Mashed overripe bananas, sweetened coconut, and chopped almonds are the stars of this recipe. Both quick and easy, the batter was ready for the oven in minutes.

Thanks to a well-greased pan, the little cakes popped right out. I may have clapped my hands with glee at the sight of them cooling. LOOK AT THOSE CUTE LITTLE CAKES!!

Once cooled, I stirred up a mug of glaze and drizzled it in circles over the top of each cake, letting it run down the Bundt grooves before hardening into the perfect sweet finish.

Packed with banana, bits of coconut, and chunky nuts, these cakes baked up moist and full of flavor. I’ll definitely be making them again when I need an attractive, portable, and portioned way to share a banana coconut treat.

If you don’t have a mini Bundt pan (one pan holds 6 mini Bundts) this recipe also makes one standard loaf. Just increase the cooking time to about an hour.

Banana Coconut Mini Bundt Cakes
Adapted from Anyone Can Bake by Better Homes and Gardens Magazine

Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups mashed banana (around 4 medium)
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup shredded sweetened coconut

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease the cups of the Bundt pans (or a 9×5-inch loaf pan); set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
3. In a medium bowl, beat the eggs with a fork, then add the mashed banana, sugar, and oil until well combined.
4. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, then pour the wet ingredients into the well. Using a rubber spatula, fold everything together until almost combined.
5. Add the walnuts and coconut and fold a few more times to combine.
6. Pour the batter into the prepared molds, and bake for 20 minutes (or 55-60 minutes for a loaf) or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Yield: 6 Bundts or 1 Loaf

Click to view and print the recipe for Banana Coconut Mini Bundt Cakes

Chunky and just spicy enough, this recipe makes enough for a meal and then several days of leftovers.

Sometimes I make a batch of 6 jalapeno cheddar corn muffins using a box of Jiffy corn bread mix (always a classic!), but more often than not, my trusty English muffin works just fine for sturdy dipping. A generous shaving of sharp cheddar cheese is also a welcome addition to a hot bowl — just make sure you let it rest a minute to melt in before taking your first bite!

I honestly never get tired of this chili, and the “fake hamburger” crumbles add both an oddly meaty texture and protein boost to an already tasty dish.

To my fellow New Englanders — hang in there! Spring is coming!

Quick and Easy Meatless Chili with MorningStar Farms Crumbles

Ingredients
2 medium onions, diced
1 red pepper, diced
1 green pepper, diced
2 cloves garlic, diced
6 oz. baby portabella mushrooms, quartered
1 package MorningStar Farms Crumbles
1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 packet chili seasoning (or make your own!)
1 15.5 oz. can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 15.5 oz. can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

Directions

1. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onions, peppers, garlic, and mushrooms and cook until the onions are translucent but not browned. Add the crumbles and continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the crumbles are hot.
2. Add the beans and seasoning, tossing to combine, then the diced tomatoes. Add water until the chili is nearly submerged, then stir and reduce heat to a simmer.
3. Cover and allow to cook for 20-30 minutes.
4. Top with grated cheddar or sour cream and enjoy.

Yield: 6-8 servings

Click to view and print the recipe for Quick and Easy Meatless Chili with MorningStar Farms Crumbles

The butterscotch flavor comes from a package of instant pudding, so you can easily make them Pistachio Chocolate Chip Cookies (or anything else) by swapping out the pudding flavor. Sometimes these vintage-convenience-classic recipes are the most fun to make because you can imagine the smiling mid-century housewife throwing them together with frosted pink nails and a frilly hostess apron while she waited for her brood to come home from school.

If you like crispy cookies (like my friend and coworker Brenda), you’ll like these cookies. The texture is almost sandy, and the pudding mix lends just a hint of flavor, so you can trust that the flavor will still be mostly chocolate chip.

Butterscotch Chocolate Chip Cookies
Adapted from The Big ‘Y’ Quality Circle and 4-H Club Cookbook, 1985

Ingredients
2/3 cup unsalted butter
2/3 cup vegetable shortening
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup light brown sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 package instant butterscotch pudding
1 package semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment.
2. Cream the butter, shortening, and sugars together until light and fluffy.  Add the eggs and vanilla and continue to beat.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and pudding mix. Gradually add it to the egg mixture, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as necessary. Fold in the chocolate chips and nuts if using.
4. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheets and bake for 12 – 15 minutes, or until tops are just beginning to brown.
5. Transfer to wire racks to cool.

Yield: 5-6 dozen cookies.

