6 Bittersweets

Recreating The Baltimore Bomb (Chess Pie with Vanilla Fudge Cookies)

2013-05-18T19:30:00.000-04:00

I've always enjoyed eating pies, but they've never consumed my daydreams the way cupcakes and macarons have. Perhaps its their rustic appearance and less portable/adorable packaging. Or perhaps its the added step of having to make pastry dough in advance (a pie without a homemade crust is not a pie worth making IMO). Either way, my thoughts rarely turn toward pie unless autumn's on the horizon.

At least that's how it used to be until an unassuming slice from the aptly named Dangerously Delicious Pies (DDP) in DC blew me away at first bite. Its name was The Baltimore Bomb, and I guarantee it's like no pastry you've ever tasted. DDP created The Bomb especially for the city of Baltimore, Maryland, using their famous Berger cookies, which are equal parts vanilla cookie and chocolate fudge. The inspired twist was to suspend these decadent cookies in a traditional Southern chess filling. The fudge melts down to bestow its gooey goodness to the entire pie, while the tangy custard reigns in the richness of the chopped Berger's. I strongly encourage everyone in the DC area to experience the real deal at DDP, but I think this recipe hits pretty close to the mark and captures all the elements that make the Baltimore Bomb Pie so exceptional and addictive =D.

P.S. - Please pardon the mediocre photo! I only had 15 minutes during the workday to grab a shot in front of my office building AND it started raining as soon as I got outside. The taste was fantastic though so I wanted to make sure I had a photo for this blog post to tempt you to try the recipe (please do!).

Baltimore Bomb Pie [Printable Recipe]
Inspired by Dangerously Delicious Pies
Recipe adapted from PinupLifestyle and Ezra Pound Cake's Lemon Chess Pie
Serves 8 to 10

XIAOLU'S NOTES: Please note that most pie crust doughs need to be made at least 1 hour in advance to allow the dough to rest. The crust recipe below can be made by hand with a 2 knives, a pastry cutter, or cool fingertips. You can also easily double the crust recipe and freeze half of it (very well-wrapped) for future pastry adventures =). Although Berger cookies are uniquely delicious, other cookies like chocolate chip cookies or creme-filled sandwich cookies can be substituted for the Berger cookies at 1:1 volume. Those outside of the DC/MD area may want to try this recipe for making their own Berger cookies. I'm hoping to try it myself soon and will update this post with the results.

Dough for Pie Crust (Recipe below OR other single-crust recipe)
2 Tbsp cornmeal
1/2 Tbsp all-purpose flour, sifted
1 1/3 cups sugar
1/4 tsp salt
4 large eggs, room temperature
6 Tbsp (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted
6 Tbsp milk
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 cups chopped Berger cookies (five 2 3/4-inch cookies cut into roughly 1/2-inch squares)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Remove pie dough from the refrigerator. Let sit at room temperature for 5 to 10 minutes in order to soften just enough to make rolling out a bit easier.

Roll out crust dough on a lightly floured surface to a 11 to 12-inch round. Transfer dough to 9-inch pie dish (I used Pyrex) by folding in half and then in half again, then centering and unfolding it over the pie dish. Make sure the dough closely lines the pie dish. Lift the dough at the edges to adjust it if necessary, but do NOT stretch it or it will shrink back when you bake it. Fold edges under and crimp, if desired. Place pan in freezer to chill for at least 20 minutes before baking.

In the meantime, you can make the filling. Whisk together the cornmeal, flour, sugar and salt together in a medium mixing bowl. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Stir in the butter, milk, vinegar, lemon juice, and vanilla. Add chopped cookies to filling, and let sit for about 10 minutes.

Retrieve lined pie pan from the freezer when 20 minutes has passed. Pour the filling mixture into the chilled crust, making sure to distribute the chopped cookies evenly across the bottom. Bake for 45 to 60 minutes or until the pie is golden brown on top, slightly puffed, and almost (but NOT entirely) set. The center should be slightly loose, but it will set as it cools. You may want to check on the pie midway through baking; if the crust is browning too quickly, you can cover the top loosely with foil for the remaining baking time. Remove to a cooling rack. Serve at room temperature.

Pie Crust Dough
Rounded 1 1/2 cups (about 6.8 oz.) all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, frozen then cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 Tbsp shortening, frozen then cut into 1/2-inch cubes
4 to 5 Tbsp ice-cold water

Combine flour, salt, and sugar in a food processor; pulse to mix. Add butter and shortening and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal, with pea-sized pieces of butter remaining. Add ice water 1 Tbsp at a time, pulsing until mixture just begins to clump together. If you squeeze some of the dough in the palm of your hand and it holds together, it's ready to use. If the dough breaks apart, add a little more water and pulse again. Don't add more water than indicated or the crust will be tough. Also, the dough will absorb more flour as it rests, so it's fine if it seems slightly drier than what you'd want to roll out.

Remove dough from machine and gather in a mound on a clean surface. For extra flakiness, flatten small sections of the dough mixture against the table top with the (cooler) heel of the palm of your hand until you've flattened all of the dough once. This technique is harder to describe than it is to do, so I recommend you watch this video of the process. If flakiness is not a priority, you can simply knead the dough very gently into a 1-inch thick round disc. Wrap well in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour, and up to 2 days.

Chocolate Guinness Stout Cupcakes with Baileys Frosting (Happy St. Patrick's Day!)

2013-03-17T00:30:00.000-04:00

Happy St. Patrick's Day, dear readers! It's actually not a big day for P and me 'cause it's a bit like St. Paddy's Day every day around here (lol can you guess what P stands for now? =p). The joke started a few years ago when we went shopping at Old Navy close to a certain holiday. A cute green St. Patrick's Day tee was on sale, so I got it for him with the justification that he could wear it any day rather than just the one and he totally does wear it all the time (yay!). But then again, I just asked if he'd wear it later today, and all I got was a huge eye roll. Don't worry though, I'll keep working on this...I've still a few hours yet.

In the meantime, I want to share a really delicious Irish-themed (by which I mean boozy ^-^) cupcake recipe with you. I have my coworker and friend A to thank for requesting these chocolate cupcakes full o' Guinness stout and Baileys Irish cream. Her repeated guidance as I prepared to make these was "Remember. There is no such thing as too much Baileys!" I agree in theory, but many of you bakers will already know that runny frosting is a bit of a nightmare. I found a happy medium using my special cold cream cheese technique to keep the frosting firm while adding more liquid than usual.

These cupcakes were actually such a hit with P and my coworkers that I only got a single bite of one. So I've decided to use their descriptions rather than my own for this post:

The Boy called these "seriously dangerous" and a combination of "F yea and awesome!"
~~Guinea pig~~ coworker N may have moaned a little while eating his cupcake.
Coworker B called these the "best thing ever!"
Coworker C, who works in Pricing, when asked if the cake was moist enough drew me a bell curve showing me that on a scale of 1 to 100 (completely dry to terribly moist) with 50 being the ideal level of moistness these cupcakes were a 48.

On a side note, I'm a crazy perfectionist so I tweaked the cake recipe in response to his feedback. Hopefully the recipe below makes a perfectly moist 50-worthy cupcake now.

Coworker N liked the cupcake and was kind enough to be my hand model for the photo above (thanks!!).

Now if those reactions don't get you running to the kitchen, I don't know what will! I truly do hope you'll give these a shot. Either way, hope you all have a fantastic (and safe) St. Patrick's Day!

Chocolate Stout Cupcakes with Baileys Irish Cream Frosting [Printable Recipe]
Cake adapted from Barrington Brewery via Bon Appétit
Makes about 27 cupcakes

XIAOLU'S NOTES: Unfortunately, my cold cream cheese technique for making this frosting really requires the power of a stand mixer. If you only have a hand mixer, I'd recommend omitting the cream cheese from the frosting and increasing the amount of butter to 1 3/4 cups. I didn't think of this until it was too late, but a ganache filling would be a great addition to these cupcakes. For example, this one over on Annie's Eats sounds fantastic.

1 cup PLUS 2 Tbsp (9 oz.) stout beer (such as Guinness)
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
3/4 cup (60 g) unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably Dutch-process), sifted
2 cups (8.8 oz.) all purpose flour
2 cups (14.1 oz.) sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
2 large eggs, room temperature
11 Tbsp sour cream
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Baileys Irish Cream Frosting (Recipe below)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease the top of two or three standard 12-cup muffin pans (I use 2 pans and 3 standalone paper baking cups). Line pans with 27 baking liners.

