‘Tis the season for delicious holiday treats, and filling our homes with sweet aromas of baked goods. This week we asked our Sales and Catering Teams for their favorite holiday treats. Check out these recipes perfect for your holiday season.
Hoosier Rum Cake
Made by one of our Catering Managers, Amy Gibson, this rum cake has a reputation among our employees for being amazing! Try out this holiday treat to wow your guests at the next holiday get together.
Ingredients
- 1 cup chopped walnuts – optional
- 1 (18.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix
- ½ cup dark rum – Meyers
- 4 eggs
- ½ cup water
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 1 (3.5 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix (make sure the pudding is instant)
Glaze
- ½ cup butter
- ⅛ cup water
- ½ cup white sugar
- ½ cup rum
Directions
Step 1
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F, Lightly Grease and flour a Bundt pan (ok to use vegetable spray and lightly flour the Bundt pan). Sprinkle nuts over the bottom of the pan
Step 2
Mix together the cake mix, 1/2 cup dark rum, eggs, 1/2 cup water, oil, and vanilla pudding mix. Pour batter over the nuts in the pan.
Step 3
Bake for 1 hour. Cool, and invert cake on a serving plate. Prick the top of the cake.
Step 4
To Make the Glaze: Melt the butter in a saucepan. Stir in 1/8 cup water and the 1/2 cup sugar. Boil for 3 -5 minutes until it starts to bubble rapidly, stirring constantly. Remove glaze from heat, and stir in ½-cup rum. Drizzle and smooth evenly over the top and sides.
Amy's Hoosier Rum Cake
Scottish Shortbread
Simple, sweet, and perfect for the holiday season, shortbread cookies are one of our Director of Sales, Terri D'Ayon Joyce's favorite treats for the holidays. Try out this recipe from Taste of Home.
TOTAL TIME: Prep: 15 min. Bake: 20 min. /batch + cooling YIELD: about 4 dozen.
Ingredients
- 2 cups butter, softened
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 4 to 4-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 325°. Cream butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy, 5-7 minutes. Add 3-3/4 cups flour; mix well. Turn dough onto a floured surface; knead for 5 minutes, adding enough remaining flour to form a soft dough.
2. On a sheet of parchment paper, roll dough to a 16×9-inch rectangle. Transfer to a baking sheet, and cut into 3×1-in. strips. Prick each cookie multiple times with a fork. Refrigerator at least 30 minutes or overnight.
3. Separate cookies and place 1 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake until cookies are lightly browned, 20-25 minutes. Transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
Time to Bake!
We hope you will try out these holiday goodies that make our team excited for the season. Happy Holidays from the Portola Hotel & Spa!