I saw
this post on Katie's blog awhile ago while looking for a different recipe and wanted to give it a whirl for Easter. Nothing like fresh berry-yumminess for a spring holiday! I will agree with Katie, that it would be just as yummy without frosting. And for some reason, my berries sank and did not spread throughout the cake, so it is definitely not as pretty as it should have been. I had a ton of leftover berries, so I put the additional blueberries and raspberries over a very thin layer of buttercream. And I was really happy with the violets I made and how the final decorated product turned out!
Fresh Berry Cakefrom
Good Things Catered, adapted from Williams-Sonoma
Ingredients:
2 c. plus 4 Tbsp all-purpose flour, divided
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
12 Tbsp (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 1/4 c. granulated sugar
1 Tbsp Cointreau (I used fresh squeezed orange juice)
5 eggs, at room temperature
2/3 c. sour cream
3/4 c. blueberries
3/4 c. raspberries
Directions:
-Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare two 10in cake pans.
-In medium bowl sift together 2 c. plus 2 Tbsp flour, baking soda and salt.
-In bowl of large stand mixer with flat beater attachment, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 5-6 minutes, scraping as needed.
-Add the Cointreau and beat until incorporated, about 1 minute.
-Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
-Reduce speed to low and add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the sour cream and beginning and ending with the flour.
-Beat each addition just until incorporated, stopping the mixer occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
-In the bowl the flour mixture was in, add berries and 2 Tbsp reserved flour and toss to combine.
-Using a rubber spatula, gently fold berries into batter.
-Spoon batter into prepared pans and bake until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 50 minutes.
-Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let the cake cool in the pan for 15 minutes.
-Invert cake to release from pan and let cool completely on wire rack before frosting and serving.
I mean seriously. I have to wear gloves when doing lots of dishes because my hands are so dry. And for some reason...I want these!!
I want a formal dining room in a beautiful mahogany stain.
With a beautiful buffet/wine rack...
I have never had a kitchen floor that I have really cared about. When living in an apartment, it was often an area I would occasionally sweep, but honestly, I would usually forget about it (especially because they were not that pretty). Now that I love and adore my kitchen and new floating wood laminate floor, I wanted a quick, easy way to mop up. I bit the bullet and bought the Swiffer Wet Jet. I SIMPLY LOVE IT. Wow. It was such a quick, easy way to mop up the floor after a quick sweep up!
Stove/oven area after:
Sink area before:
Sink area after (I made the valance!):
Fridge area before:
Even though I do not LOVE the color of the counter and tile, I know I have to live with it until we can afford to replace it. The counter is in good condition and the green looks awesome with it. I can honestly say that I love my kitchen!
Entry After (and from a different angle)
Living Room Before:
We are going to be purchasing new couches, eventually, even though I really like the olive green. But not the papazan chair, which makes me feel like I am in college.
