When it comes to my holiday baked treats, I always INTEND to do everything from scratch. You’ve heard that old expression about the best laid plans? Well unfortunately that comes into play far too frequently–and I find myself without enough time to get everything done for Christmas.
(this post is sponsored by Walmart)
When I really took some time to think about it I realized that while I wasn’t about to cut corners while trimming the tree, participating in our church Christmas Pageant, or skipping our annual gingerbread decorating party. . .in the big scheme of things I am actually ok with the baked treats being store bought.
I hit my Walmart Bakery and picked up a few treats to try out this holiday season: Orange Cranberry Pound Cake, Salted Caramel Mini Cupcakes and Red Velvet Cake Roll. There were plenty of other holiday treats to choose from. Sugar cookies, cupcakes, baklava and more.
Now presentation has a lot to do with how folks feel about a dessert, whether it is homemade or store bought. You don’t want to just slap a box of cookies or a cake down on the table still in it’s plastic packaging. Ick. It doesn’t take much to make your treats look a little better. In this case I spruced things up a bit by using a festive table cloth, a poinsettia garland I’ve had for years, and some cute little cake stands. Wouldn’t that make any dessert seem tastier?
Cookies look better arranged on a pretty platter or tray, cakes on a plate or a cake stand, and putting a pretty paper doily underneath anything makes it seem more special. Dig out your good plates and silverware, make a fresh pot of coffee and enjoy your holiday dessert while reducing your stress.
But of course you are wondering–how did they taste? I thought the salted caramel cupcakes were awesome. Sweet with just a bit of salty. . .mmm. I cannot confirm nor deny the fact that I ate most of the box by myself. . .
The kids adored the red velvet cake roll. Personally I would have preferred it to have a bit deeper chocolate flavor. The cream cheese frosting was tasty and you can’t beat the presentation when sliced–beautiful.
Finally the pound cake. I just love cranberry and orange, and this cake had both. While it truly is a cake, the flavors also seem to be appropriate for breakfast–so I saved half of the cake in the freezer for folks to eat on Christmas morning alongside their coffee.
Trina says
Please stop putting chocolate on the back of the sugar cookies!!! Some people don’t like chocolate and those cookies were the best cookies ever.