yumsugar -- To die for.

Name That Dish!

YumSugar — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 16:15:04 -0800

This past weekend, I made an apple crisp. Pictured below is yet another popular dessert made from Fall's harvest. Do you know what it is?

Yummy Links: Cheater Pints to Sunchokes

partysugar — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 07:45:44 -0700

Beer drinkers beware of cheater pints. — Chow
Chef Eric Ripert invites you to host a seasonal dinner party. — Serious Eats
Learn how to make homemade tofu. — U Handbag
Why you need a cake cover. — Baking Bites
Halloween recipes so good, it's scary! — Epicurious
Jerusalem artichokes, also known as sunchokes, are in season. — The Kitchn

Source

Come Party With Me: Going Away Party — Dessert

partysugar — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 15:00:36 -0700

When a friend moves away, it's nice to let them know how much they'll be missed by hosting a bon voyage fiesta. Keep the theme of the menu — comforting food native to the honoree's new hometown — going with the dessert. Since Kara is moving to Boston, I'll be making this variation of Boston creme pie. These cream-filled cupcakes are perfect: they're crowd-pleasing, individual treats, and Kara can take home the leftovers! To look at the easy recipe that take helps from a cake mix,

Zippy Zesty Lemon Poppy Seed Cake

YumSugar — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 09:07:25 -0700

With the lovely weather of Summer, who wants to spend all day indoors baking? Not me! Thankfully, I came across this sweet and tart lemon confection that is quick and simple. A light, single-layer cake flavored with lemon zest and poppy seeds, this dessert is complemented by a zippy yet sugary lemon glaze.
The perfect fix for any Summer sweet tooth, the recipe would also make a great cupcake for your next picnic or bbq. To learn how to make this sour yet luscious cake,

Yummy Links: From Pizza Crusts to Tap Water

YumSugar — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 06:58:31 -0800

Discover what the top 10 crazy Asian pizza crusts are. — Slice
Learn more about Isaac Mizrahi's favorite cookbooks and kitchen techniques. — 101 Cookbooks
Check out this season's best cake recipes. — iVillage
In addition to being tasty, yogurt is also good for your mouth. — FitSugar
Learn how to make recipe-free Asian broiled tofu. — Chow
These macarons from Paulette look absolute divine. — Hostess with the Mostess
Submit your favorite Easter recipe and win beautiful art for your walls. — Create My Event
Disgusting! A Milwaukee chef is being charged for putting hair (including pubic) in steaks. — Consumerist
In better news, Los Angeles and British Columbia tied for the title of world's best tap water. — Slashfood

Yummy Links: From Cake Pillows to Homemade Cheese

YumSugar — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 08:01:11 -0700

I wonder what kind of dreams you'd have using a sheet cake as a pillow. — CasaSugar
Michael Chiarello shares his crispy twist on Thanksgiving dinner with a recipe for Panko-Crusted Turkey Scaloppine. — Secret Sauce
A new report has sadly linked bacon consumption to cancer. Say it ain't so! — FitSugar
Can you use salted butter for baking? — Baking Bites
Bring fall in to your home with these Fruit-Nut-and-Honey Baked Apples. — Serious Eats
General Mills is recalling 5 million boxes of Tostino's and Jeno's frozen pepperoni pizzas. — Slashfood
Wondering what wine goes well with Thanksgiving? Check out these Thanksgiving wine pairings. — Chow
Want to learn how to make cheese at home? — Apartment Therapy: The Kitchen

Yummy Links: From Creative Lunches to Wild Crabs

YumSugar — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 07:03:12 -0700

Bored of making your kids the same food each day? Check out these creative lunchtime ideas. - iVillage
I'm not really sure you want to know this, but just in case, here's a nutritional breakdown of fair food. 760 calories in a funnel cake?! - FitSugar
Do you know where the best pizza in America can be found? The field's been narrowed down to three finalists! - Serious Eats
Speaking of pizza, things just got a little bit crazier at Domino's. Now they're offering an Oreo Dessert Pizza. - Slashfood
I wish I had the space to collect cake stands. But since I don't, I'll just have to make my own for each party - Apartment Therapy: The Kitchen

