Recipes including ham can often be quick and easy, so I compiled a list of some simple and fun recipes you’ll want to try!

There is everything from fried rice to pasta, brunch items, and so much more.

Ham is popular in the spring for Easter as well as around the holiday season to have ham for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s. But if you ask me, we have ham more than just around the holidays, any variety of ham can be used in the recipes, so buy extra to have leftovers… trust me, you’ll be happy you did!

• Leftover Ham fried Rice- brown the ham in the pan for a great smokey flavor.
• Eggs Benedict Enchiladas– perfect for brunch for holidays or to make with holiday ham leftovers.
• Cordon Bleu Baked Ziti- A fun baked pasta dish that is not only delicious but great to serve to company.
• Glazed Ham– This is how I often make my holiday ham… 
• perfect with Cheesy Baked Potato Casserole.
• Pomegranate Orange Sauce for Ham – A great tasting sauce for ham, holiday or not.
• Ham, Egg, and Cheese on Waffles- Sandwiches (instructions below)
• Ham, Egg, and Cheese Breakfast Cupcakes- These are great to make ahead and enjoy for days, the perfect on-the-go breakfast.
• Ham and Cheese Soup- Nothing better than a big bowl of comfort food, ready in minutes!
• Green Eggs and Ham Deviled Eggs- A great way to serve deviled eggs!

Eggs are super popular especially around Easter (so if you’re serving easter ham, check these out)

• Coloring Eggs
• Hard Boiled Eggs
• Ham and Eggs (deviled eggs)

Do you have to heat ham?

No. Both whole or half hams are cooked, they are cured, smoked, or baked. Even canned hams are fully cooked and can be eaten cold without reheating. Slicing or dicing ham will make it easy to put into recipes and reduce the time it’ll take to reheat it as well. That is why I slice my ham before heating it, even if serving it for a holiday meal.  If you are reheating the ham it should come to a temperature of 140 °. 

There are many options to reheat ham, you can put it in an oven at 350° for 15 minutes per pound.

You can stem it over water in a skillet using a metal straining basket or cooling rack.

Ham can be heated in the slow cooker, pressure cooker, or even an electric skillet, so many options. Remember, adding water will allow steam to heat ham without drying it out.

Another option for ham in recipes is to buy deli ham; you can have it sliced thicker, depending on how you’ll be using it. In the meat section of stores, you can often buy ham steaks or portions of boneless ham sliced, which makes it easy to use in meals.

What is the best ham to buy?

Some people rave over spiral ham, for others, it’s honey-baked ham. My favorite ham is carving ham, it’s usually about 4 inches thick and about ten inches wide, it has very little fat and can be cut easily, tastes great, and is not only great for holidays, it’s also perfect for slicing and dicing to add to other recipes

My least favorite is bone-in ham. I often try to cut the ham off the bone before heating it, as I find it takes so much longer to heat in a large portion with the bone in. It’s not like I serve a huge ham at the table and then begin to carve. I have made bone-in hams and used the bone for soup, but I haven’t done that in years. I like simple, so to simplify it I find the carving ham my favorite and I slice it, then heat it, most often I heat it in the oven or instant pot.

No matter what type of ham you have, there are so many delicious recipes to use ham in.

Another great recipe to use leftover ham in is this Luau Fried Rice, it’s so tasty!!!

I love making these fun ham and cheese waffle sandwiches. You can make them with eggs or not, and they are fun. Drizzled with a little maple syrup, complementing the smoky ham flavor with some sweetness, is always a good idea!

These sandwiches are yummy, Pick it up like a sandwich or cut it and eat it with a fork, they’re fun on-the-go eats to make with leftover ham…drizzle with maple syrup and you’re all set for a hearty breakfast, and it makes the perfect “brinner” breakfast for dinner too.

• Spring & Easter Recipes
• Egg Salad Spring Rolls…. and it doesn’t need to be Spring to enjoy them!
• Potted Yellow Rose Cupcakes– Great for Mother’s Day!
• If you go camping… maybe RV camping. I’ve got some great recipes for ya!
• How would you like some tips on Coloring Eggs, perfect for Easter!
• Blueberry Apricot Cake a wonderful Spring Cake
• Coconut Robin’s Eggs Cake
• Lemon Sprinkle Cookies
• Carrot Cake Recipe- so many options, loaf pan, bundt, 8″ round, 9×13 sheet cake.

