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Taste Test: Cheesecake Factory Cheesecakes

YumSugar — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 16:30:01 -0700

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Ring In the Jewish New Year With Honey Cake

YumSugar — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 14:47:13 -0700

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Cupcakes So Good They'll Make You Hum

partysugar — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 15:18:36 -0700

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7 Unconventional Cupcake Recipes

YumSugar — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 05:50:40 -0700

If you woke up thinking it was merely a typical Tuesday, you were mistaken: today is Cupcake Day! While it's true that the cupcake market has probably reached its saturation point, most of you still admitted you aren't over the cupcake craze. Yearning for something other than run-of-the-mill vanilla and chocolate? Click through for seven unique alternatives.

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Made With Love? 20 Cakes Gone Wrong

TresSugar — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 09:00:00 -0700

You can't have your cake and eat it too, which would be fine by me if I received one of these cake wrecks. Some mean well but were poorly executed (GIPE?) and others . . . well they vary from not cake-appropriate to, yeah, just inappropriate. And while inappropriate can make a party awkward, it can make a website great. Cake Wrecks is the web's finest purveyor of iced-up atrocities, and we've rounded up 20 of the most très terrible cakes out there.

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Celebrate Summer With Ice Cream Cake

partysugar — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 05:50:49 -0700

One of the first things I ever made was ice cream cake. I was 13 and decided that for my 14th birthday I wanted an ice cream cake. Instead of getting one at Baskin Robbins, my best friend and I made our own. It was a surprisingly simple and satisfying success. Essentially all you need is a boxed cake mix, a container of ice cream, and a little creativity. Since July is National Ice Cream Month, it's the perfect time for everyone to experiment with ice cream cake. To inspire you, here are a few of my favorite recipes.

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Coconut Cake Is a Spectacular Finish to Any Meal

partysugar — Fri, 15 May 2009 13:11:50 -0700

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Charm Loved Ones With a Strawberry Layer Cake

YumSugar — Fri, 01 May 2009 11:35:55 -0700

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Taste Test: Sprinkles Vanilla Cupcake Mix

partysugar — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 11:44:36 -0700

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Simple Tip: Line Cake Pans With Parchment Paper

partysugar — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 15:39:15 -0700

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Celebrate Spring With White Cake

partysugar — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 16:58:34 -0700

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An Inside Look at San Francisco's Newest Cake Shop

partysugar — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 14:56:59 -0700

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Hostess-Inspired German Chocolate Cupcakes

YumSugar — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 10:08:47 -0700

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Lemon Custard Cakes Are Lusciously Delicious

partysugar — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 11:58:34 -0800

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Cheers With Gin and Tonic Cupcakes

YumSugar — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 18:29:30 -0800

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Delve Into This Sticky Toffee Pudding

YumSugar — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 11:17:00 -0800

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Guinness Takes the Cake

YumSugar — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 11:41:05 -0800

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Have Your Cake and Beet It Too

YumSugar — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 09:33:40 -0700

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Peachy Keen Pound Cake

YumSugar — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 22:15:43 -0700

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Scrumptious Strawberry Shortcake

partysugar — Mon, 12 May 2008 09:06:32 -0700

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Kiddie Soirée: Cakes for Kids

babysugar — Fri, 09 May 2008 16:37:42 -0700

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Savory Sight: Beautiful Kentucky Derby Cake

eclaireassuch — Mon, 05 May 2008 10:46:50 -0700

Chocolate cake, nutella frosting. My original plan was just to do a circle of red roses like those ones they put on the horses, but then Cody {my boyfriend} found the little plastic horses at the cake store. After Eight Belles died, I knocked one of the little horses over. That was probably in poor taste.

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My Night as a Spanish Pastry Chef

partysugar — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 16:13:33 -0800

Last week, while in Southern Spain, I had the wonderful opportunity to work in a bakery for an evening. Luckily it wasn't just any night: It was Jan. 5, the night that the Reyes Magos - the three wise men - bring Spanish children presents. The typical Spanish pastry that coincides with the holiday, called roscón de reyes or King's Cake, is consumed in mass quantities on the following morning.
I arrived to find the bakery, Confiteria La Piedra Escrita, crowded with people waiting to pick up their roscónes. Pascual, my pastry chef friend, quickly escorted me to the kitchen where his family was hard at work mass producing over 1000 cakes! The rest of the night was a whirlwind of rolled dough and whipped crema.

