Easy & Festive Peppermint Bark Candy

***If you are looking for an easy candy recipe for your holiday gift-giving, this just might be the one!  You may be familiar with the beautiful Peppermint Bark that Williams-Sonoma sells during the holiday season.  The only problem is, it is pretty expensive ($26.50 per lb).  The good news is, you can make your own Peppermint Bark that is equally pretty and just as tasty.


Peppermint Bark is extremely easy!  In fact, there are only about 3 main ingredients - white chocolate, dark chocolate and crushed peppermint candies.  Voila!  If you can find it, peppermint oil or peppermint extract would be a delicious addition to this particular recipe.


Right now, my refrigerator is filled with little gift tins of holiday candies for my co-workers.  I made an assortment of different candies...I sure hope everyone likes them!  I made dark and white chocolate covered pretzels, peanut clusters, and ritz/peanut butter crackers that are dipped in chocolate...Yum!


The Peppermint Bark turned out beautifully...I'm excited to share these goodies with everyone tomorrow morning!


Bon Appetit!***

Peppermint Bark
Source: Adapted from JoyofBaking.com

Ingredients:

24 ounces semi sweet OR milk chocolate morsels

8 teaspoons vegetable oil

24 ounces white chocolate morsels

50 crushed peppermint candies

Directions:

Line the bottom and sides of a large baking sheet with aluminum foil, smoothing out any wrinkles (I used a silicone baking mat).

Melt the semi sweet chocolate and 4 teaspoons of vegetable oil in a heatproof bowl placed over a saucepan of simmering water. Immediately pour the melted chocolate into the prepared pan and tilt/shake the pan so the chocolate makes an even layer. Place in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes, or until the chocolate has set.

Then, melt the white chocolate and remaining 4 teaspoons of vegetable oil in a heatproof bowl placed over a saucepan of simmering water. Immediately pour the melted white chocolate over the dark chocolate and tilt/shake the pan so the chocolate is in an even layer. 

Sprinkle the crushed candies evenly over the white chocolate, lightly pressing them into the chocolate (crush the candy using a zip lock bag and hammer...do not use a food processor). Place in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes - 1 hour, or until the chocolate has set.

Remove the Peppermint Bark from the pan by lifting the edges of the aluminum foil. Peel back the foil and break the bark into small irregular pieces. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. 

Sweet Potato Biscuits with Maple and Pecans

***When I saw this recipe in the November 2010 issue of Bon Appetit magazine, I tore it out immediately.  It sounded like the perfect addition to our Thanksgiving table.  The recipe calls for 100% maple syrup and chopped pecans to be added directly to the biscuit dough.  Can biscuits possibly get much more scrumptious than that??  I think NOT!

These biscuits have a sweet and nutty taste, and because of their small size I bet you won't be able to eat just one of them.  I did substitute regular AP flour, instead of using the gluten-free flour that the recipe mentions.  I had already been to the grocery store and wasn't really excited about going yet again before Thanksgiving.  I couldn't really tell a difference...the biscuits still tasted great.  However, I later found a note on the Bon Appetit website that recommends reducing the baking powder to 2 teaspoons if you use AP flour.  Maybe when I make these again tomorrow, I will try this suggestion and see if it makes them any better.

Happy Thanksgiving and Bon Appetit!!!***

Ingredients:

• 1 large red-skinned sweet potato (yam; about 1 1/4 pounds), pierced with fork
• 1 1/3 cups gluten-free flour plus additional
• 2/3 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1/4 cup Grade B maple syrup
• 1/2 cup pecans, toasted, chopped

• Ingredient Info

  For the gluten-free sweet potato biscuits, we used King Arthur Gluten-Free Multi-Purpose Flour. The mix of white rice flour, brown rice flour, tapioca starch, and potato starch gave us tender, delicious results ($8 for a 24-ounce box at kingarthurflour.com).

