Tweet #pin-wrapper > a {background-image:none !important;} From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite... I'll be featuring several Easter breads over the next few weeks, and I thought this would be a good recipe with which to begin the series. It's the easiest of the lot to make and it will be doing double duty as a table prize and centerpiece at an upcoming church luncheon. Those of you who are long-term readers of One Perfect Bite probably remember the Flower Pot Bread that was used in the same way. This year, however, I was asked to find a bread that was edible as well as decorative. I found this recipe at Allrecipes and it was just what I was looking for. Fortunately, this will be a group effort and my responsibility is limited to demonstrating how the bread is made. The real work will be done by a dozen other gals who will actually bake the coffee rings. I don't anticipate there will be any problems if the recipe instructions are followed, but this bread differs from some of the others that are floating around. The eggs that are inserted into the dough are not cooked prior to baking. That means they must be carefully handled when they are dyed. This braid is especially attractive when the eggs are intensely colored, but pale or brightly hued, they must be thoroughly dry before they are inserted into the dough. Moisture will cause them to bleed and spoil the appearance of the bread. Alton Brown has a recipe in which eggs are baked rather than boiled or steamed. I'm including a link to it, here , because it's a technique you might want to use with your Easter eggs. This bread is best served freshly made but it will keep a day or so if you intercept the eggs before serving. Here's the recipe. Braided Easter Egg Bread ...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Allrecipes.com Ingredients: 2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour, divided 1/4 cup white sugar 1 teaspoon salt 2-1/4 teaspoons (1 package) active dry yeast 2/3 cup milk 2 tablespoons butter 2 eggs 4 to 5 uncooked eggs, dyed and thoroughly dried 2 tablespoons butter, melted Directions: 1) Combine 1 cup flour, sugar,salt and yeast in a large bowl. Mix well. 2) Combine milk and butter in a small saucepan and heat until milk is warm and butter is softened but not melted. 3) Gradually add liquid mixture to flour mixture, stirring constantly. Beat in eggs and 1/2 cup of reserved flour. Add remaining 1 cup flour in two parts, stirring well after each addition. When dough comes together turn onto a floured surface and knead until dough is smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. 4) Lightly oil a large bowl, place dough in bowl and turn to coat all surfaces with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour. 5) Deflate dough and turn it out on a lightly floured surface. Divide dough into two equal size rounds; cover and let rest for 10 minutes. Roll each round into a long rope about 36 inches long and 1-1/2 inches thick. Use ropes to form a loosely braided ring, with spaces to insert eggs. Seal ends of ring and transfer to a lightly buttered baking sheet. Use fingers to slide eggs between braids of dough. Cover loosely with a damp towel and let rise in a warm spot until doubled in size, about 45 minutes. 6) Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. When dough has doubled in size, brush with melted butter and bake for 50 to 55 minutes, or until golden brown. Let sit for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool. Yield: 1 ring. One Year Ago Today: TapenadeTwo Ways - Black and Green Olive Spreads Two Years Ago Today: Avgolemono - Greek Lemon Chicken Soup

2 1/2 lbs red potatoes 3 tablespoons cider vinegar 3/4 cup mayonnaise 1 teaspoon mustard powder 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley 1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon 1/2 tablespoon very thinly sliced garlic 3 tablespoons fine chopped cornichons (gherkins) 1/2 cup small dice red onion 1/2 cup thinly sliced celery 1 teaspoon kosher salt 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper 1 Place potatoes into a large heavy-bottomed pot. Cover with cold water and place over medium heat. Cover the pot and bring to a boil. Immediately reduce heat and remove lid. Gently simmer until potatoes are fork tender. Drain and place into an ice bath to cool. 2 Remove skin by rubbing with a tea towel. 3 Slice potatoes into rounds and place into a zip top bag. 4 Add the vinegar and toss to coat all of the potatoes. Place the bag into the refrigerator overnight. 5 In a large mixing bowl, combine the mayonnaise, mustard, parsley, tarragon, garlic, cornichons, onions, and celery. 6 Once evenly combined, add the potatoes and season with salt and pepper. 7 Let the salad chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour before serving.

