[1] A dazzling Christmas ginger cake with gingerbread house cookie decor (photo © Bruna Branco | Unsplash).

[2] A homemade gingerbread cake, decorated with gingerbread men and cranberries (photo courtesy Violife | Facebook).

[3] This simple but elegant layer cake from Molly Yeh is a white-iced layer cake covered with coconut, and garnished with marzipan evergreen trees (photo © Molly Yeh | My Name Is Yeh).

[4] Pastry chef Duff Goldman made green and red layers, covered in white buttercream. You can simplify it with a two-layer cake (photo © Charm City Cakes).

[5] Another way to use sugared cranberries: a cranberry wreath cake, baked in a ring pan. Here’s the recipe (photo © The Baker Chick).

Here are two approaches to baking a Christmas gingerbread cake with a garnish of gingerbread cookies.
 
 
FANCY GINGERBREAD CAKE

The first example (photo #1) is the work of a pastry chef, but can be tackled by a home baker with the time to decorate a village of gingerbread house cookies.

 
It’s so beautiful, it’s a shame to cut into it (and devour it).

But the photo helps keep the memory alive.

As to where to find stemmed cherries in the winter: We have no idea! This cake may have been made and photographed in the summer, to promote a baker’s upcoming holiday wares, or for a magazine article (the shoots can take place months ahead of a magazine’s publication).

As a substitute for fresh, stemmed cherries, try:

 
 
THE ANYBODY-CAN-MAKE-IT CAKE

The second version of gingerbread cake (photo #2) is charmingly homemade.

Depending on how much effort you want to put into it, you make the cake from scratch or buy a cake mix.

Frosting. Don’t be tempted to buy canned frosting. It’s a chemical jumble that doesn’t taste good—you can tell immediately that it’s from a can.

Here’s what’s in a can of Pillsbury Supreme White Frosting: Sugar, Palm Oil, Water, Corn Syrup, Corn Starch, Canola Oil, Artificial Flavor, Salt, Mono And Diglycerides, Artificial Color, Polysorbate 60, Modified Corn Starch, Potassium Sorbate (Preservative), Soy Lecithin, Xanthan Gum, Citric Acid, Antioxidants (Ascorbyl Palmitate, Mixed Tocopherols, Chamomile And Rosemary Extracts).

Here’s what’s in delicious homemade buttercream frosting: butter, confectioner’s (powdered) sugar, milk or water and vanilla extract (here’s a recipe).

Cookies. You can also buy the gingerbread men.

Garnish. Use fresh rosemary to pass for evergreens and cranberries to add a pop of color (consider making sugared cranberries)..
 
 
GINGER CAKE VS. GINGERBREAD CAKE

These terms are used interchangeably and can be confusion.

Both can refer to a layer cake, a loaf cake, a bundt cake or other variation. But here’s the difference:

A ginger cake can be any cake flavored with ginger spice.

A gingerbread cake, on the other hand, uses a specific mix of gingerbread spices, as are used for gingerbread cookies.

These include allspice, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg, in addition to ginger.

Plus, a gingerbread cake should include molasses, just like the cookies.
 

GINGER COOKIES VS. GINGERSNAPS VS. GINGERBREAD COOKIES

 
 
> THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF CAKE
 
 
> THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF COOKIES
 
 
> THE HISTORY OF CAKE
 
 
> THE HISTORY OF COOKIES
 
 
> THE HISTORY OF GINGERBREAD
 
 
> THE HISTORY OF CAKE PANS

________________

*Lebkuchen derives from the German word Kuchen, cake. The origin of the first syllable is uncertain. The German word for spice is [das] Gewürz.

People who love to cook will appreciate this gourmet dried mushroom sampler from Melissa’s, an online purveyor of fine fruits and vegetables.

Their Mushroom Medley Sampler contains individual packages of five gourmet mushrooms:

 
When these varieties on hand, there are many opportunities to add great flavor your cooking at breakfast, lunch and dinner.

See our favorite ways to use them, below.
 
 
HOW TO USE DRIED MUSHROOMS

To reconstitute them, simply blanch them in boiling water for 2 to 5 minutes, or soak them for 30 minutes in lukewarm water.

For even more flavor, soak the mushrooms in wine or consommé.

The liquid, drained of the rehydrated mushrooms, is known as mushroom liquor.

Reserve the liquor to add even more flavor to your dishes.

 
 
ANYONE WHO TURNS ON A STOVE CAN USE DRIED MUSHROOMS

Dehydrated mushrooms are not just for the pantry of a good cook. They’re a hit with:

 
Mushrooms contain protein, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Check out the various health benefits.
 