Preparation

• Preheat oven to 425°F. Line baking sheet with parchment. Microwave potato until tender, about 6 minutes per side. Halve; scoop out 1 cup flesh. Cool. Blend 1 1/3 cups flour and next 3 ingredients in processor. Add butter; pulse to coarse meal. Add potato, buttermilk, and syrup; process to blend. Add nuts; pulse to blend.
• Sprinkle dough with flour. Pat into 81/2-inch square. Cut into 16 biscuits. Transfer to baking sheet. Bake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, 18 to 22 minutes.

Classic Cornbread Dressing - Southern Living

This classic recipe for Cornbread Dressing hits all the right marks.  It's pretty perfect in every way.  This dish is described as "deliciously moist and perfectly seasoned" on the myrecipes.com website, which are the perfect words.

Of course, Cornbread Dressing from scratch takes a little more time and effort to make, but in my experience it is well worth it...especially at Thanksgiving!  Brad looks forward to this dressing all year long!

The biggest change that I made to the recipe below is the addition of mild sausage.  I simply cooked a package of mild country sausage and added it to the vegetable mixture, before mixing everything together.  I took elements from my Mom's Cornbread Dressing recipe and combined them with this recipe from Southern Living.

I always put this dressing together the night before Thanksgiving and chill it in the refrigerator overnight (without baking).  That way, all you have to do is pop it in the oven and cook it for about 35 - 40 minutes on Thanksgiving day!

Bon Appetit, my friends!

Cornbread Dressing

Adapted from:  Southern Living magazine; November 2002

Yield: Makes 16 to 18 servings

Ingredients

• 1  cup  butter or margarine, divided
• 3  cups  white cornmeal
• 1  cup  all-purpose flour
• 2  tablespoons  sugar
• 2  teaspoons  baking powder
• 1 1/2  teaspoons  salt
• 1  teaspoon  baking soda
• 7  large eggs, divided
• 3  cups  buttermilk
• 4 slices sourdough bread, torn into pieces
• 1/4 lb. saltine crackers, crushed into small pieces
• 2  medium onions, diced (2 cups)
• 1  large bunch celery, diced (3 cups)
• 1/2  cup  finely chopped fresh sage*
• 48 oz reduced sodium chicken broth
• 1  tablespoon  pepper
• 1 lb mild country sausage, cooked (optional)

Preparation

Place 1/2 cup butter in a 13- x 9-inch pan; heat in oven at 425° for 4 minutes.

Combine cornmeal and next 5 ingredients; whisk in 3 eggs and buttermilk.

Pour hot butter into batter, stirring until blended. Pour batter into pan.

Bake at 425° for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Cool.

Crumble cornbread into a large bowl; set aside.

Melt remaining 1/2 cup butter in a large skillet over medium heat; add onions and celery, and saute until tender. Stir in sage, and saute 1 more minute.

Stir vegetables, sausage, remaining 4 eggs, chicken broth, sourdough bread pieces, cracker pieces, and pepper into cornbread mixture (There are no better tools than your hands to properly mix the dressing at this stage!); pour evenly into 2 lightly greased 13- x 9-inch baking dishes. Cover and chill 8 hours.

Bake, uncovered, at 375° for 35 to 40 minutes or until golden brown.

*1 tablespoon dried rubbed sage may be substituted for fresh sage.

Andouille Sausage, Apple, and Pecan Dressing: Brown 3/4 pound diced andouille sausage in a skillet over medium heat; drain. Add sausage; 2 Granny Smith apples, chopped; and 2 cups chopped toasted pecans to dressing. Proceed as directed, baking 40 to 45 minutes or until done.

Maple Glazed Roast Turkey with Applewood Smoked Bacon

***First of all, I want to wish you all the happiest Thanksgiving that you've ever had!  I hope that your holiday is filled with the people that you love and the food that you love to eat!

What a long day!  I got home today from work at about 5:30PM and immediately started preparing a pre-Thanksgiving dinner.  Turkey and dressing is by FAR Brad's favorite meal in the whole world.  He says he looks forward to it all year long...haha.  This year, I promised to make him our own little Thanksgiving dinner celebration, just the two of us (and our 2 pups!) before all of the family festivities begin.

