Looking back to when I was recently married and living on my first real home, I remember the how thrilled I was to decorate for that first Christmas. Everything was carefully placed and I was proud as ever of our festive home. I didn’t mind my mile long Christmas list and anticipated all the hustle and bustle. Over the years as life’s responsibilities grew, I longed for simplicity instead of all the holiday ‘must dos’. Today our holiday festivities must ‘feed our soul’. Two things have remained true….people and good food. Always and always there are gift exchanges, staying up late next to the tree, family cookie bakes…we are known to make ten different cookies in one evening. Then there are the big dinners crammed around the table. We all bring several dishes…and it goes without saying, this is not the time to cut corners. :)

Good food and people is the heart of this season.

It can be simple. Hand crafted ingredients, festive tunes in the background, a cup of fresh coffee, and an hour to spend in the kitchen….you are well on your way to preparing for a simple gathering. Cut some greens from the backyard, add in a few candles, and invite over a few friends for a holiday dessert party!

Hatchery makes celebrating special occasions and good food easy with their top notch ingredients, all handcrafted by independent makers that are passionate about their product. Everything is jam packed with flavor. Add one or two of Hatchery’s quality products to a dish, and it instantly feels gourmet, bursting with flavor.

Chai Tea Concentrate  is made in small batches and full of warm spices, organic black tea, and fresh-pressed ginger juice. It is phenomenal and was perfect for our Dirty Chai cake. The Pure Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla Extract  is deeply-flavored, full-bodied, rich, an almost creamy extract. It gave our cake rich flavor. Pure Ground Madagascar Vanilla is so fragrant and sun-cured removing nearly all of the moisture of the pod, perfect for sprinkling on top of the cake for a rustic finish.

The Hatchery Tasting Box makes such a great gift for those in your life that appreciate good food and new flavors.
Use code CHARCO at check out on hatchery.co and receive your first tasting box for just $10.

Dirty Chai Cake
– Created by Emily

2 1/3 cups all purpose gf flour (I like Bob’s Red Mill)
1 teaspoon xanthum gum
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
dash of ground cloves
1/2 cup melted coconut oil, cooled
1 cup coconut sugar
1/2 cup dona chai tea concentrate (or five chai tea bags brewed in a 1/2 cup hot water)
1/2 cup espresso (or strong coffee), cooled
1/2 cup maple syrup
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla

To make :
1. preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
2. mix the first seven dry ingredients in a medium-sized bowl.
3. stir together the coconut oil and sugar in a separate bowl. whisk in the chai concentrate and coffee. add the maple syrup, eggs and vanilla and mix until smooth.
4. create a ‘well’ in the dry ingredients and pour the wet ingredients into the hole while stiring. continue to stir until the batter has a smooth consistency (almost like caramel). fold in the instant espresso.
5. grease two 8-inch round cake tins and line the bottoms with parchment paper. Evenly distribute the batter into each pan and bake for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
6. let the cake sit for 10 minutes, then invert onto a cooling rack and allow them to come to room temperature.

Vanilla Mascarpone Mousse
2 cups mascarpone cheese
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 tsp. vanilla extract (or vanilla bean paste for a pretty, speckled
look)
1. in a large bowl, with an electric mixer, beat the mascarpone cheese at a low speed, until smooth. add the heavy whipping cream, maple syrup, and vanilla. gradually increase the speed to medium-high and beat until soft peaks form.

Espresso Glaze
1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
2-3 tablespoons espresso (or strong coffee), cooled mix together the sugar and espresso until glaze reaches a smooth
consistency and can be drizzled.

To assemble :
1. level of the rounded tops of the cakes. cut the two layers in half lengthwise so there are four layers total.
2. spread 1/6th of the frosting in between each of the cake layers. Top each layer with a drizzle of the espresso glaze.
3. frost the top and sides of cake. top with the remainder of the espresso glaze.
4. decorate! I topped mine with sugared cranberries (just dip whole cranberries in beaten egg whites, dry off and roll in white sugar), eucalyptus, and pine! sprinkle some espresso grounds around the edge for a rustic touch.

Emily styled this shoot and created this delicious recipe. Bethany photographed this feature.