Good Things by David

It's difficult to improve upon a coconut cake for birthday celebrations.  Over the years I've made many coconut cakes, some of which have had white cake layers, yellow cake layers and even angel food cake layers with or without coconut flakes in the batter.  In terms of frostings, I have used boiled icings, seven minute frostings and buttercreams, all of which have been showered with sweetened, flaked coconut.   Delicious! When I was recently asked to make a birthday cake with coconut as the main ingredient, I decided to keep it simple, so I went with the all-too-familiar 1-2-3-4 cake.  This butter cake makes excellent cake layers, but it also makes great cupcakes and sheet cakes if you scale down or scale up the proportions.  With a few ingredient changes and additions, I baked scrumptious cake layers without having to add flaked coconut to the batter. For the icing, I turned to my Swiss Meringue Buttercream recipe and left out the butter.  Swiss meringue by itsel

This wonderful idea comes from a cookie decorating kit which was once sold through Martha by Mail.  The tips, recipes and concept can be adapted for any present-day party.  Once you go through these ideas and the list of tools needed, you will be inspired to create your very own cookie decorating party at home or at school for the kids. "The best kind of party favor is one you can take home and eat.  Beautifully decorated cookies are delicious, and even better when you and your guests have decorated them together.  Cookie decorating can be an entertaining activity at a party, particularly for children.  Adults, too, can enjoy decorating cookie favors together at a baby or wedding shower or at an afternoon party. We've collected everything you need to host your own cookie-decorating party; disposable supplies make the cleanup easy.  Simply bake the cookies in advance, then set up a decorating table with colorful royal icing in pastry bags.    The meringue powder re

Decorated cookies for spring-themed celebrations can be elegant and charming without being too difficult to make.  With a few shapes, and a handful of colors of royal icing and sprinkles, an entire set of cookies can be iced and ready for gift giving this spring.  Think of these if you plan on having a baby shower, an Easter luncheon or if you want to surprise the kids with cookies in their Easter baskets. The cookies you'll see here were made for a dear friend in Dallas, Texas, who absolutely adored every single one.      Sugar Cookies: Chick, Bunny, Butterfly & Egg What I truly love about decorating sugar cookies is that I can express a theme or a color palette with only several cookie decorating embellishments.  As you can see, those round cookies ( above ) are nothing more than plainly iced cookies that have silhouettes in whimsical shapes which evoke the spring season. Martha by Mail Baby Shower Cookie Cutters  & Easter Marshmallow Treat Cutter Set

My friend Colin Eastland, who happens to be a reader of the blog, recently told me about a cookie venture of his which is extremely exciting.  The idea of baking cookies, decorating cookies and selling them to customers is something I enjoy doing on a regular basis, so when someone with creativity and superb skills in this arena catches my attention, I want to share that talent with individuals.  Colin's cookies are truly beautiful. Heart & Heart in Hand Cookies After seeing a few photos and a link to Colin's website , I couldn't wait to have it here on Good Things by David.  What made it even more special and really flattering to me was that Colin said he was inspired by what I do here on the blog.   Colin lives in a historic home along the Connecticut coast line and bakes his small batch, limited-edition cookies from his kitchen.  Using collectible copper cookie cutters from Martha by Mail, as well as others he's collected over the years, Colin

Lemon cakes are by far my favorite cakes to bake and eat.  If you love lemons just as much as I do, then you don't need me to tell you about that sweet/tart element that is so enticing in lemon desserts.  It is what it is! The combination of lemons and poppy seeds is classic.  Layer cakes covered in rich buttercream are great and festive, but when you want something simple that is sure to be a crowd pleaser, then only a bundt cake will do.  Bundt cakes are great to have on hand when company comes around, because they don't feel overly indulgent to enjoy with a cup of coffee for brunch or with some tea in the afternoon after a light luncheon.  The cake portions can be as generous or as slender as one desires. Whether or not you choose to ice a bundt cake, sprinkle it with confectioners sugar or leave it plain, it's bound to be a welcomed ending to any meal. This special Lemon Poppy Seed Cake is baked with the basics of butter, flour, sugar, fresh eggs and lots