Christmas Fruitcake

November is the perfect time to prepare for Christmas.🎄 This week, I've ordered nuts and dark chocolate chips to have on hand to bake cookies. Buying a few items at a time is the way to do it. Planning and making lists equal calm.

The following recipe is a David Parke share. David Parke is a Facebook friend of mine from the United Kingdom, who retired after years of serving on Queen Elizabeth II's staff. I have no idea what position he held and haven't had the pleasure of meeting him in person, but he uploads very tempting recipes. My classmate, a romance author, makes the best fruitcake ever found here, but it requires lots of Kentucky bourbon and weeks of time. My in-person friend has so many requests for her fruitcakes, she began selling them.

If you don't order or make hers, try this one uploaded on Facebook by David Park:

Christmas Fruitcake

Ingredients:

For the Cake:

1 1/2 cups mixed dried fruits (raisins, cherries, apricots, and cranberries)

1/2 cup candied orange peel

1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

1/2 cup dark rum (or orange juice for a non-alcoholic version)

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp allspice

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup buttermilk

Optional Glaze:

1/4 cup apricot or peach jam, warmed

1/4 cup powdered sugar

1-2 tsp milk (adjust as needed for consistency)

David's directions as quoted verbatim ...

"Instructions:

1. Prepare the Fruit Mixture --

In a bowl, combine the mixed dried fruits, candied orange peel, and nuts. Pour the rum (or orange juice) over the mixture, cover, and let it soak for at least 2 hours or overnight for the best flavor.

2. Preheat the Oven and Prepare the Pan --

Preheat your oven to 325°F (160°C). Grease and line a 9-inch loaf pan or round cake pan with parchment paper.

3. Mix the Dry Ingredients --

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice in a medium bowl. Set aside.

4. Make the Batter --

• In a large bowl, cream the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy.
• Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla extract.
• Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, alternating with the buttermilk. Stir until just combined.
• Fold in the soaked fruit and nuts, along with any remaining liquid from soaking.

5. Bake the Cake --

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake for 60-75 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

6. Optional Glaze:

For a festive glaze, mix the powdered sugar with milk until smooth. Brush the warm jam over the cake, then drizzle with the powdered sugar glaze.

Details:

Prep Time: 20 minutes (plus soaking time)

Bake Time: 60-75 minutes

Total Time: 3 hours (including soaking)

Servings: 8-10 slices

Tips:

a) Storage: Wrap the cooled cake in plastic wrap, then foil, and store in an airtight container. This cake tastes even better after a few days!

b) Flavor Boost: Brush the cake with additional rum or fruit juice every few days for extra moisture and depth of flavor.

This Christmas Fruitcake Delight will bring a taste of the holiday spirit to your table. Each slice is packed with festive flavors and warm holiday memories—perfect for a cozy winter celebration!"

I aim to make this fruitcake (for Thanksgiving?). It looks sensational! Hmm, I must grab some dried fruit while shopping for my weekly groceries. Nowadays for Christmas, I prefer confections that aren't super sweet yet have other flavors and textures creating a party in your mouth! Like European cakes and pastries, call them adult sophisticated sweets if you will!

Thanks, David Park, for the share!

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Applesauce Breakfast Cake

Photo: iStock

As a child, I loved a great aunt's applesauce cake. It was so moist and sweet! I want to eat applesauce cake for breakfast so I tried my hand at making a healthier recipe. You can easily turn the cake batter into cupcakes to eat breakfast on the go if you wish.

Applesauce Breakfast Cake

Ingredients:

1 cup of applesauce

1/4 cup mashed ripe banana (= 4 tablespoons)

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 teaspoons cider vinegar (I think organic tastes best.)

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 1/2 cups of oatmeal turned into flour in a food processer

(You can substitute unbleached all-purpose or whole wheat flour. I use oatmeal for a breakfast cake, and flour for a dessert.)

1/3 cup dark brown sugar (White sugar works too.)

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda (The cider vinegar activates it)

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup of chopped walnuts

1/2 cup of raisins (Omit if you wish. Raisins will keep your cake moist for extra days.)