1/2 lb ground sirloin 1/2 lb ground chuck 1/2 lb ground lamb 4 teaspoons salt 1/2 tablespoon peppercorn blend, ground 1 Hass avocado 1 tablespoon white onion, minced 1 tablespoon garlic , minced 1 tablespoon jalapeno, chopped 1 tablespoon light olive oil 6 slices hickory smoked bacon, thick cut 4 tablespoons peanut butter 4 kaiser rolls 1 Place meats in a medium stainless or glass bowl, breaking it up as you drop it in so that it makes a big, loose mound. Add 3/4 of the salt and the ground pepper and mix lightly by hand until blended. Try to avoid mashing the meat too densely - the benefits of a loose patty will become clear later. Divide into 4 parts. If you have 6" round molds, press the meat into the molds. If not, form the meat into patties, pressing together just enough to hold it together. The patties should work out to be about 1/2" thick. Set aside to rest. 2 Peel and pit the avocado - if you cannot find a Haas avocado, a Florida will work but will not have the same taste due to the lower fat content. Chop into chunks and place in a small food processor. Add the garlic, onion, jalapeno, olive oil and the remaining salt. Blend to a not-quite-smooth puree. Scoop into an appropriately-sized blowl, cover tightly and refrigerate. 3 Fry bacon and drain well. If you have a broiler pan, oven frying is less fatty and more consistent, if you place cold raw bacon on a cold broiler pan, placing in a cold oven on the middle rack and then turning the broiler. This works by slowly increasing the temperature, rendering out most of the fat before the bacon reaches crisping temps (we can thank Alton Brown for that little secret). Watch the bacon carefully! It can go from rubbery to black in as little as 15 seconds! 4 Cook the burger patties on a flattop, electric skillet or cast iron skillet at 375F or medium high. I don't recommend grilling these, as the loose patties can - and probably will - break up on a grate and end up as charcoal - really tasty charcoal, but not so good for this recipe. Cook 4-5 minutes on each side until browned and carmelized, turning only once. 5 While the burgers cook, slice and toast rolls in a toaster oven - or in the remaning heat of the broiler after you've cooked the bacon. Spread the bottom of each with a tablespoon of the peanut butter while the rolls are still warm. There's no reason for this, the warm rolls just make the pb all melty and that's pretty cool - something the kids can do to distract them from what you're about to do to the top of the roll. 6 Take the crowns, spread them with a liberal dose of the guac which you've just surreptitiously removed from the fridge, and stick 2 or 3 half-slices of bacon in the guac. Lay a patty on the pb bun and top with the bacon and guac crown. 7 Serve with mac and cheese, kettle crisps or seasoned fries and cole slaw. 8 Tips: - For yet another dimesion of flavor, lay a couple dill pickle slices on the bottom buns, on top of the pb. I like Claussen's sandwich stackers or hamburger slices as they're clean tasting and stay crisp under a hot patty. - Try a sourdough or pumpernickel roll. OK, maybe pumpernickel is going too far. Nah. - Try crunchy peanut butter instead of creamy. This tip is pretty much self-explanatory.

2 cups shelled cooked, and cooled edamame (12 ounces) 1/4 cup diced red onion 1/2 cup tightly packed fresh parsley leaves (or cilantro would be good) 1 large garlic clove , sliced 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (or lime juice) 1 tablespoon brown miso (may use yellow or red) 1 teaspoon kosher salt 1 teaspoon Thai sweet chili sauce (or red chili paste or sambal oleck) 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 1 Put the edamame, onion, parsley, garlic, lime juice, miso, salt, chili sauce and pepper into a food processor and process for 15 seconds. Stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl and process for another 15-20 seconds. With the processor running, slowly drizzle in the extra virgin olive oil. Once all of the oil has been added, stop and scrape down the bowl again, then process 5-10 more seconds. 2 Taste and adjust seasoning. 3 Serve with chips, crackers, or carrots and any other veggies you like. 4 Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

