Posts tagged ‘cake’

An Inappropriately Happy Game of Thrones Cake

June 10, 2013

Do you watch Game of Thrones? I do.

Given the trauma of last week’s whimdinger episode, I needed a little pick-me-up for last night’s finale. And so I made this. Thank you, Nicola, for your help! If winter is coming, we might as well get a little cakefat. And obviously we served it with a some extra-creepy blackberry puree.

P.S. I used the sheet cake and berry buttercream recipe from The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook. It was really, really good. Lots of butter. Recommended!

I wwwant that!

February 24, 2010

When you’ve got lots of time to cruise the ‘net but only a little green, I wwwant that! Please join me for a world wide romp in inspiration and completely desirable products that I could (but shouldn’t) purchase.

(Photo by The Small Stakes)

Have I told you lately how much I love WHOLE CAKES?? It is for reasons like this that they are #1 in my baked goods list. That cake topper would look fricken precious (not in a good way) atop anything but a majestic cake. Darling Dexter knew awesome when she saw it and for that reason I am grateful. You too can own a cake topper! For only three easy payments of $13.33… (just visit togetherforever’s etsy shop.)

My life philosophy is that color matches color. Chris Benz apparently believes the same thing which is why his Spring 2010 collection is ah-MAZING. Of course the one and only Oh Joy! spotted his work the fastest, bringing about what, I’m sure, is an internet flurry of interest in this designers work. See also: sparkles match sparkles. Oh my, that yellow dress makes me want to CRY it’s so cute.

These boots are a real life find. One day, on my way to work, I spotted a woman in the brown pair. The next day, almost the same place, I saw a completely different woman wearing the black! Obviously I was behind the two women and immediately was drawn to the back contrasting zipper. After that second spotting, I knew it was my job to figure out who makes those shoes. Turns out these suckers are from… are you ready?… Steve Madden! WTF? I was as surprised as you. Second of all, I was taken aback at the steep price: $199. For Steve Madden boots? And I wwwant them?? What’s the world coming to?!? Le sigh, you wwwant them too, don’t ya? Well you can get these Steve Madden Roady Boots in black and tan.

The Mr. has a serious addiction to his Vans. Even though he has flat feet too, he doesn’t mind his arches scraping the pavement (ew?) in his slip-ons. I can’t do it. It totally bugs me! I didn’t think there would ever be a Vans shoe that would entice me. Then one day lil ole me was meekly scanning my google reader when I saw that Enchanted Royals had posted this show stopping pair of Sophie Vans. Yes please! I’ll take two pairs. Retro refashioned. Love it.

I enjoy popping over to Mint to see what’s cooking. Recently, she posted a project that I adore. The Smock Shop exists to help starting artists make ends meet. Andrea Zittel created a simple smock pattern that artists have made into their own unique visions. All completely and utterly wwwantable! Head over to the site to check out the many variations.

I don’t have much to say about these dip-dyed curtains from Remodelista except that I find them mesmerizing. I think it’s the dark blue that really draws the eye. Or maybe the fact that our bedroom curtains are that exact shade without the white top. Either way, I love these curtains, totally wwwant them and think that they don’t belong in any room with a bed (where, clearly, you’d be wakened the second the sun peeped out.)

Overhyped Food of the Moment

November 25, 2009

Cupcakes.

You know what’s better than a cupcake? A WHOLE GODDAMED CAKE.

Each bite is different. You have cake and frosting and cake and frosting again! Best of all, there is no last bite that is just the crummy butt. There’s a reason Larry David made an entire Seinfeld episode about that close bastard brother of the cupcake called the muffin. You know the episode. Jerry & co spend the whole time trying to dispose of bags FULL of crappy muffin butts because everyone loves muffin top. I dare to suggest people only eat cupcakes for the tops as well. And you know what? A well made cake is like BITE AFTER BITE of cupcake tops!

Also a CAKE is a collective experience. You share a whole cake with people, friends. And you can eat just a sliver or a gigantic slice and not feel guilty. But the cupcake? You eat one. Or two and feel like a cow. But with a cake, it’s easy to negotiate around the serving size.

