Recently we received a delightful pitch from Zola, a wedding planning and registry website, for an article on pairing wines and mocktails with wedding cakes.

While it’s terrific information for anyone ordering a wedding cake, it’s also great for cake lovers in general.

Be it birthday, anniversary, baby shower, holiday dinner, or any occasion to have a great piece of cake, we share their recommendations with you.

The original article has much more information, including mocktail pairings and recipes for people who don’t drink wine. There’s a recipe for each type of cake. Read the full article on Zola.com.
 
 
1. Vanilla Cake and Riesling

Vanilla cake is a wedding favorite and goes beautifully with a Riesling. An off-dry Riesling, Kabinett*, is sweet enough to compete, but won’t overpower the cake’s flavor.
 
 
2. Chocolate Cake and Amarone

Amarone is very similar to Port, a classic dessert wine. This full-bodied red wine has a rich chocolate flavor, with spiced and coffee undertones. While it’s an international favorite, it’s on the expensive side. If you’re on a budget, a Ripasso is a good substitute.
 
 
3. Funfetti Cake and Sparkling Rosé

What’s better for a funfetti cake than a pink wine: rosé. Look for one on the sweeter side (here’s more about the types of rosé). Its bubbling strawberry flavor matches the sweetness of the vanilla cake and the mood of the funfetti. Try the sparkling rose from Martini (formerly Martini & Rossi) and Yellowtail: both around $12 pe bottle.
 
 
4. Lemon Raspberry Cake and Prosecco

Prosecco is a light sparkling wine with tangy citrus notes, so it’s a natural choice for a refreshing lemon and raspberry cake. The delicate flavors of the cake are enhanced by the Prosecco’s bubbles. Here’s more about Prosecco.
 
 
5. Pink Champagne Cake and Chardonnay

An unoaked Chardonnay from a warm climate (Australia, California, New Zealand, South Africa) is ripe with sweet fruit flavors. It’s a perfect match for the strawberry flavor in a pink champagne cake, with a bright flavor to match the champagne in the cake. The higher acidity pairs well with a meringue buttercream icing.
 
 
6. Piña Colada Cake and Riesling

Citrus and wine is a tough combination, but a sweet Riesling is just the match. German Rieslings* hold ripe notes that pair well with tropical fruit like pineapple and coconut. Specifically, you’ll want the Trockenbeerenauslese (troh-ken-beer-en-OUSE-lay-suh). Wine people say TBA for short. But these tend to be very pricey. Look at the two other sweet Rieslings below.
 
 
7. Red Velvet Cake and Cabernet Sauvignon

Rich and delicious red velvet is made for a Cabernet Sauvignon. Both have cocoa flavors, and the wine has a secondary vanilla note that complements the cream cheese frosting. Choose a Cabernet Sauvignon with good fruit and medium tannins (ask at your wine store).
 
 
8. Chocolate Hazelnut Cake and Tawny Port

Ports are well-loved dessert wines from the Portugal, and are a natural pairing with anything chocolate (including a box of chocolates). Specifically look for Tawny Port. Its primary notes are caramel and hazelnut, with secondary berry and mocha flavors. (Here are the different types of Port.)
 
 
9. Coffee and Cream Cake and Madeira

Madeira is another great Portuguese sweet wine, showcasing almond, caramel and coffee notes. A coffee and cream cake is a strong match with Madeira’s similar richness, warmth and flavor profile.
 
 
10. Cookies and Cream Cake and Pinot Noir

The cream in this cake can be hard to pair, but Pinot Noir is a the best choice to match the sweet chocolate and cream. Choose a Pinot Noir that has strong fruit and mild-to-medium tannins (ask at your wine store).
 
 
11. Spice Cake and Pinot Gris

Pinot Gris (PEE-no GREE) has apple and pear fruit notes, so it works well with a spiced dessert. It carries its own sweet spice flavors, making it the perfect companion for a spice cake. Look for a fruity and sweet Pinot Gris from Alsace.
 
 
12. Caramel Apple Cake and Port

A Tawny Port with cinnamon and caramel flavors is a wonderful match. You can brighten the cake’s flavor with a White Port, which has notes of baked apple and roasted nuts.
 
 
13. S’Mores Cake and Fruit Wine

A fruit wine (non-grape), crisp and delicious, is a great contrast to the warm and gooey marshmallow and chocolate of a s’more. It helps balance the richness of the cake while matching its sweetness. While there are numerous fruit wines, look for a Pomegranate wine from Israel.

[1] Pair vanilla cake with Riesling (photo © Alexandra Golovac | Unsplash).

[2] Chocolate cake is great with Amarone. Here’s the recipe from King Arthur Flour (photo © King Arthur Flour).

[3] Serve lemon raspberry cake with Prosecco. Here’s the recipe from King Arthur Flour (photo © King Arthur Flour).

[4] Red velvet cake is a great match with Amarone. You can purchase this cake from Williams-Sonoma (photo © Williams-Sonoma).

