December 2021 Bake Club Challenge

Bake something fun, share it with the world, and you could win a trio of books meant to get your new year off to an inspiring start.

Thank you for all of you who participated in the November Bake Club Challenge and baked Chocolate Cream Pies!

The November Bake Club Winner is Vineeta from Southlake, Texas. Congratulations Vineeta!

The December, 2021 Bake Club Challenge Recipe:

Gingerbread Bundt Cake with Sugared Cranberries and Lemon Glaze

A gingerbread cake that's been baked in a pine tree forest Bundt Cake pan, covered with lemon glaze, and topped with sugared cranberries.

This Gingerbread Cake is incredibly rich & flavorful, super moist and packed with the flavors of ginger, cinnamon, allspice, and molasses.

The tart lemon glaze and sugared cranberries are the perfect compliment to the richness of the cake. If you're looking for a gingerbread cake that's rich and flavorful, with a potent level of spice that's also well-balanced, this is your recipe.

Also, fun fact - my daughter Annie is cooking at a restaurant in Keystone, Colorado (a mountain ski town) and added this cake to their seasonal dessert menu. She tells me that the cake is a huge hit with their customers, which fills my heart to bursting for a multitude of reasons. 😊

The December Bake Club Prize

This month's prize is a trio of books meant to get your new year off to an inspiring start.

Photos of three different books: Simply Julia, In Bibi's Kitchen, and Collective Wisdom

Julia Turshen is one of my favorite cookbook authors and her most recent book, Simply Julia has quickly become one of the most sauce spattered and dog eared books in my kitchen.

Even if you never cook any of the recipes in the book, it's worth having just for the essays Julia has sprinkled throughout its pages. My two favorites are titled, On the Worthiness of Our Bodies and On Cooking + Anxiety.

Last year, Julia released In Bibi's Kitchen, a book she cowrote with Hawa Hassan. The week I received it, I read it cover to cover and continue to pull it from my bookshelf every time I feel the need for some grandmotherly wisdom.

Collective Wisdom: Lessons, Inspiration and Advice from Women over 50 was written by Julia's wife, author Grace Bonney. The book features over 100 stories of trailblazing women who understand the importance of intergenerational connections and community.

How to Participate in the December Bake Club Challenge:

You’ll receive an email each month when a new recipe challenge and prize is announced. This is also how I’ll know how to contact you if you win.

When you sign up for the Bake Club, you’ll be required to put in your name and email address. If you’re selected as the winner, I’ll send you an email and ask you where to send your prize.

(If you’ve signed up in the past, you’re golden. It's not necissary to sign up every month.)