Urban Comfort

Merry Christmas!

Wishing all of you a very merry Christmas and a happy new year! May the best be yet to come.

(Also, a shoutout to La Belle Vie Design for our holiday card this year. Thanks for the great design!)

Red Velvet Cake

Red Velvet is my signature cake, probably because it was the first cake I learned to bake and I've been making it since I was a child.  I suppose, in my family, that we made it year round, but what I remember most is indulging in this cake every Christmas Eve. It's a tradition that I've carried into my adult life.

This recipe was not the first one I used, but I feel certain that it will be the last (other than a summer version). I've tasted a lot of red velvet cakes and cupcakes over the years, and two problems I seem to encounter over and over are texture and taste.  Too often, the cake is dry, cottony, or lacks depth of flavor. If you've been disappointed in red velvet in the past, I hope you'll give this recipe a try. 

Red Velvet Cake

2½ cups sifted unleavened cake flour 
3 tablespoons Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cool room temp
2 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs, at room temp
1 large egg yolk, at room temp
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 oz. red food coloring 
3 Tablespoons lukewarm water
1 cup lowfat buttermilk, at room temperature
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly coat two 9-inch round cake pans with vegetable shortening.  Insert parchment paper cut to fit the bottom of the pans and lightly coat the paper with shortening, then dust with flour.

2. In a large bowl, sift together the cake flour, cocoa, and baking powder and set aside.

3. In a standing mixer, set on medium speed, beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Beat in the eggs and egg yolk one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Beat in the vanilla and salt.  Beat in the red food coloring, then the water, using a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl, until well blended.

4.  Using the lowest speed, beat in the flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk, for a total of 4 additions, ending with buttermilk and blending well.  In a glass measuring cup, dissolve the baking soda in the vinegar.  Pour in and beat on medium speed until just blended, about 10 seconds, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.  Do not overbeat.  Turn into the prepared cake pans.

5. Bake on the middle oven rack until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out almost clean, 30-35 minutes.

6. Let the cake cool completely in the pans on a wire rack, then turn out and frost with cream cheese frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

1 lb. cream cheese, at room temperature
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 lb. confectioners’sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. In a standing mixer, set on low speed, beat together the cream cheese, butter, and confectioners’ sugar for 10 seconds.  Then beat on high speed until well blended and smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.  Add the vanilla and blend well.  

Note: This is not the recipe to use for red velvet cupcakes.  Cake flour gives it a very tender crumb that isn't sturdy enough to hold up as a regular size cupcake.  If you want to make cupcakes, I would swap out the cake flour for all-purpose flour. Though the texture will be different, it's more likely to work in cupcake form.

 

Free Printable Gift Tag Roundup

Want to know why there haven't been any gift wrapping ideas on my blog? Because every gift I've wrapped is sitting under the tree, no ribbons or bows, no embellishment, not even tags. What can I say? This is what happens sometimes in the midst of holiday chaos. I sort of know who gets what package, but a little tagging might be helpful.  So here's a roundup of free printables I've found on the web (you know, just in case the gifts under your tree look like mine do).

 

Loving these tags from Whisker Graphics. Go here for the download.

 These tags from Paper Crave are available in 3 different colorways.

A bit of whimsy for those handmade gifts - from A Fanciful Twist

More pretties from Paper Crave

A nice, eclectic mix from Blush Printables

You'll have to supply the fabric scraps, but I love these tags from Inchmark

 

These lace patterned tags from Creature Comforts are perfect year-round.

 

And now, if you'll excuse me...I have some gifts to tag.

 

Marriage in a Cookie (a.k.a. Eggnog Cookies)

Thirteen years ago, my husband asked me to marry him. It was a sweats and T-shirt kind of night, at home, baking eggnog cookies for the first time. We opened a few gifts. I thought from the size of the box that I was getting a sewing machine.  I didn't. Instead I got a suitcase with an offer for a lifetime journey, fully equipped with a traveling partner who would require my complete trust. I was taken by surprise. We had never discussed marriage, and for once in my romantic life, I was actually happy enough that I didn't care whether we made it official. It took me a little while to absorb the shock, but I said yes. It didn't occur to me to say anything else.

We've weathered many storms together in this journey, some of our own making, others not. And yet, I have never once thought "this will be the storm that separates us." There is a certain comfort in that knowledge and I have a deep respect for the resilience that love brings. In so many ways, my husband brought me to life. It's hard now to imagine a life that he wasn't a part of. 

Every time I make these cookies it's more than just a memory, more than just a cookie. It's a way of saying "yes" over and over again, reaching across any divide and taking his hand once more. "Yes, I will go with you". I make these cookies to remind us, to give us a fleeting glimpse of who we were, to bring us fully into the present where we see each other now, as we are, as we've become.

