Christmas Cake Recipes - Raspberry Cream Cake

This is a beautiful looking cake that is perfect for the holidays.

1 pkg. yellow cake mix

Raspberry Filling

Chocolate Glaze

Directions

Prepare packaged cake mix according to directions for two 9-inch cake rounds. Cool cake for 10 minutes, then remove from pans and put on wire racks or plates; cool completely.

Raspberry Filling

2 tablespoons all purpose flour

2/3 cup milk

6 tablespoons butter, softened

1/3 cup shortening

2/3 cup sugar

3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups fresh raspberries, divided

Directions

In a small saucepan, combine the flour and milk; mix until smooth. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly for 1 to 2 minutes or until thickened. Let cool to room temperature.

In a small bowl, cream together the butter, shortening, sugar and vanilla. Beat in the milk mixture until sugar is dissolved (about 5 minutes).

Place bottom cake layer on serving plate. Spread cake with 1 cup of filling. Place the remaining filling in a pastry bag with a star tip (or use a resealable plastic bag and cut a hole in the corner). Pipe filling around the outside edges of the cake.

Sprinkle 1-3/4 cups of fresh raspberries over filling. Put the remaining layer on top. Chill cake in refrigerator. Top with Chocolate Glaze.

Chocolate Glaze

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

3 tablespoons half and half cream

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons light corn syrup

White chocolate garnish and pearl dragees (optional)

Directions

In a saucepan, combine the chocolate chips, cream, butter and corn syrup. Cook over low heat until the chocolate is melted; stirring occasionally. Remove pan from heat; stir until smooth.

Spread enough of the glaze on top of cake to completely cover. Put cake back in the refrigerator and let chill for 10 minutes. Take cake out of refrigerator and pour on remaining glaze; letting glaze drip over the sides. Chill cake for 1 hour. Decorate the top of cake with fresh raspberries, white chocolate garnish and pearl dragees.

Makes 10 to 12 servings.

Christmas Cake Recipes: Gingerbread Torte Cake

A delicious gingerbread cake with cream cheese frosting.

3/4 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 cup molasses

3 cups all purpose flour

3 teaspoons ground ginger

2 teaspoons baking soda

1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup milk

Cream Cheese Frosting

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Line three 9-inch cake pans with waxed paper. Spray paper with nonstick cooking spray and sprinkle with flour. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each one. Beat in the molasses.

In another bowl, combine the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; add to creamed mixture, alternating with the milk. Spoon batter into prepared pans. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cake cool for 10 minutes then remove to wire racks; let cool completely.

Cream Cheese Frosting

1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup butter, softened

2 teaspoons grated lemon peel

3-3/4 cups confectioners sugar

Directions

In a small bowl, beat together the cream cheese and the butter. Add in the lemon peel. Gradually beat in the confectioners' sugar; blend well.

Place bottom cake layer on a serving plate. Spread with a layer of frosting (about 2/3 cup). Put the second layer on top and spread same amount of frosting on top. Repeat with top layer. Refrigerate cake until ready to serve.

Makes 10 to 12 servings.

Christmas Sweets For Grandkids

Grandchildren are special. When they are born they give happiness and delight to all the adults that surround them. With their delicate little bodies and angelic faces, they capture everyone's hearts and this does not stop until they grow bigger. Especially for grandparents, grandkids hold a special place in their hearts. This is because aside from their children, their grandkids are another extension of them and another manifestation of their existence as beings in this world.

It is not uncommon to see old people very happy and enjoying the moment so much when they are with their grandkids. Often, huge smiles are seen on their faces. Grandkids and grandparents alike would share laughter, fun, and adventure in their own activities. Often they are seen enjoying so many common things together that what seems like ordinary to some people becomes so special when they do it. Grandparents and the kids are seen playing together, chasing each other in places such as parks and even backyards, and eating their favorite treats together. When they all love sweets so much, they can finish sweet hampers filled with every imaginable treats.

Grandparents, whenever they visit grandchildren, can't help but feel elated and excited because they are about to spend time with the extension of themselves again. When they visit, they always have something for the kids to enjoy. They bring toys or sweet hampers and have plans regarding the activities they will do. Usually they go to fun and nice places such as zoo and parks. After which they will enjoy a festive lunch and dinner and have sweet hampers as snacks in between.