Optional substitution: A pumpkin spice mix powder has cinnamon and nutmeg in it so if you have it, feel free to use it.

Directions:

1) Get out 2 mixing bowls. Mix all your wet ingredients in one bowl and all your dry ingredients in the other bowl.

2) Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and incorporate with a mixer or whisk.

3) Pour the batter into a greased square 8-inch by 8-inch baking pan. Sometimes I use a loaf pan, which you can also cut into squares) If you decide to make cupcakes instead, pour the batter into each cupcake holder 2/3 full.

4) Bake the cake or cupcakes in a 350 F degree preheated oven for about 22 minutes. Check the cupcakes at about 16 minutes as they may bake faster.

5) After the center is done, remove from the over. Remove from the pan, not when hot, but while still warm.

Light Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients 

8 oz Neufchatel (light) cream cheese

Drops of milk

As much powdered sugar as you need

1 teaspoon of vanilla extra

Directions:

Whisk all ingredients until creamy. I start with a cup of powdered sugar and add a little more at a time.

Alternatively, you can sprinkle your applesauce cake with powdered sugar instead of frosting. It will have even less calories.

Ahhh, the perfect autumn breakfast with coffee, tea, or milk. Enjoy a light treat that also has a few nutrients in it!🍎🍏

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Joy Bauer's Healthy Brownies and Rice Crispy Treats

Joy Bauer is a nutritionist who formally worked with New York City Ballet dancers and then became a TV personality. Two of her many keeper recipes are lighter, healthy versions of Brownie Bits and Rice Crispy Treats. Normally I pass on both sweets since usually they are made with a ton of butter and sugar. But Joy replaces these high and empty calories with healthy ingredients. In her recipes, she substitutes ingredients to boost the amounts of protein, vitamins, or fiber. Here are 2 of her sweet treats:

Brownie Bits - Go here for the recipe on Joy's website.

Ingredients:

¾ cup whole wheat flour, or all-purpose
½ cup cocoa powder
½ teaspoon instant coffee powder, optional
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ cup unsweetened applesauce
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
¾ cup maple syrup
1 cup semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 350°F. Liberally mist your mini-muffin tin(s) with nonstick oil spray and set aside. In a medium mixing bowl, add the flour, cocoa powder, instant coffee, salt and baking powder, and whisk until well combined.

2) Add the eggs, maple syrup and applesauce to the dry ingredients. Stir to form a creamy batter, being thoughtful to not overmix. Fold in the chocolate chips.

3) Fill each muffin compartment with batter; you’ll have enough for approximately 35. Be sure to mix the batter as you go to distribute the chocolate chips—otherwise, the chips may settle at the bottom and the last bunch will have a ton.

4) Garnish with a sprinkling of preferred toppings; you can mix and match various combos such as strawberries and coconut, granola, and seeds.

5) Bake in the oven on the middle rack for about 14 minutes, until the tops are firmed

🍫🥜🍪🥚🍫🥜🍪🥚🍫🥜🍪🥚🍫🥜🍪🥚🍫🥜🍪🥚🍫🥜🍪🥚🍫🥜🍪🥚

Peanut Butter Rice Crispy Treats - Go here for the recipe on Joy's website.

Ingredients:

¾ cup peanut butter
 ⅓ cup honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 ½ cups crispy rice cereal

Directions:

Line an 8 x 8-inch pan with parchment paper and set aside.

1) In a large microwave-safe mixing bowl, add the peanut butter. Microwave for about 50 seconds to soften it, making it easier to mix.

2) Add the honey and vanilla extract to the softened peanut butter, and mix until well blended. Add the crispy rice cereal to the bowl. Gently stir to combine, being careful not to crush the cereal.

3) Transfer the mixture into the parchment-lined pan. Use a spatula or your hands to flatten it out evenly among the bottom perimeter.

4) Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes (or freeze) to firm up. Remove
from the fridge, slice into 16 pieces (4 rows across and 4 rows down), and enjoy!

I want to make it clear again that these are nutritionist Joy Bauer's recipes, not mine. I'm posting them here for our convenience, as well as, linking them to their original source. 

Joy seems like an amazing cook and baker. I wish I could be her taster-tester and next-door neighbor, so she'd invite me to her house for delicious and healthy eating!

