When you let that control go, beautiful things happen. My children have blossomed with the responsibility. Their confidence has grown and the idea that they can accomplish most things on their own is starting to grow roots.

An “I can do it” attitude is what happens when you let children take the reigns in the kitchen. Here is Audrey’s first recipe she’s made on her own; Clafouti. Other than putting it in the oven, she did it all – from reading the recipe to turning on the oven.

In case you didn’t know, Clafouti is a thick pancake-like dessert that usually has cherries in it. We substituted green apples and pears for the cherries to make the perfect fall Clafouti.

Apple & Pear Clafouti

I did it! I let her make it all by herself and it was more of a struggle for me than her. I had to hold myself back from jumping in several times.

Why do mothers want to do that? Is it because we’re impatient or worried it won’t turn out right?

Is it because we don’t want to see our children fail or be disappointed? It’s probably a little bit of all of those things.

She struggled a little bit with whisking it. It needed a LOT of whisking, but I stayed out of it and she worked it out.

Yes, there was a little flour on the floor and some extra vanilla in the recipe, but it was so fun to watch. I was very proud.

Apple and Pear Clafouti

 

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Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

40 mins

Total time

55 mins

 

Apple and Pear Clafouti is a light french cake that tastes like a thick crape.

Author: True Aim

Recipe type: Dessert, Breakfast

Cuisine: French

Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

• 1 green apple
• 1 red pear
• 3 tablespoons butter melted
• 3 large eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• ¼ cup honey or sugar
• ½ cup half & half or light cream
• ⅓ cup flour or ground almonds
• Confectioners sugar
• Whipped cream for serving

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 and prepare an ovenproof dish with cooking spray.
2. Wash the fruit and cut it into ½ inch slices leaving the skin on.
3. Whisk the butter, eggs, vanilla, honey, half & half together. Then add the flour and whisk until well combined.
4. Pour the batter into your prepared pan and add the slices of fruit gently to the top.
5. Cook for 40-45 minutes or until it is firm in the center. Let it cool slightly and serve with confectioners sugar and whipped cream.

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I think it tastes best served warm with a little whipped cream. Bon appetit!

The post Cooking with Kids: Apple Clafouti first appeared on True Aim.

Don’t you hate it when you have to scrape all the frosting off your cake to make it edible?  I do.  That’s why I searched for the perfect frosting recipe.  This one takes the cake!  You could even use it for a pie or add a little lemon for a sweet-tart fruit dip.  Try it with my Snickers Candy Bar Stuffed Chocolate Cupcakes!

How to Make Whipped Cream Frosting

Ingredients:

4oz Cream Cheese or Neufchâtel Cheese (less fat) at room temp

1/4 Cup White Granulated Sugar

1 Teas Vanilla Extract

3/4 Cup + 1 Tbls Heavy Whipping Cream

Directions:

Whip the Cream Cheese and Sugar together with a hand or stand mixer until well combined.  Add the vanilla extract and whip for a few seconds.  Slowly add the cream and beat until stiff peaks form.  Taste the frosting and add a little more cream if needed.

I don’t like a lot of frosting on my cake, but you can easily double this recipe if you like lots or are making a double layer cake.  You can use this recipe to compliment all kinds of cakes by adding food coloring and other flavors of extract.  This frosting holds together for hours at room tempature and even in the refrigerator for a few days.

Decorating Your Cake:

For a quick and easy way to decorate a cake or cupcakes with this perfect frosting, just make your own pastry bag!  Kids love using these bags to decorate their cupcakes.  Here’s how to make one:

Step 1: Cut a very small piece off the corner of a plastic bag and push a pastry tip in the hole.  The bag will stretch, so make the hole smaller than you think it should be.  The pastry tip doesn’t have to be pushed all the way through because it will get pushed down as you squeeze the frosting out.

I used a freezer bag because they are thicker and don’t stretch as much as a sandwich bag.  Also, you don’t have to use a pastry tip.  Just cut and an “X” shape in the corner of the bag for a simple decorative look.

Step 2: Place the pastry tip end of the bag in a cup and wrap the edges of the bag around it so you can fill it easily.  Don’t fill it too full or the frosting will get warm from your hands.

Step 3: Do not close the bag!  Slowly squeeze from the top of the bag to the bottom and decorate to your hearts content!

 What’s your favorite frosting recipe?

For more easy kid-friendly recipes, like me on Facebook or follow me on Pinterest.

The post The Perfect Whipped Cream Frosting first appeared on True Aim.