Click to view and print the recipe for Butterscotch Chocolate Chip Cookies

While the sweet potatoes are roasting, the filling comes together. It starts with lentils and steel-cut oats for heft and bite, flavored with bay leaf.

Mushrooms (both diced and quartered) join forces with carrots, celery, and onions for flavor and fragrance.

Along with garlic, tomato paste, broth, red wine, tamari, and paprika, a generous dose of fresh parsley seals the deal.

Filling complete, it’s smoothed into a casserole dish before being topped with the cooled, peeled, mashed sweet potatoes.

I left my sweet potatoes a little on the lumpy side, but if you’re a “smooth potatoes” purist you can keep at it until they are your preferred consistency.

I loved this vegetarian shepherd’s pie (how could I not when it’s packed with so much delicious stuff?) but my one complaint was that the sweet potatoes tasted a little bland. I thought about how much I love making baked sweet potato fries, which are essentially the same thing, so I added some ketchup to my plate for a little side-dipping, and it was exactly what I had been missing.

My friend Heather got some of the leftovers, and she suggests mixing the potato layer into the lentil layer, then adding a few spoonfuls of pico de gallo (or another chunky, fresh salsa) for a little burst of tomato flavor. I’ll be trying her tip next time!

Vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie with Lentils, Mushrooms, and Sweet Potato
Adapted from The Kitchn

Ingredients
5 medium sweet potatoes, scrubbed
1 cup brown or green lentils, washed and picked over
3/4 cup dry steel-cut oats
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound cremini mushrooms, divided
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
3/4 cup low-sodium vegetable stock
1/4 cup red wine
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Prick each sweet potato several times with a fork and place on a foil-lined baking sheet. Roast for around 45 minutes , or until very soft to the touch. Set aside to cool.
2. In a medium pot, combine the lentils, oats, bay leaf and salt with 5 cups of water. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to low. Simmer uncovered for 15-20 minutes or until lentils are soft but not mushy, stirring occasionally to keep the oats from sticking. Discard bay leaf and drain mixture into a colander.
3. While the lentils and oats are cooking, finely chop half of the mushrooms and set aside. Cut the remaining mushrooms into quarters. Warm the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the quartered mushrooms and a pinch of salt and cook until browned and soft.
4. Add the chopped mushrooms, onion, carrot, celery and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are soft and translucent. Lower heat to medium and add the lentil and oat mixture, followed by the vegetable stock, wine, tomato paste, soy sauce, paprika, and parsley. Taste and add salt if needed. Cook for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add a few grinds of black pepper.
5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove the potato skins and place in a medium bowl. Use a fork or potato masher to mash them into a smooth paste and season to taste with salt and pepper.
6. Evenly spread the lentil mixture into a 9×13-inch baking dish. Spoon the sweet potato mixture on top and smooth. Drag a fork through the top for ridges. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the filling is bubbling at the edges.

Yield: 6-8 servings

Click to view and print the recipe for Vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie with Lentils, Mushrooms, and Sweet Potato.

I spent a recent Saturday night with a woman I frequently refer to as “my high school best friend” because it’s the easiest way to explain her, but like any friend that saw you from embroidered vests and a unibrow to contact lenses and an actual (sometimes) hairstyle, she’s so much more than that. I spent a lot of time at Lauren’s house from 1994 until we graduated in 1999, and my love for her and her parents is deep, true, and pure. Just like when I was in 8th grade and getting a high score in mock trial, I know they cheer on my every victory and encourage me when I need support…up to and including that recent Saturday, when I called in tears to let them know I’d be late for our visit because I’d been in a minor car accident.

Thankfully, the snowy roads and blemished bumper didn’t totally ruin our visit. There was still plenty of time to catch up, and for a batch of simmering mulled wine and these tart, citrus cranberry orange scones!

I love my Nordic Ware scone pan, but you could make these as drop scones or shape the dough into a circle and separate it into wedges (barely pulled apart) on a lined baking sheet. I loved the citrus flavor and thought the texture was perfect — just moist enough on the inside but with a slightly crisp outside, made extra crunchy with the addition of coarse sanding sugar.

The older I get, the more sentimental the holiday seem. I try to cram in as many traditions and special moments as possible during those handful of weekends between Thanksgiving and Christmas, and while I certainly take pleasure in writing out my Christmas cards while watching “Home Alone” each year with tomato soup and grilled cheese, nothing beats a cozy gab-fest with my oldest friend while Burl Ives serenades in the background.

