Winter Break Baking!

First post of 2012! How exciting! While I was home for winter break, I baked a few different things!

For Christmas Eve dinner, my family always does the traditional Italian Seven Fishes Feast for dinner. My Dad heads that up, while my brothers, sister, and I help in different ways. I always do the desserts.

And this is what I made! The main dessert is Chocolate Red Wine Cake with Whipped Mascarpone Frosting (plus more to dollop on top) garnished with strawberries. I also made Christmas cookies (some with my sister and my mom too)! There are walnut snowballs, spritz, almond crescents dipped in chocolate, gingerbread cookies, and peanut butter kiss cookies! And to add some healthfulness to the mix, I served a fruit tray with strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, kumquats, clementines, figs, apricots, and dates. mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Red Wine Cake with Whipped Mascarpone & Strawberries

Cookie Tray!

Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies, Snowballs, and Gingerbreads!

Banana Breads + some muffins!! Made it for my family to have for breakfast! I make this all the time; it is consistently delicious & loved by all!

These are 100% whole wheat, and the one without chocolate chips is fat free. The base to the chocolate chip bread is fat free, just has the addition of chocolate chips! The flavor is fantastic and the texture is super-moist! No one can tell they're actually healthy!

Look what you can do with a bottle of wine...

Wine + Baking = AMAZING! Now, I'm not a big cake person...I personally prefer the denseness of a brownie to the fluffy crumb of a cake. BUT this cake, along with the ~2 others posted on this blog, are the exceptions.

First time making this Red Wine Chocolate Cake, and it certainly will not be the last! The wine and chocolate flavors meld well together and create a unique taste that is out of this world! So moist it's like it melts in your mouth. Made some whipped mascarpone topping to go with it and it was the perfect compliment to the cake! Picture it with some fresh strawberries (when the season is right)...mmmmmmm.....

Red Wine Chocolate Cake with Whipped Mascarpone

My first piece :-D

SO the way I got started with baking with Red Wine was with these cookies. I made them for the first time in May and have been doing so ever since! Simple Red Wine Cookies. The flavor of the wine is subtle and the cookie is just sweet enough. You won't be able to eat just one (which is why I make them little)! ;)