Prada Candy

Oh, how do I love Wes Anderson, let me count the ways. Oh, how do I love Prada, let me count some more. Wes Anderson + Prada? Be still my heart! Yes, it's true, Wes Anderson and collaborator  Roman Coopola have co-directed three short films for Prada's new fragrance titled Candy. The films, which run just over a minute long, take place in Paris and are are filled with Anderson's trademark quirky coolness. French model and actress Léa Seydoux stars as the title character, Candy, a young woman torn between the love of two men, Julius and Gene (who frankly look like twins). I couldn't help thinking of Francois Truffaut's 1952 film Jules et Jim while watching it and Sydoux actually mentions that film in the behind the scenes footage. Whatever the inspiration, Anderson and Coopola have given us some seriously fun eye candy (no pun intended). The films are delightful and utterly French. There's also plenty of dessert action, including a birthday celebration and a scene in a cafe. Oh, yes, and then there's the fragrance itself, which is described as "sweetly addictive," a mix of winter musk, benzoin, and caramel. Check out Prada's website for more info. ~Erin

Edible Art: Cake Decoration Machine

I’ve never been very good at cake decorating. Oh, sure, I can fake it, to a certain extent, but, when it comes to fancy icing, I am no expert. So, as you can imagine, when I first saw this cake decorating machine, I immediately thought, Ohhh…where can I get one of those?? In reality, this clever device is not a bakery standby, but was created for the exhibition Design Criminals or A New Joy into the World, in which designers “were asked to react to Design activities such as tattooing, hair dressing, or arranging flowers, which usually happen outside design discourses.” The cake decorating exhibit, created by Studio mischer‘traxler and titled Till You Stop - How Much is Too Much?, allows the visitor to apply frosting to a cake, letting them choose whether they want a lot of decoration or a little. The user watches as the machine constantly updates it’s palate and must decide when to stop the process. Once the user stops the machine, it cannot be started again. It’s an interesting look at the art of cake decoration, replacing work that is traditionally done by hand and replacing it with a machine. It also forces users to make design decisions rather quickly, raising the question, What do you find visually exciting? Are you attracted to simplicity or something more elaborate?

The cake decorating machine is currently part of the permanent collection of the Austrian Museum of Applied Arts in Vienna. ~Erin

Sweet Testing: Mississippi Mud Pie (aka Mississippi Mud Cake)

I love this cake. I love this cake so, so much. It is, in my opinion, one of the best things I have ever made! That said, I will admit that it’s not a cake for everyone. There are not one, not two, but three layers of chocolate in this cake (crust, cake, pudding) and it probably isn’t the best choice for a person that doesn’t like rich desserts. Frankly, I don’t understand the phrase “too rich,” but everyone has their own limits. At my table, there were people who couldn’t finish one piece, while others ate two. To me, it was all together delicious, a chocolate lovers dream. That said, there are a lot of elements to this cake, so you will be spending a lot of time in the kitchen. Luckily, each of the elements are fairly simple to make, so the process won’t be stressful, just time consuming. You can find the complete recipe for Mississippi Mud Pie after the jump. ~Erin