Zoe Bakes

Ice Cream Cake

zoe — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 09:10:14 PDT

For those who have been visiting me for a while on ZoeBakes, you may remember my first Ice Cream Cake post; a dedication to my two brothers. Well, almost 4 years later and I’m still making them ice cream cakes for their birthdays, some traditions are just worth repeating. This cake was done in exactly [...]

Citrus Angel Food Cake with Peaches

zoe — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 11:36:46 PDT

I have a child who doesn’t have a sweet tooth. He’s clearly missing one of my genes. He can walk past cookies, cakes, pastries, ice cream, even chocolate, especially chocolate. I don’t pretend to understand, but I try, and just hope he’ll grow out of it. The only type of desserts he will eat, without [...]

Onion Tarts

zoe — Fri, 07 Jun 2013 13:31:36 PDT

On FB a fellow food blogger commented that by 5pm she’s so exhausted by her day in the kitchen that she can barely come up with a single thing for dinner. Oh, the irony. Truth be told, at my house there are typically 3 (or more) desserts on the counter, along with several loaves of [...]

Rhubarb Pie – The Joy of Watching my Son Bake

zoe — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 14:57:34 PDT

Today my oldest son graduated from 8th Grade. It struck me yesterday as no biggie, just another last day of school. Today, I find myself thinking about him in a new way. He’s not a small child anymore. This was made clear when I saw him accepting his 8th grade diploma and he was taller [...]

Homemade Fresh Strawberry Jello for Mother’s Day

zoe — Thu, 09 May 2013 14:09:39 PDT

Jell-O always seemed a bit like magic to me. Add water to the brightly colored, sugary powder and in no time it’s solid and giggles like a good belly laugh. The problem is, the stuff in the box tastes like congealed, watered-down kool-aid. There is no actual fruit involved, just artificial color and flavor. Luckily [...]

Cherry Chocolate Cake

zoe — Wed, 01 May 2013 08:55:31 PDT

This is a very tossed-together Black Forest Cake, or, as I like to say, when I am too lazy to bring out the piping bag and tips, it’s RUSTIC. All of the components of the classic German torte without the fuss. Layers of dark chocolate cake, fresh whipped cream and sweet cherries spiked with Kirschwasser [...]

Hamantaschen

zoe — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 14:56:24 PDT

Before I moved to Minnesota, my husband and I lived in Burlington, VT, which we considered a suburb of Montreal. When our small college town felt as if it would pop at the seams, we’d jump in the car and drive to Canada. We’d make the rounds of foods we couldn’t find in Vermont, like [...]

Pineapple Quesito (Puerto Rican Breakfast Pastry)

zoe — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 10:19:41 PDT

This is a Quesito (Ke-see-toe) and it is delicious. Seriously, it is so perfect in its simplicity; flaky puff pastry wrapped around sweetened cream cheese and buttery pineapple. And it’s beautiful, in a shabby chic kind of way, nothing fussy, just rustic goodness with a generous dusting of powdered sugar. The best thing is that [...]

Lemon-Lavender Meringue Tarts (The difference between French, Swiss and Italian Meringues)

zoe — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 14:52:10 PDT

These may seem a little upside down, we usually think of the meringue piled high above the lemon filling, not the other way around. This is a simpler twist on the classic, but all the same tangy-sweet allure. The best part is there is no crust to deal with, which makes them lighter and faster to make. [...]

Honey Madeleines

zoe — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 16:33:08 PDT

Nearly twenty two years ago I got married, and as a gift I was given a copy of Patricia Wells’ book about the cuisine of Joël Robuchon. It was a heady book for a 23-year-old with Vermont commune roots. The book, and its recipes, stepped me directly into the intimidating world of French food. Patricia Wells [...]