OUR FAVORITE WAYS TO USE WILD MUSHROOMS

The flavor of dried mushrooms is slightly more concentrated than that of fresh mushrooms.

As a result, they add more flavor than fresh mushrooms.

 
 
> GET YOUR MUSHROOM SAMPLER AT MELISSAS.COM.
 
 
> THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF MUSHROOMS
 

A BRIEF HISTORY OF MUSHROOMS

Mycophagy, the act of consuming mushrooms†, dates back to ancient times. People foraged for them in fields and forests.

 
But as civilization and cuisine in the Western Europe of the Middle Ages, mushrooms fell off the radar as a culinary focus.

Mushrooms Become Fashionable

They were still gathered by country folk to supplement their diets, but mushrooms were not on the tables of the well-to-do.

Until the middle of the seventeenth century.

Then, a melon grower outside of Paris accidentally “discovered” the potential of growing and selling mushrooms.

He (or his wife) poured out some water that had been used to wash wild mushrooms they had gathered.

In a short while later, a crop of mushrooms sprouted in that spot of soil.

It was the start of the era of the cultivated mushroom. The farmer evolved from melon grower to mushroom grower—a much more profitable undertaking since mushrooms became the hot new ingredient among the chefs of Paris. Other farmers joined the fold.

The “champignon de Paris” became a must-have for cooks and their employers, and for home cooks.

A couple of centuries later, Americans embraced the mushroom.

One of the first English language mushroom cookbooks, published in 1899, is Kate Sargeant’s One Hundred Mushroom Receipts [source].

Mushrooms have remained an important part of Western cuisine. They have found their way into cuisines around the world.

Today, more than 20 species are commercially cultivated, in at least 60 countries.

The biggest producers are China, the U.S., Poland, The Netherlands, and India being were the top five producers in 2013 [source].

Today, the most commonly consumed variety of mushroom is the button mushroom, Agaricus bisporus. It comprises about 40% of the mushrooms grown around the world.

It’s easy to grow‡. While it adds flavor to recipes and can be eaten raw in salads or on crudité plates, it is also the blandest mushroom.

Mushrooms Are Not Vegetables!

Some mushroom biology:

Because they have no leaves, roots or seeds and don’t need light to grow, mushrooms are not a true vegetable.

Botanists have given mushrooms their own kingdom in the taxonomy of organisms that is separate from plants and animals: Fungi.

Vegetables, fruits and other plants are members of the Plantae kingdom. Here’s more about it.

But you don’t have to remember the details: Just enjoy mushrooms often.

A meaty portobello cap is a great substitute for meat.

In fact, because of the way they are grown indoors, mushrooms are one of the most sustainable foods on the planet [source].

[1] A sampler of gourmet mushrooms from Melissa’s (photos #1 and #2 © Melissa’s).

[2] Close-up on some of the medley packages.

[3] Gourmet mushrooms turn a plate of fettuccine into something special (photo © DeLallo).

[4] You can make an intensely-flavored mushroom soup, or use the mushrooms to garnish another puréed vegetable soup (above, cauliflower soup) or a consommé (photo © Quinciple).

[5] A first course: wild mushroom tarts (photo © Mackenzie Ltd).

[6] Poached halibut with clams and morels (photo © Le Bernardin | NYC).

[7] A vegetable braise with pacchieri, large pasta tubes (photo © Sun Basket).

*While dried mushrooms are typically re-hydrated, oyster mushrooms can be used in recipes without rehydration.

†We’re not addressing medical, mind-altering or poisonous mushrooms here.

‡Some mushrooms are very difficult to cultivate, or totally resist cultivation and only are gathered wild. These include the chanterelle, hedgehog, lobster, morel and porcini mushrooms. Hen-of-the-woods and oyster mushrooms must be gathered wild.

[1] Churros made with the San Diablo Artisan Churro Maker (photos #1 and #2 © San Diablo Churros).

[2] This tube-shaped device turns the dough into churros, ready to fry or bake.

[3] Party idea: a Fiesta Churro Bar, with DIY sauces and garnishes. Here’s the recipe (photo © BHG).

[4] How about spicy churro fondue? Here’s the recipe (photo © McCormick).

We love churros. Every time we’re at a restaurant that serves them, they’re our dessert.

It’s no longer just at Mexican restaurants, either. Churro-loving chefs of modern cuisine have added their interpretations of churros to their menus, often with fusion flavors, like black sesame and espresso custard.

And creative home cooks add their own takes. A few examples:

 
But our recommendation today is an easy way to make classic churros at home.
 
 
INTRODUCING SAN DIABLO ARTISAN CHURROS’ CHURRO MAKER

How about an all-in-one gadget to make and customize your perfect churro (photo #2)?

