powdered sugar
Naked Watermelon Cake
Everyone loves cake, but you generally don’t think of it as refreshing. This cake will change all of that. It’s a Watermelon Cake! It’s not just a cake colored red. It’s not a cake using watermelon juice. The watermelon is the actual cake with real frosting. Watermelon Cake is all the rage these days but I have to admit, I was a skeptic. Could you really frost a real watermelon and not have the frosting slide off? Can you decorate it like a real cake? I was delighted to find out that yes, you can and the frosting is not going to slide off because, as it turns out, watermelon when patted dry is the perfect foundation for cake icing. (The secret is to really pat it dry by using lots of paper towels.) There are two ways to make the Watermelon cake. The first is a naked cake where you simple slice the watermelon into tiers and just frost the layers and then garnish with fresh fruit. Or, you can \ frost the entire outside of the cake. You can make a big cake with a large watermelon or a mini version using the smaller sizes. There are new watermelon varieties on the market these days like the Sugar Baby and the Stars “n” Stripes (named for its green stripes streaking across the rind). But I would suggest heading right for the produce manager and ask for the sweetest and most firm watermelon in the store. Then, grab your icing and make a Masterpiece!
Watch my How To Video for Watermelon Cake here!
Hummingbird Cake
The one thing we do know about this cake is that it was first printed in Southern Living Magazine in 1978 and eventually became the most popular and requested recipe in the magazine’s history. What we don’t know about Hummingbird Cake, is how it got its name. This moist, 3-layer slice of heaven was created and submitted to Southern Living by Mrs. L.H Wiggins of Greensboro, North Carolina forty one years ago. Over the years, information about Mrs. Wiggins was lost, but a recent post on line from Southern Living revealed this:
“Stay tuned, because in the coming weeks, you’ll more about cracking the case of the Hummingbird Cake in a new Southern Living podcast—including exclusive interviews with Mrs. Wiggins’ family and Southern Living food editors throughout the decades.”
So maybe we will find out about the cakes’ origin and its name. Once you make it, you’ll find out why it’s been a time-tested and beloved recipe for dessert lovers for decades!
Apple Fritter Bread
Donuts with our coffee were always a treat in my family because we didn’t buy them very often. When you’re Italian, the perfect paring with your espresso is a biscotti. But oh, those donuts! My real weakness, though, was an apple fritter. Those rugged, rustic clumps of dough smooshed together with apple bits laced with an ooey gooey glaze were just too irresistible! Now, to make matters worse for my waistline, what sits before me is a bread pan bubbling over with what pretty much looks like an apple fritter on steroids. This is going to be really good…or really bad depending on how much willpower I have. I found this recipe for Apple Fritter Pull Apart Bread that is made with delicious and delicate a sweet yeast dough and sugary, buttery diced apples that are caramelized. The dough is rolled out, topped with the diced apples, and then sliced in squares, stacked in groups of four, and just stuffed into the pan. This recipe is just downright fun. The pan went into the oven and an hour later, setting before me were apples laced slabs of heaven ready to be pulled apart and devoured! You can make this with the homemade dough recipe below or you can make it with refrigerated croissant dough. Just promise me you’ll make it!
