Friday, September 23, 2011
Root Beer Float Cake & Cookbook Giveaway!
This time last week I was sitting at the Loveless Cafe about to pig out on one of the best breakfasts, in addition to some of the best desserts. A handful of folks were treated to brunch to celebrate the new cookbook, Desserts from the Famous Loveless Cafe by Pastry Chef Alisa Huntsman. Check out the dessert spread!
That day we sampled Muddy Fudge Pie, Double-Coconut Cream Pie, Tennessee Sweet Potato Pie, Strawberry Rhubarb Pie, Red Velvet Cake, Lemon Tunnel-of-Love Tea Cake, Loveless Banana Pudding, Blackberry Cobbler with Cinnamon-Swirl Biscuits, Coconut Chews, and my favorite from the day, Magic Bars. All of these recipes are in the book, too!
As if that wasn’t enough, we enjoyed a full breakfast. Complete with eggs, hashbrown casserole, fruit, biscuits and homemade preserves, bacon, sausage, country ham, fried chicken, gravy…you get the picture of why it was such a great Friday morning! We even got a chance to speak with Alisa and hear her talk about creating each dessert and how much fun she has in the kitchen.
Excerpted from Desserts from the Famous Loveless Café by Alisa Huntsman (Artisan Books). Copyright © 2011
I couldn’t wait to go home and make something from her new cookbook. Choosing a recipe to make first was difficult. I wanted to make everything! I finally decided on this Root Beer Float Cake. I am a huge fan of root beer and I’ve had plenty of desserts that say they’re root beer flavored, but it’s barely detectable. So I thought I’d put Alisa’s version to the test!
So, how’s it taste?
I loved it! Alisa definitely knows her cakes. It tastes very much like a root beer float. I think the secret is the cloves, which sounds odd, but it complements the root beer flavor. Cloves can be found in some root beers along with the sassafras flavoring, so it makes sense to have it in a cake. This cake was spicy and warm and super moist. Perfect to help welcome fall which is fast approaching. And look at all that icing! It’s a vanilla glaze on top and that’s what makes the cake taste like a float. The cake itself isn’t too terribly sweet, so the icing is just right. If you’re a fan of root beer, you will love this cake, too!
Now on to the good part! The Loveless Cafe was kind enough to give me a copy of Desserts from the Famous Loveless Cafe for one lucky reader!
Excerpted from Desserts from the Famous Loveless Café by Alisa Huntsman (Artisan Books). Copyright © 2011
To enter: All you need to do is comment on this post and tell me about your favorite dessert or if you’ve dined at the Loveless Cafe, tell me what you enjoyed.
Optional entries: For up to two additional entries, do one or both of the following and leave a separate comment telling me you did so.
1. Follow @sohowsittaste on Twitter and tweet the following: Win a copy of Desserts from the Famous @LovelessCafe cookbook from @sohowsittaste! http://bit.ly/owtrwd
2. Like So, How’s It Taste? and Loveless Cafe on Facebook.
I’ll randomly select the winner on Friday, September 30th at noon Central. Please make sure you enter a valid email address as an alternate winner will be chosen if I don’t hear from you within 48 hours. Good luck!
Congratulations to comment #35 from Brittany!
You’ll be enjoying some amazing southern desserts soon!
Winner chosen using Random.org
Root Beer Float Cake
Ingredients:
Cake
2 cups root beer
3 1/4 cups cake flour
2 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch process)
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. salt
2 eggsVanilla Glaze
2 cups confectioners' sugar
2 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
1/3 cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla extractDirections:
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and flour a 10-cup Bundt pan. Open the root beer to let some of the effervescence calm down.
2. Sift the cake flour, cocoa, baking soda, and cloves into a bowl; set aside. In a mixer, cream the butter, brown sugar, vanilla, and salt until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time; scrape bowl. Add the dry ingredients alternately with the root beer, scraping the bowl in between. Pour the batter into the Bundt pan.
3. Bake for 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cake cook in pan for 15 minutes. Unmold and let cool on rack.
4. For the glaze, sift the sugar into a bowl. Add the butter, milk, and vanilla. Whisk until smooth. Drizzle glaze over cake so the entire surface is coated.
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Vivek — September 23, 2011 @ 9:01 am
To tell you the truth, I’ve only had blackberry cobbler at Loveless…and it was amazing!
Vivek — September 23, 2011 @ 9:01 am
And, I like you on facebook already!
Vivek — September 23, 2011 @ 9:02 am
And I tweeted!
Kelly — September 23, 2011 @ 9:05 am
I tweeted! https://twitter.com/#!/sallaboutme/status/117237887916978176
Kelly — September 23, 2011 @ 9:06 am
Whoa didn’t realized I hadn’t “liked” you on Facebook yet, but now I have as well as Loveless Cafe! Cool!