It was these feelings that brought me to check out a book from the library called 500 Cakes, alleging it was the only cake compendium I’d ever need. I’ve since made 2 recipes from it and while I shant RAVE about it, the results were pretty good. Both the recipes aren’t actually for cakes in the classic sense but ended up being more like loaf breads and were both devoured at the Mr.’s office! The easy lime loaf cake was moist and delicious but didn’t look anything like the picture. (Clearly the food stylist thought the lime glaze was groody looking.) Today I’ll be sharing with you the recipe for the…

Apple & Cinnamon Loaf Cake

adapted from 500 Cakes

1 stick butter, room temp
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup sour cream
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 extra large eggs (or 2 large eggs plus 1 tablespoon additional egg)
1 1/2 cups flour
2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 small apples, peeled, cored and sliced
4 tablespoon jelly of choice (I used plum, they suggested apricot)

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease a loaf pan and line the bottom with waxed or parchment paper.

Beat together the butter and sugar until creamy. Taste test to make sure the butter and sugar isn’t rancid. Hmm, not sure? Have another little taste. YUM. Beat in the sour cream and cinnamon. Beat in each egg and sift the flour, baking powder and salt over the top. Fold it together until a relatively smooth batter.

Spread half the batter in your loaf pan. Put a generous layer (or two) of apples down. Add the remaining batter and smoosh another layer of apples on the top. You’ll be able to see it, so if you’re at all anal retentive, make sure it looks good. (Note If you’re not using jelly to top the baked loaf, I’d recommend putting a little butter on the top layer of apples as they got very dried out in the oven.

Bake for an hour until the loaf passes the toothpick test (a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the middle). Let the cake cool and remove from the pan once cool enough to handle.

Heat the jelly in a small pan until hot, then brush over the still-warm cake to glaze. Totally cut and eat and enjoy!

Oh this won’t be the last of the cake posts. Expect more. Many more. What kind should I next tackle?

I wwwant that!

November 3, 2009

Could it already be the almighty fifth I wwwant that! post? It is! Join me for a weekly meditation on rather pricey internet goods and the people (me) that love them.

(photo by iacoili & mcallister)

Clearly there’s some part of my brain that is made of straight rainbow. There is no gray matter, it’s all multi-color. That is the ONLY explanation I can come up with as to why I’m so attracted to bursts of bright. The Kitchn got my neurons snapping when they posted these brilliant cake plates. They’re made from old candle holders and were given a powder coat once over by some enterprising souls at iacoli & mcallister. Bravo.

Fan of quirky purses but low on cash? Avert your eyes from TsuruBride’s Etsy shop. She makes one mean animal clutch and I’m not talking about the terrible hen purse. My favorite? Definitely the squirrel. A thanks to Croqzine for twittering a featured seller link that let me down this dark, leathery, cute road.

There’s something so wholesome and pure about any article of clothing that features a BIG FLOPPY BOW. That’s probably why I went a little nut-so when I saw these great purses by Breagha on the superfantastic Modish blog. (Oh look, it’s yet another purse I wwwant this week. Trend anyone?) Unlike the previous petite clutches, these are big bags, featuring a nubby finish in autumnal colors and patterns. I can’t decide whether I’d rather picture myself using the yellow or the herringbone purse. Good thing I don’t have to pick. Gimme both, imagination!

Most pan racks lack pizazz. They’re all heavy-duty steel this and that. Serendipity and Spark found the perfect whimsical solution. It’s got colors, swoopy lines and a smattering of color. Does your kitchen yearn for this home item and are you blessed with a large bank account? Buy it on the Supermarket HQ website.

How do you feel about industrial felt? What about take-out style boxes? And if they have a face? What if the handle is the face, does that creep you out? It doesn’t? Well then, you’ll love these folding buckets made by VivachiStyle. Do Something Pretty did something pretty when they shared these great utility buckets.

Another craft and design emporium, IndieFixx, is hosting a giveaway. It’s $50 bucks to spend on the Modish Vintage store. To play, you had to find something you like in the Modish Vintage wares and post it in the comments. I found several things I liked but nothing I really LIKED until arriving at this adorable little boy porcelain dish, cup and bowl set. Say it with me now, HOW FRIGGEN CUTE! If I had more than the scrap of money left to my name I was SURELY shell out the $30 bucks to bring this fella into my home.

That’s it for this week’s I wwwant that! Do chime in if you love any of these items. And definitely don’t hesitate to share other covetables if you’ve been scoping out something delicious.

(UPDATE: Heather from CROQ Zine and Dollar Store Crafts shared these these great letter pillows made from old suit coats in the comments. Here’s a picture of Hilary Cosgrove’s alphabet pillows. Love it.)