It’s the creation of Scott Porter, founder of San Diablo Churros.

A churro lover and caterer who developed a full line of at-home churro products, his products now include Take & Bake Churros, frozen dough, signature sugar toppings and fillings, and the churro maker.

Now at your fingertips: churros anytime—for the family, for guests, for your next coffee break.

Just make the dough, load it into the tube-shaped churro maker, press out the churros and fry them up.

Nine different nozzles let you have fun with shapes. You also start off with 40 recipes.

But beware: You may have more friends and neighbors dropping by to snack on your churros!

Tip: Churros are best enjoyed warm. If they cool to room temperature, give them 30 seconds in the microwave.

And be prepared to party on June 6th: National Churro Day.

More Churro Options

You can also buy San Diablo Artisan Churros’ Take & Bake Churro Kit—ready made and ready to bake and eat. There’s a choice of sauces: dulce de leche, Nutella and sweet cream.

There’s even an option made with gluten-free dough.
 

PARTY TIME: A FIESTA CHURRO BAR

How about a Fiesta Churro Bar (photo #3)?

 
 
CHURRO RECIPES

 
 
> THE HISTORY OF CHURROS

Wait! Don’t run! We’re not talking about Aunt Patty’s brick-in-a-box.

Here’s a stunner of a book by Jason Schreiber. He’s a favorite food stylist of Martha Stewart (she wrote the foreword).

It’s not the cookbook you might imagine. The book could just have easily been called Fruit with Cake, or Cake and Fruit, or even Rad Fruitcakes (note that fruitcake and fruit cake are both accepted spellings).
 
 
75 EXCITING FRUITCAKE RECIPES

In the book, Jason shares 75 recipes he’s created for fruited cake delights that are beautifully imaginative and wildly tempting.

You won’t find anything usual or expected in Fruit Cake; every recipe is new, exciting, and something most of us would never have thought of.

Divided into six chapters, each contains a multitude of answers to specific baking fancies and desires, depending on your mood, your stomach’s mood, or your desire to impress.

Do you want a snack now, no waiting? Chapter 1, “Constant Cravings” has little delights that are simple to make: Hazelnut Plum Snacking Cake, Raspberry Tea Cake, Banana Tiramisu…

They all are “fruit with cake,” and all perfect for an afternoon break.

No Forks Needed

Onward through the “Out of Hand” chapter: treats that need neither fork nor knife (our favorite: “Strawberry Tamales de Dulce,” sweet, gingery tamales with jam and cream).

The “Showstoppers” chapter presents an out-of-this-world world of roulades, multi-storey layer cakes, plus single layer dwellers like “Ume-Shiso Watermelon Frozen Yogurt Cake” made with dried and fresh red shiso leaves, and “Guava Crepe Cake.”

“All Rise,” applauds the heights of “Bourbon Peach Kugelhopf,” “Blood Orange Bee-Sting Cake” and their like. They make your kitchen pulsate to that aromatic yeasty beat.

Want a happier-than-ever-after ending? Find it in “Soaked.”

Big and boozy, be warned: In Jason’s own words, “some of these cakes pack a punch, so you might want to designate a driver to take you home.”

Or just stay home and drown yourself in “Flaming Figgy Pudding,” “Stout Cake,” or “Fig, Port, and Chocolate Cake,” for starters.
 
 
A COOKBOOK STAR

Yet the best treat in Fruit Cake is the person who conceived it.

Jason Schreiber’s voice is light but highly and accurately informative. It’s also friendly, clever, and often downright funny.

His introductory and final notes on basic techniques, kitchens, and tools are dead-on.

He gives you everything you need to become a professional-quality baker. Read, and you will be fully informed.

Sprinkled throughout are delightful reminiscences, nutty poems, and great little tips.

There’s glorious, unusual colorful photography with a retro vibe that manages to also be oddly “today.” It perfectly reflects the author’s approach to contemporary, imaginative baking, and thinking about baking.

Fruit Cake is a wildly wonderful keeper. Go stain those pristine pages!

Great for gifting, or for your own baking adventure, get the cookbook from your local bookstore or from Amazon.

– Rowann Gilman
 
 
> DECEMBER 27th IS NATIONAL FRUITCAKE DAY
 
 
> THE HISTORY OF FRUITCAKE
 
 
BEVERAGES WITH FRUITCAKE

Here are classic pairings for classic fruitcake—the ones with dried fruits, winter spices and alcohol.

Consider pairing them with other cakes-with-fruit, like those in the Fruit Cake cookbook.