After almost 5 hours in the kitchen, I'm relieved that round one of Thanksgiving cooking was a success!  Now, on to 2 more nights of cooking!  Tomorrow, I hope to start putting up the Christmas decorations after a yummy dinner of leftovers from tonight's meal...I'm so excited to put the tree up!  This is my favorite time of year, no contest.  I love the holidays and everything that they mean....Faith, Family and Friends!  It doesn't get much better than that.

The menu tonight included:

Maple Glazed Roast Turkey with Applewood Smoked Bacon

Sweet Potato Biscuits (Stay tuned for this recipe!)

Cornbread Dressing

Roasted Asparagus

I adore this recipe for roasted turkey, because it's the way that my Dad always roasts his Thanksgiving turkey.  The flavor is absolutely incredible.  The maple syrup makes the finished bird perfectly shiny and golden brown.  The bacon ends up a little crispy and sweet from the maple syrup, which makes for a stellar combination.

Bon Appetit!***

Before going into the oven...

Ingredients: 

12 lb. whole turkey

6 slices applewood smoked bacon, thick sliced
1 cup 100% grade A maple syrup
1 large tart apple, quartered
1 medium onion, quartered
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, at room temperature and cut into 1/4 inch slices
salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Wash turkey well under cold running water, including the outside and inner cavity of turkey. Pat dry. Be sure to remove the neck and giblets from the inside of the turkey.  Tuck wings underneath body.

Starting at neck end, very carefully slide hand between skin and breast meat.  Carefully slide butter slices between skin and breast meat to cover.  Season skin and cavity of the turkey generously with salt and pepper. Place the quartered apple and onion in the seasoned cavity. Using a brush, paint the turkey breast, thighs and legs with some of the maple syrup. Then cover the entire breast with the slices of bacon, slightly over-lapping the bacon slices.  Make sure the entire breast is covered, using more bacon if needed.

Position turkey, on a rack, in a roasting pan with 1/2 cup pf water, uncovered and place in the preheated 325 degree F oven.  Roast for about 3 1/2 hours (time may vary depending on the size of your turkey), basting the turkey with pan drippings and maple syrup every 30 minutes. If the bacon begins to get too brown, cover loosely with aluminum foil.

In the last half hour, baste the turkey one more time with maple syrup. Continue to roast until the internal temperature reaches 180 degrees in the thigh or 170 degrees in the breast.

Remove pan from oven and allow the turkey to rest for 15 minutes before slicing.

Start Your Engines for this Racing Cake!!

***Last weekend, we got to help Brad's cousin, Justin, celebrate his 33rd birthday.  Justin's parents surprised him with 6 laps at the Talladega Superspeedway...It was such an exciting day!  His top speed was over 168 mph...can you imagine going that fast?!?

Of course, Brad and I were the photographers for the day.  We had a blast capturing every moment...Check out our fusion slideshow below!  It combines photography, video and audio from the day!


Justin Races to 33! from Celeste Ward on Vimeo.

I was thrilled to make this racecar-themed cake.  I started coming up with different decorating ideas for it a few weeks in advance.  I was really proud of the final result...It came out even better than I imagined!

I originally planned to use black and white fondant squares to form a race flag design all around the outer edges of the cake, and to stick two actual little racing flags into the top of the cake.  Well, I couldn't find the flags anywhere, but I did find these "spiral yo-yos" at the party supply store.  They worked out perfectly...I simply used that for the outside of the cake.  I had to trim about an inch off of the bottom, so that it would fit perfectly.

I used THIS MARSHMALLOW FONDANT recipe, and colored it with red food coloring.  For the race track, I made the outline of the road with candy buttons.  Then, I spread a thin layer of chocolate icing to form the actual road.  That way, the black candy sprinkles had something to stick to and stayed in place.  I topped everything off with 3 little Hot Wheels race cars.

