Getting Drunk on Ice Cream

I don't drink wine, but I do come from a wine family (meaning that they drink a lot of wine, not that they stomp grapes in barrels or anything), so I was super excited to come across this wine-flavored ice cream! It would be the perfect gift for my father, who has a makeshift wine cellar in his basement. Unfortunately, it's not so easy to get your hands on this stuff, except if you live in New York, where you can buy Mercer's Wine Ice Cream at your local Whole Foods. Make sure that you have proper ID before making the trip, though! The ice cream does contain five percent alcohol, so you have to be of legal age to buy it! Finally, a chance to get drunk and have a sugar high at the same time! Click here for store locations and additional info.

Victorian House Cake

I finally figured out why I'm fascinated with edible houses! It may have something to do with the fact that I love architecture (duh!), the architecture of houses to be more specific. Some people are fascinated with building architecture and visiting various famous skyscrapers around the country, but I much prefer looking at houses. Don't get me wrong, I love old buildings, like San Vitale or new ones like the Helix Hotel (which hasn't even been built yet), but there's something much more familiar and accessible about houses. Besides, you don't need to travel far to see examples of beautiful home architecture. All you have to do is check out your local neighborhood streets. Last year, I discovered that there is a Frank Lloyd Wright house practically in my backyard! (Okay, so it's not quite that close.) It had been sitting in near ruin, abandoned for years until the current owners bought and restored it to its former glory.

Anyway, this tangent has taken me far far away from anything resembling desserts, so I'll attempt to get back on track. The cake above was created by Elisa Strauss of Confetti Cakes fame, and although I'd much rather live in that house, than consume it, at the end of the day a cake is made to be eaten, so I wouldn't put up much of a fight.

To read about the creation of the Victorian House cake, click here. To see what happens to beautiful houses when they are left to fend for themselves, click here.

Sweet Testing: Coconut Snowball Cupcakes

Back in April, after much debate, I decided to make these beautiful coconut cupcakes for Easter dessert. Unfortunately, I was not thrilled with how they turned out. Oh, no! My first Baked disappointment! But don't fear Baked lovers, the story has a happy ending. So, where was I? Oh, yes, initially, things did not look good. I thought, oh, well, it had to happen eventually. I can't possibly LOVE every recipe in this cookbook. They weren't horrible cupcakes. I didn't spit them out or anything, but they just weren't that exciting. Usually anything from Baked excites me! Despite my displeasure, I packed up a few leftovers for home, anyway, and gave some away. The next day, after a long day at the office, I cut off a small bite from one of the cupcakes and, low and behold, ended up eating the whole thing! These cupcakes definitely improved with age or maybe I was just too full from Easter dinner to properly enjoy them the first time around. Also, someone told me that it was the best cupcake they ever had, which is the traditional Baked compliment, so they didn't let me down on that front!

To order the Baked cookbook, click here.

More From Baked: Whoopie Pies, Sugar Cookies, Sweet and Salty Cake, Lemon Drop Cake

I'm still working on my photography skills, so I saved my pic for after the jump! You can find the complete recipe there as well.

Tree Pedestal Cake Stand (DIY)

For those of you looking for a more environmentally friendly choice in your cake stand options, the Tree Pedestal Cake Stand from Laurie at Once Wed is the stand for you! It's a really creative way to take found material and turn it into something useful and lovely. I was wondering, though, can you just use any old piece of tree that you find in the woods? How do you know when the wood it too rotted to use? Okay, maybe those are naive questions, but, really, I don't know the answers! Anyway, I was really impressed with how well these turned out, given that not much has changed from the original pieces. I even love the cake topper! Click here for full instructions on how to make the stand at Once Wed and here to visit Laurie's personal site for more crafty ideas!

The Prettiest Cakes in Town

I'm a sucker for pink, frilly, girly things. For example, I was a HUGE fan of Sara Jessica Parker's princess-like Oscar dress, even though some said she looked like Glenda, The Good Witch of the North. I would have totally worn it, if, you know, I had been invited to the Oscars. That said, you can imagine that it took me all of two seconds to fall in love with these ultrafeminine cakes. They are all so pretty and would definitely get lots of "oohs" and "aahs" from your party guests!

Happy Spring and Happy Mother's Day!

Martha Stewart's Ruffle Tower Cake


Dorie Greenspan’s Perfect Party Cake by Ezra Pound Cake


Lemon cake with Pink Hearts by Moa Maria


Topiary Mini Cake ($85) by Cupcake Envy

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.

