Anne-Marie Faiola, Author at Soap Queen

Champagne Face Masks

January 28, 2009 Filed Under: Soaks & Scrubs

Wondering what you’re going to do with all your Valentine’s Day leftovers after the big day? Fear not and plan ahead. If you have leftover champagne and mimosas are not your thing, do the next best thing and beautify your face. Like wine, champagne is made from grapes. The high antioxidant and polyphenol content in grapes that is often touted as a health winner is also good for skin. So, save that last bit of the champagne… for your face.

Here’s what you’ll need:
Rhassoul or Bentonite Clay
Champagne
Milk Powder, Half & Half or Creme
Optional:Lavender Essential Oil

Buy everything you need here!

Recipe # 1

2 ounces Clay (Rhassoul or Bentonite)
1/2 ounce Champagne
1/2 ounce Half and Half
5 drops Lavender Essential Oil

Recipe # 2
1 ounce Clay (Rhassoul or Bentonite)
1 ounce Milk Powder
1 ounce Champagne (the real deal, not the fragrance oil)
10 drops Lavender Essential Oil

Recipe #3
1 ounce Clay
1/2 ounce Champagne
5 drops Lavender Essential Oil

Directions: Choose a recipe and measure out all the ingredients. Mix together. Put on face for 15 minutes until dry. Rinse with warm water.

See how great your skin feels as the clay helps to remove toxins and the milk acids smoothes and soothes. Champagne is chock full of antioxidants that help prevent free radicals from damaging our skin. Champagne also contains Tartaric Acid which is an ingredient commonly used to lighten skin. Since there is no preservative in the recipe, if there is any left over, store it in the fridge to help prevent growth and rancidity. Shelf life is approximately 2 weeks when stored in the refrigerator.

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Bath Fizzy Class at Otion

January 27, 2009 Filed Under: Bramble Berry News

I’ll be teaching a Valentine Themed Soap & Fizzy class at Otion this Saturday. I’d love to see you there ($25; you’ll leave with 4 bath fizzies and 4 bars of soap) but if you can’t come, here is a tutorial on making romantic rose Bath Fizzies (with fresh roses!).

What you need:

1 Pound Citric Acid
2 Pounds Baking Soda
spritzer filled with Witch Hazel
Fragrance: Baby Rose, Rosehip Jasmine or English Rose
Simple Heart Mold
Rose Petals (fresh or dried), torn into small bits

or: Chocolate Bath Fizzies

1 Pound Citric Acid
2 Pounds Baking Soda
spritzer filled with Witch Hazel
Simple Heart Mold
Grated Milk Chocolate & Cocoa Butter
Fragrance: Turkish Mocha, Dark Rich Chocolate, Chocolate Espresso

1. By volume, measure out 1 cup Citric Acid and 2 cups Baking Soda. Use your fingers to break up any clumps that might be in the mixture. The goal is a smooth and small grained mixture.

2. Put in 1 Tablespoon of rose petals, torn up into small sizes. Alternatively, if you’d like to go with chocolate, use a cheese grater to grate up Chocolate bits and put 1 Tablespoon of grated up Chocolate into your Citric Acid and Baking Soda mixture.

3. Optional: Use grated up cocoa butter in the Chocolate Bath Fizzy to add to the moisture content of the project.

4. Add fragrance. Since each bath fizzy needs to scent an entire tub, you’ll want to use a good amount of fragrance. 1/3 ounce is a good place to start all the way up to 1/2 ounce.

5. Mix in the fragrance well.

6. Spritz the mixture with 6 squirts of Witch Hazel. Mix in well. Grab some of the mixture and make a fist around it. Does the mixture stay together? If it does, it’s ready to mold. If it does not hold its shape, do 3 more Witch Hazel spritzes until the mixture forms a shape in your hand when clenched.

7. Fill up your mold, overflowing. Push down firmly with the palm of your hand. The harder and more dense the mixture, the longer the bomb will fizz in the tub.

8. Use your fingers to squish down the back of the bath fizzy for an eve finish. If the fizzy is lopsided on the back, it will break apart when you push the fizzy out.