Isn't it cute??  I had so much fun making this cake.  For the cake itself, I made a Coconut-Chocolate Cake that was to-die-for.  The coconut extract was the perfect match for the coffee-infused chocolate cake....YUM!  This is definitely one of my favorite cake recipes.  It's not complicated to make, always turns out perfectly moist, and the flavors are incredible (It doesn't hurt that coconut and chocolate is probably my favorite flavor combo).  It impresses every time!

Bon Appetit!***

Coconut-Chocolate Cake
Ingredients:

2 cups sugar
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa (I prefer Ghirardelli)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons coconut extract
1 cup freshly brewed coffee


Directions:
Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round cake pans.


In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix together the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a different bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, oil and coconut extract; Slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and beat on medium speed of an electric mixer for 2 minutes. Stir in hot coffee...the batter will be very thin!


Pour batter into the prepared pans.
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely and add icing.
 
Coconut-Chocolate Icing
Ingredients:

1 stick (1/2 cup) butter
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup milk
1 tsp coconut extract


Directions:
Melt the butter. Stir in cocoa. Add powdered sugar alternately with milk, beating to spreading consistency.


Makes about 2 cups.

Fresh Orange Italian Cream Cake - Southern Living

***For years, my Mom has always made one of the most amazing Italian Cream Cakes...It is spectacular!  It's filled with pecans and flaked coconut, and the cake itself is moist and delicious...with cream cheese icing to finish it all off.  It's always been one of my favorites.  So, you can imagine my delight when my sister-in-law, Christine, surprised me with this Fresh Orange Italian Cream Cake for my birthday.  This recipe from Southern Living takes everything you love about traditional Italian Cream Cake and kicks it up about 100 notches!  In fact, Southern Living describes it as one of their "most showstopping cakes ever"...take a look HERE!

The Fresh Orange Curd is the star of the show.  It is spread in between each of the cake layers and adds the most amazing flavor...It's sweet, but not too sweet.  The orange juice and orange rind adds the perfect hint of freshness, which will make it hard to resist a second piece.  The contrast of the fresh tartness of the oranges with the sweetness of the cake is a combination that is sheer perfection here.

And then you have the Pecan-Cream Cheese Icing and Glazed Pecan Halves...Oh.My.Goodness...This cake is heaven!  I've already put in a request for this cake again next year!  It would make a showstopping cake at your Thanksgiving or Christmas celebrations this year.  I can personally guarantee that your guests will fall in love with it!

Bon Appetit!***

Fresh Orange Italian Cream Cake
Source:  Southern Living; December 2002

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/2 cup shortening
2 cups sugar
5 large eggs, separated
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
Fresh Orange Curd (recipe below)
3 cups Pecan-Cream Cheese Frosting
1/2 cup sweetened flaked coconut, lightly toasted (optional)
Glazed Pecan Halves (optional)

Preparation:
Beat butter and shortening at medium speed with an electric mixer until fluffy; gradually add sugar, beating well. Add egg yolks, 1 at a time, beating until blended after each addition. Add vanilla; beat until blended.


Combine flour and soda; add to sugar mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat at low speed until blended after each addition. Stir in 1 cup flaked coconut.


Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form; fold into batter. Pour batter into 3 greased and floured 9-inch round cakepans.


Bake at 350° for 25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes; remove from pans, and cool completely on wire racks.


Spread 3/4 cup chilled Fresh Orange Curd between layers; spread remaining Fresh Orange Curd on top of cake. (The Fresh Orange Curd layer on top of cake will be very thick.) If desired, loosely cover cake, and chill 8 hours. (Chilling the cake with the curd between the layers helps keep the layers in place and makes it much easier to spread the frosting.) Spread 3 cups Pecan-Cream Cheese Frosting on sides of cake, reserving remaining frosting for another use. Sprinkle 1/2 cup toasted coconut over top of cake, if desired. Arrange Glazed Pecan Halves around top edge of cake, if desired. Store in refrigerator until ready to serve. Arrange Boxwood Garland around bottom edge of cake before serving, if desired.


