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Carrot Cake
Whipping up this dessert involves an extra step that takes traditional carrot cake to new levels of deliciousness. If that isn’t enough to tempt you, consider that it adds yet another wave of scents that will overtake your kitchen in the best way possible. A knock on the door while this was in the oven led to being asked what seasonal candle I was burning, but the answer was simple: I’m just baking. In a season of bubbling fruit pies and pumpkin everything, this carrot cake overtook everyone who enjoyed a slice with its scent and flavor. Traditional favorites with a twist remind us of the warmest food memories while…
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Blueberry Upside-Down Cake with Lavender Whipped Cream
Giving a peek at what lies under the frosting, a naked cake is rustic and undone. Fat berries, split figs, or a few blooms are the decorations that indicate this stack of layers is ready for the table. These cakes invite us for a romp, a slice. If a berry rolls this way or that as we dig in, we have just made it more rustic. No one is afraid to cut a naked cake. The original undone cakes were the upside-down type – thin, buttery layers topped with caramelized fruit and maybe a dollop of whipped cream. The allure of a blueberry version goes further. Other fruits may brown…
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Chocolate Plum Upside-Down Cake
Forgive me they were delicious so sweet and so cold – William Carlos Williams (Excerpt from “This Is Just To Say”) With a delicious plum layer, this chocolate upside-down cake sparked me to repeat William Carlos Williams’ lines in the way that lyrics might play in your mind. As a lover and writer of poetry, I count his work as one of the sensual pieces that is as likely to pop up as any song. Having “eaten / the plums / that were in / the icebox,” the speaker apologizes…sort of. They were so sweet and cold, after all. Other poets have turned to the fruit and flowers of the…
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Elderflower Grapefruit Cake
“The only other sound’s the sweep Of easy wind and downy flake.” – Robert Frost After a string of blustery, gray, flurry-filled days, I was in the mood for bright flavors and created this elderflower grapefruit cake. With a floral sweetness from St. Germain and a vibrant touch from ruby red grapefruit, this cake disappeared from my counter so quickly that I regard it with a rather magical quality. I love it warm, but the flavors intensify as it cools. From cider poached pears to citrus desserts, crisp fruitiness is the perfect match to classic winter days. A decadent hot chocolate is warming, but bright flavors are a true mid-winter…
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