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Brownies From Scratch For My Friend's Birthday

Brownies are a friend's favorite treat. Since I'm not a brownie fan, I've never made them until I wanted to surprise her with a thoughtful gesture on her birthday. I've always disliked brownies because they're usually too gooey and sweet. However, if I do say so myself, my brownies came out perfect, so, of course, I'm going to share the recipe here with you, my awesome readers, and if I ever make brownies again they'd be as delicious:

Dark Chocolate Brownies From Scratch

Ingredients:

5 tablespoons unsalted butter (room temperature)

1 1/4 cup of regular white sugar

3 eggs (work best at room temperature)

1 tablespoon vanilla

1 teaspoon of instant coffee

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil (or almost any vegetable oil you have)

3/4 cup of cacao powder (or substitute Hersey's dark cocoa powder)

3/4 cup all-purpose flour (I buy unbleached.)

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt [If you use salted butter leave the salt out.]

1/2 cup of semisweet chocolate chips (I used Trader Joe's brand.)

Directions:

1) With an electric mixer combine the butter and sugar. Add the eggs one at a time mixing them in. With this recipe be careful not to overbeat, just mix enough to combine the ingredients.

2) I added the ingredients in the order listed, so next toss in the vanilla and instant coffee. Instant coffee enhances the chocolate flavor of the brownies.

3) Mix the rest of the ingredients into the batter, except for the chocolate chips. Those fold in with a spatula.

4) I lined a 9" by 9" pan with aluminum foil and sprayed the foil with cooking spray. If you only have an 8" by 8" pan, it works too, but a bigger pan than 9" you'd need to double the recipe and possibly increase the baking time.

5) Pour the brownie batter into the prepared baking pan. Tap the pan on a table and use your specula to even out the batter.

6) Bake in a preheated oven at 325 degrees F for 30 minutes and then turn off the oven. You don't want to overbake the brownies.

7) While the oven was still hot I put a few squares from a huge Trader Joe's Belgium dark chocolate bar on top of the batch of brownies and let it melt, then spread it evenly over the top.

8) Let cool completely before you cut the brownies into squares. I didn't cut my brownies so I could pick up the aluminum foil and pack it into a box to surprise my friend. When we cut it to eat, the squares cut clean.

The brownies were just the right amount of sweet, reminding me of European confections. A lot of flavor, not overly sweet.

The brownies came out exactly as I had hoped, moist with a nice crumb, yet not gooey and very flavorful. My friend loved them. She used the word gourmet to describe them, and I like them also. Bullseye, a mission accomplished!🎯🤎

A Classic Dark Chocolate Cake

German Chocolate Sauerkraut Cake

Serendipity 3's Frrrozen Hot Chocolate

Chocolate Was Once A Beverage For the Rich

Doan's White Chocolate Coconut Cake Is A Favorite of Tom Cruise

All photos courtesy of Spectrum 1 News

Doan's Bakery in Westland Hills, Los Angeles, CA, has been family-operated since 1983. Its White Chocolate Coconut Cake became famous after actor Tom Cruise began sending it to his celebrity friends each year for Christmas. It's a $50 cake that costs $130 to ship overnight via Goldbelly nationwide. Mentions on Jimmy Kimmel's and Jimmy Fellon's late-night shows put the cake and bakery on the map. Bakery co-owner, Karen Doan [who partners with her son, Eric and his wife, Carrie] says the secret to the cake's success is to add more, not less of the finest ingredients. This means more coconut and white chocolate. Below is a copycat recipe with the hands of creator Karen Doan in the images making the original cake:

White Chocolate Coconut Cake

Ingredients for the cake batter

1 cup softened butter

1 1/2 cup granulated sugar

4 large eggs

1/2 cup canned coconut milk

½ cup buttermilk

1 tablespoon coconut extract

5 ounces white chocolate, melted

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions for the batter:

1) Beat together the butter and sugar.

2) Next mix in the eggs one at a time.

3) Mix in the coconut milk, buttermilk, coconut extract, and melted white chocolate.

4) In a separate mixing bowl combine the dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, and salt.

