Getting Drunk on Ice Cream

I don't drink wine, but I do come from a wine family (meaning that they drink a lot of wine, not that they stomp grapes in barrels or anything), so I was super excited to come across this wine-flavored ice cream! It would be the perfect gift for my father, who has a makeshift wine cellar in his basement. Unfortunately, it's not so easy to get your hands on this stuff, except if you live in New York, where you can buy Mercer's Wine Ice Cream at your local Whole Foods. Make sure that you have proper ID before making the trip, though! The ice cream does contain five percent alcohol, so you have to be of legal age to buy it! Finally, a chance to get drunk and have a sugar high at the same time! Click here for store locations and additional info.

Victorian House Cake

I finally figured out why I'm fascinated with edible houses! It may have something to do with the fact that I love architecture (duh!), the architecture of houses to be more specific. Some people are fascinated with building architecture and visiting various famous skyscrapers around the country, but I much prefer looking at houses. Don't get me wrong, I love old buildings, like San Vitale or new ones like the Helix Hotel (which hasn't even been built yet), but there's something much more familiar and accessible about houses. Besides, you don't need to travel far to see examples of beautiful home architecture. All you have to do is check out your local neighborhood streets. Last year, I discovered that there is a Frank Lloyd Wright house practically in my backyard! (Okay, so it's not quite that close.) It had been sitting in near ruin, abandoned for years until the current owners bought and restored it to its former glory.

Anyway, this tangent has taken me far far away from anything resembling desserts, so I'll attempt to get back on track. The cake above was created by Elisa Strauss of Confetti Cakes fame, and although I'd much rather live in that house, than consume it, at the end of the day a cake is made to be eaten, so I wouldn't put up much of a fight.

To read about the creation of the Victorian House cake, click here. To see what happens to beautiful houses when they are left to fend for themselves, click here.

Sweet Testing: Coconut Snowball Cupcakes

Back in April, after much debate, I decided to make these beautiful coconut cupcakes for Easter dessert. Unfortunately, I was not thrilled with how they turned out. Oh, no! My first Baked disappointment! But don't fear Baked lovers, the story has a happy ending. So, where was I? Oh, yes, initially, things did not look good. I thought, oh, well, it had to happen eventually. I can't possibly LOVE every recipe in this cookbook. They weren't horrible cupcakes. I didn't spit them out or anything, but they just weren't that exciting. Usually anything from Baked excites me! Despite my displeasure, I packed up a few leftovers for home, anyway, and gave some away. The next day, after a long day at the office, I cut off a small bite from one of the cupcakes and, low and behold, ended up eating the whole thing! These cupcakes definitely improved with age or maybe I was just too full from Easter dinner to properly enjoy them the first time around. Also, someone told me that it was the best cupcake they ever had, which is the traditional Baked compliment, so they didn't let me down on that front!

To order the Baked cookbook, click here.

More From Baked: Whoopie Pies, Sugar Cookies, Sweet and Salty Cake, Lemon Drop Cake

I'm still working on my photography skills, so I saved my pic for after the jump! You can find the complete recipe there as well.

Tree Pedestal Cake Stand (DIY)

For those of you looking for a more environmentally friendly choice in your cake stand options, the Tree Pedestal Cake Stand from Laurie at Once Wed is the stand for you! It's a really creative way to take found material and turn it into something useful and lovely. I was wondering, though, can you just use any old piece of tree that you find in the woods? How do you know when the wood it too rotted to use? Okay, maybe those are naive questions, but, really, I don't know the answers! Anyway, I was really impressed with how well these turned out, given that not much has changed from the original pieces. I even love the cake topper! Click here for full instructions on how to make the stand at Once Wed and here to visit Laurie's personal site for more crafty ideas!

The Prettiest Cakes in Town

I'm a sucker for pink, frilly, girly things. For example, I was a HUGE fan of Sara Jessica Parker's princess-like Oscar dress, even though some said she looked like Glenda, The Good Witch of the North. I would have totally worn it, if, you know, I had been invited to the Oscars. That said, you can imagine that it took me all of two seconds to fall in love with these ultrafeminine cakes. They are all so pretty and would definitely get lots of "oohs" and "aahs" from your party guests!

Happy Spring and Happy Mother's Day!

Martha Stewart's Ruffle Tower Cake


Dorie Greenspan’s Perfect Party Cake by Ezra Pound Cake


Lemon cake with Pink Hearts by Moa Maria


Topiary Mini Cake ($85) by Cupcake Envy

Yeast Extract Dessert: Dreams Do Come True

Sunday afternoon, I was sitting around, enjoying my favorite snack, Marmite on crackers, and listening to Chick Habit, when I started wondering, has anyone ever made a dessert with Marmite or Vegemite?? Mmmm . . . yeast extract and sugar. A quick internet search for Marmite/Vegemite desserts didn't turn up much, except for a few cute ads for Marmite rice cakes (see below).


On the recipe front, I was only able to uncover a couple of urban legend type mentions of Marmite/Vegemite desserts, but nothing substantial. Hmmm . . . there must be someone, somewhere (probably with a British or Australian accent) that has used Marmite in a dessert!

By Monday afternoon, I had pretty much given up my search, and with my Marmite fantasies long gone, what did I happen upon, quite accidentally?? Not one, but two different recipes for Vegemite cheesecake! It was fate! It was kismet! It looked seriously delicious!! If I hadn't been at work desk, I would have been jumping around with excitement.


(Oh, for those of you who don't know Marmite is similar, in taste and texture, to vegetable bouillon.)

Click here to get the recipes for Billy's two Vegemite cheesecakes at A Table for Two and here to view a Marmite commercial. It says it all.

Julie & Julia Trailer

Julie Powell, author of the blog/book Julie & Julia and hero to food bloggers everywhere, hits the big screen in August, in the film adaptation of her book. Well, more accurately, the adorable Amy Adams hits the big screen, playing Powell, while the planet's greatest living actress, Meryl Streep, tackles the part of Julia Child. Oh, and then there's Stanley Tucci and that strangely attractive guy who played Claire's boyfriend/husband on Six Feet Under as their spouses. I never read Powell's book and, yes, this is a Nora Ephron movie, so there is a definite possibility that it will break records in cheesiness, no pun intended, but I'm still excited to see it. I mean, it's an entire movie about food!! How bad could it be?? Okay, so it could be terrible, but what can I say, I'm trying to stay positive, at least for the time being. In the meantime, check out the trailer and the great poster below.


In an unrelated note, I've noticed lately that I've been getting a lot of hits from StumbleUpon, so I thought I'd make it easier for everyone by posting the SU button. Thanks to everyone who has already Stumbled something from my little site!! I'm always thrilled to see that someone liked a post enough to Stumble it. What can I say?? I'm a dork!!