These are my husband's favorite cookies and he looks forward to them every year. As for myself, I can't imagine not making them for decades to come, just as I can't imagine never having accepted this journey, this partner, this particular love.

Eggnog Cookies
(makes 18 large or 36 small cookies)

2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned in cup, then leveled off)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
2 large eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons rum extract
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly grease cookie sheets with vegetable oil cooking spray or solid shortening.

Whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and the nutmeg in a medium bowl and set aside.

Beat the eggs and sugar with an electric mixer at high speed until the mixture is smooth and thick. Add the butter, rum extract, and cream. Mix at low speed until thoroughly blended. Increase the speed to high and mix for 15 seconds more. Add the flour mixture, beating just to incorporate.

Drop by the tablespoonful onto the prepared cookie sheets, leaving 2 inches between cookies. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until light golden and firm to the touch.

Remove from the oven and transfer to wire racks. While cookies are still warm, frost them with Brandy Frosting and grate fresh nutmeg over the top.

 

Brandy Frosting 

In a bowl, soften 2 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature with an electric mixer at low speed. Sift in 1 cup confectioners' sugar. Add 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon brandy (I use E&J, which is inexpensive and usually available in small bottles), and beat until smooth.  

Introducing...My New Column!

This past summer I had finally reached the point where I was contemplating the idea of growing up and getting a "real job."  What that job would be I couldn't even imagine, but I wondered aloud to a friend whether it was time for me to do something more stable. That very afternoon, I received an email asking whether I'd be interested in having my own monthly column in Family Circle. Ummm....YES!!  

Shortly after that email, the floodgates opened and just like that, I'm way too busy to consider pursuing another career. Instead, I'll take it as a sign from the Universe that I should just continue doing what I love. It's a reminder that good things do come to those who wait.  

I couldn't have asked for a better beginning to 2011 and the fact that my job description now includes a mandate to scour flea markets, antique stores, and thrift shops...well really, I can't think of anything more perfect for me. So a big THANK YOU to Family Circle for giving me this opportunity. I'm loving it!

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Want to follow me on my adventures to see what I find and how I transform those finds? My  DIY column debuts in the January 2011 issue, on newsstands now.

Hudson Learned to Snap

 

I saw this journaling project on Design Sponge last week and I keep thinking about it, so I thought I'd share. It's a simple concept - an index card for each day of the month, a postcard dividing each month. You jot down one thing that happened each day, then start over again the next year using the same index cards. It's so simple, but it's perfect!

I have a drawer full of good intentions and meaningful projects I want to get around to. In the meantime, the daily stuff sort of slips away. So yesterday, when my son learned to snap and was inordinately pleased with himself, I realized that that's what I would write down for the day. And suddenly, it felt like such a meaningful thing to remember. (If I wrote down that simple thing, would I remember his unbridled joy twenty years from now?) 

I'm going to make this calendar before the new year. But I'm not waiting until January 1st. In the meantime, I'm jotting down notes in my notebook. Today's entry - Hudson learned to double snap. 

Green Bag Lady Giveaway

Remember Teresa, the Green Bag Lady I love so much? She's done it again! She has a "Take One, Make One" giveaway going on through December 17th, and she's giving away 100 bags made of Amy Butler fabrics (another of my favorites), along with fabric and a pattern for you to make another bag and give it away.

Something else I love - Teresa used fabric I sent her to make the handles for these bags. And it's such a small thing, but I love knowing that I've sent something out into the world to be used for good.

Get the details of her giveaway here. 

Red Velvet Cookies

The Christmas decor is complete, the presents are mostly finished (though not wrapped), and I'm in full blown baking mode around here. Red velvet cake is a given, fig cake, maybe pralines and fudge, eggnog cookies and these red velvet cookies. 

I first made these cookies a couple of years ago, after stumbling onto a recipe. This year I tweaked it a bit to more closely resemble the flavor of my red velvet cake. They aren't overly cakey, but they aren't crisp either, which I think is just right for a red velvet cookie. They're also very easy and quick to make, which is a bonus during a busy holiday season.

Red Velvet Cookies
(makes approximately 28 cookies)

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (spoon flour into measuring cup, then level it)
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (such as Hershey's)
1 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 1-oz. bottle red food coloring
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

Cream cheese frosting (see below)
Cocoa powder

1. In a medium bowl whisk flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt together; set aside.

2. In a large bowl or a standing mixer, beat butter on medium speed until light and fluffy. Increase speed to medium-high and beat in sugars until smooth. Add eggs, food coloring, vanilla, and apple cider vinegar; beat on medium speed, just until combined. Add flour mixture; beat just until combined, scraping sides of bowl as needed.

