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As the fall passes I start to consider whether I’m going to make fruitcakes from my tried-and-true recipe collection or spend a couple of days working on something new.

This year I’ve split the difference. I took a proven fresh ginger cake that I would serve for dessert at any fancy dinner party and I started adding those ingredients that invite us into the holiday season. The result was, to say the least, successful, and I absolutely have to share this recipe with you.

Before I do, however, here are few general tips about fruitcakes.

The ingredients are expensive, so don’t spend a fortune on fruit and cheap out with margarine — unless the recipe says you can, of course. Speaking of fruit, if the recipe calls for tossing with flour, note whether the flour is some of or in addition to the total quantity.

These cakes often take hours to bake at relatively low temperatures, so how true your oven is can make a huge difference. Start checking early and keep checking every 15 minutes. When the top looks dry, the sides are just starting to come away from the pan and, most telling, a tester in the middle comes out clean, it’s done. When you do take it out of the oven, follow the instructions about whether to cool it completely in the pan.

Source: The Telegram

by Irvin

Back in November I hosted Thanksgiving with AJ and made a huge dinner with all the fixings for us two, my brother and his wife, and their utterly cute daughter (my niece) who I absolutely adore. It also happened to be her second birthday so, of course, I had to make her a birthday cake. After hemming and hawing about what sort of cake to make her, I decided the best thing to do was the straightforward birthday cake that one makes for a child. A white chocolate funfetti birthday cake made from scratch , not the kind you make from a box mix. Luckily I had received a preview copy of the Momofuku Milk cookbook by Christina Tosi  and there, in all it’s glory, was Chef Tosi’s version of the funfetti cake, made from scratch: the ultimate child’s birthday cake.

Of course, when I had initially thought to making a birthday cake for my two-year old niece, I did not think of what she might like. No, being the slightly self-absorbed typical San Francisco food blogger, I started to think about all the “seasonal” recipes I could create for her, the type that would be perfect for this blog! Maybe I could make a gorgeous upside down butterscotch pear cake, or an apple and quince bundt cake with toffee glaze. Maybe I could take advantage of the winter citrus and make a blood orange cornmeal cake or meyer lemon olive oil cake. Winter had just started up and I was falling back in love with grapefruit and pomegranates and kumquats. Gingerbread, peppermint, dark chocolate, all the heavy, beautiful flavors of the holiday season, start peaking around the corner of Thanksgiving, and my little niece was the excuse for me to bring them into the forefront....

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by Maria Hafer

I ordered this for my son's 2nd birthday party and am so glad I did. I've never attempted decorating a shaped cake before, so I was a little nervous, but my sister convinced me that between the two of us we could do it. She was right, and the cake could not have looked better had it been done by a professional. Wilton included step-by-step directions on the back on the paper insert and it took a few hours, but it came out great. Maybe a little too great - my 2 year old refused to eat any of it! I would rate it a great cake for beginners; it has 4 different icing colors and we only used 2 tips.

Source: Wilton Elmo Face Cake Pan Review | Room Divider Ideas