What’s Cooking Wednesday with Christina Hovland

Lopsided Birthday Cake
Courtesy: Lucy Campbell, The Honeymoon Trap

Note from Christina: I wanted to do Lucy’s lopsided birthday cake justice. The cake is described as being delicious, but not quite iced right and…well…lopsided. So I baked the cake using the recipe below and then enlisted the help of my five and nine-year-old girls for the icing. I stepped back and let them do their thing. This is the result: a Lucy-esque birthday cake.

Boxed White Cake (Any brand will do.)

2/3 Cup Candy Coated Mini Chocolate Chips

1/4 tsp Almond Extract

Butter to replace oil in mixing instructions. (The swap here is equal, so if it says 2/3 cup of oil, it’s 2/3 cup butter, etc.)

Also, add an extra egg to the boxed cake directions. (So if it says three eggs, add four.)

Prepare cake mix according to the instructions on the box. Substitute butter for the oil and add an extra egg. Mix in candy coated mini chocolate chips and almond extract. Bake as directed.

Buttercream Icing
4 Cups Powdered Sugar
1 Cup Unsalted Butter at Room Temperature
1 Tbsp vanilla or almond extract
A few drops of blue food coloring

Mix all ingredients together and whip for about 10 minutes for the fluffiest of fluffy icing. Add water to thin, as needed, or powdered sugar to thicken.

How to Survive Your Next Relationship Disaster 101

Step 1: Get pumped. Your new house, in your new town, comes with a sexy and shirtless man next door. Score!

Step 2: Don’t let your freak-out show when Mr. OMG Shirtless turns around—and it’s your old crush.

Step 3: Hold your head high when you run into him again on the first day of your new job—literally—and spill coffee all over yourself.

Step 4: Stay calm when he introduces himself as your new boss…and then announces that your first assignment is to go on a fake honeymoon together.

Step 5: Keep your $h*t locked tight when the new boss/old crush and you are forced to sleep in the same room…with one bed.

Step 6: Try to ignore just how freaking hot he is, and how much you want to touch him…

Christina Hovland lives her own version of a fairy tale—an artisan chocolatier by day and romance writer by night. Born in Colorado, Christina received a degree in journalism from Colorado State University. Before opening her chocolate company, Christina’s career spanned from the television newsroom to managing an award-winning public relations firm. She’s a recovering overachiever and perfectionist with a love of cupcakes and dinner she doesn’t have to cook herself. A 2017 Golden Heart® finalist, she lives in Colorado with her first-boyfriend-turned-husband, four children, and the sweetest dog around.