Sugar and Sweets: find something crave-worthy

Cheesecake on a stick

sugargeek — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 03:30:10 +0000

It’s hot and humid here, and State Fair is just about a month away. That means it’s time for food on a stick! I’ve never tried cheesecake on a stick, but next time I see it, I’m getting one! A slice of cheesecake is frozen, impaled upon a stick, and dipped in chocolate. The only thing that might make this even more State Fair-ish would be to dip it in batter and deep fry it, and then serve it with chocolate sauce on the side, so you can dip it again. Okay, now things are getting out of hand. Just enjoy the photo!

cheesecake on a stick, photo by Tom Spaulding

Whoopie Pie

sugargeek — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 00:26:22 +0000

I had never heard of Whoopie Pie until it came up in a Twitter conversation, with a friend from Pennsylvania. Now, I really want to try one of these traditional Pennsylvania Dutch treats! Made by sandwiching a thick, sweet filling between two round chocolate cakes, I think these could be seriously addictive. It’s probably a good thing they aren’t sold at my local grocery store, or I’d be serving them for dinner. Look at that thing! It’s like a Double-Stuf Oreo with 50 times the Stuf!

photo from visitPA.com

Patriotic wedding cake

sugargeek — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 23:56:15 +0000

This is an amazing cake, and it comes with an amazing story. It was made by Whipped Bakeshop, for the real-life wedding of Ben Franklin (Ralph Archibald) and Betsy Ross (Linda Wilde), in Philadelphia, on July 3, 2008.

Here is the creator’s description of the lovely cake:

Top two tiers are chocolate cake with vanilla buttercream, bottom tier is vanilla buttermilk cake with lemon buttercream. White fondant with gingham ribbon trim. Decorations are made of layered paper, pinned to the cake.

All I can say is, “Hooray for the red, white, and blue! Congratulations to the happy couple! And please pass the cake!”

photo © Whipped Bakeshop, used with permission

Mini-Donuts

sugargeek — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 18:22:10 +0000

It’s almost July, and the air is thick and sticky here. This weather reminds me of all the sweaty hours I’ve spent at fairs over the years. County fairs, 4-H fairs, my sister’s horse shows, State Fairs, arts and craft shows, etc. It’s always hot at those fairs, but it’s okay, because you can usually find someone selling mini-donuts! Nothing takes the “ugh” out of a hot, humid, Midwestern summer day, like a little bag of freshly fried, cinnamoned-and-sugared donuts. These are the perfect ending to a corn dog and lemonade lunch. Yum!

photo taken at the Calgary Stampede, by alau2

Strawberry Shortcake

sugargeek — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 15:10:26 +0000

My husband looks forward to the annual Strawberry Festival downtown, because you can buy a big serving of homemade strawberry shortcake for $5.00. That sounds a bit steep, but it hits the spot when you’re stuck in an office the rest of the year. (Plus, it’s a fundraiser for some good cause.) There’s just something about the aroma and flavor of fresh, sugared strawberries, combined with the old-fashioned biscuit-like shortcake, that announces “Summer’s here!” Yum!

thanks to QuintanaRoo for the beautiful photo!

Shave Ice

sugargeek — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 13:25:58 +0000

I first tasted shave ice in Japan, and again in Hawaii, when I was about 10 years old. Although there’s no place to get shave ice here in central Indiana, I still crave it when the weather is hot. If you’re not familiar with the delicacy that is shave ice, let me tell you, it’s not your average “sno-cone.” The sno-cone is like pellets of ice with syrup poured on top, and they stay separate until you chew them, or they melt into the bottom of the cup.

Shave ice is entirely different. It’s almost like ice cream, because the ice is shaved so finely that the syrup sticks to it, and it melts in your mouth without any chewing. It’s like flavored snowflakes. It’s heaven on a hot day! I want one right now!

big thanks to Hometown Invasion Tour for the photo!

Apple pie pocket

sugargeek — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 20:31:19 +0000

I love the classic combination of apples, cinnamon, and pastry. I don’t care whether it’s pie, turnovers, fritters, dumplings, or crisp. It’s all delicious! Here is a lovely photo of an apple pie pocket. I love the tender bits of apple spilling out of the perfectly browned pastry crust. The only thing I might add would be whipped cream or icing on top of the pastry (I have a thing for icing), or ice cream beside the pastry.

Of course, I wouldn’t say no if you offered it to me just like this, either…

photo by Mrs. Maze - thank you!!

June 2 is Rocky Road Ice Cream Day

sugargeek — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 16:10:08 +0000

In honor of this excellent holiday, I have written an original Rocky Road poem. That’s right. You won’t get ice cream haiku at just any blog.

Heavenly chocolate
Mingled with nuts and fluffy
Sweet white marshmallows

When I was a little girl, I would always eat around or spit out the nuts. My favorite part of Rocky Road is the chocolate, followed by the marshmallows. But now I even eat the nuts. Happy Rocky Road Ice Cream Day!

Photo credit: chocolate monster mel. Thank you!

Temptations galore

sugargeek — Tue, 27 May 2008 20:32:23 +0000

I was at Bed Bath & Beyond this morning, with my three children, trying to find accessories to match the new paint in our bathroom. (Aside: it’s never the same color on the wall as you thought it would be…) After our long and winding expedition through the perilous aisles (there are lots of breakables to avoid there), we approached the checkout with relief. But suddenly, we were waylaid by… CANDY! We grabbed a box of Swedish fish and one of the cute Wii remote peppermint gum packages, and then I snapped this photo with my camera phone. Which treat do you choose?

Photo by Heather Weaver (that’s me!)

Chocolate Tart

sugargeek — Wed, 21 May 2008 23:27:01 +0000

Mmmmmmm, little chocolate tart. What a tease, with that crispy pastry crust, tender chocolate filling, and flirtatious curl on top! Who could resist such a tempting treat?

Thanks to Slightly North for sharing this photo under a Creative Commons license!