This patterned cookie from Canadian Living Cooks 2003, is actually easy to make.
Hummingbird cake has the crushed pineapple, nuts and spices you'd find in carrot cake, but instead of shredded carrots, the batter is studded with diced bananas. A swirl of cream cheese icing is all you need on top, but if you really want to knock everyone's socks off, top your cupcakes with our Pineapple Flowers, attaching the banana chips and pecan halves with dabs of icing.
Warning: This cake is for serious chocolate and caramel lovers. It has a velvety texture, crunchy pecans, smooth whipped cream and a sophisticated caramel drizzle.
Look for pomegranate molasses (also called grenadine molasses) in the international section of grocery stores or in Middle Eastern stores. It adds a lovely flavour to this chocolate cake, but it can be omitted if you can't find it.
Special occasions call for special desserts, and this one fills the bill. Moist lemon cake, a bright lemon custard and a simple lemon icing come together to create the ultimate springtime dessert. Look for edible flowers at cake-supply stores. If unavailable, use sugar-coated gumdrops instead.
This playful cake is the perfect balance between whimsical and elegant. Once you've placed the bottom row of polka dots, you have a guideline to follow for placing the remaining dots in a diminishing pattern to the top. You can smooth out any fingerprints left on the dots using a fondant iron once they're set but haven't dried completely.