 
 
MORE FRUIT CAKE FUN

[1] Every type of fruitcake you can imagine—except the regifted bricks of fruitcakes you may have experienced. Get your copy from Amazon or your local bookstore (all photos © William Morrow, publisher).

[2] This delectable version pays homage to the fruitcakes of the Middle Ages. The earliest known recipe for fruitcake dates to ancient Rome.

[3] Three fruitcakes that great-grandma never envisioned.

[4] Need a quick fruitcake fix? This version is no-cook!

[5] This fruitcake is topped with fresh strawberries.

[1] Enjoy a cup of matcha effortlessly, with Cuzen Matcha (photos #1 to #5 © Cuzen Matcha).

[2] You can turn the whisked matcha into a hot or iced latte.

[3] The ground matcha leaves drop into a cup of hot water, where they are whisked into a froth with a magnetic whisk.

[4] Dried whole matcha leaves—a rare sight (are they ever seen outside of Japan?).

[5] The whole leaves are broken into a size that fits into the machine.

[6] The traditional preparation is to whisk the ground matcha powder in water until it froths. You can build up arm muscles if you do it often enough (photo © Match & Co | Unsplash).

Every so often we come across a niche product that’s really interesting.

But, we think, how many of these can they sell?

In the case of the Cuzen Matcha Maker, it depends on how many matcha tea lovers have $369 and space on the kitchen counter.

The matcha-drinking world is all abuzz over this dedicated matcha maker, which was a hit at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) earlier this year and showered with awards‡.

It takes all effort from whisking up a cup of matcha tea, the bright-green Japanese signature tea noted for its super-nutrient-packed green tea.

Here’s more about matcha tea.
 
 
THE HEALTH BENEFITS OF MATCHA GREEN TEA

While all tea* comes from the Camellia sinensis plant, matcha is grown differently† from other teas has a unique nutrient profile.

Matcha is rich in catechins, antioxidant compounds that are found in tea. (The caffeine is similar to coffee.)

Antioxidants help stabilize harmful free radicals—compounds that can damage cells and cause chronic disease.

In addition to antioxidants, some studies have found that the antioxidants in matcha boost brain function, may help protect the liver, may help prevent cancer, may promote heart health, lower blood pressure, lower cholesterol, and actually helps with weight loss. Here are the details.

Matcha, which is a ground powder, has more catechins and antioxidants than steeping a cup of green tea from leaves.

By one estimate, the number of certain catechins in matcha is up to 137 times greater than in other types of green tea [source].

That’s why some people focused on health and nutrition drink lots of matcha. And any green tea lover will appreciate its unique flavor and frothiness.

Here’s a chart that compares the nutritional profile of matcha versus brewed green tea leaves.
 
 
WHY DO YOU NEED A SPECIAL MACHINE?

For thousands of years, matcha has powder, ground from a particular type of tea leaf from Japan. Crafting it involves precise measurements, sifting and rapid flicks of a bamboo whisk to create the right froth.

Matcha is sweeter and creamier than regular green tea—and sometimes a bit grassy. More people would make matcha at home if it didn’t involve whisking the fine green powder into a froth.

Cuzen Matcha does it all, with a clever magnetic whisk that does all the labor (hand-whisking can be tiring for some of us).

Just add pre-measured packets of organic tea leaves into the machine, where they’ll be ground and whisked into your cup of hot water in 90 seconds. (A bonus is the aroma from the freshly ground leaves.)

The only cleanup is a quick rinse the cup and the whisk.

With a Cruzen Matcha machine, you can:

 
Here’s a video.

The downside is that this is a new product. If the company doesn’t get enough customers, it is likely to disband. The machine will still work, but you can’t get the un-ground matcha leaves.

After a quick web search, we found one option, Japanese Gen-Mai Cha from Upton Tea. Gen-mai cha is mixed with toasted brown rice. It’s delicious, but a different experience.
 
HEAD TO CUZENMATCHA.COM to learn more and purchase a machine.
 
 
MORE MATCHA

 
 
> THE HISTORY OF TEA
 
 
> THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF TEA
 
 
________________

*This refers to conventional black, green and white teas. Herbal teas, which are brewed from many different plants, are not included in this analogy, although each has its own nutrient profile and health benefit(s).

†The tea plants are covered to avoid direct sunlight, for 20–30 days before harvest. This increases chlorophyll production and boosts the amino acid content. The leaves are harvested, the stems and veins are removed and the leaves are then ground into the fine powder known as matcha.

‡In 2020 the Cuzen Machine was named to TIME magazine’s list of the 100 Best Inventions of 2020, won the Future of Foods Award at San Francisco Design Week Awards 2020, was a CES 2020 Innovation Awards Honoree, and was longlisted for the 2020 Dezeen Awards.