5) Fold in the dry ingredients, 1/4 at a time, into the wet ingredients. Mix just until incorporated. 

6) Pour into a large buttered bundt pan [or 2 buttered 9" cake pans if you wish].

7) Bake in a preheated 350 degrees F oven for 45 - 55 minutes or until the center of the cake produces a crumb when tested with a toothpick.

8) Cool for about 15 minutes before removing from the pan(s) while still warm. If you make the bundt cake, you'll flip it over. The bottom becomes the top.

Ingredients for the Frosting:

1/2 cup butter, softened
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
3 cups of powdered sugar, more if needed
1 tablespoon coconut extract

14 ounces of flaked coconut (toasted if you wish to toast it) for the top and sides of the cake.

Directions for the Frosting:

1) Beat the butter, cream cheese, and powdered sugar together until fluffy. Add the coconut extract and incorporate.

2) Spread it on the cake. Professional bakers put the cake in the refrigerator, then frost it a 2nd time.

3) Finish with the shredded coconut -- padding it on the sides and top of the cake.

Will you make a bundt or 2-layer cake?🎂

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Do It Youself Meal Plans Are Cheaper

As we move into the Spring people think about dropping a few winter pounds, and I understand why some of them turn to meal programs like Jenny Craig or Nutrisystem. (The latter is the least expensive of the two.) There's no guesswork. Every bite you eat is packaged for you. The cooking and cleanup are light. It's convenient and nutritionally balanced, and if you follow it, you'll drop the weight. Years ago (around 2009), I tried Nutrisystem for 30 days. I wasn't hungry on the diet and remember dropping down to 118 pounds. As a younger woman, my loftier standard of my ''ideal weight'' was much lower. I was a size 6 - 8 for many years (without starving!). Today I'd love to step on the scale at the weight that I started with before dropping down to 118 pounds. THAT number + 20 pounds would be my ideal weight today!:)

At the same time, we also don't want to gain 10 additional pounds each and every year so our weight becomes unhealthy. Unfortunately, even without stringently high (or should I say low?) standards, you can't let yourself go! No, no, never, never, uh, uh, uh.

Today I'm going to discuss the well-known Nutrisystem meal plans. If you were to buy similar food independently and are disciplined not to cheat, but follow the plan, including its portion sizes, you could reduce the cost of the diet significantly. Moreover, I remember not liking all of the Nutrisystem meals, yet ate them because of the expense and my commitment to losing weight.

Breakfasts were a combination of protein shakes, dehydrated scrambled eggs (add water and microwave), protein muffins, and protein bars.

Here's what I think you could substitute:

* 1 dozen fresh eggs

* You're favorite high protein, low sugar meal bars - Clean and Pure Protein bars are examples. Look for at least 15 grams - 20 grams of protein with low sugar per bar.

* Protein shakes - Look for 25 grams - 30 grams per serving with low sugar and minerals. Consider buying protein powder (over liquid shakes) and adding it to skim milk for savings. Also try different brands like Premier Protein, Aldi or Trader Joe's house brands for greater savings.

Lunches consisted of canned soups and you could eat fruit or vegetable sticks that you furnish.

THE SAVVY SHOPPER has recipes for a variety of homemade soups, but this post is about convenience.

So you could buy the healthy choice varieties of any number of soups at your supermarket. Read the labels carefully focusing on low calories, salt, and at least 20 grams (30 grams if you can find it!) of protein. I will give Nutrisystem credit for sending chunky protein-rich soup, trickier to find with supermarket canned soup.

Dinners were frozen meals: meat (beef, chicken, or pork), carbohydrates (potatoes, rice, or pasta), and a vegetable, such as broccoli or peas and carrots).

Look for the many wholesome options of supermarket-carried frozen dinners. They'll likely cost less than what's on Amazon, but I'll link those for educational purposes. At the supermarket, most are half the price of a Nutrisystem frozen meal. I happen to like a brand called Healthy Choice, but there are other options also at the supermarket. Aim to find 17 grams - 30 grams per frozen dinner with 250 - 500 calories per serving. You may have to supplement some meals with a glass of milk to bump up the protein.

