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.

Alison Nelson's Chocolate Bar

The Web site for Alison Nelson’s Chocolate Bar is jam packed with designs I love. I really like the look of the Atomic Chocolates and the stylishly-packaged chocolate bars, whose labels are designed by artists like Rolito and Nathan Jurevicius. I'm especially interested in trying the Retro Bars, which come in flavors like malted milk, salty pretzel, and peanut butter caramel. So many choices! You can find stores in New York or Dubai or you can order online by clicking here.

(Pictured above: Stencil Bars. Below: Retro Bars, Graffiti Bars (designed by graffiti artists), Artist Bars, Atomic Chocolates)

Inspiration Board: Silhouettes

I'm a big fan of silhouettes, so I'm loving these shadow puppet chocolates from Food Flower Style. Yes, those are actually shadow puppet designs traced and cut out of parchment paper, and then used as chocolate molds. You can use the same concept for any sort of design, although the shadow puppet idea is really cute. (Unfortunately, this post is no longer on the Food Flower Style site, but I found a copy right here.)

If you're interested in making silhouette cookies, like the ones below that appeared in Martha Stewart Weddings, The Victor Trading Company will create a personalized silhouette cookie cutter for you (see below). Just send them a photo and you'll get a customized cutter ($30) in return. Click here for more details.


For another type of silhouette cookie, check out the these slightly more traditional cookies courtesy of The Good Apple and then click here for tips on making them.

The Mixing Bowl: Pavlova by Hello Naomi

This week’s Mixing Bowl post is from Australian-based baker Naomi Henderson of Hello Naomi. She has prepared a cute pavlova recipe that can be easily be converted into delicious pavlova cupcakes, too! Personally, I love pavlova! It's a sloppy baker's dream! It's supposed to be cracked and uneven, so you don't need to worry about being perfect. Besides, who can resist a dessert named after a ballerina?

I first discovered Naomi's work on Flickr, where she started uploading photos of her creations after taking a cake-decorating class in early 2007. While working on her PhD in computer engineering, Naomi started creating her cute and clever designs, and, apparently, I'm not the only one who took notice! The photos of her creations became so popular, and there was such a demand for her desserts, that she was able to start her own business! If you visit her Flickr site, you'll know why. There's always something fun to check out on her photostream! My favorite Naomi sweet treat has always been the bird cupcakes, but the Pacman cupcakes are pretty hard to resist. They would be perfect for your favorite guy. . . or video game-loving girl. :-)


From Naomi: Pavlova is my favourite dessert in the whole world. My family would always have it at Christmas but I have been making it more and more lately. It is such a quick and easy dessert to make when friends are coming over for dinner. This recipe serves about 6 people but it is very easily scaled. I usually just budget 1 egg white and ¼ cup of sugar per guest. Then just beat it for 5 min, add a squeeze of lemon a dash of vanilla, throw it in a low oven and forget about it! Well maybe don't forget about it, check it after about 45 min . . . but the good thing is that it is really hard to stuff up!

Check out Naomi's Web site here and click here to view her Flickr photostream.

Full recipe and more photos after the jump. Thanks, Naomi!

Ice Cream Crepes

One final, end of summer item from my Japanese dessert adventure: Ice cream crepes. It's ice cream, but it's a crepe, so it requires chewing. Kinda like an ice cream sandwich, I suppose. Not fun for people with teeth sensitivity, but I don't have that problem, so I'd give it a shot! If you're in San Francisco, you can get crepe ice cream at Genki Crepes and Sophie's Crepes. Otherwise, look for them at Japanese restaurants and markets. [Top photo by Brian.]

Mixing Bowl: Schackrutor (Chess Squares) by Petra Borner

Petra Borner, today's Mixing Bowl contributor, is a fantastic Swedish artist and illustrator who lives and works in London. Known for her beautiful paper cut designs Petra is an extremely versatile artist, working in a variety of different mediums from illustration to fashion design and everything in between.

Her lovely designs have graced a wide range of objects, including textiles, drinking glasses, magazine covers, and even dog food bags.

In addition to being a great illustrator, Petra is also a skilled embroider, working with clients such as Jonathan Adler and Ikea (see her Ikea duvet cover after the jump).

For my part, I first fell in love with Petra's work after seeing her incredible book covers. I'm all about great book covers, so I was completely taken with her colorful covers the moment I saw them and was really impressed with the detailing of the designs. I work at a publishing company and over the years I've really come to appreciate the skill involved with designing a good cover. I've seen a lot of bad covers, so I know that it's not as easy as it looks!


I've been trying not to gush so much when I write these Mixing Bowl posts because I seem to do that every time, but I really have only scratched the surface as far a Petra's work is concerned. I don't have the space to post all the images that I want to share. There are just sooo many and her work is so varied!

Right now, Petra is sharing some wonderful chalk drawings, yet another medium that she works in, and her great recipe for Schackrutor. I'm really loving the two-tone colors in these cookies and the cool designs on each one! Thanks, Petra!

I've changed the width of the columns to accommodate larger pictures. Let me know if anyone has any problems with the new layout.

To see more of Petra's work, visit her Web site. Recipe and more images after the jump.

Mochi Ice Cream

Well, I'm still riding the Asian flavors train, after discovering a bunch of new desserts during research for my Wasabi ice cream post. Next stop: mochi ice cream.

