 | Lori Horton is the owner of Celebrations by Lori in Pittsburg, Ks. With over 15 years experience in the bakery business, Lori opened Celebrations in 2000. She is always out front with the most unique ideas in cake and cookie decorating for all occasions. Celebrations is also on top of the industries' latest trends and products with the area's largest selection of baking and cake decorating supplies. Open Monday - Saturday, Celebrations can be reached at 620-231-5700 or at www.celebrationsbylori.com |
Food & Drink
2012-11-07 11:54:14
What can I do for holiday desserts?
Q- Do you have any unique ideas for holiday desserts that won't require extra hours of preparation on a busy day!
A- I think the first thing to remember during the holidays is that less is more. Individual sized desserts are perfect after a big meal and in a big gathering are portable. I like to think of those traditional warm flavors like carrot cake, spice cake, applesauce cake and of course, pumpkin. We all have our favorite recipes along those lines, but instead of baking a plain sheet cake in the pan with some icing smeared on top, try baking that yummy flavor into cupcakes. You will just need to adjust your baking time to compensate for the smaller portions. Usually start at 13-15 minutes and check your cupcakes from there with a toothpick to see if they are ready. Even family favorites like brownies and cheesecake are a little more special in cupcake sized containers. Most of these tasty autumn flavors are boosted by a cream cheese icing which is a little richer and also better in small doses on days when indulgence is the theme! Lastly, small treats like cupcakes are fun to display and make a lovely addition to the dessert table. I'll add a simple cream cheese icing recipe for you here, but remember to keep it refrigerated until you are ready to serve, it tends to stay a little soft in a warm room full of family.
Cream Cheese Icing
1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
2 to 3 teaspoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 cups powdered sugar
Beat all ingredients together except powdered sugar until thoroughly creamed. Slowly add powdered sugar until completely incorporated. Store in refrigerator.