9. Carefully tip the mold over. With the mold less than one inch off the table (as close as you can to the table without sitting on the table), gently tap the bath fizzy out.

10. Let the bath fizzy air dry for 12 to 24 hours before moving or wrapping.

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I’m at The Soap Guild Forum, this morning!

January 27, 2009 Filed Under: Business Musings

I’m so excited to be part of the Expert’s Panel at The Soap Guild Forum this morning. Don’t know about The Soap Guild? Check them out here. PS – They have a great insurance program for soapers! The forum is located here.

Here’s an example of the questions I’m answering, all morning until 1 p.m. EST. This is a real question that came in right before 9 a.m. and this is my, on the fly, response.

Q: There are so many directions to go to market your business in today’s high tech world and only so many hours a day as well as budget dollars to do it. Where would you guide us as to where to put our energy and dollars? Is it still a cold call world (or warm call) for soapers or is it time to get savvy with technology?

A: Maria, that’s a great question. There are a lot of places to spend your time and energy on when you’re a new (or experienced) business.

Let’s break this down by free (it only costs your time) and by not-free (you pay cash and potentially your time):

Free

Blogging – I have a firm belief that people buy from people they like. Blogging is a great way to speak to your customers on a daily basis, to let them know what you’re up to, to give them a window into your world and for you to ask for feedback about new products or ideas you have. Best yet, blogging takes only your time if you’re using free blogging software, like blogger.com (thank you Google for giving it to us for free). My daily blog, www.soapqueen.com runs on free software from Google (blogger.com)

Cold Calling – Again, sales is all about relationships. There is no cheaper or better way to get your product in front of customers than by showing up at their doorstep (with an appointment of course), with your wares in hand, your price list accessible and your humble and sincere desire to introduce them to your products. If you’re not cold calling once a week to at least one place, you are doing you and your business a disservice.

Relationship Management (Twitter, Facebook, Flickr) – There is a new term popping up in business called “Community Manager”. This essentially means that one person is in charge of managing your brand and reputation to potential customers through all the social networks that exist online. Managing your brand through Twitter (my user name is @brambleberry You can see my tweets here: http://twitter.com/brambleberry), Facebook (a great relationship builder that allows for real-time conversations) and Flickr (post photos that are interesting to you, comment on others) is key to making your business successful in this age of technology. And best yet, these free tools allow you to connect with people all over the world! Talk about opening doors…

Not-Free

Traditional Marketing – Traditional marketing is that you pay a PR firm $2000-$5000 per month to connect with press on your behalf. This method is slowly going by the wayside as companies can duplicate these efforts in-house with some elbow grease and talented communicators. For a new business, I’d recommend being your own PR firm and sending out “pitches” with samples every week – even just one pitch per week to one media outlet will eventually pay dividends.

Advertising – Again, traditional print media is starting to show some signs of frailty. It’s still a great way to get your name out in front of potential customers. But, when you have a limited budget, I would spend that limited budget on packaging and on your brand before spending money on advertising. Once you have the brand and packaging totally fleshed out, then start to advertise. Bramble Berry has advertised with Better Homes & Gardens publications, Herb Companion, Herb Quarterly, Teen Vogue and many other publications with varied success.

Blanket Sampling– If you have an extra $10,000 lying around, making up samples and press kits and sending them to targeted stores and media outlets is a great way to get press and business if you are ruthless about following up. That’s the key – follow-up. How many times have you given someone samples and not followed up? You told yourself that if your product was good enough that they would have called you. That’s not the case. Store managers and reporters are busy, busy people. You need to do the follow-up yourself. If you want to develop a marketing plan and have that $2000-$10000 to invest, let me know and I can answer another question about that later.

Spud Soaps are Back

January 26, 2009 Filed Under: Personal Ramblings

Duane and Nancy, from Nature’s Best Soaps, live in Idaho. They are famous for their novelty Potato Soap called Spud Soap and, of course, the unique idea is selling all over Idaho. I even picked up a spud bar at the Boise airport a few years ago. It was thrilling to randomly see their soap in the airport and I’ll admit to a bit of maternal pride when I bought the soap.

