Lemon Love Bundt Cake

First I'm going to tempt you with lemon in this luscious lemon bundt cake before I explain about the lemons of blogging.  Please see below for my update. 💛😡

I've had this lemon bundt cake recipe for over 10 years and it's still a favorite!  Originally found on a blogging friend's website.  She no longer posts but her recipes are still online here.  She found the recipe through Tate's Bake Shop Cookbook.  I renamed it because it's not a true pound cake since it only uses 2 sticks of butter and not 4, but the 1 cup of sour cream kind of makes up for that! It is moist and so delicious. 

I used a light lemon glaze over the top.  This cake is wonderful on it's one but even better with some berries on the side and maybe a dollop of whipped cream or vanilla ice cream!  

👀 Now, I'd like to talk about the trials and tribulations of blogging.  Recently, I received an email from Mail Chimp (which I switched to after Blogger/Google stopped offering free email campaigns with the Blogger platform).  The free version of Mail Chimp suited my purposes just fine, given my 1200 or so followers.  Now, starting March 10, Mail Chimp will no longer send out free email posts if you have more than 500 subscribers.  I can try to delete followers who don't usually engage with nor look at my posts but it's going to be difficult to delete that many to get down to and remain at 500.  I'm sad and upset that they made such a drastic change in their policy in such a short period of time after choosing them for my blog. 

As of today, I'm going to delete the Subscribe By Email widget here which sent you to Mail Chimp.  I'm also returning the Feedly Subscription icon.  If you enjoy seeing my posts, please follow me using Feedly button after you read this.  By the way, you can get the Feedly App on your iPhone, Android, or tablet. I just installed it on my phone and it's great!  You can not only follow blogs with Feedly but other news sources as well. 

I sincerely appreciate all my followers and am very sorry for the inconvenience!

Susan

Lemon Love Cake

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

2¾ cups flour

½ teaspoon baking soda
¾ teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
2½ cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
5 large eggs at room temperature
1 cup sour cream
½ cup fresh lemon juice, from about 4 lemons

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Prepare a 10-inch Bundt pan with lots of pan spray and sprinkle it with granulated sugar.  (Flour will leave an unattractive residue on the cake.)

To make the cake:

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar until they are light and fluffy. Add vanilla and lemon zest, mix them together.

Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl.  

Mix sour cream and lemon juice together. Add flour and sour cream mixture alternately, finishing with the flour.

Spoon batter into prepared pan and bake for 1 hour or until a cake tester or toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the center.  

Place a wire cooling rack over the top of the bundt pan and carefully flip bundt pan and rack over using oven mitts.  Allow cake to cool about 5-10 minutes before lifting the pan off of the cake.  Cool completely.

To make the glaze dizzle:

1-2/3 cups fonctioners' sugar, sifted.
Pinch of Salt
2-4 tablespons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Mix the sugar and salt, then add 2 tablespoons of lemon juice and stir, add more lemon juice as needed to create a thin glaze that can be poured artfully over the cool cake.  Add sprinkles, if desired.  

Tea and Cookies! Chocolatey Ginger Crackle Cookies and a Tea Advent Calendar and Gift Ideas!

Happy November my friends!  It has been more than a year since I tasted my very first chocolate ginger cookie from a wonderful local bakery.  I was in love with the combination of flavors. I have tried to replicate the recipe twice without success - until now!  This is a delightfully chewy chocolate crackle cookie with just the right amount of ginger and cinnamon flavor to make it perfect for the chilly weather and upcoming holidays.  My husband, who does not care for gingerbread cookies, remarked at how good he thought they were.  Quite a compliment coming from him :)  

What can be more perfect alongside a delightful cookie than a delicious cup of tea? I love my coffee in the morning but each afternoon in the cooler months I love a hot cup of tea in the afternoon. In the warm months I enjoy iced tea.  

It was serendipity that during the time I was testing this cookie recipe, I was invited to preview the 2021 Adagio Tea Advent Calendar along with their 2021 Twelve Teas of Christmas.  I was given a sample of both to review and give my honest opinion.  This is not a paid promotion.  

The charming 2021 Adagio Tea Advent Calendar has a delicious seasonal tea surprise behind each window in the calendar.  

A wonderful gift for the tea lovers of your friends and family! You can find the Adagio Tea Advent Calendar by clicking here.  

