#thejoyofbaking

Recipe: https://www.joyofbaking.com/ButterCookies.html

- Unsalted Butter -              226 grams / 1 cup (Room temperature)

- Granulated white sugar - 135 grams / ²/₃ cup

- Large egg -                       1

- Vanilla extract -                 4 grams / 1 tsp      

- Lemon zest                       4 grams / 1tsp

- All purpose flour -             295 grams / 2 ¹/₄ cup 

- Salt -                                  1 gram / ¹/₄ tsp

1. Beat the butter until it is creamy and smooth. 

2. Add the sugar and beat it at medium high until it is smooth and with air. 

3. Beat in the egg, lemon zest and the vanilla extract until it’s all mixed in together. 

4. Whisk together the salt and flour and then add it to the butter mixture until it forms a dough. 

5. Gather the dough in a bowl, wrap it in plastic and chill it. 

6. Roll out the dough and cut the cookies, or have it in a log and cut them out. 

7. Preheat oven to 350ºF (180ºC) and place the cookies on a baking tray lines with parchment paper. 

8. Bake them until the edges of the cookies are brown (about 10 to 14 minutes). 

Recipe: https://www.joyofbaking.com/breakfast/BananaBread.html

*A little less sugar

- All purpose flour -             225 grams / 1³/₄ cup

- Granulated white sugar - 150 grams / ³/₄ cup 

- Baking powder -               4 grams / 1 tsp

- Baking soda -                   1 gram / ¹/₄ tsp

- Salt -                                 1 gram / ¹/₄ tsp

- Ground cinnamon -          4 grams / 1 tsp

- Nuts (pecan, walnuts) -    120 grams / 1 cup (Chopped)

- Mashed bananas* -           360ml / 1¹/₂ cups (3 large)

- Large eggs -                       2 (Room temperature)

- Vanilla extract -                 4 grams / 1 tsp

- Melted butter -                  113 grams / ¹/₂ cup (Unsalted)

*For baking very ripped bananas with brown spots are better. 

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF (180ºC) and prepare a loaf pan with some butter an parchment paper. 

2. In a large bowl mix the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon). 

3. Mix in the nuts.

4. In a large bowl mash the bananas with a fork so it stays thick and not liquid.

5. In another bowl whisk the eggs and add them to the bananas. 

6. Add the vanilla extract and the butter to the banana mix and whisk them together. 

*Pro tip: Let the butter cool down to room temperature before adding it to the mix. 

7. Pour the liquid mix into the dry ingredients and mix until all the dry ingredients are together, but not very liquid. 

8. Pour the mix into the loaf pan and level the top. 

9. Bake it for 60 to 70 minutes until it rises and a tooth pick comes out clean. 

10. Let it cool for 10 minutes and then take it out of the pan.  

Recipe: https://www.joyofbaking.com/RedVelvetCake.html

Red Velvet Cake:

 - Unsalted butter -                        113 grams / ¹/₂ cup (Room temperature)

- Granulated white sugar -             300 grams / 1¹/₂ cups

- Vanilla extract -                           4 grams / 1 tsp

- Large eggs -                               2 (Room temperature)

- Cake flour* -                               250 grams / 2 cups 2 tbsp

- Unsweetened cocoa powder -  15 grams / 2 tbsp 

- Salt -                                           2 grams / ¹/₂ tsp

- Buttermilk** -                              240 ml / 1 cup 

- Red food coloring -                    22 grams / 2 tbsp  

- Distilled white vinegar -              4 grams / 1 tsp

- Baking soda                               4 grams / 1 tsp 

*Low gluten flour 

** You can substitute buttermilk with 240ml of milk and 1tbsp of lemon juice (let sit at room temperature for 10 minutes)  

Cream Cheese Frosting: 

- Cream cheese -                         220 grams (Room temperature)

- Mascarpone -                            27 grams 

- Vanilla extract -                         4 grams / 1 tsp

- Confectioners sugar -              150 grams / 1 cup

- Heavy whipping cream*** -       300ml / 1 ¹/₄ cups (Cold)

***This means the cream has 35 to 40% butter content, so when it whips  it will get picks. 

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF / 180ºC and butter round cake pans (two 9 inch).  

2. Beat the butter until it’s smooth.

3. Add in the sugar and vanilla extract, mix in high medium speed until light and fluffy.

4. Add each egg, one a time, blending them completely.

5. Sift dry ingredients together (flour, cocoa powder, salt).

6. Mix the red food coloring with the buttermilk.  

7. Beat third of the dry ingredients with the butter and sugar mixture (at low speed) until it’s smooth, then add half of the buttermilk and mix (at low speed). Repeat the process adding another third of the dry ingredients and the rest of the buttermilk and finalising with the last of the dry ingredients. 

8. Mix the baking soda and the vinegar together, add that to the cake batter and beat it. 

9. Quickly after divide the batter between both cake pans (520 grams each) and flatten it with the back of a spoon.

10. Bake for approximately 25 minutes (check a little before and a little after with a toothpick inserted in the center of each cake).

11. When the cakes are ready, place them on a cooling rack for ten minutes before pulling them out of the pans. Then take them out of the pans carefully and butter the rack before placing them there again. 

*Pro tip: Do not frost your cake immediately after baking. Wrap it up and place it inside the refrigerator for at least a couple of hours so it is firmer when the frosting starts. 

12. Beat the cream cheese on medium speed until it’s smooth and then beat in the mascarpone. 

13. Mix in the vanilla extract and confectioners sugar at low speed and after mix at medium speed to get air inside and get fluffy frosting. 

14. Whip the heavy cream (first in low speed and then higher) until you get stiff picks, but not completely firm. 

15. In stages add the whipped cream to the frosting (mix in medium speed). 

16. Frost the cake with a lot of frosting.

*Pro tip: You can put a thin layer of frosting, then refrigerate for 10 to 15 minutes and then finish frosting.  

17. Refrigerate before serving so the frosting doesn’t softs up.

Decoration (Christmas trees):

Recipe: https://www.countryliving.com/food-drinks/recipes/a40484/pine-tree-cake-recipe/

- Green - Vibrant green - Blue - Turquoise candy melts - 75 grams - ¹/₂ cup 

- Bamboo skewers - 6 divided in half to have 12 total

- White sprinkles or pearls

1. Melt the candy melts in separate bowls in the microwave and then mix the colors to have different shades. 

2. Place each color in a different ziplock bag and open a 3mm hole on the corner of each bag. 

3. Place the bamboo skewers on parchment paper with enough distance one from the other so the trees wont stick together.

4. Drizzle the candy melts on each tree leaving enough of the skewer free to place on cake after. 

5. Decorate trees with sprinkles.