A while back, their custom potato soap molds were producing some puzzling looking soaps (see our blog post here and Duane and Nancy’s here). They were having some problems with the new silicone mold itself as well as their recipe. So we pooled the soaping community together and asked for suggestions to be posted on their blog, Squeeky Clean. Thanks to some fabulous suggestions by fellow soapers, their soap is back and better than ever.

The infamous and custom spud molds.Fresh out of the mold. The final products- aren’t they “spud-tacular”? Duane and Nancy’s number one selling Spud Soap is made with real potato that is soothing to the skin, molded into the shape of a potato and has actual “eyes”.

A note from Duane and Nancy:“After finally tweaking our recipe by reducing some of the Crisco and replacing it with the Palm Kernel Oil, we have achieved a soap that pops out of the mold with very little cleanup needed. We also have increased the temperatures from 120 to 140 degrees. That has helped to stabilize the purple color in our huckleberry spud soaps. We appreciate the time everyone took to give us suggestions and opinions as to what to try.”

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It’s Ba-Ack!

January 24, 2009 Filed Under: Bramble Berry News

When we switched to our new shopping cart, we were euphoric. We even popped the champagne in the offices (a first). Alas, it wasn’t meant to be … yet.

We knew the new site would have some issues, despite lots of beta testing. We didn’t expect it to have so many issues. Wowzers! We still have more work to do on the new site and there are some kinks to work out before we give it to you again.

So, for now, we’re headed back to the old, tried and true, Bramble Berry site. Yes, it will still be the old shopping cart without the bells and whistles but it will be the old shopping cart that works each and every time.

We’ll get back to the grindstone on your new and improved shopping cart and while we’re doing that, I hope you get back to soaping with Bramble Berry products. You can buy them in our trusty, tried’n’true shopping cart at www.brambleberry.com

The Fine Art of Packaging

January 24, 2009 Filed Under: Personal Ramblings

The White Aisle is a small stationary company out of New Hamshire that resembles all that is classy and beautiful. These are my purchases that I absolutely could not resist this last summer. As I pulled out my last ‘thank you’ card (sniff sniff), I took a moment to reflect on the exquisite packaging and the implied value it creates.

Golden Nugget Bath Crystals

I tried to resist these cute little button soaps but to no avail (I need no more soap, probably for an entire lifetime). Notice the tiny button on the ribbon matches the soaps. I love the extra attention to detail.

My staff roll their eyes every time I buy more cards (see another card splurge here). They “forbid” me to by more cards until I use what I have (which is a glorious drawer full). They did give me grief for this purchase but, I just couldn’t help myself. You all know I’m sucker for good design! And, the cards are all gone now … so, I’ll definitely be needing more!

New Shopping Cart Walk-Through

January 23, 2009 Filed Under: Bramble Berry News

January 24, 2009, 19:00: The new shopping cart was kicking out too many errors for my comfort level so we’re back to the old shopping cart. But, we’re working on it behind the scenes and I’ll keep you posted. It could be a day … it could be a month. Ya’ never know with coding errors. In the meantime, enjoy a trip down memory lane with our tried’n’true cart.

It’s Bramble Berry 4.0! Over the next 48 hours, Bramble Berry‘s (www.brambleberry.com) online shopping cart will be on … and off. We’re migrating servers as we prepare to upgrade our shopping cart for the fourth time since inception (thus, the Bramble Berry 4.0). The site is due for an overhaul and your 29 comments on the “Make It Easy!” post made it clear that this was a priority in 2009. The switch to the new servers will take one to two days. Over this weekend, www.brambleberry.com might not come up for you or, if you’re served by one of the hubs that’s already done the switchover, you’ll be able to see the site and place orders. For those of you wanting to place orders over the weekend, we have staff working to take your phone calls. Our phone number is 360-734-8278 or 1-87-SOAP-STUFF. We think the new site is a huge improvement and hope you do as well.