I absolutely adore The Twelve Teas of Christmas from Adagio Tea!  Each seasonal tea is held inside it's own 'Twelve Days' tin with a charming illustration.  Each tin has a green satin loop to hang from your Christmas Tree.  𝅘𝅥𝅱𝅘𝅥𝅱 On the first tea of Christmas my true love gave to me...A Partridge in a Pear Tree! 𝅘𝅥𝅮  Each tin holds a different tea to sample, the Partridge in a Pear Tree contains White Pear tea.  You can buy the Twelve Teas of Christmas and see a list of the 12 teas by clicking here.  

Lastly, to drink with my new Chocolate Ginger Cookies, I tried Adagio Tea's Reindeer Fuel.  It is a delightfully delicious tasting tea which I truly enjoyed.  It's an Adagio "Signature Blend" of black tea, toasted mate, cocoa nibs, cocoa and cinnamon natural flavors, peppermint and ginger.  Sooooo good!  This pouch is a rewards gift with purchases.  You can learn more about this on the Adagio Teas website.  

Thank you, Adagio Teas, for asking me to sample your charming holiday gift teas.  There are more tea gift ideas on their website along with all of their regular and seasonal teas and accessories. 

Now for the AMAZING Chocolate Ginger Cookie recipe!

Chocolate Ginger Crackle Cookies

Printable Recipe

1/2 cup (113 g, 8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, just barely melted and cooled slightly
1/4 cup (56 g, 4 tablespoons) vegetable shortening, such as Crisco
2/3 cup (140 g) packed brown sugar
1/3 cup (87 g) dark molasses (I used Blackstrap molasses)
1 large egg
1-1/2 cups (225 g) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (60 g) cocoa powder (I like Ghirardelli cocoa powder)
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
3 ounces(85 g) coarsely chopped 60% dark chocolate (I used a Ghirardelli Bittersweet baking bar)

Sanding sugar, for rolling the cookies

Directions:

In a stand mixer with paddle attachment, beat together the melted butter, shortening, brown sugar, and molasses in a large bowl. Add the egg and mix in.

In a separate bowl, sift the flour, cocoa, baking soda, cinnamon, ground ginger, and salt and add to the butter mixture all at once. Slowly mix in until evenly combined (the mixture will be quite soft). Blend in the chopped chocolate. Cover and chill the dough for at least 2 hours or overnight. I chilled mine overnight. This will insure the best looking crackle.

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and line two baking trays with parchment or silicone baking sheets.

Scoop out 1 tablespoon portions of cookie dough. Roll each into a ball and then roll the balls in the sanding sugar to coat. Arrange the cookies on the baking sheets allowing 2 inches (5 cm) between each one. Leave the balls round, do not flatten! This also attains the best crackle and texture. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until they crackle and feel set at the edges. I baked mine for 11 minutes. You want the centers to remain moist.

Let the cookies cool on the trays on a cooling rack for 10 minutes and remove to a rack to cool completely. The cookies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days and freeze beautifully.

Note: The original recipe calls for 1-1/2 tablespoons of fresh grated ginger, and 1/2 teaspoon of ground nutmeg, which I omitted.  They freeze well also.  

Recipe adapted from Baking Day with Anna Olson and also appears in the October Costco Connection magazine.

Lemon Posset with Berries and Grand Marnier

Lemon posset is a deliciously refreshing dessert for summer because it's served chilled, but great at any time of year using whatever berries you can find. You know how I love do-ahead desserts, especially when you're entertaining and have a lot of other things to do!  Lemon posset actually needs to be made at least several hours ahead of time for the cream to fully thicken and set so making it the day before is best.  

Last spring, after my husband and I were fully vaccinated, we traveled to Georgia to visit good friends who were also vaccinated.  One night, they hosted a dinner party and one of the guests brought this dessert.  We loved it so much I asked for the recipe.  Thank you, Debbi!  When we were recently invited to dinner at a friend's home,  I offered to bring dessert and made Debbi's lemon posset.  Everyone loved it and also requested the recipe.  

Posset gets it's name from an old-time English drink dating back to the Middle Ages made by curdling milk with spiced wine or ale.  Thank goodness, it is more commonly known today as a creamy, pudding-like dessert made by boiling cream and sugar and adding lemon juice and zest or other citrus flavors.  That's it!  No temperamental eggs or gelatin, flour or cornstarch needed to thicken it. Many Americans have never encountered posset but it's so delicious and fairly easy to make that I think it will become very popular.  This recipe is based on one by Ina Garten, and we all know her recipes are wonderful!  

