Pumpkin Spice Bundt Cake!

Happy New Year! 

 2012 was a great year and here’s hoping that 2013 brings even more deliciousness your way! 

I am having a bit of a fascination with bundt cakes of late.They are super elegant with not a lot of effort. All the work is done for you; right within the intricate designs of the beautiful bundt pan! Add just a drizzle of simple glaze or a dusting of powdered sugar and your gorgeous cake is all ready! 

Its design was inspired by the European Gugelhupf fruitcake. This soft dough cake is traditionally dotted with brandy soaked raisins and nuts and then cooked in an enamel ring shaped pan. In the 1950's The Nordic Ware company took this design and popularized it with its aluminum version - the Bundt pan! 

Today, one can find variations on the classic circular design in many shapes - sandcastles, stadiums, roses, stars and more. Bundt cakes are such a part of Americana that even the Smithsonian has devoted a collection to the original Nordic Ware bundt cake pans!

Pumpkin Spice Bundt Cake with Cream Cheese Glaze 

With cold weather howling outside, just the mouthwatering aromas drifting out of my warm kitchen made making this Pumpkin Spice Cake from Martha Stewart so worth it!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, (spooned and leveled)
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon pumpkin-pie spice (or 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon, 3/4 teaspoon ginger, 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, and 1/8 teaspoon each allspice and cloves)
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 can (15 ounces) solid-pack pumpkin puree

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
2. In a medium bowl whisk flour, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin-pie spice. 
3. In a large bowl, whisk eggs, sugar, butter, and pumpkin puree until combined. 
4. Add dry ingredients to pumpkin mixture, and mix gently until smooth.Turn batter into pan, and smooth top. 5. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached, 45 to 50 minutes. 
6. Cool cake 10 minutes in pan, then turn out of pan, and cool completely on a rack.

Make Cream Cheese Frosting: In a medium bowl, whisk butter, cream cheese, and powdered sugar until smooth. Spread top of cooled cake with frosting. Cut cake into slices to serve

Moist and delicious!

slicing a second piece!

I'm Dreaming of a White Chocolate (Garam Masala) Christmas!

"It's the most wonderful time of the year!" 

And my favorite time of the year - Christmas is almost here!

Each year not only does our Christmas card and gift list get longer (which I actually don't mind at all as this means there are more beautiful babies being born : j ) but it also becomes more difficult to find new thoughtful gifts. 

In an attempt to remain thoughtful and in the spirit of the season I decided that homemade, handmade gifts would be a nice change.What could I give that would be appreciated by a variety of individuals? Food.  The answer is always food!  : j  So, I put together a "spicy" and "sweet" bag of goodies to give out this year. 

Spicy Garam Masala

While there is no specific blend of Indian spices which can make up Garam Masala, it usually includes cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, bay leaves, anise, cumin, coriander and black pepper. I also like to include allspice and nutmeg for their sweet, earthy aromatics. 

It is a simple process involving just a few steps - 1. measuring out your preferred ratios of the whole spices, 2. toasting the spices in a warm heavy bottom pan and 3. once cooled grinding the spices.  As you can imagine, the varieties can be endless and personalized to your taste. I bottled our version and included a quick and simple recipe for those who may not have used garam masala before.

Whole Garam Masala in the background being toasted and then ground to perfection!

 Our personal blend of Garam Masala

Sweet White Chocolate Pistachio Bark
To balance the spicy portion of the gift that really couldn't be enjoyed without a little bit of work, I also made  white chocolate pistachio and cranberry bark for instant satisfaction! The contrast of colors and flavors made this both festive and delicious! The nutty, green pistachios and the tangy, red dried cranberries bathed in creamy white chocolate tasted amazing!

Bags of delicious creamy and nutty white chocolate pistachio bark

All tied up in a pretty bow!

I found these great brown gift bags at my local craft store and coordinating paisley stamps and crystals. I also printed out labels that helped tie in the theme. All of the little flourishes gave the gifts a nice Indian "shabby chic" look overall. : j

Wishing your family a wonderful Christmas and Holiday Season as well as a beautiful New Year!