Cookies and Cream Celebration Cake
This citrus-scented layer cake and creamy butter icing are good basics to use time and time again for all your special occasions.
This citrus-scented layer cake and creamy butter icing are good basics to use time and time again for all your special occasions.
"Rich butterscotch pudding fills these sweet shortbread cups, which are easy to serve at a sit-down dinner or a cocktail party–style gathering. A hint of Scotch whisky and shards of nutty, buttery toffee make them the most elegant hand-held sweets you'll ever serve." — Amanda Barnier, Food specialist
These treats are quick and easy to make and decorate. So keep the kids as busy as a beaver with an afternoon of fun.
Even in Nanaimo, B.C., the origin of the Nanaimo bar is contested. One thing we can all agree on, though, is that Canadians love this triple-layered treat. Over the years, creative Canucks have used the traditional elements of this dessert in Nanaimo bar–flavoured martinis, cupcakes and more. We've married it here with an éclair to create an especially rich pastry.
When I was young, my dad usually kept his cooking to a minimum. However, when I began my culinary career as an adult, his passion for cooking started to flourish. Our long-distance phone calls now turn into conversations about what we prepared for dinner that week or a new hors d'oeuvre he's excited to make for the next family gathering. Holiday dinners have gone from turkey and stuffing to eight-course seafood feasts with my father at the helm.
Dad has more of a meat tooth than a sweet tooth, but this sour cherry pie remains one of his all-time favourites. I now make it every year for his birthday. The small cherry tree in his backyard yields enough for only one pie and perhaps a few small tarts, making this pie a rare treat. – Amanda Barnier
To simplify dinner prep, bake and freeze these rolls in advance—if you can resist eating them fresh out of the oven. The secret to their divine texture is to use just enough flour to keep the dough from sticking to your hands.
These pops make an adorable edible centrepiece on your Thanksgiving table. Small gingersnap thins fit neatly in a measuring cup; if you're using bigger cookies, break them into 1-inch (2.5 cm) pieces to fit in the cup. To make the crumbs, pulse the cookies in a food processor, or put them in a plastic bag and crush them with a rolling pin, until they're crumbly but not powdery.
It is hard to believe that this entire meal for 6 can be prepared in under an hour. The ingredients in this main course and side dishes are completely Canadian (including the Canola oil), but just like our country's unique cultural mosaic -- they have been flavoured with exotic spices and other wonderful additions which highlight Canada's tolerance and respect for people of other lands. The lamb was reared in Ontario and the eggplant can be grown in almost any Canadian garden. I sometimes serve the lamb with chick pea fries and chuckle when I remind my Indian in-laws that Canada and Australia are now growing garbanzo beans, too.
The shimmering metallic accents on this cake go beautifully with any bride's colour scheme. Look for prepared gum paste and rolled fondant at any cake-decorating supply store. Gum paste mix is also widely available and can be mixed according to package directions for the same result. To give the flowers a curved shape, set them on a plastic artist's paint palette with round wells. Gum paste dries quickly, so by the time you've filled all of the wells, you can begin to remove the flowers to make room for more.
This tall chocolate and orange multi-tiered cake will make a great impression on a couple's big day. The colours can be made to work with any palette; just be sure to go light and dark enough on either end to allow for a gradient of colour on the middle two tiers.