valentine's day dessert

i used to call valentine's day 'valenTIME's day' when i was a kid. anyone else?


anyways, i love starbucks. i'm not a coffee drinker, but a coffee smeller. aaahhh...the smell of coffee reminds me of living at my nana and pop pops home. even my kids, who aren't coffee drinkers either, love the smell.
whenever i do get to go to starbucks, i always get a hot carmel apple spice. HEAVENLY! that is the only good thing about being sick (like today) is that i can justify getting one. while i don't know how they make that little piece of love to taste so good, i do have a recipe for their cranberry bliss bars, that are only out at the holiday time.



cake

1 cup butter, softened
1 1/4 cups brown sugar
3 eggs
1 1/2 t vanilla
1 t ginger
1/4 t salt
1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup craizins


frosting


4 ounces cream cheese, softened
3 cups powdered sugar
4 t lemon juice
1/2 t vanilla


1/4 cup craizins
2 oz white chocolate, chopped (i use white chocolate chips because im lazy that way)


drizzled icing

1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 T milk
2 t shortening




preheat oven to 350. make cake by beating butter and brown sugar together with an electric mixer until smooth. add eggs, vanilla, ginger and salt and beat well. gradually mix in flour until smooth. pour into greased 9x13 baking pan (i use glass, but whatever). use a spatula to spread the batter evenly across the pan. bake for 35-40 minutes or until cake is light brown on the edges. allow cake to cool.


make frosting by combinding cream cheese, powdered sugar, lemon juice and vanilla in medium bowl with an electric mixture until smooth. when cake has cooled, use a spatula to spread frosting over the top of the cake. sprinkle the 1/4 cup of crazins and chocolate chips over the frosted cake.

whisk together powdered sugar, milk and shortening. drizzle frosting across the top of the cake.

allow cake to sit for several hours before serving.