12th Annual Robison Christmas Dessert Party

On the first weekend in December, we usually hold our annual Robison Christmas Dessert Party.  We're now on our twelfth installment of this tradition - it's really an excuse to be overly gluttonous with the best desserts that Austin bakeries and restaurants have to offer.  We also like to share all of this with our friends.  For us, this is the best Christmas present that we can imagine for those we're close to.  For more background on this tradition, see last year's Dessert Party blog post here.

For 2012, we took the 2011 survey results and kept some of the new desserts, while eliminating those that just didn't make the cut.  We also added new desserts, to see what people loved.  The initial response that we get from people is the BEST - right as they step through the front door, and into the dining room:

They're blown away by the choices - and the fact that we don't let anyone bring anything.  We had 28 different cakes, pies, tortes and cookies.  My mouth waters just thinking about it. Here are a few shots of the desserts themselves - just a few.  I can provide more details on all of the desserts, if you'd like:

This next one is the S'Mores Pie.  Exactly what you'd imagine - a Nutella chocolate pie, surrounded by a graham-cracker crust, covered in toasted marshmallow.  Exquisite!

This is the Double Chocolate Gooey Butter Cake. Yes, you read that right.  The name really says it all - a rich gooey cake with a mixture of El Rey chocolate, cream cheese and pecans.  Top it with some hand-whipped cream, and you're good to go:

This next one is the Elvis Cake.  It's actually a cupcake that has been expanded into a full cake. It's made from a moist banana buttermilk cake, topped with creamy peanut butter buttercream striped with chocolate ganache and edible gold sparkles.  Exactly what Elvis would eat:

Here are some pics and video clips from the actual event:

We always wish we could invite more people.  We had over 50 guests (26 couples), which is pretty much the limit for our home in a comfortable setting.  We made sure that we sent everyone home with tupperware containers filled with leftover desserts.

After most of the group had left, a small gathering of people wanted to break out the the Wii U game system and try a little Karaoke:

One of the new traditions for our party is the photo booth.  Well, actually it's my wife's photography studio that is set-up to take pictures of all the couples.  She manages to get some great snapshots of each couple (in fact, several of them were used for people's Christmas cards).  The best ones were the more creative shots - when people would just let go and have fun in front of the camera ; )

And, finally, my wife and I stepped in front of the camera.  This was our chance to be part of the fun.  We just love hosting this party every year, and love the energy of the people that come to our home.  It's a TON of work, for sure, but worth it in the end.  Merry Christmas everyone!