Spiced Rum Pumpkin Poppers

I made these awhile ago. Actually, I think I made them in September, the very moment the temperature dropped below 90, giving me the courage to fire up my oven. The novelty of the fall season and the brisk 80 degree weather inspired me to bake something with pumpkin, as you do in the fall. I don't really have a good reason for why it's taken me so long to post these, but I feel like my timing is actually impeccable. It seems like a huge chunk of our population needs a reminder: it's still fall! 

It's the first week of November, and we're (still!) in the middle of my favorite season. Even though we're in California, the weather is decidedly crisp, and someone wisely had the foresight to plant lots of Chinese Pistache, Liquid Ambers, and Maple trees so my neighborhood is (still!) awash in brilliant color. The days are getting shorter, but I'm just not in a hurry to rush right into the Christmas season. Holiday decorations are already popping up everywhere, the State Capitol's tree was delivered today, and I'll admit that I got a peppermint mocha, in a cute red cup, from Starbucks today. Technically, red is also a fall color, so I told myself I was celebrating FALL. I love Christmas, but fall is SO very lovely - can't we just enjoy it awhile longer?

Will these convince you?

Spiced rum pumpkin poppers. Sit down & stay awhile.

Kentucky Bourbon Cake {and a Giveaway}

Some things in life are just simple.  Simple is sometimes the best way to go...I sometimes forget about simple...This cake is a very simple butter cake with bourbon.  And, no doubt...this time at BIWB, simple is best!  

Super easy, super rich, and super boozy.   All my favorite things! 

My friend, Susan (over at My Mother's Apron Strings), makes amazing and comforting Bundt  cakes of all sorts: lemon, apple fritter, pumpkin caramel, banana, vanilla...I've had my eye in making a boozy version of her vanilla Bundt cake for quite some time.  I knew I wanted a solid vanilla butter cake and my booze of choice would, of course, be bourbon.

I love the smell and taste of bourbon baked in a vanilla cake.  I especially love when the bourbon is used in the soaking sauce AND in the glaze.  This cake does both and does not disappoint.  

I used my new cookbook, Vintage Cakes by Julie Richardson.  She has some great recipes and lots of nostalgia about each cake.  This cake is inspired by, what else, her Kentucky Bourbon Cake.  I made mine with dates; you don't have to, neither does Julie.  It's all good!

And, because we love you and we love our Bundt cakes, we are giving away a Nordic Ware Fleur di Lis Bundt Pan!  We also must thank our friends at Sur La Table for helping us with this giveaway.  

To enter, please leave us a comment and tell us which cake you would make from Vintage Cakes.  Our giveaway is open to any one who lives on the planet, of course.  You have until 9pm PST, February 10, 2013 to enter.   Please also tell us how to contact you.  

Ready, set, go!   

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Lemon and Blueberry Gin Loaf Cake

 Lemon and Blueberry Gin...Doesn't that just *RING* with the sound of an amazing cocktail?! Too?  This recipe is from Erica's Sweet Tooth, a very cute blog hosted by Erica who makes super adorable and yummy things.  I covet her photos and ability to make everything look just like it tastes: Delicious!  The Blueberry-infused gin idea originates from Post Prohibition a very stylin' and hip web site embracing the concept of traditional cocktails plus much more. 

Gin is made from distilling grain alcohol with juniper berries and has lots of flavor profiles.  And, once again, I was exceedingly happy to learn that 11th century ITALIAN monks first mixed juniper berries with crude distillates.  This concoction was even used as a remedy during the Black Death.  Gin has a very long and interesting history including bathtub gin made for the speakeasies during Prohibition.  I'm pretty sure that's when my grandmother, Bambi, gained her pension for Sloe Gin Fizz....

If you are a gin drinker, I am sure you know all the subtleties of gin: fruit and citrus palates, sloe gin versus London dry gin, country of origin, and favorite cocktail.  What I bet you don't know is that there are very, very few (if any) baked goods which call for gin.  Let's just say, I had to get creative...Lord knows I wasn't EVER going to drink this stuff.  And, as gin is flavored with berries, blueberries and gin just seem to go together.

This *EASY* and *SUPER DUPER MOIST* loaf cake is so luscious, I may just have a Nigella moment and pull out the thesaurus to find more words!  Plumb, juicy and sweet blueberries surrounded by tart and tangy lemon yogurt cake...With just a subtle hint of gin in the cake and in the syrup that wraps its arms around this cake.  Perfect for breakfast.  Lunch.  Dinner.  You decide.

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Limoncello Pound Cake

Limoncello pound cake

I am on a mission to make a (successful) lemon meringue pie...Wait, what? This post is supposed to be about limoncello pound cake! Yes, yes it is. Bear with me here.

So, lemon meringue is my all-time favorite kind of pie - and I really, really love just about any kind of pie. I made a gorgeous lemon meringue pie last summer, and followed the directions precisely, but the darn pie never set. It was a beautiful lemon meringue soup, which I ended up spilling all over the driveway, my shoes, and my dog as I struggled to carry way too many things to the car. I was horrified and traumatized and haven't been able to summon the nerve to try again - until now. Armed and dangerous with a brand new recipe, I set upon my task. The pie did, indeed set, but I decided the recipe was awful. Again, it looked gorgeous, but it wasn't nearly lemony enough for my taste. So the search continues for the perfect lemon meringue pie recipe. I'm determined to find it! I did find, on this particular afternoon, a good way to use up the extra egg yolks I had left over from my lemon meringue pie mission. And that brings us to this lovely, bright, lemony limoncello pound cake.