How did we all miss an exhibition of artists using chocolate as their medium? - Will Work For Food
Don't let him order the Cosmo. Learn more about the 10 Drinks Men Should Never Order. - Chow
Specialty kiosks will allow you to get recipes while at the grocery store. - Baking Bites
Using a microwave will get you a lovely semolina-banana-coconut cake in under 15 minutes. Now if only I had a microwave... - Culinate
A moving tale about the noise a crab make when it dies. - Culinate

Yummy Links: Yellow Cake with Lemon Curd and Chocolate

YumSugar — Thu, 17 May 2007 08:29:31 -0700

It seems like we can't get enough cake or chocolate around here - which is okay since the entire internet loves to help out. This time it's a gooey, runny yellow cake with lemon curd and chocolate ganache. I hope there's a slice for me. - Everybody Likes Sandwiches

Wedding Cake Trends for 2007

YumSugar — Fri, 20 Apr 2007 16:16:47 -0700

What would Wedding Season be without wedding cake coverage? I mean hello! When I think of weddings, my mind immediately races to images of gorgeous cakes. Each year it seems like the cakes get more and more intricate and more and more amazing. All next week I'll be highlighting lots of different kinds of cakes (groom's cakes, cupcakes, weird cakes, what to look for in a cake, and so on), but to kick things off, I thought it would be cool to find out what the latest wedding cake trends are.

I was lucky enough to speak to three of America's hottest wedding cake bakers - you've seen these ladies on TV and in magazines - and they gave me the lowdown on what's new, what's hot, and what's important. From left to right, the cakes were created by FoodTV favorite Colette Peters, Susan Morgan of the beautiful Elegant Cheese Cakes, and organic cake specialist Edith Meyer.

The first trend on the list is personalized cakes. Edith Meyer said that "Cakes for 2007 seem to be much more personal and less I-saw-this-in-a-magazine." She's even had clients bring in handpainted heirloom china to create on the cake. Another personalized trend is the introduction of the initial monogramming, as well as the return of the personalized cake topper.

This particular cake was made by Edith Meyer from sugar flowers meticulously cut to match the detail of the bride's dress.

To see a few more amazing cakes and learn some more wedding cake trends,

Better Know a Group: Savory Sights

YumSugar — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 12:08:32 -0700

*Drool* You know you're drooling too. How could you not be drooling at this three layer chocolate raspberry mousse cake with white chocolate ganache, raspberries and chocolate shavings on top. This photo was posted by our very own geeksugar in the Savory Sights Group. And today, as part of my Better Know a Group series, I thought I'd take a minute to introduce you to the Savory Sights Group.

You might be asking yourself, how is this different from the other food groups? Well, this one is just for photos (think of it as look book for your food). Go out to dinner? Take a picture and post it for us to share! Have a fantastic meal at a friend's house? Take a picture and post it! See a fancy new product? Well, you get the idea.

Post your hard kitchen work and recipes in another group (such as kitchen goddess or Let's Have a Drink), and post your inspiration here! Join now and get your pictures posted, because we're planning on giving away stuff to our favorite image each month!! To learn how to post to the Savory Sights Group,

Pink Purse Cake: Love It or Hate It?

YumSugar — Tue, 13 Mar 2007 03:19:52 -0700

Look out fashionistas! Now you can have your fancy handbag and eat it too! This bag is described as a "must have" for the fashion forward. Draped in pink fondant, this pink purse cake is a layered Tahitian vanilla bean cake with chocolate fudge and white buttercream. It's not really my style (although it sounds delicious), but I think I can name a person or two who is going to go gaga over it. What do you guys think, is this pink purse cake a must have? Oh and did I mention, it weighs 1 lb 9 oz and costs $150?

Pink Purse Cake: Love It or Hate It?