This particular recipes uses cream, sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest and limoncello to make the posset.  If you have a good liquor store near you, you can find small bottles of limoncello which hold at least 3 tablespoons, enough for this recipe.  Our Total Wine had several varieties to choose from.  I was also able to find a very small bottle of Grand Marnier for the berry topping.  The Grand Marnier and sugar-soaked berries are so delicious with each spoonful! 

I made some pecan shortbread cookies to go along with the posset but store bought pirouettes would also be a lovely garnish, although neither is really necessary as this is a satisfying dessert on its own.  

I hope you give it try!  

Lemon Posset with Berries and Grand Marnier

Printable Recipe

The Lemon Posset should be prepared the day before serving in order for the custard to fully set. 

Hands On Preparation Time, 20 minutes

Servings: 6  

Note:  I needed 8 Servings so I increased the recipe, ingredient amounts for 8 in parentheses. I used strawberries and raspberries but any berries would also work well. 

3 cups (4-1/2) heavy cream

1 cup (1-1/2) plus 2 (3) tablespoons sugar

1 (1-1/2) tablespoon lemon zest (2 to 3 lemons)

¼ (1/2) teaspoon kosher salt

⅓ (1/3 c plus 2-2/3 T) cup lemon juice

2 (3) tablespoons limoncello liqueur

1 (1-1/2) cup fresh raspberries, picked over

1 (1-1/2) cup sliced fresh strawberries

3 T Grand Marnier (or limoncello)

Combine the cream, 1 (1-1/2) cup of the sugar, the lemon zest, and salt in a medium saucepan.* Bring to a boil over medium-high, stirring with a wooden spoon to dissolve the sugar. Lower heat to a vigorous simmer and cook 6 minutes, without stirring.  Watch the mixture carefully. If it begins to boil up toward the edge, take the pan off the heat for a few seconds before continuing to simmer.

Off the heat, stir in the lemon juice and limoncello and set aside for 20 minutes. Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a 4-cup glass measuring cup, pressing on zest to release as much liquid as possible. Discard zest. Divide mixture evenly among six (or eight) 8- to 10-ounce glasses or bowls.  Allow to cool on the counter and then refrigerate, covered with plastic wrap, either overnight or up to 3 days.

Thirty minutes before serving, combine raspberries, strawberries, the remaining 3 tablespoons sugar and 3 T Grand Marnier (or limoncello) in a bowl and allow to macerate. To serve, spoon the berries and their juices onto the custards.

*Don't use a saucepan smaller than 6 inches round and 5 inches tall.

Adapted from: English Lemon Posset  - Barefoot Contessa

Classic Rhubarb Crisp with Buttery Crumble Topping

 

Warm weather is the perfect time for cool and refreshing desserts and if you enjoy rhubarb as much as I do, here is an easy and delicious dessert to put together.  I usually like to try at least one new rhubarb recipe when my rhubarb is ready for picking.  Seeing an instagram friend's @2020kcmd post was the initial inspiration for making rhubarb crisp. If you have a friend or neighbor that asks if you want some rhubarb, take it and make this! 

The rhubarb crisp recipe I chose was originally shared by a dear friend who sadly passed away not long ago, Barbara from Moveable Feasts.  She loved rhubarb as I do and shared many great recipes, including this one, which comes from Mark Bittman.  The crumble topping, however, comes from my blogging friend and fellow garden lover of over 20 years, Monique at La Table de Nana.  She shared an apple crisp with crumble topping from this French site.  It is a delicious, buttery, crunchy topping that holds up beautifully to the moisture in the rhubarb.  

This is a lightly sweetened, pure rhubarb dessert with orange or lemon zest and juice added for a bit of citrus brightness. The sweet crumble topping adds the rest of the sweetness to the dessert.   

A large scoop or two of vanilla ice cream gives the whole dish a creaminess that is irresistible!  Enjoy! 

Classic Rhubarb Crisp

Printable Recipe

Serves 6 to 8

6 tablespoons cold butter, cut into small pieces, plus more for greasing pan
2-1/2 to 3 pounds rhubarb, trimmed and cut into 1/2 inch pieces (about 5 to 6 cups)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon orange or lemon zest
1 tablespoon orange or lemon juice

Topping:

1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup rolled oats (not quick oats)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup butter, cut into cubes

In a bowl, mix all of the topping ingredients with a fork until well combined and refrigerate for while making the rhubarb filling.

Preheat the oven to 375 F. degrees. Butter a 8 or 9 inch baking dish (I used a 11 x 7 inch glass baking dish). Toss rhubarb with white sugar, orange or lemon zest and just pour out into the baking dish, leveling it as best as possible.

