Sunday, January 21, 2024

Berry Mascarpone Layer Cake

This vanilla cake recipe is the same as the vanilla cupcakes that I just posted. I've never found a vanilla cake recipe that I liked enough to make it again. I'm hoping this cake comes out as good as the cupcakes because they were not dry at all and were so good! I'm not making this full recipe today though - I'm just making the vanilla cake, but I wanted to post the full recipe because it sounds delicious! I love berries and mascarpone so this is definitely my kind of cake!

This vanilla cake recipe is for 3 8" round cake layers. You could also make it into 2 9" round layers or a 9x13" cake instead, which is what I made today. You just have to adjust the baking time.

The whipped mascarpone frosting sounds delicious, but unfortunately I don't have any mascarpone and it's snowing pretty heavily so I can't get to a store today. I'll be pairing my vanilla cake with this whipped frosting that I've made before and already have the ingredients for. It has cream cheese instead of mascarpone, but the general idea is the same. It's a light frosting that is so good paired with fresh fruit. Even though I'm making this in the winter, this recipe sounds perfect for spring or summer!

This is one of the easiest cakes to make. It doesn't have butter in it so you can make it last minute without waiting for butter to soften. The batter comes together so easily. I used my hand mixer for it, but you could even just use a whisk and spatula.

The bake time for my 9x13" cake was about 40-42 minutes. My cake had a big crack in it - I'm not sure why, but it will be covered with frosting anyway so it doesn't matter.

Update - I brought this to a big family celebration and everyone seemed to enjoy it, so I think I've finally found a vanilla cake recipe that I will keep making!


Friday, January 19, 2024

Moist Vanilla Cupcakes

My niece Emma has become quite the baker and made these delicious vanilla cupcakes a few times. I finally tried them out myself for my twin sons' 6th birthday earlier this week. I have always made them a birthday cake in the past, but it was just going to be our family of 4 eating it on their birthday, so I did not want a big cake. I made half of this cupcake recipe (12 cupcakes) and it was perfect for just us. We enjoyed them over 3 days and they tasted great each day!

The buttercream frosting was just OK - it's been a while since I've made buttercream and I was rushing to get it made before my boys returned from sledding with my husband. Next time I will try a different frosting.

These were so good that today I'm making the same recipe as a 9x13" cake for a larger celebration with more family tomorrow. I'll post that recipe separately since it has a different frosting, which I think would taste a lot better than the buttercream.


Sunday, January 7, 2024

KitchenAid Mixer Review

This post has been sitting in my drafts folder for a long time. Since I just posted my Baking Essentials Review, I figured now would be a good time to post this as well.

One of the most used items in any baker's kitchen is their hand and/or stand mixer. I bought a hand mixer for myself when I was single and bought my townhouse, and registered for a stand mixer when I was engaged. My parents generously bought us the stand mixer. I registered for a 6-quart bowl lift model because that's what my mom had and what I was used to using (I actually had been using one of her old ones before she bought us one). I'm from a big family and I was used to baking at least 2 recipes at a time of anything I made, so the larger mixer made sense. Fast forward 6 years and I now have a husband and two children and I find myself baking mostly in single batches for us, with the occasional double batch for holidays or family parties. I love my stand mixer, but it doesn't mix small amounts in the big bowl as well as it mixes larger amounts. I recently began doing some research to find a smaller mixer that would be more for my everyday use, while keeping the 6-quart mixer for the times when I need to bake more than one batch of something. While I would not normally consider "downgrading" items in my kitchen, after using the larger stand mixer for several years I often wished I had a smaller one, especially over the past year as I have baked more with my toddlers. The smaller one also weighs less and I can more easily move it around the kitchen or onto the table where my kids can help me. My 6-quart mixer is big and heavy and cumbersome to move so it stays in the corner of our countertop and I move it out slightly to use it, then move it right back into the corner when I'm finished.

The hand mixer I have is the KitchenAid® 9-Speed Digital Hand Mixer in white. This is a great hand mixer and I use it often, always in my OXO Good Grips Stainless Steel Mixing Bowls. I like having 9 speeds instead of 5 or 7 offered on other models. I use this mixer whenever I can because it's easier to mix batter without having to scrape down the sides of the bowl so much since you can move the mixer around while holding it. I use this for cheesecake batter, cake batter, frosting/icing, pudding, whipped cream, and other light batters.