Love It

Hate It

Undecided

Other - tell us below

Versatile Pound Cake

partysugar — Mon, 05 Mar 2007 16:02:58 -0800

Having a great pound cake recipe in your repertoire is a must for the avid baker. It's highly versatile and can be jazzed up with a ton of different things: chocolate, whipped cream, fresh fruit, syrups, jams, and glazes to name a few. Or you could enjoy a slice of pound cake, in all its simple glory, as an afternoon snack with a frothy cappuccino - like I plan on doing when I make this treat. To make this cake, which is almost as easy as making a cake from a box,

New Meaning for the Term 'Baby-Making'

YumSugar — Wed, 28 Feb 2007 00:01:11 -0800

I know, I know, this one is a bit disturbing, but HOLY COW folks, look at the skill! British sugar artist Michelle Wibowo has more cake sculpting talent in her little pinky than I do in my entire body. This realistic looking baby cake is the latest work from award-winning Wibowo.

Seriously, you must watch the three-minute video of her sculpting this masterpiece. It's crazy impressive - you'd never know that she starts off with a tall rectangular cake base.

And although I'm really impressed, what I want to know is, who's eating this cake? It's so realistic, how could you even begin to put a knife in it?! If, however, you fancy shoving a knife in your own eye, Wibowo will make a replica cake of you - prices start at £85 (around $160).

To check out the video

52 Weeks of Baking: Espresso Cake

YumSugar — Thu, 08 Feb 2007 16:11:42 -0800

Ask and you shall receive.
This week's baking experiment is a delectable four-layer espresso cake that you guys voted for. Unlike some of my other baking adventures, this one was definitely a time consuming treat. The recipe comes from a book called Death by Chocolate Cakes by Marcel Desaulniers, and although the cake came out great, there were still a few things I would change about it. For instance, it calls for dividing the batter into four pans instead of two (and then splitting the layers). I found that this led to drier layers and if faced with this recipe again, I would definitely make two cake layers and split them each in half instead. Also, the cake itself wasn't amazing, I prefer fluffy cakes with a nicer crumb texture. However, the folks I made it for didn't seem to notice, the cake was devoured before the day was finished.

Also, I actually don't drink much caffeine these days and after three bites of this cake, I was crazy wired. So don't eat this one as a midnight snack, okay?

To check out the recipe, complete with step-by-step picture instructions,

Off To Market: Cake Plate

partysugar — Wed, 31 Jan 2007 11:59:47 -0800

I love making cakes especially for birthdays, parties, and special events. I'm not talking easy cakes from a Duncan Hines box, I'm talking about four layer cakes with multiple fillings, glazes, ganaches, frostings, and garnishes. I know when I've made a great cake when the final product takes the breath away from my guests, my mother says, WOW, and my father goes back for late night seconds and thirds. An epic cake of these proportions needs beautiful, mouth-watering presentation. Unfortunately I don't own a single cake platter or cake stand! This problem must be remedied by the time I'm in the mood to make my next cake. I can't be a well respected hostess/cook/food blogger without at least two cool cake plates. It's off to market time! Please scour the web for the most glamorous cake plates/stands/platters around and save them in the Yum Market on TeamSugar. Tag your platters with the keywords, Cake Plate. I am looking forward to seeing what you discover!

Wondering what exactly is the Yum Market? geeksugar has written a quick, easy to read guide to bookmarking on TeamSugar.

For The Princess In All Of Us...

partysugar — Tue, 16 Jan 2007 16:46:56 -0800

On Saturday night I had an amazing dinner with my family for my aunt's 50th birthday. The party was a traveling one, we started with drinks at one house, dinner at a restaurant, and finished with dessert at another house. By far the best part of the night, was the final chapter, the dessert. I'm not saying this because I have a huge sweet tooth and a weakness for desserts, I'm saying it because it was a dessert I had never heard of before, something that I didn't even know existed, something so fabulously wonderful I had to share it with all of you, something called a princess cake. With a name like that, naturally a overly delicious dessert comes to mind. Princess cakes are a traditional Norwegian dessert, a sponge cake with raspberry jam, pastry cream, whipped cream, and marzipan dome frosting. I can't wait to try out this recipe at home and make my very own princess cake! For a cake so good you feel like a princess when you eat it,

