December 2020 - Sunday's Bread

Chocolate Hazelnut Cake with Nutella Frosting

by manglade / December 28, 2020

Hi all. I could not wait to share this special recipe with you. Chocolate. Toasted hazelnuts. Nutella. Need I say more? Yes, today I am sharing the most spectacular chocolate hazelnut cake with Nutella frosting. I was looking for a decadent cake for our Christmas Eve celebration. This recipe fit the bill perfectly. Both girls sighed after the first bite and then mumbled through mouthfuls…”really, really yummy mom.” Coming from two teens that is about as good as it gets! Trust me this recipe will be on rotation for all of your special events.

Tips for making chocolate hazelnut cake with Nutella frosting

This cake is not hard to make but it does have a few steps.

I bought roasted, unsalted hazelnuts at Trader Joes (you can buy these anywhere of course). I took a cup and about an 1/8 of a cup and spread them out on a cookie sheet with a non-stick pad. Roast the nuts at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes. Watch the nuts carefully as they cook fast and can burn. I also turn them over by shaking the cookie sheet gently about halfway through.
Do not add hot chocolate to your cake batter or it will melt the butter and not come out properly. I let the chocolate cool (I used my microwave to melt the chocolate) and then added the Nutella (I took a little sample to make sure it was the right temperature:).
If you would like even cake layers you can slice off the top with a serrated knife. For this version I made the cake in tiny pans but I have made it as both a bundt cake and a layer cake. The layer recipe is below.

Recipe for chocolate hazelnut cake with Nutella frosting

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Chocolate Hazelnut Cake with Nutella Frosting

A spectacular cake full of toasty hazelnut flavor topped with a Nutella chocolate frosting. A perfect cake for any occasion. Enjoy the accolades!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American, French

Keyword Birthday, Cake, Chcocolate, Dessert, Hazelnuts, Holiday, Nutella

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 50

Servings servings

Cost $8

Equipment

Cookie sheet
Cake pans or cupcake pan
Electric or stand mixer

Ingredients

For the hazelnut cake:
1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
1 3/4 cup granulated sugar
4 large eggs
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups milk
3 cups all purpose flour
1 1/4 cups ground toasted hazelnuts see notes above
For the frosting:
6 ounces about half a bag of semisweet chips or semisweet chocolate, chopped
3/4 cup Nutella
1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
3 cups confectioner’s sugar sifted
1 pinch salt
3 Tbsp heavy cream the cream should not be cold
For decorating:
Confectioner’s sugar for dusting
White chocolate optional for decorating
1/4 cup ground toasted hazelnuts

Instructions

For the hazelnut cake
Preheat oven to 350F. Butter two 8-inch cake pans and line the bottom of the pans with a circle of parchment paper. Note: make sure your cake pans have full 2 inch sides to accomodate this cake batter. You can also use a springform pan or even make cupcakes. Make sure you thoroughly grease pans. Non stick pans also work well.
In the bowl of a stand mixer or with electric beaters, cream the butter and sugar together until very light and fluffy (4-5 minutes).
Add the eggs and vanilla extract, and beat for another minute, scraping down the sides of the bowl to get everything incorporated.
Add the baking soda, baking powder, and salt, and mix briefly to combine.
Next, add the flour in a few stages, alternating with the milk, mixing until all of the ingredients are combined. Then mix in the ground hazelnuts. I like to finish mixing by hand with a silicone spatula to make sure everything on the bottom and the sides of the bowl is well mixed.
Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared cake pans and bake for about 35-40 minutes, until risen, golden on top, and the cake springs back when pressed lightly.
Allow the cakes to cool for 10 minutes or so in the pan, then remove the layers and place on a baking rack to cool completely before frosting. (Cake layers can also be made a day ahead, and wrapped and kept in the fridge until ready to frost.)
For the frosting
Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or in the microwave using short bursts. Stir until smooth and allow to cool to room temperature before adding to the frosting. Note: this is important because you don’t want warm chocolate to melt the butter. Once warm. Add in the Nutella and mix.
Cream the butter and confectioner’s sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or mix with an electric mixer.
Add the salt, the cooled melted chocolate mixed with the Nutella, and beat together until the mixture is smooth and uniform. Add the cream and mix until smooth. Make sure the cream is room temperature.
Frost between the cake layers, and then frost the sides and top of the cake. Decorate with curls of white chocolate, a dusting of confectionary sugar and the hazelnut crumbs.