Sprinkle crumble topping over rhubarb as evenly as possible. You may have extra, which can be refrigerated for a future crumble topping dessert.

Bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until top is golden and beginning to brown and rhubarb is bubbling. Remove from oven and allow to cool. This is best eaten while slightly warm but may be made in the morning and refrigerated. Take out of refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature before serving or warm slightly in a 350 for about 20 minutes.

Serve with a scoop or two of vanilla ice cream.

Madeleines à la Monique

 

It's always so exciting to try a recipe that turns out just as you had hoped it would!  This is the first time I have made perfect Madeleines, that is, Madeleines with the high 'bump' in the middle which means you have arrived at the pinnacle of perfect Madeleine baking.  Madeleines are simple little cakes and you probably have all the ingredients in your home right now.  

Last fall, my friend Monique, at La Table De Nana, shared the perfect Madeleine recipe along with links that detailed the proper way to make them. There were so many suggestions on the proper oven temperature from many famous chefs!  Which one to try?  I had to confess, the first batch I almost burned, but try, try again, and I found the best temperature for my oven! 

Tip number one, I found out, is to prepare the dough the day before and refrigerate it for at least 12 hours.  

Tip number two is to brush melted butter in each cavity of your pan and then refrigerate until the butter has solidified.  

Tip number 3... after filling the each cavity of the pan 3/4 full, refrigerate for at least 15 minutes while the oven is preheating. 

Tip number 4, bake them first at high heat and then reduce the heat for rest of the baking time. This 'cold dough/hot oven' technique will assure a cripsy crust around the edges and the the perfect 'bump' on the top of each Madeleine.  

I loved them without any powdered sugar or extra sweetness but Monique also shared a link on how to coat one side with melted chocolate.  I'm going to try that next time!

No Madeleine pan? No problem! You can use a mini muffin tin.  Just fill whatever cavity you use 3/4 full. My Madeleine pan is a metal, non stick pan similar to this one, but it's still important to brush the inside of each cavity with melted butter to get the nice browned edges and bottom. Madeleines are perfect with a cup of tea or any time of day snack.  I enjoyed mine with my new favorite Rishi Tea's Hibiscus and Blueberry tea...I local company I like to support.  

Wishing all of you Lovelies a Very Happy Valentine's Day! 

Madeleines à la Monique

Note:  Yesterday when I first published this the 120 grams of flour was listed twice.  I've since edited the recipe.  

This recipe yields approximately 1-1/2 dozen Madeleines,

2 small eggs, weighed in grams. If eggs weigh 120 grams then use…
120 grams of sugar (I reduced that slightly)
120 grams of flour
120 grams of butter, melted
1 tsp honey
½ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
1-1/2 teaspoons orange zest (or lemon) or sub vanilla.  I used dried orange peel.

Grate the zest one organic lemon or orange, if using.  In a small bowl mix the zest of the two lemons with the sugar. In other bowl, sift the flour and the baking powder. In a small saucepan melt the butter.

Beat the eggs together with the lemon zest, sugar and the honey until the mix becomes a bit foamy. Next add the flour-baking powder mix and whisk. Finally add the melted butter and mix until well incorporated.

Refrigerate overnight or at least 12 hours with plastic wrap touching the top of the dough so it doesn't dry out.

The next day, melt a small pat of  butter and, with a pastry brush, brush the insides of the Madeleine molds. Place the molds in the refrigerator for 15 min until the butter firms. Sprinkle flour and remove the excess (only for non stick pans).  Fill molds to ¾ full with a heaping tbsp of dough. Spread out dough in molds using the pastry brush to gently tap dough into mold.  Refrigerate again while oven is preheating, at least 15 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 420 F).  Bake them for 3 minutes and reduce heat to 320 F and bake for another 4 minutes.  Timing will depend on your individual oven.  Check often during last few minutes.  Madeleines should not be shiny on top with a nice ‘bump’ and be golden with browned edges.  Let the Madeleine’s cool before removing them from the mold.

Leave plain or dust with confectioners sugar or dip in melted chocolate. 

Savoring Time in the Kitchen is a member of the Amazon Affiliate Program. If you purchase a product by following a link that we provide, the price you pay as a consumer does not change, but if you do make a purchase through one of these links, we earn a very small commission for providing that link.  Thank you for your support of Savoring Time in the Kitchen!

