Graham Coconut Caramel Cake
I have not made a cake for fun in a while. The problem with having a whole cake sitting around the house is I will eat a whole cake. I know I will. I have seen me do it. So, generally I do not make cakes to keep around the house, but I was feeling domestic the other day, and I was also feeling rather nostalgic. When I was little I would spend a few weeks with my grandmother Lola. She spoiled me with impunity, and would make me all...
Sweet Potato Pecan Coconut Cake
I love single layer cakes. They have a rustic appeal that I find immensely comforting. Most single layer cakes are charmingly homemade in appearance, requiring no special skills to decorate them. No torting layers, no stacking, no praying you avoid the dreaded buttercream belly around the side of the cake. If you decorate cakes you know about buttercream bellies. No, a single layer cake is reassuringly easy to make, and during...
Crunchy Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Muffins
When life gets busy I turn to easy comfort foods. I am currently working, quite furiously, on my next book. In fact, I just passed the half way point! My work on the book, as well as my trips to BlogHer and IFBC New Orleans, mean that this month I will not have as much time for cooking anything other than pies. Anything I can bake and stash in the freezer makes me feel a little more secure. I love knowing I am just a few moments...
Chocolate Italian Wedding Cupcakes with Chocolate Sour Cream Frosting
These cupcakes were born of necessity. Originally this batch of cupcakes was intended to be a full fledged cake, but due to my rather appalling laziness the pans I had intended to use were dirty when the urge to bake struck. When I say dirty I mean stuck on, needing a good soak, burnt on sugar dirty. I was forced to formulate a plan ‘B’ as I was not in the mood to wait until the pans were clean. Digging through my pans...
Cornmeal Buttermilk Cake with Chocolate Buttermilk Frosting
I am the kind of person who appreciates texture. Texture is a make or break for me, particularly in food. Example – I love the flavor of pears but the grainy, sandy texture is a real turn off. On the other hand, a plain hamburger bun is fine, but sprinkled with crunchy little poppy seeds I find it hard to resist. My first experience with a cornmeal cake was one filled with trepidation. I had it firmly set in my mind that a...
