My Best Banana Layer Cake Recipe is So Delicious, Yet Simple to Make

You won't believe how easy and moist this banana cake is until you taste it yourself.

Anyone that bakes layer cakes from scratch knows that they can be more complicated to get the same beautiful results as a packaged box cake mix.  Trying to go for perfection is especially true when you don’t use cake flour for the recipe.  However, I believe where there is a will, there is a way like with this great recipe for my Best Banana Layer Cake that uses plain flour and oil instead of shortening or butter.

Those that happen to think as highly of the banana as I do definitely need to try this recipe because it is one of my best banana layer cakes.  To me, it is a winner all around for taste, the ease of preparation and staying moist–that is if your family doesn’t devour it the first day.

The Secret Behind This Light, Easy Banana Layer Cake

You may find it difficult to believe, but this cake is just as moist and light as it is easy to make without the need to cream butter or shortening with your sugar.  The reason for this is due to the extra lift of folding in stiffly beaten egg whites that you gently stir through.  Remember that you don’t want to beat.  Instead, you want to see bits of the white still intact as chunks in the batter.  

I stirred in some shredded coconut flakes in my butter cream icing instead of just sprinkling on top.

Something else that can matter for cake success is leveling off your baking powder and soda before adding it to your mixing bowl.  Use your measuring spoon and a knife to take off any extra because an excess of what you need will cause your cake problems.  

Another thing I want to mention is that you can use sour milk, buttermilk or make your sweet milk sour by adding one teaspoon of vinegar or lemon juice to it for this recipe.  Besides a perfect way to use any overly ripe bananas, this recipe is also just as handy for making this variety of cake over a chocolate cake when you have sour milk.   

Also, if you have a manual potato masher, this is wonderful for mashing the bananas over a fork.  

Top with your favorite butter cream icing and you have something delectable in a relatively short time to enjoy.  Shredded coconut flakes on top or added to the icing like I did are another option. 

The next time that you're in the mood to bake, I hope that you'll make this recipe because I promise you that you'll love it.  

Check my sidebar for some of my other banana cakes and pie recipes because I do love my bananas!


My Best Banana Layer Cake

2 large eggs, separated
1-1/3 cups of sugar
2-1/4 cups of flour
1 teaspoon of baking powder, leveled
1 teaspoon of baking soda, leveled
1 teaspoon of salt 
1/3 cup of corn oil or canola oil
1 cup of ripe, mashed bananas
2/3 cup of buttermilk or sour milk or sweet milk + 1 teaspoon of vinegar or lemon juice
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

Preheat your oven to 350-degrees.

Grease and flour two 8-inch layer cake pans.  You can also take two sheets of wax paper and cut the rounds to insert in the bottom of each pan.  This prevents sticking and makes for easier removal as well.

Separate the yolks in one mixing bowl and the whites in another.

Beat the whites with your electric mixer with the salt until it starts to get frothy.  

Slowly add 1/3 cup of the sugar to the beaten egg whites until it is incorporated into the stiffly beaten egg whites.

Mix together the oil, mashed bananas, half of the milk, and vanilla in another mixing bowl alternating with the rest of the sugar and sifted dry ingredients.  Add the remaining milk and yolks last before gently folding in the stiff egg white mixture.

Pour into your prepared layer cake pans and bake at 350-degrees for about 30-35 minutes, depending on how your oven is regulated.

Use a cake tester, toothpick or a slender knife to test if done.

Allow the cakes to cool in the pan for about five minutes or so before attempting to remove.

Frost with your favorite vanilla butter cream icing.

ENJOY! 

Recipe: My Lemon-Marshmallow Cream Pie in My Oil Pie Crust Is Easy and Yummy

The texture is slightly firmer than typical lemon meringue pie due to the marshmallows and coconut flakes.

I think that I love pie even more than cakes.  A part of the reason is how much easier they are to whip up than a layer cake, especially when you have a no-fail recipe for pastry such as my oil-pie crust.  When you have a trustworthy pastry crust that you count on to turn out, then all that is left to do is to make a delicious filling like the one that I have for you today. 

