Sweet Testing: Grasshopper Cake

I swear this isn’t another Baked cake. It has nothing to with Baked. It is a completely unrelated dessert that has absolutely no connection to a particular bakery in Brooklyn known for their mega super delicious treats. Okay, that’s a lie. It is, in fact, a Baked cake. I’ve been thinking of adding a Baked tag to all my Baked recipes because I’ve made so many of them. I can’t help it! They are always good! I was particularly happy with the way this one turned out. It’s like a thin mint cookie in cake form! Actually, it’s better than a thin mint cookie and I really like thin mint cookies. One person told me that it was the best cake that I had ever made, but I usually hear that from at least one person every time I make a Baked cake. I’m telling you, they are just that good!

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

Giga Pudding

If you were to ask me, Hey, Erin, what is Giga Pudding, exactly? I would not be able to give you an answer. Apparently, it is a type of pudding. A type of pudding that comes in a bucket. A type of pudding that comes in a bucket and wobbles a lot. Quite frankly, Giga Pudding reminds me more of a toy, than something that is meant to be consumed, which is not surprising given that it's manufactured by a Japanese toy company. It's a food toy, not unlike the Easy Bake Oven of my youth, and I can see how it would appeal to kids. On the other hand, unlike the Easy Bake Oven, Giga Pudding seems to be marketed to adults as well as children, as you can see in this hilarious commercial. I will probably never actually eat Giga Pudding, unless it's on a dare, but I can watch this commercial over and over again. I do quite enjoy watching things wobble. To visit the Giga Pudding website, click here.

Cake Decorating For Kids

One of my favorite memories from childhood was when I was given a chance to design my very own dinner plate! All the kids in art class were given a white plastic plate and markers and told to draw whatever their hearts desired and then, wallah, through some magical process, our childhood art was turned into a dinner plate that you could actually use! Okay, I’m a little fussy on the whole process, but I remember my design like it was yesterday (a girl and a bird and the words “sing with me”)! It was the first thing that I thought of when I saw this wonderful child-designed cake from Soutine. It’s such a fun idea for a child’s bday…let them create the artwork for their own cake. You could allow them to draw directly on the cake with frosting or with food markers on fondant. You could also have them put their doodles down on paper and then let a professional recreate the design. Such a cute and clever idea! To see more from the Soutine Bakery (NY), click here.

Inspiration Board: Baked Alaska

Is it just me or has the Baked Alaska taken on a whole new level of gorgeousness lately? I know that I have definitely been obsessed with it these last few months. There’s just something about that beautiful round mound of meringue that gets me ever time. And the things people do with the ice cream/sponge cake fillings, the wonderfully creative colors and designs, just blow my mind! I’m sure if I were ever to tackle this classic dessert, it would not be quite so perfect as these pics, but a girl can dream, can’t she? {Pictured above: Baked Alaska by The Food Network}

Baked Alaska with Chocolate Ice Cream by Martha Stewart

Baked Alaska by Double Cream Single Sugar

Chocolate orange bombe Alaska with hot chocolate sauce by Nick Nairn/Good Food Magazine