And oh yes, these festive holiday scones.

Cranberry Orange Scones
Adapted from Simply Scones by Leslie Weiner and Barbara Albright

Ingredients
1/2 cup chopped fresh cranberries
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons orange juice
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon orange zest
1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment, or grease your scone pan.
2. In small bowl, stir together the cranberries and the 2 tablespoons of sugar. Let stand about 5 minutes.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, remaining sugar, baking powder and salt. Cut the butter into 1/2″ cubes and distribute them over the flour. With a pastry blender or your fingers, cut the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs.
4. In a small bowl, stir together the eggs, juice, vanilla and peel. Add to the flour mixture and stir gently until just combined. The dough will be sticky.With floured hands, knead in the berries and nuts.
5. Pat the dough into a 9″ diameter circle on the prepared baking sheet, or on a floured surface if using a scone pan.  For extra shine, brush the top and sides with a mixture of 1 egg white and 1/2 t water. For extra crunch and sparkle, add coarse sanding sugar.
6. With a serrated knife, cut the dough into 8 wedges. If using a scone pan, transfer the wedges to the pan. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a scone comes out clean.

Click to view and print the recipe for Cranberry Orange Scones.

I adopted a three-year-old grey tuxedo cat from the local shelter, and you know she’s something special because I got her even though 1) she’s not a Siamese, and 2) she’s a she. When it comes to cats, I like boys. I named her Ruby, but like most pets, I rarely call her that. Instead she is Rue, Rue Bones, and Moschka.

We had a bit of a rough start, and I still wish she wouldn’t chew absolutely everything in sight when I am sleeping in hopes that her gnawing will force me to trudge to the kitchen to feed her (it usually works), but I absolutely love working on something in bed and seeing her curled up and snoozing by my feet, and having her greet me the moment I open the door with her Marge Simpson groan-meow. It was getting a little lonely in my wood-paneled palace.

My job at Yankee has me busy testing recipes for my Homegrown column (did you see my Nov/Dec feature on Kale? Read Kale –The Queen of Greens here!), special cookbook projects, and numerous blogs and web-articles that focus on food. My favorite has been a web series I’ve been writing titled “Holiday Appetizers Through the Decades” where I comb through the Yankee archives and feature one appetizer each week through (you guessed it) each of the decades Yankee has been publishing, meaning I started with the 1930′s. Have a look:

We also had a lovely family Thanksgiving at my parents’ house in Lowell, which they’ve lived in for a year and a half now, and looks wonderful thanks to lots of renovations and creative decorating.

My contributions included mushroom sourdough stuffing, challah knot rolls modified from my favorite challah bread recipe, and Italian chocolate clove cookies. Since I stuck to Instagram for most of the evening (follow me if you don’t already!), these photos will look decidedly more grainy hip.

Sully reaching for the turkey kills me.

I’ve also been busy blogging for Yankee about New England through our “Explore New England” blog.

Recent adventures have included A Visit to Stockbridge and the Norman Rockwell Museum…

plus a recap of the fattening delicious Mt. Washington Valley Inn to Inn Cookie Tour I went on last year.

It’s nonstop, my friends, and it’s time I started getting better at sharing more of it with you!

Also, there will be a new recipe this week. I promise!

Happy holiday season! XO

Many years later, I realized dates came in a larger, fresher form that could actually taste good. I also grew to respect the role of the mighty date in the dessert archives, since dried fruits used to be one of the only affordable and reliable ways to bake with something sweet year-round.

My mother often tells me that my Nana used to make date nut bread, which they would slice and spread with cream cheese. When I visit Nana I like to bring her something sweet, so on my last trip down to Wakefield I brought date nut squares.

In an effort to be time-period accurate, I scoured my old cookbooks for a recipe, and found one in a paperback of Betty Crocker’s All Time Favorites. The batter was thick, but the bars baked up nicely, and looked lovely laced with delicate ribbons of icing. For Nana, the sweeter the better.

Date Nut Squares
Adapted from Betty Crocker’s All-Time Favorites (1977)

Ingredients
2 large eggs
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups chopped dates
1 cup chopped nuts

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9-inch baking dish.In a medium bowl, beat the eggs until light and lemon colored. Add the sugar and vanilla and continue to beat until combined.
2. Add the flour, baking powder, and salt and continue mixing. Fold in the dates and nuts, then spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan. The batter will be quite thick.
3. Bake 25 to 30 minutes, then cool and cut into squares. Drizzle with icing if you wish (add milk to powdered sugar until thin enough to drizzle).

