Sweet Anniversary and Wedding Cake
by jillbcooks 9/21/2010 9:49:00 AM

This week is the three year wedding anniversary for my sister and her husband.  While I love them both dearly and am deeply happy for them, it is my three year anniversary of falling in love with their wedding cake.  One of their tiers was literally the best cake I ever had (and I’ve had a lot of cake, hence the title of my blog: A Piece of Cake).  It was chocolate with peanut butter mousse and buttercream.  Seriously, ...

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Tags: cake, anniversary, buttercream, peanut butter mousse, wedding cake

Cakes, Cupcakes and Wedding Cakes… Oh my!
by AndiatBettyCrocker 9/20/2010 1:23:00 PM

Hi everyone! Kristen Here ;) Andi is enjoying some time off and in the mean time… you are stuck with me! I’m going to give you a sneak peek into what we are working on right this minute in the Betty Crocker Kitchens! Brace yourself?!? Are you ready? Ok... what are we looking at? Well, the title of the post mig...

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Tags: cake, wedding, Betty Crocker Kitchens, cupcake, planning, Wedding Cake

Eyes on the Prize…A Blue Ribbon for Cake
by jillbcooks 6/9/2010 7:52:00 PM

It is about that time to enter State Fair baking competitions.  I definitely want to win a ribbon this year, so I have been at work tinkering with different cake recipes.  Whenever I need to develop a recipe, I like to think about different trends and tastes that are of the moment, and then think about what I like to eat.  I have been on a cheery kick recently, using fresh and dried cherries in baked goods and salads, and knew that I wanted to incorporate them into the cake I am developing.  I have been playing...

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Tags: bundt cake, cake, recipepe contest, state fair, competitive cooking and baking, stout, dark chocolate, cherries

St. Patrick’s Day Dessert
by AndiatBettyCrocker 3/16/2010 9:53:00 AM

If you are looking for something green and easy-to-make for St. Patrick’s Day, why not make this Grasshopper Fudge Cake? It has just the right balance between a mild mint flavor in the cake and topping and the rich, fudgy, chocolate layer between them. Instead of the mint candies, garnish the top with some St. Patrick's Day candies or a shamrock! The name Grasshopper comes from the green ...

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Tags: cake, Grasshpper Fudge Cake, cake mix, St. Patrick's Day dessert, mint, green dessert, make-ahead dessert

Looking Forward to Waffles
by jillbcooks 7/31/2009 8:19:00 AM

I used to work at a large organization that had something called “Paychecks and Doughnuts” every other Friday.  The event brought people from all different departments together in a large room where coffee, doughnuts, and direct deposit slips or live pay checks were available.  In the middle of the room was a long, long, long conference table, literally covered with doughnuts—the most I had ever seen in one place.  People really looked forward to “Paychecks and Doughnuts," I think, because it simply offered something fun and sweet to look forward to, which I think we all need. One of my favorite blogs is called ...

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Tags: cake, doughnuts, Jill Bloomfield, waffles, BettyCrocker.com, Pictures of Cake

Wedding Dessert Buffet: Cake Truffles
by jillbcooks 5/26/2009 7:14:00 AM

Long weekends are great for weddings, especially ones where many guests are traveling.  My sister, Liz, went to a wedding this past weekend in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.  The bride and groom are her neighbors in suburban Washington, DC.  They live just a few doors down from Liz and her husband John, who are newlyweds themselves (and served amazing chocolate peanut butter wedding cake at their beautiful reception). Because she knows that I love anything sweet and chocolaty, Liz sent me an email to share her recent baking project with me.  Her friend, the bride, was planning an elaborate Viennese table at her reception, and Liz volunteered to make some goodies.&nbs...

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Tags: cake, wedding, bride, cookie icing, reception, truffles

Get in the Swim Menu
by jillbcooks 4/30/2009 8:30:00 AM

My friend (and former neighbor) Kelly asked me for some food and drink ideas for the party that marks the opening of her neighborhood’s private pool.  She is chairing the event for the first time.  The neighborhood is tight knit and the pool becomes the social center during the summer, especially for kids and moms.  I used to live in that neighborhood and loved to see the kids taking lessons and training for swim meets when I went past the pool.  The pool facility has a very nice clubhouse with areas for eating indoors and on a large patio.  Kelly plans to use the large grills for making hotdogs and hamburgers. She wanted ideas for unfussy salads and memorab...

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Tags: cake, party, salad, chex, planning, summer

Sweet Memories of a Sweet Lady
by jillbcooks 3/5/2009 7:35:00 AM

I recently tried to replicate a cake that my aunt used to make when I was a kid, a spice cake with peanut butter frosting.  I loved it and looked forward to it every time there was a family gathering at her house.  She hosted the whole extended family just about every July 4th, since her house had a pool to keep us kids occupied.  There is even a picture of me eating this cake—I must be about five or six, in a wet bathing suit, wrapped in a towel sitting at her picnic table decidedly focused on my cake, probably anticipating the sparklers and fireworks to come later that evening.  Inevitably, the cake would be accompanied by a tall plastic tumbler of red fruit pu...

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Tags: cake, family, memories, peanut butter

An Old-Fashioned Cakewalk
by jillbcooks 2/19/2009 6:48:00 AM

I often write articles for my local newspaper and I just interviewed a woman who is planning a lunch and festival/carnival with a goal to raise $10,000 for an organization that aids childhood hunger.  This organization is particularly important and relevant to her because it creates feeding programs in schools that are already established, and she has had a long career in school nutrition services, or, as she puts it, as a lunch lady. I had to smile when I read about the events planned for the carnival as I prepared for the interview.  It is going to have a cakewalk!  I haven’t seen a cakewalk since the holiday bazaars held more than half a lifetime ago at Abra...

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Tags: cake, chocolate, cakewalk, fundraiser, maple-pecan

Moonlighting
by Heidi at Betty Crocker 2/6/2009 10:47:00 AM

My niece, Greta, recently turned four. For her birthday celebration she chose a pajama-party theme and requested that we all show up wearing our PJs. A note at the bottom of our invitation stated: “Greta says: `If you don’t wear pajamas to bed, borrow some!'” Once our whole family arrived, Greta seemed stunned that we had all followed her instructions—even Grandpa who, at the onset, wasn’t so sure he would comply. As we remarked on (and poked fun at) each others’ get-ups, Greta gleefully remarked, “I picked a good party!”...

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Tags: birthday party, cake