Raspberry Greek Yogurt Cake with Lemon Cream Cheese Buttercream

Raspberry Greek Yogurt Layer Cake with Lemon Cream Cheese Buttercream

One fun benefit of belonging to a large family is plenty of birthdays. Each birthday means another birthday cake, of course! We recently attended a party for my Mom-in-law's birthday, and for her celebration, I wanted to try something special. This Raspberry Greek Yogurt Cake fit the bill perfectly.

It has fruit in it so it's healthy, right? Right? Hello?

This cake is very moist, and the fresh raspberries add bright flavour. The recipe below makes four layers, but I only used three for the cake. Yup, that left one layer leftover for me! 

Happy birthday to a special lady! Photo by Marlee O.

Because this was a birthday cake for a special lady, I made lots of frosting so I could make the cake look extra special. To make a regular, two-layer cake, simply halve the recipe below and use only the Lemon Cream Cheese Buttercream.

The yogurt makes this cake moist and rich.

Click through for the recipe and instructions.

Soft Chewy Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies

Soft, chewy, Oatmeal Cranberries Cookies go well with a cup of tea!

My favourite cookie in the whole, wide, wonderful world is the Oatmeal Raisin Cookie. I love the soft, chewy texture and the rich bursts of sweetness from the raisins. In my opinion, they must always be enjoyed with a cup of tea. Unfortunately, my family does not share my high opinion of these cookies. This is a typical exchange: "What are you baking? It smells great!" "Oatmeal raisin cookies," I smile. "Yuck!" is the usual reply.

It's time for tea!

As a result of my family's raisin revulsion, I rarely have them in the house. When I get a craving for oatmeal raisin, I am usually out of luck. This time, I decided to try dried cranberries as a substitute. Guess what happened? I loved them! They are even better than raisins, in my opinion. The tart cranberries are a bright counterpoint to the rich butter and brown sugar cookie base. Now I have a new favourite!

Click through for the recipe and instructions

Orange & White Chocolate Chip Cookies

Orange & White Chocolate Chip Cookies taste exactly like a Creamsicle!

As winter marches on, I have found myself drifting off to my “happy place” more and more often. You know the place; sunshine, sandy beach, nothing to do but splash around in the water. Summers spent lakeside. Walking to the general store in flip flops – I could feel the heat of the pavement through the thin rubber of my shoes. At the store, I slid back the misted glass of the freezer, full of frozen delight. Which one to choose? I usually chose the creamsicle; not quite ice cream, not quite popsicle. Tart, creamy, and sweet. Orange and milk doesn’t seem like it should mix well, but here, it came together and somehow it just worked. Clutching my frozen treasure, I slapped my sticky stack of quarters on the counter and immediately ripped off the paper wrapping. Outside, not ten steps later, the treat already melted down my arm. The last bites were almost liquid, dripping down my chin in a fluorescent orange line, flavoured every so slightly with the woody tang of the stick. What did it matter if it was messy? Another jump in the lake soon washed away any dinner-ruining evidence.

The creamsicle flavour strongly evokes summer for me so much, that one bite of these Orange and White Chocolate Cookies immediately took me back to that sunny lakeside, full of laziness and fun.

What memory takes you back to summer?

Try freezing the cookies before eating — deloosh!

Click through for the recipe & instructions…

Gluten-Free Apple Spice Cake with Bourbon Whipped Cream

Gluten-Free Apple Spice Cake with Bourbon Whipped Cream

I have noticed that more and more people are eating gluten-free. Chances are, you probably know someone who can’t tolerate gluten. I’ve been curious about trying a recipe, but had been holding back — the lack of flour-substitutes seemed an overwhelming hurdle to me. When I saw a gluten-free all purpose flour mix at my local grocery store, I knew I would seize the opportunity to try one!

If you like coffee cake, you'll love this spicy apple cake!

Now, what do you make when you only have 2 apples in the house, and some spankin’ new gluten-free all purpose flour? Apple Cake! This coffee cake-style cake is moist, spicy, with a bite of apples and a caramelized brown sugar & butter topping. It is excellent with whipped cream, and the Bourbon Whipped Cream is a special treat, indeed. Vanilla ice cream or caramel sauce would also rock.

Click here to read the recipe and instructions