Bring stout and butter to a simmer in heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add sifted cocoa powder and whisk until mixture is smooth. Let cool at least 8 minutes. Whisk flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt in large bowl to blend. In a measuring cup, whish the eggs, sour cream, and vanilla together well.

Add the stout-butter mixture to the dry ingredients, and immediately whisk just until the batter is mostly smooth (no more than 1 minutes and small lumps are fine). Next, add the egg mixture and mix just until evenly incorporated.

Distribute batter evenly among baking cups, filling each about 2/3 full. When finished, slam the pan evenly and firmly downward from 2 inches above the counter to force out any large bubbles. Bake for 16 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Remove from oven right away, let cool for 5 minutes, then transfer cupcakes to a wire rack to finish cooling. Once cupcakes have cooled completely, pipe or spread on frosting. Enjoy!

Baileys Irish Cream Frosting
3 1/2 cups (14 oz.) powdered sugar
1 1/4 cups (2 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
6 to 8 Tbsp Irish cream (such as Baileys)
8 oz. (1 block) full-fat cream cheese, COLD and cut into 6 to 8 chunks

Sift powdered sugar into a small bowl. Using a stand mixer, cream the butter, and 1 1/2 cups of the powdered sugar until thoroughly blended and fluffy. Add another cup of powdered sugar along with 3 tablespoons of Irish cream, then mix again until evenly incorporated. Add the remaining powdered sugar, the rest of the Irish cream, and the vanilla. Mix until evenly incorporated.

Now turn the stand mixer to medium high speed (about 6), then add the COLD cream cheese, a chunk at a time, waiting at least 5 seconds after each addition so the mixer has time to incorporate it. Finally, turn the mixer up to high speed and beat for 1 minute until smooth. But be careful to avoid overbeating or the cream cheese may start to break down and become gloppy. Keep in a cool location and try to use within 30 minutes since the frosting will begin to soften as the cream cheese warms up.

Sunday Favorites!

2013-03-03T21:30:00.000-05:00

I've been sick as a dog for the last week, but managed to rally enough this weekend to spend some time with my best friend visiting from NYC. Thanks for coming, N! Sorry I couldn't be a better host this time, but I promise to make it up to ya when I'm better =)...

Hope you all had fun weekends as well. And here are some lovely sounds and images to end it on a high note!

Shrimp Fresh Spring Rolls from Shoot to Cook

Mushrooms and Soup Photographs by William Meppem

Cottage Cheese Peach Strudel Bars from Dolce Vita

Chocolate Cake from Pratos e Travessas

Chinese Steamed Dumplings Photograph from The Marion House Book

Chocolate Cake Balls/Truffles Photographs from Cintamani

Cinnamon Kringle Coffee Ring from World on a Fork

Fresh Pasta with Greens Photographs from Dietlind Wolf (Stylist)

Owl Cake by The Cake Whisperer

Red Wine-Poached Cherries on Ice Cream Photograph from Dario Milano

Lettuce Rice Soup Photography from Sheri Giblin

Origami Lotus Flower by Fish and Lotus (Etsy Seller)

Wheek Wheek! (Guinea Pig Cake Tutorial)

2013-02-25T23:55:00.000-05:00

I had a Work Hard, Play Hard kind of weekend and I'm gonna be honest with you, my body just can't bounce back like it used to in college! In fact my head's pretty mad at me right now for not going to bed 2 hours ago lol. But I had to type up this post now 'cause I couldn't wait another second to share my first carved cake with you! My good friend E is a guinea pig lover (and proud mama to 6 adorable ~~lumps of flesh and fur~~ piggies), so I volunteered to make a guinea pig-shaped cake for her big 3-0 party this weekend. I was pretty scared to carve a cake for the first time, but I'm so glad I went for it because (with P's help) I was able to make something we all found super-cute. I looked at a LOT of cake versions of this adorable rodent and EVEN MORE photos of real pigs before settling on my own path. Kinda really hoping not to see another guinea pig photo for a few months, as cute as they may be...

Nonetheless, I wanted to share some notes (before I forget!) on how I made this cake in case any of you have pig-lovers as friends/family/clients/selves. Wish I'd thought to document the initial cake carving/spackling process, but I'm hoping the 3 pre-buttercream shots below are still helpful. If you have any additional questions about how I made this Wheek-tastic cake, don't hesitate to leave a comment or shoot me an email!

Guinea Pig Carved Cake
Makes one approximately 11 x 5 x 5-inch cake

12 or 14-inch Cake Drum (sturdy base board)
Three 8-inch square cake layers
***I made 1.5x batch of my favorite chocolate cake with 1 extra egg and 1/3 cup less coffee
Chocolate Buttercream
Vanilla Buttercream
Black, Brown, Yellow, Pink and Green gel OR powdered food coloring
Spatula (for frosting between cake layers)
Sharp Knife for Carving
Piping Bags (optional)
Medium Paintbrush (used for food ONLY, with coarse bristles for best texture)
LOTS of Paper Towels
Gumpaste (for eyes, ears, and nose)
Vegetable Oil (for painting the eyes)
Smaller Paintbrush (for painting the eyes)
Wilton Tip #233 (or other grass piping tip)

I started off by cutting, filling, and stacking my cake layers with chocolate frosting to make a 10 x 5 x 4-inch rectangular cake. Crumble any leftover cake into crumbs and combine with enough frosting to make an easily moldable material for spackling the cake. (If you've ever made a cake pop, this is essentially what goes into cake pop fillings.). Chill rectangular cake for at least 30 minutes, then start carving! Use back and forth motions with a sharp knife to cut away small pieces of cake at a time. I just looked at a LOT of photos of guinea pigs (including my friend's actual pigs) and became familiar with their shape from different sides. To start with, you'll want to smooth out all the top corners and carve more toward the middle to create a subtle "waist" between the main guinea pig body segments. I'm not great at thinking in 3D, so this part was nerve-wracking when I thought I could only cut away. BUT (and you can call this cheating but I won't care =p) once I started using the mixed paste of cake crumbs and frosting as spackle, both building up the shape and cutting it away, I was able to just have fun. The angle, size, and shape of the head also stumped me for quite a while, so I just kept building up the cake "butt" with more spackle haha. So if you noticed that this (pig) baby's got some back, the credit/blame falls squarely on these here shoulders...**cheeeeeesy grin**

If you find the cake getting too soft to carve well, simply stick it back in the fridge for 10 minutes to firm up again and then continue working. When you're happy with the shape, chill the cake again to set the shape. While you're waiting on that, reserve about 1/2 cup of vanilla buttercream, then divide up and color the remaining chocolate and vanilla frostings to make the shades you want for the fur. I used black gel food coloring to darken chocolate buttercream and a mixture of vanilla frosting, chocolate frosting, and brown and yellow gel colors to create the lighter shade of brown fur on the pig.

Now's also a good time to color the 1/2 cup of vanilla buttercream reserved above a vibrant grass green for later. I used a combination of gel and powdered food coloring. Cover and set aside for later.

Once the cake has been chilled enough, it's time to add the fur-textured buttercream. I spent as much time figuring out the best way to do this as I did studying guinea pig shapes (is it just me or do those both make me sound ultra cool?? and not weird at ALL). The keys to getting a fur-like look with buttercream are (1) to use a paintbrush (one reserved for FOOD use ONLY) with somewhat coarse bristles, (2) to apply the different-colored sections from the back of the cake toward the head, and (3) to wipe your brush off VERY well whenever it touches more than one color at once.

To first get frosting on to the cake, I piped it in squiggles across the desired area (see above image) using a piping bag with its end snipped off. Then I went back over the area with my brush to smooth down the frosting. Now go back again and make long strokes with your brush over the entire area in the direction of natural hair/fur growth (use photos of real animals as the guideline). Be careful not to touch the brush to frosting of other colors outside of the one area you're working on at the time.

The most important part of this technique IMO is getting the borders between areas of different fur color to look right. Too distinct and it doesn't look like fur; too blended and it gets messy real quick. You always want to pull the brush in the natural direction of fur growth (usually from head to toe). So keep your (clean!) brush fairly flat (close to parallel to the cake surface) and pull the color slightly downward from the first section to the next.

IT IS CRITICAL not to touch your brush again to the cake right away. To avoid unrealistic smearing of colors, you'll need to wipe your brush clean with a paper towel between each stroke. Once done, you simply repeat this process for distinct section of fur, moving upwards on the pig "body" until you reach the head.

