Dance & Dessert

RASPBERRY ROSE LOAF CAKE

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One of my cousins is a high school senior about to go off to college. I can’t believe she’s already an adult! 

We drove out to the Frank Sinatra School of the Arts to see her last spring show. We hadn’t seen her dance since a performance of the Nutcracker in Manhattan many years ago. (I think I might have only been in middle school then!)

She was featured in three of the five upperclassmen pieces. Because she had solos, I was super excited to get some great photographs. I brought my usual lens, long lens and even some extra batteries just in case. Unfortunately, cameras were not allowed. Apparently the school takes professional photos of the performance to sell. Grrr…

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I might not have gotten any good shots but she certainly got a lot of flowers! In addition to bouquets from friends, my father brought a dozen roses. I however figured she would have plenty of flowers so I went with a rose water scented cake instead.

Originally we planned to take a train into the city so I needed to make a small cake sans frosting. A large cream cake decorated with chocolate ballerinas isn’t easy to transport but a mini loaf drizzled with white chocolate is definitely doable.

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One Year Blog Anniversary!

LYCHEE GUAVA ROSE CAKE

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It’s been a whole year since Allspice & Ally went live― can you believe it? I sure can’t.

It’s been a year full of recipes with a summer of five different strawberry cakes, broken fridges and Psych-inspired Cinnamon Pie. I discovered mushrooms aren’t so bad (sometimes) and how to make cauliflower taste like junk food. And how to turn lots of junk food into one crazy cake. I rode on a lobster boat, visited Gettysburg, became a level 33 Pokemon Go trainer (yes I still play) and hosted Halloween and Valentine’s Day parties.

From my (in)Famous Curry Cream Cheese Frosted Carrot Cake to this Lychee Guava Rose Cake, thank you for being here!

Now onto the cake

For my first blog anniversary, I wanted to do something special so I decided I would use rose water for the first time. Along with a homemade guava gel and lychee fruit, this is a cake perfectly suited for a special occasion.

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