Note: Cake may be frosted with Pecan-Cream Cheese Frosting immediately after adding the Fresh Orange Curd, but the cake layers will not be as steady.

Fresh Orange Curd
Yield: Makes about 3 cups

Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
2 cups fresh orange juice (about 4 pounds navel oranges)
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup butter
1 tablespoon grated orange rind


Preparation:
Combine sugar and cornstarch in a 3-quart saucepan; gradually whisk in fresh orange juice. Whisk in lightly beaten eggs. Bring to a boil (5 to 6 minutes) over medium heat, whisking constantly.


Cook, whisking constantly, 1 to 2 minutes or until mixture reaches a pudding-like thickness. Remove from heat, and whisk in butter and grated orange rind. Cover, placing plastic wrap directly on curd, and chill 8 hours.

Pecan-Cream Cheese Frosting
Yield: Makes about 4 cups

Ingredients:
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 (16-ounce) package powdered sugar
1 cup chopped pecans, toasted


Preparation:
Beat first 3 ingredients at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add powdered sugar, beating at low speed until blended. Beat at high speed until smooth; stir in pecans.

Glazed Pecan Halves
Yield: Makes 2 cups
Ingredients:
2 cups pecan halves
1/3 cup light corn syrup
Vegetable cooking spray


Preparation:
Combine pecan halves and corn syrup, stirring to coat pecans. Line a 15- x 10-inch jellyroll pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil; coat with cooking spray. Arrange pecan halves in an even layer in pan.


Bake at 350° for 12 minutes; stir using a rubber spatula. Bake 8 more minutes. Remove from oven, and stir; arrange in an even layer on wax paper, and let cool completely.

Happy Birthday to Me :-)

Don't you just love birthday parties??  I feel so blessed to have recently celebrated another birthday with my wonderful, wonderful family and friends.  After four days of birthday festivities and 3 amazing cakes, I sure did feel special! 

Wednesday:  The day before my birthday, two of my best friends took me out to a yummy dinner at Red Robin.  These girls are precious to me...we've been friends for forever, it seems.

Here's a pic of us from last year (Mary Katherine, Me and Ashley)

Thursday:  On the morning of my birthday (October 7th), my wonderful husband woke me up by singing "Happy Birthday" and surprised me with a cute-as-a-button little birthday cake that he made.  This put the biggest smile on my face...I knew then that it was going to be an awesome day!  After all, it's quite impossible to have a bad day when you eat cake for breakfast, right?!?  That night, we had dinner at my new favorite French bistro - Chez Fon Fon.  I can honestly say that it was one of the best meals I've had in a restaurant in a while!  The atmosphere transported me right back to the street cafes of Paris, and the food was divine.  Everything was prepared flawlessly and tasted exceptional.

Friday:  The next day, I was in Montgomery for a business meeting, and my family met me there for a birthday lunch.  I was so happy to have the chance to see my Mom, Dad, Suzanne, Maranne, Blake and my Grandad.  My sweet sisters baked me this pretty cake.  I was so proud of Maranne - She whipped up some homemade marshmallow fondant (with the help of her boyfriend...thanks Blake!) for the first time.  This was her very first fondant covered cake, so I was so happy and excited to see it.  It was decorated with little rhinestones and a fondant flower.  Her inspiration was a Frenchie lace pattern. 

Putting the candles on can be a tedious task...

Maranne, Me, and Suzanne...Sisters are the best! 

I don't know what I'd do without these girls.  :-)

 Saturday: On Saturday night, Brad and I celebrated with his family.  His sister, Christine, baked me a scrumptious "Fresh Orange Italian Cream Cake" from Southern Living.  It's described on their website as a "showstopping cake"...and YES...I agree!  It was delicious!  Don't worry...the recipe for this cake will be my next blog post!

So, with family and friends like mine, turning another year older isn't so bad after all!  Thank you to everyone who helped make my big day so incredible.  I feel so loved.  :-)

Scuba Diving/Under the Ocean Birthday Cake

"For there is no friend like a sister...”

