FROSTED GINGERBREAD COOKIES

CHRISTMAS IS THIS WEEK! i am super excited / sad it is going to be over in literally the blink of an eye. then boom! we have to pretend we are all about eating healthy & working out & living off salads.. pft! don't worry, i'm already working on a rich chocolate cake for the new year. now back to christmas! if there is one important person we can't forget about this year, that person is SANTA! so today i'm leaving you with the perfect frosted gingerbread cookie recipe to put out for old st. nick, complete with a tall, cold glass of milk! i have made several gingerbread cookie recipes in my baking days & found a lot of them to be too molasses tasting / too spicy. i know some people are into that, so i made two separate doughs here, one with a rich molasses flavour & one with a more subtle taste. while i prefer the lighter version, i will leave it up to you & santa to decide! xo

ingredients

for the light cookies

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 1/3 cup molasses
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 cups all purpose flour

for the dark cookies

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup molasses
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 cups all purpose flour

for the frosting

• 2 cups icing sugar
• 1 tablespoon melted butter
• 1 teaspoon whole milk, plus more

directions

• in the bowl of a standmixer with the paddle attachment, cream butter & sugar.
• add molasses & egg until light and fluffy.
• in a separate mixing bowl sift baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, salt & flour. add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. mix until the dough comes together.
• turn out onto a floured surface & shape into a disk. wrap in plastic wrap & refrigerate for a minimum of two hours.
• roll out dough to approximately a 1/4 inch thick. cut into desired shapes.
• bake at 350 degrees until the gingerbread begin to puff & the edges very slightly brown. let cool before frosting.
• while the gingerbread cool, make the frosting. add all ingredients into a bowl & mix until the desired consistency is formed. the final result should resemble melted white chocolate. if frosting looks runny, add more icing sugar, if frosting looks too thick, add more milk. pipe as desired using a ziplock bag or frosting tip!

COCONUT SNOWFLAKE CAKE

this week (well technically yesterday) we are celebrating my favourite persons 29th birthday! justin deserves the fanciest of cakes, so a coconut cake it is! this cake has a lot of components to it.. this is not your average cake recipe. but i promise it is worth it in the end. it is so coconuty & creamy. essentially the cake version of a coconut cream pie! dare i say, maybe even better then the pie? this cake is usually referred to as a "snowball" cake or "snowflake" cake, so it is perfect for the holidays! i made this cake for my christmas dinner a couple years back & it was devoured even after my moms 10 course meal. who could have thought bobby flay, the grill master, could create a cake so good?!

this recipe has been adapted by bobby flay

NOTE: it is best to make the custard first, so it has ample time to cool. can be refrigerated over night.

ingredients

for the cake

• 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1 cup coconut milk (or whole milk)
• 6 egg whites (save the yolks for custard)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, cubed

for the custard

• 1 cup whole milk
• 1/2 cup unsweetended coconut milk
• 4 egg yolks
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon coconut extract

for the filling

• 3/4 cup custard
• 3/4 cup whipping cream

for the buttercream frosting

• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softended
• 2 cups icing sugar
• 3/4 cup custard
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 pinch salt

directions

for the cake: preheat oven to 325 degrees. butter & flour two 8-inch cake pans. in a mixing bowl whisk together the milk, egg whites & vanilla. in the bowl of a stand mixer, add the flour, sugar, baking powder & salt. with the mixer running at low speed, add the butter one cube at a time. once the mixture resembles moist crumbs add the milk mixture. beat until the mixture is pale & fluffy, about 2 minutes. divide the batter evenly between the two cake pans & bake until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. let cool completely before flipping, slicing & assembling.

for the custard: in a saucepan over medium heat add both milks. in a separate bowl whisk yolks, sugar & cornstarch. once the milk begins to simmer, add a couple tablespoons of the hot milk to the yolk mixture & stir. pour the yolk mixture back into the pan, whisking vigorously. cook until the custard begins to bubble & thicken. remove from heat & add the extracts. let cool to room temperature.

for the filling: beat custard & whipping cream until medium peaks form. layer the cake with this filling. i cut my cakes evenly into two, so i could get four thin layers.

for the frosting: in the bowl of a stand mixer beat butter and sugar until light & fluffy. add the custard, vanilla & salt. beat until the custard is well incorporated. frost the edges & top of cake as desired. sprinkle with toasted coconut.

FERRERO ROCHER CUPCAKES

today i am sharing a ferrero rocher moment in the form of cupcakes! because is it really the holiday season without one of these little chocolates wrapped in gold foil!? the flavour of this cupcake is sort of like a deconstructed ferrero. it is infused with nutella in both the cake + frosting, & topped with an assortment of ferrero chocolate! if you wanted to get wilddddd, you could also place a whole ferrero in each cupcake tin before you pour the batter in & bake it! then there will be a little surprise ferrero rocher in every bite.

ingredients

(makes approximately 24 cupcakes)

for the cake

• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cups raw sugar (or white sugar)
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup chocolate hazelnut spread (i used nutella)
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup whole milk
• 2 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt

for the frosting

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup chocolate hazelnut spread (i used nutella)
• 3 cups icing sugar, or to taste
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 24 whole ferrero rocher's (to top cupcake)

directions

• preheat oven to 325 degrees.
• in the bowl of a stand mixer cream butter and sugar. add the vanilla, hazelnut spread, oil & eggs. mix until light & fluffy.
• in a separate bowl sift the flour, baking powder, and salt. gradually add to stand mixer at low speed.
• once flour is JUST combined into the wet ingredients, add the milk.
• evenly distribute batter in a lined cupcake pan. bake at 325 degrees for 15 minutes, or until the tops bounce back to touch.
• let cupcakes cool while you make the frosting. for the frosting add all ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer and whip until light and fluffy, about 8-10 minutes.

NOTE: if you wanted the chocolate & vanilla twisted frosting, only add the nutella to half of the buttercream. layer the different frosting into the piping back starting with vanilla.

thank you so much to ferrero rocher for sponsoring this post! all opinions are my own. check out the other ferrero moments using the hash tag #ferreromoment & share your own!