Cannoli Pound Cake

The more I read about New York the more jealous I am of all the Italian deli type places they have, because Italian food is delicious and it seems so easy to get good Italian foods there. I have been to New York City once and cannot wait to go back.

I've never had cannoli before but something about the look of this cake plus its combination of orange, lemon, pistachio, and chocolate drew me to try it.

Notes and observations

• I bought Marsala wine just for this. I had never had it before in my life. It tastes like liquid raisins. I'm in love.

Verdict: I liked it and would make it again if I got a hankering for loaf cake! I'm also motivated to seek out actual cannoli now.

RECIPE: Cannoli Pound Cake

Bourbon Caramel Sauce

I first found this recipe on Pinterest several years ago and made it to bring to an ice cream sundae party, but have made it several times since. Pinterest can be really terrible but this is one of the best things I ever found there. This is simple and incredibly delicious. Every time I make it I am fascinated by how something as simple as browning sugar can make such a difference in taste, and how intense the flavor can get.

I usually put it on ice cream, but it's also good in iced coffee, and I put it on top of a caramel mocha roll cake once (which was delicious).

Tips from making it several times:

• Getting the sugar mixture to the point of browning takes a while but once the sugar starts to brown it darkens quickly, so keep a close watch on it!
• The mixture will spatter when you add the cream, so be careful (the recipe tells you to pour it in slowly and this is important).
• Use the best bourbon you have, or at least something you know you like the taste of. My husband gets mad when I use his good bourbon to flavor this, which confuses me because if I asked to drink that same amount (1 tablespoon!) he would be absolutely fine with it. My favorite so far has been New Holland's Beer Barrel Bourbon, which is aged in barrels that previously aged Dragon's Milk Stout.
• I sometimes add ~1 tsp of high quality vanilla in addition to the bourbon.
• I like to store it in a canning jar. It's easy to get a spoon inside to scoop out the amount you want.
• This will keep for months in the refrigerator, though its magical flavor diminishes a bit after a couple of weeks.

RECIPE: 4 Ingredient Bourbon Caramel Sauce (from Minimalist Baker)