i know it’s only the beginning of november, but i have the fever.

holiday fever, that is…

i can’t lie…i’ve had it for some time now. i can hear the chorus of grumbles already, but i love seeing holiday displays. even when it’s still warm enough for me to forgo a cardigan or jacket. i’ll walk into a store and slowly drift away from sean, eyes like saucers, one hand stretched out longingly…towards the holiday displays.

i can’t help it, i’m a sucker for candy cane stripes and gift wrap, twinkly things and sparkly do-dads.

the other day i walked into such a store and came home with a mean hankering for some gingerbread. back in the day, long, long ago when i worked for the coffee giant we all know (green aprons and venti cups), i loved to set up the pastry case. especially during holiday season. though, at that time, all of their goods were laden with hydrogenated oil (you could tell because we used to squish up an expired pastry from time to time…which would result in a puddle of clear oil…nice). i’ve been told they have changed their ways. anyways…the gingerbread came in a nice little loaf with a heavy slick of cream cheese frosting and a sprinkling of candied ginger.

though i don’t remember exactly how it tasted, as i was cracked-out on eggnog lattes for the duration of the season, this gingerbread is better. i just know it.

ginger-spice bread
this is adapted from a martha stewart recipe. i swapped some of the spices and also changed some of the measurements as well. i also used fresh grated ginger since i always keep a good chunk in the freezer.

1 stick unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon fresh nutmeg
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup molasses
1 large egg, lightly beaten

preheat oven to 325 F. grease an 8-inch sqaure pan (i used two small loaf pans). in a bowl rub brown sugar with the ginger to combine. add flour, salt, baking powder, pepper, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

place butter and water in a small saucepan to melt. stir into dry ingredients until smooth. stir in molasses and egg to combine. pour into prepared pan(s) and bake for about 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean (the mini loaves tooak about 25 minutes). cool on a rack before removing from pan.

cream cheese frosting
i just added powdered sugar until i got both a consistency and flavor i liked.

1 8 oz. package cream cheese, softened
1 tablespoon grand marnier
2 cups powdered sugar

in the bowl of a mixer, beat cream cheese and liquer on medium-high until creamy and fluffly. add powdered sugar in increments to combine. frost cake and garnish with chopped candied ginger.

i can’t help it…i love love. i love valentine’s day and i love all the wonderful people that read this blog and comment and also those of you with mountains of knowledge and advice. so, these are for you, red velvet cupcakes with vanilla bean cream cheese, because i think valentine’s day should be somethin’ special and these are just that. a little kitschy, a little silly, and a lot of yummy goodness…just for all of you.

and, before i forget i have to thank elyse for awarding me two (2!) blog awards. i can’t even express how awesome that makes me feel…i’ve never really been awarded anything. thankyouthankyouthankyou!

red velvet cupcakes
recipe from smitten kitchen
this makes a 3 layer cake, but i did cupcakes…i ended up with 24 cupcakes and there was extra batter, which i used to bake up a pan of mini cupcakes.

3 1/2 cups cake flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa (not Dutch process)
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 cups canola oil
2 1/4 cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs
6 tablespoons (3 ounces) red food coloring or 1 teaspoon red gel food coloring dissolved in 6 tablespoons of water
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/4 cup buttermilk
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 1/2 teaspoons white vinegar.

preheat oven to 350 degrees. line cupcake tins with paper liners or grease well. for cake layers grease and line pans with parchement.

whisk cake flour, cocoa and salt in a bowl. place oil and sugar in bowl of an electric mixer and beat at medium speed until well-blended. beat in eggs one at a time. with machine on low, very slowly add red food coloring (it may spash!). add vanilla. add flour mixture alternately with buttermilk in two batches. scrape down bowl and beat just long enough to combine.

place baking soda in a small dish, stir in vinegar and add to batter with machine running. beat for 10 seconds.

divide batter among muffin tins, place in oven and bake until a cake tester comes out clean, about 20 minutes (40-45 for cake layers). allow to cool competely before frosting.

very vanilla cream cheese frosting

i doubled the recipe below since i like my cupcakes to stand tall and look dreamy.

adapted from sk

8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter room temperature
3 cups confectioner’s sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 vanilla bean scraped and seeded (optional, but that is the very part)

place cream cheese and butter in a medium bowl with vanilla bean seeds. with a handheld electric mixer, beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. add sugar and vanilla. beat, on low speed to combine. if too soft, chill until slightly stiff, about 10 minutes, before using.