Navigating our new site

Ideally, you won’t notice much changes in our site or layout. That’s phase two. But for now, what you will notice is:

Shopping cart contents & totals on the left hand side of your screen. Adding new items to your shopping cart is easy! Click the button on the size of item you are purchasing, confirm quantities (1, 2, 3 …) and click the “Add to Cart” button. The new site is fairly intuitive but just in case it’s not, there are full and clear instructions below on how to check-out.

There are clear confirmations about your shopping cart additions. Once you’ve added the item to your cart, a little note shows up at the top of the page stating what you added and the quantity. The item then appears in the shopping cart on the left hand, top side of the screen.

Check out is now faster. To check-out, click on “Shopping Cart Contents” (top left hand side of screen). This takes you to the screen below. If you have a coupon, this is the time to add it. Type in your sale code or coupon code and hit “Apply Coupon.” This is also the time to check your quantities and all the items in your cart. There are Quantity change options and Remove options if you see errors in your shopping cart (or dear goodness, choose to change your mind about any of our amazing products). You can check out with your credit card or PayPal (1/23/2009 – 4:30 PM – I’m lying. You can’t check out with PayPal. Yet. You will be able to shortly). If you click the PayPal button, you’ll be taken to PayPal to complete your transaction. If you click the “Checkout” button, you’ll be taken to the next screen below.

Our site will remember you. The better, new and improved website allows you to register as a new user. The new shopping cart will remember you each and every time you order, keep track of your orders, allow you to track your orders and save you the time it takes to enter your bill to and ship to address each and every time. Register. It’s a good thing.

Tax Button. If you live in Washington state and you don’t have a business license, I’m sorry. You do need to pay tax. If you don’t live in Washington State and don’t have a business license, don’t worry. You don’t need to pay tax. Keep the box checked and skip the rest of this explanation.

If you do need to pay tax, this little box is for you. To calculate your sales tax, uncheck this box. The box says: Change this selection if you live in Washington State AND you are NOT tax exempt.

If you live in Washington State, have a business license but haven’t given us a copy of that business license, we legally still need to charge you tax. You can fill out a “Reseller’s Certificate” to become a tax-free zone with Bramble Berry. You can find that certificate here. Fax it to us at 360-752-0992

When you’ve confirmed your shipping address is correct and made the tax versus no-tax decision (and for 99% of our customers, it’s not much of a decision. Most of you are non-taxable), click the “Continue” button on the bottom right hand side of the page.

Shipping Method. You must pick a shipping method if you would like to continue forward. We greatly prefer Fed Ex to UPS and have only the Fed Ex and Priority Mail options on the shopping cart. If you really, really feel strongly about getting your products via UPS, we gladly ship however you want and have daily UPS pick-up. Just write us a thoughtful note requesting UPS in the Notes section (the one with the big arrow below) and we’ll get you switched out.

Once you choose Fed Ex or USPS, another drop down menu magically appears. Choose your specific method (2 Day, Ground etc…). You must select your shipping choice from this menu before (again with the magic), the “Continue” button appears on the bottom right.

Choose your payment method – Credit Card for online credit card processing or Phone/Fax. Click the “Continue” button.

Check out by putting in your credit card or gift certificate information. If you’re paying via phone (calling us because you don’t feel good about putting your credit card online), just click the “Complete Order” button and call us with your credit card. If you are like 97% of our customers and are checking with with a credit card (Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover), enter your card number, expiration date and the 3 digit code (or 4 digit code for American Express). Then, click “Complete Order.”

You’ll be taken to a page that looks like the one below. Click the “View” button on the right bottom to view your order.

Tracking your orders is easy! All you need to do is log into your account, click on “My Profile” and click on your recently placed order. It will bring up a copy of your order and on the bottom left of the order is a “Track Order” button. Click this and your tracking number will pop up.

This is still a work in progress. Your suggestions and feedback matter. I’m listening. We’re listening. Tell me how we can improve your shopping experience and we’ll work on it. In the meantime, I hope you like the Bramble Berry 4.0 shopping experience.

