Clementine Chocolate Lava Cake Recipe

My garden is filled with ripe citrus fruits right now, so I gathered two full baskets of clementines. Even though the rain hasn't been all that great this season, the fruit is incredibly sweet. We're lucky! I usually peel fruit right after dinner, leave them at the dining table and let everyone help themselves right away. But this time, before peeling the clementines, I gathered the zest to make my husband Lulu's favorite: chocolate lava cake. It might look complicated, but fear not, it's just a matter of timing. Like love!

If you're planning to surprise your sweetheart for Valentine's Day this year, a decadent chocolate dessert should be at the top of your list. First, it's delicious, and second, I love the idea of Googling aphrodisiacs in preparation for Valentine's Day!

Christmas Dessert: Orange Marmalade Cake (+Giveaway)

My husband's younger sisters' winter break finally arrived. I think baking is a great way to spend time together and get over the stress of their school's finals. I didn't really have a specific recipe in mind, but I wanted to make a cake that reflects the holiday season. We started with a simple cake batter and flavored it with orange marmalade I received through our friend Diane from Napa Farmhouse 1885 and store-bought Swedish orange gingersnaps. I crumbled the gingersnaps and added them to the batter and the top of the cake. We baked the cakes in individual Flexipan molds and I let the girls decorate their own version with orange-flavored buttercream and chocolate-covered cherries.

Have fun this holiday season!

Today’s giveaway is 1 fig & Grand Marnier jam, 1 pear & vanilla preserves, 1 orange & ginger marmalade, 1 organic herbs de Provence and 1 organic Italian seasoning from Napa Farmhouse. For a chance to win the prize, just enter today’s giveaway.

Make sure you're a fan of PhamFatale Facebook fan page and Napa Farmhouse 1885, or follow @Phamfatalecom and tweet about this giveaway. To make it easy, you can just copy and paste this tweet if you’d like: "3 jams & two seasonings #Giveaway from @Phamfatalecom and @NapaFarmhouse: http://bit.ly/sp4V7y".

Ginger Lemon Cake Recipe (+Giveaway)

I tend to bake a lot more during the holidays. Unlike cooking, where recipes can be loosely interpreted and still come out great, baking is about being accurate and using the precise amount of the specific ingredients called for. That puts even more emphasis on selecting the best of the limited ingredients you have control over, whether it's flour, eggs or butter. To that end, my pantry is always stocked with various Bob's Red Mill products, and today one lucky PhamFatale reader is going to receive a $50 gift certificate from Bob!

Today I made an almond cake flavored with ginger and lemon-flavored white chocolate. The main ingredient is almond meal, which makes the dessert gluten-free. Since it's the holidays, I splurged on more decadent elements by topping the cake with a ginger lemon whipped cream and garnished it with sliced almonds as a reminder of the flavor of the cake. Who am I kidding? If you’re a regular reader you know I don’t need much of an excuse to tend towards the decadent!

Make sure you're a fan of PhamFatale Facebook fan page and Bob's Red Mill, or follow @Phamfatalecom and tweet about this giveaway. To make it easy, you can just copy and paste this tweet if you’d like: "Bob's Red Mill $50 Gift Certificate #Giveaway from @Phamfatalecom and @Bobs_Red_Mill: http://bit.ly/sp4V7y".

Madeleine Cookie Recipe (+Giveaway)

Whenever I have time, I prepare breakfast in bed for my husband. And since madeleine cookies are his favorite, I prepared the batter the day before and stored it in the refrigerator to surprise him today. It took me less than 15 minutes to bake them the next morning and I was able to serve hot, straight from the oven vanilla-flavored madeleines to Lulu. If you're planning to serve breakfast, keep these French cookies in mind; they're absolutely delicious and not that difficult to make. Just read my secret to the characteristic bump for an authentic version of madeleine cookies and these cookies are guaranteed to turn out well.

Vanilla is a great flavoring in general, and I think it adds another dimension to madeleines. I can't imagine a home baker's pantry not having a bottle of vanilla extract around the holidays. I used Nielsen Massey vanilla extract in this recipe. In case you’re not familiar, Nielsen Massey vanillas are full flavored and there are distinct differences between the varieties. It may be vanilla, but it's definitely not plain! The folks at Nielsen Massey were kind enough to provide one (two-ounce) bottle of each Tahitian, Mexican & Madagascar vanilla extract and "A Century of Flavor" cookbook as today’s giveaway. Be sure to enter for a chance to win (click on the link).

Make sure you're a fan of PhamFatale Facebook fan page and Nielsen-Massey Vanillas or follow @Phamfatalecom and tweet about this giveaway. To make it easy, you can just copy and paste this tweet if you’d like: "Nielsen-Massey Vanilla Extracts #Giveaway from @Phamfatalecom: http://bit.ly/uiJfq9". Good luck everyone!

Thanksgiving Cupcakes

Cupcakes are a convenient way to serve dessert when you have a large crowd to entertain, say for Thanksgiving. Instead of making traditional Thanksgiving pies, consider preparing cupcakes flavored with pumpkin and chocolate. I frosted these cupcakes with pumpkin buttercream and topped them with cute turkey-themed peel-&-press edible frosting stickers.

I received the stickers from Ticings®. If you’d like to get your hands on some of their holiday-themed decorations to spruce up your baked goods, check out www.ticings.com. We’ll also be giving away Ticings® decorations, along with more than $1,000-worth of merchandise from other companies to PhamFatale readers during our 25 Days of Giveaways in December. Be sure to check back daily to participate!