Cakes Posts

A Stormtrooper for Dessert

Stormtrooper Cake Copyright of Oakleaf Cakes

I often watch shows like Amazing Wedding Cakes and Food Network’s Challenge where bakers are put to the test to create ridiculous cakes. But they have all been put to shame by Oakleaf Cakes in Massachusetts who created a 6-foot Stormtrooper cake. As you can see from the picture, it’s pretty intense. The cake consisted of 300 pounds of frosting, cake, and Rice Krispy slabs. I guess one could say Oakleaf Cakes really took the cake! *insert knee slap here*

The cake was created for over 600 sci-fi geeks at the Arisa Sci-Fi Convention in Boston. It took nine people, two weeks of planning and execution, and a little bit of engineering skills to complete the epicness that is this dessert. Every time I see these incredible cakes I always wonder if anyone dares to eat it. It’s just too beautiful and too awesome to cut into. Rest assured that not a piece of cake was wasted. I cannot speak for the other intense desserts though.

Want the recipe? Good luck. It’s a bit past my skills. To create incredible cakes you need a little architecture and engineering knowledge so the cakes do not collapse in on themselves. I recommend an internship with the Cake Boss.

Posted by KristenM in Cakes, Dessert News and tagged with Cakes, dessert, stormtrooper cake

Viniero’s Bakery

I have always loved history and dessert foods, so it makes sense that my all-time favorite bakery has existed since 1894 and has the widest variety of tasty desserts of any bakery I visited (and I make it a point to visit many).

Viniero’s is located at 342 East 11^th Street and 1^st Avenue and has existed within the same building since it was established by Antionio Veniero. The bakery maintains many of its original features, including hand-stamped metal ceilings, specially designed etched glass doors, highly polished wood mirrors. The lavish marble floors have only been restored once in the past 117 years.

As you enter Viniero’s, your eyes are immediately drawn to the huge display case that contains every Italian confectionary of which can conceive, and then some. If you are getting an order to go, you grab a number from the dispenser and wait on the line. No matter what hour of day or night, I have never seen a line that did not reach the door (do not let this intimidate you; the line moves quickly and the pastries are well worth any wait).

If you walk past the display case, you come to the cafe area where you may sit and peruse the dessert menu, which is several pages long. Regardless of the actual sweetness of your sweet tooth, you will be able to find something positively scrumptious to eat (and drink!) at Viniero’s Bakery.

Posted by tarae in Cakes, chocolate, Cocktails, Cold Desserts, cookies, Healthy Desserts, Italian, Recipes and tagged with bakery, Cakes, cookies, fruit tarts

Satiate Your Sweet Tooth at Beauty & Essex

My friend Lana and I like to have biweekly NYC dinner dates; they give us a chance to catch up, try new restaurants and cuisine, and generally revel in each other’s company. Lana is the one who suggested that we go to Beauty & Essex for dinner; she wooed me with the promise of pink champagne!

Beauty & Essex, located at 146 Essex Street somehow manages to have the perfect marriage between edgy and elegant. The entry room is a sort of thrift store for funky and classic jewelry and rock n roll themed memorabilia. The back wall is decorated with over a dozen electric guitars.

The restaurant interior combines rock n roll extravagance with delicate refinement. I have not ordered a burger in a restaurant in approximately 15 years (this is not hyperbole). Yet, after a long day of work, the succulent burger was exactly what I was craving and what my body needed. Even the burger and steak fries were classy. The well-done burger was topped with goat feta cheese and a beefsteak tomato; it was exquisite. The fries were so flavorful that although we used Ketchup, no condiment was really needed.

Pink champagne seems to have been a fallacy, but I was so enamored with the company and location, that I did not mind. Instead, I sipped on N.V. Brut Rose, Lucien Albrecht sparkling rosay wine. Lana ordered Earl the Pearl, which in my humble opinion, and please be aware that I do not even like mixed drinks, is the greatest concoction ever created. It consists of Belvedere Vodka, lemon, mint syrup, and our elixir of life, Earl Grey tea. We topped it off by treating ourselves to a shared piece of scrumptious blueberry crisp. Lana and I thought that the dessert was the end of the evening’s decadence, but when we visited the lounge/restroom we were offered complementary glasses of quality champagne, which we gladly accepted.

Lana and I are already planning our return trip to Beauty & Essex; the combination of fancy and fun perfectly suits our style, and we want to see if they always offer free champagne in the powder room.