My Lemon-Marshmallow Cream Pie Offers Unique Texture and Chew 

My Lemon-Marshmallow Cream Pie will remind you of a creamy, lemon meringue pie only much better since it was tweaked to perfection.  What I did was reduce the sugar and added giant sized marshmallows and grated coconut flakes that improved the texture by firming the filling up somewhat over the typical cooked pudding consistency.  The shredded coconut that I only added to the filling also contributed a different element of both sweetness and chew that was extra delicious in this pie.  

Though as delectable as this pie may be, I like to top it with a meringue or even better, some mounds of whipped topping like Cool Whip, if you have this in the house at the time.  Unlike the typical lemon meringue, this particular filling is built to withhold all that fluffy, extra goodness.

I used six of these giant marshmallows for this lemon-marshmallow cream pie recipe. Don't you love the size?

I do have to warn you that a serving of this pie is more filling than the same size piece of lemon meringue pie.  You might want to make this pie on a day when you plan a light meal because it is richer when trying to eat the same portion.  

You can top with meringue like here or mounds of whipped topped like Cool Whip!

Why You Need to Try My Oil Pie Crust 

Seriously, if you never made pie crust or have problems with making one with shortening, then I really hope that you try my crust.  No joke, this is the only pie crust recipe that you will see from me on my blog because it is the best one that I ever encountered.  Don’t let the idea of a playing with what feels like a greasy, oil dough ball scare you off.  Otherwise, you will be missing one of the flakiest, easiest and a healthier corn oil or canola oil crust than one made with shortening or plain vegetable oil. 

Another advantage of using my oil pie crust recipe is that it will save you money.  The  pre-made crusts in the freezer section cost significantly more than the few ingredients of oil, salt, milk, and flour that go into this one.  They also have preservatives, less than healthy artery-clogging oil and are stuffed with other chemicals.  The only thing in their favor is your kitchen and hands don’t get messy.  Unless that is more important to you, then by all means buy your prepackaged pie crusts.  I refuse to eat them.

Furthermore, I use my oil pie crust recipe for everything that calls for a pasty crust from quiche, pot pie to a dessert.  This recipe never once disappointed me, my family or guests in all the times that I made it.  In fact, you might want to keep an index card on your refrigerator with a magnet like I do for all its varied uses. 

Eat a light meal before attempting to eat pieces of this size or serve them smaller.

My Lemon-Marshmallow Cream Pie

10-inch pre-baked pie crust (my oil pie crust)
1-1/4 cups of sugar + 2 tablespoons of sugar
½ cups of cornstarch
6 extra large, cut marshmallows about (12 regular size)
2 cups of cold water
4 egg yolks
2/3 cups of lemon juice
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1/3 cup of grated coconut flakes

Meringue Topping:

4 egg whites for meringue
1/4 teaspoon of salt (for meringue)
4 tablespoons of sugar (for meringue)
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

To Prepare the Filling:

Take out your eggs and leave at room temperature before attempting to separate them for yolks and whites.  

Here’s a trick that I do when I want to speed the process along.  Run some warm water over the eggs first will help before cracking so the yolks separate more easily.

In the pot that I plan to cook the filling, I add the yolks, cornstarch, water, lemon juice and the sugar.  Mix this on medium heat.

Cook the filling mixture until it starts to thicken, stir occasionally to keep it from burning. 

Once it starts bubbling, add the cut marshmallows and melt mostly through.  

Take off the heat, then stir in the vanilla and coconut flakes.

To Make the Meringue:

In another mixing bowl, add the whites with the 1/4 teaspoon of salt and beat with your electric mixer until it becomes frothy.  

Slowly, add a little of sugar at a time to the whites while you continue beating until stiff peaks form and all the tablespoons of sugar are incorporated into the meringue.  

Add the vanilla last.

Pour into your prebaked pie crust.