Fly, Fly Away … Again.

January 23, 2009 Filed Under: Melt & Pour Soap

If you missed Day 1 of our embedding project, catch up by clicking here.

Step 5:Spray your embedding object with alcohol and place your object where you want it to be in the mold (usually centered). A note about choices for embedding objects: hard objects may pop out of the soap in an uneven fashion when washing, potentially scratching enthusiastic children. Use common sense and age appropriate toys when making Embedding Toy soaps, please.

Step 6:Continue alternating layers of Super Pearly White and Clear Soap Base to get your desired cloud effect. Remember to let each layer cool slightly and spritz each layer with rubbling alcohol.

Step 7:After the mold is filled to the top let the mold sit for a few hours before unmolding. The longer you wait the easier it will be.

Look how cute this bar turned out! This is a fun project to include the kids on. It’s also a sneaky way to get your children to love their baths. The more scrubbing they do, the sooner they can claim their prize!

I’ll post a photo later, taken in our light box, that really showcases the cuteness of this soap. My skills at lighting and photography at home are minimal at best.

Fly, Fly Away – Soapy Kidlet Project

January 22, 2009 Filed Under: Melt & Pour Soap

This project is a build-on of the Tween concept that I posted this weekend. It is based on a simple embedding idea with the extra touch of making soapy clouds. I hope you enjoy it.

What you’ll need for our Airplane Flying in the Clouds soap:

Clear Melt & Pour Soap Base
Super Pearly White Mica
Large Rectangle Mold
Microwave safe container
Saran Wrap
Spritzer bottle of rubbing alcohol
Fragrance Oil (non discoloring works the best, so no vanillas)
Object to Embed (Example used is a child’s plastic airplane)

Step 1: Cut melt and pour soap into 1” cubes and put into microwave safe container (about 3 oz should be enough for one bar). Cover with saran wrap and microwave for 30 second intervals until soap is melted.

Step 2: Stir in the Fragrance Oil. Suggested usage rate is .25 ounces of fragrance per pound of soap. This equates to less than one dropperful for 3 ounces of soap.

Step 3: Set aside about 1/2 cup of clear base and add a pinch of Super Pearly White Mica for the “cloud” layers.

Step 4: Pour a small amount of your Super Pearly White base into your Rectangle Mold to resemble a thin layer of clouds. Make sure not the cover the entire bottom of the mold. Spritz with alcohol to get rid of any bubbles and let it cool slightly before adding the next layer.

Step 5: Pour a thin layer of clear on top of the white “clouds” to represent the clear air. Spray with alcohol and let cool slightly.

Check back tomorrow for the final reveal of our Airplane Flying in the Clouds!

Monita Bonita Handmade Goods

January 21, 2009 Filed Under: Personal Ramblings

I love ’em to pieces and you will too!

Check out Monita Bonita’s Etsy page here. You’ll go bananas!
Her yarn veggies and sweets are hand crocheted and stuffed so they’re “washable and squashable”.

I can just imagine these adorable cupcakes as my next baby shower gift. Or perhaps a cute and festive centerpiece for a get together? In a nice soap basket, these would definitely augment the arrangement in a fun and whimsical way.

Angle Layer Soap from PJ’s Soaps

January 21, 2009 Filed Under: Melt & Pour Soap

We love what Paula from PJ’s Soaps did with our Geometric Tutorial. Her little logs of soap are all scented with different unique blends. Paula actually scents each layer separately to ensure full strength blending. That is one singular commitment to personal exclusivity. I shouldn’t be surprised; she told me that some of her creations take up to four hours per bar!

Paula was one of the teachers at our 2008 Soap Intensive Weekend and has an absolutely creative and beautiful way of blending scent and visual art. If you head to her site, be sure to check out her Obama soap. It’s a fun soap for this momentous week. I just received mine in the mail and it’s a stunning work of functional art.

