Old Fashioned Gumdrop Cake

A rich and moist cake, filled with
 with bright coloured gumdrop candies.

Great for afternoon tea, snack

and children will love it.

This is a large recipe which makes

 1 large bundt cake or 2 loafs.

 I used a small 

tube pan and a loaf pan. 

I buy gumdrops (baking gums) 

at the Bulk Barn store, 

I also have used the large gumdrop 

 candies in stores,  and cut them smaller.

I don't use the black or purple ones.

Baking Gums

Ingredients

1 cup butter at room temperature

2 cups sugar

3 eggs

2 tsp vanilla extract

Zest of one lemon

3 cups flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

3/4 cup evaporated milk

2 1/2 cups baking gumdrops, 

coated with a 1/4 cup flour.

Directions

Preheat oven to 300 deg.F

Grease and place parchment paper in 

a bundt pan or 2 loaf pans. 

With an electric mixer, cream 

together the butter and sugar.

Add eggs, one at a time, beating well

 after each addition until light and fluffy.

Add the vanilla and lemon zest.

In a bowl, whist together the flour and baking powder.

Fold the dry ingredients into the 

creamed mixture alternately with the 

evaporated milk beginning and 

ending with the dry ingredients.

Fold in the gumdrops, that has

 been tossed in 1/4 cup flour.

Fill the pans.

Bake 300deg. F. for 1 - 1 1/2 hrs.

 Depending on the size of your pan.

 Loaf pans make take shorter time.

 Do the toothpick test. 

When a toothpick inserted in the middle 

comes out clean, it is done. 

Do not overcook, or it will be too dry.

Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes 

before turning it out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

I sprinkled some powdered sugar/icing sugar on the top.

Enjoy!

Thanks for your visit xo

Valentine Sweet~Hearts

These elegant, rich and buttery cookies, 

 taste as good as they look.

Decadent shortbread heart 
cookies filled with jam. 

Serve with afternoon tea,

a snack or dessert.

I used a basic shortbread recipe 

and added jams in the middle.

Bonne Maman Jam,
this delicious jam, 

a product of France.
strawberry, raspberry, 

wild blueberry and apricot.
I received these little jams

 as a Christmas gift.
from my sweet daughter.
Perfect for the fillings.

Shortbread dough recipe

Ingredients

2 cups flour

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup butter at room temperature

1/2 cup icing sugar (powdered sugar)

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Jam for filling.

Directions

In a bowl, whisk the flour 

with the salt, set aside.

With an electric beater or hand beater, 

beat the soft butter
until smooth (about 1 minute).

Add the icing sugar and 

beat until smooth (about 2 minutes)
Beat in the vanilla extract.

Gently stir in the flour mixture,

just until incorporated.

Flatten the dough into a disk shape, 
wrap in plastic wrap, and chill the dough
for at least an hour.

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough 
until it is about 1/8 inch thick.

Cut out the cookies with a cookie cutter. 

(Divide the cut out cookies in half,
 and cut half with a small cookie cutter,

heart in the middle.

Spread some jam on each of the cookie bottoms. 

Set a cutout cookie on top of each, over the jam.

Knead the leftover scraps of dough

 into a ball and roll out again

I used half of my dough for

Valentine Cutie-Pies in a previous blog.

Place the unbaked cookies on a 

baking sheet in the refrigerator

 for about 15 minutes.

This will firm up the dough so 

the cookies will maintain their 

shape when baking. 

Bake at 350deg.F for about 15-20 minutes

or until cookie edges are lightly browned.

I sprinkled some with 

icing sugar/powdered sugar.

To avoid getting some powdered

 sugar on the jam 
in the middle, I covered the 

little heart cookie
 cutter with saran wrap and

 placed it over the
 middle of the cookie.

"There is no charm equal 

to tenderness of heart.

~Jane Austen~

To view my blog on Valentine Cutie-Pies,
little hand held pies filled with raspberry jam. 
to view click here.

Thanks for your visit xo

Happy Valentines Day

💖💗💘