Lamb Cake: Clever or Disturbing??

I think it's safe to say that not everyone is going to love this cake. I'll admit that when artist Andrea Everman emailed it to me, I looked at the first pic and thought, oh, that's sooo cute and then I saw the second photo and my feelings changed to hmmm…it's also kind of disturbing, and then quickly switched back to but, it is clever. My emotions continued to sway back and forth like this for several minutes until I just couldn't take it anymore and had to ask for another opinion! I think it's definitely well done and interesting, but, as an animal lover, I don't know if I could actually eat it! On the other hand, the less emotional part of my brain keeps saying, why wouldn't you eat it! It's just cake! So, what do you guys think of this particular lamb cake or lamb cakes in general??? Clever or disturbing?

For those of you interested in trying this at home, the cake is strawberry and those are cilantro leaves filling in for the grass. Oh, and Andrea is a lovely lady and is going to making us a vegan dessert later in the year, so if you hate this cake, please don't take it out on her! :-) Thanks, Andrea!

Gummi Bear Chandelier

I've always been drawn to bold, statement making lighting fixtures, so when my friend Alja posted this beautiful chandelier on Facebook, I was instantly intrigued. It was only after I started reading the text that I realized that this isn't any ordinary light source. It's not made out of glass or plastic, but, drum roll please, gummi bears! Okay, so they're acrylic gummi bears, but the real thing probably wouldn't last very long once the light was turned on! Created by Kevin Champeny of the deign group Jellio, the chandelier is made out of 5,000 gummi bears and takes two months to complete. In addition, only ten of these babies will ever be made, so you will definitely be getting an original piece!

Jellio's Web site also features a number of other dessert-themed furniture, like an ice cream bench, cupcake table, and gummi bear lights. I'm not really sure these pieces would work with my décor sense, but I have to admit, I kinda like the Pop Art feel of that ice cream bench! There’s lots more to see at their site, so click here for more information. Thanks, Alja!

Inspiration Board: Easter

I love Easter, the spring air, the flowers, the bunnies, the Easter egg hunts, and the Easter basket filled with fake grass…and, of course, candy! My favorite Easter candy has changed quite a bit over the years. When I was a kid, I was crazy for Peeps and Cadbury Crème Eggs. As I grew older, I lost my taste for those too sugary treats and and now, when Easter comes around, I start craving Cadbury Mini Eggs and Resses Peanut Butter Eggs! Everyone has their favorite Easter candies and memories, but if you're looking for some new and fun ideas for your Easter table, check out the photos below! {Above: Raspberry-Lemon Easter Cake from The Food Network}

Chocolate Mousse-Filled Easter Eggs by Lauren at Fisher&Paykel. Gorgeous!


Martha Stewart's Springerle Easter Bunny Cupcakes


Easter Bunny Cake by Andrea Meyers. I love, love, love this cake! So cute and retro, like a cake I would have had when I was a wee girl.


Martha Stewart's Easter Paper Chains A super cute and easy way to spice up a simple cake!


Martha Stewart's Sugar-Coated Marshmallow Bunnies. These homemade Peeps made the rounds last year, but I still really love them!


Mini Cheesecakes from Bright Ideas. Again, I really like the old school feel of these. So sweet.


Easter Cookie Purse ($3) by Route 29. I have no idea what these taste like, but I'm a sucker for cute packaging and the illustration on this box is just great!

Edible Art: Mies van der Rohe’s Barcelona Couch/Cake

Someone once told me that buying fancy, and expensive, chairs and couches by designers like Mies van der Roche was ridiculous, when, really, when it comes to sitting, a rock will do just as well as a store bought chair. I don't know if I completely agree with that statement, but I did stop and wonder what he'd think about this particular piece of furniture, which is an exact reproduction of Mies van der Rohe's Barcelona couch. It's a fancy designer couch that you can't even sit on, but you can, at least, eat it . . . because it's a cake! And believe it or not, it sounds like it was actually pretty tasty. ARTINFO described it as "a moist, buttery layer cake with hints of cream, coffee, and liquor buried inside. The pillow was even softer, fashioned from an airy angel food cake spiked with vanilla."

Right about now you may be saying to yourself, wow, that's pretty cool, but why even make a couch cake? Well, this yummy replica was created by artist Leandro Erlich and pastry chef Guido Mogni as part of "cake happening" in New York that was organized by Raphaël Castoriano’s cake-art group Kreemart, which encourages artists to "explore dessert as a medium."

