Halloween Spider Cake

I couldn't let Halloween weekend come and go without posting a little something sweet for all you monster mashers out there. This Frosting Web cake from Country Living would be the perfect addition to any Halloween celebration. It keeps with the theme, but isn't too kid-like for an adult get-together. You can use any variety of layer cake for the base. The top and sides are then covered with chocolate glaze and melted white chocolate. Click here for the recipe and for instructions on creating the web.

Cakework at Dean & Deluca

I just stumbled upon this beautiful Cakework creation on Dean & Deluca's Web site. This lovely almond cake is filled with layers of vanilla cream and raspberry filling, wrapped in a chocolate casing, and topped with marzipan pears. It sounds wonderful! And, at $160, it's also quite a bargain! (That last part was sarcasm.)

Cakework, which like so many of my favorite bakeries, is based in San Francisco and are known for their unique, highly sculpted wedding cakes that not only look amazing, but also taste great. The fact that they can create a cake that is not only interesting to look at, but also delicious, is probably due to the fact that each cake is wrapped and decorated in chocolate instead of yucky fondant. Luckily, for all of us that live outside California, they'll deliver cakes to almost anywhere. Click here for more info or, to order their chocolate wrapped cake, visit Dean & Deluca's Web site.

cuppacakes by +wondermilk

These gorgeous cupcakes are from Malaysia-based bakery cuppacakes by +wondermilk. There are so many beautiful cupcakes on their Web site that I had a hard time choosing which two to post! The fact that these cupcakes are so pleasing to the eye is not really surprising when you consider that the bakers behind cuppacakes are all trained graphic designers! Cuppacakes by +wondermilk is actually a design consultancy, a cupcake shop, and an art collective all in one! Unfortunately, the cuppacakes cafe is in Malaysia, so I don't think I'll be sampling these any time soon. If you live in Malaysia, check out their adorable store. Or, if you don't feel like leaving the house, call their cupcake delivery service! To view more of cuppacakes by +wondermilk's lovely creations, visit their Web site and click on the design gallery.

Little Circles of Heaven

When I started this Web site, my friend Nancy asked me if I was familiar with her chocolate chocolate chip cookies. When I replied that it wasn't ringing any bells, she said "ask Dean about them." Curious, I asked Dean if he remembered Nancy's cookies, thinking that there was no way he would still remember, considering that it was years ago. Here is his reply:

OMG. How could I ever forget those cookies. They were the absolute BEST!!! They were little circles of heaven.

After that endorsement, I knew that I had to have the recipe!

Here are the specifics. Straight from the source:

1 box Duncan Hines devil's food cake mix (yes, the brand does make a difference!)
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 stick butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup chocolate chips

I usually end up eating half the batch as they come out of the oven.

Mix it all together, bake in oven at 350 for 10-12 minutes. The cookies look wrinkly.

Also extremely tasty with peanut butter chips and, separately, teeny tiny marshmallows for smores cookies. I also like them with the standard chocolate chips and loads of shredded coconut.