Posted by tarae in Cakes, Cocktails and tagged with cake, champagne, Cocktails, restaurant

Cuteness Overload with Alice’s Cakes

Sometimes my inner girlyness shines through at the most unexpected moments. People assume because I can handle myself at a metal concert that I must not find the joy in cat videos on YouTube or in objects that glitter, but I do! And despite not liking pink and frills on anything, I adore the cakes made by Alice’s Tea Cup. Alice’s Tea Cup is a restaurant/cafe based on Alice in Wonderland with three locations in Manhattan. Despite serving scrumptious French toast for breakfast and sandwiches for lunch, they really know how to put together a tasty dessert for your pot of tea.

But if you’re searching for something a little more filling, or rather, something to fill about 12 people, you can order one of their custom cakes. Who wouldn’t want cakes that say “Eat me” on them or with Alice’s picture on it? Pink, turquoise, lavender, these are the girly/spring colors that make every woman squeal, unless she’s to goth to handle. But you can ask them to make whatever design you want, for a little extra money. They even make wedding cakes, which will be awesome for anyone with a Mad Hatter tea party theme!

All I know is that these cakes looking mouth watering good and if their food is any indication for their cakes, you’re in for a real treat!

Posted by KristenM in Cakes and tagged with alice in wonderland, alice's tea cup, Cakes, custom cakes, Desserts, wedding cakes

Peanut Butter In/On/Over Everything

I enjoy sweets just fine. Honestly Oreos or a great thick piece of chocolate cake, maybe a delicious bowl of ice cream. All of these things are wonderful snack all on their own. Nobody could complain much about getting a taste of any of them. But if you are going to offer me a sweet or a piece of candy, no matter what it is, I may just inquire about the presence of peanut butter on the premises. This is because to be honest everything tastes better when it is smothered end to end in gooey peanut butter.

The deliciousness of peanut butter is virtually incontestable. (Save for those with devestating and life threatening peanut allergies, who obviously have never been lucky enough to appreciate the delightful treat.) It’s versatility is also often noted, it can meld beautifully with creamy chocolaty flavor or fruity flavors in equal measure. I once dunked a curly french fry in some peanut butter and was strangely pleased with the results!

During college I would often utilize the protein boost provided by peanut butter as a rationalization that chocolate bar or cake, or ice cream, could be a dinner. It was a glorious time to be sure, and when I dump a bag of M & M’s into a jar o Jif I realize, you can go home again.

Posted by TimD in Cakes, candy, chocolate, Cold Desserts, Dessert Articles, Dessert Ideas, Dessert News and tagged with chocolate cake, ice cream

Low Fat Cherry Almond Pound Cake

By: Mimi Friedman

If you’re like me and really love cake but feel like you’re gaining more calories than you eat, here is a low fat cake recipe that will get you running

This recipe is one of the best low fat cherry almond pound cakes so if you’re looking for something to tingle your taste buds go ahead and try this.

Cherry Almond Pound Cake:

Ingredients: 1 (18.25 ounce) package cherry chip cake mix

1 (21 ounce) can cherry pie filling

2 teaspoon almond extract

2 eggs

1 cup confectioners’ sugar

1/4 teaspoons almond extract

Directions:

1.Preaheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and Lightly flour a Bundt or tube pan

2. Combine the cake mix, pie filling, almond extract, and eggs in a large bowl. Mix thoroughly by hand until well moistened. Pour batter into prepared pan

3. Bake in preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool on rack for 15 minutes; invert cooled cake onto serving plate. Cool completely

4. whisk together the confectioners’ sugar and ¼ teaspoon almond extract in a small bowl. Add drops of water until glaze is drizzling over cooled cake. Spoon glaze over cake.

This cake can be served at any time from a fancy dinner party to a mid morning snack. The first time I served this cake I had all my friends calling me for the recipe the next day and the greatest part was that its only 182 calories. It’s well worth the effort if you decide to try this delicious recipe.

Posted by Sarah in Cakes and tagged with Low Fat Cake, low fat pound cake, low fat recipe

Tres Leches Cake

I love cake.

No really, I LOVE cake and if I could eat it for every meal without developing diabetes, by god, I would. I’ve had many different kinds in my day, some forgettable others memorable, but the cake that has the number 1 spot in my heart is the mexican delicacy, Tre Leches Cake. This moist, sweet, and all in all AMAZING cake really shouldn’t even be called cake. It should be called heaven in dessert form. Admittedly, its a bit of a production to make unless you’re a baking whiz, but follow this recipe and it will be well worth the work once you have the first bite melt in your mouth.

