I love single layer cakes. They have a rustic appeal that I find immensely comforting. Most single layer cakes are charmingly homemade in appearance, requiring no special skills to decorate them. No torting layers, no stacking, no praying you avoid the dreaded buttercream belly around the side of the cake. If you decorate cakes [...]
When life gets busy I turn to easy comfort foods. I am currently working, quite furiously, on my next book. In fact, I just passed the half way point! My work on the book, as well as my trips to BlogHer and IFBC New Orleans, mean that this month I will not have as much [...]
These cupcakes were born of necessity. Originally this batch of cupcakes was intended to be a full fledged cake, but due to my rather appalling laziness the pans I had intended to use were dirty when the urge to bake struck. When I say dirty I mean stuck on, needing a good soak, burnt on [...]
I am the kind of person who appreciates texture. Texture is a make or break for me, particularly in food. Example – I love the flavor of pears but the grainy, sandy texture is a real turn off. On the other hand, a plain hamburger bun is fine, but sprinkled with crunchy little poppy seeds [...]
I’m a bad baker. Over the weekend I discovered, much to my shock and horror, that I had run out of butter. It does not happen often and I actually buy two or three pounds at a time as to have plenty on hand at all times. When I do run out I usually [...]
Oh how I love overripe bananas. I do not often have them, we are prolific banana eaters in my house, but when I do I like to bake them into breads and cakes. So does my husband, so it typically works out pretty well for everyone. This time around I was thinking about peanut butter [...]
Once again, a culinary accident has become something beautiful. I set out, the other evening, to make some chocolate chip banana blondies. One thing led to another (as they usually do while baking) and what emerged from the oven was … light and fluffy?! Filled with despair, since these were not the chewy bars I [...]
I love beer. I know, not exactly shocking if you know me. So many of my recipes are born of the odd craving, and this one is no different. One afternoon, during a particularly stressful day at the office, I found myself craving a nice, stout beer. I was also thinking how nice a slice [...]
I spend a fair amount of time shopping in Asian markets. I love the fresh produce, meat and fish. The whole experience is an adventure for me as I discover new ingredients, flavors and snacks. One of my favorite discoveries are Japanese Cake Rolls. They are soft sponge cake filled with a delicate layer of [...]
I love bundt cakes! I think it is the fact that they could go right out of the pan and need little more than a glaze, or a dusting of powdered sugar, to be ready to serve. Growing up we used to have bundt cakes at most family gatherings. At some point they fell out [...]
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
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