Cranberry Lime Tart

I may be the last one in the world to make this pie!  After appearing on the cover of Bon Appetit in the fall, it took the baking world by storm.  I'm sure it appeared on many a Thanksgiving table!  But, in all honesty, it didn't appeal to me.  Cranberries and lime just sounded too tart so I dismissed it. 

Then, thankfully, along came our holiday gourmet group menu, hosted by friends last weekend.  Guess who was assigned this recipe?  Yep.  All I can tell you is, Thank Goodness!  It is absolutely delicious and the cranberries and lime juice are mellowed into a delicious curd with plenty of sugar, butter and eggs to take the 'bite' out of the cranberries.  And, the gingernap/pecan crust is to die for.  It is the most perfect compliment to the curd and delivers a playful crunch in every bite. 

I increased the recipe by half and used one large (9-1/2 inch) and one small (7-inch) tart pan in order to serve 10 and have some left over.  Topped with sweetened whipped cream, sugared cranberries or a sprig of fresh thyme, this needs to be on your Christmas dinner table! 

Speaking of sweetness, we've been enjoying our grandsons this past month decorating Gingerbread houses, visiting our local indoor botanical garden's holiday display, and outdoor adventures and sleepovers.  We love to have them over individually to love and spoil them ♥ We have been so blessed with these three, wonderful boys. 

More sweetness was gifted to me by my dear cyber friend of 20+ years, Monique, of La Table de Nana and @monique_qc on Instagram.  Among other goodies, she sent this beautiful hand-stitched cardinal and two beautiful paintings (the tree was painted on the craft paper in which the package was wrapped.  How stickin' cute is that? 

This likely will be my last post before Christmas and I want to wish each and every one of you peace and happiness this holiday season.  Thank you all for being so supportive to me and my humble little blog all of these years. 

Savoring Time in the Kitchen is a member of the Amazon Affiliate Program. If you purchase a product by following a link that we provide, the price you pay as a consumer does not change, but if you do make a purchase through one of these links, we earn a very small commission for providing that link. Thank you for your support of Savoring Time in the Kitchen!

Cranberry Lime Tart

Printable Recipe

Please see my note about the amount of time required to thicken the curd below:

Crust
4 ounces gingersnap cookies (about 16 if using Nabisco)
1 cup pecans
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
3 tablespoons light brown sugar

Filling
1 12-ounce package fresh (or frozen, thawed) cranberries, plus 4 ounces (about 1¼ cups) for serving
2½ cups granulated sugar, divided
3 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
2 teaspoons finely grated lime zest, divided
½ cup fresh lime juice
Pinch of kosher salt
¾ cup (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into pieces

Whipped cream (for serving)

To Make The Crust

Preheat oven to 350°. Pulse cookies in a food processor until very finely ground (you should have about 1 cup). Add pecans; pulse until finely ground. Add butter and brown sugar; pulse to combine. Transfer to a deep 9" pie dish. Using a measuring cup, press firmly onto bottom and up sides of dish. Bake until firm and slightly darkened in color, 10–15 minutes. If crust slides down sides, gently press back up. Let cool. Crust can be baked 1 day ahead. Store tightly wrapped at room temperature.

Filling

Bring 12 oz. cranberries, 1 cup granulated sugar, and ¼ cup water to a boil in a large saucepan over medium-high. Reduce heat; simmer until cranberries burst and most of the liquid evaporates, 12–15 minutes. Let cool. Purée in a blender until very smooth.

Cook purée, eggs, egg yolks, lemon zest, lime juice, salt, ½ cup sugar, and 1 tsp. lime zest in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water (bowl should not touch water), stirring with a rubber spatula and scraping down sides of bowl often, until curd thickens and coats spatula, 8–10 minutes. (NOTE:  On my stove this process took at least 20-25 minutes, so go to the bathroom before you start stirring - LOL). Cool until still warm but not piping hot.  It needs to be warm enough for the butter to melt in the next step. 

Using an electric mixer on medium-high, beat curd, adding butter a piece at a time and incorporating after each addition, until curd looks lighter in color and texture, about 5 minutes. Scrape into crust and chill until firm, about 2 hours.

Garnish

Bring ½ cup granulated sugar and ½ cup water to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Add remaining 4 oz. cranberries and cook until barely starting to soften, about 1 minute. Using a slotted spoon, transfer cranberries to a wire rack set inside a rimmed baking sheet. Chill until no longer sticky, 20–30 minutes.

Toss remaining ½ cup granulated sugar and 1 tsp. lime zest in a small bowl. Toss cranberries in lime sugar. Top pie with cranberries; serve with whipped cream.