Once you've finished painting on the fur, it's time to make the eyes, ears, and nose from gumpaste (I used fondant+tylose). Color your gumpaste a pink-ish flesh tone using brown and pink gel coloring. The eyes are simply half-spheres that I rolled by hand. The ears are approximate circles (also hand-shaped for the most natural look) that were bent/ruffled slightly and left to firm up for 15 minutes. The nose was pretty basic with added indentations for nostrils. You could make these in advance, but they also dry enough within 30 minutes that it's fine to make them as you go.

Due to the important of the buttercream texture, you want to insert these in the right place the first time. The ears are probably most forgiving to adjustment, but the eyes and nose are much less so. The ears and nose were brushed over with some additional buttercream "fur" since they would be at least partially fur-covered in nature. I used the same fleshtone gumpaste for the eyes as for the other features and was slightly worried about getting them opaque black and shiny, but that turned out to be the easiest part of the cake lol. I simply mixed a little black gel color on a plate with a drop of vegetable oil. AFTER eyes have been inserted onto the cake, use a finer paintbrush to apply this to the gumpaste eyes. The water-based gel color and oil won't look like they're mixing on the plate, but I think it looked awesome once applied (see below).

Last but not least (cause I definitely had to cover up some messy frosting near the base of the cake!), fit a piping bag with a grass piping tip, and pipe a comfy patch of grass for your piggy friend to chillax on. Make sure there's no gap between the base of the cake and start of the grass. You may have to tilt your piping bag a lot at the beginning to accomplish this, but it's essential to giving the impression that he's "on top of" the grass.

Hope you enjoyed these tips -- if you use them to make any cake, even if it's not a guinea pig, I'd love to hear your feedback AND see a photo of your work. Cheers, X.

Modern Cake Decorating Tutorial with Edible Wafer Paper

2013-02-21T00:00:00.000-05:00

Stunning Wedding Cakes (above and below) by Hey there, Cupcake!

It's obvious from my favorites posts that I've fallen truly and deeply in love with cake decorating during the past year. One aspect of this creative community that really draws me in is the amount of openness, sharing, and instruction that goes on between professionals and hobbyists, experts and complete n00bs such as myself. This exchange occurs constantly through Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, countless blogs, and devoted forums such as Cake Central and Cakes Decor. And such support among artists is the reason many of us novice decorators have had the courage to try daunting designs like this extended tier cake I made for my company's holiday party and the carved guinea pig cake I'm about to make for a friend's birthday.

Many professional decorators are not only generous with their advice, but are also releasing full tutorials for their coveted techniques (some for purchase but many for free)! It's become a common enough occurrence that I started praying for one from the first moment I saw these stunning Hey there, Cupcake! cakes using die-cut edible paper (above and below photos). Edna De la Cruz of Design Me a Cake turned out to be my knight in shining armor with her tutorial created for Edible Artists Network Magazine. Please check out her step-by-step on using craft punches with edible wafer paper to decorate your cake HERE!

This is an especially exciting technique for those of us without Silhouette or other die-cut machines yet don't have the delicate touch and patience to cut these patterns by hand. Any Martha Stewart craft punch will work, and there're so many beautiful ones to choose from. I've already purchased the Double Arches Punch Set used to create part of the Hey there, Cupcake! designs above. The Optic Dot Edge and Deco Shells punches are also on my caker's wishlist but I'm trying not to be toooo much of a shopaholic (for now...). Also, if you're interested in making chic edible paper flowers like those in the top photo, Paul Bradford offers a tutorial for similar flowers as part of his online Sugarcraft School (£9.95/month).

I hope at least some of you find these tutorials as interesting as I do, and Happy Caking to all of you!

Tutorial for Using Craft Punches with Edible Images by Design Me a Cake

A Day Late OR 364 Days Early? (King Cake Cake Pops!)

2013-02-13T22:00:00.000-05:00

I know Mardi Gras was technically yesterday, but can you really blame me for wanting to keep the party going? I made these King Cake^2 Pops for a birthday celebration at work today. And based on 100% statistically sound exit polling, these treats would be a welcome offering year-round =p. The filling is a 6 Bittersweets original cake full of sour cream, raisins, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cream cheese. Dressed up in a slim candy coat and sparkly colors, these are my most party-ready cake pops yet! I suggest you grab on to any excuse you get to make these, whether it's Mardi Gras, a birthday, or even just Hump Day =).

King Cake Cake Pops [Printable Recipe]
Makes 20 to 25 cake pops

XIAOLU'S NOTES: It's fastest and easiest to use your hands to work with the cake mixture, so wash up and dig in! If you've never tried cake pops before, be prepared for a creamy, truffle-like consistency inside rather than a texture just like regular cake.

King Cake-Inspired Cake (Recipe below)
1/2 cup cream cheese or more, as needed
1 lb. (about 454 g) candy melts OR white chocolate chips/bark
1 to 2 Tbsp shortening (preferably trans fat-free)
20 to 25 paper lollipop sticks (I use 4-inch/10-cm sticks)

1/3 to 1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 to 1 1/2 cups sugar (sanding is preferable but granulated is fine)
Yellow, green, and purple gel/paste food coloring

Mix 1/3 cup of cream cheese into the crumbled cake with your hands, breaking up the cake as much as possible. Try to press and roll the mixture into a ball about 1 1/4-inches in diameter. If the mixture is too dry to make a smooth ball, continue adding and kneading in the cream cheese 2 tablespoons at a time just until the mixture will form a smooth ball.

Line 2 large baking pans with non-stick silicone mats or parchment paper. Roll/press the cake mixture into balls 1 to 1 1/4-inch wide and weighing and about 28 grams each. (You want to press enough that the ball holds together when dipping later, but don't compress the cake too much or it will expand later and crack your candy coating.) Repeat until the remaining cake mixture has been used up (you should have between 20 and 25 balls), setting all the balls on one of the lined pans.

Place candy melts into a heatproof bowl and microwave at for 1 minute on medium-high heat. Stir well, then continue microwaving at 30-second intervals on medium heat, stirring between each, until the mixture is mostly melted and smooth. Continue stirring (but without beating which will add unwanted air bubbles to your coating) until the mixture becomes completely smooth. Dip the end of each lollipop stick into a little melted chocolate and insert halfway into the middle of each cake ball. Transfer pan to the refrigerator to set the chocolate and firm up the cake balls (this is an important step that prevents cake balls from falling off the stick during dipping). Remove from the fridge after 10 minutes, and allow to warm up again for at least 5 minutes (dipping too-cold pops is main cause of cracked coating later on).

Meanwhile, microwave your shortening on high for 1 minute, then add 1 tablespoon to your melted candy coating. Stir gently until evenly combined (if any streaks of shortening remain, they will be visible in your cake pop coating). Push a spoon down into the coating, and it should meet little resistance. If coating still seems too thick, add and mix in additional melted shortening (1/2 Tbsp at a time) until it's thin enough.

Fill a clean, DRY mug with the melted coating up to 1/2 inch from the top. Dip an entire cake ball straight down into the melted candy coating until it is completely covered, and remove it in one straight upward motion. (If you stir it around, it is very likely that the ball will fall off the stick and you’ll be very upset, trust me =p.) Make sure the coating extends to the base of the lollipop stick. This helps secure the cake ball to the stick when the coating sets. Once you lift the cake pop out of the coating, immediately turn the pop so that the cake ball is pointing upwards.

There will be extra coating still on the cake ball that you need to remove. Hold the cake pop in one hand and use the other hand to gently tap the first wrist. Rotate the lollipop to allow the excess coating to drip evenly back into the mug, but never let the stick tilt too far down or the ball may fall off. If too much coating collects at the base of the lollipop stick, you can wipe the excess off with your finger. When most of the extra coating has dripped off, turn the cake pop over again so that the ball is down and the stick is up. Place the pop with the cake ball side down onto the second lined pan, making sure to set the pop down so that the stick points as straight up as possible. Repeat with the remaining cake balls. If the coating in the cup gets so low that you cannot easily submerge the whole cake ball, add more coating to the cup. Let all cake pops dry completely at room temperature or quick-set them in the fridge.

To make the colored sugars, divide total sugar evenly between 3 bowls. Add a drop of gel coloring into each bowl. Preferably wearing gloves, use your fingers to rub the color into the sugar until evenly distributed. Make sure to wash your fingers between each color. If the color isn't saturated enough, add 1 or 2 more drops. Try to avoid adding more than that since too much moisture may start dissolving the sugar or making it clump together.

