Valentine's Day Cookie Box

 

In December I always make holiday cookie boxes to gift to friends and family, but this year I decided to adapt it for Valentine's Day.  What better way to show your loved one how much you care than a box of homemade treats?

 

My Valentine's Day Cookie Box included three types of cookies: Heart Linzer Cookies, Glossy Fudge Brownies and Valentine's Sprinkles Cookies.  Chocolate candy hearts are also a must.

 

I used these kraft boxes to package the cookies and lined the boxes with the cutest heart-printed wax paper sheets.

 

Valentine's Sprinkles Cookies

 

Another addition to my Valentine's Day cookie box are these Valentine's Sprinkles Cookies.  The recipe comes by way of Dan Pelosi.  The inner child in all of us will absolutely adore these.  I love how easily adaptable the cookies are to celebrate any holiday by simply changing the sprinkles colors, e.g., pastel for Easter, red/white/blue for the 4th of July, etc.

Hidden Rainbow Cake

 

 

Just in time for St. Patrick's Day I present to you a Hidden Rainbow Cake by way of Buttermilk by Sam.  Don't you just love how the vibrant colors look against the white cake?  There was definitely some trepidation on my part when I cut that first slice as I wondered if the hidden design would actually come through.  Although it did, I wish the rainbow itself would have been suspended more in the middle of the cake.  Oh well, something to strive for the next time I make this cake!

The cake itself is a real winner too, with a tender crumb and the most delicious vanilla flavor.  Never one to need an excuse to buy another cake pan I baked the cake in this ring mold, per the recommendation of the recipe's creator.   My theory is that the rainbow didn't bake in the center of the cake because I didn't put enough of the white batter in the bottom of the mold, which meant too much batter was leftover at the bottom.  As I re-read the previous sentence it sounds totally confusing, but if you just remember that the top of the baked cake is actually the bottom of the ring mold it will start to make some sense.  

I can envision many variations of this hidden design cake; don't limit yourself to just a rainbow.  You could tint the design using one color, but make it with an ombré effect, from lighter to darker tones.  Whatever colors you end up choosing I can guarantee that it will impress whoever eats this cake!

Pretty in Pink Confetti Cake

 

Doesn't this Pretty in Pink Confetti Cake just bring a smile to your face?  It just screams Festive! and Fun!, right?  I made this beauty for my friend's birthday using Cake By Courtney's white vanilla cake recipe and then adding rainbow sprinkles to the batter.  Note: I baked the cake layers using three 6-inch round pans and had enough batter leftover for six cupcakes.  For the frosting I used my favorite Swiss meringue buttercream recipe. 

 

Yeasted Doughnuts

Deep fat frying at home is one of those things I've tended to shy away from.  Mainly because I hate the cleanup and then what to do with all that used oil afterwards?  However, one glance at the Yeasted Doughnuts recipe in the May/June 2020 issue of Cook's Illustrated magazine and all those concerns went out the window.  They looked A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!  Chalk it up to the COVID crazies but I even bought an electric deep fat fryer just so that I could make the doughnuts.

I don't have a huge sweet tooth (I normally prefer salty things) but I would never turn down a good doughnut.  My favorite kinds are powdered sugar, regular glazed or chocolate frosted (sometimes with sprinkles).  With the aid of my trusty stand mixer the dough came together quite easily.   The enriched dough rests in the fridge for up to 48 hours so this is a great make-ahead recipe.

 

Each recipe makes a dozen doughnuts and some little holes as well and I made two batches. For my doughnut flavors I went with classic glazed, chocolate frosted, coffee frosted and filled.  For some of the filled doughnuts I used homemade raspberry jam that I had made a few weeks ago.  Considering that I also love pineapple I couldn't let the opportunity pass me by to fill the rest with the most delicious pineapple filling.  Surprisingly though, out of all the flavors I think my favorite was the coffee frosted.  I'm not a huge coffee drinker but I loved how the bitterness of the espresso powder was a nice balance to the sweet frosting.

One bite of the glazed doughnut and I was in heaven!  It was so light and fluffy, exactly like what you would find in your local shop.   I ended up giving away the rest of the doughnuts to my friends because I was too afraid to keep them in the house, lest I eat more! 

Milk Bar's Birthday Cake

Here's my second attempt at making a Milk Bar recipe for this blog, the first being their Crack Pie.  While the latter was pretty straightforward to make (with ingredients you probably already have), I forewarn you that wasn't necessarily the case with the former. 

If you follow the recipe to a tee this cake requires clear imitation vanilla extract, a 6-inch metal cake ring and acetate cake strips.  I'd venture to guess that most people won't have those things lying around in their kitchen, unlike me the crazy baking lady who already had them in her pantry.  That being said, I really had no excuse not to make this cake, my curiosity alone was enough motivation. 