Gold and white wrapping paper is tied with green velvet and gold satin ribbon

Decor

It’s A Wrap: 5 Creative Ways for Wrapping Holiday Gifts

by manglade / December 21, 2020

Hi there. It is countdown to Christmas around here, and I can’t wait to share with you a few creative ways for wrapping holiday gifts. Wrapping gifts is one of my favorite things to do. Growing up my mom used to have me wrap all of the presents. I gladly took on the task! Every step is fun from picking out the look + color scheme, wrapping paper, ribbon, trimmings – not to mention watching my family and friends open the gifts. I hope you enjoy these ideas, and that they spark some creativity while you wrap your own gifts.

Please note, this post contains affiliate links (but I only recommend what I love and would use!).

The steps to creative ways of wrapping holiday gifts

Creative holiday gift wrapping steps:

Establish the look and feel. Rustic? Cozy? Formal? Vintage? Farmhouse? Just as you would pick a look for decorating your home, the same can be done for wrapping gifts.
Choose the container. I often re-use boxes year to year (eco friendly). I keep a selection of different sizes. Further, the assortment of box sizes also adds some visual interest when you group the packages together.
Select wrapping paper. Wrapping paper really sets the tone with the color palette, texture, pattern. I also prefer to buy some wrapping paper that is not only for Christmas. The colors can evoke holidays without an obvious holiday theme. Bonus: You can use that paper year round.
Choose ribbon or trim. Trim also can add that special detail and again give a look and feel. Of course, velvet has a very different feeling than straw raffia. Both can be lovely if paired with the right paper and embellishments.
Embellishments. This is where I have some fun. I love using ornaments, natural items like pine cones or fun details such as greenery. Additionally, ornaments are also a second gift. I include gift tags here too. I use everything from cut out holiday card images to photos for my gift tags.

How I wrapped my gifts this year

This year I had several themes:

La Belle France: I used a deep red cranberry and cream toile wrapping paper with coordinated velvet and gold ribbon. If you have read my blog, you know I am a Francophile. So it is no surprise that French toile would be one of my favorite ways to wrap gifts. The touch of gold adds some sparkle too. It says holiday without being obvious.
Shimmery gold and white: For this theme, I selected cream and gold wrapping paper patterned with holiday messaging. I tied the packages with heavy, dark green velvet ribbon or gold satin. I embellished one gift with a beaded, gold star ornament for some additional holiday cheer.

Cream and gold gift wrap decorated with a holiday star ornament — A sparkly star adds a nice touch

Candy cane land: With a few younger children to wrap for, I opted for a cheery bright red wrapping paper embellished with candy cane inspired trimmings of red ribbon, white string and ornaments or bells.
Brown paper packages tied up with string (could not resist the Sound of Music tie in!): Here I chose rustic patterned craft paper trimmed with holiday ribbon and pinecones from the yard.
Nautical “Take me to the sea” (or seafood as the case may be): I used plain craft paper with a natural straw, raffia ribbon embellished with sea ornaments and real sea shells.

Details on wrapping ideas

La Belle France

Deep cranberry red and cream toile wrapping paper is the base. This toile is not necessarily a Christmas print but the deep cranberry paired with the cream works so well for holiday wrapping. I picked up the ribbon at Costco ages ago but this here.

Cranberry red and white toile gift wrap for holiday gift wrapping — Cranberry toile evokes the holidays without an obvious theme

The small tree you see has fairy lights on it with miniature vintage inspired cranberry heart ornaments. I put the tree in our formal living room (our real, fresh tree is in our more casual family room).

Tiny Christmas tree with white lights and toile wrapped gifts — Fell in love with the vintage heart ornaments

Toile Gift Wrapped Holiday Packages — Cranberry and cream toile wrapping paper with gold and velvet ribbon wraps presents under a fresh evergreen tree

Shimmery Gold and White

Cream and gold paper with holiday script makes a great canvas. The “Merry Christmas” pattern came from Home Goods. Home Goods has a lovely assortment of papers and the quality is excellent. If you can find what you are looking for, I would think you will be happy with the weight and handling of this paper.