For thicker batters, larger batches, cookie dough and bread or pizza dough, I use my stand mixer. The stand mixer we were given by my parents is the KitchenAid® Professional 600 Stand Mixer in Blue Steel, which is a blue/grey color with a matte finish. When I registered for this mixer, I chose this color because our wedding colors were navy and grey. Not knowing what our future kitchen would look like or what color scheme we would have, I registered for mostly white and navy colored kitchen items and this mixer color went very well with them. I later used gift cards to purchase the KitchenAid® 6-Quart Glass Bowl with Lid and Mixing Tools. I like using this bowl when my kids are watching me bake. It is big and heavy compared to the stainless steel bowl though. I like that it has a lid so I keep this stored with my mixer on the countertop with the tools inside the lid and they don't get all dusty, and the stainless steel bowl and tools are stored in a cabinet.

The smaller stand mixer I purchased in the summer of 2021 is the KitchenAid Artisan® Series 5 Quart Tilt-Head Stand Mixer in Aqua Sky, a pretty turquoise color with a glossy finish. Turquoise and teal colored items have slowly taken over my kitchen over the years, and coordinate well with all of the navy items we also have. I also purchased the 5 Quart Tilt-Head Glass Bowl, as I know my kids will love being able to see the ingredients mixing together, and I like having an extra mixing bowl. This glass bowl has a ton of bad reviews, but so does the glass bowl I purchased for my 6-quart mixer and I've had no issues with it, so I was willing to give it a try. I also purchased the Stainless Steel 3 Piece Kit, to have a set for each bowl but also because I don't like the coated beaters that come with the 5-quart mixer. They should just stop making the coated beaters (which tend to chip over time) and provide the stainless steel ones with every mixer.



I have now owned the 5 Quart Tilt-Head Stand Mixer over two years, and I love it! The smaller size is a lot more manageable for me, it mixes better because there is not as much batter or dough left untouched at the bottom of the mixing bowl, it handles double batches well, and the bowls are easier to wash since they're smaller. I've made several double batches of cookie dough for Christmas and everything fit perfectly fine in the 5 Quart bowl. I thought I would have to use the bigger mixer for double batches so I am happy to find out I don't need to. I also love having the option of the two different bowls. If dough needs to rise or batter needs to be refrigerated after it's mixed I can keep it in the mixing bowl and use the other bowl for something else (this especially comes in handy when making a lot of different types of cookies). The glass bowl is also just a lot of fun for kids, so they can see how the ingredients come together. My boys love watching me bake using that bowl. My only complaint is that sometimes after mixing, the bowl can be difficult to twist out.

There are a ton of attachments that can be used with KitchenAid mixers. I have three. One was a wedding gift from my mom's cousin, the KitchenAid® 3-Piece Pasta Roller Attachment Set. This set is great for making homemade spaghetti. I also have the KitchenAid® Pasta Cutter Attachment (Set of 2) which has two more cuts of spaghetti. I also have the KitchenAid® Food Grinder Attachment which was a bridal shower gift. My husband wanted this attachment but neither of us have used it yet. I have debated also purchasing the KitchenAid® Pasta Press Attachment, but have not done so yet because I've heard it's difficult to clean and I'm not sure that I would use it much at all. A few of my cousins have made pasta with that attachment and it was really good. An added bonus of having two mixers is that when I use my KitchenAid pasta attachments, I can use the roller attachment on one mixer and a pasta cutter attachment on the other mixer, rather than having to keep switching the attachments.


I love my KitchenAid mixers. They are high quality and last for a very long time. They are definitely an investment, but one that is very worth it if you bake often. If I had to go back and choose just one at this point in my life, I would choose the 5 Quart because it is more suited to the baking that I do. The 6 Quart is more of a workhorse, which is nice to have at times but not completely necessary for me. I hope my review helped you decide which one or ones would be best for you!

Baking Essentials Review

A few years ago I posed a review on Mixing Bowls, Measuring Cups and Spatulas. I wanted to add an updated review with a few of my favorite baking products since some of them have changed.

My favorite mixing bowls are still the OXO Good Grips 3-piece Stainless Steel Mixing Bowl Set, so much so that I will probably purchase another set for myself. We use them so much for cooking, baking, marinating, and serving that it would be helpful to have 2 of each size. I can use my hand mixer in them too. I also let my pizza dough rise in them. I only use my other sets of mixing bowls if these are already in use. This set includes 1-1/2, 3 and 5 quart bowls. I like that they are stainless steel, but the white exterior makes them look nice, and the non-slip base is helpful to have when stirring and mixing. I also love that they nest together for easy storage.