Do Ahead: Pie (without topping) can be made 2 days ahead. Cover once filling is firm and keep chilled. Let sit at room temperature 2 hours before serving.

Adapted from Bon Appetit Magazine

Favorite Chocolate Cupcakes ♥

This recipe has become my go-to, signature cupcake recipe and a favorite when I need a quick dessert!  It's easy, foolproof and delivers delicious results.

I had an excuse to make them this past weekend when we were invited to watch our two oldest grandsons play 1st grade and 3rd grade basketball and have dinner afterward with the whole family at their home.  So much fun to watch them ♥

I know they love these cupcakes as I've made them for my boys several times before, but usually topped with a chocolate ganache frosting.  This time, I decided to try my friend, Debbie, from Mountain Breaths' Magnolia Bakery Buttercream Frosting and it was delicious!  When I asked my grandsons how they liked the new frosting, they both put up their thumbs as they couldn't speak while devouring their cupcake.  Two thumbs up!  I tinted the buttercream pink for Valentine's Day and found some Valentine's Day sprinkles.  They love jimmies and sprinkles on their cupcakes :)

My daughter and I still love the chocolate ganache so made 6 of each.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Shop for Valentine's Day Cupcake Liners HERE! (Affiliate Link)

Favorite Chocolate Cupcakes

Printable Recipe

Makes 12

Notes: Make sure your baking soda is fresh. I like to replace mine every six months.

4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup water
1 cup minus 1 tablespoon of AP flour
1 tablespoon of cornstarch added to above flour
1 scant cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder  (I use Ghirardelli) 
3/4 teaspoon baking soda (1/2 + 1/4 tsp)
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1/4 cup buttermilk (real buttermilk give the best results but you can make your own buttermilk substitute by stirring in 1/2 teaspoon of vinegar to 1/4 cup regular milk and allow it to sit for 10 minutes, stir before adding) 
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350°. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper or foil cupcake liners.

In a small saucepan, melt the butter with the vegetable oil and water over low heat and remove from heat as soon as the butter is melted.

In a large bowl, sift the flour, cornstarch, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt together. Stir until blended. Add the melted butter mixture and beat with a handheld mixer at low speed until smooth. Add the egg and beat and then add the buttermilk and vanilla. Beat until smooth for about one minute, scraping the bowl. Pour the batter into the lined muffin tins, filling them about three-fourths full.

Bake the cupcakes in the center of the oven for about 22-25 minutes, until springy and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cupcakes cool slightly, then transfer them to a rack to cool completely. Unfrosted cupcakes can be wrapped in plastic and stored at room temperature for up to 2 days or frozen for up to 1 month.

Magnolia Bakery Buttercream Frosting

Adapted from Mountain Breaths

Note: This recipe can be cut in half. I used heavy cream rather than milk as I had some on hand.

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
6 to 8 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Place the butter in a large mixing bowl. Add 4 cups of the sugar and then the milk and vanilla. On the medium speed of an electric mixer, beat until smooth and creamy, about 3 to 5 minutes. Gradually add the remaining sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating well after each addition (about 2 minutes), until the icing is thick enough to be of good spreading consistency. You may not need to add all of the sugar. If desired, add a few drops of food coloring and mix thoroughly. (Use and store the icing at room temperature because icing will set if chilled.) Icing can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Chocolate Ganache Frosting 

This recipe can be cut in half.

4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped. I used Ghirardelli 60% Bittersweet baking bar
1/2 cup heavy cream
3 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon light corn syrup (I only use 1 teaspoon)
1/8 teaspoon salt

Put the chopped chocolate into a heatproof bowl, such as a 4-cup Pyrex measuring bowl. In a small saucepan, heat the cream, butter, corn syrup and salt until hot but not boiling. Pour the hot mixture over the chocolate and leave alone for 1-2 minutes. Then start stirinbg , and then stir until smooth and dark with no remaining traces of cream (start stirring in circles in the center and then work outward).

Let the frosting cool, stirring occasionally, until thick enough for dipping and glazing the cupcakes, about 30 minutes. For a frosting firm enough to spread, place in refrigerator and stir every 5 minutes until it’s firm enough to use as frosting. If it becomes too stiff just bring it back to room temperature. The frosting can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Return to room temperature before using.

