Let's talk about berries... It may be winter here right now, but that doesn't mean that berries aren't on the menu. Frozen berries works great in this recipe, so you can enjoy moist, berry-studded coffee cake year-round. I prefer a combination of tart Michigan cherries, blueberries, and raspberries, but you can use as many or...
Cake
Sourdough Chocolate Cake with Ermine Frosting
Chocolate Cake with Vanilla Frosting gets the heritage-style treatment with this timeless version: Sourdough Chocolate Cake with Ermine Frosting.
Strawberry Shortcake
Happy Fourth of July! We have been crazy busy this summer between cookbook events, two little girls' birthdays, and countless other things all competing for our time, so we are thrilled to have the holiday weekend to catch our breath and relax as a family. When I asked my now-three-year-old daughter what kind of cake...
Strawberry Rhubarb Upside Down Cake
Let’s talk about cake. When nothing else in life makes any sort of sense, and you can’t manage to find the words to express your feelings, and no matter how out of control everything feels, there is something comforting about the familiarity and comfort that baking can bring. It feels so normal when nothing else does....
Carrot Cake
Carrot Cake. It sounds like such a strange concoction that must have a storied history that involved frugality and ingenuity on the part of the baker. I am not completely sure of its origins despite my research, so I will just continue to enjoy the perfect balance of spiced cake and sweet cream cheese frosting. Not to...
Pineapple Upside Down Cake
We're going retro today, and I'm loving it...canned fruit and all. Pineapple Upside Down Cake is bright and cheery, and just what I needed in my life to celebrate the arrival of Spring. Beside that, going more than a week or two without baking a cake makes me ache inside. I was inspired to make this cake...
Merry Christmas + Red Velvet Cake
A very Merry Christmas to you all! I hope your day is filled with joy, peace, hope, and love. And desserts. Around our house, we don't make cookies for Santa. The reason that we celebrate this day is to rejoice in the birth of Jesus. If that doesn't call for birthday cake, then I don't...
Cherry Almond Coffee Cake
Coffee cake is so pretty that it doesn't seem overly un-dainty to eat several helpings of it in one sitting, right? This recipe for Cherry Almond Coffee Cake is my twist on the version that is made by my family's favorite local bakery. (I may or may not have one of theirs sitting in front of me...
Red Velvet Whoopie Pies with Cream Cheese Filling
You want to know what's better than a whoopie pie? A red velvet whoopie pie. I have yet to meet a red velvet creation that I didn't fall head over heels for. I just don't possess the ability to say no to red velvet. In fact, I had to bring the rest of these red...
Chocolate Peanut Butter Whoopie Pies
I may not completely understand why these little treats are called Whoopie Pies, since they seem to be much more of a cake than a pie, but I do know that they're delicious and extremely easy to make. There are several claims as to the actual origin and name of the beloved whoopie pie, which...
Madeleines (French Sponge Cakes)
Happy Monday! I hope everyone had a lovely weekend. I certainly did. However, I am growing weary of our dreary and bitter cold weather around here. I've been bitten with the travel bug and I am constantly dreaming of our next adventure, which will hopefully happen soon. (As you may know, I get to live in...
Coconut Cupcakes with Coconut Buttercream
Ladies and Gentlemen, put down your Christmas cookies for a moment and make yourself these coconut cupcakes. I urge you, no, I beg you. The coconut on top looks like snow anyway, so they're actually perfect for any Winter celebration, Christmas or otherwise. About a month ago, my Mom, my Grandma, and I made a...
Cookbook of the Week: Cook's Illustrated Baking Book by America's Test Kitchen
Well, I must admit: Hubby is out of the country for work all week (which is why I will hold off on my last few Jerusalem cookbook recipes until he returns), and I've got the irresistible urge to bake as if I were entertaining the Cookie Monster (the only time that truly happened was at...
Chocolate Krantz Cakes
These cakes taste just as decadent and glorious as they look. Imagine a giant cinnamon roll loaf cake, but instead of cinnamon, you've got chocolate. And pecans. I mean really, you just have to make these! If you ask me, they're great for any time of the day. While technically a dessert, I can personally...
Pumpkin Tiramisu
It's the time of year where we all go a little bit pumpkin crazy, but if you ask me, there's nothing wrong with that. In the spirit of the season, I decided to try out a pumpkin tiramisu, since I love tiramisu no matter what time of year it is. If you're looking for a...
Chocolate Hazelnut Crepe Cake
My birthday cake project was a tower of success. After the first time I tried making this and the less-than-satisfactory results, I was determined to pull it off this time with minimal tears or bloodshed. (You can read about my 2006 attempt here.) This is by no means a whip-it-together last minute type of dessert...
Pumpkin Cookies with Brown Butter Icing
I'm not sure what is a better description of these cookies... cookies, or cupcake tops (which reminds me of the Seinfeld episode about the Muffin Tops- it's a classic, you should watch it). These are soft, cakey circles of delicious pumpkiny goodness, and the brown butter icing tops them off perfectly. One batch makes a...
Pumpkin Spice Bundt Cake with Buttermilk Icing
It's getting to be that time of the year... Pumpkin time! Our house smells like pumpkin most of the time from Labor Day until New Years. We love pumpkin pie, pumpkin doughnuts (I should share that recipe soon!), pumpkin cake, pumpkin candles, pumpkin waffles (a new favorite), pumpkin spiced lattes and anything else you can...
Classic Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
I tried this recipe for the first time last weekend in an attempt to find a buttercream that I like nearly as much as my favorite Swiss Meringue Buttercream, but that I can whip up in a hurry. I found that if I beat it for a couple of extra minutes at the end, it...
Swiss Meringue Buttercream (Vanilla or Chocolate)
This is my go-to buttercream recipe. It takes some time, and lots of dishes, but it is worth it in the end if you ask me. The texture is perfectly smooth and light with no unpleasant grains of sugar remaining thanks to the fact that the sugar is dissolved in the egg whites. I like...