[5] Chocolate hazelnut cake begs for a Tawny Port. Here’s the recipe from Style Sweet (photo © Style Sweet).

> CHECK OUT THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF CAKE IN OUR CAKE GLOSSARY <
 
 
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*The different types of German Riesling are ranked by level of sweetness:

[1] In just 90 minutes, you can turn out two dozen Turtles (recipe and photo © Baker By Nature).

[2] John and Kira’s makes “Tortoises”: six maple pecan and six cinnamon cashew in a beautiful gift box. Get them here (photo © John and Kira’s).

[3] Milk Chocolate Turtles were made by Edward Marc Chocolatier (photo © Edward Marc Chocolatier).

[4] Enstrom Turtles have lots of caramel. Get them here (photo © Enstrom).

[5] Whole pecans and the nutmeats inside (photo © American Pecan Council).

April 14th is National Pecan Day.

In just 90 minutes, you can make these Dark Chocolate Salted Caramel Pecan Turtles, a candy that originated in 1916 (the history is below).

The recipe was submitted by Ashley Manila of Baker by Nature, and shared with us by the American Pecan Council.

Sign up for Ashley’s recipe mailings. Your mouth will water at the photos alone.
 
 
RECIPE: CHOCOLATE PECAN TURTLES

Ingredients For 24 Turtles

 
Preparation

1. TOAST the pecans. Preheat oven to 350°F. Spread the pecans on a baking sheet and toast them for 6 minutes, shaking the pan halfway through. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool for a few minutes.

2. LINE two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Lightly grease the parchment paper with nonstick spray. Arrange the toasted pecans on the prepared sheets in star-shaped groups of 5 (one “head,” four “feet”. Set aside until needed.

3. MAKE the caramel. Melt the butter in a medium sized saucepan over medium heat. Once melted, add the granulated sugar, corn syrup, sweetened condensed milk, and salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture reaches 235°F on a candy thermometer. Remove from the heat and vigorously whisk the mixture for 30 seconds. Set aside for 5 minutes (it’s best to set a timer). After five minutes…

4. USING a medium cookie scoop, spoon level mounds of the caramel over each nut cluster, aiming to drop it in the center of the cluster. Set aside while you melt the chocolate.

5. CREATE a double boiler. Fill a medium pot 1/3 full with water and bring it to a low simmer over medium heat. Get a heatproof bowl that will fit snugly on top of the pan, but will not touch the simmering water.

6. REDUCE the heat to low and add the chopped chocolate into the heatproof bowl. Heat until the chocolate is completely melted, stirring occasionally with a silicone spatula. Once the chocolate is completely melted, stir the mixture smooth; then carefully remove the bowl from the heat.

7. SPOON about 1 tablespoon of the melted chocolate over each caramel pecan cluster, again aiming to drop it into the center of the cluster. Set aside, at room temperature, until the chocolate has set, about 1 hour. Store in an airtight container at room temperature, for up to 1 week.
 

THE HISTORY OF CHOCOLATE PECAN TURTLES

No doubt, there were combinations of chocolate, pecans and caramel before the invention of Turtles.

But it was in 1916 in Chicago that confectioner George DeMet created the Turtle.

Back then, peanuts were the nut of choice in most candies. So when DeMet made a round chocolate-caramel patty and used pecan halves to make the head and feet, it was a double innovation (turtle shape, pecan nuts).

The name Turtle was later copyrighted by the company.

While the original turtle prevailed for years, these days confectioners create more flavor varieties than DeMet could have imagined.

Today you can find almond, cashew, hazelnut, milk chocolate, white chocolate and sea salt caramel. If you can’t find what you want, use the recipe above as a template to create your own.

Today DeMets is owned by Yildiz Holding, which sells more than 81 million candy products each year. They use 7,000 tons of chocolate coating and 13,000 tons of nuts (source).
 

WHAT IS CREAMED HONEY?

Creamed honey is crystallized honey, that can be spread like jam. It is also called cream honey and honey creme.

Almost all honey crystallizes over time; the time frame depends on the particular type of nectar from which the bees gathered the pollen (photo #7).

The higher amount of sugar a particular nectar has, the sooner it will crystallize.

If your jar of regular honey has crystallized (photo #6), you can enjoy it that way or microwave it back to its amber form. There is nothing wrong with a jar that crystallizes. In fact:

 
There are two types of creamed honey:

 
Processed honeys are still 100% honey (read the ingredients list).

Both raw and processed creamed honeys are a perfect bread spread.
 
 
HOW TO USE CREAMED HONEY

Honey has a place at breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack time. Here are 30 different ways we use honey.

Everyone has favorite uses for honey, from a cup of tea to a peanut butter and banana sandwich.

 
Honey For Gifting

Creamed honey also has a place in a gift box or as a stocking stuffer. Anyone with a sweet tooth will welcome it.
 