Top with the meringue and bake in a 350-degree oven for about 12-15 minutes or so, depending on how your oven is regulated.  You want the meringue to slightly brown.  Therefore, keep an eye on it because you don’t want it to get too dark.  

Cool thoroughly before serving.

ENJOY!

My Cake Like Oatmeal Drop Cookies Recipe Will Spoil You

These puffy delights of oatmeal and coconut are soft, but chewy.

Yesterday, I needed something to punch so I turned to bread making and took my anger out onto a poor wad of dough.  Trust me, vigorously kneading and beating bread is very therapeutic when you need some kind of release for negative emotions.  The dough didn’t feel a thing, but I as you surely might guess did feel better by the time I shaped those breads into their loaf pans.

You can make them as big or as small as you like, but give them space to grow.  

On second thought, a punching bag is not a bad idea if you have the room for it in your home for working out stress.  In fact, I think I would like to have one that you could use for kick boxing for an extra workout.   Think of all the calories that you burn and muscles that you use attacking that bouncing bag as you strike those blows and kicks to its synthetic middle as it hangs at your mercy from the ceiling.  Since I would never have the space for such a thing or one of those big vinyl bags that the kids play with, I will stick getting physical with dough instead.

Though as delicious as my Oatmeal Bread turned to be, I missed baking a weekend treat.  Therefore, I decided to make this recipe because I needed my weekly sweet.  After carefully going through my assortment of recipe boxes, I finally narrowed my choice to my Cake Like Oatmeal Drop Cookie.

These cookies have a tender, cake-like texture.

As you may have gathered by now, I also hate complicated recipes that are more trouble than they are worth.  What I’m sharing here is easy and will not require long creaming any hard butter or shortening with your sugar.  I saved you a step by using oil, which is also healthier, especially if you use the corn oil.   It also simplifies steps for easier incorporating of the ingredients into this recipe.  

My Cake Like Oatmeal Drop Cookies are puffy nuggets with just enough shredded coconut to make them addictive once you start eating.  They are soft, but chewy and will go great with coffee or a glass of milk.

I hope the next time that you decide to bake some cookies that you’ll want to these oatmeal cookies because they are really good.  If you also love oatmeal cookies, you can find more of my recipes such as Chewy Oatmeal Delights, my convenient oatmeal cookie mix, my favorite oatmeal coconut cookies, which is rammed with lots more coconut, to my oatmeal banana cookies to my spicy oatmeal drop cookies.


My Cake Like Oatmeal Drop Cookies


5-1/2 cups of sifted flour
1 cup of sugar
1 cup of firmly packed brown sugar (light or dark)
1 cup of corn oil
2 cups of oatmeal (quick or old-fashioned)
1 teaspoon of salt
2 teaspoons of baking powder, leveled
3 large eggs
1 cup of milk
1 teaspoon of baking soda, leveled
1 tablespoon of vanilla extract
2/3 cups of grated coconut
1 teaspoon of lemon juice or white vinegar



Mix the oil with the sugars and eggs until creamy.  

Dissolve the soda the milk that you added the vinegar or lemon too.

Sift the rest of the dry ingredients and slowly alternate with the milk mixture and vanilla into your mixing bowl that has the sugars and eggs.  Beat with your electric mixer or a whisk until the ingredients are well combined.

Drop by tablespoons onto greased cookie sheets. 

Bake in a 350-degree oven for about 10-12 minutes, depending on how your oven is regulated.  Test with a toothpick, slender knife or a cake tester to see if anything sticks.

ENJOY!

Make My Favorite Oatmeal Bread Recipe, a Tasty and Great Way to Relieve Stress

Baking my Oatmeal Bread is easy, tasty and a method to relieve stress.

I always make my own yeast breads.  Besides how much better homemade bread tastes over spongy, packaged commercial bread, I found bread-making is a great stress reliever when you’re infuriated over something.  

