The Bundt Cake Edition

Whenever I think of a bundt cake, I think back to the movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding when Ian's mother brings one to the Portokalos family gathering, and no one understood what the cake was! I  always find myself pronouncing bundt the way Maria Portokalos attempted to pronounce the word. One of my favorite parts of the movie.

The last few days I have been on a bundt cake kick. It was my mom's birthday and I wanted to make a pretty cake for her, but I was short on time. As I was scurrying through the plethora of pans my mother owns and ran across a bundt cake pan. It was so elegant looking, and yet so simple. Since it was 10:00 at night, I decided to quickly mix up a box cake and bake it. The next day I flipped the pan over, and magically it came out perfect! Now I have a history of being over ambitious with my baking, being to eager I always flip the cake over too soon and ruin it. But, after waiting over 8 hours, it was flawless. The chocolate bundt cake worked great for her birthday, it was a hit with my family.

I lightly dusted the cake with powder sugar to give an even more elegant look. There is a chunk missing in the back because my sister and dad got into it.

Bundt cakes are perfect for families always on the move. You can simply get a box cake mix and toss it in the oven. Or, if you happen to have some extra time you can bake from scratch. I experimented with two recipies from the King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion Cookbook.

This book is a must have! Every recipe my mom and I have tried from here has been a great success. It has everything from pies, bread, crackers, and of course cakes! You can also go to their website which contains hundreds of yummy recipes.

The first one I tried was a good old fashion Vanilla Pound Cake, which is on page 356. It is so so easy and a safe option to go to when short on time and need something you can count on. Excellent for work events, tea parties, crocheting parties. It is so simple, and took no time at all. I put a glaze on it that they recommend, which is also on the same page.

                   The glaze didn't turn out as pretty as I wanted it too, but at least it will taste good!

The other cake I tried was the Apple Cake on page 339. This recipe is very time consuming, but worth it! The cake is so delightful and perfect for fall! I made the caramel frosting they recommended on page 396, it added a nice sweet touch, and reminds one of caramel apples. I finished the cake off with a light dusting of powder sugar. I highly recommend this recipe for any event, a Pumpkin Carving Party, Halloween party, or Thanksgiving. Since I absolutely love fall, this is going to be my go-to cake for the season. (I don't have a before frosting picture because I accidently deleted it!)

You can get bundt cake pans at your local store, or off a bakery website. And you are not limited to just your basic shapes, you can also get pretty crazy with the pans. I have a particularly cute one at my ebay store, its a Nordic Ware Fairytale Cottage Bundt Cake Pan, perfect for Christmas! Its is selling for $25.00, picture is provided below.

           

                       

Also, there is a stadium pan, perfect for the oncoming football season! Support your team by baking!

The bundt cake is a perfect sweet treat to enjoy with good company. I am looking forward to appreciating the spoils of my work with a fresh brewed cup of coffee and a slice of cake with my boyfriend, sister, and of course Poe the Pug!

Tea Time!

Hello Everyone,
Tea time is back with Mrs. Grays. After a brief hiatus, business is back! I am Nancy Gray, Mrs. Gray's daughter. My mother is currently in an adventure watching my sister recover from a car accident and still living the tea lifestyle. 

This last weekend I hosted a tea party for my best friend's bridal shower in beautiful Ventura, California. I decided to make the party favors full of tea items for the guest. 

The brown boxes can be found at any party store. The brown ribbon came with the boxes. The tea party was a Disney themed, so I found love quotes from Disney movies and copied them onto pink paper. I then cut out the paper and stuck them on the boxes.

I took 7 tea infusers, wrapped them in a bundle and tied them with a pink ribbon. These can be found at my store. A bundle of tea infusers: 25 for $2.50 (includes postage)

The tea I included in the party favors were the Romeo and Juliet heart teas. I included a description of the tea with instructions on how to brew the tea. The heart teas added a cute but romantic element to the tea favors. The tea can be found at this website. http://store.tbythesea.com/romeo-and-juliet-green-tea.html

I put the tea into a cute pink bag, you can see the heart tea in the bag. The pink bags can be found at your local party store. 

 Poe the pug decided she wanted to help assemble the party favors.

These party favors are a great way to supply your guest with fun tea items. Even guest who typically do not have tea as a daily part of their lives can't help but to enjoy the romantic and delightful tea.