Homemade Chocolate Cake & Birthday Memories by Shaleen Kapil

I’ve been busy baking (well, instructing my mother-in-law from India on how to bake) cakes. I’ve bought a few birthday cakes for my kids along the way, but every time I do, I remember the elaborate cakes my mom used to make us. Sure, they were box cakes, but she always let us pick the shape from a book that she had and they would cut and rearrange sheet cakes to that shape. My favorite was a swan.

I cheat, at least with the shape. I have a horse cake pan that I have been reusing for my daughter for a few years, but I make the cake from scratch using my grandmother’s recipe. This year, I’ll share it with you, true and simple (just don’t over bake it...And don't judge- I don't decorate well, that's why it gets the pretty glass dome!)

Shaleen’s Chocolate Cake

Mix dry ingredients:

¾ c. cocoa

2 c. sugar

2 c. flour

2 tsp baking soda

2 tsp baking powder

Then add the wet in a well that you make from the dry:

½ c. melted butter

1 egg

1 c. boiling water

1 c. milk.

Bake 350 for about an hour or toothpick comes out dry. Makes 2 8” round or 1 9x12”

I like to frost it with cream cheese icing (butter, cream cheese, vanilla, and powdered sugar), but this year, I tried coconut too!

Get some more yummy goodness in Shaleen’s Christmas novella, My Christmas Cupcake, available as part of the Sweet Christmas Kisses 2 collection available here: Kindle, Nook

Also keep up to date with her on Facebook or website

A Thanksgiving question: Who’s your cake baker? by Ginny Baird

When I reflect on this past year, I’m intrigued by something that touched me deeply. It was a Facebook post by fellow sweet romance writer Kristin Wallace, with whom I’d participated in the Sweet Christmas Kisses bundle. She’d shared her wonderful news about becoming a USA Today Bestselling Author, and several of her author friends had baked her a cake. Brought champagne, even. How very lovely.

Isn’t that the kind of connection we all long for? People who will support us in good times and in hard, and who will be there when we need them? What can be more special than sharing an achievement with that sort of person and having him or her celebrate right along with us?

I suppose we’ve all had our “cake bakers” throughout ours lives. Maybe yours was a parent or a sibling? Perhaps a certain teacher, or a mentor of another sort? One thing I’ve learned is that none of us needs a passel, as long as we’ve got one solid someone in our corner. Even if, during those toughest times, we had to rely on a higher power, or be a “cake baker” for ourselves.

When I think of being grateful this Thanksgiving, I’m mindful of the family and friends who’ve stood by me during every step of my journey. No doubt you’ve had your “cake bakers” too. What a fitting holiday to acknowledge these individuals and all that they’ve given us over time. May the candles on your cake burn brightly, this season and beyond!

~ * ~

Ginny  Baird writes sweet romance and romantic comedies, often centering on holidays and those who’ve given up on finding true love. Her contribution to the Sweet Christmas Kisses bundle is Mistletoe in Maine, a story about a single mom who finds a new future in Maine. Find the USA Today bestselling box set Sweet Christmas Kisses: Fourteen Sweet Christmas Romances at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, iBooks, Kobo and Google.

Happy National Dessert Day by Merrillee Whren

What spells sweet romance better than something sweet to eat? October 14th is National Dessert Day. Here are a few dessert to tempt you.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Are you hungry yet? What's your favorite dessert? What's the most romantic dessert?

Merrillee Whren is the winner of the 2003 Golden Heart 
Award presented by Romance Writers of American. 
She is married to her own personal hero, her husband of 
thirty-five plus years, and has two grown daughters. Her 
latest book, A PLACE TO CALL HOME, is available at 
all major ebook retailers.You can find the buy links at 
her website. Connect with her on her Facebook page.