We are on day 6 of our social distancing (we are fine!) campaign because of COVID-19 and lucky for us it’s not hugely different for our family, because I am a stay-at-home-mom and Daniel already works from home, but we are hunkering down for 2 weeks (hopefully not longer!) to help stop the spread of the virus here in the US.
My mom told me a couple months ago that I didn’t need to feel the pressure to go out with Oliver so much, but I replied that its actually easier to manage a toddler’s behavior when you aren’t cooped up indoors all day #amiright!? I LOVE going out with Oliver! During the winter we go to the library, coffee shops, toddler gymnastics, the grocery store, baseball fields, the playground, tennis courts, friend’s houses and the gym.
BUT, here we are being strongly encouraged to stay at home and I am all for helping our community and world, so we are staying home (still getting outdoors) and the days have somehow gone from 24 hours to 76 hahaha. No, I’m kidding, its actually been wonderful but realistically, I’m not sure I’m going to be saying that on day 12. Thank goodness we are on the brink of spring and we have a lovely back yard. I’m also grateful that Daniel still has a job and we have been able to stock up on some food (though TP is going to become an issue if it goes over 2 weeks!!!) and I know that’s not the case for everyone and I’m so sorry!
Our church sent out an e-mail to tell us how we can help in our cities, and it’s so easy to donate some money to the Food Banks to help buy meals for children who were on free lunches at school, but now need support while schools are closed. They also provide meals for seniors, people in quarantine and employees who are in need because of reduced work hours. Click HERE for find out more on the Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina website and to donate if you wish. I know its such a small way to help, but every meal counts!
One of the activities I do love doing with Oliver at home is baking! We make SUCH a mess. We always get flour on the counter, on our pants and shirts but we always get a taste of the batter and that’s the best part in my opinion, despite the dishes to clean.
My mom has had this cake recipe for ages but I always chose our decadent chocolate cake (also called ‘crazy whacky cake’) and asked her to make that one for my birthdays. Now that I’ve had years and years of chocolate I prefer this vanilla cake with the lemon icing. The lemon icing is the best!
I have made this vegan with substituting the eggs for the Ener-G egg replacer. I always use vegan butter for the icing and it’s great! You will love this recipe and I’ve made it with Oliver (he gave up once it was in the oven so I did the icing by myself) so if you are looking for an activity this week, this is perfect!
I use a ‘kitchen helper’ stool but if you have a low table, you can do it on that and they can stand. Have fun and let me know how it goes!
Vanilla Cake with Lemon Icing
Course: Dessert
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Ingredients
For the cake
⅔ cup butter softened (I used Earth Balance vegan butter)
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1½ cups milk
2½ cups all-purpose flour sifted
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
Lemon Icing
4 cups powdered sugar sifted
⅔ cup butter I used Earth Balance vegan butter
1 tsp grated lemon peel lemon zest
3 TBSP lemon juice
Instructions
For the cake
Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Lightly oil one 9×13 cake pan or two round 9 inch pans. Set aside.
Add the butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla to a big mixing bowl. Beat with an electric beater until thoroughly combined. Add milk and mix to combine.
Add the rest of the ingredients to the bowl and beat for 30 seconds on low. Beat for another minute on high.
Pour the batter into the pan or pans of your choice and bake for 25-35 minutes or until a knife comes out clean from the center of the cake. Let cool before icing.
For the icing
Soften the butter and add all ingredients into a small bowl.
Add 1 tsp water or almond milk if the icing seems too firm. Spread all over the cake once it has cooled. Also delicious with cream cheese but only add a TBSP to the icing if you are going to eat the cake right away wither wise it might curdle. Cake can be frozen to enjoy later, enjoy!
Come follow me, Ever Deane on Pinterest for more amazing recipes, or on Instagram where you can save my recipes to your collection for easy cooking! Tag me @ever.deane so I can see your wonderful creations!
I wonder how everyone else is doing around the world. How are YOU doing if you have gotten this far in the post?
I hope you don’t mind me sharing recipes during this chaos but I’m sure there are others out there that also might want to eat their feelings away, oops! But really, I hope you keep well everyone.
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