With spongelike layers and fluffy filling, this cake is a delicious dessert excellent for any occasion. There are four options for filling - whipped cream, chocolate whipped cream, meringue, and crema (a thick sugar-flour custard) - but my favorite is whipped cream. If you ever have one, you should pair with either coffee or champagne. To take a look at a gallery from my adventures in Spanish baking, and for a recipe to experiment in your own kitchen, read more.

Roscón de Reyes
From The Cuisines of Spain: Exploring Regional Home Cooking by Teresa Barrenechea

1/2 cup sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
Minced zest of 1/2 lemon
Minced zest of 1/2 orange
2 1/2 tsp. (1 envelope) active dry yeast
2/3 cup milk, heated to lukewarm (90°F to 100°F)
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 eggs
3 tablespoons orange-flower water
1/2 tsp. salt
3 cups unbleached all purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
olive oil for preparing pan
1/2 cup candied fruits, finely chopped, optional
whipped cream, chocolate whipped cream, meringue, or pastry cream optional for filling

In a food processor or blender, combine the 1/2 cup sugar and both citrus zests and process on high speed until you have a mixture of fine particle. Set aside.
In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast in the warm milk and let stand for about 5 minutes, or until foamy.
Add sugar-zest mixture, the butter, 2 of the eggs, the orange flower water, and the salt and stir with a wooden spoon until all the ingredients are well mixed.
Add half the flour to the milk mixture and mix with your hands until well blended. Add the remaining flour and continue mixing until all the flour is incorporated.
Knead the dough in the bowl for a few minutes until it is smooth, flexible, and no longer sticky.
Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and let the dough rest in a warm spot for about 1 hour, or until it has roughly doubled in size.
Preheat the oven to its lowest setting and brush rimmed baking sheet with olive oil.
Punch down the dough. On a floured work surface, using your palms, roll the dough back and forth until it forms a log about 30 inches long and 2 1/2 inches in diameter. Place it on the prepared baking sheet and bring the ends together to form a circle with a hole in the center 4 to 5 inches in diameter, forming a "crown." Alternatively, divide the dough in half and form 2 logs each 15 inches long and 2 1/2 inches in diameter. Form the logs into 2 crowns on the baking sheet.
Fill an ovenproof bowl with water and place it at the rear of the oven.
Place the baking sheet with the dough crown in the oven. Let the dough rise for about 1 hour, or until nearly doubled in size.
Remove the pan from the oven and increase the oven temperature to 400°F. Break the remaining egg into a small bowl, beat until blended, and brush it onto the crown(s). Scatter the candied fruits evenly over the top(s), if desired, and sprinkle evenly with the sugar.
Bake the cake(s) for 25 to 30 minutes, or until golden. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool on the pan.
Transfer to a serving plate and serve at room temperature.
If desired, carefully slice the cake in half lengthwise. Spread the inside with the filling of your choice and top with the other half of cake.

Makes 1 15-inch or 2 8-inch coil cakes.

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52 Weeks of Baking: Mocha-Cappuccino Marbled Coffee Cake

YumSugar — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 09:18:31 -0800

This week, with all of the gingerbread and holiday baking, I thought it would be nice to make a simple cake to pair with coffee. Many folks have friends and family staying at their house this season and a coffee cake is something that whips up quickly and is perfect to have on hand. It works as a simple breakfast, and is delightful with an afternoon cup of tea. This particular recipe is a coffee-chocolate swirl, although I thought the coffee flavor could be heightened. The crumb is nice and moist, but be careful, there's a small window between perfect and overdone. To get the recipe, read more.

Mocha-Cappuccino Marbled Coffee Cake
From Coffee Cakes: Simple, Sweet and Savory by Lou Seibert Pappas

12 Tbsp (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 large eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 Tbsp instant coffee powder dissolved in 2 Tbsp hot water
2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups sour cream
2 oz unsweetened chocolate, melted

Preheat over to 350F.
Butter and flour a 10-inch Bundt or tube pan.
In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar with a wooden spoon or an electric mixer until light and fluffy.
Beat in the eggs, one at a time, and mix in the vanilla and dissolved coffee until blended.
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir to blend.
Add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture alternately with the sour cream in 2 increments, beating until thick and smooth.
Spoon one-third of the batter into a small bowl and stir in the chocolate.
Spoon 4 heaping tablespoons of the coffee batter into the pan, spacing them apart, then spoon some chocolate batter by the tablespoon into the spaces. Repeat until all the batter is used.
With a knife, swirl through the mixture once to marble the batters. [Note: I felt once was not enough and would do it at least 2 times depending on how deep you are able to swirl the batter.]
Bake for 55 minutes to 1 hour, or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
Let cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then unmold right side up on a wire rack and let cool completely.
Cut into slices to serve.

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