To decorate the cake pops with colored sugars, brush patches of the cake pop surface with corn syrup and then sprinkle areas with syrup generously with the sugar of your choice right away. Brush more of the cake pop surface with corn syrup and repeat the process with different colored sugars until the sides are covered all the way around. Let set for at least 1 hour, then enjoy!

King Cake-Inspired Cake
1 1/4 cups (5.5 oz.) all purpose flour
Scant 1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 tsp active dry yeast

5 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
3/4 cup sugar
Rounded 1/2 tsp unsulphered molasses
1/2 cup milk, room temperature
1/3 cup sour cream, room temperature
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
Scant 1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
1 large egg, room temperature
3 Tbsp rum OR orange juice-soaked raisins, chopped
3 Tbsp pecans, lightly toasted and finely chopped (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9-inch cake pan generously with butter. Sift the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and yeast into a large mixing bowl; set aside.

Whisk the melted butter with the sugar, molasses, milk, sour cream, vanilla, and lemon zest. Whisk well. If the butter starts to solidify again, microwave on medium-low power for 1 minute and whisk again until everything is liquid. Add the egg, and whisk immediately and well to incorporate.

Pour the liquid mixture into the flour mixture and whisk immediately to combine. Whisk until combined -- a few small lumps in the batter are fine. Add in chopped raisins and pecans, and whisk again just until evenly incorporated. Pour batter into prepared cake pan, then bake for 25 to 30 minutes OR just until a toothpick inserted near the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove from the oven, and let cool just until comfortable to the touch. Remove any hard edges, crumble and transfer the rest of the cake layer into a sturdy gallon-size zipper-lock bag OR to a large mixing bowl. Seal/cover cake until ready to use for pops.

Tuesday Favorites

2013-02-12T19:00:00.000-05:00

I'm a bit short on time today as I've got work work as well as some baking work to do tonight on top of being on the tail end of the bug that finally caught up to me this weekend. Hope you guys had a better weekend, and take a few minutes to feast your eyes on the work of the incredibly talented folks below!

Hyperrealistic PENCIL Portrait by Kelvin Okafor

Sculpted Snake Cake (included in honor of the Chinese Year of the Snake) =D by Innicka Dee Cakes

Double Chocolate Heart Cupcakes from Sugar and Snapshots

Poppy Flower Cake Pops by Sweet Lauren Cakes

Watercolor Painted Flower Cake by Dessert Queen

Chocolate Cookies with Dulce de Leche from Call Me Cupcake

Chocolate Caramel Rum Cake Photograph by Bakers Royale

Soup Photographs by Food Thru A Lens

Stunning Wedding Dresses by Krikor Jabotian

Green Tea French Macarons from Just Another Day

Seared Tuna with Shaved Vegetable Salad Photograph from Martha Stewart Living

Ombre Lace Dahlia Wedding Cake by Amelie's Kitchen

Latest Music Obsession (Tegan and Sara "Love They Say")

2013-02-11T19:57:00.002-05:00

In light of some heavy news both P and I have gotten about our grandparents in the last few weeks as well as in light of Valentine's Day this week, I thought I'd post one of my favorite songs from the new Tegan and Sara album, Heartthrob, that's keeping me upbeat =). Hope you all had a great weekend!

Sucré King Cake Winner!

2013-02-06T22:09:00.003-05:00

Thanks to everyone who entered the Sucré King Cake giveaway! The randomly selected winner is Athena of Athena Plichta Photography (comment #42)! Congrats and please look out for my tweet and email me your mailing address ASAP!

Big, Fat, Chewy, Perfect: The Best Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

2013-02-05T22:45:00.000-05:00

I rarely use the word "perfect", and never in reference to my own baking (being my own worst critic and all...). It's a term too often used to describe the generic and mundane rather than the extraordinary. But it's also incredibly subjective with meaning that varies as much as the individuals that use it. So when I tell you that the GIF below is 100% how I reacted to my first bite of these thick and chewy gluten-free chocolate chip cookies, I want you to understand that I'm not using the word frivolously =D. And lest you think this an exercise in self-congratulations, I openly admit to making only minor tweaks to an already incredible recipe by Alanna of Bojon Gourmet.

While I'm aware on some level that multiple types exist, the only CC cookies that my brain registers are crisp around the edges, chewy in the center, oozing with melted chocolate chunks, and bursting with a flavor akin to butterscotch. All of us who share this concept of Cookie Nirvana as well as an interest in gluten-free baking owe Alanna a huge debt of gratitude. With some slight tweaking of the types/proportions of grains, she's created a GF cookie that stays chewy in the center, spreads like a wheat cookie, and is equal or superior to any CC cookie I've ever tasted (conventional OR GF)! For you skeptics out there, know that all my ~~guinea pigs~~ coworkers loved these, and not one could tell they were gluten-free.

In this day and age I'm willing to bet that most of you have had reason to contemplate gluten-free cooking. Whether you're baking for a friend with celiac disease or just experimenting with alternative grains, I'm confident your search for The Best (Gluten-Free) Chocolate Chip Cookie will be over as soon as you whip up a batch of these. And being a gift that keeps on giving, I wouldn't be surprised to see other GF cookie posts popping up soon using this base as the starting point...I truly hope you enjoy this "perfect" recipe as much as I have and would love to hear about your results if you try it!

P.S. - I didn't use any ole pecans for these cookies, but Jumbo Raw Georgia Pecans I received from Oh! Nuts. Although I did receive these for free for my holiday baking, I can honestly say (and have said before on this blog) that I loved and paid for their products long before they ever offered me free samples. There's so much to love about Oh! Nuts that it's hard to know where to start. First, there's the incredible taste and freshness. These pecans are huge, fresh, and have a hint of natural sweetness that makes them addictive right outta the bag. Speaking of the bag, I love that all Oh! Nuts products come in a sturdy bags that stand upright, are resealable, and have a window in the front so you can easily identify the right product in your pantry later. Anyway, I'll stop gushing as you surely get the point by now. Oh! Nuts is a wonderful supplier of bulk nuts and candy, and I can't recommend them and their products enough! =D

Perfect Big, Fat, Chewy Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies with Browned Butter, Sea Salt, and Pecans
[Printable Recipe]
Adapted from Bojon Gourmet and Alice Medrich
Makes sixteen 3-inch cookies

XIAOLU'S NOTES: This dough needs to rest for at least 3 hours before baking, so please plan accordingly! It also scales up very well (I made a double batch my first time). Sweet/glutinous rice flour, such as Mochiko brand, is stickier and more finely ground than other rice flours. These qualities are important to the texture of these cookies, so do NOT substitute sweet rice flour with regular rice flour. You'll find it in any Asian grocery as well as in the Asian or gluten-free sections of many supermarkets. If all else fails, you can also order it in bulk online. I wasn't actually baking these cookies for anyone with a severe gluten allergy, but if you are, you'll want to purchase oats/oat flour that's specifically labeled gluten-free. While the current consensus seems to be that oats themselves don't contain gluten, regular supermarket oats are usually processed on the same machinery as gluten-containing foods and thus are NOT truly gluten-free. I ground my own oat "flour" using my coffee/spice grinder. It took about 15 seconds and couldn't have been simpler. Don't give in to the urge to use chocolate chips for these -- chocolate chips have ingredients added to help them keep their shape at warmer temperatures. Chopped chocolate gets wonderfully melty and is more likely to stay that way as the cookies cool. Chopping your own chocolate will also create large chunks, thinner flakes, and even some chocolate dust that will mix into your dough wonderfully to enhance the flavor and texture even more.

1/2 cup (1 stick; 4 oz.) unsalted butter
1/2 cup (3.5 oz.) packed dark brown sugar
6 Tbsp (2.7 oz.) granulated sugar
1 large egg, room temperature
3/4 tsp vanilla bean paste OR pure vanilla extract
2 3/4 oz. (about 6 Tbsp) sweet white rice flour
*NOTE: Sweet white rice flour is also known as “glutinous” white rice flour. For these cookies to be “perfect”, you MUST use an Asian brand (such as Mochiko) OR at least a brand known to be ground super finely (such as Authentic Foods). But please note that Asian brands are much more affordable 8p.
2 oz. (about scant 1/2 cup) gluten-free oat flour
1/2 oz. (about scant 2 Tbsp) tapioca flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/3 tsp salt
1/4 tsp xanthan gum

5 to 6.5 oz. semisweet OR bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup (2 oz.) toasted pecans, cooled and coarsely chopped (optional)
Flaky sea salt, to garnish

To prepare the cookie dough, melt 6 tablespoons of the butter in a small saucepan (preferably with a light-colored bottom) over medium heat. Continue to cook, swirling occasionally, until the butter turns golden and smells incredibly fragrant, about 5 to 10 minutes. When the butter starts to foam up, watch it very closely. There should be brown bits (NOT black) on the bottom of the pan when it's ready. Brown butter turns to burnt in what feels like a millisecond, so remove the pan from heat as soon as it looks ready. Immediately put the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter into the pan and swirl gently until it's completely melted.

