spice cake with amaretto glaze

Happy Halloween everyone!

One of my favorite holidays, for sure. I love any excuse to get crafty and look like a fool.

Some of my favorite Halloween-related things going on thus far…

This video of two of Ellen’s employees going through the Walking Dead maze. If you somehow haven’t seen it, please watch. I emailed it to my dad and he said he cried he was laughing so hard.

The lady who is giving fat kids a letter telling their parents that they are “moderately obese” instead of candy this year. Trick or treat! I love it. Kelly tweeted out the link yesterday and it made me giggle.

The kid’s Halloween costume idea segment on The View last week. I happened to turn it on last week to see a lady suggesting that children dress up as Baby North West, Sharknado, and Walter White. Can you imagine a third grader going to school telling his friends, “I’m Walter White. He makes crystal meth on a TV show that my mommy watches.”

This year I’ll be going as a flamingo. What does it say about me that 3 of the last 4 Halloweens I’ve gone as some kind of bird? When I went to Jo-Ann to get the fabric, the lady who cut it for me said “WHOA this is bright it hurts my eyes! What are you making?” I then told her that I was being a flamingo. “Not like a sexy flamingo though. I’m wearing leggings and making a sweatshirt out of this.” As if the 65 year old woman cutting fabric really cares whether a 24 year old is too old to be a flamingo or too young to not be dressing sexy anymore.

I need to relax. Hence this boozy cake.

Spice Cake with Amaretto Glaze

adapted from Giada

1 1/2 cups flour (I used 1 cup all purpose 1/2 cup whole wheat)

1 tsp baking powder

1 tbs cocoa powder

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp ginger

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp cloves

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup light brown sugar

2/3 cup vegetable oil

1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

For amaretto glaze:

1/4 cup amaretto liqueur

1/2 cup powdered sugar

Combine all the dry ingredients. You really want to make sure that you have these mixed well so that you don’t get a mouthful of dried ginger in your cake.

Mix the wet ingredients then fold in the dry in two increments until combined.

Pour into a greased and floured bread pan and bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes.

While the cake it still hot, poke some holes in the top and pour the glaze over so that it seeps into the cake. Allow it to cool, and cut into slices. Top with an extra dusting of powdered sugar.