The Advantages of Baking Homemade Bread Than Buying

Pliable dough makes a wonderful punching bag to redirect pent-up anger and channel it for good because the longer the bread is worked, the better the bread.  Therefore, I highly recommend picking up a bag of yeast, which is cheaper than the little packets and flour to keep on hand when life doesn’t go according to plan despite your best efforts.

Another reason that I love homemade bread is because I can’t see paying some of the high prices I see for what I can make basically for pennies.  Making your own yeast bread is also more filling than the spongy variety that feels like you are eating more air than a bread slice.  

Most important, homemade bread is much better and simply delicious than some pathetic loaf left stuffed, over browned or underdone.  The taste will spoil you once you bake your own.

Taking your frustrations out on your dough turns out better bread!

Why I Prefer to Avoid Buying Bread

Of course, you can buy the loaves from the bakery end.   The bakery loaves are even higher than the spongy loaves, but the real problem is selling bread in opened bags.  When you see the breads exposed from within a paper bag think how many hands may have touched it.  Then again, imagine a typical store where customers and employees can randomly cough or sneeze in the vicinity of that bread where all those airborne germs can find their way to contaminate what you may want to consider putting into your mouth. 

If that thought is not sickening to your stomach enough, then think about the warm weather that will hopefully be here soon.  Flies do seem to often find their way inside grocery stores during the summer and where they might land is anyone’s guess.  However, I must say that an unsealed bag of fresh bread is a waiting invitation to flies and other disgusting insects. 

The recipe that I have for you today is really different.  Imagine the taste of a whole wheat bread with a slightly sweet nutty flavor is the best way to describe this bread.  My Favorite Oatmeal Bread is a wonderful source of fiber with added protein to plain white bread.  Due to the oatmeal it also brings to this recipe manganese, molybdemum, phosphorus, copper, biotin, Vitamin B1, magnesium, chromium, zinc and protein, which is good for health.  When you make your own bread, you know exactly what you are eating instead of a giant list of chemical preservatives and other questionable ingredients.

Baking Yeast Bread Is Easy 

Making this recipe is easier than you may think.  Basically, you’re going to boil some water first to pour over your oatmeal to make it a bit mushy.  At the same time, you’re going to give your yeast a head start in some hotter than warm water with some sugar for it to feed on.  Introducing the sugar this way tempts that yeast to grow faster and helps it bubble, signaling it’s proofed faster.  Once that’s accomplished, the rest of this recipe is just combining, mixing, punching and shaping.  

My recipe is exceptionally delicious to make peanut butter sandwiches.  I don’t why but I am on a peanut butter kick lately.

I hope that you won’t need to bake my recipe because you also need something to take your anger out on, but just to enjoy the taste of my bread.


My Favorite Oatmeal Bread

2 cups of boiling water
1 cup of oatmeal (any variety)
1 tablespoon of dry yeast (1 package)
1/4 cup of hotter than warm water (test on your inner wrist like you would for a baby’s formula)
1 tablespoon of flour
1 teaspoon of sugar
1 teaspoon of salt
2 tablespoons of corn or canola oil
1/4 cup of sugar
5-6 cups of sifted white flour


Dissolve the yeast in the warm water with the one teaspoon of sugar and the one tablespoon of flour.  Mix and set aside until the mixture starts to bubble.

In the meantime, pour the boiling water over the oatmeal.  Stir it and allow it to cool to lukewarm before adding the salt, the proofed yeast mixture, oil, and sugar.  Mix with your wooden spoon to combine the ingredients in your mixing bowl.

Stir in the flour gradually, mixing until you get a dough that is ready to be handled.  If it is too sticky, add slightly a bit more flour.  Your goal is soft, but pliable dough.  Too stiff dough will not turn out a good loaf.

Once you get that nice tender dough, you flour your surface and knead it there or in a large mixing bowl.  I knead mine in a giant mixing bowl to save cleaning steps because I have to wash that anyway.

When you finish taking your frustration out on that poor dough ball, then stick the dough in a greased bowl, cover with a dish towel and place in a warm spot until double in bulk.  This should take about an hour.

