Blueberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake

To those who celebrate, Happy Day Off! (aka Labor Day.) Even though my mind will be askew for the rest of the week, long weekends are always wonderful.

White Chocolate Mint Cake

Remember when I said how much I dislike white chocolate? (No?) That's good. Because I may be eating my words, literally...

There is absolutely no reason why I should like this cake. It's extremely sweet, and there isn't a single drop of lemon, or a hint of dark chocolate. Yet I'm absolutely smitten, I'm over the moon...I'm irrevocably in love, with this exquisite white confection.

Perhaps I should give Brussels sprouts another try? (Don't hold your breath on that one.)

When Jaclyn, of Celebrations asked if I would like to be part of a virtual Memorial Day potluck, I jumped at the chance! (I've never been to an actual potluck, and I'm always looking for a valid excuse to bake an over-the-top dessert.)  Thank you, Jaclyn!

Lemon Olive Oil Cake

As a child, I was obsessed with olives (and lemons, but that ship has already sailed). Left on my own, I would have spent my days in the sea, living solely on lemons, oranges, honey and olives. The first time I heard the term "olive oil," was in one of my all-time favourite movies, Popeye. Shelley Duvall played Olive Oyl, and when I was little, I thought it was the coolest name, ever. (Shelley also hosted Faerie Tale Theater, which thanks to an already overactive imagination, procured a short-lived fear of apples, mushroom circles, and Mick Jagger.)

Lime Chiffon Cake

So far winter has been on the mild side. I haven't had the usual angst-ridden longings for sunnier weather. (Watch what happens as a result of writing that down.)

Even though I haven't felt the urge to bury myself under 300 blankets while inhaling Meyer lemons for the next two months, I still crave the warm, summer-drenched ambiance of citrus. Any form of citrus. Yes, even a tangerine-vanilla martini (or two).

Mini Orange-Almond Cakes

There is this little unspoken pact that I have with...myself? I'm not allowed to complain about the weather for most of the year (but come winter, the gloves are off.) I'm almost always cold, ergo summer's counterpart and I are not always on speaking terms. But seriously July, a little break from the hell-fire inferno you've blasted us with wouldn't kill you. At least take things down to the double digits, please?

Blueberry Buttermilk Cake

In the fruit family, blueberries are like the wild, free-spirited cousins who breeze into your life about once a year in between trips around the globe and beg you to take advantage of their brief stay...as opposed to bananas, who spend their days in a dusty bowl or waiting patiently at the bottom of a desk drawer.

Strawberry Boy Bait

If only it were that easy. When I first saw this recipe, which is actually called blueberry boy bait, I had this Ally McMeal-like image of a woman in a wide brimmed hat and linen dress standing on a pier holding a fishing line while schools of mermen swam below (I don't understand why they had to be mermen, apparently even my imagination is uptight.) Anyway, once she catches one it becomes human...and is suddenly sporting the Indiana Jones look, which btw, did indeed include the whip (see, not so repressed after all, eh?)

The Chocolate Cake

This was the cake which, rather sadly, made me realize that there is such a thing as too much chocolate. But please hold off on hurling spatulas, I promise to explain the chocolatey issue.

Vanilla Bean Cake Bars

The bars that went into the oven and came out as a cake. Despite my love of dark chocolate, peanut butter, and lemons (no particular order there), every now and then I get vanilla cravings. Vanilla has such a pure, laid-back simplicity to it, that I find it a refreshing change from all the fussy, high-maintenance holiday desserts. The softness and ease of this vanilla cake felt like slipping on a favourite pair of blue jeans...if they can slip on after those holiday desserts.

Tuesdays with Dorie rewind: Almost-Fudge Gâteau

Has anyone acclimated to post-Christmas mode yet? Every year it amazes me how something that takes weeks to prepare for can pass by in what seems like a matter of minutes. I don't know about you, but for me this is kind of a bittersweet time of year. The Holidays are such gracious hosts, introducing us to the snow and the cold, and making everything festive and harmonious. But like a fleeting will-o'-the-wisp, they disappear all too soon, leaving behind all their belongings and a lingering fragrance. The one thing the Holidays do take away with them is the truce between Winter and myself. Winter and I are suddenly left alone together, and without the diplomacy of the holidays, it's only a matter of time before the gloves come off and we turn on each other.

Apple Cider Doughnuts (Daring Bakers' Challenge)

Everyone has a weakness, something that has the power to break them in half like a #2 pencil. I don't eat fried foods very often, and I rarely ever prepare something for the sake of frying it. The reason behind this has less to do with health and more to do with the fact that I turn into a Hoover vacuum cleaner whenever it's within my radar.

Tuesdays with Dorie: Double Apple Mini-Bundt Cakes

A huge Thank You to Lynne, of Honeymuffin for picking the perfect Tuesdays with Dorie recipe to break in the month of October.

Sweet and Salty Cake

Layer cakes hate me. They never fail to foil my attempts at symmetry. No matter how much pleading and 'nice talk' that occurs between the satanic cake pans and myself, they always end up throwing me under the bus at the last minute.

Lemon Lemon Loaf

Hi, My name is Valerie and I'm hopelessly addicted to lemons, limes and all their nefarious dessert incarnations. I don't plan on seeking any help, rather I've decided to take the opposite route and welcome my obsession with open arms (and lips.)

Tuesdays with Dorie: Nectarine Berry Upside-Down Cake

This week's Tuesdays with Dorie recipe was chosen by Sabrina, of the refreshingly summery blog Superfluous. The original recipe is actually for a cranberry upside-down cake, but Dorie kindly included a fruitier alternative for those of us who are not quite ready to step completely into Autumn.