Julie & Julia Trailer

Julie Powell, author of the blog/book Julie & Julia and hero to food bloggers everywhere, hits the big screen in August, in the film adaptation of her book. Well, more accurately, the adorable Amy Adams hits the big screen, playing Powell, while the planet's greatest living actress, Meryl Streep, tackles the part of Julia Child. Oh, and then there's Stanley Tucci and that strangely attractive guy who played Claire's boyfriend/husband on Six Feet Under as their spouses. I never read Powell's book and, yes, this is a Nora Ephron movie, so there is a definite possibility that it will break records in cheesiness, no pun intended, but I'm still excited to see it. I mean, it's an entire movie about food!! How bad could it be?? Okay, so it could be terrible, but what can I say, I'm trying to stay positive, at least for the time being. In the meantime, check out the trailer and the great poster below.


In an unrelated note, I've noticed lately that I've been getting a lot of hits from StumbleUpon, so I thought I'd make it easier for everyone by posting the SU button. Thanks to everyone who has already Stumbled something from my little site!! I'm always thrilled to see that someone liked a post enough to Stumble it. What can I say?? I'm a dork!!

Coconut Kisses

I am not a fan of the current "fixing what ain't broke" trend among candy makers. You know, how they'll take a classic treat that we all love and try to adjust the flavors to make it new and exciting to consumers, like covering Reese's Peanut Butter Cups in white chocolate, instead of the traditional darker variety. Hel-lo, peanut butter and white chocolate?? Puh-lease. The original is a classic for a reason!! Anyway, even though past experience has taught me that messing with classic candy doesn't generally work well (although I do like nontraditional baked goods), I couldn't resist buying these Coconut Crème Kisses. I know a lot of people don't like coconut, something about the texture, blah, blah, blah, but I LOVE the white stuff, so I just had to try these!! I snatched them up as soon as they went on sale and I was not disappointed! They are sooo good! Of course, now I'm itching to try all the flavored kisses. Any recommendations?

For some reason, Hershey's has only a limited selection of Kisses on their Web site. To check out the flavors that they feel are worthy of their Web Site, click here.

Swedish Fish: A Friend You Can Eat

While at work last week, a friend of mine e-mailed me these awesome Swedish Fish ads and they totally made my day! I love them! Of course, at first, I was a little confused. Why is that bunny sitting on a toaster pastry and covered with some sort of syrupy substance??? Why is that poor kitty sandwiched between two pieces of bread?? Why is the tagline A Friend You Can Eat????


I was starting to get creeped out until my friend pointed out that the word nej, which appears below the images on the left, means no. Ahhhh . . . the bunny and cat are examples of friends you can't eat, while the candy fish are safe to devour. I get it!! Okay, the A Friend You Can Eat line is still a little weird, but, you know, in a good way.

Actually, Swedish Fish are more animal friendly than you might think. Animal lovers will be happy to know, Swedish Fish are one of the few gummy candies that are in fact vegan! Well, as far as I can tell, anyway! No gelatin in these babies!

Click here to visit the Sweedish Fish Web site where you can check out some pretty funny commercials as well.

Sweet Testing: Lemon Drop Cake

Everyone who visits this site probably already knows how much I love the Baked cookbook! I've gone on and on and on about it in multiple posts and it's not a secret that I've become pretty much obsessed with it! I love it so much that I've decided that I'm not going to stop until I've made every single recipe! The most recent one on my list was their Lemon Drop Cake. Perfect for spring and completely yummy! Everytime I make a Baked cake, I inevitably get a "this is the best cake I've ever had!" sort of compliment and their Lemon Cake earned equally high praise from eaters!

I was feeling a bit guilty about posting recipes from this cookbook, considering that is, technically, someone else's work, and I have only linked to the recipes in the past, as opposed to posting the text. Given that I'm going to be making many more things from this particular cookbook, I checked with Baked co-owner Matt Lewis, who assured me that Baked loves when people write about their recipes and that I was free to "post away!" Yay! No Catholic guilt today!

Happy Easter/Passover/Random Week in April!

More From Baked: Whoopie Pies, Sugar Cookies, Sweet and Salty Cake
Complete recipe after the jump.

Chocolate Goldfish?

Goldfish always remind me of my sister. When she was little, she was addicted to them, much like a crack addict it addicted to, well, crack. So, I immediately thought of her when I saw that Pepperidge Farm has recently introduced three new Goldfish flavors: chocolate, honey, and cinnamon! As far as I know this is the first time that goldfish have swum into the sweet pond (sorry, I couldn't resist!), but I guess now that they've conquered the savory, they've moved on to the sweet! I'm really interested to see how chocolate translates when moved to the hollow, crackerlike fish. Has anyone tried these?? Click here to see all the Goldfish flavors.