Shannon — September 23, 2011 @ 9:23 am
I already like you on FB
Shannon — September 23, 2011 @ 9:23 am
I like Loveless on FB.
Shannon — September 23, 2011 @ 9:23 am
I’m tweeting as we speak….or type.
danielle — September 23, 2011 @ 9:28 am
I haven’t been there in years – I can’t remember what I had the last time we went.
Shannon — September 23, 2011 @ 9:28 am
Unfortunately, I haven’t been to the Loveless Cafe yet. I WANT to go. I’m sure if they have banana pudding, it would be wonderful and I would probably need a bucket of it.
Donna C — September 23, 2011 @ 11:56 am
I love cupcakes! They can’t have nuts but they must have sprinkles!
Meghan — September 23, 2011 @ 1:09 pm
My favorite is huckleberry apple pie
Lesley — September 23, 2011 @ 3:58 pm
Favorite dessert? Just about anything someone else makes…as long as there’s not peanut butter or carrot in it.
Emily — September 23, 2011 @ 4:48 pm
I have never had the chance to go, but judging from the desserts you posted about, it sounds great. I really love bundt cakes. They are so simple to make and they look good on their own, without much fuss.
Cindy B. — September 23, 2011 @ 5:12 pm
My favorite dessert is Tropical Carrot Cake with Orange Cream Cheese Icing! YUM!!
Cindy B. — September 23, 2011 @ 5:13 pm
I follow @sohowsittaste on Twitter and tweeted about this giveaway.
Cindy B. — September 23, 2011 @ 5:14 pm
I like So, How’s It Taste? and Loveless Cafe on Facebook.
Corisa — September 23, 2011 @ 6:09 pm
I love all dessert but I always enjoy something chocolatey especially molten chocolate cake!
Susan in the Boonies — September 23, 2011 @ 8:42 pm
We had our wedding rehearsal dinner at the Loveless. Going there feels almost like going home again! We’re huge fans!
Susan in the Boonies — September 23, 2011 @ 8:46 pm
Following you now, and tweeted about this giveaway. : http://twitter.com/#!/BoonieSooze/status/117414415854338048
Susan in the Boonies — September 23, 2011 @ 8:49 pm
Like “So How’s It Taste?” and the Loveless on Facebook. I’m Susan Williams
Peggy — September 24, 2011 @ 10:54 am
My favorite dessert is anything with lemon in it!
Courtney Gallaher — September 24, 2011 @ 1:09 pm
How can you choose a favorite dessert . . . . but, if I had to pick one it would be the Blueberry Pie Delight that my mom makes. It is super simple and delicious. Ingredients consist of canned blueberry filing, graham cracker crust, dream whip, powdered sugar, and cream cheese. The memories associated with that dessert is what make it the winner!
Traciwilbur — September 25, 2011 @ 1:37 pm
I love the Loveless! Unfortunately we don’t get over there as much as I’d like, which is a shame because it’s only 10 miles from our house. The last few times I’ve been I’ve had the fried Green Tomato BLT, it’s to die for.
Traciwilbur — September 25, 2011 @ 1:38 pm
I already like you on FB and Loveless, too.
Traciwilbur — September 25, 2011 @ 1:40 pm
I tweeted.
Erin @ One Particular Kitchen — September 26, 2011 @ 1:17 pm
Oh my favorite dessert? How can I pick? Key lime pie would probably win, but I would have a hard time fully committing.
Sarah — September 26, 2011 @ 1:51 pm
Chocolate chip cookies!
Candy — September 28, 2011 @ 2:19 pm
I can’t pick a favorite dessert because I haven’t gotten past breakfast at Loveless! YUMMY!
Blake — September 30, 2011 @ 7:33 am
Already like you and the wonderful Loveless on FB. Already follow you on twitter, but just now tweeted (talk about procrastination). Whenever I’m at the Loveless, I must have a piece of country ham. I once had a sweet potato biscuit with country ham at the Loveless Barn. To…die…for!
Stephanie — September 30, 2011 @ 7:48 am
My favorite dessert has to be the Lemon Icebox pie made from scratch by the Mennonite ladies for the Blue and White Cafe outside of Tunica,MS.
Stephanie — September 30, 2011 @ 7:49 am
Oh yeah and I already “like” you on facebook.
Brittany — September 30, 2011 @ 8:16 am
Nothing beats Loveless Cafe’s biscuits!
Brittany — September 30, 2011 @ 8:18 am
I just re-tweeted your giveaway link
Brittany — September 30, 2011 @ 8:20 am
and of course I already “like” So How’s It Taste? on FB and now I “like” Loveless Cafe, too!
Jen @ Cup a Dee Cakes — September 30, 2011 @ 11:56 am
I have never been to Loveless Cafe, but creme brulee is my favorite dessert!