 
FLAVORED CREAMED HONEYS

There are plain creamed honeys, raw and processed. But an equally delicious category is flavored creamed honeys.

Bumbleberry Farms sells different types of honey; but the most special are the creamed honeys.

Processed into a silky spread or dip, the current flavors include:

 
Find them at BumbleberryFarms.com.

Sleeping Bear Farms sells lemon creamed honey.

Anthony’s Beehive has creamed honey in Original, Peanut Butter and Raspberry.

Apiterra has a raw honey gift set of Raw Honey, Raw Honey with Green Matcha and Raw Honey with Turmeric & Ginger.
 
Limited Edition has creamed honey in Apple Spice, Cinnamon, Dark Chocolate Pecan, Jalapeño, Peach Amaretto, Pecan, Praline and Raspberry Pecan. You can find them on Amazon.
 
 
HONEY FOR EVERY OCCASION

 
 
MORE ABOUT HONEY

[1] Raw creamed honey, unprocessed and natural (photo © Bee Raw Honey).

[2] Cinnamon creamed honey, processed to a silky consistency. Find it at Bumbleberry Farms (photos #2, #3, #4 and #5 © Bumbleberry Farms).

[3] Sea salt creamed honey with apple slices.

[4] Sweet maple creamed honey to use with just about anything.

[5] Dark chocolate and honey, for angel food cake and spoon candy.

[6] A jar of raw honey can spontaneously crystallize. You can enjoy it as is, or microwave the jar to revert the crystals (photo © Bee Raw Honey).

[7] A worker bee gathering pollen (photo © Sebastien Rosset | Unsplash).

[1] What goes into the fridge: the crisper drawer and on the shelves (photos 1 to 3 © Good Eggs).

[2] What goes into the pantry.

[3] What goes on the countertop.

[4] Radishes go into the high humidity crisper drawer (photo © Amber Engle | Unsplash).

[5] Cauliflower goes into the high humidity crisper drawer (photo © Jennifer Schmidt | Unsplash).

[6] Lemons and limes go into the low humidity crisper drawer (photo © Caroline Attwood | Unsplash).

[7] Store mushrooms on refrigerator shelves (photo of king trumpet mushrooms © Good Eggs).

Properly stored produce cuts down on food waste and wasted money. These tips from Good Eggs will keep your fruits and veggies fresher, longer.

Note that this is just a summary.

 
 
GENERAL TIPS TO STORE FRUITS & VEGETABLES

Don’ts

 
Do’s

 
 
WHERE TO STORE FRUITS & VEGETABLES

The choices are refrigerator, pantry and countertop.

Refrigerator

The crisper drawers at the bottom of the fridge are made to store fruits and vegetables. If your fridge has controls that let you open and close the crisper vents that help manage humidity and the effects of ethylene gas:

 
Here’s what goes in each part of the fridge.

Low Humidity Crisper Drawer

Low humidity slows ripening, while the open vent allows ethylene gas to escape before it spoils the produce you keep there.

 
High Humidity Crisper Drawer

 
Refrigerator Shelves

 
Countertop

 
Pantry

 
 
FRUITS & VEGETABLES STORAGE SUMMARY

Aluminum foil? Container with water? Covered container with holes? Damp paper towels? Loose plastic bags? Sealed plastic bag? Other storage?

Knowing how to wrap the produce is as important as knowing where to store it.

Looking for an activity for yourself or for kids?

Like goat cheese?

You’re in luck. Belle Chevre, award-winning cheesemakers and one of our favorites, has added DIY cheese kits to their line of fresh goat cheeses.

The kits have everything you need to make a log of goat cheese or a bowl of fromage blanc.

While not all cheese is easy to make—you need an aging room, for example—fresh cheeses can be made at home.

There are two kits: Original and Kids, each just $12.00.

It’s so easy (and fun!) to make your own goat cheese at home.

The cheesemaking kit has everything you need to make goat cheese in your own kitchen.

In just a few hours, and with only about ten minutes of active kitchen time, you will be rolling your own chevre logs or mixing a bowl of freshy-fresh fromage blanc.

Once you start making it, you may just want to expand your repertoire to other fresh cheeses. In fact, Here’s a recipe to make fromage blanc at home.
 
 
MORE ABOUT GOAT CHEESE

Belle Chevre Flavored Goat Cream Cheese Review

Decorated Goat Cheese Logs

Goat Cheese For Breakfast

Ways To Use Fresh Goat Cheese

Food & Wine Pairing With Goat Cheese

Why Goat Cheese Is Different
 
 
MORE ABOUT FROMAGE BLANC

Fromage Blanc As A Soup Garnish

Fromage Blanc Vs. Quark

Substituting Fromage Blanc For Fraîche

[1] Belle Chevre’s goat cheese-making kit (all photos © Belle Chevre).

[2] You can make one goat cheese log.

[3] Or, you can make a bowl of fromage blanc.