Don't let any of the aforementioned deter or scare you from trying this recipe. The components can be made in advance and assembled up to a week later so time isn't a hindrance.  In my opinion the aesthetics alone of the finished cake make it a worthwhile baking project.

 

When Christina Tosi, the cake's creator, first made this popular dessert what really set the cake apart was its "nakedness," i.e., the sides were left bare without any frosting.  Nowadays that technique is pretty normal but I guess back then it was revolutionary.  The other unique element was the addition of cookie crumbs that were sandwiched between the layers of cake and frosting.

At first glance I must confess the birthday cake looked too sweet to me.  I can't help it, that's my gut reaction whenever I see a cake frosted with anything other than Swiss or Italian meringue buttercream.  But I was pleasantly surprised to find that the cake was moist and tender with just the right amount of salt to balance out the sugar.   I'm pretty sure I'll be making this birthday cake again!

Beijinho & Brigadeiro

The 2016 Summer Olympics conclude today in Rio so here's my final homage to the games and host country.  I had heard of the popular Brazilian candy brigadeiro, a chocolate fudge ball most associated with birthday parties, but when I mentioned I was thinking of making them my Brazilian colleague Marcelo said his favorite sweet was actually the beijinho.  Beijinho?  What the heck was that?  Beijinho in Portuguese means "little kiss" and these treats are similar to brigadeiro but made with coconut instead of chocolate.  

Both candies start with a base of sweetened condensed milk and butter.  Chocolate or coconut is stirred in and the entire thing is cooked over the stove.  You stir constantly until the mixture gets very thick and viscous.  Once cooled, the candy is formed in to bite-sized balls and rolled in sprinkles or coconut.  

Given my aversion to anything overly sweet I was a bit hesitant about candy made with condensed milk.  To my delight I found both versions had just the right amount of sweetness.  I must say that I agree with Marcelo and prefer the beijinho, but that's mainly because I pretty much love anything coconut.  The one tip I would offer is to cook the candy mixture until it's super thick.  With my brigadeiro I think they definitely could have benefited from a few more minutes on the stove to ensure a harder consistency when cooled.   But no worries, it still tasted delicious!

OBRIGADO BRASIL!!

Vanilla Cupcakes

After 9+ hours of binge watching House of Cards Season 4 this weekend I must say I was more than happy to get off my bum and do some baking.  If you haven't seen the show yet do yourself a favor and start.  It's seriously some of the best television ever and the latest series does not disappoint in the least.

While the show is dark, cunning and ruthless these Vanilla Cupcakes are anything but; you could even call them "anti-Underwood".  I was craving something happy and light and these beauties fit the bill perfectly.  Even better, sour cream was used in the recipe, an ingredient of which I had plenty in the fridge.   The cupcake recipe can be found here on the Cupcake Project and I frosted them with Cook's Illustrated Easy Vanilla Buttercream.

I'm definitely feeling House of Card withdrawals, already!, but hopefully these cupcakes will ease the pain until next year.   Please, please, please Netflix...there MUST be a Season 5!

Gluten-Free Funfetti Vanilla Cupcakes

I'm making my way through ATK's amazing newest publication,  The How Can It Be Gluten Free Cookbook,  and this weekend I decided to give their birthday cupcakes a go.  It's a basic vanilla cupcake with vanilla frosting, but I funfetti-d them by adding rainbow sprinkles to the cake batter.  

If you have children who are gluten intolerant you MUST make these cupcakes for their next birthday party.  The cake itself was moist and delicious and their easy vanilla frosting tasted just like whipped vanilla ice cream.   

So far I'm batting 1000 with every recipe I've tried so far.  I can't sing it's praises enough.  Run, don't walk, to buy it!  Check out this site for a few of the recipes including buttermilk waffles, light and fluffy biscuits and chocolate chip cookies.

Sprinkles Cookies

It's already December..is it me or has this year just flown by?  So far this month I've been super busy with all my holiday candy making.  To date I've made 100 pounds of cashew toffee (with some help from Mom) and there's still plenty more to go.  Thank goodness I only do this once a year.

After being up to my eyeballs in candy I needed a break, a cookie break to be exact.  I first saw these sprinkles cookies on Saveur.com and they instantly brought a smile to my face.   Don't they remind you of the sparkling multi-colored lights you hang on a Christmas tree? The cookies are really delicious with just the slightest hint of citrus.  They'll be adored by both kids and kids-at-heart.

Season's Treatings to you....let the baking madness begin!