Layer Cakes

Remember last month when I attempted my first lattice top pie? If you saw that post you might also remember that the recipe called for almond paste. I was too

Almond Cake With Vanilla Buttercream Frosting and Glitter:

There's so much I want to tell you about Bali, but it's hard to find the best place to start. My interests lie more with the people of the countries I've visited than the museums and monuments that house their history. Please don't misunderstand. There are wonderful structures and museums in Bali, but the spirit of these gentle people is what touched my soul and captured my heart. Touristy matters will come in due time, but first I'd like to share memories of the people who surface whenever…

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I've decided to make this summer sweets week on the blog and the first recipe I want to share with you is James Beard's 1-2-3-4 Cake. While there are boatloads of recipes for this cake, I've zeroed in on his because it has a spare elegance that is lacking in most of the others. This is an heirloom cake that your grandmother probably made. While its popularity and longevity can be attributed to the basic goodness of the cake, the fact that its recipe…

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I must warn you that the flood gates have been loosed. Two weeks ago I was asked to feature a recipe for a vanilla cake. As it happens, I have several recipes for that type of cake but they were all tucked into shoe boxes and it took some time to find them. While I love all of them, today's cake, in combination with an outstanding, albeit old-fashioned frosting, happens to be my favorite. The cake is soft, moist and absolutely delicious, a true…

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Oregonians love hazelnuts. The nuts, also known as filberts, are a major crop in Oregon and, while they are expensive in other areas, that is not a problem for those of us who live here. We are close to the orchards where they are grown and manage to avoid the transportation cost that are factored into their market price. I've come to love hazelnuts and use them a great deal in my cooking. Their flavor is more subtle than that of a walnut or pecan and…

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I've been given the nod to share this lovely dessert with you. That does not always happen. A recipe must pass two tests before I post it here. It must, of course, make a dish that's tasty, but, over and above that, it must be doable. Left to my own devices, I've been known to come up recipes that are too different or difficult for others to try. I have folks who help prevent that from happening. This vacherin passed the taste and doability tests with…

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This lovely sponge cake is popular throughout Scandinavia. I learned to make the Swedish version of the cake , called Jordgubbbstårta, the summer of my twelfth birthday. Traditionally, this cake was made for special occasions such as birthdays or national holidays. In summer months the cake was filled with heavy cream and fresh berries. Winter versions were, of course, filled with fruit preserves. While it is simple to make, the cake requires a lot of…

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite... If you do not cook for the very young or young at heart, please stay long enough to accept my...

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...If you're here because you love to look, or you're here because you love to cook, I think this torte will delight you. I first had this confection as a child. Hannie made a version of Apple Cream Cake for Oktoberfest and again at Christmas for a vigil feast which was part of her holiday celebration. I still remember singing, "Ihr Kinderlein, Kommet, O kommet doch all!" while clustered around the piano in her front room on Christmas Eve. It's a lovely…

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Any watcher of American television is aware of the terms angel's share and devil's cut. They've been popularized in a bourbon commercial for a manufacturer who never dreamed they'd be used in a food blog about to highlight carrot cake. Cutting to the chase, my current kitchen is much smaller than those I've worked in before. That's not a big deal, but when we have guests it means I can't make everything on the day it will be served. I usually make and…

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...If you have a fondness for German chocolate cake, I suspect you'll love this variation which is made with white chocolate. The cake was the entry of Cheryl Adkins who won 1st place and best of show in the cake division at the Ohio State Fair this summer. Her cake is not difficult to make and the use of white chocolate makes it a bit unusual. If you enjoy really sweet desserts, I urge you to give the recipe a try. Its assembly is straight forward, but…

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I have a real weakness for whipped cream cakes. My fondness for them began years ago when we were living in Chicago and a whipped cream cake made by Dressels was available in the freezer aisle of most supermarkets. I periodically try to recreate that cake and the need for a dessert on Easter Sunday gave me the excuse I needed for another attempt. I also wanted to try a recipe that I had found for a mock Bavarian cream filling that could be used both for…

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...We had a special celebration in our house this weekend. The Silver Fox turned 75, and while that's a big number, I'm happy to report he is much younger than those years might suggest. Our youngest, who shares his sense of humor, sent him a card that might have upset a more timid soul. The gist of the message suggested that should he see a bright light, he might want to avoid it. That sent him into gales of laughter, so I think it's fair to assume that…

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...While I know my family and friends look forward to dessert, I'm decidedly ambivalent about it. I enjoy vaguely sweet breakfast breads and coffee cakes far more than the more elaborate creations usually served at the end of a meal. I made an dacquoise for a friend's birthday today. It was a lovely, time consuming creation that I know she'll enjoy it, but while I was working on the meringue layers, I started to think about the simpler American desserts…

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Over time, I've collected many recipes and lots of ideas from Taste of Home magazine. The recipe for this cake, originally called Chocolate Lover's Delight, was developed by Sandra Hackney and it appeared in the magazine about a year ago. It's a wonderful cake and the recipe featured below is the one that was published in the magazine. What I want to talk about, however, is how the processes of making this delicious cake can be simplified. I have never…