it seems like my husband and i are in what could now be considered a lifelong battle. 

an epic battle of function vs style. 

when i first met wesley, he didn't know style from a hole in the wall. literally. if we for some reason put a hole in the wall i'm sure he would have tried to convince me it looked fine and added some functionality to the living situation.

these days wes is usually bettered dressed than i am and feels almost a little too comfortable with interior design. but the function vs style battle wages on. most commonly in our kitchen. 

the new practice when i arrive home is to quickly survey the scene to see what if anything wes has decided to move. the next decision then comes down to two scenarios… 

1. is this something i can live with?

2. how can i rearrange this so he doesn't really notice?

usually, i opt for option two and the dangerous dance commences. i move it. he moves it. i move three things. he moves four. and after about seven battle rounds, enough blood has been spilled and we agree on some compromise and move on to the next area lacking functionality/style. 

but, of course there are some things we don't need to argue about. this cake base is a tried true favorite i have been serving up for years and never disappoints. it's light and fluffy and can easily be tweaked to match the flavors you are feeling with just an adjustment or two. plus the sprinkles make it freaking adorable.

sprinkle cakes
serving size: 18 cupcakes
prep time: 10 min
bake time: 15-20 min
total time with frosting: 1.5hrs

2 cups flour. 2 tsp baking powder. .5 tsp salt. .5 cup shortening. 2 eggs. 1.5 cups sugar. .75 cups buttermilk. .5 cups whole milk .5 tsp vanilla extract. .5tsp almond extract. 1 cup confetti sprinkles.

preheat your oven to 350 f. with a mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the sugar and shortening.

with the mixer on a medium speed, add in the eggs until just combined. 

still on medium, pour in the milk and buttermilk and mix till smooth. pour in both extracts. 

with the mixer on a slow speed add in the dry ingredients until just combined. 

mix in the sprinkles with a spatula and spoon the mixture into a large ziplock or piping bag.

into prepared cupcake pans, add 2-3 tbs batter to each pan. 

bake until a toothpick comes out of the cake clean. about 15 to 20 minutes

allow to cool completely, frost and serve. 

xoxo
a

sprinkle cakes.
serving size: 18 cupcakes
prep time: 10 min
bake time: 15-20 min
total time with frosting: 1.5hrs

2 cups flour. 2 tsp baking powder. .5 tsp salt. .5 cup shortening. 2 eggs. 1.5 cups sugar. .75 cups buttermilk. .5 cups whole milk .5 tsp vanilla extract. .5tsp almond extract. 1 cup confetti sprinkles.

preheat your oven to 350 f. with a mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the sugar and shortening.
with the mixer on a medium speed, add in the eggs until just combined.
still on medium, pour in the milk and buttermilk and mix till smooth. pour in both extracts.
with the mixer on a slow speed add in the dry ingredients until just combined.
mix in the sprinkles with a spatula and spoon the mixture into a large ziplock or piping bag.
into prepared cupcake pans, add 2-3 tbs batter to each pan.
bake until a toothpick comes out of the cake clean. about 15 to 20 minutes
allow to cool completely.
frost with your favorite frosting and serve.

at this stage in my life... scratch that... at pretty much every stage of my life, i am not above getting free stuff. in fact, i love free stuff. so when a family friend was offering up homegrown lemons i said gimme. gimme like... a lot. thinking that each lemon would only yield a couple tbs of juice, i greedily grabbed up about a dozen perfectly ripe meyer lemons. 

except, these are super lemons. they are literally the juiciest lemons i have ever had the pleasure of squeezing. 

one of the beauties of social media is that i can get instant feedback on what to do with an ingredient. i'm all about giving the people what they want. so get ready for lemon bars. and lemon tarts. and lemon chicken. and lemon cocktails. and candied lemon. and lemon scones. yeah. you got the picture. get ready for lemon. 

lemon bars
serving size: 12 squares
prep time: 30 min + overnight
bake time: 45 min
total time: 1 h 15 min + overnight
shortbread crust. 10 tbs unsalted butter. .5 cups powdered sugar. 1 large egg yolk. 1.5 cups of all-purpose flour. .5 tsp baking powder. .5 tsp kosher salt.

lemon filling. 1 large lemon, peel removed, thinly sliced. 2 tbs lemon fresh lemon juice. .75 cups granulated sugar. 2 tbs all-purpose flour. 2 tbs unsalted butter, melted. 2 large eggs. powdered sugar to dust.

combine the granulated sugar, lemon slices and lemon juice in bowl, cover and refrigerate overnight. 

start by preheating your oven to 350 f. 

using a mixer, combine the butter, sugar and egg to start the crust. when completely combined, mix in the flour, baking powder and salt until just combined. knead gently just till you form a ball. gently press the dough into a lightly buttered 9 inch square or rectangular baking dish. refrigerate for 10 minutes. 

while the dough chills, whisk together the lemon and sugar mixture with the remaining flour, melted butter and eggs.

when completely combined, pour the filling into the pan and bake until edges are golden brown. about 45 min. 

cool. slice. sprinkle with powdered sugar. serve.

xoxo
a

lemon squares
serving size: 12 squares
prep time: 30 min + overnight
bake time: 45 min
total time: 1 h 15 min + overnight
ingredients:
shortbread crust. 10 tbs unsalted butter. .5 cups powdered sugar. 1 large egg yolk. 1.5 cups of all-purpose flour. .5 tsp baking powder. .5 tsp kosher salt.
lemon filling. 1 large lemon, peel removed, thinly sliced. 2 tbs lemon fresh lemon juice. .75 cups granulated sugar. 2 tbs all-purpose flour. 2 tbs unsalted butter, melted. 2 large eggs. powdered sugar to dust.
combine the granulated sugar, lemon slices and lemon juice in bowl, cover and refrigerate overnight.
start by preheating your oven to 350 f.
using a mixer, combine the butter, sugar and egg to start the crust. when completely combined, mix in the flour, baking powder and salt until just combined. knead gently just till you form a ball. gently press the dough into a lightly buttered 9 inch square or rectangular baking dish. refrigerate for 10 minutes.
while the dough chills, whisk together the lemon and sugar mixture with the remaining flour, melted butter and eggs.
when completely combined, pour the filling into the pan and bake until edges are golden brown. about 45 min.
cool. slice. sprinkle with powdered sugar. serve.