• Bunny Cookies, these really are my all-time favorite spring cookies.
• Carrot Cake Scones-Oh, these are so yummy!

• Chocolate Cake Lavender Frosting_OMG what until you see how cute this is for Easter as well!

MORE Holiday Recipes 

I also have a Holiday Recipe Ebook that combines lots of favorites.

Don’t forget French Bread Stuffing goes with EVERYTHING!

The post Ham-quick and easy recipes using ham first appeared on Created by Diane.

I am a huge chocolate cake fan… as a kid I’d never opt to eat vanilla cake, chocolate was always my favorite. Now I’d have to say I’m divided evenly between the two. 

I love lavender and making a cake with lavender color and lavender flavored frosting was high on my list to make. And I knew it would go wonderfully with chocolate cake, so stay tuned for an easy layer cake recipe with the perfect frosting. 

Silky smooth, fluffy, and spreadable.

This delicious and totally fake cream cheese frosting tastes just like the real thing—and it couldn’t be easier to make!

Whether you’re out of cream cheese or just need a quick frosting fix, this cream cheese frosting substitute delivers that tangy, creamy flavor you love with simple pantry ingredients.

It’s the perfect topping for red velvet cake, carrot cake, cupcakes, cinnamon rolls, and more. No one will believe it’s made without cream cheese

Perfect alternative for anyone who doesn’t have cream cheese or wants a dairy-free option.

Why would you want to know about an alternative cream cheese frosting, since cream cheese is so wonderful. Well, there are many times this frosting will come in handy.

Let’s say you forget to buy cream cheese, or you can’t get it at a moment’s notice, and don’t want to drive to the store.

Want a vegan cream cheese option? I’ve got you covered… 

My Favorite Ways to Use Alternative Cream Cheese Frosting

Cream cheese frosting is a favorite of mine. It’s so versatile. Sometimes, however, I am short on the star ingredient, cream cheese! That’s where my Alternative Cream Cheese Frosting comes into play.    

Soft and creamy, I love using this frosting on cookies, cakes, cupcakes, and even scones.

It’s perfect with my Fig Cake as a replacement for the goat cheese frosting. Or on top of cupcakes… these espresso cupcakes are so yummy.

I have so many recipes to choose from to add this creamy, delicious frosting.

The possibilities are endless, and I have loads of tips and tricks for little cakes here! 

No cream Cheese Frosting uses: 

This lineup of sweet treats is the ultimate mix of cozy, classic, and creative bakes! If you’re in the mood for fruity, tangy, or downright indulgent, there’s something here to tempt your sweet tooth.

• Apple Cake
• Banana Blueberry Cake
• Red Velvet Pancakes
• Lemon Cream Cheese Cookies, with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
• Buttermilk Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
• Red Velvet Scones
• Pumpkin Cupcakes

So, what do I do if I don’t have cream cheese for cream cheese frosting?

This is a great alternative recipe made out of necessity. No cream cheese…that is a dilemma. Especially if you really want cream cheese frosting. But I have great news, and I myself have been desperate for cream cheese frosting many times…

It’s a frosting emergency! Really, what else do you really want on carrot cake? What would carrot cake be without cream cheese frosting? I don’t intend to find out. This recipe works great! 

Another great use for this easy icing is to use it on red velvet cake. If you need options, this is the frosting for you. Look no further, make this alternative to real cream cheese frosting, and no one will know the difference.

I tested it, and no one knew the truth!

And it’s been a staple over here ever since! And it tastes just like the real thing!

If you are looking for a carrot cake recipe, be sure to check out this post.

Let’s get started… this is what you’ll need:

• butter
• powdered sugar 
• milk
• vinegar
• vanilla
• fresh lemon juice
• salt

This small batch recipe can be made with an immersion blender with a whip attachment or in a larger mixer.

A stand mixer, or hand mixer, can be used, or a food processor will work; you can mix by hand with a whisk and bowl, be ready to get your arm “workout”.

Instructions:

In the bowl of a mixer, add your butter and begin to mix until the butter or butter alternative is smooth and well-whipped.

 If you need or want more frosting, you can easily double, triple, or quadruple the recipe for a larger portion.