~Christina G. Rossetti

So my little sisters, Suzanne & Maranne (and yes, they are twins!) recently turned 20 years old!  I am so very proud of them, because they also recently got their diving certification.  I was excited just listening to them describe the experience to me.  They say they have a brand new appreciation for marine life and everything beneath the sea, and I think that's really cool.  It must be an awesome adrenaline rush to drift down lower and lower, while the world up above disappears from view.

I had a blast helping them celebrate their big day down at the beach.  Of course, I told them that I had their birthday cake covered (imagine that!).  I had a fun idea in mind...a scuba diving cake to celebrate their certification!

This cake was so much fun to make.  They requested the Simply Delicious Strawberry Cake, which you might remember from an earlier post.  You can find the recipe HERE.  I've made this cake so many times now, and it always comes out amazing.  It's easily one of my favorites.

I also loved making Marshmallow Fondant the first time that I tried it, so I decided to make it again for this cake.  You can find the marshmallow fondant recipe HERE.   You'll find that it's a lot of messy fun to make!

Happy Birthday to my beautiful sisters, Suzanne & Maranne!  :-)

Happy Easter!!!

I just wanted to take a minute to wish you all a very blessed and fun-filled Easter!  This cake has become somewhat of a tradition around our house...I've made it for the past several years now...this morning included!

Two years ago, I made Dorie's Perfect Party Cake for the first time and fell in love with it.  In fact, my original post can be found HERE.  The combination of lemon and raspberry is a match made in heaven, and this cake is simply scrumptious! 

Happy Easter!!!  :-)

PERFECT PARTY CAKE
Words from Dorie
Stick a bright-coloured Post-it to this page, so you’ll always know where to turn for a just-right cake for any celebration. The original recipe was given to me by my great dear friend Nick Malgieri, of baking fame, and since getting it, I’ve found endless opportunities to make it – you will too. The cake is snow white, with an elegant tight crumb and an easygoing nature: it always bakes up perfectly; it is delicate on the tongue but sturdy in the kitchen – no fussing when it comes to slicing the layers in half or cutting tall, beautiful wedges for serving; and, it tastes just as you’d want a party cake to taste – special. The base recipe is for a cake flavoured with lemon, layered with a little raspberry jam and filled and frosted with a classic (and so simple) pure white lemony hot-meringue buttercream but, because the elements are so fundamental, they lend themselves to variation (see Playing Around), making the cake not just perfect, but also versatile.

For the Cake
2 ¼ cups cake flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 ¼ cups whole milk or buttermilk (I prefer buttermilk with the lemon)
4 large egg whites
1 ½ cups sugar
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
1 stick (8 tablespoons or 4 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
½ teaspoon pure lemon extract

For the Buttercream
1 cup sugar
4 large egg whites
3 sticks (12 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
¼ cup fresh lemon juice (from 2 large lemons)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For Finishing
2/3 cup seedless raspberry preserves stirred vigorously or warmed gently until spreadable
About 1 ½ cups sweetened shredded coconut

Getting Ready
Centre a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter two 9 x 2 inch round cake pans and line the bottom of each pan with a round of buttered parchment or wax paper. Put the pans on a baking sheet.

To Make the Cake
Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.

Whisk together the milk and egg whites in a medium bowl.

Whisk together the sugar and lemon zest in a mixer bowl or another large bowl and rub them together with your fingers until the sugar is moist and fragrant.

Add the butter and working with the paddle or whisk attachment, or with a hand mixer, beat at medium speed for a full 3 minutes, until the butter and sugar are very light.

Beat in the extract, then add one third of the flour mixture, still beating on medium speed.

Beat in half of the milk-egg mixture, then beat in half of the remaining dry ingredients until incorporated.

Add the rest of the milk and eggs beating until the batter is homogeneous, then add the last of the dry ingredients.

Finally, give the batter a good 2- minute beating to ensure that it is thoroughly mixed and well aerated.