The feeling of bliss that anyone gets when eating chocolates and other sugary delights such as sweet hampers is the exact same thing that grandparents and kids feel when they are together. Whether on this moment they are enjoying sweet hampers or not, just being with each other is a simple activity that brings so much warmth to their hearts already.

Fruitcakes and Stollen For the Holidays - Or How to Take the Work Out of Christmas Dessert

Snowflakes are falling, there's a nip in the air, and as you walk down the street, your friends and even strangers are wishing you, "Happy Holidays". Store windows are filled with charming wintry displays. In town, the holiday decorations are up and Christmas trees are brightly lit for all to see. It's that time of year again and the world is ready to celebrate - not only with decorations, but with delicious food.

"The worst gift is a fruitcake. There is only one fruitcake in the entire world, and people keep sending it to each other." -Johnny Carson

The Case for Fruitcake and Other New Ideas

Holiday deserts are the stuff of a traditional Christmas but for many, the thought of holiday baking is a daunting task. So, even though you've heard all the jokes about fruitcakes, and you may be using Aunt Janet's last year's fruitcake as a doorstop, this is the time to reconsider and put fruitcake back at the top of your preferred desserts list.

It's not that we're trying to revive your interest in fruitcake. It's just that the good news is - you don't have to bake it yourself anymore (unless you really want to). The idea is to take the work out of it and you can do it by ordering the best and the most scrumptious fruitcakes on line.

And yes - let's revive the fruitcake tradition! There are good reasons fruitcake has remained a favorite through the centuries. It's not only still welcomed as the star dessert after Christmas dinner, but it's nibbled right through to January, February and beyond. Fruitcake is also healthy! It's full of fruit and fiber and loaded with anti-oxidants. It's a confection that started way back in Roman times, was popularized in England (where it was called a Christmas cake), and is now literally an American family tradition.

The Festive German Stollen

On-line specialty desserts are hot this year when folks are looking for the best of the best and know they can find quality gifts and gourmet foods at competitive prices on the internet. If you're looking for a specialty cake as an edible gift, or something a little different to top off Christmas dinner, try a German Stollen, a loaf shaped fruitcake with a rich but subtle taste. A German Christmas is not considered complete without the traditional stollen. The Dutch have a similar version called Kertstol.

Stollens have great ingredients such as sultana raisins, wheat flour, butter, almonds, rum, sherry, and brandy, giving them a distinctively rich taste all their own. The Christmas Stollen was baked in the 15th century in Dresden and remains as an extremely popular confection throughout the world. Don't try to bake it yourself of course (unless you really want to). You can order one on the internet.

Starting New Family Food Traditions - The Holiday Dessert Table

What about offering something completely new - a Holiday Dessert Table - to start your own Christmas tradition? A special table set aside and filled with all the delicious things you can find (both on-line and off), decorated with some confections wrapped as gifts for your guests, can start a brand new trend. Invite friends to bring their contributions too and start an annual neighborhood tradition. Adding new desserts will make the party unusual, interesting and exciting.

Ideas for your Holiday Dessert Table include traditional fruit cakes and stollen of course, plus cranberry-lemon cake (featuring fresh cranberries baked under a tangy lemon batter). Virginia dark peppermint bark (a rich, dark chocolate candy enhanced by the zip of peppermint), and rum cakes with vanilla, chocolate, coconut and cinnamon enhancing sauces are also fine internet treasures. Coconut macaroons coated with dark chocolate or chocolate covered peanut brittle are examples of other options for the Holiday Dessert Table. The list of delectable delights available on line is long and luscious.

People don't usually count calories at Christmas. It's the time to relax and enjoy the spirit of giving and sharing and it may be the only time of year when folks love to indulge. So don't hold back.

Experimenting with new holiday desserts is not only a creative endeavor, but fun, and a way to launch new family traditions without "sweating over a hot stove" to get there. Leftovers? Freeze them for surprise desserts later. Think Valentine's Day.

You don't have to spend grueling hours in the kitchen anymore, preparing elaborate desserts in advance of the big holiday feast. There's a wonderful resource available now - the internet - and we can look to cyberspace to provide us with the best of tried and true traditional desserts with the finest ingredients and sumptuous new delicacies to please the most discriminating palate. All that luxury arrives right on our doorsteps in record time, with minimum effort.

There is something to be said for the internet and cutting edge technology. And when it comes to saving time and labor in the kitchen, it can be said in one word - freedom - freedom to truly enjoy the holiday season, almost as a guest in our own kitchen.