Creamsicle Cake for the troops

Now that I am not working, I am able to do some volunteer things that I did not have time or make time for previously. One such occasion was simply to bake a cake and hang out with some Airmen. My husband's squadron will have "crew feeds" from time to time. These are often organized by the spouses. The most recent one included a contest for best dish and was called Crocks for Crews. Everyone could sign up to bring a crockpot meal or a dessert. I chose dessert since I am not confident enough in my cooking ability to force other people to eat my savory dishes. I thought and thought about what dessert to make. There are soooo many great options! I had recently ordered some essential oils including a tangerine essential oil. I thought it would be fun to make something with it. So I decided on a creamsicle cake. It turned out to be delicious! I'm going to have to make it again sometime soon.

The cake is just a basic vanilla cake, made from scratch using a recipe from the blog I Am Baker. Of course I found it on Pinterest. This recipe is neat because you can mix the dry ingredients together ahead of time and store in a mason jar or another container. Then when you are ready for some cake, you just add a few extra ingredients and bake.

The frosting is my favorite Betty Crocker vanilla buttercream with a few drops of tangerine essential oil.

Creamsicle Cake

Ingredients for cake
2 1/4 cups flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 1/2 t baking powder
1 t salt
1 1/4 cups milk
2 T vegetable oil
1 stick butter, softened
1 T vanilla
3 large eggs

Ingredients for frosting
3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup butter, softened
3 drops of tangerine essential oil (orange essential oil would also work)
1 1/2 t vanilla
1  to 2 T milk

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place softened butter in bowl and mix on medium for 1 to 2 minutes.

Place dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, salt) in bowl with butter and combine for 30 seconds.

Add milk, oil, vanilla, and eggs and mix on medium-high for one minute.

Pour batter into prepared pans and bake. For 9 inch pans, bake for 20-25 minutes. For cupcakes, start checking around 15 minutes. (I used a 13x9 inch pan and had to bake for longer than 25 minutes... I can't remember the exact time, but I did it in small increments and checked using my cake tester). Cool before frosting.

To make frosting, mix powdered sugar and butter in bowl with mixer on low speed. Stir in essential oil, vanilla and milk (starting with 1 tablespoon and adding more, as needed). I usually have to add more than 2 tablespoons of milk for the right consistency.

Oil bandwagon

I jumped on the bandwagon. I kept seeing information about essential oils. I know a few people that use them for several health issues. I am very blessed and do not have any major health concerns, but I was reading how beneficial essential oils can be. I was mainly interested in the air purification aspect that some of the oils and blends can provide. Plus, since living in California I have experienced seasonal allergies and wanted something non-chemical to help alleviate that annoyance.

I know someone who sells Young Living oils and was ready to make a purchase from her. Then I decided to do some research. I don't think there is anything wrong with Young Living oils, but I decided to try a different company--Native American Nutritionals. I liked what I was reading about their company and their farming practices.

In my first order I purchased 3 oils/blends:
Purify
Peppermint
Citrus Blend

I also ordered an oil diffuser on Amazon. You use a few drops of oil in water and it diffuses all night. 

I am very happy with the oils so far. They freshen the air naturally. I can tell a difference in the air quality of our bedroom after having it closed up all night. I have also been seeing less spiders on my lawn chairs. To achieve the last part, I mixed a few drops of peppermint oil in water and sprayed on my lawn chairs. We have been seeing a ton of spider webs on those things and I felt like I couldn't sit on them without worrying that a black widow was going to come out and crawl all over me. Creepy! Time will tell if it really works. Last summer we saw a lot more spiders towards the end of the season. But the peppermint smells so amazing and sweet anyway. It's wonderful in the diffuser, too!

Now that I have joined the oil movement, I keep seeing tons of ways to use essential oils on Pinterest. You can make cleaning solutions with it. You can make shampoo. You can make bug spray. You can add some to your laundry. The options seem endless.

My next experiment will be with the Bug Off blend. We live near rice fields and get a ton of mosquitoes. The Bug Off blend can be mixed with water and sprayed onto the skin and is supposed to act as a natural bug spray. I also ordered Lavender. It will be a nice scent to diffuse at night and mix with my other oils.