Divide the batter between the two pans and smooth the tops with a rubber spatula.

Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the cakes are well risen and springy to the touch – a thin knife inserted into the centers should come out clean

Transfer the cakes to cooling racks and cool for about 5 minutes, then run a knife around the sides of the cakes, unfold them and peel off the paper liners.

Invert and cool to room temperature, right side up (the cooled cake layers can be wrapped airtight and stored at room temperature overnight or frozen for up to two months).

To Make the Buttercream
Put the sugar and egg whites in a mixer bowl or another large heatproof bowl, fit the bowl over a plan of simmering water and whisk constantly, keeping the mixture over the heat, until it feels hot to the touch, about 3 minutes.

The sugar should be dissolved, and the mixture will look like shiny marshmallow cream.

Remove the bowl from the heat.

Working with the whisk attachment or with a hand mixer, beat the meringue on medium speed until it is cool, about 5 minutes.

Switch to the paddle attachment if you have one, and add the butter a stick at a time, beating until smooth.

Once all the butter is in, beat in the buttercream on medium-high speed until it is thick and very smooth, 6-10 minutes.

During this time the buttercream may curdle or separate – just keep beating and it will come together again.

On medium speed, gradually beat in more lemon juice, waiting until each addition is absorbed before adding more, and then the vanilla.

You should have a shiny smooth, velvety, pristine white buttercream. Press a piece of plastic against the surface of the buttercream and set aside briefly.

To Assemble the Cake
Using a sharp serrated knife and a gentle sawing motion, slice each layer horizontally in half.

Put one layer cut side up on a cardboard cake round or a cake plate protected by strips of wax or parchment paper.

Spread it with one third of the preserves.

Cover the jam evenly with about one quarter of the buttercream.

Top with another layer, spread with preserves and buttercream and then do the same with a third layer (you’ll have used all the jam and have buttercream leftover).

Place the last layer cut side down on top of the cake and use the remaining buttercream to frost the sides and top.

Press the coconut into the frosting, patting it gently all over the sides and top.

Serving
The cake is ready to serve as soon as it is assembled, but I think it’s best to let it sit and set for a couple of hours in a cool room – not the refrigerator. Whether you wait or slice and enjoy it immediately, the cake should be served at room temperature; it loses all its subtlety when it’s cold. Depending on your audience you can serve the cake with just about anything from milk to sweet or bubbly wine.

Storing
The cake is best the day it is made, but you can refrigerate it, well covered, for up to two days. Bring it to room temperature before serving. If you want to freeze the cake, slide it into the freezer to set, then wrap it really well – it will keep for up to 2 months in the freezer; defrost it, still wrapped overnight in the refrigerator.

Playing Around
Since lemon is such a friendly flavour, feel free to make changes in the preserves: other red preserves – cherry or strawberry – look especially nice, but you can even use plum or blueberry jam.

Fresh Berry Party Cake
If you will be serving the cake the day it is made, cover each layer of buttercream with fresh berries – use whole raspberries, sliced or halved strawberries or whole blackberries, and match the preserves to the fruit. You can replace the coconut on top of the cake with a crown of berries, or use both coconut and berries. You can also replace the buttercream between the layers with fairly firmly whipped sweetened cream and then either frost the cake with buttercream (the contrast between the lighter whipped cream and the firmer buttercream is nice) or finish it with more whipped cream. If you use whipped cream, you’ll have to store the cake the in the refrigerator – let it sit for about 20 minutes at room temperature before serving.From Dorie Greenspan’s Baking from My Home to Yours (pages 250-252)

Chocolate & Frangelico Souffle...Perfect for Valentine's Day!

***HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!! I hope you've enjoyed the Valentine's Day themed heading at the top of the blog. It's a fun little thing that I'm going to start doing for all the holidays. My wonderful hubby is going to design them...it should be fun!

Have you had a wonderful Valentine's Day today? I sure hope so!

