Boozy Margarita Lime Cake

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Boozy Margarita Lime Cake

Boozy Margarita Lime Cake Boozy Margarita Lime Cake

Margaritas are my favorite cocktail. There is no "when push comes to shove" or hesitancy in that statement. I declare it with the utmost certainty—I love margaritas. Truthfully, when celebrations come around, margaritas usually find a place in the mix, whether it be on the Fourth of July, ringing in the New Year, or reveling in turning twenty-five. Pair it with a side of chips and salsa and I'm yours. Though margaritas may come in every shade and flavor to match, the classic will always have a place in my heart.

The tart and sourness of fresh lime juice never grows tired.

Boozy Margarita Lime Cake
Boozy Margarita Lime Cake
Boozy Margarita Lime Cake

When it comes to boozy cakes, I don't like them to shy away from the alcohol. It's not that I am much of a drinker (which I am not), but if a cake is going to advertise itself as such, I'd like it to live up to my expectations. When I worked in a bakery, I had visions of opening my own "boozy bakery," providing cupcake cocktails in martini glasses. I dreamed of cupcakes infused with Kahula or red wine, and chocolate cupcakes with rum.

While the dreams of my cake shop never grew to fruition, my boozy cake bakery idea stuck with me, settling somewhere inside my sugar-addled brain.

Boozy Margarita Lime Cake

When I thought of making my own margarita cake, I consulted quite a few recipes on the subject. Some included a couple tablespoons of tequila in the batter, some brushed the top with it, but I felt that both of these options did not give enough to fulfill my lofty expectations. Whenever this happens, I set out to do something completely different. There is not only alcohol baked into this particular cake, but it is soaked into the finished product. While lime may be the primary flavor, the tequila isn't too far behind, providing a subtle taste and tingling taste buds.

Cocktail cakes should never fail to please.

Boozy Margarita Lime Cake

This Boozy Margarita Lime Cake is a celebration of lime and tequila. Fresh lime juice and zest find their way into the batter (along with the alcohol to make a margarita complete). When finished baking, the cake is soaked in tequila and orange liquor to give it a little extra zing. Topped with a lime coconut whipped cream and slices of citrus, the cake goes from ordinary to extraordinary. This cake makes for the perfect end to a Mexican meal or fabulous dinner party.

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Strawberry Charlotte

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Strawberry Charlotte

Strawberry Charlotte

During the last week, I have been spending most of my time in the kitchen, mixing ingredients by hand and giving my oven a workout. Halfway through my two weeks off from work and school, it is a welcome break to spend time away from the everyday grind, a chance to relax and get my thoughts back in order. Though I like to imagine that I will be productive with my newly found time, the last week has proven otherwise, as reality TV shows and sleeping in have sucked away more time than I would like to admit.

Maybe it is okay to let myself be lazy every once in awhile.

Strawberry Charlotte

With more time in the kitchen, I have been playing around with elaborate, multi-step desserts, including cakes. While I love a good layered cake, I could not decide on a flavor, arguing back and forth with myself between fruit and chocolate based cakes and fillings. While fruit is lovely, it had been so long since I cut my fork through a thick chocolate cake that the thought grew tempting.

Nevertheless, after a walk outdoors with the weather still settling into early spring, a chocolate cake suddenly seemed too heavy for this delicate time of year. With buds just forming on the bare tree limbs, a sweet, light fruit cake seemed to fit the bill. After a walk through the local market, with pounds of red, ruby strawberries on sale, the deal was sealed.

Strawberry Charlotte Strawberry Charlotte

Charlotte cakes originated in France in the early nineteenth century. They traditionally involve fruit purees, sponge cake, and custards or whipped cream frosting. This particular Strawberry Charlotte is not quite as the original cake, but the spirit is just the same. Instead of layers of sponge cake, I used my favorite light vanilla cake recipe and used a strawberry mousse to fill it. Lined with ladyfingers, either homemade or store bought, the cake becomes quite the sight.

While I did not have one on hand, a white or red ribbon tied around the middle would add a gorgeous finishing touch.

Strawberry Charlotte

This Strawberry Charlotte is a spring cake that is perfect for all of life's celebrations. Layers of light vanilla cake are filled with an airy strawberry mousse and fresh strawberries and topped off with a coating of whipped cream icing. The strawberry mousse is made from pureed strawberries, which gives the cake a bright fruit flavor. The cake is lined with ladyfingers and graced with whole, fresh strawberries making this a simple, but impressive cake to decorate.

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Lime Curd Tart with Coconut Whipped Cream

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Lime Curd Tart with Coconut Whipped Cream

Lime Curd Tart with Coconut Whipped Cream

Some people have a green thumb. To put it quite frankly, I am not one of them. While many gardeners can sow, weed, and prune a plant into flourishing perfection, I struggle to complete some of the more basic tasks, such as burying the seeds at the correct depth or finding the motivation to weed (perhaps a bit of laziness is also to blame). Even so, my plants have a tendency to wither despite regular watering. They gather the nasty little bugs whenever I want to keep a flower indoors, and my vegetable plants grow the smallest of produce at the end of the season.

I am become Death, the destroyer of plants.

Lime Curd Tart with Coconut Whipped Cream Lime Curd Tart with Coconut Whipped Cream

Each spring the feeling of rebirth floats through the air, infecting me with a strong desire to kneel in the dirt and plant a garden. The eagerness to hold a handful of seeds makes me briefly forget my black thumb and the poor path my plants will soon travel down. When I lived at home with my parents, I would convince my mother to fill her garden with half a dozen varieties of vegetables. I convinced her that I would do the tending. I convinced her I would help them grow. Rarely, I am ashamed to admit, did I follow through on my deceitful promises. The plants would endure a hot sun, vagrant weeds, and abit of neglect. At the end of the season, we'd collect our micro-vegetables, telling ourselves that we would plant flowers next year instead.

Lime Curd Tart with Coconut Whipped Cream

As the temperature finally rose this weekend, I felt the familiar urge to dig around in the dirt and grow new life. The trees have not yet budded with leaves, but for the first time this year it felt like spring has arrived. Even though I know my planting ventures are destined to end poorly (just ask my basil plant from last summer), I cannot shake the optimism that this year might be different—that this year I could grow something beautiful.

Even if I will not be able to grow a flourishing plant, I can bake something beautiful. And really, that might be the most delicious in the end.

Lime Curd Tart with Coconut Whipped Cream

This Lime Curd Tart with Coconut Whipped Cream is an ode to spring, with bright green colors and bold new flavors. A lightly sweetened whole wheat tart crust is filled with a tart lime curd and swirled with spoonfuls of coconut whipped cream. Serve with a sprinkling of lime zest and another dollop of whipped cream to celebrate the arrival of sunshine and warmer weather.

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