Cadbury Egg Flurries: Thanks Easter Bunny, Baulk, Baulk

I recently spotted this piece about different flurries from around the world on StumbleUpon and it got me super excited! It's always fun to see what people in different countries are eating. Just like in the States, many of these flurries are simply composed of ice cream and candy. But, wait, this isn't your regular run of the mill American candy. This is foreign candy!! Who isn't fascinated with the sugar buying habits of our distant relations?? Who doesn't make a beeline for the candy store the minute they step on foreign soil?? Okay, maybe I'm the only one who does that. Honestly, though, I was most fascinated by two very familiar Easter favorites that have found their way into flurries in the UK and Canada: Cadbury Crème Eggs and Cadbury Mini Eggs.

The mini eggs have always been one of my favorite Easter treats and while I've outgrown my childhood love of the classic cream eggs, I'm still extremely curious as to what fake yolk and vanilla ice cream tastes like! Sounds like a future dessert project to me. Click here to see the complete list of foreign flurries.

p.s. In case anyone was wondering, I don't support McDonald's in any way, but I couldn't let this one go without a post!

photo by Gregory Alvangyh

Tord Boontje Cake

I am so loving this cake by designer Kate Sullivan. When I first saw it I thought, that's what a Tord Boontje cake would look like if, you know, Tord Boontje quite his day job and opened a bakery! I later discovered that this cake is indeed called the Boontje Nature Cake, so the inspiration is fully acknowledged by Ms. Sullivan. I know some people are getting rather tired of the whole animal trend, and I've been desperately trying to wean myself off it, but I just can't seem to stop! I'm a sucker for animal designs and I don't know if I'll ever get over it! Anyway, Kate Sullivan has a lot of other great, nonanimal-related cakes over at her Web site, many of which are inspired by artists like Robert Indiana, Andy Warhol, and filmmaker Preston Sturges (see below). There's also the Guggenheim Museum cake, complete with miniature people waiting outside.

Kate's cakes are especially impressive once you discover that she didn't train at some fancy wancy culinary skill, but learned her trade by studying books and by engaging in the art of good old-fashioned practice. See, there is still hope for the rest of us! Click here for more great photos on Kate's Web site.

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!)

High Fashion Candy

I have a confession to make. I actually watch Bravo's Make Me a Supermodel. (Don't judge!) I mainly tune in because I love photography and enjoy watching that whole setup process involved in taking a picture and then getting to see the final image at the end. Really. I like photography! I'm not just making an excuse for why I watch the show! Oh yeah, and there's also the fact that, like a stereotypical chick, I'm into clothes and love looking at pretty dresses, like the one Salome wore in episode two (see pic #2). Gorgeous! Anyway, the photo shoot in last week's episode had little to do with fashion and more to do with . . . candy! All the models were covered with paint and told to "embody" their assigned candy (gumballs, pixie sticks, sprinkles, etc), which was, apparently, quite difficult for many of the models. One of my favorite moments was when one of girls complained that she didn't know what to do with "chocolate" because, well, chocolate doesn't actually do anything. Luckily, not all the models found the task quite so difficult and the winning photo was Jordan's ode to the candy cane, which is seen above.

The photographer that snapped all the sugar-inspired pics in last week's episode, Suza Scalora, is no stranger to working with candy. There are some pics on her Web site that use sweets as props that I actually like better than the photos featured on Model.

If you would like to see more of Suza's work, check out her Web site. To check out the full collection of photographs from the "Pour Some Sugar on Me" episode (yep, that's the title), click here.

Black Hound Bakery Cakes

Black Hound Bakery has the cutest cakes! They look so good and word on the street (okay, word in local newspapers and magazines, like The New York Times) is that they actually taste as wonderful as they look. We all know how often looks can be deceiving and we've all been fooled by a nice-looking cake at one time or another, so it's nice to know that the Black Hound cakes won't break our hearts once we bite into them. I'm especially fond of their samplers, which allow you to try a variety of flavors, without buying the whole cake. Also, if you're an avid reader of ingredients, like me, you'll be happy to know that Black Hound lists their cake components on their Web site and I am happy to report that I could pronounce each and every ingredient listed. No partially this or that in these cakes!

If you're in New York you can stop by their shop to oogle all their baked goods or you can order online by clicking here.

(above: Lemon Blossom Cake, below: checker cake, Classic American Cakes Collection)

Classic Sugar Cookies from Baked

Well, I'm in the process of making my way through the Baked cookbook and I have yet to be disappointed! So far, I have made two cakes (salted caramel and malted milk) and the Baked Brownies. All of which received rave reviews! Last weekend I made the Classic Sugar Cookies, even though the thought of eating sugar cookies bores me, but I really wanted to make something with cookie cutters and sugar cookies are the obvious choice. (Has anyone used cookie cutters on another type of cookie?) These were really yummy, though, so I was pleasantly surprised. The frosting was a little runny and I couldn't manage to get just the right consistency, but it worked out fine. I probably wouldn't decorate them the next time because it's a bit time consuming and the cookies look and taste really nice, just on their own. That said, I have to say, even though my cookies look as though they were decorated by a 5th grader, it was a super fun activity for a Sunday afternoon!! For more information on Baked, click here.

