Monday, November 9, 2015

Blue Snowflake, Blueberry Crumble Cake

Hello again, everyone!  Today I'd like to show you another cross-stitched Christmas ornament that I made last year.  It's a flat ornament, which made it easy to slip inside a Christmas card.  Here is the front of the ornament...

Supplies: embroidery floss from DMC, perforated paper from Mill Hill, ribbon from my stash.

And here is the back...

Additional supplies: striped paper from American Crafts, mitten tag from Bo Bunny, pen from Zig.

It was fun to be able to use some scrapbooking supplies in an embroidery project.  The pattern for the snowflake came from a back issue of PieceWork magazine.  (Side note: I'm sure that no one will be surprised when I mention that I checked out this back issue from the library.)  The snowflake motif was actually part of a larger, more complex pattern, but I chose to use just the snowflake shape on my ornament.  In fact, I hardly ever stitch patterns just exactly as they are printed.  I change the colors, or I stitch just part of a pattern, or I combine different patterns.  I guess you could say that I view cross-stitch patterns as suggestions, not as hard and fast instructions.


Now that I've shared a blue ornament with you, I thought I'd share a blue (well, blueberry) recipe with you.  This blueberry crumble cake recipe comes from the British YouTube channel of "Cupcake Jemma."  If you cook using British measurments, you can simply follow the instructions in the video.


And here is my "translation" of the recipe, using American measurments: 
Streusel topping: 3-1/2 Tbsp MELTED BUTTER + 1/2 c. BROWN SUGAR + 1/2 c. FLOUR + 1tsp CINNAMON.
 Wet ingredients: 3/4 c. plus 2 Tbsp SUGAR + 4 Tbsp CANOLA OIL + 1 EGG + 1/2 c. MILK. 
Dry ingredients: 2 c. FLOUR + 2 tsp. BAKING POWDER + 1/2 tsp. SALT + 1 tsp. CINNAMON (my addition). 
Blueberries: 8-oz. package FROZEN BLUEBERRIES.  No need to thaw first--just fold the frozen berries gently into the cake batter.  If you have access to fresh berries, by all means use them in place of the frozen berries. 
Drizzle ingredients (I used this in place of the cream that Jemma used): 3/4 c. POWDERED SUGAR + 1 Tbsp MILK + 1/4 tsp VANILLA. 
See video (linked above) for assembly instructions.  Bake cake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 50-55 min., or until a toothpick in the center comes out clean.
My husband is gluten-intolerant, so I used gluten-free flour, and the cake turned out delicious. 


I can say from personal experience that this cake tastes great accompanied by coffee, tea, milk, or juice.  (In this photo I had coffee in my cup.)  Since I'll be linking this post up with the T Stands for Tuesday blog hop, I want to wish you all a Happy T Day!  :)

18 comments:

Bleubeard and Elizabeth said...

What fun to see another of the gifts you made last year. I like that you can mail these gifts you are making without having to ship them parcel post (GRIN). It's always a plus to save money on postage.

How did you know I LOVE blueberries? This sounds like a wonderful recipe. Fun, fun, fun. So glad you shared the "Americanized version" as well as your coffee with us for T this week. I can't wait to try this recipe.

Krisha said...

Oh, I do love the ornament!!!

Blueberry ANYTHING is good.....LOL
You share this when I am wanting to start eating clean......for shame on you...but I will snitch a little taste, as I have no will power and haven't started EC yet!!!

Happy T-day

Bridget Larsen said...

ooh thanks for the cake, tastes so yummy even from here lol

Valerie-Jael said...

Lovely gifts you made, but that cake has to be my fave today, I am almost drooling over the keyboard. Thanks for sharing the recipe, too. Happy T Day, hugs, Valerie

froebelsternchen said...

What a lovely little gift tag or tree ornament! Gorgeous and the crumble must be delicious!
Happy T-Day Denise!
oxo
Susi

IrinaR (Irina Rakovets) said...

Wonderful embroidery, Denise!
Thank you for the recipe. It will be necessary try.
Спасибо за рецепт, Дениз!
Надо будет попробовать. Ягода есть замороженная, но если постараться, то можно еще и свежей найти в лесу (морозов у нас еще почти не было), чтобы не покупать в магазине...

johanna said...

yumm! if you hear the bell at your door, that´s me!
i also like your embroidery... dmc floss is always my choice, too...
happy T-day!

Lisca said...

Oh yummm! That looks delicious! I will try to make that (from the video as I'm European and can't work with 'cups'. Every cup is different, I'd rather weigh it.) I will have to make it with some other fruit as we don't have blueberries here. I'm sure any fruit that's not too wet can be used.
They are building a huge supermarket at the edge of the next town. It hasn't opened yet but it will be interesting to see if they have a bigger selection (or just bigger quantity).
Have a great Tday,
Lisca

~*~Patty S said...

Lovely birch bark mug to go with that delicious looking treat.
Getting one of your ornaments in the mail must be a nice surprise for the receiver.
Of all the crafty things I have tried counted cross stitch is not one of them.
I appreciate the time that goes into it.
Happy T Day
oxo

Linda Kunsman said...

What a lovely ornament! I haven't done any cross stitch in quite a few years but I do have supplies-if the inspiration strikes again:) The blue berry buckle looks SO good! I only wish I could reach thru my PC screen for a bite to have with my morning coffee. I'll be making this one for sure-so thanks for sharing-and a happy T day!

jinxxxygirl said...

Denise LOVE that coffee mug! Your blueberry crumble looks delicious!! So glad you joined us for Tea! Hugs! deb

Divers and Sundry said...

That blueberry cake looks delicious! I like the cup with the leaf on it. :) Happy T Day!

Dianne said...

oh my...that cake sounds wonderful! and just a little oil makes it relatively 'healthier!' Love your snowflake ornament...great idea. Made me smile about the patterns being 'suggestions.' yes, indeed! I think so too... ;) happy T day!

Patricia said...

hummmmmmmm....

pearshapedcrafting said...

Oh yum! That crumble cake looks delicious! I love your Christmas decoration - I have just been given some x-stitch patterns - not sure when I will do them though! Happy T day! Chrisx

Halle said...

Such a sweet Christmas ornament...and the time it takes to do needlework like that!! AGH! Not for me...it would end up a bloody mess.
That cake looks awesome. I'm going to pass this post on to a couple of friends that are GF like your hubby.

voodoo vixen said...

I'm sooo late visiting everyone, should be smacked hard on the wrist! ;) Love the blueberry cake and it has now made me famished for something sweet and your snowflake dec is darling and must have been a lovely gift to find inside a Christmas card.

Denise Price said...

^Oh Annette, you are being way too hard on yourself! No smacks from me. :)