After the dough doubles in size, punch it again.  Cover again and let it continue to grow in the warm place for about another hour.

Grease two loaves or three small loaf pans. 

Divide the dough and shape to fit those pans.

Bake in a 350-degree oven for about 30 minutes, depending on how your oven is regulated. 

ENJOY!

You Got to Try My Best Ever Banana Bread Recipe

This banana bread recipe is more cake like than bread like.

I buy a lot of bananas because we really love them at my house. Did you know that if you buy a few bunches at a time that cashiers tend to ask if you have a monkey?  I always get a chuckle out of that but I just have a wild gang that does need their banana fix.

Bananas are delicious and transport well in their own case for when packing lunches.  They also happen to be full of nutrients mainly lots of B6 and B12, magnesium and potassium with some added fiber.  It also makes a great low calorie snack at around 105 calories for when you need something sweet.  

Today, I want to share another one of my top favorite banana bread recipes.  You get four small breads that are moist and not as dense as some typical banana breads.  Instead, my recipe is more cake like, but on the order of a pound cake with a finer crumb texture. 

My Best Ever Banana Bread

½ cups of corn oil
2-1/2 cups of sugar
3 large eggs
3 ripe bananas, mashed 
3 cups of sifted flour
1 teaspoon of baking soda, leveled
1 cup of milk
1 teaspoon of white vinegar or lemon juice
½ teaspoons of salt
2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
2 teaspoons of baking powder, leveled


Beat your oil with the sugar before mixing in the eggs and vanilla, one at a time in your mixing bowl.  

Add the mashed bananas to the mixing bowl and incorporate with your electric mixer.

Mix the white vinegar in with the milk along with the baking soda to dissolve.

Sift together the flour, salt and baking power.

Alternate the milk mixture and dry mixture into your mixing bowl with the creamed ingredients until everything is well combined.

Pour into four well-greased smaller loaf pans.

Bake in a 350-degree oven for about 50 minutes, depending on how your oven is regulated.

Test with a cake tester, slender knife or toothpick to see if anything sticks.

ENJOY!

Recipe: My Special Sugar Cookies Are Always a Holiday Hit

One taste will convince you that these are special sugar cookies that stand out from the norm.

Just in case that you’re still baking holiday cookies, I wanted to share another favorite of mine.  My Special Sugar Cookies recipe is a buttery delight that is rolled and cut into shapes and finished with a light sprinkling of colored sugar, sprinkles or jimmies (whichever term that you prefer) to decorate. 

Depending on how thick you roll out the dough, you can change the texture of the cookie.  The thinner the dough, the crisper the cookie that you’ll make. Thicker dough will produce a softer texture of this cookie.

Feel free to recruit your little helpers when you make these cookies.  Kids love picking out the cookie cutter shapes and assisting with decorating these, probably as much as they enjoy eating them!

My Special Sugar Cookies

This recipe makes a lot more than what's shown.

1-1/2 cups of sugar
1 cup of butter, softened
1/4 cup of milk
1 large egg
1-1/2 teaspoons of vanilla                
3 cups of flour
1 teaspoon of baking powder, leveled                 
1/4 teaspoon of salt
colored sugar, sprinkles or jimmies


Use your electric mixer to cream the softened butter with the sugar thoroughly until light and fluffy.

Beat in the egg and vanilla.

Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt in another mixing bowl.

Now slowly stir in some of the milk and alternate with the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture.  Keep adding until you combine all the dry ingredients.

What I do is to divide the dough into three balls.  The waiting dough goes under my mixing bowl while I roll out the first ball on a floured surface.

Usually, the thickness I go with is about 3/8-inch.  Add more flour to your table or surface if the dough gives you problems and sticks when you use your rolling pin.  

Shape with favorite cookie cutters, glass or even a clean lid from 40-oz. peanut jar works.  All you have to do is improvise to make use of what you have.

