Be still my heart. That's what was going through my head when I first came across these Miette cookies on DesignSponge. It took me all of two seconds to fall head over heels in love with these delightful treats and I knew that I wouldn't be able to resist posting something about them on Dessert Girl!
Click on the image at the top of this post to see a larger, readable version of the recipe card. Click here to check out the full selections at Flowers in May. Thanks, Emily!
Font love started, for most people, back in 2007, with the release of the awesome documentary Helvetica. Who knew that a movie about a font could be so interesting?? Well, it was and typography is finally making it's way into the dessert world. Woo hoo! I especially love the font recipes featured in Sweet Treats - A Typographical Cookbook ($20) by Woodward Design (see below). The first time I caught a glimpse of it, I was instantly hooked. So many creative possibilities! If you're a fan of typography, it's definitely worth a browse. Check out the photos below for more fun ways to work typography into your desserts. {image above: Helvetica Cake}
Sweet Treats - A Typographical Cookbook ($20) by Woodward Design. Slab Serif Black Forest Cake.
Sweet Treats - A Typographical Cookbook ($20) by Woodward Design. Toothsome Typeface Tart.
Helvetica cookie cutters by Beverly Hsu
Nice Cake by Love to Cake
Scrabble Cookies by Peas Love Carrots
Now that Spring is here and picnic season has officially started, I thought it was a great time to share these fun party sandwich loafs that would be perfect for your next picnic/outdoor get together. I will warn you, though, if you ever encounter one of these loafs at a party, please know that although it may look like a delicious cake, it is far from it! A fact that I was actually pleased to discover after spending some disturbing moments wondering what naughty person ruined a perfectly good cake by covering it with olives! I was in fact quite relived to discover that what I thought was dessert was actually a giant sandwich masquerading as a cake.
One of my favorite things about New York is the fact that you can find a bakery on just about every street. I'm not going to lie; it is pretty much the only reason that I would consider packing my bags and moving there permanently. My fondness for trees and peace and quiet would probably prevent such a move, but the fact that I could go to Baked and Momofuku on a regular basis . . . now that would be tempting! It certainly would be much easier than what I do now, which is to try and cram all my NY eating into one long weekend! Food is most definitely on my brain while I'm there, and even when I'm not, like tonight, when I was driving home from work. I seriously spent my rush-hour drive time trying to decide if I want to order the Arnold Palmer cake or the Lucky Charms ice cream at Momofuku! It was while contemplating this important decision when I thought, hey, wouldn't it be fun to ask people about their favorite things to eat and do in New York! I find that the best ideas usually come via recommendations and, besides, I love hearing about people's favorite spots, including the nonfood variety. I mean, you can't possibly spend the whole time eating, can you? [Gramercy Park print by the smile inducing Matte Stephens]
I am such an illustration geek that when Katie Green sent over these illustrations/pictures for her Mixing Bowl recipe, I had a little internal freak out (in a positive way, of course). Illustrations make me sooo happy and these Bakewell Tart drawings by Katie are just perfect! I was also really thrilled, and quite honored, to discover that Dessert Girl is now officially part of Katie's What I Wore Today series, in which she playfully chronicles her daily outfit choices, not in photos, but in illustrations! It's a great, whimsical alternative to all those fashion blogs out there. Here she is making her (vegan) Bakwell Tart for us!
I hope you enjoy Katie's Blackwell Tart! She has assured me that it tastes as good as it looks in the pictures. Oh, and in case you're wondering, Katie used natural uncoloured glacé cherries on her version, which is why they look dark and prune-like instead of red! [click on the image at the top of this post to see a large-print, readable version of the recipe.]
Click here for more info on Katie’s latest projects, including her graphic novel. Also, you can check out her What I Wore series on Flickr, right here. If you're interested in ordering her vegan cookbook, Bake Me a (Vegan) Cake, you can contact her directly. Thanks, Katie!
I’m always excited to hear about what past Mixing Bowl contributors have been up to, so I was thrilled to hear from Laura Ljungkvist about a children's book that she wrote and illustrated titled Pepi Sings a New Song
. The story is about an enthusiastic parrot that roams his neighborhood looking for things to sing about. Among the places that Pepi visits are a music studio, an art studio, and, of course, a bakery! So cute! The book will be released April 20th and can purchased right here. Thanks, Laura!
I had just finished watching Coco Before Channel when I first came across Silvana Ferreira's photos on Etsy. I was already in full French mode after spending ninety minutes in turn-of-the-century France, so it didn't take me long to become mesmerized by Silvana's gorgeous photos of Paris. There's something about her colors that just lures me in, especially the image of the Place des Vosges.
The striking blue of the sky against the red of the building...together the two transport you to a whole different place entirely. I'm a big fan of old buildings, too, so I think that one is definitely my favorite in the bunch, but there are so many other photos that I love, and not all of them are of Paris! She has a lot of beautiful nature photos as well, including some floral images that are just lovely.