The next thing we’ll do is add the powdered sugar.

Mix on low until it combines, then add in the milk, vanilla, vinegar, lemon, and salt (leave out the salt if you are using salted butter and add a little if necessary after you taste it).

Mix until silky smooth and well beaten.

If you want the frosting thicker or sweeter and a little more powdered sugar, if you want it thinner or to drizzle like a glaze, add more milk to thin the mixture. Add a tablespoon at a time of powdered sugar or milk, mix well, then add more if needed.

If you need to firm up your frosting you can refrigerate it for an hour, then spread it onto the dessert.

Can I alter this recipe to fit a Vegan diet?

Yes. Simply switch out your regular butter with a plant-based type, and switch out your dairy milk for almond, coconut, or your favorite alternative.

Can I soften the butter in the microwave?

If you do try to soften the butter in the microwave, be sure to heat it slowly and on a low temperature. Use the “defrost” setting, which is 30% power for 20 seconds; that usually does it. You don’t want it soft, melted, or runny, just room temperature. But when you beat it, just let it mix until it is fluffy, so it’s fully smooth; it’ll mix with the other ingredients better. A lot of the time, people don’t mix the butter well enough for frosting, especially if it’s colder butter, and it really makes a difference.

If you’re looking for a vegan version, it’s simple, just swap out the butter and milk for your regular alternatives. 

Vegan Cream Cheese tasting frosting:

• butter alternative
• powdered sugar
• milk alternative
• vinegar
• vanilla
• lemon juice
• salt

Is this Cottage food law approved cream cheese frosting?

Yes, this no dairy version is the perfect frosting for cottage law bakers, cottage food bakers, and home bakers who sell their items.

Whether you choose to use butter and milk or vegan alternatives, the result is creamy, tangy, and delicious-tasting cream cheese frosting…without the cream cheese.

Fun, flavorful additions to cream cheese frosting are a pinch of cinnamon, nutmeg, or even instant coffee (grind real smooth by pressing it between two spoons or a rolling pin, and add it to the butter when you’re whipping it so it combines nicely and flavors the whole frosting)

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Alternative Cream Cheese Frosting

A creamy delicious cream cheese tasting frosting without the cream cheese, perfect for when you don’t have cream cheese but want that silky smooth yumminess. This recipe easily multiplies to frost as much cake as you want.

Course Dessert, Frosting

Cuisine American

Keyword dessert, frosting

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 5 minutes minutes

Author Diane Schmidt – createdbydiane.com

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter room temperature (or butter alternative if you’d prefer it vegan)
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 tablespoon milk or heavy cream or milk alternative if you’d prefer it vegan
• 1 teaspoon white vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions

• In a bowl of a mixer beat butter until whipped and smooth.
• Add in the powdered sugar and begin mixing on low until it combines, then turn up to medium-high and add the milk, vinegar, vanilla, lemon juice, and salt.
• Continue whipping until smooth.
• Spread over your favorite desserts
• Multiply to make more frosting, the small batch will spread over an 8" cake, if you want to fill a 2-layer cake be sure to double or triple the recipe. If you want to pile the frosting high and fill a layer cake you can use 4x's the recipe for plenty of frosting.

Notes

• This is the conversion of the recipe in grams 
• 1/2 cup butter room temperature (or butter alternative if you’d prefer it vegan) 115g butter
• 2 cups powdered sugar 226g
• 1 tablespoon milk or heavy cream or milk alternative if you’d prefer it vegan 15.3g
• 1 teaspoon white vinegar 5g
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 2.5g
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice 5g
• 1/4 teaspoon salt 1.42g

Be sure to give this HACK a try the next time you need a cream cheese frosting! And be sure to make yourself some Carrot Cake Recipes!

The post How to Make Great Cream Cheese Frosting without Cream Cheese first appeared on Created by Diane.

Maple Glazed Ham is just one great item to serve with little effort… take a look.

I love buying a carving ham, there is no bone, no mess when cutting, and virtually no waist. Carving hams are thin flat cuts of meat that are easy to slice and still allow for plenty of room on your plate for all your favorite side dishes. 
When holidays roll around, carving hams make it easy.

I used to cook ham in the oven, but more recently I cut the ham in half, and slice it and then cook it, be it in the oven, wrapped in foil, or I place it in the pressure cooker (Instant Pot) you can also easily cook it in the slow cooker as well.