1 (14 -16 lb) frozen young whole turkey 1 Combine all brine ingredients, except ice water, in a stockpot, and bring to a boil. Stir to dissolve solids, then remove from heat, cool to room temperature, and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled. 2 Early on the day of cooking, (or late the night before) combine the brine and ice water in a clean 5-gallon bucket or 20-quart stock pot. (If you make the brine the same day you need to use it, just use a 7 lb bag of ice and 2 cups of cold water to chill it down fast.). 3 Place thawed turkey breast side down in brine, cover, and refrigerate or set in cool area (like a basement) for 6 hours. Turn turkey over once, half way through brining. If not refrigerated, add a couple pounds more ice halfway through to keep it good and cold. 4 A few minutes before roasting, heat oven to 500 degrees. Combine the apple, onion, cinnamon stick, and cup of water in a microwave safe dish and microwave on high for 5 minutes. 5 Remove bird from brine and rinse inside and out with cold water. Discard brine. 6 Place bird on roasting rack inside wide, low pan and pat dry with paper towels. Add steeped aromatics to cavity along with rosemary, sage, oregano, lemon and orange. Tuck wings under breasts and coat whole bird liberally with canola (or other neutral) oil. 7 Roast on lowest level of the oven at 500 degrees F. for 30 minutes. Remove from oven, pour in 3 cups of broth and scrape up any fond (browned bits) on the bottom of the pan. Cover breast with double layer of aluminum foil, insert probe thermometer into thickest part of the breast and return to oven, reducing temperature to 350 degrees F. After 45 minutes, add 1 more cup of broth. Set thermometer alarm (if available) to 161 degrees. A 14 to 16 pound bird should require a total of 2 to 2 1/2 hours of roasting. Let turkey rest, loosely covered for 15-30 minutes before carving. 8 For the gravy, strain the turkey pan juices from the roasting pan through a sieve and into a 4-cup glass measuring cup; discard the solids. Spoon off the fat from atop the pan juices. Add enough chicken broth, about 1 to 2 cups, to the pan juices to measure 4 cups total. Melt the butter in a heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the flour and whisk for 1 minute. Gradually whisk in the broth. Simmer until the gravy thickens slightly, whisking often, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Serve the turkey with the gravy.

2 tablespoons butter 1/2 onion , minced 1/2 red bell pepper , minced 2 pinches kosher salt 2 cups long grain white rice 2 3/4 cups chicken broth 2 slices orange zest , 1-inch wide by 3-inch long 1 pinch saffron , steeped in 1/4 c hot water 1 bay leaf 1 1/2 cups frozen peas, thawed 1/4 cup golden raisin 1/4 cup chopped pistachios 1 Preheat oven to 350°F. 2 In a heavy, wide pan with a tight-fitting lid, melt butter over medium-low heat. Add onion, red pepper and salt. Sweat until aromatic, stirring constantly. 3 Add rice and stir to coat. Continue stirring until rice smells nutty. 4 Add chicken broth, orange zest, saffron and bay leaf. Bring to a boil. Stir once, then cover pan with damp dish towel or tea towel. Place lid on pan and fold corners of towel up over lid. 5 Place pan in hot oven. Bake 15 min, then rest at room temperature 15-20 min without moving lid. 6 Meanwhile, simmer peas in salted water, or microwave them, until heated through. 7 Remove lid from pan, and turn rice out onto a platter. Stir in peas, and fluff with a large fork. Sprinkle with raisins and pistachios.

2 tablespoons yellow mustard seeds 1 tablespoon celery seed 1 bay leaf 1/4 teaspoon black peppercorns 2 tablespoons hot sauce 1 cup cider vinegar 2 tablespoons sugar 1/4 cup kosher salt 6 garlic cloves , peeled and crushed 2 cups water 1/2 lb ice 1 1/2 lbs boneless pork butt 1 Combine mustard seeds, celery seeds, bay leaf, peppercorns, hot sauce, vinegar, sugar, salt, garlic and water in a saucepan. Place over medium-high heat until boiling, reduce to a simmer, and maintain for 3 minutes. Turn off heat and add ice. 2 Cut pork butt into 2" cubes. Place in a large zip top bag. When the brine is cool, pour it in as well. Press out as much air as possible and seal the bag. Refrigerate for a minimum of 3 days, turning bag a couple of times a day. 3 Keeps 2 weeks in the refrigerator; after that, drain and freeze. Note that this is NOT edible as is; it still has to be cooked!

