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Vintage Cakes: The Pink Cake

May 20, 2013 By + 66 Comments

“THE VERY PINK OF PERFECTION.”  Oliver Goldsmith

The Pink Cake | From My Sweet Heart

May I just start off by telling you how much I LOVE pink desserts?!  So when Paloma of The Coffee Shop, and leader of The Cake Slice bakers told us that The Pink Cake was up next, I was delighted. It most definitely is….a very pink perfection!  The book we are baking from is Vintage Cakes by Julie Richardson.  And this particular cake is an original of hers and one that is featured at her bakery, Baker & Spice.  Pink to me is such a shabby chic vintage color.  And so this recipe fits really well into this book of retro cakes.

This is a rich, moist but light chocolate cake surrounded by a silky Swiss buttercream.  How does the buttercream get it’s beautiful pink color? [Read more...]

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Chocolate Strawberry Slab Pie

May 6, 2013 By + 55 Comments

“FOOD IS NOT ABOUT IMPRESSING PEOPLE.  IT’S ABOUT MAKING THEM FEEL COMFORTABLE.”  Ina Garten

Chocolate and Strawberry Slab Pie | From My Sweet Heart

It’s always great when a fussy dessert turns out really well.  But I am even happier when I am able to casually throw a few ingredients together and the result is just as satisfying.  This month, Roxana, of Roxana’s Home Baking and the fearless leader of The Chocolate Party challenged us to pair chocolate with strawberries!  It’s such a winning combination in my book.  Strawberries always remind me of spring and summer, and strawberry picking at my favorite farm.  And so I wanted to make a rustic dessert, and one that tastes like home. [Read more...]

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Chocolate & Irish Cream Cupcakes

April 1, 2013 By + 47 Comments

“A QUARREL IS LIKE BUTTERMILK, ONCE IT’S OUT OF THE CHURN; THE MORE YOU SHAKE IT, THE MORE SOUR IT GROWS.”  Irish Saying

Chocolate and Irish Cream Cupcakes | From My Sweet Heart

The only quarrel that will likely start over these pretty black and white Irish Cream cupcakes is who will get the last one!  Buttermilk is one of the key ingredients in these light and airy cupcakes.  In baking, buttermilk reacts with baking soda to give your product a light texture and also prevents your baked goods from browning too quickly.  A huge thank you to Roxana, of Roxana’s Home Baking; and the founder of The Chocolate Party for pairing chocolate with buttermilk this month!  And since I am a year round fan of Bailey’s Irish Cream, I knew that I would be making these buttermilk cupcakes.  They are soft and light in texture, with a mellow chocolate flavor; but the Irish Cream is everywhere in this recipe. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Chocolate Party, Cupcake Heaven, Simple, The Chocolate Party Tagged With: , , , , ,

Vintage Cakes: Red Velvet Cake

February 20, 2013 By + 72 Comments

“WE ARE HOMESICK MOST FOR THE PLACES WE HAVE NEVER KNOWN.”  Carson McCullers

Red Velvet Cake | From My Sweet Heart

The thing I think I love most about baking from Vintage Cakes by Julie Richardson, is the ability to go back in time to experience memories that were never mine in the first place. I have always wished I had some amazing recipes, passed down through generations of scrappy, resourceful women, who expressed their love of their families through baking.  But the reality is, my history of baking begins with me.  So I am enjoying baking my way through this book, along with a group of wonderful women, who truly appreciate the nostalgia as well.  This month, The Cake Slice Bakers made a really beautiful and absolutely scrumptious Red Velvet Cake.  While I have never been a fan of red velvet anything, these pictures will show you how Ms. Richardson’s recipe won me over. . . . . [Read more...]

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White Chocolate Martini

February 4, 2013 By + 56 Comments

“PLEASE EAT MORE CHOCOLATE.  AND PLEASE LISTEN TO MORE COLDPLAY.”  Chris Martin

White Chocolate Martini | From My Sweet Heart

Sometimes I like to drink my chocolate, too!  For this month’s Chocolate Party, we were asked to pair chocolate with…..chocolate!  I hope Roxana, at Roxana’s Home Baking, and the founder of this fabulous group will let me slide this month as I pair two kinds of chocolate liqueur and add dark and white chocolate as the garnish.

For 1 White Chocolate Martini:

  • 1 ounce of vanilla vodka
  • 1 1/2 ounces of Godiva white chocolate liqueur
  • 1/2 ounce of creme de cacao
  • 1 ounce of cream

Place the alcohol into a cocktail shaker with ice.  Shake until mixed and cold.  Add the cream to the cocktail shaker and gently swirl.  Pour into a martini glass and garnish with shaved dark chocolate and white chocolate swirls.

I always pair my cocktail posts with a piece of my favorite music.  As you can see from the quote, I was inspired by Chris Martin of Coldplay.  And I would love to share my favorite song by them, Us Against The World.

