Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

As we get closer to Valentine's Day, I thought it would be fun to post some things I will be serving my family this year. It's on a Saturday, so I have some fun things in mind to make the day festive, particularly for my pink glitter loving little girl, Princess Leah! She loves my red velvet cake, so that is definitely on the list this year!

Ingredients - Cake

• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup butter (2 sticks), softened
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 2 ounces red food coloring
• 2 1/2 cups cake flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 tablespoon vinegar

Ingredients - Frosting

• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup butter (1 stick), softened
• 1 cup marshmallow fluff
• 1 (1 pound) box powdered sugar

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a mixing bowl, cream sugar and butter, beat until light and fluffy.
  
• Add eggs one at a time.
• Mix cocoa and food coloring together in a small bowl; add to mixture and mix well.
• Sift together cake flour and salt.
  
• Add flour to creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour.
• Blend in vanilla.
• In a small bowl, combine baking soda and vinegar. Add to mixture.
• Pour batter into 2 9-inch or 3 8-inch cake pans, prepared.
  
• Bake 20-25 minutes or until done. Cool completely before frosting.
  
• Blend cream cheese and butter together in a bowl.
• Add marshmallow fluff and sugar; blend well.
• If desired, you can fold in coconut and/or pecans (or press these into the sides of the cake), but I never include them.
• Spread between layers and on top and sides of cooled cake.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

Glitter Puffy Paint

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup flour (per color)
• 1/2 cup water (per color)
• 1/2 cup salt (per color)
• food coloring - gels work best!
• glitter, the finer the better
• plastic bowls and spoons
• a funnel
• squeeze bottles

Instructions

• Mix equal parts flour, water, and salt together in a bowl - mix well, as you do not want any clumps!
  
• Add more water (slowly) if the consistency appears too thick.
• Add food coloring until you get the desired color.
  
  
  
  
• Add glitter and stir well.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Using a funnel, add paints to squeeze bottles - most craft stores have these available.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

Banana Pudding

I like bananas. There, I said it. 

While I like bananas, the prospect of making real banana pudding seemed daunting...until I actually did it. There you have it, kids. Try stuff. It might work.

Ingredients

• 4 large eggs
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon plus a pinch of salt
• 2 cups whole milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 30 to 40 vanilla wafers...though I sure didn't count
• 3 to 4 medium ripe bananas

Directions

• Separate the yolks from the whites of 3 eggs - I just pour the yolk from one shell half to the other until all the whites have separated. Set aside the whites. Add the remaining whole egg to the yolks.

• In a saucepan, whisk together 1/2 cup sugar, the flour, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Stir in the whole egg and 3 yolks, and then stir in the milk. Cook uncovered, stirring often, until the mixture thickens...should take about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla.
  
  
  
  
• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Spread a thin layer of the pudding in a 1 1/2 quart casserole dish.Arrange a layer of vanilla wafers on top of the pudding. Thinly slice the bananas crosswise, about 1/8 inch thick, and arrange a layer of banana slices over the wafers. Spread one third of the remaining pudding over the bananas and continue layering wafers, bananas, and pudding, ending with pudding.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• To make the meringue: beat the reserved egg whites with a pinch of salt until they are stiff. Gradually beat in the remaining 1/4 cup sugar and continue beating until the whites will not slide out of the mixing bowl when it is tilted.
  
• Spread the meringue over the pudding with a spatula, making some decorative peaks on top, and bake until the meringue is lightly browned, about 5 minutes.