My favorite spatulas are the Tovolo Flex-Core All-Silicone Spatulas. They are all one piece which means there are no little crevices for food or liquids to get stuck in. They are sold in a variety of colors, but I have the Deep Indigo ones. I prefer the dark color so they don't stain when using with tomato sauce and other foods that could stain them. You can purchase these individually in various shapes and sizes, but the most economical way to purchase them is in the 5-piece set. I find the various shapes and sizes to be very useful for different things. I used to love my OXO SoftWorks Silicone Spatulas, but I now use these Tovolo ones all the time and rarely use any of my others.

Two years ago I found the Sur La Table Stainless Steel Measuring Cups, Set of 8, which is a full set of measuring cups that includes a 2-cup size. This is such a helpful size to have for baking. What I love most is that this large set completely nests together so they are easy to store, and there are no crevices for food to get stuck in. This set includes 1/4 cup, 1/3 cup 1/2 cup, 2/3 cup, 3/4 cup, 1 cup, 1 1/2 cup, and 2 cup sizes. They also sell smaller sets of these cups which includes less sizes, but I highly recommend this full set. It is expensive but it goes on sale from time to time and is completely worth the money if you bake a lot! I like these so much more than the Williams-Sonoma stainless steel measuring cups that I originally loved, which had areas where food got stuck and were harder to clean, and also had rounded handles which made them uncomfortable to hold.



When I bought the measuring cups, I also purchased the matching Sur La Table Round Measuring Spoons, Set of 6 which includes a scraper, 1/4 teaspoon, 1/2 teaspoon, 1 teaspoon, 1/2 tablespoon, and 1 tablespoon sizes, along with the Odd-Size Measuring Spoons, Set of 7 which includes a pinch, 1/8 teaspoon, 2/3 teaspoon, 1 1/2 teaspoon, 2 teaspoon, 1/2 tablespoon and 2 tablespoon sizes. Again, they sell the measuring spoons in various sets, but I find it most beneficial to buy these two full sets so you have every size you could possibly need! It is really nice having the sizes that are not typically included with most other sets, like 1/8 teaspoon, 1 1/2 teaspoon, 1/2 tablespoon, 2 tablespoon. These sets go on sale as well. Both sets nest together into one, which makes these very easy to store. I still love and use my Williams-Sonoma stainless steel measuring spoons (an older set that is no longer sold), but I reach for these ones more and more since this set includes more sizes.


A new addition that I have not received or used yet is the Sur La Table Spice Measuring Spoons, Set of 6, which includes 1/8 teaspoon, 1/4 teaspoon, 1/2 teaspoon, 3/4 teaspoon, 1 teaspoon and 1 tablespoon sizes. These are narrowly shaped specifically to fit inside small spice bottles. These also nest together and like all of the measuring cups and spoons mentioned above, the sizes are etched into the stainless steel, so you don't have to worry about them rubbing off like they would on other sets.


For liquid measuring, I use Pyrex Measuring Cups. I have the 1, 2 and 4 cup sizes (these nest together for easy storage), along with the 8 cup with a lid, which I can't seem to find online anymore for a decent price. I use the 2 cup one the most, but find it helpful to have all of the sizes. This is a classic and timeless set of measuring cups that you can't go wrong with.



Sometimes it is more beneficial to weigh ingredients rather than measure them. I use the OXO Good Grips 11 lb. Stainless Steel Food Scale with Pull Out Display when I am making pizza or pasta dough. This scale is so great to have and I admit that I don't use it as much as I should. It is much better to measure ingredients for baking (especially flour) by weight to ensure accuracy.


Lastly, I love using my OXO Cookie Scoops for baking - I have the small, medium and large sizes. The small and medium I use for cookies and the large I use for muffins. These not only make it easy to scoop out batter, but they help give you consistently sized baked goods.


These are my most highly recommended baking essentials. These items have all held up very well over time, but I will add that I don't put any of them in the dishwasher. I hand wash them since it takes no time at all to do so. I hope this review has been helpful. If there is a specific baking item you are wondering about that is not mentioned here, feel free to ask!