Lime-Scented Pull-Apart Coffee Cake

Do you ever have inexplicable cravings for things other than sea salt and vinegar kettle chips or dark chocolate? I do. Spontaneous yearnings for citrus can kick in at the drop of a hat.

Yellow Cake with Chocolate Sour Cream Frosting

Whenever someone has a birthday, instead of thinking about how great it is for that person, all I think about is that I finally have an excuse to make a layer cake. Someone would literally have to hide the circular cake pans from me if they really wanted to put an end to the insanity. But why do that? I've said it before, it doesn't matter how old you are, the sight of a decked-out layer cake makes you feel like a six year old. Good or bad, birthdays come up once a year, so why not indulge your inner, sugar-high, child? As someone who loves to bake, I find layer cakes to be the golden chalice of desserts (perhaps one of many.) When the soft cakes slide smoothly out of their pans, the domed tops come off in one easy slice, and you don't use up all the frosting in the middle layer, it's as though the stars are in alignment. There's nothing like the feeling of pulling off a perfect cake.

I've made this cake and frosting before, but this was the first time that I used them together. The cake itself is an unbelievably moist yellow cake with a healthy amount of buttermilk and silky cake flour. When I sliced off the domes (because they were too high, not because I was hungry,) I remembered how amazing this recipe is. You could eat the cake alone, it's so good. I brushed on a layer of vanilla simple syrup to keep the layers moist and, just for the middle, I added strawberry jam to go along with the sour cream chocolate frosting. I can't say enough about the frosting, it's tangy and rich, and just fuses perfectly with the sweet cake. I had enough of the frosting left over to enjoy with some salty pretzels. I should patent that combination.

Yellow Cake with Chocolate Sour Cream Frosting
(adapted from the smitten kitchen)
*printer friendly Recipe*

Cake ingredients
4 cups plus 2 tablespoons cake flour (not self-rising)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
4 large eggs, at room temperature
2 cups buttermilk, well-shaken

Method
Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter two 9-inch round cake pans and line with circles of parchment paper, then butter parchment and lightly flour the entire pans. *Note: I was worried that my cake pans were not deep enough (they should be at least 2 inches. Instead I made my layers in a 9-inch spring form pan and baked them one at a time. If you decide to use a spring form pan, be aware that the baking time may need to be increased by about 10-20 minutes. But, as my oven is a temperamental beast, be sure to check after the minimum time.*

Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until pale and fluffy, then beat in vanilla. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well and scraping down the bowl after each addition. At low speed, beat in buttermilk until just combined (mixture will look curdled). Add flour mixture in three batches, mixing until each addition is just Incorporated.

Spread batter evenly in cake pan, then rap pan on counter several times to eliminate air bubbles. (I like to drop mine a few times from two inches up, making a great big noisy fuss.) Bake until golden and a wooden pick inserted in center of cake comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool in pan on a rack 10 minutes, then run a knife around edge of pan. Invert onto rack and discard parchment, then cool completely, about 1 hour. Well wrapped, the cakes can be refrigerated for 2 days.

Vanilla Simple Syrup (optional)
1/2 cup of sugar
1/4 cup of water
1/4 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract

In a small saucepan, combine all of the ingredients. Bring to a slow boil and stir until the sugar has dissolved completely. Using a pastry brush or the back of a spoon, brush/spread the syrup over the entire surface of both cake layers.

Strawberry Jam Layer
1/4 cup of strawberry jam (or whatever flavour your prefer.)

In a small sauce pan, and stirring constantly, bring the jam to a gentle boil. Remove from heat and while it's still warm, spread the jam over what will be your bottom cake layer.

Chocolate Sour Cream Frosting
15 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2 1/4 cups sour cream, at room temperature
1/4 to 1/2 cup light corn syrup (I ended up only using 1/4 cup)
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Combine the chocolate and espresso powder, if using, in the top of a double-boiler or in a heatproof bowl over simmering water. Stir until the chocolate is melted. (Alternately, you can melt the chocolate in a microwave for 30 seconds, stirring well, and then heating in 15 second increments, stirring between each, until the chocolate is melted.) Remove from heat and let chocolate cool until tepid.

Whisk together the sour cream, 1/4 cup of the corn syrup and vanilla extract until combined. Add the tepid chocolate slowly and stir quickly until the mixture is uniform. Taste for sweetness, and if needed, add additional corn syrup in one tablespoon increments until desired level of sweetness is achieved.

Let cool in the refrigerator until the frosting is a spreadable consistency. This should not take more than 30 minutes. Should the frosting become too thick or stiff, just leave it out until it softens again.

There will be plenty of frosting for the entire cake (including the middle) so throw caution to the wind while frosting the middle layer. Some of the warm jam will have sunk into the cake so just mix the chocolate frosting into what's left of the strawberry.

Makes one fabulous 9-inch layer cake

Swiss Roll Ice Cream Bombe (Daring Bakers' Challenge)

"Do you think because you are virtuous, that there shall be no more cakes and ale?" (Twelfth Night: act 2, scene 3)

2 posts in one day?! At least the desserts were made separately, otherwise there would be teeth falling out and zippers refusing to be pulled up. Thank you, floss obsession, Mari Winsor and Billy Blanks.

Tuesdays with Dorie: Lot's of ways Banana Cake

Is it crazy to be obsessed with a baking pan? A mini bundt cake pan to be exact. Seriously, if I could make cookies, pies, pasta, and salad in this thing, I would. Everything goes into it's softly rounded contours, come out so beautifully.

Tuesdays with Dorie: Rum-Drenched Vanilla Cakes

"Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me."

When I finally have a dog, I'm going whistle that tune when I'm calling him in for dinner or play time.