my first fondant cake

since i haven't published anything in months, i figured my next thing better be HUGE. and i think it is. i am so proud of myself : )

i made this cake for my aunt's 60th birthday party. i had never made a cake with fondant before, and knew i had a lot of research to do.

this is a two-layer, two tiered cake. the bottom, larger layer is basic chocolate cake, and the top is basic vanilla - each with two layers, and surrounded in buttercream frosting. i covered it with marshmellow fondant that i made, colored, and applied.

i made the fondant a week before, and put it in the fridge. i made the cakes two days before, put an inital layer of frosting on them, and also put them in the fridge. the day before the party, i assembled everything.

this was really really a blast to make - but VERY time consuming. it definitely isn't perfect, but, i learned a lot for next time. and like i said, i was super proud of the results! : )

good golly! hot cross buns!

these remind me of my gram. she LOVES them, and always had them around when i was little. this year, she asked me to make some for her - and of course, i was delighted!

i ended up making two batches. the first batch was "OK" - but the bottom of all the buns were burnt. i cut each bottom off, and my sister said they were still yummy. but, i couldn't give them to my gram like that! so, when the recipe says "bake for 15 mins," i would check them around 10, and every minute there after : )

also, wait until they have cooled a bit before doing the glaze - or the glaze will end up EVERYwhere.

3/4 cup milk
1 package active dry yeast
1/2 teaspoon granulated white sugar
3 1/2 - 4 cups flour

1/4 cup light brown sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup (4 tablespoons)unsalted butter, room temp

2 large eggs
1/2 cup dried cranberries, cherries, or a mix

1/4 cup raisins, currants, or a mix

Egg wash:
1 large egg
1 tablespoon milk or cream

Glaze:
1/2 cup confectioners sugar, sifted
1 tablespoon milk or cream

Place first 12 ingredients into a bread machine, according to the directions. Add the dried fruit during the appropriate cycle for your machine. Once cycle is complete, remove from pan & divide into 12 equal pieces. Form each piece into a small round ball, and place on a parchment lined baking sheet (Place three buns to a row, four rows altogether). Make an egg wash of one beaten egg with 1 tablespoon milk, and brush the tops of the buns with the wash. Cover with plastic wrap or a clean dish towel and place in a warm spot until almost doubled in size (about an hour).

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Brush the tops of the buns with the egg wash again and, with a sharp, lightly greased knife, make a cross in the tops of each bun. Place the baking sheet in the preheated oven and bake for about 15 minutes, or until the buns are nicely browned and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Glaze: Combine the confectioners sugar and milk and mix until smooth. Place the glaze in a paper cone or a small ziplock bag. Cut the end of the cone or bag and pipe a cross in the cut marks of each bun.

Makes 12 buns.

BAGELS ... all shapes, sizes, flavors ...

cranberry bagels are my favorite. and for some reason, you can only buy them in the grocery store around thanksgiving and christmas. it is like, what? cranberries disappear off the face of the earth, and magically reappear in december? i don't think so. i then decided i was going to make my own bagels, and make as many cranberry bagels in july as i wanted.

here the is the basic recipe:

1 cup warm water (heated 1 minute in microwave)

1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons white sugar
3 cups bread flour (sometimes i substitute half bread flour, half all purpose)
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
3 quarts boiling water
3 tablespoons white sugar
1 tablespoon cornmeal

1 egg white

Place water, salt, sugar, flour and yeast in the bread machine pan in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Select Dough setting.
When cycle is complete, cut dough into 6 equal pieces, and roll each piece into a small ball. Flatten balls. Poke a hole in the middle of each with your thumb. Twirl the dough on your finger or thumb to enlarge the hole, and to even out the dough around the hole. Cover bagels with a clean cloth, and let dough rest on a lightly floured surface in a warm place until bagels have doubled in size (about 2 hours).

After 2 hours, bring a large pot bring 3 quarts of water to a boil. Stir in 3 tablespoons of sugar.
Sprinkle an ungreased baking sheet with cornmeal. Carefully transfer bagels to boiling water. Boil for 1 minute, turning half way through. Drain briefly on clean towel. Arrange boiled bagels on baking sheet. Glaze tops with egg white, and sprinkle with your choice of toppings.
Bake in a preheated 375 degree F oven for 20 minutes, until well browned.

so far, i have made:

cinnamin raisin (add 1 tablespoon cinnamon, and 1/2 cup raisins to bread machine. follow bread machine instructions for adding fruit to dough cycle)

onion (add 1 tablespoon onion poweder, and 1/2 cup onions - sauted briefly)

garlic (1 tablespoon garlic powder, and minced garlic - as much as you want)

blueberry (added 1 cup frozen blueberries)

cranberry! (added 1 cup cranberries, and 1/2 teaspoon almond extract)

xmas gifts! a little late ...

this year, i decided to hand make a bunch og my xmas gifts. of course, it had to involve food.

i had seen these gift ideas in stores, and thought "oh man, i can DEF do that ... even better!"

i collected as many 1 quart mason jars with screw on lids as i could (i actually bought micheal's out of them, and had to order some online!) and searched for a few different cookie recipes. i ended up making chocolate chip, cranberry white chocolate & walnut, butterscotch chip, and oatmeal raisin. i also bought some christmas ribbon & fabric at JoAnn Fabrics for the top of the jar, along with some festive index cards for the recipes. what fun! here is an exmaple recipe i used:

5/8 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup white sugar
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Layer the ingredients in a 1 quart or 1 liter jar, in the order listed.
Attach a tag with the following instructions: Cranberry Hootycreeks 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a cookie sheet or line with parchment paper. 2. In a medium bowl, beat together 1/2 cup softened butter, 1 egg and 1 teaspoon of vanilla until fluffy. Add the entire jar of ingredients, and mix together by hand until well blended. Drop by heaping spoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheets. 3. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until edges start to brown. Cool on baking sheets, or remove to cool on wire racks.

Fab.