Place the sugars in a large heat-safe mixing bowl, then pour the browned butter mixture in while it’s still hot and stir thoroughly. Let cool, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, sift together the flours, baking soda, salt, and xanthan gum (oat flour tends to be clumpy). Set aside.

Whisk the egg and vanilla into the sugar mixture until well-combined and emulsified. Use a sturdy wooden spoon to stir the flour mixture into the sugar mixture until well combined. Next, continue to stir vigorously for 45 seconds. (The dough should firm up during this time, and the additional mixing activates the sticky power of the xanthan gum to produce chewier cookies.) Stir in the nuts and chocolate until evenly distributed.

Cover the dough, and chill in the fridge for at least 3 hours and up to 2 days until ready to bake (dough can be safely frozen for even longer).

To bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and take the prepared dough out of the fridge/freezer. Line 2 large cookie sheets with parchment paper or non-stick silicone mats.

As soon as the dough has warmed enough to scoop (it should still be quite firm), scoop it into 1 1/2-inch wide balls (just under 3 tablespoons; this scoop in size large works well for me). Place the balls onto the prepared cookie sheets, spaced 2 inches apart. Crumble a little bit of flaky salt over the top of each cookie.

Bake the cookies about 9 to 12 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through. When the cookies are ready, the edges should be just starting to brown, and the tops should be puffed all over with soft centers that collapse when gently touched with a fingertip. The centers will look wet under a thin surface of dry, cracked-looking dough. They will still look underbaked at this point, but they're not. This IS how they should look -- the cookies will firm up after leaving the oven from being cooked by residual heat and then from cooling down.

Remove the cookies from the oven. If they look too puffy, slam the pan straight down on the counter 2 to 3 times to deflate them a bit. Let cookies cool on the pans for 15 minutes, then transfer them to cooling racks. Enjoy right away OR cool completely and store in an airtight container at room temperature for later. The cookies are best within 2 days of being baked.

Sunday Favorites

2013-02-03T15:00:00.000-05:00

It's been a somber weekend as my YeYe (paternal grandfather) finally passed away after suffering a set of serious strokes 3 years ago. He never got out of the hospital bed since the strokes. I'm fortunate to have been able to spend time with him about 2 years ago when I went back to visit, and I'm glad he's probably had the chance to say goodbye to everyone at this point and vice versa. We will certainly miss him, but I hear that our family back in China is able to focus more on the positive things we want to remember about him at this point. I'm sad not to be able to attend his funeral, but my dad's on his way back now and will bring the best wishes of all of us who can't make it. As I was just telling my friend, I'm doing okay but I've still lost so few people close to me that it definitely hits me still. Just the concept of having someone being gone forever (no offense to anyone who is, but I am not religious) is still so difficult to grasp. I think I'm more sad for my little sisters growing up without our grandparents than for myself. I'm sure we'll keep their spirits alive through stories though =).

On a happier note, I felt like this would be a good time to restart my Favorites posts and focus on some joyfully beautiful things that are in our world. As pretty as my picks are, I don't just post them for looks. I save the works that inspire me from all sorts of artists to serve as a constant reminder of what's possible to make with our mind and own 2 hands if we just set the mind and heart to it. As you surely have noticed, I've developed quite a passion for cake decoration in the last year, and I need to remember to practice practice practice to hopefully reach the level of these artists I admire one day. As usual, I hope you feast your eyes on these wonderful works!

Stunning Wedding Cake with Glittery Stripes and Peony Flowers by The Cake That Ate Paris

Vanilla Tea Photograph from Alicia Buszczak (Stylist)

Baking Ingredients Photograph from Ingwervanille

AMAZING Nautical Wedding Cake (Photograph by Green Tree Photography; Cake Artist Unknown)

Chicken Rice Noodle Soup from My Cooking Hut

Baklava Bars from The Pretty Blog

Pomelo Drink from Sarie Magazine

Bruleed Baked French Toast from Bakers Royale

Wedding Dress-Inspired Gold Lace Wedding Cake by Blissfully Sweet Cakes

Feather Flower Brooch by Jewel Box Ballerina (Tutorial can be purchased from her Etsy store)

Chinese New Year Cake by Bloom Cake Co.

Paper Quilling Art by Yulia Brodskaya

Strawberry Whole Wheat Tart from Inside the Bag

Peacock Wedding Cake by Sugarbelle Cakes

A Taste of New Orleans! (Sucré King Cake GIVEAWAY)

2013-01-30T23:50:00.001-05:00

New Orleans has always intrigued me with it vibrant culture, dynamic music, and flavorful foods. And quickly approaching is one of the times of year that the city shines its brightest -- Mardi Gras! Sadly I won't be able to make it down this time 'round, but I was delighted to hear that I could experience at least one integral part of the tradition right here in my home. And so can one of you! =D

It turns out that Sucré, whose French macarons I've been coveting for quite some time, also makes a killer King Cake (a must at any Mardi Gras celebration!). It's gotten praise from The Times Picayune, Washington Post, and New York Times, among others. If you're among the uninitiated, a King Cake consists of buttery sweet danish pastry filled with cinnamon and cream cheese then topped off with a vibrant array of colored sugar. A trinket (usually a small plastic baby) is also put in each cake. The person who finds it is then dubbed King or Queen for the day and said to receive good fortune for the year! That person then has the duty to pay it forward by throwing another party and serving a King Cake. How. Fun. Is. That?! So the point of all this is that Sucré has generously offered to provide one of their award-winning King Cakes (feeds 8-10) to one lucky 6 Bittersweets reader just in time to throw your own local mini-Carnival!

~~This giveaway will remain open for 5 days and is limited to addresses in the continental US.~~ To enter, do as many of the following as you want and leave a separate comment for each thing you do! Please also make sure to leave me your email address to contact you if you win. ~~The giveaway will close on Tuesday, February 5, at midnight, and the winner will be announced shortly thereafter!~~ This giveaway has ended -- thanks to all who entered!

Tell me your favorite New Orleans, Mardi Gras, or King Cake experience if you've had one.
Visit Sucré's online store, and share your favorite treat in the comments.
Like Sucré on Facebook, then leave a comment telling me you did so.
Follow Sucré on Twitter, then leave a comment telling me you did so.
Subscribe to this blog, then leave a comment telling me you did or already do.
Follow 6 Bittersweets on Twitter, then leave a comment telling me you did or already do including your Twitter name.
Tweet about this giveaway including a link to this post and tagging @6bittersweets, then leave a comment telling me.

P.S. - Don't like relying on the whims of Lady Luck? Sucré will take/ship out orders of King Cakes until February 11, and don't forget to check out their nommy macaron selection too while you're there!

Sunday Favorites and a Few Free Cookbooks!

2012-11-25T17:00:00.000-05:00

Happy (belated) Thanksgiving! I hope all my US readers had a wonderful holiday surrounded by LOTS of good food and loved ones. I definitely did and am so THANKFUL for the people in my life right now. Since P's schedule (off work at midnight on Thanksgiving and back to work at 4 am on Black Friday) ruled out our usual tradition of driving to see his family, I did my best to create a little feast for us as well as my mom here: P's favorite tomato vodka pasta, scallion cheddar biscuits, steamed broccoli with hollandaise sauce, dijon mustard lemon roasted potatoes, Mom's celery mushroom wheat gluten stirfry, and tiramisu served in individual glasses.

In support of the holiday spirit (and to prevent my apartment from exploding from the pressure of too many unused cookbooks), I've decided to give away 4 cookbooks that are gorgeous and have gotten great reviews, but that I simply don't see myself using to full advantage anytime soon. To keep things simple, I'm giving these away on a first come, first serve basis, and I'll pay for shipping within the continental US. Simply comment with the title you want to enter. Limit 2 cookbooks per person, but feel free to name an alternative in case your 1st choices are taken.

