Have you ever tried to make Black buttercream and ended up with a purple/blue/grey and no where near Black that you were going for?!
I ran into that problem so much being a baker, I would get order after order of these beautiful Black cakes and I would literally go thru 1/2 of a bottle of Black food coloring to get even close to what I needed. So it was obviously time for a change, and I wanted to do it with as little Food Coloring as possible.

Lately I have been experimenting with so many different options, and I have FINALLY found my absolute favorite way to make a “BLACK BLACK” (pure black) Buttercream that actually tastes amazing. And now I want to share it with you.
​This is the perfect buttercream recipe for anything that you want to make black and there is absolutely NO food coloring involved in the process. It is completely all natural and so yummy like I said. So let’s get to the fun part.... The Recipe.

- To start off the process, I always recommend a good stand mixer.
I personally use the Professional Kitchen Aid 6 quart for my day to day projects. It handles everything that I bake. Which is A LOT.

-Whisk attachment for the Mixer. Like I said above, I love my KitchenAid. And there are so many Whisk options for it. (Wire Whisk for Stand Mixer, Amazon)

- Rubber Spatulas. It is always a good idea to have a few of these on hand for any kitchen project. I get mine from local stores like Williams Sonoma or Gygi. But lately I have been getting a lot of baking tools on Amazon.

-Wooden Spoon. I don’t always use a wooden spoon when making frosting. But when I have air bubbles in my frosting tbt won’t go away I will mix it after I take it off the mixer with a wooden spoon and it smooths out so nicely! I definitely recommend it!

As for kitchen tools, that is about it. Now it’s time to get the ingredients out.

- 1 Cup (4 sticks) - Soft Unsalted Butter. (You don’t want it melted, but you want it very soft)
- 1/2 C Heavy Whipping Cream
-1 tsp Vanilla Extract
-4 C Powdered Sugar
-1/2 C Black Dutched Cocoa Powder (I use “The Cocoa Trader” Black Dutched Cocoa powder”)

I start the process by making sure that my butter is as soft as I need it. I will personally take it out of the fridge 2-4 hours before making the frosting. If you don’t have that time, no worries. Just put 1 stick of butter in the microwave at a time for about 15 seconds. That is usually the magic number for me.

Once the butter is ready you can start the process.

-Start by adding all of the butter into the mixer.
musing the whisk attachment, mix for about 3-5 minutes. Or until the butter is creamy and smooth.

- Turn off mixer. Scrape the bowl with a rubber spatula.

-Turn on Medium speed, Add in the vanilla extract. Mix well.

-Slow down Speed to lowest setting, Add in powdered sugar 1 Cup at a time.

-Once you have mixed in the powdered sugar, start adding in the Heavy Cream in small amounts.

-Mix in 1/4 C of Cocoa Powder. (1/2 of the full amount)

​-Keep mixer going, and turn up the speed to medium/high.

-I will mix my frosting for about 3-5 minutes on medium/high speed.

-Once my frosting is creamy I will add in my last measurement of Cocoa into the bowl.

-Mix until fully incorporated, fluffy and creamy.

-Take mixing bowl off of stand, and use your wooden spoon to mix by hand to release the air bubbles.

Now you can use it immediately, or save in a pastry bag or Tupperware with lid and put it in the fridge to keep fresh.


We hope that you enjoy this recipe!!!
let us know how you like it. And tag us in your photos using the hashtag #theblondewhobakes


​xoxo

Whit

Being a baker... I am in the kitchen baking something sweet literally every day. It is something that I love and have always loved to do.

Today I am inviting you into my kitchen to make an easy 5 ingredient dessert in under 5 minutes. (Yes.... you read that right. 5 minutes!)

•Chocolate Cake Crumbles
•Sweetened Condensed Milk
•Caramel Sauce
•Heath Bar or Skor bar bits
•Whipped Cream

If you read my blog, I’m constantly searching and trying Chocolate Chip Cookies. I’m very particular with what I like in a Chocolate Chip Cookie, and so after A LOT of trial and error, I FOUND IT! This recipe is one that is very similar to the Levain Bakery Cookies, but I wanted to tweak it to make it my own.

Hey my sweet friend!
I wanted to make this new lifestyle section of the blog because these are crazy times, And I wanted to let you guys in on my life. Believe it or not baking is not the only thing I do during my days.

So for the first post in the section I wanted to tell you guys how we are having fun and yet still feeling productive during this Quarantine/self distancing time.
I chose this aa the first post because I have a lot of friends that are moms as well, and they are having a hard time trying to keep themselves busy with their kids at home all day. So here are some ideas that we use here in our family every day to stay happy and productive.

So let’s get to it!

It’s March of 2020 and we are all quarantined in our homes due to the COVID-19 virus.
It’s one of the first times in my lifetime that we’ve had to quarantine and have everything close, including; theaters, restaurants, gyms, churches, stores, malls and pretty much everything else you can think of..
With all of the crazy and scary times we are facing, we thought that it would be a fun idea to team up with one of my favorite Utah companies, ALBION FIT, to bring you a pretend at home cooking show (Jennifer garner style) and make some cookies to lighten up all of the stresses we are going thru.