It's not often that I re-post recipes here at Sugar & Spice, but some are worthy of a re-visit. I made this amazing souffle 2 years ago on Valentine's Day. It was the first time I'd ventured into souffle-making, and the results were wonderful! There are several steps to this dish, but they are all very EASY!

The perfectly light & airy souffle is sent over the top once you get to the bottom of your ramekin...There, an ooey gooey chocolatey surprise awaits...It's seriously heaven on a plate! I love to bake these in heart-shaped ramekins...so cute and perfect!

Why not make this scrumtiously wonderful dish tonight for Valentine's Day?...Your sweetie will thank you!!!

Bon appetit!***

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon sugar, plus 1/4 cup
1 tablespoon hazelnut liqueur (recommended: Frangelico)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3 ounces milk chocolate, chopped, plus 6 ounces chopped
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
Pinch salt
4 eggs, separated
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375 degree F. Butter and sugar 6 (6-ounce) ramekins.

Heat the butter, 1 tablespoon sugar, hazelnut liqueur, and vanilla in a double boiler over medium heat until the butter melts. Remove the butter mixture from the heat, add the chocolate, and let sit until it melts, about 3 minutes. Place the chocolate mixture in a pie dish and place in the freezer for 10 minutes to firm up. Use a spoon to form the chilled mixture into 6 evenly-sized balls about the size of a walnut. Reserve in the refrigerator.

Meanwhile, place the flour in a double boiler and slowly whisk in the milk. Add the salt. Heat the mixture over medium heat, whisking constantly until thick, about 5 minutes. Add the egg yolks and continue to whisk constantly. The mixture will thicken to the consistency of mayonnaise in another 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the mixture from the heat. Stir in the 6 ounces of chocolate and set aside to let the chocolate melt.

Place the egg whites in a large bowl with the cream of tartar. Using a hand mixer, whip the egg whites until soft peaks. Gradually add in the 1/4 cup sugar and continue whipping until firm peaks. Fold the egg whites into the warm chocolate mixture.

Place a ball of the chilled chocolate mixture in each of the ramekins. Spoon the souffle mixture over the chocolate balls and up to the rim of the ramekins. (At this point the souffle can be covered and kept refrigerated for 2 days.)

Place the ramekins in a hot water bath and bake until golden on top and the souffle has risen, about 30 minutes (40 minutes if refrigerated). Remove from the oven and serve immediately.

Source: Giada De Laurentiis - http://www.foodnetwork.com/

Merry Christmas!!!

What can I say...We had a wonderful Christmas this year. We started the day with Pioneer Woman's amazingly sinful, made-from-scratch cinnamon rolls. You might remember me making these last year on Christmas morning. Those things are so ridiculously good...It's hard to find the words to describe them...Hah.

Pioneer Woman says it best:
"If you begin making these for your friends and family during the holidays, I promise you this: you'll become famous. And, on a less positive note, people will forget everything else you've ever accomplished in your life. From that moment on, you'll be known - and loved - only for your cinnamon rolls."

Folks, she's not kidding...they're THAT good! You can find the recipe HERE.

I even surprised 3 of our neighbors with pans of these cinnamon rolls. They seemed very excited!

I also made another Red Velvet Cake. This time, I decorated the top and sides of the cake with candy canes. They added a wonderful, pepperminty taste to the cake that made it taste like Christmas! Click HERE for the recipe.

I'm so excited to report that I received 5 awesome cookbooks as part of my Christmas loot this year. They include:

A Platter of Figs and Other Recipes by David Tanis (of the famous Chez Panisse)

Ad Hoc at Home by Thomas Keller (Famous chef of The French Laundry and Bouchon Bakery)

The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Recipes from an Accidental Country Girl by Ree Drummond

(Her FOOD BLOG is awesome and this cookbook is even more awesome!)

The Lady & Sons Savannah Cookbook Collection by Paula Deen

The Christmas Tree...

It was mass chaos in our living room at 8:30AM this morning...hah...

Our pups...Lady & Hannah

MERRY CHRISTMAS and a very HAPPY NEW YEAR to you and your family!!!