XOXO

Love is patient. Love is kind. 1 Corinthians 13:4-5

SOMETHING SWEET FOR YOUR SWEETIE

I still haven't quite figured out what I'm going to do for the boy for Valentine's Day this year, but I have been searching for a recipe to inspire me. Here is the perfect dessert to make via Sprinkle Bakes. I'm not too experienced with triple layers or creating shapes for that matter, but this recipe seems to be a piece of cake (pun intended). The only thing I'm not so sure about is the crumb coating, however, I love the effect. Plus, red velvet cake can often be entirely to sweet, so I think this coating will help balance it out a bit.

Heritage Red Velvet Cake

Cake:

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp salt

2 cups sugar

1 cup butter, softened

2 eggs

1 tbsp cocoa powder

1 1/2 tbsp liquid red food coloring

1 cup buttermilk

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tbsp cider vinegar

Preheat over to 350 degrees. Grease and lightly flour 2 or 3 round 9" cake pans. Sift flour and salt together, set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the butter and sugar. Mix until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time. Mix well after each addition. Add the flour mixture to the bowl alternately with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Blend in vanilla.

In a small bowl, mix the 1 1/2 tbsp red food coloring and 1 tbsp cocoa powder until a paste forms. Add to the sugar and butter mixture. Mix well. In a small bowl, stir together the baking soda and cider vinegar. This will foam and should be put into the batter immediately after well mixed. After adding the foam mixture, blend on medium-high speed until batter is consistent.

Spoon batter evenly into pans- batter will be very thick! Level top of batter with an offset spatula. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until cake springs back when pressed in the center. Turn out on wire racks and cool completely.

Cream cheese frosting:

2 8 oz packages of cream cheese, softened

1 cup butter, softened

2 tsp vanilla extract

4-5 cups sifted confectioner's sugar

In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter and vanilla together until smooth. With the mixer on low, gradually pour in the confectioner's sugar. Increase the speed to high and beat until light and fluffy. If mixture is too thick, add a little milk to thin it. If it is too thin, add additional powdered sugar or put in the refrigerator to firm up.

*If carving cake and coating with crumbs, be sure to put the crumbs on when the icing is fresh and still sticky.

For more tips on how to make this check out Heather's blog.

-xx

JQ

LOVE IS IN THE AIR

Now that the Super Bowl has come and gone it's time to focus on Valentine's Day. I don't place too much emphasis on this day of 'forced affection'. I feel that the special someone in your life should not need a commercialized holiday to spur their undying love and attention. Rather, these sentiments should be expressed the other 364 days of the year. Valentine's Day does bring back fond childhood memories of candy exchanges, decorating bags in class to fill up with cards, cliche gifts from sweethearts, and the secret admirer balloons my dad would always send me to school. In the spirit of these memories I do like to come up with simple gestures to bestow upon the boy. Here are a few things I did last year (excuse the bad photos...they were taken on my phone).

I got the idea from an old recipe I saw in Martha Stewart. Instead of making homemade brownies I used a mix and then cut them out and coated them in powder sugar, cocoa, and sprinkles.

I cut them out while they were still a little warm. Then, I let them set for a bit to cool before coating them.

The boy has a love for candy that he never left behind in his childhood so I added a little something else.

Inside I included a bit of a cheesy note just to make it fun. So, yes, there is a small part of me that likes Valentine's Day, because it challenges me to do something creative while being thoughtful. That and the nostalgic effect it has on me. I don't need bells or whistles nor bows or even a dozen roses followed by a reservation to feel loved. I'm much more thankful for the simple gestures.

Come back later in the week for more Valentine's ideas. I must be careful what I post so as to not give myself away. What are you planning? Share your creative ideas below.

-xx

JQ

*image above via rhonna designs