Snacks I liked the Nutrisystem protein chips and protein bars. The cookies and cake were good too. I was allowed 2 snacks per day. Protein chips are expensive everywhere. What's more, you don't get much in the costly bag. Consider skipping them as snacks for an ounce of cheddar (or your favorite cheese) on a saltine cracker to lower the price. Still, I'm not against expensive protein chips if they help on a diet. Spend the bucks as needed to succeed. 

I disliked Nutrisystem's dehydrated eggs. The pizza crust was as dry and flat as a cracker (which subsequently may have improved to taste like most frozen pizzas). Nutrisystem's vegetable patty on a bun was not good in taste or texture, and I thought their frozen pasta dinner entrèes were insufficient and expensive. I'll take a lean real hamburger over a Nutrisystem patty any day. It's easy to grill a raw beef burger on a stovetop. Add a slice of onion, tomato, and lettuce with ketchup, and thank me later.

Supermarkets offer all of the above meals for less than $5 - $10 each of the Nutrisystem entrèes. You'll spend far less money plus only have to eat the dishes you like!

When you buy Nutrisystem you still must buy extra fresh fruit and vegetables as they aren't packaged and mailed to you.

Nutrisystem is great at teaching people what they should eat in a day; selecting food with adequate protein, vitamins, minerals, and fiber; eating a variety of food; learning portion control; and eating when you're hungry. Also, you should and do consume 1/3 of your daily protein requirements with each meal.

Helpful tip: If you desire to follow the Nutrisystem/Jenny Craig diet on the cheap: Go to the supermarket and buy a full month's supply of alike meals + snacks to follow the plan faithfully. Do not stray from the plan. When you subscribe to the more pricey trademarks, the companies send you a box of food you eat for the month. This will put you in the same mindset for less.

Savings versus Convenience: Finally, if you don't mind paying 3+ times the money, you avoid the work of picking Nutrisystem meal equivalents at the supermarket. The food is shipped directly to your home. Nice! I enjoyed the convenience for a short time. But. After 30 days I decided I didn't need a meal plan, as I had good eating habits and didn't mind shopping or cooking. Sometimes cleaning up seems like a repetitive chore though.

Good luck! Losing weight is hard. The older you are, the tougher it is. Cutting calories is never fun. From time to time, we all go through it. "It's a marathon, not a sprint!"

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Rita Fox’s Bourbon Fruitcake

With permission, I published this recipe 4 years ago. It's the best fruitcake you will ever eat. Rita also sells them (including by mail order) as they are a lot of work to make. Gladly will I put readers in touch with the baker upon request for next year. This year, her fruitcakes are all sold. Moreover, Rita has published an awesome family cookbook. She is also an author of romance books that you can check out under her pen name Kallypso Masters.

Rita Fox’s Bourbon Fruitcake 

Modified 12/12/23 

 

Yield: three bread-loaf pans-sized cakes or 7 mini loaves. 

 

NOTE: Allow at least 4 weeks for mini cakes and 6 weeks for bread-loaf-sized cakes to be ready, so don't wait too long to start each year! I start as soon as candied fruit is available in my store, usually in late October. 

 

You can substitute spiced rum anywhere it mentions bourbon below. 

 

Ingredients 

 

4 cups sifted all-purpose flour 

1 teaspoon baking powder 

1 tablespoon ground nutmeg 

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened 

2 cups granulated sugar 

6 large whole eggs 

1/2 cup bourbon (this is just for the cake recipe, not the soaking) 

4 cups pecan pieces, soaked in bourbon

8 oz. Craisins (OR yellow or dark raisins), soaked overnight in bourbon 

1 lb. candied cherries (I use 8 oz each of red and green cherries) 

8 oz. candied pineapple 

1/2 cup orange marmalade (I don’t like citron and this is not bitter) 

pecan halves and red/green whole cherries to decorate the top of cakes, optional 

 

cheesecloth (each piece needs to be at least 27 inches long for a mini cake or up to 2 yards for bread-loaf-sized cakes) 

 

1.75 liter bottle of fine Kentucky bourbon

 

Method 

At least the night before mixing and baking the cakes (can also be a week before), soak Craisins/raisins and pecans in bourbon  in separate containers. (I put the pecans into a quart Mason/Ball jar and the Craisins/raisins into a pint jar.) Cover and then some with bourbon, cover with foil or plastic, and put them in the fridge until ready to mix and bake. They will plump up with the liquor, so don’t overfill the jars, but try to keep the fruit and nuts covered in bourbon. 

