Salted Caramel "Ding Dong" Cake

Life just gets away from you sometimes. Things have just been so busy and unfortunately that meant that I didn't even post once in March. I've still been cooking and baking plenty but the drive to photograph and write up anything just wasn't there.

Mardi Gras King Cake

It's that time of year again to celebrate Mardi Gras! When we lived in New Orleans we loved going to the family friendly parades and watching the kids (and adults) gather as many beads and gifts as they possibly could. With the snow packed up higher than our cars here in Minnesota this year, it's hard to imagine that we were somewhere else this time of year enjoying the warmth of a late evening out at the parade.

Chocolate Hazelnut Cupcakes

I'm not sure why I even said yes. I'm not a professional by any means and I've never done anything near a wedding cake before. It was soon after my cake won a ribbon at the state fair though so I must have been at a weak moment when my brother asked if I'd make their wedding cake and I actually said yes. The only reason I even considered it though is because they said they wanted something less traditional and were thinking more of a cupcake tower.

Minnesota State Fair 2012

I told myself I wasn't going to enter anything in the fair this year. I entered a few things last year and completely struck out. Not even an honorable mention. Then this year came around and I caved in. BUT, I only entered one item. It was all or nothing. It was the special contest sponsored by King Arthur Flour. I love King Arthur and after having visited them earlier this year, I felt it only right to submit an entry and try to win even more money to spend with them.

Lemon Pudding Cakes with Raspberry Sauce

We're at it again. The Virtual Potluck team joined up with True Lemon this time and we've got a whole assortment of dishes using their products. Check out our host blog here to join the party.

I love to use fresh lemons and limes but I rarely have them stocked in the fridge and since I cook so randomly, meaning I rarely plan ahead, when I need a lemon or lime it's never there. That leaves me a few options, but most are artificial and don't provide the pure lemon flavor you're looking for in a lemon centered dish.

Red Velvet Cake

I never had Red Velvet cake until after I was married which basically means I lost 22 years of eating the best cake in the world. This cake shows up for pretty much every birthday in my wife's family so I got my fair share in pretty short time. I'm typically not a huge cake fan, so if I'm I'm going to eat cake, it had better be good. This Red Velvet is about the only cake I truly look forward to eating. It's light, fluffy and moist with a light chocolate flavor and the frosting is what really sets it apart. It's roux based, meaning it's made from a flour and milk mixture that is cooked first and then whipped into the rest of the frosting. The result is a velvety smooth creme with a flavor that is unlike anything I've ever had before.

Mardi Gras King Cake

We've lived quite a few places around the country since we've been married but one of our favorites is certainly our time spent in New Orleans, Louisiana. We were there for just a year but we fell in love with the people, culture and of course the food. One for the best events we were able to participate in was the fantastic series of parades leading up to Mardi Gras. We lived in Mandeville and they hosted some great family friendly parades that the kids loved to go to. It was so much fun standing alongside the parade route cheering and trying to get the best toys and trinkets from floats. We still have bags of beads and trinkets that the kids love to play with just from the one year that we were there.

Video Demonstration for Bon Appetit's Spiced Chocolate Torte Wrapped in Chocolate Ribbons

Now that the Super Bowl is over, it's time to start thinking Valentine's Day. What better way to show your love for that special someone than to create this beautiful torte. Three wonderful layers of sweet chocolate spice cake layered with light fluffy buttercream, covered in a rich chocolate glaze and then perfected with black and white chocolate ribbons. While typically branded as a holiday cake, there is no reason why this cake can't be the centerpiece at a birthday, celebration or in this case, an intimate Valentine's dinner.

Spiced Chocolate Torte Wrapped in Chocolate Ribbons

***Foodbuzz.com Top 9 on December 31, 2010***

Thank you everyone!

Check out my Video Tutorial for step by step instructions on how to create this masterpiece!

I've been doing a lot of baking lately and there's even more in the queue but it's the holidays and I've just been in a baking kind of mood. I have to warn you, this cake is not for the faint of heart, both in preparation or consumption. If you have ever been on a diet, are currently on a diet or may ever be on a diet this cake could be disastrous. It also takes a significant amount of time to prepare, but if you are willing to take the time, you will end up with a masterpiece well worth the time and effort.