Most ham that we purchase are precooked, so they just need to be heated, large hams take a while, so I often cut mine into smaller pieces to heat it a little faster and so it doesn’t dry out.

Continue reading: Maple Glazed Ham

The post Maple Glazed Ham first appeared on Created by Diane.

To begin you’ll want to hard boil the eggs.

Then dying eggs with food color are only a couple steps away.

I have a couple of posts on hard boiling eggs, my go-to method is to use the instant pot, it’s a set it and forget it method and I love it.

You can always use the traditional method on the stove. I’ll give you tips for great results with that method as well.

Be sure to plunge the eggs into an ice bath. 

Continue reading: Coloring Eggs

The post Coloring Eggs first appeared on Created by Diane.

It’s no secret that carrot cake is my favorite. It has been for so many years.

I just love the flavor of carrot cake, the spices, and the texture… a true winner!

Carrot cake is a great spice cake, it’s flavored with cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg… all amazing.

And this easy recipe is baked in a skillet… no fancy decorating needed,

it looks great and rustic in a skillet, and it tastes like “home” like a big fork full of comfort food…

This cast iron skillet cake recipe is sure to become a go-to dessert recipe if you love cooking and baking in a cast-iron skillet as much as I do.

Cast Iron Skillet Cakes:

• Banana Skillet Cake
• Vanilla Skillet Cake
• Buttermilk Skillet Cake Blackberry Glaze
• and my favorite No Pie Crust Apple Pie!

And now onto the frosting!!!

Cream cheese frosting is a perfect pairing with carrot cake, there is no denying it…

But what if you forgot to pick up the cream cheese! Tell me I’m not alone in forgetfulness!

I have a “faux” cream cheese frosting, and it’s simple to make.

It tastes tangy and delicious like cream cheese frosting, and you’ll think it’s made with cream cheese too, but it’s not! I had taste testers guess it was cream cheese frosting even though I said I had no cream cheese…..

And this recipe has come in so perfectly lately, as I have used this recipe many times as I repeatedly forgot to pick up cream cheese!

This hack is the perfect solution to being forgetful (like me) but still want to make a cream cheese style frosting. Add more powdered sugar to make the frosting thicker, or add a little warm water to make this “pourable” like a glaze over the top of the cake that drips into the sides of the pan.

This frosting can also be kicked up with the addition of some cinnamon,  maple extract, or even add more lemon juice and pour it on as a lemony glaze for a delicious topping.

Do I have to bake this cake in a skillet?

No, there are many pan size options to bake this cake in.

• 12″ pan like this cast iron skillet
• 2-8″ round pans
• 2 loaf pans
• bundt pan
• 13×9 pan
• muffin pan for cupcakes.

Adjust timing if the cake you’re baking will be thinner or thicker. Check out my Carrot Bundt Cake here.

What Can I Add to Carrot Cake?

Select any one or two of these options, if you want to choose more, add a smaller amount so there is plenty of cake batter to coat everything.

•  1/2 cup shredded coconut
• 1/2 cup crushed or chopped pineapple, drained (it’s best to allow it to drain on paper towel as we’ll so the cake won’t be so wet)
• 1 cup macadamia nuts or pecans instead of walnuts. You can leave the nuts in or omit them.
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 2/3 cup applesauce instead of the oil for a low-fat option
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cherries or blueberries

• Classic Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe
• 12″ Cast Iron Skillet
• Immersion Blender with a whip attachment, great for small-batch whipping.

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Skillet Carrot Cake

A great carrot cake recipe baked in a cast-iron skillet, rustic, homey, and beautiful the perfect dessert for all celebrating. Bake in a 12″ cast iron skillet, 2-8″ round pans, 2 loaf pans, 1 bundt pan, or 13×9 pan.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 8 minutes minutes

Cook Time 50 minutes minutes

Total Time 58 minutes minutes

Servings 16 servings

Author Diane Schmidt – createdbydiane.com

Ingredients

• 2 eggs
• 2/3 cup oil avocado oil or vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon dry ginger
• 1 cup whole milk
• 2 cups grated carrots about 3 medium carrots
• 1 cup walnuts chopped

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350° and prepare your skillet or baking pan with a baking spray or shortening and flour.
• n a large bowl with a mixer or whisk, beat eggs with oil, vanilla, and sugar until well blended.
• Then add to it the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger and mix to combine well.
• Stir in carrots and walnuts.
• Pour in prepared skillet or baking pan.
• Bake at 350° for 50 minutes *be sure to check 5 minutes before and every few minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.
• Allow cake to cool for 15 minutes at a minimum before serving, It will still be hot inside, but you can serve it hot with the frosting drizzled over top, or allow it to completely cool before serving, about an hour, then spread frosting on top and serve.

