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Cranberry Almond Cake
“Eat cake for breakfast.” – Kate Spade. This festive cake is easy to make, very pretty, and looks great on a Christmas desserts table. It’s also a delicious option to have on hand as a snack, or even a breakfast or brunch item, when entertaining or hosting family for the holidays.
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Spicy Stout Gingerbread
Her gingerbread keeps and keeps. It outlasts all daintier gifts. – Helen Oyeyemi, Gingerbread. This spicy dark gingerbread, made with Guinness stout and crystalized ginger, is packed with flavor and makes for perfect little mini loaves to give as Christmas gifts. (Or just make one big loaf for yourself – nobody’s judging.) Though wonderful when served warm, this gingerbread is really better the second day, when the spices have had a chance to come to full flavor. It’s rich, spicy, and moist, and absolutely irresistible with freshly whipped cream on top.
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Candied Ginger
I usually have a hard time finding crystallized ginger so I make up big batches of my own and store it for when I need it. It lasts for several months and tastes amazing, adding a bit of spice to any number of baked goods, like these muffins, or these delectable gingerbread scones, or this bold and spicy stout gingerbread. Best of all, making candied ginger is easy. A bit time-consuming but not a lot of active time, so all is well.
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Harvey Wallbanger Cake (from scratch)
“The name is Harvey Wallbanger and I can be made!” – Ad tagline for McKesson Imports, importers of Galliano. My sweetheart is Italian, and in his family, lamb was the traditional main event for the Christmas meal, preceded by gnocchi and cracked crab. For dessert, his mom would make a Galliano (aka Harvey Wallbanger) cake. Popular in the 70s, this cake was meant to mimic the Harvey Wallbanger cocktail, with orange juice, vodka, and the Italian liqueur Galliano, added to a boxed cake mix. While nowadays we don’t have lamb for our Christmas dinner anymore, we’ve kept the Galliano cake tradition alive and well.