Place your shaped cookies on well-greased cookie sheets before decorating with your colored sugar, sprinkles or jimmies before placing in a 350-degree oven for about 12-15 minutes, depending on how your oven is regulated and the thickness of your cookies.  (Thinner cookies need less time, probably about 7 minutes).  

Be sure to check the edges because you don’t want them to brown.  Make sure to see just a slight golden brown starting to color them from the bottom.  Test with a toothpick to see if anything sticks.

These cookies will be soft when you initially remove them from the oven.  Give them about a minute or two to set in the pan before attempting to remove them.

ENJOY!

Recipe: Do Try My Chewy Brown-Sugar Oatmeal Bars

This recipe is easy, delicious and no-fail!

I have been baking up a storm adding to my Christmas cookie reserve.  This morning I just whipped up a batch of delicious bar cookies that I wanted to share with you.  My Chewy Brown-Sugar Oatmeal Bars has a minimum of ingredients and only cinnamon and vanilla, but has somewhat of a nutty taste that is delectable.  

What else I love about this recipe is how easy it is to make.  Basically, it is just assembling and mixing the ingredients.  The hardest part is waiting for the butter to soften enough at room temperature for creaming.

I hope that you will give my recipe a try because it is a great one to have on hand through the holidays.


My Chewy Brown-Sugar Oatmeal Bars


1 cup flour
3/4 teaspoon of baking soda, leveled
½ teaspoons of salt
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
3/4 cup of butter
1-1/3 cups of brown sugar, firmly packed (light or dark)
2 large eggs
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups of uncooked, old-fashioned oats

Cream the softened butter and sugar with your electric mixer thoroughly.  

Add the vanilla and then the eggs to your mixing bowl and beat until smooth.

Now sift the flour, leveled baking soda, and salt together in another mixing bowl.  Add a little at a time to your creamed mixture and beat in.

Next, introduce the oats and cinnamon to the mixture.  Stir in a little at a time.  You can beat this with your mixer or just incorporate with a large wooden spoon.

Pour the thick batter into a well-greased 9 x 13 x 2-inch baking pan.

Bake in a 350-degree oven for about 15 to 20 minutes, depending on how your oven is regulated.  

Test with a toothpick to see if anything sticks.

Give the bars a few minutes to cool in the pan before scoring and cutting into bars.

ENJOY!

Recipe: Try My Three-Step Orange Bars With Candy-Like Icing When Making Your Holiday Cookies This Year

These orange bars are a cross between a pastry and candy.

Today, I have a really delicious bar cookie that you might want to try when doing your holiday baking.  My Three-Step Orange Bars recipe is relatively easy that involves just three steps.  This has a buttery pastry-like bottom crust.  The middle is a custard-like filling with walnuts, finely grated orange zest and shredded coconut flakes before finally being topped with a candy-like, orange confectioner’s sugar icing.  The icing is not your typical creamy butter cream, but a thicker one that hardens to give the bar more of a candy-like quality. 

I hope that you’ll be tempted to try my recipe because it is a very good one that always disappears quickly when guests arrive.  

These bars are delectable, but they also are sinfully rich.

My Three-Step Orange Bars

½ cup of butter, softened
1-1/3 cups of sifted flour
3 tablespoons of sugar
3 large eggs
1 cup of brown sugar, packed (light or dark)
3/4 cup of chopped walnuts
3/4 cup of shredded coconut flakes
1 tablespoon of grated orange zest

Candy-Like Icing:

2-1/2 cups of confectioners’ sugar
1/4 cup of orange juice
1 teaspoon orange extract or 1 tablespoon of grated orange zest

Preheat your oven to 350-degrees. 

Mix the butter and flour with the 3 tablespoons of sugar into coarse crumbs as you would do for pastry dough.  

After you get that consistency, press into a 13 x 9 x 2-inches baking pan that is well-greased.

Bake this first layer of crust for about 15 minutes before removing from the oven.  Don’t turn it off because you’ll be returning it shortly to bake again once you prepare the custard filling.