2 cups whole wheat flour (I used whole wheat pastry flour.) 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon salt 3 tablespoons sugar 1 Mix together all the dry ingredients in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together all wet ingredients. (I just melted the butter slightly before adding it in with the eggs and buttermilk.). 2 Add the wet stuff to the dry stuff and mix just until batter comes together. Do NOT mix smooth. Set aside batter to rest for 5 minutes. 3 * Heat an electric griddle to 350 degrees or place a nonstick frying pan over medium-low heat. 4 *Test the griddle by flicking water on it. If the water dances across the surface, you’re good to go. 5 * Rub down the griddle with a little butter or spray with nonstick spray. 6 Ladle 1 scoop of batter onto the griddle. (Batter will be thick! Just spread it out with the bottom of your ladle or the back of a spoon.) Cook until bubbles form in the batter and bottom is golden, approximately three minutes. Flip and cook until the second side is golden, another a minute or so. Adjust the heat as necessary as you go along. Serve while hot!

2 dried chipotle chiles , stems and seeds removed, diced 3 large garlic cloves , minced 2 1/2 teaspoons chili powder 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin seeds , toasted and freshly ground 2 cups chicken broth 3 cups tomato sauce 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper 1 Combine the chiles, garlic, chili powder, cumin, chicken broth, tomato sauce, salt and pepper in a medium saucepan over high heat. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes or until the chiles are soft Set aside until ready to use. 2 Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 3 Heat the vegetable oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Saute the chicken until cooked through, approx 7-9 minutes. Remove the chicken from the pan and place in a medium bowl. Add the onions to the same pan along with a generous pinch of salt, decrease the heat to medium-low and sweat for 4-6 minutes. Add the garlic and oregano and cook until the onions are tender, 2-3 minutes more. Add the chicken back to the pan and remove from heat. 4 Spray a 13x9 glass baking dish with non-stick spray. Place 1/2 cup of the sauce into the bottom of the dish. Dip 4 tortillas into the remaining sauce and lay them in the bottom of the dish. Cut one of the tortillas in half to evenly cover the bottom of the dish. Top this with half of the chicken mixture and 1 cup of the cheese. Starting with 4 more tortillas, repeat the layers, ending with the last 4 tortillas on top. Pour remaining sauce over the dish and top with the remaining 1 cup of cheese. 5 Cover with aluminum foil and bake in the oven on the middle rack for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake an additional 10 minutes, or until cheese on top is bubbly.

2 slices fresh white bread 1/4 cup milk 3 tablespoons clarified butter, divided 1/2 cup finely chopped onion 1 pinch plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt 3/4 lb ground chuck 3/4 lb ground pork 2 large egg yolks 1/2 teaspoon black pepper 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 3 cups beef broth 1/4 cup heavy cream 1 Preheat oven to 200 degrees F. 2 Tear the bread into pieces and place in a small mixing bowl along with the milk. Set aside. 3 In a 12-inch straight sided saute pan over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter. Add the onion and a pinch of salt and sweat until the onions are soft. Remove from the heat and set aside. 4 In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the bread and milk mixture, ground chuck, pork, egg yolks, 1 teaspoon of kosher salt, black pepper, allspice, nutmeg, and onions. Beat on medium speed for 1 to 2 minutes. 5 Using a scale, weigh meatballs into 1-ounce portions and place on a sheet pan. Using your hands, shape the meatballs into rounds. 6 Heat the remaining butter in the saute pan over medium-low heat, or in an electric skillet set to 250 degrees F. Add the meatballs and saute until golden brown on all sides, about 7 to 10 minutes. Remove the meatballs to an ovenproof dish using a slotted spoon and place in the warmed oven. 7 Once all of the meatballs are cooked, decrease the heat to low and add the flour to the pan or skillet. Whisk until lightly browned, approximately 1 to 2 minutes. Gradually add the beef stock and whisk until sauce begins to thicken. Add the cream and continue to cook until the gravy reaches the desired consistency. Remove the meatballs from the oven, cover with the gravy and serve.

