My niece with her cupcake wedding cake baked by her mom

I love good quality vanilla.  So much so that for years I’ve been buying premium brands.  Those store brands most commonly used in baking are chemical concoctions manufactured to imitate the taste of real vanilla, but I personally think they do it very poorly.  REAL vanilla is made from the vanilla bean’s vanillin which is a natural component found in high quality vanilla beans.  More vanillin means a better quality vanilla.  Rodelle Pure Vanilla Extracts  set the bar for great vanilla by using the best vanillin available and making the purest vanilla extract out there.  You will notice a difference in your baking.  It’s like using butter instead of margarine in a recipe.

Rodelle vanilla products are certified kosher, gluten-free and are made with natural cane sugar and they’ve added a complete organic line of extracts.  I got a chance to check out a bottle of their fine extract and I was planning on hoarding it for myself.  But my sister was about to make 100 cupcakes for her daughter’s wedding and I just couldn’t let her use the “pure vanilla extract” from the store, not on such a special occasion.  These cupcakes deserved to be the best so I handed over my precious bottle.

For my sacrifice I was rewarded with one perfect Limoncello cupcake.  AMAZING!  I’ve asked her for her recipe and I hope to post it here soon, but until then just imagine the perfect crumb on a not-too-sweet cupcake with a filling of Limoncello or blackberry, covered in amazing butter cream frosting whipped to perfection.  Yes, I’m drooling and wish I had just one more.

Vanilla and Lemon Cello Cupcakes

2011 Rodelle Challenge Contest - photo credit: rodelle.com

2011 Rodelle Challenge – On October 1, 2011 ,Rodelle will be launching it’s 2nd-Annual Rodelle Challenge where you’ll be able to share your best and favorite baking moments on the Rodelle Facebook Page. The Rodelle Challenge team will choose the three most creative posts and award them each a super-sweet grand prize that includes a KitchenAid mixer and a year’s supply of Rodelle baking essentials. Three runner-up entries will also be chosen!  Those runners-up will each win a year’s supply of Rodelle vanilla extract, vanilla beans, and dark cocoa powder!  Get baking/cooking and start creating memories! The contest is open from October 1, 2011 through December 25, 2011.

Want some inspiration?  Here are the 2010 Challenge winners.