That said, I also picked up the other pattern at Walmart for 97 cents a roll! Once you decide on your look and feel you can often find papers even the drugstore. This one was a perfect example. Since I had chosen the gold and cream color palette as an overall theme, it was easy to find gift wrap at Walmart that fit the bill. I also found another pattern at Caspari which has gorgeous papers. This dark green velvet ribbon drapes beautifully and was easy to tie.

Candy Cane Land

Candy cane inspired. The cheerful bright red paper was actually from my local drugstore and was reversible with a peppermint stripe.

Red and white gift wrap decorated with ribbon and bells

I added ribbon and embellishments of a candy cane ornament, some bells from Michaels and a glittery red ribbon I had on hand. If you use double sided tape to secure the ribbon to the back of the package it is seamless. I can’t wait to drop these specially wrapped gifts with the little girls who will be receiving them!

Red and white striped wrapping paper tied with red ribbon and decorated with ornaments — Candy cane inspired presents for little girls

Brown paper packages tied up with string

I had the patterned craft paper on hand but added the cute truck/Christmas tree ribbon and tied some pine cones (from the yard) on top with raffia string. I love the rustic feel. Additionally, candy canes (and other candy) are also an easy and inexpensive way to decorate a gift.

Craft paper with natural embellishments make perfect wrapped holiday gifts

Take me to the sea

Last summer we spent so much time sailing, kayaking and enjoying the beach on northern Long Island Sound, I was excited to purchase nautical gifts and wrap them up accordingly. My husband is a huge seafood fan so I could not resist the lobster and crab ornaments. These ornaments are from Christmas Tree Shops but you can find a similar lobster here – I also used real seashells that I had on hand for additional embellishments.

Nautical gift wrap ideas — Craft paper gift wrap decorated with sea ornaments and real seashells

Next step I put wrapped gifts around the house and in the places where the gift wrap really accents the surroundings.

How about you? Do you like to wrap gifts? Any special creative ways for wrapping holiday gifts that you would recommend?

Food

My Favorite Gingerbread Cookies Recipe

by manglade / December 17, 2020

Hi there! Today I am sharing my favorite gingerbread cookie recipe. The cookies have the perfect mix of warming spices and are soft in the center, but crispy on the outside. We love to use our favorite cookie cutters and then decorate with sprinkles or icing or possibly some raisins or currants. You can make the dough ahead of time and refrigerate for up to a couple of days or even freeze for later use. This year I made them twice. Once for our Christmas Tree Cutting Tailgate Menu and another batch for gift giving and eating at home!

Making gingerbread cookies is a holiday tradition

I have been making this recipe ever since I was in elementary school! I would make them for eating of course but also for decorating our Christmas tree or putting into pretty containers for a holiday gift. My mother loved these cookies and I used to make her a plate just for her! She liked them with tea and called them “spice” cookies and always said the cookies were not overly sweet and perfect with a cup of tea.

Tips for making my favorite gingerbread cookie recipe

A few tips for making what will become your favorite gingerbread cookies:

Be sure to use plenty of flour on your cutting board or counter where you roll out the dough. The flour melts into the cookie during baking so you do not have to worry about it detracting from the look of the cookie.
I recommend a non-stick rolling pin. I have had this Kitchen Aid version for years, and it rolls the dough out evenly and without letting it stick.
When you cut out the dough, place your cookie cutter at the edge as far as it will go. This will allow you to maximize the number of cookies you can cut out at once so the process will be more efficient.
Like all cookies, you need to watch the baking time carefully. The tops of the cookies should not be too shiny. I usually bake one batch and then try a cookie to determine the best time to bake.
If you like a soft cookie, make the dough thicker. If you prefer something crispy, roll it out more thinly and cook slightly longer. When I am using dough to decorate I tend to make the cookies crisper so they easily hold their shape. For eating, I prefer a chewy cookie so I adjust the thickness and baking time accordingly.

Favorite Gingerbread Cookies

These gingerbread cookies have the perfect mix of warming spices and are soft in the center, but crispy on the outside. Use your favorite cookie cutters and decorate with sprinkles or icing. Perfect holiday treats that are as delicious to eat as they are to look at!

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Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Baking, Christmas, Christmas Cookies, Cookies, Holiday

Prep Time: 25

Cook Time: 10

Servings:

Cost: $3