german is as german does...

every christmas eve we have a huge party for lph's mom.
it's her birthday so we invite over her friends, family, etc.
this year was her 60th so we wanted to do something really special.

i decided i would attempt to make black forest cake.
there is this wonderful german cafe called the heidelburg
in indianapolis and everytime we go
she always orders a piece of this cake...
it's quite an exquisite cake if i do say so myself
and when i found the recipe i felt extremely nervous.
luckily we told no one i was trying to do it
so if i failed we could go get a bakery cake!

luckily, it turned out WONDERFUL!!!
i'm not going to lie, i tooted my own horn all night.
it was moist, full of flavor, and looked beautiful....
and did i mention mouth-watering delicious????

so without further ado, here is the recipe i stole from cooks.com

black forest cake

2 cups + 2 tbsp of flour
3/4 cup of cocoa
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup milk
3 cups whipping cream
1 can cherry pie filling
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
3 eggs
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp powdered sugar

combine dry ingredients in large mixing bowl. stir until mixed.
add shortening, eggs, milk, and vanilla.
beat 3 minutes at low speed.

grease two (2) nine (9) inch cake pans and add wax paper.
pour batter into pans.
bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes.
let cool.
then split cakes horizontally.
crumble one of the top layers into a separate bowl.

beat whipping cream until foamy.
gradually add powdered sugar.
beat until it resembles whip cream.

place one bottom cake layer on a platter.
use some of the whip cream on the cake.
then use some of the pie filling.
place the other bottom cake layer on top and repeat.
then place the top layer on the cake.

frost sides of cake and top layer.
reserve some for dallops on top of cake for decoration.
pat cake crumbs generously along the sides of the cake.
put dallops on top of cake.
fill top with rest of the pie filling.
chill well (i chilled it overnight).

p.s. i had beautiful pictures of it, but our friend nick
didn't leave them for me....hmmm...

yes, we need a little christmas!

from shbug7's etsy site, here.

ok, i know it's a little early to start thinking about christmas.
we haven't even got through my favorite holiday yet.
however, i want this little apron.
how cute is it!
i think i deserve it.
also, we just decided we're hosting LPH's family christmas
at our apartment this year again.
which means a full day in the kitchen with christmas music
and yummy smells...
so the apron could get quite the work out!

p.s. the 20 year old me is freaked out how exciting it is
to me to spend a whole day in the kitchen.

a golden girls favorite!

thank you for being a friend cheesecake

lph and i have a teeny obsession with one particular show.

the golden girls.

please stop you're laughing at us, and go check out WE.

trust me, you'll remember how funny those four broads are.

phew.

and if you remember, these four ladies loved to talk and talk in their kitchen.

the normal fifth party in that equation was...CHEESECAKE!!

so you can imagine my excitement when my dear love holly mae

found a wonderful cheesecake recipe (bakerella!)

and made a cake that made my mouth water through an emailed picture!

holly said the cheesecake turned out wonderful!!

ingredients

2.5 cups graham cracker crumbs

2 tbsp sugar

1/2 cup butter melted

4 (8 0z) pkgs cream cheese (yum!)

1.5 cups sugar

3 tbsp flour

5 eggs

1 cup sour cream

1 tbsp vanilla

1 tbsp lemon juice

directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees

Combine graham cracker crumbs and sugar.

Stir in melted butter until moistened.

Pour the mixture into a 9-inch springform pan (3 inches tall).

Press the crumbs into the bottom and 1 inch up the sides of the pan.

Bake for about 10 minutes. Remove and cool to room temperature.

To make the cheesecake filling, cream the sugar, cream cheese and flour

with an electric mixer on medium until light and fluffy.

On medium low, add eggs one at a time, mixing well with each addition.

On low, add sour cream, lemon juice and vanilla just until combined.

Bake for about 1 hour and 15 minutes at 325.

Make sure to take it out of the oven before the center looks done.

It will be kind of wobbly and it will move in one piece.

The center will look more shiny than the edges.

That's ok because it will continue to cook a little while it's in the pan.

Remove from the oven and let cool completely to room temperature.

Hope that it doesn't crack.

Go ahead and separate the cheesecake from the sides of the pan

by running a knife around the edges.

I also opened and reclosed the springform pan to help separate.

Chill in the refrigerator overnight.

That's right. It's best to make this the day before

because it needs plenty of time to chill and firm up.

Strawberry Topping

1 container of strawberries
3 tablespoons of sugar

put in food processor until blended

blood red!

fyi: for any sweet tooth cravings,
head over to the cheesecake factory for
red velvet cheesecake.
to die for.

and if you get a piece with me, i will give you
a free impersonation of m'lynn from steel magnolias.
Blood red! people are gonna be hacking into
this thing that looks like its bleeding to death!

delic.