Now, I love this cake and the idea of thinking creatively about food, but anything with the word "happening" attached to it is a little too pretentious for my taste. Personally, I was getting annoyed just reading about the event. I could barely get through the article! That said, if you don't mind the possibility of getting annoyed, and would like to learn more about the "cake happening," click here.

Oh, by the way, this is also not the first time that Mies van der Roche's work has been captured in edible form. Remember the edible version of the Farnsworth House that I posted in January of 2009?

The Mixing Bowl: Brown Butter Berry Tart by Saelee Oh

Good morning! It’s a warm and sunshiny day here, so I thought it would be nice to start the morning with a delicious seasonal recipe and some cheery, colorful images. Saelee Oh's recipe and gorgeous artwork certainly fits the bill on both accounts! I don't know about you, but I have been dreaming about fresh raspberries for weeks now, so I thought it was the perfect time to post Saelee's recipe for Brown Butter Berry Tart. I hope it inspires you to make something sweet and sunny this weekend. Happy (early) Spring!



Saelee Oh is an illustrator, painter, and paper cut artist, who uses mixed media to create wonderful and whimsical worlds filled with animals, nature, and magic. Her beautiful and distinctive work has been exhibited around the world in cities like Los Angeles, Tokyo, and New York and has been featured in magazines like Juxtapoz and Giant Robot, as well as on wall graphics, t-shirts, and iphone cases. She also finds time to create a lovely calendar each year with fellow artist Jill Bliss that I just LOVE.

For more of Saelee's work, check out her Web site and online shop, right here. Thanks, Saelee! More pics and the complete recipe after the jump.

American Fashion Cookbook

The American Fashion Cookbook ($45) has my name written all over it! Fashion + Food + Colorful Illustrations by Designers??? Yes, please! The recipes included are both sweet and savory, but I, of course, immediatly foucused in on the desserts! Featured among the sweets are recipes for Betsey Johnson’s Cherry Sour Cream Pie, Cynthia Steffe’s Apple Crisp, and Mark Ecko's "Adults Only" Chocolate Chip Cookies ("adult" because they contain espresso).

From the publisher: Isaac Mizrahi’s Mushroom Truffle Spaghetti, Carolina Herrera’s Pommes Toupinel, Mark Ecko’s “Adults Only” Chocolate Chip Cookies, Derek Lam’s Yellowtail Crudo, John Varvatos’s Calaloo Soup—food can be fashionable too! Published with the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) and with a foreword by Martha Stewart, American Fashion Cookbook is a chic objet containing recipes and original illustrations by more than 100 American designers. Brimming with color, flavor, and personality, here are the fashion community’s favorite dishes and preparation tips. From the flirtatiousness of Strawberry Shortcake to the minimalism of Chocolate Ganache to the zip of Andalusian Gazpacho, here are all the recipes a stylish soul needs to whip up a tasteful brunch, a romantic dinner, or simply prepare comfort food, in a collectible volume.

Click here for more info and to buy online.

Devil's Food White-Out Cake w/ Bailey's Irish Cream Frosting

I've been wanting to make this cake since the day I bought Dorie Greenspan's Baking: From My Home to Yours. Quite honestly, it's the main reason that I bought the cookbook in the first place! So, when my sister's bday came around this year, I sent this cake, along with a few others, as possible choices for her cake. As you've probably already guessed by now, she picked this one! She did have one condition, though. Do not use the marshmallow frosting because, in the words of my sister, marshmallow is kind of yucky.

Luckily, Dorie states right in the recipe that you can use any sort of thick frosting for this cake, so, at my sister's suggestion, we went with a Bailey's frosting, instead. Well, actually my mom went with the Bailey's frosting, as she was the one who actually made the cake. I was, well, let's just say that I was not in a baking mood at the time. It all turned out well, though, because this cake was awesome! Sooo good! For some strange reason, my mom's cake was not nearly as high as Dorie's. Maybe the frosting wasn't as thick or sturdy. Regardless, it was mighty tasty! It's booze and chocolate! What's not to love? Btw, this doesn't taste like liquor, at all, but you can always add more Bailey's, if that's what you're into. :-)

You can find the complete recipe after the jump.