The Scone Factory

I’ve recently rediscovered the joy of jam. I generally try to avoid nondessert related sugars, so I had, pretty much, cut it out my diet. Then, recently, a friend of mine bought me some of this delicious “no sugar added” jam and I’ve been eating it with gusto ever since! Given the current jam revival going on in my house, I was really excited to hear about this scone factory installation at Meesterlijk, a design and craft fair in Amsterdam. Designed by Dutch “eating designer” Marije Vogelzang for her former business partner Piet Hekker (together they cofounded the restaurant Proef), the intent of the scone factory was to give life to Piet’s vision of bringing collaborations between small scale craftsmen and designers to city centers. Such collaborations would not only help to revive the city, but also give work to independent artists and businesses. With this in mind, Marije create the scone factory, which featured a play-shop installation, live scone baking and eating, a jam collection displayed by color (my favorite part!), and a brainstorm wall. What fun! {Thanks, Marije!} ~Erin

Emilie Vercruysse Photography

I've never been a huge fan of cute kid pics. I mean, I love seeing pictures of kids that I know, children of friends and family, but I wouldn’t normally purchase a “cute kid” photograph or even dream of putting one on my wall! Well, those days are over! The minute I laid eyes on these photos by Belgium photographer Emilie Vercruysse, I was instantly smitten. The way she captures children is amazing and not at all typical. By using unique props and the bright colors, she’s able to create images which are funny and wonderfully odd, but, at the same time, still seem so authentic and childlike. Click here to check out more of Emilie's wonderful photographs. ~Erin

Vintage Confections

I have a soft spot for lollipops. Call it an oral fixation, if you must, but, really, I think it’s more about the fact that lollipops offer a prolonged dessert experience. You don’t just bite and swallow a lollipop (unless you are that owl in the tootsipop commercials), but, instead, you get the opportunity to savor the flavors for an extended period of time. It a fairly unusual eating experience, if you really think about it. And if you’re going to have an unusual eating experience, you may as well be eating something that looks unusual, too! Which is where this lollipops from Vintage Confections come in. From striped neopilitian ice cream pops to pops imprinted with images of peacock feathers, bottle caps, and emoticons, their online shop is filled with some seriously cool candy! And with flavors like caramel crème, pink champagne, and peach cobbler, you know that they are going to taste as good as the look! Click here  to check them out and shop online.

Greely Myatt

I love wood. I love dessert. Put the two together and, wowzers, I’m in design heaven! That said, it should come as no surprise that I’m a big fan of these whimsical wooden desserts by artist Greely Myatt.  A faculty member at the University of Memphis, Myatt’s work is at once playful and realistic, rustic yet campy. My favorite pieces are definitely the cake sculptures. The craftsmanship, with these pieces in particular, is amazing and I’m seriously in awe of how lifelike they look, considering that they’re made almost entirely out of wood (with a little acrylic frosting). In addition, the environmentally concerned part of me is happy to report that Greely often works with reclaimed materials (wood, metal, etc) when creating his art, which is always a good thing. If you like what you see here, be sure to check out more of his pieces. Dessert art is only a small part of his work. ~Erin

Photos courtesy of PDX, The Running Horse, and Koelsch Gallery

Oh, and for anyone who is interested, I just started a Dessert Girl Pinterest page. I've been on Pinterest for a while now, but decided to start a page for DG as well. I hope to see you there! :-)

Sweet Testing: Bananas Cake

About a month ago, I predicted that I would soon be making this cake, and, like a well-trained Kreskin, my prediction became manifest when I baked this mound of banana chocolate deliciousness for my very own birthday! Well, really it was a co-creation between me and my mom, due to it's complex nature. It is, by all accounts, mine included, a damn fine cake, but it is time consuming. (Just time consuming, not difficult.) It comes from the new Baked cookbook Baked Elements and it contains not one, not two, not three, by four different parts (cake, filling, icing, glaze). I recommend splitting it into two days or getting a co-baker/sous chef to help you out. I promise; It will be worth the effort. I mean, come on, it's banana + peanut butter + chocolate (squared). What's not to love??? Actually, it reminds me a lot of the peanut butter and banana sandwiches that I used to have as a kid (and sometimes as an adult), but, you know, with chocolate added. So good!

You can find the complete Bananas Cake recipe after the jump.