3. Using a tablespoon, scoop out rounded portions of dough and place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 10 to 12 minutes, or until edges are set but centers still somewhat soft. Cool on pans (set on a wire rack) for about 5 minutes, then transfer the cookies to wire racks and let them cool completely.

4. Frost fully cooled cookies with cream cheese frosting. If you wish to use cookie stencils to decorate your cookies, sift cocoa powder over the stencil. You can also sprinkle a little cocoa on the tops of your cookies by sifting it through a fine mesh strainer.   

Cream Cheese Frosting:

With a mixer on medium speed, beat 8 ounces of softened cream cheese with 1/4 cup softened, unsalted butter and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in 2 to 3 cups powdered sugar to reach spreading consistency. (If you find it necessary to thin it, you can add a little milk.)

Resources:
Jeweled Snowflake cookie stencils available at Copper Gifts. And if you're in a hurry, you can also buy Martha Stewart Crafts cookie and cupcake stencils at Michaels. 

To use a stencil, frost your cookies flat, then let them dry for a few minutes. Hold the stencil close to the surface of the cookie and sift cocoa powder over the stencil.

Seasonal Cocktails: Praline Eggnog & Bourbon Milk Punch

Calling Bourbon Milk Punch a seasonal cocktail is a bit of a misnomer since New Orleanians imbibe it as a brunch cocktail year round (Hey, I just live here. I don't make the rules!) But it's definitely the season for eggnog and this version has a local spin to it, with the addition of Sazerac Rye and Praline, a pecan liqueur. A little something to make it all just a bit more festive.

Bourbon Milk Punch

2 ounces bourbon (we like to make it with Makers Mark)
2 ounces half-and-half
1 ounce Simple Syrup
1/8 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Shake all of the ingredients in an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Serve neat, or on the rocks. Garnish with freshly grated nutmeg.

Simple Syrup: 1/2 cup water and 1/2 cup sugar. Bring just to a boil; stir to dissolve sugar, then remove from heat. Let cool. Keep refrigerated. 

 

Praline Eggnog:
(makes 2 large drinks)

2 eggs
2 ounces Sazerac Rye
2 ounces Praline Liqueur
1 1/2 ounces Brandy
1 1/2 ounces Simple Syrup
4 ounces whole milk
4 ounces heavy cream

Put all of the ingredients in a blender to combine. Refrigerate until thoroughly chilled. Serve neat with grated nutmeg on top.

 

 

German Chocolate Cupcakes

I was asked to make German Chocolate cupcakes for a birthday party, and while I'm no stranger to cupcakes, German Chocolate wasn't in my repertoire. I make a great cake, mind you, but the cake base is very delicate and wouldn't hold up as a cupcake. Then there's the issue of texture - most German Chocolate cakes are thin layers sandwiched with filling, which serves to make the cake moister after a day or two. A cupcake would have to stand on its own.

I did plenty of research and lots of recipes simply veered too much from the classic, using dark chocolate or dressing it up in ways I find undesirable. Even Martha's cupcakes were split and layered, made to resemble small cakes. That wasn't going to work for 60 cupcakes. In the end, I found a recipe from the incomparable Rose Levy Beranbaum, best known for The Cake Bible, and her newest book, Rose's Heavenly Cakes.

The cake base is a little darker than a classic German Chocolate cake, but still mellow like the original. It also has a similar texture, without being quite as delicate. All in all, a very good cupcake. For the best flavor and texture, make them the day before you plan to serve them.

German Chocolate Cupcakes:
adapted from Rose's Heavenly Cakes
(makes 24 standard size cupcakes)

3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons unsweetened (alkalized) cocoa powder (sifted before measuring)
1/2 cup boiling water
1/2 cup canola or safflower oil, at room temperature
4 large eggs, separated, plus 2 additional whites, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup cake flour (sifted into the cup and leveled off)
2/3 cup bleached, all-purpose flour (sifted into the cup and leveled off)
1 1/2 cups superfine sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt 

1. Prepare foil cupcake liners (with white inner liners still attached) by spraying the insides with Baker's Joy (or another baking spray that contains flour) and place in muffin pans.

2. Place the oven rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees.

3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, by hand, whisk the cocoa and boiling water until smooth. Cover with plastic wrap to prevent evaporation and cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes. To speed cooling, place the mixture in the refrigerator. Bring it to room temperature before proceeding.

Add the oil and yolks to the chocolate mixture. Attach the whisk beater. Starting on low speed, gradually raise the speed to medium and beat for about 1 minute, or until smooth and shiny, and resembling a buttercream. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Beat in the vanilla for a few seconds.

4. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

5. Add half of the flour mixture to the chocolate mixture. Beat on low speed until the dry ingredients are moistened. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the remaining flour mixture. Raise the speed to medium-high and beat for 1 minute. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. The mixture will be very thick.

Starting on low speed, add the egg whites. Gradually raise the speed to medium-high and beat for 2 minutes. The batter will now be like a thick soup. Using a silicone spatula, scrape it into a 2-cup or larger cup with a spout. Pour the batter into the prepared cupcake liners, a little over half full.

6. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove the cupcakes from the pan, to a wire rack, and let cool.

Frost with Classic Coconut-Pecan Filling.

Off the Page: Inspired Christmas Decor

Last week I showed photos of what was inspiring me this holiday season. This is the post where I show how that inspiration manifested itself in real life. What I loved about this little design exercise was how easy it was to work with the items I already owned, and how easy and inexpensive it was to fill in the details. 

I already own a decent amount of mercury glass, collected over the countless seasons this particular trend has been going strong. But I didn't have any vases or flower pots, so I took a trip to my local Pottery Barn, where I found small etched pots for $10. A trip to Lowe's yielded paperwhites and small flats of Dusty Miller (both of which, I might add, seem to have a long vase life). Because I don't like to put water in my mercury glass, I used wide mouthed glass votive holders and juice glasses to line my pots and put the flowers in. 

The other detail that inspired me was the beautiful gray mirror in the Martha Stewart Living feature. As I've shown you before, I had that heavy, dark frame in place on my mantel, which didn't create the effect I was going for. I decided that I'd take a trip to the thrift store and if I could find a suitable mirror for under $25, I would take it home and give it a makeover.  Success! I found a simple, honey colored wood frame for $15, which I primed and painted a pale gray (Silver Birch by Glidden). But I wanted it to have a slight sheen, so I gave it a coat of Make It Pearl, which softened the color even more and gave it a subtle shimmer. When the holidays are over, it will find a home in a hallway.

I added other bits of nature to my decor, mixing in the embossed velvet holly garland that I made a few years back, a beaded leaf wreath (I spent 80 hours making mine, but you can buy yours at Ballard Designs), my glittered pinecone centerpiece, white flocked snowflake ornaments, and glass acorn ornaments. I think the end result is every bit as serene as I'd hoped it would be.

 

 

 

Scrap Cards

I sometimes get caught up in wanting to make the perfect Christmas card - for each and every person on my list. It's just not possible, and I'm slowly and surely letting go of those self-expectations. (In fact, this year I went so far as to leave the designing to someone else and I couldn't be happier with that decision.) But if you find yourself wanting to spend an afternoon crafting, there's nothing easier than these scrap cards, which are one of the 25 ideas featured in the December issue of Family Circle.

For these particular cards, I cut scraps from cards I'd received in years past or stragglers that I never sent, and saved. But it's also a good way to use up scraps of gift wrap that are too nice to throw away. It's helpful to have a few tools, like a circle cutter or hole punch, if you plan to make a lot of circles. But you can do plenty with simple strips as well. It's an easy, eco-friendly way to send something handmade.

 

Note: I made my own cards here, using regular card stock, but stores like Michaels always carry sets of cards and envelopes and Paper Source is another good option for plain card sets.

Glittered Pinecone Centerpiece

Remember my easy ornament upgrade? Well, I just couldn't help myself and I kept glittering and glittering...My latest victims were these pinecone ornaments. I love pinecones, but these looked so fake and plastic that I almost passed them up, thinking they were beyond help. 

This time around, I skipped the fine glass glitter and went for the coarsest grade of glass glitter. This helped to fill in more of the spaces in the center and add some bulk to the form, which helped a great deal. I even separated some of the pinecone forms and made smaller ones to create a variation in sizes (I know - we don't have to discuss the compulsion that drives me to do these things). Simple, pretty, and it works well with my collection of mercury glass. I'm happy.

Before and After:
 

To do it yourself, cut the ornament loop off of the pinecone, then coat the ornament with spray adhesive and glitter away. (I like to glitter on a separate scrap of paper so that my glitter doesn't stick to the overspray from the spray adhesive.)  While they're drying, let them sit upright in a mound of glitter. When they're dry, tap off any excess. If one coat doesn't feel like enough, you can even do a second coat (I didn't, but it wasn't necessary for mine).  You can also try this with real pinecones, but I'd suggest spray painting them white first, then glittering. 

Resources:

Pinecone ornaments - Walmart $1 each
Coarse Silver Glass Glitter (80 grit) - Meyer Imports
Compote - Martha Stewart Whiteware Collection at Macy's