Foie Gras Eclairs, Anyone?

Here's another article that I saw in The New York Times over the holidays and am just now getting around to posting! Fancy food shop Fauchon, makers of some of the world's most unusual éclairs, introduced a new flavor just in time for Christmas last December. Foie gras. Yep, that's right, goose liver, a goose liver éclair covered with hazelnut frosting! Gross! I'm sorry, but this sounds disgusting. On the other hand, I've never eaten foie gras or liver, so I have no idea how it tastes and will admit that I'm basing this opinion on virtually nothing. An expert pastry chef, in this case Fauchon's Christoph Adam, and an unhealthy dose of sugar can probably make anything taste good, probably. If you prefer a little less meat with your frosting, Fauchon has other savory éclairs to choose from, like those stuffed with peas, mushrooms, or curry. Of course, for the less adventurous, there are the sweeter and more traditional chocolate and fruit-filled varieties. To find a Fauchon store near you, click here, and you can check out the New York Times story right here. Quick, do it before the Times and all other newspaper cease to exist.

*On a side note, I love the Mitchell Feinberg photo (above) that appeared in the Times. It makes up for the nauseous feeling I had after reading the text!

photo courtesy of Claire Meneely

Vintage Cake Toppers

I'm having a huge "oh, my gosh, I love these" moment over these candle holders and cake toppers that I found on Etsy. I don't normally like things that rarely get used because they just make me think about how they're going to end up in a garbage dump some day, polluting the Earth. The good news is that these particular pieces are vintage, so I can purchase them guilt free! (Okay, so I still feel guilty about the packaging involved in mail order, but most of that, if not all of it, can be recycled.) These would look so adorable atop your favorite cake or cupcake! Instant crowd appeal, with very little effort!

[Wooden Cake Toppers Candle Holders Zoo Animals ($7); Dancing Teens Cupcake Toppers ($4); Vintage Ballerina Cake Toppers ($5); Little Vintage Flower Candleholders in Pinks Yellow and Red ($3)]

Nestle Toll House Swirled Morsels

photo courtesy of Anna Kashkanova

Okay, I admit it. I don't know when Nestle introduced these swirled chips. It could have been last week or it could have been ten years ago, for all I know. If this is old news to some of you, excuse my delayed reaction, but I'm SUPER excited about them!! In the right dessert, they look so cute! It actually comes across as if you've done something really fancy, when really, all you've done is pour a bag of chocolate chips into your batter. Well, they aren't just plain old chocolate chips, really. Each chip is swirled with either white chocolate, peanut butter, or caramel. From a purely visual standpoint, I like the black and white chips the best. They stand out the most, although I've always had a soft spot for chocolate and peanut butter! If you need some inspiration, Nestle includes a whole slew of swirled-chip recipes on their site. Click here for more pictures/recipes and here for additional information on the chips.

Beatty's Chocolate Cake

photo by Esme McClear

Last week my sister sent me an e-mail that said this:

I just ate an amazing cake my friend Jenny made.

Honestly, I'm always skeptical when people tell me about a cake that they really liked. People get excited about cake. I get excited about cake (mmmm…cake). Cakes have so much potential, but, really, most of the time I just end-up being disappointed by them. More often than not, for me, cake does not live up to its hype. So, when I finally got my hands on a piece of this so-called amazing cake, I wasn’t expecting much. I took a bite before I ate dinner, just to try it, and then I took another taste, and another, and then proceeded to eat the whole thing! It was really good. It's a very tasty chocolate cake and, like I said, I'm a bit of a cake snob! It does have a very slight coffee taste, but you don't notice it after the first bite. I hate the taste of coffee and I was pretty much licking the plate!

The recipe originally came from the Ina Garten's book Barefoot Contessa at Home, but Jenny found it on pete bakes. You can view the complete recipe on Pete's Web site by clicking here. Pete's version is a bit different, so it's fun to view his pics as well!

Jenny made some slight changes to the recipe, which you can find below. Thanks to Esme for taking the beautiful picture!

• For the cocoa powder, I used half hot chocolate and cocoa powder.
  
• I added hazelnuts, toasted them, crushed them, mixed them with sugar and cinnamon, and then pressed the mess to the sides.
  
• I used canola oil instead of veg oil, but I don't think that would make a difference.