#SPREADCHEER WITH BETTY CROCKER

When I was little, I remember getting extremely excited when someone gave us a Betty Crocker's cake mix. There was something so heavenly about those cakes. So fluffy,soft and delicious! My brother and I would go crazy over it and finish the whole cake in a matter of few hours. I think Ritchie still does it! We both enjoy a Betty Crocker  cake even to this day. With all these memories in the back of my mind, I had to agree to do a post with Ian decorating some cookies using a Betty Crocker Cookie Mix. Needless to say, I was very thrilled when folks from Betty Crocker contacted me to do a post using their products!

Oh yes, Betty Crocker is not a real person. I had a difficult time getting used to that when I learnt about it! I really thought 'she' was a genius! So this past Sunday, Ian,Jobin and I spent an afternoon baking and decorating cookies.Ian had the best time! He went crazy with spreading Betty Crocker's Rich & Creamy Vanilla Frosting over the Sugar Cookies that I baked for him using Betty Crocker's readymade mix. Look at that face...that smile is worth a thousand words!

Ian was very excited about the gingerbread man shaped cookies. He would play with it first,then,slowly bite into it's head and stare at it. He would continue doing that till the whole cookie got over. It was really funny to see him do that with wonder in his eyes! Even though I was behind the lens most of the 'cookie decorating' time, I was reliving my childhood through him. Ian thoroughly enjoys being in the kitchen and helping me with my chores. I really see a mini-me in him!

So before this Holiday season is long gone,spread some cheer and decorate cookies with your loved ones!

ONE- BOWL VANILLA CAKE

On Saturday, we Indians, the cricket crazy people waited with baited breath to see who would win the Finals of the Cricket World Cup. And we WON! Yeayy! So as usual my Facebook news feed was filled with Cricket updates and I thought of asking my friends how do they want to celebrate? 'Something sweet' was the most common answer , so we decided to cook/bake something sweet to celebrate the 'massive' victory.

The minute I saw this cake on her blog, I knew I would try it that day itself and I did. I couldn't help but lick the batter just to see how it tasted with custard powder as an ingredient. It tasted like a box cake to me...I mean in a good way as I really like the Betty Crocker boxed vanilla cake. The city where we live, Minneapolis, is the 'home' of Betty Crocker. I don't know how many of you know that 'she' is just a fiction. There is no  real 'Betty Crocker' , sadly! How I wish there she was real and she lived even today...maybe I could have gone and met her :-)

Also, it's exactly a year since we moved to Minneapolis, our first home. It's been an incredible year! Coming back to the cake, it's a very easy one-bowl cake as the name suggests. It has nice vanilla flavour and  is a very light cake with a good crumb. A perfect cake for tea time or any other time you feel like snacking on a piece of cake ;-)

ONE-BOWL VANILLA CAKE
Original recipe: Betty Crocker Cookbook
I found this recipe on Aparna's blog.

Ingredients:
1/2 c unsalted butter,room temperature
1 1/4 c sugar
1 egg
1 3/4 c all purpose flour
1/2 c custard powder
1 tsp salt
3 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/4 c milk
1 tsp vanilla extract

Method:
Pre-heat the oven to 350F/180C .Line and dust an 8" round cake tin.

Using a whisk cream the butter and sugar till light and fluffy.
Add in the egg and whisk till incorporated and fluffy.
Add in the remaining ingredients one by one and whisk together for 2 mins.
Pour into the tin and bake for 55-60 mins or till done.
Cool in the tin for 10 mins, remove and cool completely.

* The design on the cake is natural , that's why I left it plain :)

Verdict: As I said before, this is an easy cake which is so full of vanilla flavour. Anytime you are pressed for time or otherwise, just use this recipe to get fabulous soft cake.

If you read through the recipe, you should have noticed that this recipe doesn't even call for an electric hand beater...it just needs a 'whisk'! Looks like I am in a 'Vanilla' mood...did you see the Vanilla Cupcakes with Glossy Frosting that I made a few days ago?

You can serve this cake plain , dusted with confectioner's sugar or even fruit sauces. I'm sure you will like it!