Lots of Fall Flavors

This past weekend Josh and I, with the help of our dear friends Asher and Halen, threw ourselves a housewarming party! I know it sounds kind of selfish and weird but really we thought it would be a fun excuse to have some friends over and share some delicious desserts. And after having it we decided that it's totally okay to throw yourself a party or better yet to throw a party in the honor of an inanimate object such as a house. We indulged in several new recipes- coconut and dark chocolate macaroons (my one recipe that was actually pretty healthy- that is if you are one of those like myself who consider dark chocolate healthy), maple spice cake, yellow buttermilk cake with chocolate icing, apple caramel cupcakes, brownies (the box version because you simply can't do better than boxed brownies), and gingerbread with homemade whip cream. And yes, I think I've gained a few pounds. I also learned a few party hosting skills from my friend Halen. For example- I ask- "Halen, what should we do with all of these dirty dishes?" (as some early folks are arriving). "I don't know...my mom used to always put hers in the oven." "MMM great idea!! And lets put all of these pans in the basement!" And another fantastic idea- "Halen, do you think we have enough desserts?" "No, probably not." "What should we do?" "Umm we have 30 minutes lets bake another cake and send the guys to the store to get some pudding." "Pudding?" "Yes, we can top it with the leftover whip cream and some mint leaves from your new plant." "Excellent idea- you're brilliant!!"
And as it turned out, the pudding was a big hit, the kitchen was clean, and we even had some dessert left over. Thanks to Halen, her party skills, and wise lessons.

Here is a recipe from the party.


Spice Cake with Maple Icing
adapted from Nigella Lawson

For the cake:
2 1/2 cups sifted cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 sticks (6 ounces) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup (packed) light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature

For the icing:
2 large egg whites
1/2 cup maple syrup
7 tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup or 4 oz pecans, lightly toasted

1. Preheat the oven to 350° and position a rack in the lower third. Butter and flour two 8-by-2-inch round cake pans. Sift the flour with the baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, salt and cloves onto a sheet of wax paper. Combine the buttermilk and vanilla in a small pitcher.

2. In a standing electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter at medium speed until creamy. Add the light brown and granulated sugars and beat until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes, stopping once to scrape down the bowl. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the flour mixture at low speed in 3 batches, alternating with the buttermilk mixture, just until the batter is smooth; stop the mixer occasionally to scrape down the bowl.

3. Divide the batter evenly between the pans. Transfer the pans to the oven and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the cakes begin to shrink from the sides. Let the cakes cool for 10 minutes, then turn each out onto a rack, invert onto another rack and let cool completely. Wrap each cake in plastic and store at room temperature overnight.

4. To make the frosting: Put everything except the extract and pecans into a glass or metal bowl that fits over a saucepan to form a double boiler. Fill the saucepan with enough water to come just below, but not touching, the bowl when it sits on top. Bring the water to the boil, set the boil on top, and using an electric mixer, beat the mixture vigorously for 5-7 minutes. It should stand up in peaks like a meringue mixture. Take the bowl off the saucepan, away from the heat, and add the extract, beating for another minute.

5. Using the icing, frost the middle, sides, and top of the cake. Chop most of the pecans finely, leaving some pieces larger. Sprinkle over the top of the cake, and throw at the sides.