52 Weeks of Baking: Week 2 - Apple Muffin Cake

YumSugar — Wed, 10 Jan 2007 16:18:51 -0800

Every couple of weeks we get a big batch of fresh fruit (apples, pears, bananas, tangerines) delivered to the office. People seem to go to town on the pears, tangerines and bananas, but the sad apples seem to accumulate. Last night I noticed that they weren't looking so great and decided that no one was going to eat them in that state. So, in an effort to prevent food waste, I took all the apples home and tried to come up with some way to rescue them. I ended up with 5 small apples (not sure what kind, there were at least two varieties) and one medium sized one (again, not sure what kind).

While I was looking for something to do with them (they weren't in the best state, and they weren't really baking apples either), I stumbled across an interesting looking recipe calling for 5 1/2 cups of apples and decided that it would be a good starting point. To learn how I turned sad apples into a happy breakfast treat,

I Heart Chocolate

YumSugar — Fri, 29 Dec 2006 00:01:01 -0800

Today is National Chocolate Day. Actually chocolate is such a loved commodity that it happens to have three "national days." I'm not sure who comes up with these fun food celebratory days, but I do love observing them.

Although I don't really need an excuse to have a decadent piece of chocolate, it's nice to have one for today. So open up a box of chocolates or if you're in the mood for baking, try out this Quadruple Chocolate Loaf Cake. I made it recently and it was absolutely to die for.

Mad About Mini

partysugar — Thu, 28 Dec 2006 15:46:19 -0800

I'm a sucker for minis. If it's cute and shrunken I want it. Mini sandwiches, mini pizzas, mini Coca-Colas, mini chocolate chips, mini-anything.

There is something about tiny, bite sized goodies that I just can't resist. I know it's selfish, but I like how minis are so small that they can't easily be shared with anyone else. That's why I'm excited about a recipe for mini orange chocolate chunk cakes. Mini cakes, not to be confused with their cousin the cupcake, don't have a paper liner. They look like you have made a large cake and "honey I shrunk" it down to an adorable confection. To make these miniature cakes,

Don't Lay A Finger On My Butterfinger

YumSugar — Fri, 22 Dec 2006 16:29:12 -0800

People ask me all the time, what is your favorite dessert? I hate the question because I never really know what to say. It's too hard for me to decide on just one dessert when I love them all so much. That's why I am dying to make this cake recipe. Chocolate. Peanut butter. Cream Cheese. Butterfingers. Need I say more? To make this heavenly dessert,

Diamonds Are a Cake's Best Friend

YumSugar — Tue, 19 Dec 2006 00:12:36 -0800

Not to be outdone by all of our American holiday extravagances, the Takashimaya Department Store (in Central Tokyo) has unveiled a diamond-studded chocolate Christmas cake! The cake, worth approximately 850,000 dollars, is less expensive than last year's (a marzipan-coated fruitcake coated with a total of 223 diamonds) 1.7 million dollar creation, but looks even more tasty.

The 35 centimeter (14 inch) high cake with a square chocolate base is iced with some 100 diamonds totaling about 50 carats.

"The patisserie who made it said he felt that chocolate and diamonds are what a woman most wants to receive," said [spokeswoman Kiyome] Nagai.

The cake will remain on display until Dec. 25 even if it is sold.

Although I'm not sure who would want to eat it after the 25th. After all I'm sure it will be more than a little stale by then.

Note: The pink cake is last year's cake. The chocolate one is this year's.

Source

Say Farewell to Pumpkin Pie

YumSugar — Mon, 18 Dec 2006 11:13:12 -0800

A few years ago I was looking for an alternative to my family's standard pumpkin pie with Thanksgiving. After searching through piles of recipes I came across this beautiful looking cake in an issue of Cooking Light. It ended up being a perfect blend of delicious pumpkin pie spices and moist cake texture. Although I orginally made it for Thanksgiving, it has since become my favorite cake to bring to parties all holiday season long. Besides, I found it in Cooking Light, so that means I can eat more, right?! For the recipe,