1. Fresh in Summer by Alastair Hendy (Photography by David Loftus)

2. The Essence of Chocolate by John Scharffenberger and Robert Steinberg

3. Holiday Cupcakes by Annie Rigg (Photography by Kate Whitaker)

4. Heirloom Baking with the Brass Sisters by Marilynn and Sheila Brass

Food Photography Favorites

Apple Pecan Whole Wheat Scones from Naturally Ella

Blue Poppy Cake by The Fondant Flinger

Savory Autumn Leaf Pies from Martha Stewart

Buttermilk Pancakes with Blueberries and Spiced Maple Butter from The Food Dept

Purple Artichokes Photographs from At Down Under

Ruffled Wedding Cake by Wow Factor Cakes

Lemon Curd Trifle and Heart Sugar Cookies from Sweet Paul Magazine

Grilled Bok Choy with Braised Mushrooms from Food and Wine

Parsnips Photograph from Virginia Spilucchino

Black Ruffled Wedding Cake with Metallic Sugarveil Lace by Victoria Made

Pumpkin Nut Streusel Muffins with Cream Cheese Filling

2012-11-14T20:45:00.000-05:00

With all the treats I bake, I have to admit my standards are getting higher and higher. And considering the 7 pounds I've put on since starting this job, maybe that's really not a downside =p. Either way, where this is going is that I knew these muffins were winners when even I found myself going back for seconds (and barely resisting a third!). The blogosphere is awash in pumpkin muffins these days, but there's a great reason for that! Pumpkin's not only quintessentially fall in color and flavor, it's also packed with nutrients and keeps your baked goods incr-edibly moist! A hint of rum in my cream cheese filling and the crunch of pecan streusel set my pumpkin muffins apart from the pack. Give these a shot, and I guarantee you'll be going back for more...=p.

Pumpkin Nut Spice Muffins with Cream Cheese Filling [Printable Recipe]
Adapted from Annie's Eats
Makes 11 muffins

XIAOLU'S NOTES: Filling needs to chill for at least 1 1/2 hours, so plan accordingly. Cooled muffins can be sealed in an airtight freezer bag and frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw then reheat in an oven at 350 degrees F.

Filling
3 oz. cream cheese, softened [low-fat is fine]
1.5 oz. (Scant 1/3 cup) powdered sugar, sifted
1/4 tsp unsulphured molasses
1/3 tsp pure vanilla extract
Rounded 1/2 tsp dark rum (optional)

Topping
3 Tbsp sugar
3 Tbsp flour
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
2 Tbsp unsalted butter, cold and cut into 6 pieces
2 Tbsp walnuts OR pecans, lightly toasted and finely chopped (optional)

Muffin Batter
1 1/2 cups (6.75 oz.) all purpose flour
1 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 Tbsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg
3/4 tsp ground cloves [1/3 to 1/2 tsp if freshly ground]
1/2 tsp ground ginger
Large pinch of ground cardamom
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda

Scant 1/4 tsp baking powder

2 large eggs, room temperature
3/4 cup PLUS 2 Tbsp sugar
1/2 Tbsp unsulphured molasses
1 cup pumpkin puree
6 Tbsp vegetable oil
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

To make the filling, combine all filling ingredients in a medium bowl and mix well until blended and smooth. Transfer the mixture to a piece of plastic wrap and shape into a log about 1 inch in diameter. Smooth the plastic wrap tightly around the log, and place on a plate wide enough to hold the entire log straight and flat. Transfer to the freezer and chill until at least slightly firm, at least 1 1/2 hours.

To make the topping, combine the sugar, flour and cinnamon in a small bowl; whisk to blend. Add in the butter pieces and work into the dry ingredients with a fork or your fingertips until the mixture is coarse and crumbly. Add in chopped walnuts and mix to distribute evenly. Transfer to the refrigerator until ready to use.

To make the muffin batter, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease top of standard muffin pan, then line with 11 paper liners OR skip the liners and grease the cups. Sift dry ingredients flour through baking powder into a medium bowl and whisk to blend; set aside. In a separate large mixing bowl, combine ingredients eggs through vanilla. Mix on medium-low speed or by hand until blended. With the mixer on low speed, gradually add in the dry ingredients, mixing just until incorporated.

To assemble the muffins, fill the muffin cups just under full with batter, then sprinkle a small amount of the topping mixture over each. Next, remove the frozen log of cream cheese filling from the freezer, slice into 11 equal pieces, then quickly place a slice of the cream cheese mixture into each muffin cup.

Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees F, then bake the muffins for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean from the upper muffin part (avoid the cream cheese). Let muffins cool in pans for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack. Let cool COMPLETELY before serving (the cream cheese filling will be very hot!).

Saturday Favorites

2012-11-10T23:30:00.000-05:00

I have a long weekend due to Veterans Day this week! Especially since I work for a veteran-owned company right now, the courage and sacrifice of those in service is never far from our minds. Just want to take a moment to thank all of those who dedicate their lives and risk their safety to keep us secure. We are so grateful for them, and I'm glad to have the chance to give back through several charities our company's working with this holiday season =).

The extra long weekend is a godsend as it's giving me a chance to grab some much-needed sleep (hopefully to avoid catching that cold that's going around these days...), catch the new Bond movie with P (really excited about Skyfall!!), and check out all the new music and food posts I've gotten so behind on. My blog reader is probably at least twice as huge as you'd imagine, but there's just so much inspirational stuff out there that I always look forward to taking it all in and showing you all my favorites. Hope you fall in love with these like I have!

Upside-down Clementine Cakes from Drizzle and Drip

Sea-colored Wedding Cake with Gold Branches by Cake Opera Co.

Apple Pie from Paulina Kolondra

Roasted Vegetable Salad with Poached Eggs from Everyday Food

Feather Cake by The Caketress

Royal Icing Bird Cookies by Nelle Cakes

Red and Gold Dragon Wedding Cake by Cakes by Konstadin

Fava Beans and Pumpkin Seed Pesto from Indian Simmer

Gold and Blue Wedding Cake with Peacock Feathers by The Wedding Cake Shoppe

Pomegranate Meringues from Manger

Chocolate-dipped Nut Bites from Gourmande in the Kitchen

Lemon Parfait with Pear Chips Photograph by Reetta Pasanen

Caramel Bananas with Dulce De Leche Ice Cream from Cuisine Magazine

Happy Halloween!

2012-10-31T23:50:00.000-04:00

Hope you all had a fun (and safe) Halloween! Between Hurricane Sandy and coming down with a cold, I didn't go all out this year like I did last time. But I did manage to add a gorily festive touch to these fluffy Coconut Cupcakes with Chocolate Filling and Frosting by splattering them with red-colored simple syrup. I usually need to put my personal stamp on recipes, but this super versatile white/yellow cake recipe from Beyond Buttercream is perfect as is. I followed her directions for a coconut variation, and it was a thing of beauty. For a cupcake version, fill liners 1/2 to 2/3 full (this batter rises a lot) and bake at 350 degrees F for 19 to 22 minutes or just until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out mostly clean (moist crumbs are okay; wet batter means it needs to bake longer). Since my chocolate frosting has my personal spin, I will post the recipe below. Enjoy!

I know I've been out of the blogging loop and haven't been visiting your sites as much as I'd like to, so I'd love to hear about your Halloween or just about how you've been in general in the comments below!

Dark, Rich Chocolate Buttercream Frosting [Printable Recipe]
Makes enough to frost at least 2 dozen cupcakes

2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
4 to 5 cups powdered sugar
Large pinch salt
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
5 to 8 Tbsp milk, half and half, OR heavy cream
1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract

Sift the cocoa powder, powdered sugar, and salt into a large bowl. In another large mixing bowl, cream the butter using an electric mixer. Alternate adding the sifted mixture (1 cup at a time) with adding the cream, mixing well between each addition. Once all the powdered mixture and 5 tablespoons of the milk have been incorporated into the frosting, turn the speed up to high and continue beating until a light, fluffy texture is achieved, at least 2 minutes. [Since the frosting will significantly lighten in color as it's beaten, you will need to scrape the sides of the mixing bowl carefully to ensure the darker portions are mixed in to make a uniformly colored frosting. Add more cream or powdered sugar if you want to thin or thicken the frosting. Use finished frosting right away to frost cooled cupcakes or cakes. If not using right away, frosting can be covered and stored at cool room temperature for at least 2 days. However, you may need to re-beat the frosting briefly if it's been siting a long time.

