Whipped Cream and Cream Cheese Frosting

For my second Christmas dessert, I made a red velvet ice cream cake. I really did not care for the red velvet cookie or the homemade cream cheese ice cream that made up the actual cake, but the frosting was AMAZING and surprisingly easy! It is a must have for your recipe collection! Here is how I made it,

Ingredients,

8 oz of cream cheese
1 cup of white sugar
1 tsp of vanilla
Pinch of salt
1 1/2 cups of heavy whipping cream

To begin with, whip 8 oz of room temperature cream cheese until it is light and fluffy. Then, whip in 1 cup of sugar, 1 tsp of vanilla and a pinch of salt. In a separate chilled bowl, whip the heavy cream to very stiff peaks. Then,gently fold your cream cheese mixture and whipped cream together. The frosting is done, and you can use it to frost your favorite cake, cookies or cupcakes!

Paula Deen's Strawberry Shortcake Trifle

I typically am in charge of holiday desserts, and I had a really hard time deciding what to make for Event #1 this year. I wanted something a little lightish because that is what sounds the most appealing to my pregnant self. : ) I definitely don't think of strawberries for Christmas, but hey, they're red! Also, my kids love them, and the only way I would spring for them at $3.99/lb is for Christmas. So, I decided to create a less diabetes inducing version of the Paula Deen original. Here is my recipe,

Ingredients

• 1 frozen pound cake

For the custard:

• 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 (12-ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed

For the glaze:

• 1 cup sugar
• 6 tablespoons cornstarch
• 6 tablespoons strawberry gelatin (recommended: Jell-O)
• 2 cup water
• 3 lbs of strawberries (if berries are extra large, they can be cut into quarters) 

Directions

Slice cake, using a serrated knife, horizontally into 3 equal layers.

For the custard:

Mix together cream cheese, condensed milk, and whipped topping in a bowl; set aside.(Note, I recommend whipping the cream cheese first. I didn't, and I couldn't get my mixture totally smooth.)

For the glaze:

In a medium saucepan, stir together sugar, cornstarch, and gelatin; add water. Cook stirring over medium heat until thick. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely. Add slowly to your strawberry mixture and stir until they are lightly coated. I used about 2/3 of the mixture. I didn't want my cake to be soggy!

For assembly:

Place 1 layer of cake in a large clear bowl. Top with a layer of glaze, followed by a layer of custard mixture. Repeat layering in this order for remaining cake, glaze and custard.Chill and serve! YUM!

See more recipes at beautyandbedlam.com.

Cranberry Pecan Sticky Buns

I've seen Ina make this recipe on her show a few times, and every time I think, "I really need to remember to make that." I was able to pick up puff pastry on sale this week, so it was a good chance to give it a try. After reading the reviews and based on our own preferences, I did make some changes. Here is how I made mine,

Ingredient,

• 1 stick tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
• 1/2 cup pecans, chopped in very large pieces
• 1 package (17.3-ounces/ 2-sheets) frozen puff pastry, defrosted

And for the filling,

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 2/3 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
• 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 cup dried cranberries

Directions, 

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place a 12-cup standard muffin tin on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the 6 tablespoons butter and 1/4 cup brown sugar. Place 1  small spoonful of the mixture in each of the 12 muffin cups. Distribute the pecans evenly among the 12 muffin cups on top of the butter and sugar mixture.

Lightly flour a wooden board or stone surface. Unfold 1 sheet of puff pastry with the folds going left to right. Brush the whole sheet with the melted butter. Leaving a 1-inch border on the puff pastry, sprinkle each sheet with 1/3 cup of the brown sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons of the cinnamon, and 1/2 cup of cranberries. Starting with the end nearest you, roll the pastry up snugly like a jelly roll around the filling, finishing the roll with the seam side down. Trim the ends of the roll about 1/2-inch and discard. Slice the roll in 6 equal pieces, each about 1 1/2 inches wide. Place each piece, spiral side up, in 6 of the muffin cups. Repeat with the second sheet of puff pastry to make 12 sticky buns.

Bake for 30 minutes, until the sticky buns are golden to dark brown on top and firm to the touch. Be careful - they're hot! Allow to cool for 5 minutes only, invert the buns onto the parchment paper (ease the filling and pecans out onto the buns with a spoon) and cool completely.

***

We all really liked these. I thought the dried cranberries were an obvious swap. They added a nice little tart kick to the roll. Next time I make these, I may skip the pecans. Pecan rolls need pecans, but we are just not huge fans at this house. I think these would be perfect cranberry cinnamon rolls! I might add a little more sugar and cinnamon too!