 

 

Check out what else took place at The Chocolate Party this month.  And EAT MORE CHOCOLATE!



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Chocolate Coconut Pie

January 7, 2013 By + 72 Comments

“IT ISN’T THE FLAVOR OF COCONUT THAT TROUBLES ME, BUT THE TEXTURE.  I FEEL AS IF I’M CHEWING ON A SWEETENED CUTICLE.”  Steve Almond

Chocolate Coconut Pie | From My Sweet Heart

This quote really puts a grin on my face because I know that coconut is one of those flavors that people either love or hate.  For me, I LOVE coconut!  And so I was really happy to learn that it was the featured ingredient at The Chocolate Party!  A huge thanks to Roxana, from Roxana’s Home Baking, for organizing this group of wonderful cooks and bakers who are happy to pair a special ingredient with chocolate once a month.  The thing I love most about coconut is . . . . . [Read more...]

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Orange Shortbread with Fleur de Sel

December 30, 2012 By + 49 Comments

My favorite cookie is on Baked Sunday Mornings!

Orange Shortbread with Fleur de Sel | From My Sweet Heart

Baked Sunday Mornings is a group of fun and fearless fanatics for the cookbooks of Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito.  A big thanks to Sheri from Pork Cracklins, Bourbonnatrix from Bourbonnatrix Bakes, and Susan from Create Amazing Meals for all they do in organizing this wonderful baking group!  This week’s recipe is from Baked Explorations, and it’s a GOOD one!  My absolute favorite cookie in the world is shortbread.  And this classic shortbread recipe is fantastic!  These cookies are light and buttery, with a simple sweet flavor.  On a scale of 1 -5, this is definitely 5 whisks for me!  Just as the authors like to throw a twist in here and there, I did so, too.  And one slight change for the sake of necessity and what I had in my pantry. . . . . [Read more...]

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Black & White Biscotti

December 16, 2012 By + 34 Comments

“IT’S NOT HOW MUCH WE GIVE BUT HOW MUCH LOVE WE PUT INTO GIVING.”  Mother Teresa

Black and White Biscotti | From My Sweet Heart

I think for those of us who love to bake and cook; what we produce is usually made with love.  Passion is usually the common ingredient in every recipe.  But when we give food as gifts, I think we take extra care in making sure that our end result is as special as the recipients.  Since I have this mad passion for making sweet things, I tend to give food as gifts all year round.  Biscotti is one of the easiest and most practical things to gift.  It really keeps well for a longer period of time, which is perfect if you are putting these in the mail!  I found this recipe for Black and White Biscotti on the King Arthur Flour website and I just LOVE them!   Sweet vanilla and deep, rich chocolate always pair well together.  Add a sprinkling of sugar and they are ready for dunking! 

I made these chocolate and vanilla biscotti for one of my favorite baking groups.  It’s a small group, but we are really spread out geographically from across the United States, to the Cayman Islands and Australia!  The theme was to bake something you’d bring to a party or give as a gift.  And so of course, I had to wrap these up all pretty for my girls . . . . . [Read more...]

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Chocolate Peppermint Donuts

December 8, 2012 By + 59 Comments

“BLESSED IS THE SEASON WHICH ENGAGES THE WHOLE WORLD IN A CONSPIRACY OF LOVE.”  Hamilton Wright Mabie

Chocolate Peppermint Donuts | From My Sweet Heart

There is a conspiracy going on all right!  And it’s happening at the Chocolate Party!  Led by the amazing, talented and creative Roxana of Roxana’s Home Baking; my fellow bakers and I have conspired to add mint to our chocolate!  Truthfully, I am more of a mellow mint girl.  Spearmint and wintergreen are about all I can handle.  But who can resist peppermint at this time of year?!  So I decided on these rich, moist, chocolate cake donuts with a sweet, fudgey,chocolate peppermint glaze and strewn with chunks of crunchy, chopped peppermint bark!  Conspire to make these for someone you love, here’s what you’ll need to do. . . . . [Read more...]

Filed Under: Breakfast/Brunch, Chocolate Party, Muffins and more Tagged With: , , ,

No Bake Peanut Butter Cookies

December 2, 2012 By + 44 Comments

Time for Baked Sunday Mornings!  Only today, it’s a No Bake Sunday Morning!

No Bake Peanut Butter Cookies | From My Sweet Heart

Do you have any quirky things about food, what kind of food you like, or how you will eat it?  For instance, I LOVE peanut butter!  And I like peanuts!  But I hate chunky peanut butter!  What?!?  Weird, I know!  But that’s me!  I am really not a huge fan of ‘no-bake’ sweets, unless we are talking about ice cream.  So I can’t even say I am familiar with the classic form of a peanut butter no bake cookie.  But the ingredients for this one intrigued me.  Crunchy peanut butter and cocoa and oatmeal all mixed up with milk and sugar and butter!  How did I work around that pesky crunchy peanut butter? . . . . . [Read more...]

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