1 1/2-2 lbs boneless turkey breast kosher salt , to taste freshly ground black pepper , to taste 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 2 tablespoons olive oil 6 tablespoons unsalted butter , divided 2 tablespoons finely chopped shallots 1/2 cup white wine 1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley 1 tablespoon capers , drained and rinsed (optional) 1 Preheat oven to 200°F. 2 Slice turkey across the grain into 1/2" slices. Place slices, one at a time, between sheets of plastic wrap or waxed paper. Pound out until 1/8-1/4" thick. Repeat until all pieces are pounded. Sprinkle both sides of each piece with salt and pepper, then dredge both sides in flour; tap off excess flour. 3 Place olive oil and 4 tbsp butter in a 12" skillet over medium heat. (Non-stick will not yield a good sauce; stick to regular.) When foaming subsides, add turkey, being careful not to crowd the pan. Brown turkey on both sides, about 1 minute on each side; repeat with any remaining turkey. Transfer to an ovensafe plate and place in oven to stay warm. 4 Add shallots to pan and reduce heat to low; saute until shallots are translucent, about 3 minutes. Add wine and lemon juice and simmer 2-3 minutes, until slightly reduced. Add remaining butter (which should be cold) and whisk until sauce is glossy and slightly thickened. Adjust salt and pepper and stir in parsley (and capers if using). Pour over cutlets and serve.