To your mixing bowl, beat the eggs until frothy before slowly mixing in the brown sugar.  Continue beating and then incorporate the chopped walnuts and coconut flakes into the mixture.

Pour this custard filling over the baked crust and then return to the oven to continue baking for an additional 25 to 30 minutes, depending on how your oven is regulated.

Use a toothpick, cake tester or slender knife to check if anything sticks for determining if it is finished.

Cool completely before frosting with the icing.  The icing is a thicker one, more candy-like than creamy for these bars that does harden.  

ENJOY!

Recipe: My Special Filled Yellow Layer Cake Is Wonderful to Serve Holiday Guests

Here is my delicious filled yellow cake made from plain, all-purpose flour.

Besides pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving, I also made a layer cake since some of my guests don’t care for pumpkin.  This is another delicious yellow cake that uses all-purpose flour, but is fine-textured and stays quite moist with a pound cake like taste.  Inside, I added a cooked cream vanilla filling before frosting with a vanilla butter cream icing, sprinkled with shredded coconut flakes.

My recipe may seem more work than usual, but I assure you that it is well worth it.  The cake is easy.  It involves just your basic creaming of butter and sugar before alternating with your dry ingredients and milk.  

This cake has a tendency to disappear quickly.

What takes up more time is making the filling besides the icing.  However, you can always cheat by buying a ready-made icing to shorten this process, if you prefer to do so.  I just always like to make my own since it is more economical and I know the exact ingredients that we’re eating.

I used shredded coconut flakes in my icing.  What else is delicious adding some chopped nuts as well.  

I hope that when you’re in the mood to bake that you’ll give my recipe a try because it does go over very well.  

My Special Filled Yellow Layer Cake

3 cups of flour
2 cups of sugar
1 tablespoon of baking powder, leveled
1-1/2 cups of milk
½ cups or one stick of butter, softened 
2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
2 large eggs

Vanilla Custard Filling:

1/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons and 1 teaspoon of cornstarch 
1-1/2 cups of milk
2 egg yolks
1 tablespoon of vanilla extract


To Prepare the Cake:

Cream the softened butter that you left out for a while at room temperature with the sugar until light and fluffy.  Beat in the eggs, one at a time to incorporate.

Add the sifted dry ingredients next, beating in a little while alternating with the milk and vanilla until all the ingredients are combined.

Grease and line with wax paper two 9-inch cake pans before pouring the batter into both of them.

Bake in a 350-degree oven for about 25 to 30 minutes, depending on how your oven is regulated or until a cake tester or toothpick comes out clean.

Allow to cool in the pan for about 10 minutes before attempting to remove.


To Prepare the Filling:


Separate the eggs and put the yolks in your pot.  If just take the eggs out of the refrigerator and attempt to separate, this is a bad idea.  To speed up the process, I run them under some warm water first or leave out at room temperature.  

Now mix your cornstarch with the cold milk to make a creamy mixture.  

Add this milk mixture and sugar to the waiting yolks and begin cooking on medium heat until it bubbles and thickens.  Make sure to stir occasionally so it doesn’t burn.

Take off of the heat and add the vanilla.

Allow this cool before filling and icing with your favorite butter cream icing.  

ENJOY!

Recipe: My Chocolate-Chip and Oat Button Cookies Guarantee Smiles All Around

These cookies keep well.

This recipe that I’m about to share with you is really a great one to add to your recipe box because it’s a delicious and foolproof. My Chocolate-Chip and Oat Button Cookies are soft, chewy puffs of cookies with plenty of oat goodness and slightly less sugar that is better balanced through chocolate chips.  

This is also another easy recipe that just requires a minimum of effort since I hate spending too much time in the kitchen when it is not necessary.  In fact, I simplified my cookie even further by using a small melon scoop to drop the cookie batter onto the cookie sheet instead of using a spoon.  The secret for using a scoop is to keep a cup of water handy to dip it in after a fresh drop of batter.