

 

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Easy Baby Back Ribs

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Easy Baby Back Ribs BBQ Oven Baked

Before I found this recipe, I tried so many times to make baby back ribs and they always turned out terrible. I tried grilling and broiling and they were always tough. Then I found this recipe and I thought no way, this is too easy. Then I made them and they turned out perfect. My husband, my best friend and her husband all loved them. Now when they are on sale at the grocery store my friend calls me and tells me to stock up since we make them all the time.

Easy Baby Back Ribs

Easy Baby Back Ribs
 
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Author:
Recipe type: Main
Serves: 3
Ingredients
  • 1 rack baby back ribs
  • 2 cups barbecue sauce
Instructions
  1. cut ribs into 3 pieces
  2. tear 3 pieces of foil large enough to cover each section
  3. put ¼ cup bbq sauce in middle of foil
  4. set one section of ribs on top of sauce
  5. put another ¼ cup of bbq sauce on top of ribs
  6. wrap foil so it's covered completely
  7. do this with the other 2 pieces
  8. set on rimmed baking sheet
  9. refrigerate 5 to 24 hours
  10. preheat oven to 300
  11. leave wrapped in foil on cookie sheet and bake for 2½ hours
  12. take out of oven and unwrap
  13. take ribs out of foil and place back on baking sheet
  14. brush with bbq sauce and broil for 5 min.

 

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Oreo Easter Dirt Cake

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We love dirt cake at our house, so we made this one for Easter. You can’t go wrong with oreo cookies, pudding, and cool whip. You can add whatever you want to the top, Peeps, jelly beans, edible grass, etc.

Easter Oreo Dirt Cake

For the carrots I just whipped up some vanilla frosting, then added food coloring to get it orange. Then I put it in a plastic bag and clipped the corner off. I squeezed  little orange blobs on some wax paper and put them in the freezer for 10 min. until they were set. Next I used a tooth pick and poked a hole in the top and added a few pieces of the edible grass (amazon affiliate). You should be able to find edible grass at places like Target & Walmart. I’ve seen it for sale at both places, it’s located with the Easter candy & usually costs $2 or less.

Easter Oreo Dirt Cake

My daughter came in after I put the carrots on the cake and asked for a carrot. I gave her one and she looked at me and said, “I want a whole carrot”. Then I had to tell her that the carrots didn’t go all the way to the bottom of the pan, they were just carrot tops. She was a little disappointed.

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Easter Dirt Cake
 
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Author:
Recipe type: Dessert
Serves: 12
Ingredients
  • 1 pack of Oreo cookies
  • 1 package 8oz of cream cheese, softened
  • ½ cup soft butter
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 3 ups milk
  • 2 Instant chocolate pudding 3.4 oz (you can use vanilla if you want)
  • 1 container 12 oz cool whip, thawed
  • peeps, edible Easter grass, 1 container of vanilla frosting (or homemade)
  • food coloring
Instructions
  1. crush the cookies, I used a food processor
  2. in large bowl mix cream cheese, butter, sugar and vanilla until fluffy
  3. in another bowl, whisk milk and pudding until thick
  4. add pudding mixture into cream cheese mixture and mix until combined
  5. fold in cool whip until well blended
  6. add filling into 9x13 dish
  7. top with crushed oreos
  8. decorate

 This post contains amazon affiliate links.

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White Chocolate Covered Peeps

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White Chocolate Covered PeepsMy daughter has been asking for days if we can make our bunny cake yet. I keep telling her that we can’t make it until the day before Easter, so today I decided we would dip peeps to keep her happy. It was pretty easy and not too messy. Don’t make my mistake of using blue peeps, they showed through the vanilla. I should have used yellow.

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White Chocolate Covered Peeps
 
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Recipe type: Dessert
Ingredients
  • 12 Bunny Peeps
  • 6 Squared of Vanilla Almond Bark
  • 12 paper straws or wooden skewers
  • 6 colored mini marshmallows cut in half
  • food coloring
Instructions
  1. put your peeps on the sticks
  2. melt vanilla bark according to package
  3. mix in a drop or 2 of food coloring
  4. dip peep and use a spoon to smooth around the bark
  5. set on wax paper and add the halved marshmallow for the tail
  6. let dry then serve

 

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Frosted Shortbread Cookies

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These cookies have that amazing melt in your mouth texture.

Frosted Shortbread Cookies

Shortbread cookies are one of my all time favorite types of cookies. I’ve seriously never had a shortbread cookie I didn’t like whether it was homemade or store bought (and I don’t like store bought cookies normally).  I’m crazy about sugar cookies too but the thing about shortbread cookies compared to sugar cookies is that they usually have less ingredients, these only have 5 ingredients!  They are really simple & yet they are buttery deliciousness. I have never made a cookie that had more of a melt in your mouth texture as this recipe.

Frosted Shortbread Cookies

Since this cookie recipe doesn’t contain any leavening like baking soda or baking powder they won’t rise or really change there shape at all during baking so make sure you flatten them out to the thickness you want them to be before you place them in the oven.  I like to use the bottom of a glass cup to flatten the cookies. This recipe made about 34 cookies but you can easily make half a recipe if you want to make less.

Frosted Shortbread Cookies
 
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Recipe type: Cookies
Ingredients
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup salted butter, softened
  • ½ cup confectioners sugar (powdered sugar)
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • Frosting:
  • 3 cups confectioners sugar (powdered sugar)
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 4 tablespoons milk
  • 4 tablespoons butter, softened
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper.
  2. In a medium sized mixing bowl add sugar & butter & beat with electric mixer on medium speed until light & fluffy (about 30 seconds).
  3. Add egg yolk & vanilla & mix on medium speed until combined.
  4. Gradually add flour to mixture & beat on medium speed until just combined.
  5. Roll dough into 1 inch balls & place on cookie sheets about 2 inches apart. Using the bottom of a cup or fork flatten the balls to about ¼ inch thick. (Use powdered sugar to coat the bottom of the cup to prevent the dough from sticking).
  6. Place in oven for 8-10 minutes & rotate cookie sheet halfway through baking.
  7. Remove from oven, after 2 minutes transfer baking mat/paper to wire rack to cool completely. Frost when cooled if desired.
  8. Frosting: Combine the confectioners sugar, vanilla, milk, & butter in a medium sized mixing bowl, beat with electric mixer on medium speed until frosting is smooth & creamy. If you want it thinner just add a little more milk or if you need it thicker add more milk until the desired consistency is achieved.

This recipe was adapted from Grace’s Sweet Life.

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