White Chocolate Blueberry Buttercream

This white chocolate blueberry buttercream is as versatile as it is beautiful.  Loaded with real blueberry flavor and no artificial color, it’s an excellent accompaniment to lemon curd and lemon cake.  I’ve used it two ways here, but there are so many possibilities. Continue reading “White Chocolate Blueberry Buttercream”

Raspberry Almond Cake with Candied Blood Oranges

I love frosting.  I love cupcakes with lots of frosting and cakes covered in big frosting rosettes.  But sometimes a cake is just so delicious, you want the frosting to simply complement, not dominate.  This raspberry almond cake gets that balance just right.  The cake is rich and perfectly textured and the raspberry buttercream frosting adds a bright flavor and color.  It’s loaded with real raspberries and topped with tender candied blood oranges, giving just a bit of bitterness to balance the sweet.  All of the three components are delicious on their own.  But together, they’re magic. Continue reading “Raspberry Almond Cake with Candied Blood Oranges”

Mind-Blowing Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cupcakes

These chocolate covered strawberry cupcakes are a valentine favorite at our house.  The strawberry buttercream is insanely delicious and loaded with real strawberry flavor.  Because the cupcakes are made from a mix and the tops are dipped in dark chocolate candy melts they look fancy but are pretty simple to make. Continue reading “Mind-Blowing Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cupcakes”

Lemon-Rosemary Linzer Cookies

I am always looking for new ways to use lemon curd.  If it were socially acceptable, I would put it on my breakfast cereal.  These Lemon-Rosemary Linzer Cookies were a bit of late night inspiration but will now be a standard in my rotation.  The rosemary is a just-barely-there flavor note that compliments the lemon and brings out the hint of salt.  They’re addictive.

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Glazed Apricot-Pistachio Cookies

I have drop-cookie issues.  I know they’re tasty and easy and much beloved. But I really can’t handle the uncertainty inherent in a cookie that just gets plopped onto a cookie sheet with a spoon.  I need cookies to be precisely scooped or rolled or cut out, not “dropped”.  Making chocolate chip cookies leaves me deeply unsatisfied.  I’ve been thinking about a cookie with dried fruit and nuts but all my internet research led straight to drop cookies. So I got to work cooking up some delicious fruit-nut cookies that could be rolled out and cut into precise circles.  No blobs allowed!

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Pumpkin Cake With Molasses Cream Cheese Frosting

Pumpkin Cake With Molasses Cream Cheese FrostingThis frosting is the best baking idea I’ve had in like a year.  I’m sort of over pumpkin honestly so when I got a hankering for a cozy fall cake, I didn’t really know where to turn.  I’m not an apple gal and carrot cake is made of vegetables.  And nuts.  And raisins.  Come on. Continue reading “Pumpkin Cake With Molasses Cream Cheese Frosting”