So today we are going to be giving a demo in our kitchen as well as share the delicious recipe. Ready to make some cookies?!? Let’s go!

1/2 C Butter (soft but chilled)
1/2 C granulated sugar
1/2 C Light Brown Sugar
1/2 C Creamy Jiff Peanut Butter

1 Lg Egg
1 tsp Vanilla
1 C All Purpose Flour
1 1/2 C Instant Oats
1/4 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Baking Soda

3/4 C Mini M&M’s
1/2 C Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips
​

1. Preheat oven to 350°F
2. prep baking sheets with parchment paper or silpat mats.
3. Cream butter and sugar in the mixer for 2 to 3 minutes or until creamy and fluffy.
4. Add peanut butter and mix until combined.
5. Add egg and vanilla and mix until completely Incorporated.
6. in a separate bowl mix the dry ingredients; flour, baking powder. baking soda, salt and Oats.
7. Add the dry ingredients to your mixer, mix until combined.
8. Once it is all combined, mix in the chocolate chips and M&Ms. Do not over mix.
9. Take your mixing bowl off of the stand, and make balls out of the dough that are 1 to 1 1/2 inches.
10. Once all of the dough is in balls, put in fridge to chill for 1 to 2 hours.
11. Once dough is completely chilled, place on baking mat and space them 1 to 2 inches apart.
12. Place one pan in the oven at a time and bake for:
11 to 12 minutes. Do not over bake.
13. After done, take out of oven and let them cool for 5-10 minutes.
14. Now go and enjoy your delicious cookies!!

The BTS Cake was the first cake I ever fully enjoyed at a very young age. And yes, I savored every bite. The chocolate cake, the ooey, gooey drizzle of the caramel and sweetened condensed milk, whipped cream and the Skor bars in every bite was something only in dreams. Little did I know it was such an easy and fun cake to make.
So that is why I’m wanting to share with you my recipe for the most delicious BTS cake ever! It is so easy, fool proof and always turns out delicious.

So get out your mixer and bake with me!

1 1/2 C SIFTED FLOUR
1 1/2 TSP BAKING POWDER
1/4 TSP SALT
1/4 C COFFEE
1/2 C BUTTER (SOFTENED)
1 C SUGAR
2 LARGE EGGS
1/2 TSP CLEAR VANILLA
1 can SWEETENED CONDENSED MILK
4 SKOR BARS (crushed)
​CARAMEL SAUCE
1/2 C OF HERSHEYS “SPECIAL DARK COCOA”
1/2 C of MINI CHOCOLATE CHIPS
1/2 C of GHIRADELLI MILK CHOCOLATE CHIPS
1/2 C WHOLE MILK
1/4 C SWEETENED AND CONDENCED MILK

PREHEAT OVEN TO 400 DEGREES F.
LIGHTLY COAT PANS WITH BAKING SPRAY.

SIFT FLOUR, POWDER, AND SALT INTO A LARGE MIXING BOWL.
BEAT BUTTER IN AN ELECTRIC MIXER. BEAT IN SUGAR. CREAM TOGETHER.
MIX IN EGGS ONE AT A TIME.
ADD THE VANILLA & MILK. BEAT ON MED/HIGH.

ADD IN THE CHOCOLATE CHIPS ONE KIND AT A TIME. COMBINE COMPLETELY.

POUR BATTER INTO THE PREPARED PAN & BAKE FOR 30-35 MINUTES. (MAY TAKE LONGER DEPENDING ON OVEN AND CAKE SIZE.
THIS BATTER SHOULD MAKE 2- 8" CAKE PANS.
​COOL CAKE FOR 15-30 MINUTES.

AFTER THE OVEN:
​PUT SINGLE LAYERS ON CAKE BOARDS. FREEZE FOR 1-4. HRS. FILL WITH DESIRED FROSTING OR FILLING. CRUMB COAT LAYER.
FREEZE AGAIN FOR 1-2 HRS. DECORATE.

Poke holes in the cake all around the edges and center.
this helps the milk and caramel sink in to the cake to create an ever so delicious surprise when you bite in.

We now add on sweetened & Condensed milk.
Spread it so it gets completely combined and starts sinking in to the holes.

To bring this cake together; we make Homemade whipped cream and top it off with Skor Bar.

At our house, brownies are a go-to dessert. The delicious, chocolatey treat has always been a favorite for both me and my family.

In fact, Brownies are the first thing I ever baked by side my mom and grandma.. So of course, they have a special spot in my heart. (And stomach!!)

​
So... I bet you’re reading this saying: that’s great... super awesome that you like brownies. But enough talking, let’s get to the recipe.

Earlier this Spring and Summer I took it easy towards the end of my pregnancy and the birth of our baby girl. With the down time/slower pace I had which was much needed I thought up some yummy flavors that I cannot wait to bring to the website. Today is the start of them! We are bringing you a deliciously fresh take on a Summer cake. If you like our Vanilla Berry Cake, this is just taking it to a whole new level. So get ready for some delicious cake! As yummy as it is, I like keeping things simple so that anyone can make it. Whether you are a beginner in the kitchen or an advanced pastry chef you’ll enjoy baking this cake and of course eating it!
So scroll down, get the ingredients together and make this yummy cake!!!