Spring Has Sprung and a New Venture Begun!

Spring has sprung! Birdsong heralds in the early morning and geese have returned to nearby ponds and nesting sites. The sun is shining more regularly and flowers and plants are sprouting. My tribe of cats (eight of them!) are finally willing to venture outdoors again after these long winter months. As for me, I find myself returning to the familiar cycle of focused creative energy. At some point during the cold, gray winter months my creative juices nearly dry up and I enter a rather dormant period. Except when it comes to cooking and taste-testing new recipes....Winter does not slow down that part of my creativity one iota! But come Spring I am back in my art studio and ready to explore where my creative inspiration takes me. And so begins the welcome and rejuvenated season of inspired living between my various creative spaces.

Spring this year brings something new to my world! A project that has been in the mental works for several years is now being launched as Calyyco Creations! (You can learn more in my About section!) This, my FIRST blog (oh my goodness I'm finally doing it!!!), gives a general overview of a few of my favorite interests and a sampling of what you'll find here as this virtual endeavor evolves.

(Hint: lots of food, recipes and nutrition tidbits, a variety of textile, fiber and quilting art, paper projects and art journaling. Call it creative-wellness inspiration!) This blogging adventure is new for me and I'm allowing myself to be a beginner!! Setting aside the perfectionist hat is a challenge!! I'm sure there are at least a few of you out there that can identify with that! So please look beyond this awkward beginning stage and come along with me as I share my stories, connect through food and creative expression, and hopefully learn something together!

Springtime calls to my mind carrot cake, birthdays, blooming flowers, garden prep, birds, traveling and longer walks in Nature. So as April sweeps on in let's start with a recipe for a Ginger-Carrot Cake. I found this layered scrumptiousness in a Food and Family recipe magazine about six years ago. https://www.myfoodandfamily.com/recipe/168160/orange-ginger-carrot-cake

I have baked some version of carrot cake for one of my daughters' birthday every year for over 20 years. And despite lots of miles separating us as she entered adulthood she never went without a carrot cake sweet confection on her special day. One year her birthday came around while she was in Virginia as part of military training. I prepared this particular recipe and drove it 12+ hours to hand deliver to her on base. I packed not only the cake in my vehicle, but also her younger sister and grandmother and a bunch of balloons, too! This was a whirlwind, overnight only sort of trip, but the food and fellowship shared was a most fun celebration! So not only is this particular Ginger-Carrot Cake delicious and pretty, it also holds a special spot in my treasure chest of memories. I have recreated the cake to share for the Easter holiday this year and think it fitting to launch my creative living blog.

The cake and frosting are themselves fairly straightforward. The decorative marshmallow "flower burst" to top the cake is a bit more labor intensive. With some patience and staying with the process of creating something beautiful, the result is a show stopper!

This is one of those super easy cake mix recipes that is enhanced with vanilla pudding, fresh carrots and yummy mix-ins - crystalized ginger, coconut, raisins and pineapple if you choose. I did not have crystalized ginger on hand (which is truly surprising) so I added about 1/4 cup of fresh grated ginger.

You can easily play with spice additions too! Cardamom, nutmeg and allspice would work nicely. With the exception of using fresh ginger instead of crystalized and adding about 1/4 cup of shredded coconut, I followed the recipe as written for this batch of cakes.

I recommend greasing, flouring and lining your cake pans with wax paper or parchment paper. Once the cake has cooled, the paper will peel off nicely leaving a smooth surface for frosting and keeping the cake level. Definitely let the cakes rest in the pans for 10 minutes then transfer to wire racks to cool completely before attempting to frost!

Once the cakes are cooled, remove from pan and place one on a cake plate. You may need to level off the top of the cakes on the chance they dome up while cooking. Use a serrated knife (bread knife is ideal) and gently use short back and forth strokes to slice the top off making it even. The recipe calls for using readymade whipped topping, however, I typically make my own using heavy cream, vanilla, confectioners sugar (and adding any additional flavorings that tickle my fancy). The frosting is made by mixing whipped cream, confectioners sugar and softened cream cheese. Using a soft spatula, add a layer of frosting to the top of cake #1. Some people like a thin layer, some like thicker - it really is your preference. Next, place cake #2 on top of the first cake, centering it so the sides are even. Add a layer of frosting to the top of the cake and continue to frost down the sides in smooth strokes until the entire cake is covered with frosting.

At this point, I add a small band of toasted chopped pecans to the bottom of the cake. A trick I use to make this easy is to make sure the frosting covers the cake sides completely to the bottom. Next, using a small spoon, I put a thin layer of chopped pecans around the base of the cake (they will rest on the exposed cake plate). Then, using a small, pliable spatula I gently push the chopped nuts up the side of the cake, lightly pressing into the frosting to form a 1/2" ribbon around the base of the cake. Now it's ready to have a colorful marshmallow "flower" constructed on top.

To start creating the flower, cut one marshmallow in half crosswise and dip the cut (sticky side) in sugar to form the center of the flower. Place this in the center of the cake top. Now make the petals, use large fresh marshmallows, cut on the diagonal and dip the cut side (sticky side) in a bowl of colored sugar crystals. I used a combination of colors and formed my flower with the colors radiating outward from the center circle.

I found that to retain maximum stickiness it is best to work one marshmallow at a time and construct the flower piece by piece rather than cutting all the marshmallows first. Place each petal at a slight upward angle until the top of the cake is full. It would also look lovely with a smaller flower constructed and leaving a wide band of plain frosting around the top outside edge. Once your beautiful "bloom" is finished, step back and enjoy your creativity! What a fun and cheerful sweet confection to start the Spring season off with! And just in time to serve for your Easter dessert. Enjoy!

Be sure to check out the full recipe at:

https://www.myfoodandfamily.com/recipe/168160/orange-ginger-carrot-cake