Bake or Break

Lemon-Strawberry Shortcake

jennifer — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 17:44:33 +0000

Before we moved to New York, we had visited countless times. It had been our favorite city for many years. So, of course, we were amazingly excited when we were able to move here in 2010. I did wonder a bit if the day-to-day of living here would be a bit tough. Fortunately, it's everything we wanted it to be and more.

A fine example of "more" is our neighborhood's CSA. I had never really thought about the possibility, but I found out about it just before the sign-up deadline. Quinn and I excitedly jumped on board and started pondering all the beautiful, fresh possibilities for summer and fall.

Salted Chocolate Truffle Cookies

jennifer — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 17:13:48 +0000

I hesitate to make big, definitive declarations about recipes. We all have different tastes and preferences, so "the best" to one person may not appeal to another. But, these cookies. Well, these cookies are something special. I'm just going to say it. This is my new favorite chocolate cookie.

These cookies exist somewhere between cookies and brownies. If you're a fan of both, then you'll be ecstatic. While they take on the form of a cookie, the texture is fudgy like a brownie or a truffle. And, they are oh so rich. Wow.

Weekly Mix: Nutella {Plus a Bundt Giveaway}

jennifer — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 18:13:49 +0000

It's hard to imagine a time that I didn't know about Nutella. But, I only discovered it since I started this blog in 2006. In the spirit of making up for lost time, I do use it frequently in baking. And, honestly, it gets used up with a spoon directly in the jar, too.

I went through the archives here at BoB and found some of my favorite recipes that feature Nutella. If you're a Nutella fan, too, then go ahead and check that you have some in your pantry. You're going to want to do some baking!

Banana Oatmeal Crumb Cake

jennifer — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 14:57:36 +0000

As long as there are overripe bananas, I'll be looking for ways to use them. After years of baking, I've made countless banana breads and muffins. I love them, but a little variety is nice, too.

I happened upon this recipe as I was browsing through Buttercup Bakes at Home, a great little cookbook from the owner of Buttercup Bakery in New York. I've had past success with Buttercup's recipes, so I took my overripe bananas and got to work.

Chocolate Hazelnut Brownie Cups

jennifer — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 18:05:44 +0000

If you follow me on Twitter, you may have seen the astonishing news that I ran out of Nutella last week. Of course, that would be the moment that I had three different Nutella-containing recipes I wanted to bake.

While I am fortunate to have a bodega just down on the corner, it was raining so hard that I had to abandon my Nutella baking dreams. Luckily, Quinn was kind enough to pick up some for me the next morning on his coffee run. He's pretty handy like that.

I'd had my eye on this super quick brownie recipe for a while. I love that it incorporates Nutella much like a thumbprint cookie. The brownies themselves are really quite good. And, that little dollop of Nutella makes them extra special.

Weekly Mix: Baking More from Less {Plus a Le Creuset Giveaway}

jennifer — Fri, 07 Jun 2013 17:47:46 +0000

This week marked Bake or Break's 7-year blog birthday. It's a little surreal to think I've been doing this since 2006. I started blogging while I was working a full-time job. Quinn encouraged me to do it, and I agreed that it would be a fun project to offset my less than fulfilling job. Over the next few years, I continued working either full-time or part-time and trying to keep BoB going even when I had little or no time to devote to it.

Then, at the end of 2011, I was able to make BoB my full-time job. That's even more surreal. I'm still amazed that I'm able to do what I love. Thank you all for following my baking adventures! Let's keep doing this for a long time, okay?

When I started BoB, my goal was to share desserts that are as simple as they are delicious. My mother often recited "less is more" to me. In most cases, that really does hold true. Occasionally, I will go a bit more elaborate, but most recipes you'll find here don't require a lot of fuss.

Cheesecake Thumbprint Cookies {Plus a Baker’s Bookshelf Giveaway}

jennifer — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 16:32:58 +0000

If you find yourself looking for something a little different in the cookie world, look no further than these cookies. Thumbprint cookies certainly aren't anything new, but the addition of a cheesecake filling is worth some excitement.

The cookies themselves are very simple in flavor. They are made with just a few ingredients. Their simplicity combines magically with the richness of the cheesecake filling for a wonderfully delicious dessert.

Individual Italian Cream Cake Trifles

jennifer — Mon, 03 Jun 2013 15:59:44 +0000

I've really resisted the whole desserts-in-jars thing. I'm not sure why exactly. I guess I just never got that excited about them. But, I spied some beautiful Weck jars at Fishs Eddy (my favorite store in all of NYC) and felt like I just had to have them.

With limited storage at home, I try to buy things only when I can think of a specific place for storage or when I can justify that I really need it. You know, for the sake of this blog. How unselfish of me, right?

So, as I headed home with my inevitable purchase, I began thinking of a good use for them. Italian Cream Cake came to mind pretty quickly. I adore Italian Cream Cake. If you are familiar with some of my favorite dessert ingredients, that's probably not a surprise. Pecans, coconut, and cream cheese make for a pretty perfect dessert in my book. I've seen lots of deconstructed desserts layered in jars, but I wanted to change it up a bit to make it seem more appropriate for a jar versus just making the dessert in the traditional way.

Weekly Mix: Bundt Cakes

jennifer — Fri, 31 May 2013 17:16:54 +0000

I've been putting together collections of my favorite recipes for a while now. How I've managed to neglect Bundt cakes is beyond baffling. Seriously, they are my favorite cakes to bake. No frosting, no layers, just cake!

I also have a significant Bundt pan fascination. I want to own every kind there is. Alas, that dream is not to be realized in a New York city apartment. I have a standard Bundt pan and one that's a little fancier. But, I'm always wanting more. I mean, surely I need this Bavaria Bundt pan. Or maybe this Belle pan. Perhaps I should dedicate some time and effort to efficient Bundt pan storage, and I can indulge a bit. Any ideas?

Those various pans may make your Bundt cakes more aesthetically interesting, but they'll still taste amazing in your old trusty Bundt pan, too. So, get out your pan and get baking with some of my favorite recipes.

Almond Cherry Cake

jennifer — Thu, 30 May 2013 16:46:14 +0000

I was a bit surprised to find cherries at one of our local shops last week. I usually don't start looking for them until late summer. Regardless of how they appeared, it took me about five seconds to decide to buy some.

I've been dreaming of baking with cherries all spring. The only problem was where to start. This has been a busy week for me, so I decided to start simple. I created a little baking break and quickly mixed up a version of this Almond Cherry Cake I found while browsing Martha Stewart.