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MyObamaBar Inauguration Day Joy

January 20, 2009 Filed Under: Personal Ramblings

Salah & Craig are the quirky geniuses behind MyObamaBar.com Originally tech geeks, they ran a technology company for ten years and sold it in 2005. At the time, they had over 60 people working for them. After they they sold the company, they started to take stock in their lives and what they had accomplished and decided that any new ventures they worked on or started needed to include a social and charitable contribution component. Salah and Craig both felt blessed and like they had some great opportunities because of the American capitalist system they were born into. They decided that they had the responsibility to bring something back to the table.

Originally, they founded www.soaphope.com and started donating 100% of their net profits to funds that invest and make loans with women owned microbusinesses. The idea of the Obama Bar came soon after that. Their family loved it and with their support, “The Audacity of Soap” was born.

The site is funny and irreverant while staying above above any political and partisan politics. With clever soap names like “United We Scrub” and “Lemongrass Roots Support”, it’s clear that Craig and Salah don’t take themselves too seriously.

What they do take seriously is their support of Obama’s message of hope and transformation. The entrepreneurs are committed to focusing on Obama (as opposed to expanding to other politicians) and modifying the messaging of the soap and the site to keep up with what’s going on with Obama’s presidency. Says Salah, “Obama is asking us as citizens to change the way that we live, to be of service of country and to the world. If people are doing that, we will give them soap! So anyone that submits their ideas to change .gov, or volunteers for an initiative that Obama is proposing, we’re giving a bar of soap. So as he is going forward and puts his request for us to be of service, those are the kind of things that we will do to help change the branding going forward.”

To learn more about Craig & Salah’s campaign, head to MyObamaBar.com and buy a bar of soap or three. 25% of profits from MyObamaBar.com go to the Yellow Ribbon Fund.

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We’re in Kiwi Magazine!

January 20, 2009 Filed Under: Bramble Berry News

Smile! Treat yourself with our easy DIY lip balm recipe.
We’re psyched! Our natural (and smoochable) lip balm recipe landed its very own page in Kiwi Magazine. Isn’t that the cutest picture? The baby is cute too, but I meant the lip balm (grin)!

With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, you simply musttry this recipe. It’s the perfect addition to your handmade Valentines present and a must to make your lips ultra kissable. Let’s get started…

Materials
2 tsp. coconut oil
2 1/4 tsp. beeswax (or candellila wax)
2 1/8 tsp. sweet almond oil
2/3 tsp. olive oil

*small containers are available at www.brambleberry.com or for you Bellingham locals, www.otionsoap.com

Directions

1. Pour a couple inches of water into a shallow saucepan. Place a heat-resistant glass measuring cup (such as Pyrex) in the saucepan and heat over medium heat. Add the coconut oil and beeswax together in the measuring cup; melt each. It should take two to six minutes for both to melt completely.2. In the microwave, heat olive oil until luke warm (cold olive oil will harden the beeswax).

3. Combine melted coconut oil and beeswax with warmed olive oil. Add sweet almond oil and mix well.

4. Pour mixture into small containers. Let harden. Yields 5-7 pots of lip balm

*Optional: To make a sweet lip balm, mix 1/16 tsp. of honey with other ingredients. Since honey is not soluble in oil or wax, make sure to stir until mixed well

Pick up your own copy of Kiwi Magazine in stores today or subscribe here.

Butterscotch Butterscotch Cake

January 19, 2009 Filed Under: Soap Queen Cuisine

Last year, my father told me the story of the Caramel cake his Mama used to make for him. He spent so much time telling me the story and put so many details into it that I knew it was special. When he bemoaned the fact that he had never found a similar cake, despite searching high and low, I knew that my mission for the next year would be to create him the perfect birthday cake, just like his Mama made.By the way, if anyone has any thoughts on how I can get into the old archives of “The Newlywed Game” from (exact air date) Aug 30 1973, please let me know. My parents WON the grand prize on one of the shows and it would be amazing to find the show and present it to them at their next anniversary (I think they’re coming up on around year 36 or so?).Getting back to the all-important cake – I searched high and low for a caramel cake and frosting recipe. I tested one out on my second-in-command at work. It wasn’t quite what my Dad described. But, then, bless Martha Stewart (for many reasons, but especially this), she printed a Butterscotch Pecan Cake as her “Dessert of the Month.” While Butterscotch isn’t Caramel, it’s downright close enough. I’ve made some modifications to the recipe but the cake is all thanks to Martha Stewart. My Dad loved, loved, loved it and didn’t seem to mind it wasn’t caramel.

