Birthday Breakfast

 Last week- actually exactly a week ago today- was my birthday.  My wonderful friends did an amazing job of planning a wonderful surprise birthday party.  They put so much effort into making it a very special day!

The cake was perfect- dark chocolate with pumpkin buttercream and a chocolate glaze.  I am so grateful to have such wonderful friends- thank you guys again!

One of the gifts they got me happened to be one of the kitchen gadgets that I was desperately missing from my kitchen- a waffle maker.  But this waffle maker was extra special- it was a circus animal waffle maker!  So of course we had to make waffles the next morning.

Love and Cupcakes,

Margaret

Autumn Apples

Each week at the farmer's market, I pick up a bag full of apples.  I love trying out all the different kinds, although I can rarely remember which is which by the time I get them home.  Regardless, they are always delicious.  I decided that I really wanted to bake with one of the fantastic apples, and I was looking for something easy.  This Swedish apple cake from Cooking with Directions was the perfect solution.

I made this in 45 minutes (5 minutes to mix it up and then 40 in the oven) in between classes, and it came out wonderfully.  The "cake" is more of a fluffy sugar cookie with delicious apples placed decoratively on top.

I used a Cortland apple, which held up really well during the baking.  It was soft, but not mushy after 45 minutes.  I would also try this again with a couple Granny Smith slices to add some more variety.  It was a really wonderful and easy fall dessert to make.

Happy Autumn,
Margaret

Raspberry Pudding Cakes

My week in glorious Charlevoix, Michigan ended last Saturday with a long drive home.  We packed up the car with our clothes, books, and (as it luckily happened) some leftover goodies.  The day before we left we stocked up on some extra fudge and taffy and went berry picking a second time.  Luckily the berries survived the long trip home, and I was able to bake with them!

I chose this gorgeous-looking raspberry pudding cake that I came across while searching for recipes on foodgawker.  I had originally planned on making it in my first batch of raspberry treats in Michigan, but my mother suggested that we wait until I was home where we could make individual servings in our smaller dishes.  I agreed, and thus the mini raspberry pudding cake was born.

It was a really interesting dish to make.  I have never made a pudding cake before, so I was unsure of what to expect in the intermediate steps.  Isabelle's directions were spot-on though; she reassured you at each step that the batter should look this way or that, even if it wasn't what you were used to with a cake.

I was so excited to try these when they came out of the oven that I could barely wait the suggested 15 minutes before plunging in.  When I did, I was rewarded with a moist cake that gave way to a layer of oozing pudding underneath.  It was quite spectacular, although I probably should have waited a bit longer as the pudding was still a bit too hot!

Bon Appétit!

Margaret