6 large eggs, separated
2 cups granulated sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cream topping:

1 14-ounce can evaporated milk
1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup heavy cream

Icing:

3 tablespoons water
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3 large egg whites
2 cups of ripe strawberries, sliced

To make the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease and flour a 9 by 13-inch baking dish and set aside.

In the bowl of a mixer, beat the egg whites on low speed until soft peaks form. Add the sugar gradually with the mixer running and peak to stiff peaks. Add the egg yolks 1 at a time, beating well after the addition of each.

Sift together the flour and baking powder and add to the egg mixture, alternating with the milk. (Do this quickly so the batter does not lose volume.) Add the vanilla. Bake until golden, 25 minutes.

To make the cream topping: In a blender, combine the evaporated milk, condensed milk, and heavy cream and blend on high speed.

Remove the cake from the oven and while still warm, pour the cream mixture over it. Let sit and cool to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate until well chilled, at least 4 hours or overnight.

To make the icing: Once the cake is completely chilled, in a saucepan combine the water and sugar. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and stir to dissolve the sugar. Cook until the mixture reaches the soft ball stage, 235 to 240 degrees F. Remove from the heat. In a medium bowl, beat the egg whites to soft peaks. While beating, add the hot syrup in a stream. Beat until all the syrup has been added, the mixture cools, and a glossy icing forms.

To assemble: Remove the cake from the refrigerator and spread the icing evenly across the top. Arrange the sliced strawberries across the top and serve!

Posted by Sarah in Cakes, Cold Desserts, Dessert Ideas

Food Porn Fridays: Chocolate-Shelled Chocolate Mousse

Welcome to our new feature, Food Porn Fridays!

The end of the week is not a time for recipes and articles — it’s a time for blue jeans. And porn. Food porn, anyway. Look forward to a new delicious (and sensuous) pic every week, exploring that delicate junction where food meets art, and art meets temptation.

Our first picture comes from Lunch with Front Studio, a blog authored by — appropriately — architects. Missing the chocolate mousse? It’s inside that intricate and hypnotizing chocolate shell.

It almost looks too pretty eat. But we’d like to put that theory to the test.

Posted by Sarah in Cakes, chocolate, Creative Ideas, Dessert Ideas, Food Porn Fridays, Photos and tagged with chocolate, chocolate cake, chocolate mousse, chocolate mousse cake, food porn, Food Porn Fridays

Carrot Cake That’s Actually Healthy?

In the same league as our friend the banana split, carrot cake tends to be healthy in name, not in fact — that is, unless you’re sampling this healthy carrot cake recipe from eatingwell.com. Each serving contains only 342 calories and 17 grams of fat. Not bad!

Ingredients — Cake

20 oz. crushed pineapple (canned)
3 eggs
2 cups carrots, grated
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup buttermilk, nonfat
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup toasted chopped walnuts
1/4 cup flaked coconut, unsweetened
2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. salt

Ingredients — Frosting

12 oz. softened cream cheese, reduced-fat
1/2 cup sifted confectioners’ sugar
2 tbsp. coconut chips or toasted flaked coconut
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Instructions

Set oven to 350°F.
Drain canned pineapple, saving solid fruit and 1/4 cup juice.
Whisk together baking soda, salt, flour, and cinnamon in medium-sized bowl.
In a large bowl, whisk sugar, eggs, buttermilk, vanilla extract, oil, and pineapple juice. Keep mixing until ingredients are blended.
Mix in solid pineapple, grated carrots, and flaked coconut while stirring.
Pour in try ingredients and stir with rubber spatula until lightly blended. Mix in nuts.
Spread batter into 9 by 13 inch pan coated with cooking spray.
Cake for 40 to 45 minutes, until a skewer can be removed cleanly from the center. Cool.
For the frosting, combine cream cheese, vanilla extract, and confectioners’ sugar using an electric mixer until creamy. Spread frosting on cake and sprinkle with toasted coconut.

Posted by Sarah in Cakes, Dessert Ideas, Healthy Desserts, Recipes and tagged with cake, carrot cake, carrot cake recipe, carrots, healthy carrot cake, Healthy Desserts, healthy recipes, Recipes

Depression Chocolate Cake: Surprisingly Uplifting

Circa 1929, most people didn’t have a lot of money to spend on chocolate cake, but that doesn’t mean they didn’t want it. Check out this recipe for a Depression Chocolate Cake from www.chow.com.

And don’t worry — this cake might be cheap, but it’s also delicious!

Ingredients

1 egg
1 1/2 cup flour
1 cup milk
1 cup sugar
3 ounces chocolate, bittersweet
2 tbsp. butter, unsalted
1 tsp. baking soda