I’m definitely getting older. How do I know this? With each year that passes, I grow to love cranberry sauce more and more. And Coronation Street. There, it’s out there.

Some online searches turned up this easy recipe for cranberry sauce using cider and maple syrup. Done and done! 15 minutes later I had made my first homemade cranberry sauce.

Boyfriendly rating: 5/5 Delicious. Tart and sweet.

Baker’s note: I’m glad I made this a day ahead because I think it tasted even better on the second day.

Easy Cranberry Sauce

• 12 oz bag of cranberries
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 1/2 cup apple cider
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1/4 tsp (or more) ground ginger

After bringing the maple syrup and apple cider to the boil, add the whole cranberries and cinnamon stick. Bring to a boil again until the cranberries stop popping. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove cinnamon stick. Serve warm or chill. This will get very thick when cool and will keep for several weeks in the fridge.

After reading Nigella Lawson’s recipe for Guinness cake (featured in Feast) I was feeling particularly inspired to bake. Because over the holidays, there are no such things as calories. Right? To the grocery store I went. (My fellow Centretonians must have been baking up a storm, as the stocks of unsalted butter were dangerously low!) I ducked into the LCBO to pick up the Guinness, but first I spotted a squat little stubby and picked it up. It was the John By Imperial Stout locally made in Carleton Place. That’s when a bell went on in my head - a bake-off. Ding ding!

Let’s step into the Centretown Test Kitchen, shall we? On the left with have our local hero tipping in at 6.7% alcohol, a black syrupy consistency and a story about the Rideau Canal being a UNESCO World Heritage Site on the label. Can heritage value bake a better cake? Only our tastebuds will tell. On the right, the standard Guinness tipping in at 4.2% alcohol and only sold in a four-pack.

Heritage face-off! Who’s tangible (and tasty) barley value will produce the best cake? The John By stout took the first swing and produced a lovely dark and moist cake. Impressive.

I baked my cake in a regular 9 inch cake pan rather than the recommended spring form pan. This left extra batter for about 6 cupcakes. Bonus cupcakes definitely won a few brownie points. Oooh… that pun hurts me more than it hurts you.

And for the icing on the cake? Icing on the cake. Local lore delivers.

The competitor? Traditional draught Guinness. Let’s see if “luck of the Irish” will help in the cupcake test. Baker’s note: I ran out of large muffin papers, so the cupcake was graded only on colour and flavour.

The Guinness cupcake is on the left and clearly produced a milk-chocolate coloured cupcake while the John By Stout baked into a dark chocolate colour.

The taste test: Results were unanimous. Both the boy and I preferred the John By stout in the bake-off. Local history takes the cake!

Boyfriendly rating: 5/5

Baker’s note #2: The loser Guinness beers did not go to waste.

Baker’s note #3: The John By Stout is available for a limited time as it is a seasonal product.

The husband has mastered making crème caramels. After finding the recipe in an issue of Delicious, it’s become his staple fancy dessert. I couldn’t tell you exactly how it’s made, nor do I want to. This blissful ignorance means that the boy will always have to make it for us. Ahhh.

The caramels are sweet and light and make the perfect ending to a big dinner. The husband has made them with real vanilla beans in the past.  The specky black dots from the vanilla bean add a bit of interest and colour.

We’ve even tried drizzling PEI maple wine over the top - which is also pretty awesome. If you’re on PEI, you should definitely pick this up.

Girlfriendly rating: 5/5 “I love this dessert!”

This recipe online seems similar to the one the boy makes.

What could be more boyfriendly than cake? Especially when it’s a cake recipe from Nigella Lawson. And how about some homemade ice cream?

I made Nigella Lawson’s “Autumn Birthday Cake” from How to be a Domestic Goddess. Let’s just say, when the recipe calls for two cups of maple syrup, it’s hard to go wrong. The seven minute icing was just enough to cover the cake, but a slightly larger recipe would have been nice. (There were a few bare spots.)

But the real experiment of the day was homemade ginger ice cream. I used this recipe from Saveur, but replaced fresh ginger root for powdered ginger. After making the custard base and letting it chill, I poured the mixture into the ice cream maker and let it run for about 30 minutes. Then it went in the freezer for another hour to set. I couldn’t believe it worked. And it was awesome. It’s not to hard to achieve awesomeness when there is a cup of whipping cream involved.

And the final result? Cake and ice cream - fit for even the pickiest foodie’s birthday.

Boyfriendly rating: 5/5