 

Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and another rack below it on the lowest spot. Put a pan full of water on the lowest rack. This will add moisture to the oven when baking. Heavily butter pans. Set aside. (I don’t use spray because the butter adds richness to the cakes.) 

 

Sift the flour, baking powder, and nutmeg into a medium bowl. (Even if the flour says it’s presifted, I would sift.) 

 

In a separate, large bowl, cream the butter and sugar, beating with a mixer until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. (If you have a stand mixer, use it here because it will help later in the process.) Add the eggs, one at a time, blending completely after each addition. 

 

Drain 1/2 cup of bourbon from the Craisins then pour the rest into a small or medium bowl. Drain the bourbon from the pecans into the same bowl. Add the strips of cheesecloth to soak up the liquor. Add more bourbon as needed to fully soak the strips. Set aside. (NEVER waste good Kentucky bourbon! Or spice rum if you’re using that!)

Preheat oven to 325 F. 

Add the flour mixture to the eggs in two additions, alternating with the 1/2 cup bourbon. Stir in the pecans, marmalade, Craisins/raisins, pineapple, and cherries. The batter will be very stiff, so this is why you’ll want a stand mixer at this point. But I remember my mom mixing it by hand when I was young.

Transfer the batter to the prepared pans. OPTIONAL: Decorate the top with bourbon-soaked pecan halves and red/green whole cherries.  

 

Bake until a cake tester or toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. APPROXIMATE baking times (ovens vary; also consider altitude adjustments--be sure the tester or toothpick comes out clean in several spots not just the center): 

* bread loaf pan: 75-90 minutes 

* mini pans: 60-75 minutes 

 

If the top of the cake begins to brown substantially before the cake is set, cover it loosely with a piece of aluminum foil. When done, remove the cakes from the oven and let cool for 15-30 minutes on a wire rack. Run a knife down the sides to help loosen the cakes from the pans. If the bottoms of the cakes are still pale, you might want to return them to the oven for a little longer. 

When completely cool (can sit overnight), wrap each cake in a strip of bourbon-soaked cheesecloth until completely covered. 

 

Place the cakes in airtight, leak-free containers. I use a large Rubbermaid or Tupperware containers big enough to fit multiple cakes. 

 

Liberally, but slowly over the first two or three days (unless they’re already sitting in a lot of liquid), pour additional bourbon over the cheesecloth-wrapped cakes. Store the containers in a cool, dark place throughout the process and after they’re done. I don’t have a pantry big enough for all the cakes I bake anymore, so I cover them with beach towels and just leave them on the table or shelf space I have available. 

 

Once a day over the next two weeks, flip the cakes over so that the bourbon will run back through the cake slowly. After two weeks, be sure you don’t have any standing bourbon at the bottom of the containers any longer. You can redistribute excess liquor to another container that might need it—or use it to cook or bake something else.
When no liquid bourbon is visible any longer, you will begin to mellow the cakes. Usually at least one day during this stage, I will remove the lids to evaporate excess liquor, flipping the cakes again after 12 hours

Continue to let cakes mellow for 2-4 weeks. A week or so before you plan to serve or gift the cakes, remove the cheesecloth. (I handwash and reuse cheesecloth, or you can discard it.)

The cakes will keep for months (even a year if stored properly in a cool, dark place)! Continue to store in a cool, dry place. I wouldn’t freeze them, but you could put them in the refrigerator. I just store mine in a dark pantry inside a Rubbermaid container. 

To avoid crumbling when cutting: use a serrated knife and a sawing motion.  Avoid pushing the knife down and cut all the way to the base of the cake. Wipe the knife clean between cuts.

Enjoy!

🎄🐑🐪🔔🎄 From Rita's family cookbook 🎄🐑🐪🔔🎄 

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