Tuesday, January 15, 2008

It's been 1 year since we met!

I am completely stunned and mystified that a whole year has passed for my "blog". Wow! I started this blog because my family and friends kept asking for “the recipes”. They would say “…remember that cake you made?” or “what was the name of those cookies?” And my favorite “…can you make a copy of this recipe and that one?” That is how this little blog came into existence, as an archive of recipes for my family and friends to print and view. (I still have to figure out how to add a print page.) Soon I was knee deep in sugar, flour, and new friends.

I remember when Garret from Vanilla Garlic welcomed me into the blogo-sphere. Who knew this blog would lead to so much fun, lovely comments by you, and e-mails with new friends across the world. Amazing! I have had a great time here, because you guys have made it a fun and loving place to be.

I want to thank you for all the support you have given me over the last year. C’mon, stay awhile, have a piece of cake and a glass of champagne with me. We’ll toast to friendship, new recipes, and fun. Cheers!


For the cake:
From Ina Garten

  • 2 ¼ sticks of butter, softened
  • 3 cups of sugar
  • 6 extra large eggs
  • 8 ounces of sour cream, room temperature
  • 1 ½ teaspoons of vanilla extract
  • Zest of one lemon
  • 3 cups of flour
  • 1/3 cup of cornstarch
  • 1 teaspoon of kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon of baking soda
  1. In a medium bowl sift together the flour, cornstarch, salt, and baking soda. Set aside.
  2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar at med-high speed until light and fluffy, 5 minutes.
  3. Add the eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl if necessary. Then add the sour cream, vanilla and lemon zest. Scrape down the bowl.
  4. On low speed slowly add the flour until just combined, finishing the mixing by folding. Pour the batter into a 12x18x2 buttered and parchment paper lined pan.
  5. Bake for 25-30 minutes until a cake taster comes out clean. Cool on a rack.

For the frosting use your favorite chocolate frosting. On this cake, I used a whipped chocolate ganache icing.
  • 8 ounces of chocolate
  • 1 cup of heavy cream
  • 1 tablespoon of Grand Marnier
1. Place the chocolate in the bowl of an electric mixer. Scald the cream and pout over the chocolate. Let the mixture sit without stirring for 5 minutes.

2. Next, whisk the chocolate until smooth and shiny. Add the Grand Marnier and whisk.

3. Let the mixture sit add room temperature until cool to the touch. Then add the whip attachment to the mixer and whip on med-high speed. Whip for 5-8 minutes (if you have a hand held mixer or small mixer this will take a while) until fluffy and the chocolate has changed to a lighter color.

4. Spread the icing on top of cake and make pretty swirls. Refrigerate any leftovers.

19 comments:

Stef said...

Happy blogoversary!

Best wishes for your next year in the blog world!

Katie said...

Congratulations on your 1st anniversary! Thanks for supplying such a wonderful array of yummy recipes. Your cake looks perfect for the occasion. Here's to another baking filled year - cheers!

Chibog in Chief said...

Oh happy anniversary!! and thank you for the slice of this wonderful cake...

my story is totally different from yours why i started food blogging..boredom during my 9 months of delicate pregnancy enticed me to blog and meet people.;and it did work!! cheers!!

slush said...

*Happy Anniversary*

May you blog, for many, many years to come. Your cake looks lovely. All that frosting on top. YUM!

eatme_delicious said...

That frosting looks so incredibly good! Happy blog-anniversary!

Mallow said...

Happy blogiversary! And I love your photos for this post!

Deborah said...

Congrats on one year of blogging!!

Sandi @the WhistleStop Cafe said...

Happy Blogaversay GiGi~ I think I was one of your first fans. You've come a long way baby!

test it comm said...

Congratulations on one year!

LizNoVeggieGirl said...

aww, happy 1-year bloggiversary!! wishing you at LEAST one more year together ;0)

such a GORGEOUS, decadent-looking cake you've got there - yum!!

Anonymous said...

Congratulations on your 1-year blogoversary, and here's wishing you many more!

Peabody said...

Happy blog anniversary!

Steph said...

CONGRATULATIONS!! I love reading your blog and love looking at all your goodies, which are driving me nuts right now because I'm soo hungry! Keep up the fantastic work

Tami said...

I love yellow with chocolate too, made some cupcakes this weekend. I love Ina too.

Cakespy said...

A happy birthday indeed with cake like this! Happy anniversary!

Anonymous said...

Happy Birthday...So, looking back a year ago...What do you know now about blogging that you didn't know then?

Cookie baker Lynn said...

Happy blog birthday! The food blogoshpere is a better place for you being here. I always enjoy your delightful posts and your kind, uplifting comments you leave.

Half Baked said...

Happy Blog aniversary! Keep up the great blogging:)

How To Eat A Cupcake said...

Happy Blog Birthday!