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Faux Cream Cheese Frosting

Easy alternative to cream cheese frosting, simple ingredients make for a super flavorful FAUX cream cheese frosting

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword cake, frosting

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 10 minutes minutes

Author Diane Schmidt – createdbydiane.com

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons milk or butter
• 1 teaspoon vinegar
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/4 cups powdered sugar

Instructions

• In a bowl with a mixer or an immersion blender with whip attachment (great for small batches) with the whip attachment or a hand whisk mix butter until creamy, whip in milk/cream, vinegar, vanilla, lemon juice, and salt together.
• Add the powdered sugar, and whisk it until smooth. Keep whipping if it looks like it's not blending, it just needs more mixing.

The post How to Make a Cast Iron Carrot Cake Everyone Loves first appeared on Created by Diane.

Oh, there are so many things I just love about this and am happy to be sharing this with you.

1. I love cake and think you’ll love how simple this recipe and decorating are.
2. I love lemon, and the flavor in this is wonderful.
3. The texture of the cake is great, it’s moist and has a great crumb, not too fluffy and fly away that you feel the need to eat the whole cake, but so yummy… that you will want to!
   You may not want to share with anyone… and that is totally ok if you ask me. Who says we ALWAYS have to share anyway! 

Other great items to make with lemons:

• Lemon Syrup
• Lemon Parsley Sauce
• Lemon Pepper Chicken Legs
• Lavender Lemonade

Continue reading: Lemon Cake

The post Lemon Cake first appeared on Created by Diane.

The perfect spring cake

It’s all decked out in a fun springtime Robin’s nest with Robin Eggs, those blue eggs sure steal the show, any colored speckled egg candy will work.

Now, this may look like an Easter cake, but don’t be fooled this cake is so delicious and can be served all year long, with eggs or not.

If I didn’t have the eggs to place in the center, I would have just placed the coconut all around the edge and sprinkle some on top.

I love how crispy toasted coconut is, don’t you ?!?

 How to make Toasted Coconut in a skillet

I toasted the coconut on low in a skillet on the stove, stirring while it toasted to be sure it doesn’t burn. If you are doing more coconut or are more of an oven cooker, check out my post on How to toast coconut in the oven.

And if you’re all about the coconut like me you may like:

• Coconut Banana Cake
• Coconut Oatmeal Cookies
• Coconut Lime Scones
• Coconut no-bake Cheesecake

 Single Layer 8″ cake

Whether you serve this at the end of a weeknight meal, or after a holiday meal, this will be requested again and again and since it’s simple to make and decorate it’s the perfect ANYTIME cake!

This is a single layer cake, baked in an 8″ round cake pan. I use a wet baking strip to ensure the cake bakes evenly without a domed top. If you don’t have baking strips you can cut a strip of a towel, wet it and pin it around the pan, that is what I used to do.

 THESE Baking Strips are similar I now use these are better because they are self-adjusting in size. The older version I have uses pins, either way, it helps to bake cakes nice and even.

I could not wait to slice into this cake and grab the fork, the coconut aroma is amazing!

The texture of this cake is wonderful, not too light and fluffy and not overly dense either. It has lots of texture with the coconut inside the cake and the toasted coconut on top, it’s a coconut lover dream!

Cake Decorating Ideas

I used these beautiful Robin’s egg candies in the store they are Kopper’s Robin’s Egg Marshmallows (they are candy coated chocolate covered marshmallows and come in a 5 oz package and I used half the package) Any speckled egg candy will look pretty on top of the toasted coconut ” birds nest”.

There are many varieties of speckled egg candies, malted milk balls, candy-coated chocolate eggs and I’m sure there are more. Jelly beans would be fun too.