One of the terrible things that well-intentioned food people do all of the time is get bored with things that everyone loves. Because there’s a there’s a near-constant stream of food media coming in, with time the “hot takes” on apple pie begin to feel monotonous, the “cool new thing to do with sweet potatoes” can cause inward groans and pumpkin/pumpkin-spiced things? I’ll let them tell you: “Pumpkin spice has ruined pumpkins,” says Alton Brown. “America has gone entirely too far in its pumpkin spice devotion,” says Eater, with a fair amount of evidence backing it up. The Washington Post likened pumpkin spice lattes to “liquefied fall-scented potpourri.” I, too, fell into this trap, something I hadn’t realized until I Snapchatted* making pumpkin bread a few weeks ago and have never received so many recipe requests. I didn’t get it at first — I mean, pumpkin bread is the most basic thing, right? And Google claims 5.7 million ways to make it. What could I possible add to the conversation? But as I was making it, I got very persnickety about it, bothered by a few things in the recipes I tried. First, none of them really filled out my loaf pan and I wondered why we were settling for less when we always wanted more. Second, I adore brown sugar in most things, but it makes for a rather brownish cake and the versions I made with only white sugar tasted no less awesome. Third, good pumpkin bread is always tender and plush inside, but why can’t it have a crispy lid too, the way my favorite pumpkin muffins do? Finally, small cans of pumpkin have 1 3/4 cups of puree in them. Most recipes use 1 cup pumpkin and I like to go all the way to 1 1/3 cups. That small amount leftover drives me batty. So, I scaled my recipe a little, and then a little more and until I ended up with an insanely towering pumpkin loaf with a crispy crackly impossible-not-to-pick off cinnamon-sugar lid that’s like a snickerdoodle landed on top of a pumpkin bread and if there was ever a time to shake off any pumpkin/pumpkin-spice skepticism, you are in the right place. You’re among friends. Next stop: hayrides, corn mazes, apple picking, flannel shirts, hot apple cider and Don’t say it, Deb! … decorative gourds. * @smittenkitchen, are you following? I hope you do. I’m having so much fun embarrassing myself over there. Also I share meal so-called plans, you know, real ones that include days like last Tuesday with the menu item “nope!” Toronto! I’ll be in Toronto a week from Saturday, 10/22 at Type Books at 7:30 p.m. in conversation with Toronto Star Food Editor Karon Lui. [Details] I’m actually going to be in town all weekend for the Canadian Food Bloggers Conference, which has kindly invited me to keynote, something I’m not terrified about at all, nope. Previously One year ago: Cannoli Pound Cake Two years ago: Better Chocolate Babka Three years ago: Purple Plum Torte Four years ago: Make Your Own Pumpkin Puree and Chicken Noodle Soup Five years ago: Apple Pie Cookies Six years ago: Roasted Eggplant Soup Seven years ago: Breakfast Apple Granola Crisp Eight years ago: Acorn Squash Quesadillas with Tomatillo Salsa Nine years ago: Gazpacho Salsa Ten! years ago: Cook’s Illustrated Classic Brownies And for the other side of the world: Six Months Ago: Carrot Tahini Muffins 1.5 Years Ago: Strawberry Rhubarb Soda Syrup 2.5 Years Ago: Dark Chocolate Coconut Macaroons 3.5 Years Ago: Bee Sting Cake 4.5 Years Ago: Banana Bread Crepe Cake with Butterscotch Pumpkin Bread This is a towering, craggy pumpkin bread with a crisp cinnamon sugar lid that is impossible not to pick off in deeply satisfying bark-like flecks. Trust me, someone in my family notnamingnames did exactly that this morning, and I almost cannot blame them. Very key here is the size of your loaf pan because this will fill out every speck of it before it is done. Mine holds 6 liquid cups; it’s 8×4 inches on the bottom and 9×5 inches on the top. If yours is even slightly smaller or you’re nervous, go ahead and scoop out a little to make a muffin or two. You won’t regret that either. This also uses an excess of cinnamon sugar on top — it’s always too much and I cannot stop because I love the way it spills off when I slice it and then you can slide your slices through the extra. If this is going to bother you, however, go ahead and use half. You can also make this as muffins. It should make about 18 standard ones and you can distribute the cinnamon sugar (perhaps make 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar and 1/2 teaspoons of cinnamon worth) across the tops before you bake them. They should bake for 25 to 30 minutes. I’ve also made this with mashed sweet potatoes and other squashes with success (but if it’s more wet and thus the batter ends up more loose, be caaaaareful as it could throw this towering loaf into a spilling-over situation). And I’ve done it with half whole-wheat flour. Finally, I know someone is going to say “that’s way too much sugar!” but please keep in mind this loaf is gigantic, easily 1.5x a normal one and the sugar is scaled accordingly. You can decrease it if you wish but we have made this now several times and many people have commented about how in-check the sugar level tastes, not over the top at all. Bread1 15-ounce can (1 3/4 cups) pumpkin puree1/2 cup (120 ml) vegetable or another neutral cooking oil or melted butter (115 grams)3 large eggs1 2/3 (330 grams) cups granulated sugar1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder3/4 teaspoon baking soda3/4 teaspoon fine sea or table salt3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamonHeaped 1/4 teaspoon fresh grated nutmegHeaped 1/4 teaspoon ground gingerTwo pinches of ground cloves2 1/4 cups (295 grams) all-purpose flour To Finish1 tablespoon (12 grams) granulated sugar1 teaspoon ground cinnamon Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 6-cup loaf pan or coat it with nonstick spray. In a large bowl, whisk together pumpkin, oil, eggs and sugar until smooth. Sprinkle baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinanmon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves over batter and whisk until well-combined. Add flour and stir with a spoon, just until mixed. Scrape into prepared pan and smooth the top. In a small dish, or empty measuring cup, stir sugar and cinnamon together. Sprinkle over top of batter. Bake bread for 65 to 75 minutes until a tester poked into all parts of cake (both the top and center will want to hide pockets of uncooked batter) come out batter-free, turning the cake once during the baking time for even coloring. You can cool it in the pan for 10 minutes and then remove it, or cool it completely in there. The latter provides the advantage of letting more of the loose cinnamon sugar on top adhere before being knocked off. Cake keeps at room temperature as long as you can hide it. I like to keep mine in the tin with a piece of foil or plastic just over the cut end and the top exposed to best keep the lid crisp as long as possible.