Celebration Cake (Yellow Layer Cake with Milk Chocolate Ganache)

2012-10-11T21:30:00.000-04:00

When it comes to yellow cake, fluffy and moist are where it's at in my book. But sometimes I just can't deal with all the crumbs that break off the second I apply frosting. Especially in planning my first ever multiple-tiered cake, I knew I'd need a yellow cake endowed with a touch more strength and structure than my current go-to. I get enough baking anxiety without adding collapsing cake tiers to the not-so-little list of horrors! Luckily my favorite white cake recipe had a yellow cake (egg yolk) variation built right in! A double batch was just right for the 2 tall tiers pictured above (5 x 4 inches and 8 x 5 inches), and the cake came out nicely firm without sacrificing moistness or flavor.

Yellow Cake with Milk Chocolate Ganache and Covered in Fondant

Surrounding each cake layer was a generous coating of milk chocolate ganache (I used Trader Joe's Pound Plus bars, which are just $5 for 17.6 oz. and taste seriously amazing). I recommend a milk chocolate-to-heavy cream ratio of 2.8 or 2.9 to 1 so that the ganache will set up firmly and provide a sturdy, smooth (and decadent) base for your fondant covering. And I calculated the total amount of ganache needed using this awesome tool called The Ganacherator. Now if you've read anything about fondant, you'll have heard that a cake covered in fondant will only look as good (read: smooth and straight) as the buttercream or ganache underneath. This is absolutely true, and ganache is much easier to learn with as it will set really firm at room temperature (unlike buttercream). Making celebration cakes is really an art-form and I've got a long long ways to go (as evidenced by the elephant skin, not-quite-straight sides, and drooping of the corners in the above cake). But for anyone interested in going down the rabbit hole, I've shared some of my favorite video tutorials below of ganaching, covering, and smoothing the fondant to get a clean professional look to your fondant cakes. I hope this helps the other beginners out there, and I'd love to get feedback on improving my fondant work from any cake experts out there! Cheers!

Making Ganache for Decorating Cakes by Inspired by Michelle

Covering a Cake in Ganache with Smooth and Straight Sides by Inspired by Michelle

Rolling out Fondant, Covering, and Smoothing a Ganached Cake by Planet Cake

Smoothing Cake Covered in Fondant to Get Sharp Edges by Inspired by Michelle

Sunday Favorites

2012-09-30T22:30:00.000-04:00

Hope everyone's been well! Here are my favorite songs/photos from the last...well it's been like a month, hasn't it? *Sheepish grin* well I've been baking plenty but it's been the basic flavors that aren't so exciting for orders or old favorites for work. I'll be doing a pretty big cake for improving my own skills this week, so I hope to have that to share with y'all soon. Have a great week!

French Macaron and Cotton Candy Wedding Cake by Ms. B's Cakery

Bean Chili with Walnuts and Chocolate from Green Kitchen Stories

Hand-Carved Ganache Chocolate Wedding Cake by Sweet Ruby Cakes

Egg Drop Soup from eCurry

Okra Gumbo Stew with Blue Crabs and Shrimp from Food & Wine Magazine

Cherry Almond Cupcakes Photograph by William Lingwood

Heirloom Tomatoes for Tomato and Burrato from The Jewels of New York

Gumpaste Dahlia Flower Tutorial from Lulu's Sweet Secrets

Cake with Gold Leaves and Branch by Connie Cupcake

Peaches and Cream Crepes from The Blender

S'mores Eclairs from Bakers Royale

Homemade Cheese and Mango Photographs by Anna Williams for The Voracity

Asian Risotto Balls with Sticky Mango Chili Sauce from Cook Republic

Monday Favorites!

2012-08-20T20:00:00.003-04:00

It's only Monday and already been a long day leading into a long week, but I thought I'd force myself to take a quick break to share these gorgeous cakes and other food photos that I've been stockpiling. I've just got to power through the rest of this month, then I promise some exciting new treats and recipes will be shared! For starters, I'll be making a much belated birthday cake for 3 amazing years of 6 Bittersweets. My mind's been set on white chocolate cake with raspberry ripple for a while, and I'm gonna have some fun with the decorations. Suggestions are welcome in that area. In the meantime, enjoy these soothing sights for sore eyes and hungry bellies =D.

Wedding Cake with Golden Royal Icing Details via Style Me Pretty

Savory Sandwich Layer Cake from Mrs A in the Cove

Mini Black-bottom Cheesecakes with Cherries Photograph from Janne Peters

Gold and Bronze Wedding Cake by Sweet Sensations

Plum Galette Photograph from A Little Sussy

Blue Wedding Cake with Fuschia Flowers by Sweet Disposition

Mango Sorbet from Spoon by The Kitchen Finesse

Tree Trunk Cake by Wild Orchid Baking

Summer Berry Cake from Call Me Cupcake

Tomatoes for Caprese Salad from La Buena Vida

Peach Wedding Cake with Gumpaste Flower Spray by Bakermama

Rosemary Garlic Roast Chicken from Goboroot

Bibimbap with Tofu and Picked Vegetables from Green Kitchen Stories

Mushrooms Photograph from Lee Malan

Stunning Handpainted Watercolor Wedding Cake by My Sweet and Saucy

Monday Favorites

2012-07-30T21:30:00.007-04:00

Hi guys -- I'm still here! Sorry to be MIA again lately, but it's a bit of an understatement to say that my life has been kuh-ray-zeeeee lately! It's gonna be at least another few days before I can return with my first recipe in who knows how long, but I thought I'd go ahead and share the food photography and music favorites I've nonetheless been saving up in my spare moments here and there. Below you can also find a quick phone snapshot of a strawberry and vanilla cake I baked this week for a Hello Kitty fan's 7th birthday this week! I didn't have the chance to meet Kara directly, but I sure hope she liked her strawberry-loving kitty ^-^.

How've you all been? I've really missed our interactions and can't wait til things calm down to get back on track.

Ampersand Mosaic Wedding Cake by Blissfully Sweet Cakes

Basil for Snickerdoodle Cookies from Desserts for Breakfast

Nautical Wedding Cake by City View Bakehouse

Cherries for Cherry Ginger Chutney from Indian Simmer

Ombre Buttercream Wedding Cake with Bird Toppers by Sugar High Inc.

Roasted Peach Sherbet Cones from Always with Butter

Key Lime Pie from Dolce Vita

Snickers Profiteroles from Bakers Royale

Winnie the Pooh Cake by It's A Cake Thing

Upside-down Plum Cake from Red Star to Lone Star

Cute Flag and Button Cake by Cakeology

Stunning Green and White Lace Wedding Cake (Using Sugarveil) by Rachel5370 (Cake Central)

Sweet Baptism Treats for Baby Warren!

2012-07-09T22:30:00.002-04:00

Moon, Stars, Angel, and Lamb Baptism Cake for Baby W's Christening
Inspired by This Cake by PhoebeCakes
Photography by John Manansala

Hi there! Hope you all have been keeping cool if your area's as hot as our's (up to 108 degrees F at one point this weekend!). My new smartphone keeps buzzing me with heat advisory alerts. Even without any heat from baking, AC on full blast, everything dark, and 3 fans on, we were sweating like crazy. Please (oh please) do tell me that the summer heat's simply peaked early. Because if it turns out summer hasn't even brought out its big guns yet, I may not last the season =p. *Starts hummin' tell me lies, tell me sweet little lies...

The actual point of this post isn't actually to whine about a little temperature hike but to share some treats I made for an actual baby =p: my very first fondant cake as well as pistachio French macaron pops and decorated cookies to celebrate the christening of my friend P's little boy! I'm absolutely delighted for his entire family and can't wait to see how quickly Baby W grows in the coming year.

Pistachio Macaron Pops for Baby W's Christening
Photography by John Manansala

The inside of the cake consisted of 3 moist coconut cake layers, freshly chopped mango and mango curd filling, and silky coconut Swiss meringue buttercream. But to tell the truth, most of my attention fell to its outside. Covering my first-ever fondant cake was both exciting and a bit terrifying! I'm quite happy with how everything turned out, but I did have some issues with cracking and definitely have a lot to learn about handling fondant. Now that I've worked with it myself, I'm doubly impressed with all the smooth-sided, straight-edged cakes I see online! Even though I've watched just about every Youtube video that exists on covering cakes with fondant, I think it's one of those things that you have to learn by doing to a large extent. With my first wedding coming up soon, I've already ordered more fondant to practice with.

Hope you enjoy seeing my first fondant effort and other baptism treats and would welcome any tips or favorite fondant brand/recipe recommendations you might have to share!

