on a recent shoot for SANTA BARBARA MAGAZINE, i was
privileged to witness the most amazing celebration of sweetness
ever….picture this….a group of 20 stylish girls got together
for the ultimate competition…a bake-off….

there are three relevant categories….”best taste”….”best apron”….& “best story”….

and the best part ever…no rules….seriously, their were
chefs, housewives & sweet tooths of all kinds….

homemade treats & a flown in amazing caramel cake….

it was wonderful to see everyone’s personal apron style too….

and the sweets…were simply scrumptious….

there were flavors for any pallet….

laughter & friendship & cookies….

and beautifully styled sweets….

but my absolute favorite part of the day, was the story-telling…
each participant had to share a story about the origin of the sweet
treat they were sharing….the stories were wonderful & heartfelt,
embellished & funny….my favorite of all was the description
of how to make the tequila cake below….

Tequila Christmas Cake

1 cup of water
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup of sugar
1 tsp salt
1 cup of brown sugar
Lemon juice
4 large eggs
Nuts
1 bottle tequila
2 cups of dried fruit

Sample the tequila to check quality.
To be sure it is of the highest quality, pour one level cup and drink.
Repeat.

Add one cup of butter in a large fluffy bowl.
Add one teaspoon of sugar. Beat again.
At this point it’s best to make sure the tequila is still OK.
Try another cup… just in case.

Turn off the ..mixerer thingy.
Break 2 leggs and add to the bowl and chuck in the cup of dried fruit.
Pick the frigging fruit up off floor.
Mix on the turner.
If the fried druit gets stuck in the beaterers just pry it loose with a drewscriver.
Sample the tequila to check for tonsisticity.
Next, sift two cups of salt. Or something.

Check the tequila. Now shift the lemon juice and strain your nuts.
No wait..shtrain the lemon juice and shift your nuts.
Add one table.
Add a spoon of sugar, or somefink. Whatever you can find.
Greash the oven. Turn the cake tin 360 degrees and try not to fall over.
Don’t forget to beat off the turner.
Finally, throw the bowl through the window.

Finish the tequila and wipe counter with the cat.

after belly laughs & story telling….

tasting & lets face it a few tummy aches….

then the serious task of tallying the votes began…

it was thrilling for my sweet friend MAILI to be crowned “best taste”
for her peach cake (i’ll be sharing her secret winning recipe soon)….

be sure to pick up an issue of SANTA BARBARA MAGAZINE to see more…

the sweet aftermath….xoxo

a little more sweetness....

This entry was posted on Monday, January 24th, 2011 at 12:00 am and is filed under cakes, celebrations, Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.