The Mixing Bowl: Black Bottom Cupcakes by Alyssa Nassner

This afternoon was so happy and sun shiny that it seemed like a great time to post this awesome recipe from illustrator Alyssa Nassner. Colorful and cheery, Alyssa's work goes perfectly with the spring season. Flowers, bike rides, animals . . . her work has spring written all over it! And the Black Bottom Cupcake illustration that she created for her Mixing Bowl recipe is equally adorable. Not to mention, that it looks mighty delicious!  Who doesn't love a rich and chewy, multicolored cupcake? Really who?  

A recent graduate of the Maryland Institute College of Art, Alyssa Nassner has already worked with clients such as Chronicle Books, Dwell Studio, and UPPERCASE Magazine. In addition, Alyssa also runs Small Talk Studio, an online store that specializes in fun home goods and paper products. I took one look at her bicycling raccoons print and was instantly smitten. To check out more of Alyssa's work, you can visit her website, right here, as well as the Small Talk Studio Etsy page, right here. 

To see a larger version of the Black Bottom Cupcake recipe, simply click on the image at the top of this post.

Mixing Bowl: Zucchini Cake with Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting by Oh So Good

Today’s Mixing Bowl recipe comes from graphic designer and Etsy seller Sarah Roberto of Oh So Good. Her delicious recipe for whole wheat zucchini cake with coconut cream cheese frosting would be make a tasty weekend treat and would also be a great way start the fall baking season! Personally, I love zucchini bread, even though zucchini is one of my least favorite veggies. I'll eat the green squash, but it's not my first choice, but zucchini bread . . . yum! The fact that it doesn't have an overwhelming zucchini flavor makes it a great, healthier, dessert option for the kiddies, too. Just don't tell them that there's zucchini in it!


Sarah is a Toronto-based graphic designer who creates environmentally-friendly notebooks, greeting cards, and gift tags using salvaged paper. For example, when you buy one of Sarah's notebooks, the inside will be filled with found pages (grid, lined, colored) and the cover print may have been rescued from a discarded book or a scrap of vintage wallpaper. Such a great idea! I don't often buy stationary products because I inevitably feel guilty about the environmental impact. As a result, I have TONS of unbound paper scraps floating around my house with various notes scribbled on them. Sarah's notebooks are a great way to stay organized, without hurting the environment! The faux wood notebooks have my name written all over them, but there are a lot of other great designs to choose from. You can view Sarah's collection online right here.




Thanks so much to Sarah for sharing her recipe with us! Happy Baking!

You can find the full recipe and more photos after the jump.

The Mixing Bowl: Easy Vanilla Cheesecake by Sally Elford

Today's Mixing Bowl recipe comes for Vanilla Cheesecake comes from illustrator and print maker Sally Elford. Based in the UK, Sally is influenced by mid-century artists like Jan Balet, Miroslav Sasek, and, my longtime favorite, Charley Harper! In the past, she has worked with clients such as Oxford University Press, BBC Worldwide, and Readers Digest, to name a few, and recently started creating and selling limited edition prints on her Etsy site where you can find a nice selection of her great designs. Personally, I really love the Peaceful Park print, but check out her shop to find your favorite!

The last few Mixing Bowl posts have been fruit-filled desserts, so I was excited when Sally sent over this vanilla cheesecake recipe! Not that I have anything against fruit, in fact I love it, but this is great recipe to lead us into fall Quick, easy, and a great way to impress your guests. What's could be better?

Click here to check out the illustrations on Sally’s Etsy site and here to check out more images on her Web site. Thanks, Sally!


Recipe and more images after the jump.

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.

Whoopie Pies: Retro Treat of the Moment

If you're a fan of food Web sites, and you know you are, then you've probably seen lots and lots of pictures of yummy whoopie pies popping up on your computer screen over the past year or so. There is definitely a trend going on and The New York Times had a piece about this very topic in Tuesday's issue. There is something fun and playful about these nostalgic treats that makes them pretty hard to resist. The kitschy factor and their ability to evoke memories of childhood are a big part of their appeal. Let's face it, oftentimes, there's nothing better than a simple and homey dessert!

On the nontraditional front, the Times article mentions that some bakeries are experimenting with the classic whoopie flavors. Places like Cranberry Island Kitchen in Maine are spicing up their vanilla fillings with Cointreau, raspberry, and espresso. What do you think? Are you a whoopie purist or do you like the idea of fiddling with tradition?

Click here to read the complete New York Times article, which includes a section about the history of the name!

Update: After writing this post last week, I couldn't stop thinking about the pumpkin whoopie pies in the Baked cookbook. I've always thought that they looked really good, so I broke down and made them on Sunday. Yum, yum, yum, YUM!! Seriously, one of my all-time favorite desserts from one of my all-time favorite cookbooks!! The guys at Baked admit that they tweaked with the traditional whoopie recipe when creating their version (that's their pic above), so I suggest that you follow their recipe for maximum enjoyment! You can find it here, along with a video, on Martha Stewart's Web site. Yum! (p.s. The picture above is from Baked. My pics weren't quite so pretty!)

My Favorite Dessert: Blueberry Banana Cream Pie by Pretty Ditty

I'm sooo excited! It's my first guest blog! And it's from Jamie from Pretty Ditty. Woo hoo! I recently discovered Jamie's gorgeous aprons on Etsy and I have to say they are among some of my favorite aprons, ever!

From the front, you could mistake them for really wonderful dresses. I know I've said that before, about other aprons, but the Pretty Ditty aprons really are so lovely! I want to wear one all day long! In addition to being a world-class apron maker, Jamie also has a blog where she shows off her many crafting skills, like making adorable pegs dolls like the one seen below. You can click here to visit Jamie's Etsy site and to see more of her charming aprons. Thanks, Jaime!


Here's what Jaime had to say about this recipe:

One of my favorite recipes to make is Blueberry Banana Cream Pie. This particular recipe was handed down to me by a very dear friend who moved much too far away from me. I love this recipe because 1) it's light and very delicious 2) very fast to make 3) it's EASY. Last week a made a dessert that took 3 HOURS to make . . . not cool.
Blueberry Banana Cream Pie

• 1 deep dish frozen pie crust (cook according to directions & let cool.


• Mix 1 cup of sugar with 8 ounces of cream cheese (set aside).


• Prepare 1 package of Dream Whip according to directions on the box.


• Combine sugar mixture with the Dream Whip.


• Layer pie crust with sliced bananas and then fill with cream mixture.


• Refrigerate overnight to set. (I must admit, I never refrigerate overnight. I usually refrigerate for 1 hour, because I'm never that prepared to pre-make the dessert any earlier.)


• Serve it with blueberry pie filling on top. ( I like Comstock.)

Enjoy!