Angel, Cross, and Sweet Lamb Decorated Cookies for Baby W's Christening
Photography by John Manansala

Sushi Earrings Giveaway Winner!

2012-07-05T22:00:00.000-04:00

Thanks to everyone who entered the sushi earrings giveaway! The randomly selected winner is Nami of Just One Cookbook (comment #12)! Congrats and please look out for my email about the details of your prize =D!

Guest Post: Introducing SPACIOUS

2012-07-02T23:55:00.007-04:00

Especially in light of the recent hardship to hit the DC area, I'm proud to share with something incredible that's come from our region. SPACIOUS is an inspired collaboration between Joey Katona (a former-coworker friend of mine) and the lovely and vibrant, Cary Umhau, who's my honored guest today. Their organization is all about unexpected meetings that turn out fabulous, so I had a lot of fun making some uniquely sweet and tangy red velvet pomegranate cupcakes for its custom flavor. Please give some love to the newest addition to the 6 Bittersweets Menu and to Cary as she shares the story of SPACIOUS as well as our cupcake collaboration!

Cary Umhau (SPACIOUS Founder and Creative Director)
Photography by Julie Wan

Xiaolu has a gift for putting together unusual flavors in her cupcakes, and that’s why I asked her to create a custom flavor for my social venture, SPACIOUS, after we’d ordered and enjoyed her wares at a couple of our events.

I thought it’d be fun to write about how I see her creativity as a damn tasty metaphor for what we do. I’m excited to be a guest-blogger here at 6 Bittersweets.

SPACIOUS is the brainchild of two people who – on the surface – couldn’t be more different. Joey Katona and I run it together, and although I’d dreamed about it for years, it came together only after Joey and I became close. We have a friendship that began online and grew in person. We found that in spite of a 28-year age gap, different faiths, genders, lifestyles and cultural backgrounds, we share many points of resonance and love doing things together. In a world where people generally stick to their own demographic, our unorthodox friendship enlarges both of us, and we see a rich opportunity to bring together different worlds to create a better one through what we’re doing together.

Joey Katona (SPACIOUS Co-Founder and Cultural Catalyst) with 6 Bittersweets mini cupcakes at the
"Bring or Be Your Own Kid" adult recess event this spring

We create custom events that are fun and facilitated for deeper connections so that people can meet others they might not meet while doing something they might not do. Examples of our events have been BYOK (“Bring or Be Your Own Kid,” an adult recess with pie-throwing), Everyday Improv, a Blank Canvas Day where we created art as we did in childhood, field trips to the American Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore and to a racism exhibit at Smithsonian Natural History, and a walkabout in Central Park with a location-specific app created by Bluebrain, an ingenious brother duo, to name a few.

I also consult so that businesses and organizations can have more fun, creativity, generosity and connectedness in their programming and staff dynamics.

There’s such a trend these days of sticking to those people we already agree with, of only socializing with people like ourselves. Yet so much happens when we hear new perspectives, consider others’ experiences, and contemplate the fact that there’s more to a person than the external cues would tell us.

So although chocolate loves vanilla frosting, and carrot cake generally sticks with cream cheese frosting, and lemon seeks meringue, our SPACIOUS flavor is red velvet with a surprise pomegranate filling, topped with Swiss buttercream.

And Xiaolu created it, knowing that Joey and I are as different as can be, but that we love hanging out together and with others with the knowledge that people who might not seem like they’d enjoy each other really will find resonance, given the right facilitation and atmosphere. And then great things will happen as barriers fall and people connect.

Subscribe to our site for weekly updates. Come join us at an event. Or order some of these cupcakes!

Sunday Favorites

2012-07-01T19:00:00.004-04:00

Wow! Did you guys SEE that storm? What a crazy weekend, eh? For those of you lucky enough to be outside of the affected region, this article and this slideshow from Washington Post provide both visual and written documentation of recent events. According to the former, "The storm . . . took at least 13 lives across the eastern United States, caused widespread damage, and [left] more than 3 million people without power." We were out of power for about 24 hours (made especially miserable by the record-setting high temperatures) and even lost cell reception for several hours.

After 2010's "Snowpocalypse" and the microbursts of recent summers, we're not unused to our utilities going bust, but we could usually escape the effects previously by driving 5 or 10 miles away. But on Saturday morning we drove over 20 miles away on a major road and still failed to find a single building with power. Even worse, even the busiest intersections had neither working traffic lights nor authorized personnel guiding traffic. We quickly realized that venturing out was a bad idea and were grateful to see power come back that evening.

I know that many hit by the storm are still without power, struggling with fallen debris, or mourning loved ones. My thoughts remain with them, and if you have friends or acquaintances hit hard by the storm, I encourage you to offer your support until they can get everything up and running again.

Stunning Piano Wedding Cake by Legacy Cakes Bakery

High Tea Mini Cakes by Three Little Blackbirds

Summer Squash Tacos with Avocado Chimichurri Sauce from Cookie and Kate

Pinwheel Wedding Cake by Couture Cakery

Vanilla Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting from Hungry Girl Por Vida

Cherries for Cherry Tart from La Tartine Gourmande

Strawberry Muffins with Almond Streusel from Paulina Kolondra

Kouglof Cake from Manger

Cherries for Pie from Not Without Salt

Dark Chocolate Photograph from Sated Magazine

Chinese Tea Eggs from Hungry Ghost

Japanese Koi Fish Wedding Cake by Elizabeth Hodes

Wednesday Favorites and Food Jewelry Giveaway!

2012-06-27T15:00:00.004-04:00

Hi everyone! I know it seems like I dropped off the face of the (blogger) world, but don't worry I'm fine! Better than fine, in fact. I started a new full-time job last week and I'm loving the people and being back at work. The only slight downside is the 1 to 1 1/2-hour commute, but even that gives me time to flip through the latest Gourmet Traveller or to dance (inwardly) to my favorite music. My coworkers been really welcoming and, perhaps best of all, it's a very food-friendly group so I know my baked treats will be welcomed =D.

I am planning to get back into the groove of regularly posting my original recipes, photos, and other content. But in the meantime, I thought I'd jump back into blogging by sharing some back-logged food photography favorites and a super fun giveaway of some sushi-shaped earrings! I have to be honest...this might have been a product review rather than a giveaway if I had pierced ears. But my loss is your gain, so I hope you'll take advantage of all the many ways to enter!

These earrings and other adorable food jewelry are hand-sculpted from polymer clay by the talented Amelia of The Frippery Factory. Her work has been featured at the Walker Art Center's (one of the "top 5" modern art museums in the US) gift shop, and it's my delight to share her charming work here. If you like these earrings, be sure to check out her site for other interesting designs based on foods including linguine frutti di mare and French macarons. To enter, do as many of the following as you want and leave a separate comment for each thing you do! Please also make sure to leave a way for me to contact you if you win. The giveaway is limited to mailing addresses in the US and will close on July 4 at midnight; the winner will then be announced shortly thereafter.

Leave a comment that you'd like to win these earrings.
Like 6 Bittersweets on Facebook, then leave a comment telling me you did or already do.
Like The Frippery Factory on Facebook, then leave a comment telling me you did or already do.
Subscribe to this blog, then leave a comment telling me you did or already do.
Follow 6 Bittersweets on Twitter, then leave a comment telling me you did or already do so, including your Twitter name.
Follow The Frippery Factory on Twitter, then leave a comment telling me you did or already do so, including your Twitter name.
Tweet about this giveaway, tagging me @6bittersweets, then leave a comment telling me including a link to the post.

Noodle Soup with Poached Egg Photograph by Aya Brackett
Ruffled Wedding Cake by City View Bakehouse
Baked Bread and Butter Pudding Photograph from Painting With Food
Momofuku Ooey Gooey Butter Cake Bars with Blueberries from Bakers Royale
Broccoli and Pumpkin Tempura with Soy and Mirin from BBC Good Food
Strawberry Peanut Butter Milkshake from Green Kitchen Stories
Awesome Tutorial for Quilted Royal Icing Effect on Decorated Cookies from Sweet Ambs
Pasta E Fagioli from TasteAu
Moroccan Mint Tea from Saveur
Grilled Corn on the Cob with BBQ Butter Photograph from Marcus Hay (Stylist)
Grilled Sliders and Skewers Photographs from Dietlind Wolf (Stylist)
Vera Wang-Inspired Wedding Cake by The Cake Whisperer
Raspberry Ice Cream Mini Pies from Sweet Tooth
Valrhona Hot Chocolate from HomeMadeS
Bird Cage Wedding Cake by Lark Cake Shop