Today Silvana is kind enough to be sharing with us a recipe for Very Berry Lemon Mousse, which she made using lemons and mint that she picked directly from her own garden! It sounds like the perfect summer treat! Check out the recipe and photos after the jump to see what it's all about.
You can check out Silvana's Etsy site by clicking here. You can also visit her Website, right here, and her blog here. Thanks, Silvana! 
I think it's safe to say that not everyone is going to love this cake. I'll admit that when artist Andrea Everman emailed it to me, I looked at the first pic and thought, oh, that's sooo cute and then I saw the second photo and my feelings changed to hmmm…it's also kind of disturbing, and then quickly switched back to but, it is clever. My emotions continued to sway back and forth like this for several minutes until I just couldn't take it anymore and had to ask for another opinion! I think it's definitely well done and interesting, but, as an animal lover, I don't know if I could actually eat it! On the other hand, the less emotional part of my brain keeps saying, why wouldn't you eat it! It's just cake! So, what do you guys think of this particular lamb cake or lamb cakes in general??? Clever or disturbing?
For those of you interested in trying this at home, the cake is strawberry and those are cilantro leaves filling in for the grass. Oh, and Andrea is a lovely lady and is going to making us a vegan dessert later in the year, so if you hate this cake, please don't take it out on her! :-) Thanks, Andrea!
I've always been drawn to bold, statement making lighting fixtures, so when my friend Alja posted this beautiful chandelier on Facebook, I was instantly intrigued. It was only after I started reading the text that I realized that this isn't any ordinary light source. It's not made out of glass or plastic, but, drum roll please, gummi bears! Okay, so they're acrylic gummi bears, but the real thing probably wouldn't last very long once the light was turned on! Created by Kevin Champeny of the deign group Jellio, the chandelier is made out of 5,000 gummi bears and takes two months to complete. In addition, only ten of these babies will ever be made, so you will definitely be getting an original piece!
Jellio's Web site also features a number of other dessert-themed furniture, like an ice cream bench, cupcake table, and gummi bear lights. I'm not really sure these pieces would work with my décor sense, but I have to admit, I kinda like the Pop Art feel of that ice cream bench! There’s lots more to see at their site, so click here for more information. Thanks, Alja!
I love Easter, the spring air, the flowers, the bunnies, the Easter egg hunts, and the Easter basket filled with fake grass…and, of course, candy! My favorite Easter candy has changed quite a bit over the years. When I was a kid, I was crazy for Peeps and Cadbury Crème Eggs. As I grew older, I lost my taste for those too sugary treats and and now, when Easter comes around, I start craving Cadbury Mini Eggs and Resses Peanut Butter Eggs! Everyone has their favorite Easter candies and memories, but if you're looking for some new and fun ideas for your Easter table, check out the photos below! {Above: Raspberry-Lemon Easter Cake from The Food Network}
Chocolate Mousse-Filled Easter Eggs by Lauren at Fisher&Paykel. Gorgeous!
Martha Stewart's Springerle Easter Bunny Cupcakes
Easter Bunny Cake by Andrea Meyers. I love, love, love this cake! So cute and retro, like a cake I would have had when I was a wee girl.
Martha Stewart's Easter Paper Chains A super cute and easy way to spice up a simple cake!
Martha Stewart's Sugar-Coated Marshmallow Bunnies. These homemade Peeps made the rounds last year, but I still really love them!
Mini Cheesecakes from Bright Ideas. Again, I really like the old school feel of these. So sweet.
Easter Cookie Purse ($3) by Route 29. I have no idea what these taste like, but I'm a sucker for cute packaging and the illustration on this box is just great!
Someone once told me that buying fancy, and expensive, chairs and couches by designers like Mies van der Roche was ridiculous, when, really, when it comes to sitting, a rock will do just as well as a store bought chair. I don't know if I completely agree with that statement, but I did stop and wonder what he'd think about this particular piece of furniture, which is an exact reproduction of Mies van der Rohe's Barcelona couch. It's a fancy designer couch that you can't even sit on, but you can, at least, eat it . . . because it's a cake! And believe it or not, it sounds like it was actually pretty tasty. ARTINFO described it as "a moist, buttery layer cake with hints of cream, coffee, and liquor buried inside. The pillow was even softer, fashioned from an airy angel food cake spiked with vanilla."
Right about now you may be saying to yourself, wow, that's pretty cool, but why even make a couch cake? Well, this yummy replica was created by artist Leandro Erlich and pastry chef Guido Mogni as part of "cake happening" in New York that was organized by Raphaël Castoriano’s cake-art group Kreemart, which encourages artists to "explore dessert as a medium."
Now, I love this cake and the idea of thinking creatively about food, but anything with the word "happening" attached to it is a little too pretentious for my taste. Personally, I was getting annoyed just reading about the event. I could barely get through the article! That said, if you don't mind the possibility of getting annoyed, and would like to learn more about the "cake happening," click here.
Party Sandwich Loaf by 
image courtesy of 