Adapted from Food and Wine

Chocolate Cake with White Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

If you're hosting Christmas dinner, or having a New Year's Eve party, I have a lovely and delicious dessert for you!  This past weekend, we had a gourmet group gathering at the home of good friends.  This cake was assigned to us (BTW, that means me) to bring as each couple gets an assignment that the host and hostess determine.  

There was a note in the recipe that peppermint extract could be added to make it more festive for the holidays.  Unfortunately, I didn't have any peppermint extract on hand.  What I did have were crushed candy canes from the candy cane cookies I made in my last post.  The problem with crushed candy canes in the frosting was that they kept getting stuck in my piping nozzle, even though I was using the largest star tip.  Next time, I'd use extract or make sure the candy canes are pulverized thoroughly!  

I decorated the cake with Hershey's candy cane kisses and candy candy-dusted star cookies made with the same candy cane cookie dough from my last post for a festive look!

Since I didn't want to slice it before it was served at dinner that evening, I took a few (bad) photos with my phone while we were plating it so you could see what the layers look like and how I served it.  I brought extra cookies and red raspberries for serving.  It was delicious!  

Ho-Ho-Ho!  Wishing all of you who celebrate a sweet and Very Merry Christmas! 

Savoring Time in the Kitchen is a member of the Amazon Affiliate Program. If you purchase a product by following a link that we provide, the price you pay as a consumer does not change, but if you do make a purchase through one of these links, we earn a very small commission for providing that link. Thank you for your support of Savoring Time in the Kitchen!

Chocolate Cake with White Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

Printable Recipe

Serves 12

3 cups granulated sugar

2-3/4 cups all purpose flour

1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (I used Ghirardelli)

2 teaspoons baking soda

1-3/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1-1/4 cups strong black coffee, cooled to room temperature

1-1/4 cups buttermilk

3/4 cup canola oil

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

3 large eggs, room temperature

Note: I didn't have 9" x 2" pans so used 9" by 1-3/4" pans and my cake spilled over in the oven. If you don't have 2" pans, prepare a collar with parchment paper to make sure your cake won't spill over the top of the pan. Click HERE for a good tutorial on how to make a collar. 

Preheat oven to 350 F degrees. Grease 2 - 9" x 2" round cake pan. Line bottom with parchment - See Note above ^

Sift together sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt and baking powder into large mixing bowl (to make sure there aren't any lumpy bits). 

Mix together cooled coffee, buttermilk, oil and vanilla.

At low speed, beat half of buttermilk mixture into flour mixture until blended and smooth. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each egg. Beat in remaining buttermilk mixture. Batter will seem thin. Pour evenly into prepared pans.

Bake cakes in the center of the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 40-50 minutes, depending on your oven. Start checking at 40 minutes.

Allow cakes to cool in pans for 5 minutes. Loosen cakes by running a metal spatula around the sides of the pans. Remove parchment collar if one was used. Turn cakes out onto wire racks to cool completely and remove parchment paper from bottom.

White Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

1 pound (4 sticks) butter, softened

1 pound white chocolate, chopped up a bit

4-5 cups confectioners sugar (powdered sugar)

1/2 to 1 cup heavy whipping cream

1-2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 teaspoon peppermint extract, or finely crushed candy canes, if desired

Melt 1 stick butter with chocolate in a double boiler (or a round metal bowl set over a pan of simmering water). Stir and let cool slightly. 

In a mixing bowl, cream remaining 3 sticks butter with confectioners sugar and melted white chocolate mixture. Beat until creamy. 

Add heavy cream, a little at a time, and beat until desired consistency is achieved. Add extracts and/or finely crushed candy cane and blend well, adding more cream if necessary.

Slice each cake in half horizontally, using a very long serrated knife. Some people use taut dental floss! Click HERE to see a tutorial on how to do that. 

Place one layer on a serving plate and spread with about 1/6th of the frosting. Repeat with the next two layers. Top with remaining cake layer and spread sides and top with frosting. 

Decorate cake with piped additional frosting as you wish. Top with Hershey's Candy Cane Kisses, and Christmas Cookies if desired. 

Hazelnut Thumbprint Cookies and a Candy Cane Cookie Reprise

It's hard to believe that Christmas will be here in two weeks.  Let's get baking! With all the hustle/bustle and Things-to-Do Lists a mile long, baking is a great stress reliever...not to mention the happiness that biting into a delicious, fresh cookie brings.  

I just started a few days ago and so far have made one new-to-me recipe and one old favorite recipe.  The newbies are these Hazelnut Thumbprint cookies that I found in Scandinavian Baking by Pat Sinclair.  They are buttery, flaky, coated in toasted hazelnuts and filled with your favorite jam or preserves.  For my filling, I chose seedless raspberry jam.

