Hot chocolate layer cake

I have been in serious baking mode lately. In the past two weeks, I’ve made three fruit pies (testing two different types of crusts), a loaf of bread and the piece de resistance, the Hot Chocolate Layer Cake with Marshmallows (no marshmallows on mine) from an issue of Fine Cooking.  I think this was the EASIEST chocolate cake I have ever made. Literally melt a bunch of stuff over a double boiler then combine with dry ingredients and bake.  I would say if you are going to test this out on your own, make it a double layer instead of a triple layer.  I thought the triple layers were a bit thin, but up to you. Also, I modified the chocolate icing recipe for something a bit simpler (butter, bitter-sweet chocolate, icing sugar and milk) which turned out great and omitted the marshmallows.   I love this cake because it is not overly sweet, but it is extremely moist.  Just ask my taste testers.  I think at least seven people tasted it and agreed how moist it was.

via Fine Cooking Magazine

omg baked goodness

Tonight I attended a great dinner party and to end off the night, was treated to a trio of mini desserts from Toronto bakery, OMG Baked Goodness.  We tried their cheesecake with a ginger crust, a light cheese taste, not too sweet or dense flavour (like a NY cheesecake) and some citrus.  We also tried the apple caramel pie-one word: amazing.  Not too sweet, drizzeled in caramel, oatmeal crumble on top and lots of apples, no junk/gross filling.  Finally we tried a maple syrup type tart- think butter pecan but made out of maple syrup. 

I would recommend this place 100% if you are looking for a place to pick up desserts for a party instead of making it yourself.  The consensus among the seven guests this evening was that OMG Baked Goodness’ mini desserts were better than Dufflet.  Could the queen of dessert have some competition?

Try them for yourself.

raspberry dacquoise

I just found a dessert that would look stunning served at an intimate dinner party or event called a raspberry dacquoise.  I first learned about a raspberry dacquoise from my teacher’s wife who used to cater these things to friends and family in Toronto.  Apparently this was her go to cake and specialty.  She was clearly experienced in making this dessert, she had a photo album and busted out several stunning photos of her accomplishments.  When I spoke with her, she was preparing  dozens of sugar cookies for her daughter’s upcoming wedding and told me how she had baked a huge raspberry dacquoise for her daughter and son-in-law to be’s engagement party.   That conversation must have taken place over a year ago and only now, when I read a blog post on Chocolate and Zucchini about a raspberry dacquoise, did I decided to look into this dessert and blog on it myself.  From my understanding, a dacquoise is a layered/stacked dessert made with meringue and whipped cream or buttercream, served chilled with fruit.   This is a general description of the basic components of the dessert but if you think about it, such a general description is wide open to interpretation.  Therefore, there is plenty room for creativity when constructing this dessert. 

Martha Stewart has a recipe for a mocha dacquoise here while the food network has posted a lemon and fresh strawberry dacquoise here.   A dacquoise looks pretty simple to make but that is me talking from absolutely no experience.  My family and I recently renovated our kitchen and were planning on having a big kitchen warming party in a couple months.  Maybe I’ll test out my dacquoise making skills and share with you my experience! Finally some pictures to tempt your senses and to show you how creative you can get with this sweet.

via flying kiwis

via a merrier world

via st phillips bakery

via chefnini

Sucre

Did I just stumble on a gem of a place: Sucre in New Orleans.

If you are lucky enough to live in New Orleans, you no doubt have stopped by Sucre for one of their many fantastic looking artisanal desserts/pastries/chocolates.  This place truly looks like a one stop shop for all your sweet tooth entertaining needs.  If you live in the US you at least can access their products via shipping.  If you are like me and live in Canada, you can only drool from the border like I am.

view from the exterior

view from the inside

via the cobbled path

Sevva Hong Kong

Look at this beautiful cake store in Hong Kong!  Only in Hong Kong can you find a dessert store so over the top in decor and design.  I am off to Hong Kong this week and have been doing a bit of research into spots I want to visit and this is one is high up on the list.

The shop that caught my attention is called Ms. B’s Sweets and it is part of Sevva (pronounced Savour)  the 13,000 sq ft space restaurant/club, located on the 25-floor penthouse of the Prince Building in Central in Hong Kong.  Sevva is divided into four areas including the  Bank Side, Harbour Side, Taste Bar and the Terrace and Ms. B is part of the complex.   

The picture below is the home of Ms. B’s Sweets where confections are decoratively displayed in glass display cases.  The most stunning part of the store is the huge chandelier, originally designed for the British embassy in Rome in the 1950s illuminates the chamber.

Ms. B’s owner, and the creator of Sevva, is  Bonnie Gokson.   If you are not familiar with this name, look her up.  Her CV boasts a long line of successful creative endeavours in the fashion and luxury goods industry including a stint as Chanel Asia Pacific’s former communications director which has certainly helped Sevva gain lots of attention not to mention her sister is Hong Kong fashion guru Joyce Ma, who brought European style to Asia when she founded the upmarket Joyce Boutiques in the 1970s.

via the cool hunter

Soolip Wedding Event

Soolipis a company out of LA that hosts events for soon to be bride’s and grooms who are looking for inspiration, vendors and a creative cross section of what LA has to offer those in the planning stages. 

I came across this photo on the green wedding shoes blog and had to post it.

Just look at the tired dessert on the right side of the photo!

photo via green wedding shoes blog

Dessert Tables

There is nothing I enjoy more at an event than a creative dessert table.  Often times, people elect to have dessert passed out by servers or use a banal, unimaginative arrangement to display sweets.  Instead, up your ‘end of evening’ entertainment to the next level by incorporating your colour or event theme into the dessert course and it will tempt your guests to indulge.   Take a look at some of my favourite selections below. 

 

Chic white dessert tableMulti-level/texture outdoor tableBlue and chocolate brown themed table