It’s that time of year again! Actually, it was that time of year again last month for our annual X-Mas in July “Epic Southern Living Magazine Christmas Cake Baking Party!” However, this year one of my nieces couldn’t make it for any dates in July so we moved it to August. And, once again, it was a chaotic, but fun, success!
Here is the cake we decided to make this year:
Ta Da! We did it! The Southern Living Magazine Chocolate Citrus Orange Cake with Candied Oranges and Chocolate Ganache Filling!
This annual tradition came about a few years ago when I realized that my nieces, who live in a different state than we do, were growing up and becoming so busy that they couldn’t find a time to get here to see us, and that my daughter was equally too busy to find a time to go see them. I suddenly realized that it would be a year before we all saw each other and that made me sad. One Christmas my youngest niece and I were talking on the phone when she mentioned that she would like to make one of the Southern Living Magazine Christmas Cakes that my daughter and I used to make together every Christmas. We agreed that December was just too hectic to try and do it so so we decided to get together and make it in the summer. We decided to plan it around July 25th and make it a X-Mas in July party. Everyone agreed to make it a date. The first year was such a success it became a tradition. We invite my mom, too, their grandmother, so we have three generations together making more than just a cake, we are also making sweet memories.
This year we chose to make the Chocolate Citrus Orange Cake with a garnish of candied oranges and a layer of chocolate ganache filling.
Here is the cover photo of the cake:
This is the Christmas cake we decided to make this year for our 2018 X-Mas in July Party.
As usual, things are not always easy when making a SL Magazine cake. For one thing, there are no cranberries to be found in July. They are not in season so we used raspberries. Also, not a citrus leave was to be found anywhere near me. So we used mint from my garden. Other problems arose too when my hand mixer quit working in the middle of the girls making the frosting! It overheated over the flame. So, our cake ended up not looking exactly like the cover photo (who does?!) but it still tasted dee-lish! And, we think it was pretty anyway.
If you are interested in starting this sweet tradition for your family you can check out my Pinterest board for more fun ideas like the aprons I gave as gifts. And, keep in mind, that as with most things involving Southern Living Magazine the key to success is to plan ahead! We decide on which cake we want to make a couple of months in advance, sending links to the cakes and everyone helping decide. I hope you enjoy this look back at our most recent party.
Have fun with yours and above all remember ~ #familyfirst ! ~ Sunny
Sunny Brown 