Yield: 16 squares
Click to view and print the recipe for Date Nut Squares

The cinnamon chips aren’t always easy to find in the grocery store, so when I spot them I stock up. They’re smaller than your average chocolate chip, which works beautifully in this bread. As it bakes they melt into little concentrated cinnamon pockets throughout each slice. Along with the raisins, I think the resulting flavor and texture combination is perfect — familiar but with a little oomph.

Of course, when I bake with pumpkin, my canned pumpkin brand of choice is One-Pie. It’s extra special to me because it was the subject of my first published piece in Yankee Magazine before I worked here full-time (read it here – “One-Pie Town“). I stock up on these bad boys, too, thanks to painful memories of the great pumpkin shortage of the 2010 holiday season (never forget).

Sully agrees it’s a fine product worthy of his steely stare.

For the Yankee article I came up with a new pumpkin recipe — Pumpkin Streusel Bars — that will definitely be making an appearance in my kitchen this holiday season.

What are your favorite things to make with pumpkin? Pies? Cookies? Soups?

Cinnamon Raisin Pumpkin Bread

Ingredients
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsps. baking powder
2 tsps. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsps. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/2 tsp. cloves
1/2 tsp. allspice
2 cups granulated sugar
1 15-oz. can pumpkin
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
4 large eggs, beaten
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup cinnamon chips

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and generously grease 2 loaf pans.
2. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl or in the bowl of a standing mixer, beat together the sugar and oil until smooth. Add the beaten eggs and pumpkin.
4. Add the dry mixture into the pumpkin mixture, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Fold in the raisins and cinnamon chips.
5. Pour batter into the prepared loaf pans and bake for one hour, or until a toothpick or skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.

Yield: 2 loaves

Click to view and print the recipe for Cinnamon Raisin Pumpkin Bread

My first foliage season away from Boston has been, in a word, glorious. My ride to work takes me by a pasture with grazing cows, now framed with color, and the postcard-perfect church next door to Yankee HQ has a beauty of a tree next to it. I love the fall — the rich colors, spicy smells, and the return to knee socks and soft sweaters. The holidays are coming up. The soup kettle is ready. Let’s do this!

I’ve already been making lots of soups and stews now that the evenings have turned cold (if not downright freezing) and this easy homemade minestrone soup is always an early favorite.

Convenience comes in the form of canned beans, seasoned tomatoes, and veggie broth, while garlic, onion, pepper, and baby spinach still give you plenty of fresh ingredients to work with. Italian herbs (fresh or dried) lend robust flavor, and a generous handful of Parmesan brings it all home.

It’s everything you want in a soup — hearty, filling, and packed with flavor. Of course, I also insist on a hunk of bread or a toasted English muffin or bagel on the side. Who wouldn’t?

Feel free to halve the recipe, but I like making a big batch so I can freeze several servings for later.

Happy fall and happy soup weather!

Easy Homemade Minestrone Soup
Adapted from Better Homes and Gardens

Ingredients
2 tbsps. extra virgin olive oil
1 medium sweet yellow pepper, diced
1 medium onion, peeled and diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 28-oz. cans diced tomatoes with Italian herbs
1 14- to 15-oz. can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), rinsed and drained
1 14- to 15-oz. can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups vegetable broth
4 cups water
2 tsps. Italian seasoning
2 cups dry pasta (rigatoni, penne, or shells)
3-4 cups baby spinach
Shaved Parmesan for garnish

Directions

1. Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onions, peppers, and garlic. Cook, stirring frequently, until onions are translucent.
2. Add the tomatoes, beans, broth, water, seasoning, and pasta. Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium, then cook, covered, for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, just until pasta is barely tender. Add more water if necessary.
3. Stir in spinach, then ladle into bowls and top with fresh grated Parmesan.

Yield: 8 servings.

Click to view and print the recipe for Easy Homemade Minestrone Soup.

With free rein (I did get her to choose lemon for her filling flavor), I immediately knew I wanted to make a traditional tiered cake with a homemade topper. Since the wedding would take place on a boat and had a loose “ocean” theme,  I went with that as a guide.

I settled on the right combination — yellow cake with lemon curd and butter frosting — then got to work testing recipes. First and foremost, the cake needed to taste good, but it also needed to be durable for handling. In turn, the frosting also needed to taste good, but hold up in hot weather and spread smooth and easy. I found both recipes in the fool-proof Baking Illustrated from the editors of Cook’s Illustrated magazine. Sparing myself the extra stress, I opted to use good-quality jarred lemon curd.

