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Top 10 Recipes for 2015

2015 is nearly at an end and I had a great year at Love and Confections. Here is a list of the 10 most popular recipes this year as well as a recap of all the wonderful events I attended or hosted in 2015.

2015 was a busy year here at Love and Confections headquarters. I am blogging full-time and loving it. This past year, I worked with some great companies, like Stonyfield Yogurt, Bob’s Red Mill, Dixie Crystals, Nielsen-Massey Vanilla and so many more! I am grateful for all the experiences over the past year and I hope to continue to grow the blog in the next year to come.

My first big event of the year was the inaugural #VanillaWeek. I gathered 12 bloggers to celebrate our live of vanilla. We created some amazing recipes like Vanilla Macarons, Vanilla Bean Ladyfingers, and Vanilla Bean White Hot Chocolate.

May was busy with the 3rd annual #Brunchweek. I had so much fun working with this group of 30 bloggers. Over 115 delicious brunch recipes were created and we had an amazing giveaway! Some of my favorite recipes were my Lemon Blueberry Crepes, 60 Minute Cinnamon Rolls, and Whiskey Walnut Tart.

The first half of the year kept me busy by being on the Food & Wine Conference planning committee. The Food & Wine Conference at the Rosen Shingle Creek Resort & Spa in July was spectacular. A great group of bloggers attended and I cannot wait for Food & Wine Conference 2016!

August was filled with fun days at the splashpad with #ToddlerLnC and a family beach vacation. ToddlerLnC had an amazing time at the beach and loved playing in the sand and water. I look forward to our yearly beach vacation and love watching her experience new things.

Late September was #pumpkinweek with 19 bloggers. I loved all the festive pumpkin recipes, especially my Pumpkin Butter, Pumpkin Pancakes with Bourbon Maple Syrup, and Pumpkin Almond Croissants. During the Fall, I also had a chance to attend The Americas Cake and Sugarcraft Fair, a Honey Nut Cheerios Living Billboard event and The Taste of Dr. Phillips.

December was eventful and full of love, family and friends. I can hardly believe that#toddlerlnc just turned 2! We had a fun Sophia the First themed party for her that family and friends attended. A few days after that, Mr l&c and I celebrated our wedding anniversary. We visited family in North Carolina for Christmas and are planning a small get-together with friends tonight for New Year’s Eve. I hope you and your family have a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year!

Until next time,
LOVE & CONFECTIONS!

Spiced Apple Cider Charlotte Cake #AppleWeek

This semi-homemade Spiced Apple Cider Charlotte Cake with Cinnamon Vanilla Bean Frosting and Apple Cider Cinnamon Apples is a Fall treat that is sure to impress. All the components can be made ahead of time for an easy weeknight dessert or Autumn holiday.
This post is sponsored in conjunction with AppleWeek. All opinions are mine alone.

Spiced Apple Cider Charlotte Cake from LoveandConfections.com #AppleWeek #sponsored

While I love making cakes from scratch, I do use boxed mixes with a twist often. I added apple cider in place of some of the water and the cake turned out very moist and delicious. I would even try it next time replacing all the water with cider – I love cider that much.
Up until last year, I have only had cider from the grocery store. Granted it still tastes good, but there is nothing like fresh pressed cider. While in Vermont last year, Mr. L&C and I were able to visit a cider mill and have fresh cider, warm cider donuts and go apple picking. I was like a kid in a candy store. Apple picking was my favorite part, since I had never done it before. I cannot wait to plan a trip and take Little L&C to go get some apples. It probably won’t be as far as Vermont though.
Spiced Apple Cider Charlotte Cake from LoveandConfections.com #AppleWeek #sponsored

The Cinnamon Buttercream is my new favorite. I used it on my Pumpkin Pecan Pie Layer Cake last week for #PumpkinWeek. I have a few recipe ideas for more fall treats using this frosting too! It pairs perfectly with apples, pumpkin, pecans – all the flavors of the season!

Apple Cider Cinnamon Apples was a last minute delicious decision. I originally posted these apples a few years ago on a #BrunchWeek post for Oatmeal Walnut Waffles with Fried Apples. I didn’t have any orange juice or zest, so I used some apple cider instead. It has a great flavor and any leftover fried apples are great for breakfast on top of oatmeal, or dessert on top of ice cream!

Spiced Apple Cider Charlotte Cake from LoveandConfections.com #AppleWeek #sponsored

Thank you Nordic Ware for the Charlotte Cake Pan. Head to the Nordic Ware Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest for more recipe ideas!

Spiced Apple Cider Charlotte Cake

By Love and Confections

Ingredients

  • 1 box Spice Cake Mix, I used Duncan Hines
  • 3 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1/3 cup vegetable oil
  • 1/2 cup apple cider
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/3 recipe Cinnamon Vanilla Bean Frosting
  • Apple Cider Cinnamon Apples

Instructions

  1. *Note* You will only be using half of the batter. Prepare a cupcake tin with liners or cake pan with parchment for remaining batter.
  2. Heat oven to 350F. Prepare Charlotte Cake Pan with baking spray or shortening and flour.
  3. Combine ingredients according to package directions. Use half of the batter in the Charlotte Pan. Bake according to package directions, or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes then invert onto rack to cool completely.
  4. Pipe Cinnamon Vanilla Bean Frosting onto top of cake and top with Apple Cider Cinnamon Apples

Apple Cider Cinnamon Apples

By Love and Confections

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 2 tablespoons Dixie Crystals Light Brown Sugar
  • 2 tablespoons Dixie Crystals Extra Fine Granulated Sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider
  • 2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and diced

Instructions

  1. In a medium pot on medium heat, add butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar. Stir until the sugars and butter start to melt. Add in salt, cinnamon, vanilla and cider, and stir to combine
  2. Add in apples, stirring occasionally, and cook until tender, about 5-8 minutes.

Here are a few items I used in this recipe:


Friday Recipes:

Disclaimer: Thank you AppleWeek Sponsors: Swiss Diamond, Nordic Ware, Envy Apples, Imperial Sugar, The Spice House, Rodelle Vanilla, Flahavan’s Irish Oats and Nairn’s for providing the prizes free of charge. These companies also provided the bloggers with samples and product to use for AppleWeek recipes. All opinions are my own. The AppleWeek giveaway is open to U.S. residents, age 18 & up. All entries for the winner will be checked and verified. By entering you give the right to use your name and likeness. The number of entries received determines the odds of winning. Seven (7) winners will be selected. The prize packages will be sent directly from the giveaway sponsors. The AppleWeek Bloggers are not responsible for the fulfillment or delivery of the prize packages. Bloggers hosting this giveaway and their immediate family members in their household cannot enter or win the giveaway. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited by law. This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter or any other social channel mentioned in the AppleWeek posts or entry.