More Easter and Spring Recipes

• Carrot Cake Scones
• Skillet Carrot Cake
• Coconut Robin’s Egg Nest Cake
• Glazed Poppy Spritz Cookies
• Spring Easter Recipes
• Leftover Ham Fried Rice
• Chocolate Bunny Cookies
• Carrot Bundt Cake
• Cotton Tail Cupcakes
• Bunny Cookies
• Eggs Benedict Enchiladas

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Coconut Robin’s Egg Nest Cake

If you love coconut, this Coconut Robin’s Egg Nest Cake is for you. This 8-inch coconut cake is packed with coconut flavor, with coconut baked right into the cake and toasted coconut sprinkled over the top.

Author Diane Schmidt – createdbydiane.com

Ingredients

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1-1/4 cups flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/4 cup butter melted and cooled
• 2 tablespoons oil avocado or vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon coconut extract
• 1 cup gently packed sweetened shredded coconut
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch

Instructions

• Preheat your oven to 350°.
• In a medium bowl with a whisk, beat sugar and eggs until fluffy.
• Add in flour, baking powder, milk, butter, oil, vanilla extract, and coconut extract.
• With a knife place coconut on cutting board and chop it so it’s not so thick and long, then in a small bowl mix the coconut with cornstarch, this will help ensure it separates and distributes throughout the cake when mixing and doesn’t all sink to the bottom.
• Stir the coconut in the cake batter.
• Place the batter into the cake pan.
• Place a wet baking strip or thin towel strip around the cake pan so the cake bakes evenly.
• Bake the cake for 35-40 minutes testing it after 35 minutes, then each couple minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.
• Allow cake to cool for 10 minutes in pan on a cooling rack.
• Then turn the cake out onto a piece of wax paper, then flip cake onto a cooling rack to cool completely.

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Coconut Buttercream Frosting

Sweet and delicious and the perfect simple springtime cake

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword coconut, frosting

Author Diane Schmidt – createdbydiane.com

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1-2 tablespoons milk or heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon coconut extract
• 1- 1 1/2 cups sweetened coconut (for decorating)
• 1/2 cups speckled candy eggs, (I used 11/2 a 5 oz container of Kopper's Robin's Egg Marshmallows)Instructions

Instructions

• In the bowl of a mixer, beat butter until smooth and light.
• Add powdered sugar and begin to mix on low, add in milk or heavy cream and coconut extract and beat on high for a minute, then scrape the bowl to be sure all is mixed well and beat on high until it's whipped up fluffy and smooth
• In a skillet, heat coconut on medium heat and stir while toasting the coconut so it doesn't burn. When all the coconut is golden, remove from heat. If you need to cool it quickly, place it on a baking sheet and put it in the fridge to chill. It will chill while you frost the cake, then you can top the cake with toasted coconut, leaving a well to place candy eggs in the center.

The post Coconut Robin’s Egg Nest Cake Recipe with Toasted Coconut first appeared on Created by Diane.

Spritz cookies are simple and delicious and you can make them into so many shapes, these poppy cookies are just the perfect cookie for spring!

These have simple icing and topped with poppy seeds to make them look even more amazing.

 There are so many things I love about these cookies,

1. they are easy, using a spritz cookie press you can make a lot of cookies quickly, no rolling and cutting.
2. the glaze is so fun, and oh so pretty and can be made in a variety of colors
3. they taste amazing, a yummy butter cookie that is light and delicate and practically melt in your mouth

I topped the cookies with black nonpareils, but you could use poppy seeds if you prefer either way they’ll be great!

There really was no better time to make some pretty cookies if you ask me, these are poppies and since we’re in super bloom here in Southern California it seemed fitting.

Continue reading: Poppy Spritz Cookies

The post Poppy Spritz Cookies first appeared on Created by Diane.

I’m a HUGE lemon fan, I wasn’t always and have no idea what I was thinking except it wasn’t popular or offered as much to me when I was young.

I do love lemon now and find so many uses for lemon in cooking and baking.

More lemon recipes to try:

• Lemon Blueberry Bundt Cake
• Lemon Poppy Seed Cookies
• Triple Lemon Cake
• Lemon Shortbread with Lemon Curd

Continue reading: Glazed Lemon Cake Cookies

The post Glazed Lemon Cake Cookies first appeared on Created by Diane.