My big sister Courtney provided the dream kitchen for me to work in before the wedding. I only had to repeat baking one layer, when I tried to flip one of the 10-inch cakes off the cooling rack and onto the plate after “relaxing” with a few glasses of wine. Fortunately, I had left plenty of time for just such a mishap, and another cake layer was quickly baked.

After baking and cooling, the cakes were each split in half and filled with lemon curd, then stacked so each tier was 4-layers tall. After a light crumb coat of frosting, the cakes were chilled in the fridge, then frosted again with the benefit of a lazy susan to evenly distribute the frosting.

When I wasn’t working on the cake, I was working on the cake topper. I made bride and groom felted whales to fit the ocean theme. My crafty thumb isn’t my strongest but I wanted her to have something homemade for the topper so I could stick with a simple frosting design. There wouldn’t be a lot of time on the boat before the ceremony to stack and decorate the cake, so simple (and quick!) was key!

Plus, leading up to the ceremony, all I wanted to do was enjoy the prep time in the hotel with the beautiful bride while she put on her dress (with help from Mom and Courtney) and got ready to walk down the aisle. Always a special time, and not to be rushed!

Special thanks to my brother-in-law Jon and my stepdad Arthur for getting the cakes from Courtney’s house, into Boston, and onto the boat while I was away with the bride getting my hair and makeup done!

As soon as I stepped onto the boat it was all business. I kicked off my shoes, put on an apron, and got to work cutting the wooden dowels that would support the weight of each layer of cake. I had prepped the bags of blue frosting ahead of time, and once the layers were in place, a quick wave design was all I needed to add to fill the gaps.

Then I rushed to the upper deck to walk the ring bearer (their toy poodle Paxton) down the aisle for the beautiful sunset ceremony. Just before the cake cutting I sneaked in for a photo with the finished product.

Then it was time for the spotlight with the bride and groom! Thankfully they loved the cake, it didn’t topple over (I was worried) when they cut it, and many people said they enjoyed eating it, making operation wedding cake an official success!

Congratulations to my beautiful baby sister and my new brother-in-law Jim. You guys are the best, and it was the ultimate honor to contribute such a special part of your wedding day. I love you both and wish you many, many, many years of happiness ahead!

With lots and lots and lots of cake!

Yellow Layer Cake with Butter Frosting
Adapted from Baking Illustrated by the Editors of Cook’s Illustrated Magazine
Makes 1 9-inch layer cake

Ingredients
1 3/4 cups (7 ounces) plain cake flour, sifted, plus more for dusting
4 large eggs, room temperature
1/2 cup whole milk, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened but still cool, cut into 16 pieces

1 batch butter frosting

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and adjust the rack to the lower-middle position. Generously grease two 9-inch cake pans, cover the pan bottoms with rounds of measured rounds of parchment paper, then grease the paper and flour the pans, tapping out the excess. Set aside.
2. In a small bowl, beat the eggs, milk, and vanilla with a fork. Measure out 1 cup of the mixture and set aside. In the bowl of a standing mixer, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Beat at the lowest speed for 30 seconds, then add the butter one piece at a time. Mix until the butter and flour begin to clump together and look sandy, with the largest pieces of butter the size of peas.
3. Add the reserved one cup of egg mixture and mix at the lowest speed until combined, then increase speed until medium-high, then beat until light and fluffy, about 1 minute.
4. Add the remaining egg mixture in a slow stream, taking about 30 seconds. Stop and scrape the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula, then continue to beat until thoroughly combined and the batter looks slightly curdled, about 15 seconds.
5. Divide the batter equally between the prepared pans and smooth tops with a rubber spatula. Bake 20 – 25 minutes, or until the cake tops are lightly golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cakes will “deflate” slightly out of the oven.
6. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then run a knife around the pan to loosen before inverting onto a large plate. Remove the parchment, then invert back onto the wire rack. Repeat with the other cake, and allow to cool completely before frosting.
7. Fill, frost, and decorate as desired.

For the Butter Frosting
16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened but still cool
4 cups (1 pound) powdered sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon milk
Pinch salt

Beat the butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, milk, and salt in the bowl of a standing mixer at low-speed until the sugar is moistened. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat, stopping periodically to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Beat until creamy and fluffy, about 1 1/2 minutes.

Click to view and print the recipe for Yellow Layer Cake with Butter Frosting.