I also made my favorite candy cane cookies this last weekend, knowing one of our daughters and her boyfriend were coming over for dinner.  They are my family's favorite Christmas cookie and they freeze beautifully!  I first shared them in this post in 2008.

They have always been Santa's favorite also and when our daughters were little we would always leave some out for him on Christmas Eve along with carrots for his reindeer :)  As you can see, Santa has a new holiday camper!

They are especially delicious with a cup of Candy Cane tea in a Candy Cane teacup/brewer.  The candy canes on the tea cup turn to red from black when hot water is poured in! By David's Teas...So cute!  Both Santa's camper and the tea cup/brewer were gifts from a very special friend.  A friendship that has been ongoing for 16-17 years, although we've never met.  A friendship that began with gardening in garden forums, continued with cooking and baking, painting and crafts.  Fueled by many similarities in that we both have husband's who were both golfers and names start with the letter J, two daughters - one with light hair and one with dark, and years later, we were both blessed with adorable grandsons.

Delightful Christmas offerings from my friend, Monique ♥  May your holiday season be filled with friendship.....and baking!

Hazelnut Thumbprint Cookies

Printable Recipe

Makes about 4 Dozen Cookies

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup softened butter
1/2 cup sugar
2 large eggs, separated
1 teaspoon almond extract
2 tablespoons water
1 cup toasted and finely chopped hazelnuts
2/3 cup seedless raspberry jam (you may substitute any jam or preserves you prefer, but red is pretty for Christmas)

Notes: Look for Eileen's brand of hazelnuts if you can find them. I found an 8-oz bag for just over $3.00. 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with silicone mats or parchment paper.

Toast whole hazelnuts on a small baking pan for about 6 minutes. Remove to a large plate and allow to cool. Rub nuts between your hands to remove as much of the skins as possible, then place in a food processor and pulse until finely ground. Be careful not to over process or you will make hazelnut butter ;) Remove to a bowl and set aside.

Combine flour and salt in a bowl and stir until blended.

Beat the butter in a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and creamy. Add the sugar and egg yolks and mix well. Scrape down the bowl, once or twice with a spatula. Add the flour mixture with the mixer running at slow speed and beat until a soft dough is formed. Scrape the bottom of the bowl to incorporate all of the flour.

In a small bowl, beat the egg whites and water with a whisk or fork until frothy.

Take rounded teaspoons on dough and shape into balls. Dip the bottom half into the egg whites and then into the chopped nuts rolling slightly to cover the bottom and sides. Place on cookie sheet and press down slightly. Make an indentation in each one with your thumb or back of a small spoon. (I used a rounded cork that I saved from a bottle of wine).

Bake cookies for 10 minutes or, until the edges are light brown. Remove from oven and reshape indentation. Fill each cookie with 1/2 teaspoon of jam or preserves.

Continue baking for another 6-8 minutes or until the edges are browned. Cool cookies on the baking sheet for 1 to 2 minutes before removing to a wire rack to completely cool.

Adapted from Scandinavian Baking by Pat Sinclair.

Candy Cane Cookies

Printable Recipe

Makes about 4 dozen

Note: I usually double this recipe because I like the canes a little larger. If making separate ropes is too time-consuming just take a about a teaspoon or so of each color dough and roll each into a short log. Then place the two colors together and roll them into a longer rope. While holding onto one end of the rope to keep it stationary, twist the other end to swirl the colors.

½ cup butter or margarine, softened
½ cup shortening
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 egg
1-1/2 tsp almond extract
1 tsp vanilla
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
½ tsp red food coloring
1/2 cup crushed peppermint candy
1/2 cup granulated sugar

Heat oven to 375 F. Mix thoroughly butter, shortening, confectioners’ sugar, egg, almond extract and vanilla; blend in flour and salt. Divide the dough in half and blend food color into one half.

For each candy cane, shape 1 tsp of dough from each half into a 4-inch rope (for smooth, even ropes, roll the dough back and forth on a lightly floured surface.) Place the ropes side by side and press together lightly; twist. Place on a Silipat or parchment-lined baking sheet and curve the top of each twist to form the handle of the cane.
Bake about 9 minutes or until set and very light brown. Mix candy and granulated sugar (food processor works best); sprinkle on the hot cookies when they come out of the oven. Allow to cool on sheet at least 5 minutes before trying to remove.

Adapted from Betty Crocker's All-Time Favorites