This Japanese treat is about the size of a golfball and is basically ice cream covered in a dough-like shell, which is made out of rice flour. Flavors range from the familiar: chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry to the slightly more unusual: green tea and red bean paste. I have a thing for geometric shapes, so I'm loving the simplicity of the shapes and the idea of having your very own little ball of ice cream to call your own.

In the states, you can find mochi ice cream at Trader Joe's, Pinkberry, Red Mango, Bubbies in Hawaii, and Mikawaya in Los Angeles, which also sells mochi ice cream on it's Web site. If you'd like to try your hand at making your own mochi, click here for a recipe, courtesy of the Web site Japanese Ice Cream. Oh, and don't confuse mochi ice cream with regular mochi, which are filled with substances that are not ice cream. Regular mochi is probably tasty as well . . . but not ice cream! :-)

Photo credits: (top to bottom) Patti, B.ill

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.

Sweet Testing: Flourless Chocolate Cake

You can't go wrong with a flourless chocolate cake. It's pretty much a foolproof dessert and this version from Baked did not disappoint. It was rich and moist, just like a flourless chocolate cake should be. I suppose there are people who may find this and other flourless chocolate cakes too chocolaty, but that's just crazy talk. In my opinion, there is no such thing as too chocolaty! Besides, in addition to being totally delicious, and easy to make, the flourless chocolate cake manages to be totally gluten-free, without even trying! Yay! I did make one small change to the Baked recipe, though. I wanted to snazz things up a bit, so I added two tablespoons of cinnamon. That's right, two tablespoons! You can, of course, leave that part out. Also, Baked gives you an option of adding a chocolate glaze, but I was short on time, so I just made the cake and then dusted it with powdered sugar and cocoa.

More From Baked: Whoopie Pies, Sugar Cookies, Sweet and Salty Cake, Lemon Drop Cake, Coconut Snowball Cupcakes, Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie

You can find the complete recipe after the jump.

Mustache Cookies

A few weeks ago I was introduced to a fantastic little Italian cookie called mostaccioli via Megan's site Feasting on Art. Mostaccioli is, apparently, Italian for mustache and these cookies are often made to resemble, you guessed it, mustaches! Sooo fun! I'm definitely putting Megan's mostaccioli recipe on my extremely long baking to-do list. If you'd like to own your very own mustache cookies, here are are some additional baking and buying helpers:

Mustache Cookie Cutter ($2) from Bake It Pretty. They also have mustache lolly molds!


Mustache Moustachio Sugar Cookies ($25) from Sugar Cookie Couture


Mustache Sugar Cookies from Coastal Cakery in Delaware


Mustache Cookie Cutter ($13) from Copper Gifts

The Mixing Bowl: Strawberry and Nectarine Pie by Ingela P. Arrhenius

Today's recipe for Strawberry and Nectarine Pie comes from illustrator extraordinaire, Ingela P. Arrhenius. Based in Stockholm, Sweden, Ingela's colorful and playful designs have appeared on everything from posters to chocolate milk boxes and everything in between.

In the past, she has created illustrations for products such as greeting cards and stationary, as well as patterns for children's apparel and roller blinds. Her work graces the pages of magazines and children's books, which are often written by her talented husband, and even show up on postage stamps and yogurt containers!


Inspired by art of the 50's and 60's, Ingela's work is so cheerfully retro that it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Her illustrations always make me smile, so I was really thrilled that she agreed to contribute a recipe to Dessert Girl! When she sent over the illustration for the recipe, I instantly fell in love with it! I want to print it out and put it on my wall! I'm so excited to get the chance to share her work with you! You can find more images after the jump or on her Web site, right here. Thanks, Ingela! [To see the recipe in a readable, large-print format, just click on the image.]


Recipe Helpers: Ingela mentioned to me that although this recipe mentions using 5 nectarines, she only used 3 and that was enough, so 5 is not a strict requirement.

If you need help converting the measurements, click here for a nifty conversion calculator.

Note on The Mixing Bowl: I failed to mention this previously, but I thought that I should fill you in on what The Mixing Bowl series is really all about. Basically, I love seeing people making and sharing their favorite recipes. I also really like the idea of featuring and collaborating with people whose work I admire. The Mixing Bowl combines both of those ideas. Not only do I get to share yummy dessert recipes with you, but I also get the opportunity to feature the artists, writers, designers, and people that I love and admire! What could be better? I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!)


There are more Ingela images after the jump.

Girl Scout Cookie Blizzards

This is my third ice cream post in as many weeks, so you know that it must be summer, despite what the weather report says. (I actually prefer cooler weather, so, if you ask me, this has been the greatest summer ever!) Anyway, I had to tell you about the limited-edition blizzards that Dairy Queen is offering this summer! You have probably guessed it by now. Girl Scout cookie blizzards!! Yum! Trans fat goodness! Last month DQ featured Tagalong blizzards and this month freezer friendly Thin Mints are on the menu! Even with my aversion to trans fats, I did try the Tagalong blizzard last month and was not disappointed! Totally worth it! I can't wait to try the Thin Mint version! Oh, and even though these were supposed to be available for a limited time, it looks like DQ is still offering the Tagalong flavor, so if you didn't make it to DQ last month, it's not too late!

On a side note, last month a goofy picture of me appeared on I Heart Handmade . . .because I heart handmade. Anyway, if you're into handmade items, check it out. It's a great site for crafty folks and the people that love them. Thanks, Marichelle!