I usually find myself looking at January 1st an exhausted baker. I have two birthdays and Christmas to cook and bake for and things always come up at this time of year that you don't plan ahead for, requiring more cooking/baking time. This year, astonishingly, has not felt quite so exhausting. Maybe it's because work has been a little more stressful than usual, maybe it's because Derek has been home so much more this month or maybe just because I've discovered so many great food blogs with recipes that I have to try ... I'm not sure. As a result though baking has been a fun, creative outlet for me, rather than feeling exhausted, I feel exhilarated.

Our daughter has a piano recital tomorrow and, of course, it means I'm bringing a dessert. Of course I could (and will, in fact) bring the remains of the birthday cake that I made two days ago... but... this is a great excuse to try this recipe from Lottie + Doof that I've been eyeing for the last while. Does this look amazing, or what?????? (The reality is that they don't even want me to bring a second cake but... I do have a friend coming in from out of town so I need something...)

I made the cake this morning and it was easy and looks fantastic. I have to give props to the vanilla that I get at Williams Sonoma (see pic), beautiful stuff and makes a big difference in the taste.

I made a couple of changes to the recipe from Lottie + Doof, though nothing significant. After the cake was cooled, I poked some tiny holes in it and when the glaze was done I poured just enough to work it's way into the holes while the glaze was still hot. I let the rest of the glaze cool for about 5 min or so before topping the cake. Otherwise, I found that it was just too runny. Oh boy... it was Amazing though!