The Recipe & The Process

Cake Batter

3 3/4 cup flour (I used organic, whole-wheat pastry flour)
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
2 1/2 tsp sea salt
10 ounces (2 1/2 sticks) unsalted, softened butter
2 1/2 cups packed dark-brown sugar
4 large eggs
1 Tbs + 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1 1/4 tsp dark rum
1 1/4 cups buttermilk

1. With oven preheating to 325 degrees, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a small to medium sized bowl.
2. Beat the butter and brown sugar on medium speed in a large bowl until it is pale and fluffy looking (takes 33 to 5 minutes). Add the eggs, one at a time, vanilla and rum. Reduce the speed to low. Start to add the dry mixture to this, alternating with the buttermilk. Beat for two minutes on medium to high.
3. Spray the bake pan or pans with vegetable oil cooking spray. I did this as a 2 layer cake. The Divine Ms. M(artha!) recommends this as a 3 layer cake. It’s your choice.
4.My cakes took around 40 minutes to bake. You’ll want to use knitting needles or a sharp knife to poke the middle of the cakes to make sure they are baked. If the knife or needle comes out clean, the cake is baked. If there is any residue, consider a few more minutes.

The Frosting 12 ounces unsalted butter (3 sticks)
2 cups packed dark-brown sugar
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 tsp sea salt
20 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted1. Melt 1 stick of butter in a medium saucepan. Heat on medium until golden dark brown. This is called “browning the butter” and adds almost a hazelnut flavor to the butter. The photo on the left of the strip is about 5 minutes into this 10 minute process. The butter solids separate and fall to the bottom of the pan. You need to stir continuously through this. Once the butter is browned, add the brown sugar, cream and salt, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Bring this to a boil, whisking constantly and cook for 3 minutes. Transfer to a mixing bowl.
2. Soften 2 stick of butter and cut into very small pieces. Add this butter, a few pieces at a time, and beat on low until the butter is incorporated into the frosting base. Beat this mixture for 2 minutes. In a large bowl, beat the softened cream cheese and confectioner’s sugar on medium to high until fluffy (2 to 3 minutes). Add the brown butter mixture to the cream cheese and beat until smooth. Cover and refrigerate for two hours until fully chilled.
3. Once the frosting is fully chilled, whip it on low before trying to spread it on the cake.

Butterscotch Syrup2/3 cup packed dark-brown sugar
3 ounces (6 Tbs) butter, cut into pieces
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup heavy cream2 cups pecan halves1. Mix the sugar, butter, corn syrup and salt in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly until sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil, stirring continuously, and cook for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in cream. Return to heat and cook for an additional 2 minutes.Assemble the Cake

1. Trim the sides of the cake and the top to create spongy, flat surfaces. Brush the Butterscotch Syrup onto all exposed sides of each layer (top and sides). Use 3/4 of the mixture, not all of it.
2. Frost the bottom cake piece, carefully setting down the next layer on top of it.
3. Spread remaining frosting on the top and sides of the cake.

Caramelize the Pecans

Dump the pecans in a sauce pan. Turn heat to medium. Pour the remaining Butterscotch Syrup on the pecans. Constantly stirring, heat for approximately 10 minutes until the syrup is sticky and thick, evenly coating the pecans. Turn pan over and place the pecans directly on the cake or onto wax paper. The Pecans are very sticky and will stick to any surface so choose wisely.

I used whole wheat flour because I was trying to make the cake slightly less sticky sweet. My Dad appreciated the texture (which was sort of like a fine cornbread) but did gently suggest maybe trying regular flour for the next time.

Me and my Dad with the prized cake