Cakes & Cupcakes

Espresso-Chocolate Layer Cake with White Chocolate-Mascarpone Frosting

I was honored to have my sweet friend Lora, the Cake Duchess herself, ask me to help her with a post while she is going through some personal stuff. Every now and then I’m reminded of just how real our relationships are in this globally connected world and I’m not just happy to help; I’m [...]

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‘Irish Coffee’ Cake and a Great Cause for Children – St. Baldrick’s Foundation

St Patrick’s Day will be here soon and I’ve got enough Irish in me to start thinking about a celebration. Not a big party but an opportunity to pay homage to a part of my ancestry (My Dad’s parents were German and Swiss; my Mom’s English and Irish). I’ll usually make corned beef for dinner, [...]

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Almond Cake with Boysenberry Jam from Bon Appetit RSVP

This almond cake is like a pound cake with the added bonus of having a heavenly almond flavor. The reader who requested the recipe from Bon Appetit magazine commented that she could not get enough of it. I get that, it’s just a great cake and the jam filling is perfect. Both texture and flavor [...]

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S’mores Cupcakes – Bon Appetit RSVP

I recently made these S’mores Cupcakes when asked to participate in ‘Frosting for the Cause’ – the project of another food blogger to bring bakers together who would agree to bake something for the blog, contribute $25 to a charitable cause and also give the results of their efforts to a group of their choosing. [...]

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Manhattan Bundt Cake – Bourbon, Pecans and Maraschino Cherries

Like many people, I’ve got some traditions for New Year’s Day. Nothing that would stand up to any historical perspective but just ‘our’ traditions. We have to have some Black Eyed Peas for luck, a tradition that started when our family lived in North Carolina for 10 years, and I have to make a Butter [...]

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Happy New Year and our Most Popular Posts of 2010!

The last day of the year, 2010. It’s been one heck of a year. For me, too much of it spent rehabilitating from the most serious injury I’ve ever had but thankful that it’s getting better, that my family is healthy and that I’ve been able to stay in touch with the ‘outside’ world through [...]

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Cranberry Glazed Orange Layer Cake

I make this cake every year for a holiday meal. This year it was for Thanksgiving but more often it’s for Christmas Day. The flavors are just fantastic and it is so beautiful. The combination of the orange flavored cake, the brown sugar/cream cheese frosting and the cranberry sauce make a spectacular presentation for this [...]

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Zucchini Bread with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Brown Butter Frosting

Zucchini bread is one of those things that if I had gone all summer without making it would have left me with a sad, that’s just not right sort of feeling. For years it was something my kids really looked forward to, using squash from our backyard garden. However, as the neighbor’s tree has grown [...]

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Nutella Fudge Brownies with Mocha Buttercream Frosting

A Contest! I’m lucky to have met Abby Dodge on Twitter even if so far we are really only ‘virtual’ friends. I hope know that will change but in the meantime, I’ve loved building a relationship with this wonderful, funny and talented woman. Although I had been following Abby on Twitter, I first really communicated [...]

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