A Silk Soymilk Daydream

It all started with a little daydream. It involved unicorns, of course, because my dreams always do. In that dream, Dairy milk admitted defeat and Soy milk reigned supreme.

What prompted this daydream? Well, recently I was chosen to do a post about the new taste of Silk Soymilk. This was exciting for a few reasons. First, because they paid me to do it! I love it when I make money! 

Second, because even though I'm certainly not a vegan, I like the stuff. My mom started to buy it during a health food kick, and I actually became quite accustomed to, and then to rather prefer, the taste. With some things, such as oatmeal, I actually prefer a lightly flavored soy milk to dairy milk.

So when I heard they had reconfigured their recipe to make it even more delicious, I really wanted to be on board. And I'm happy to report that the new stuff is delectable - even smoother and creamier than the former version. It's good stuff. But I am always better at expressing myself through images than words...so, I dreamed up an imaginary ad campaign for them, starting with the moment above: Soy milk ging dairy milk a serious run for its money. 

Now, if something like that happened...what other sweet magic could happen in a word of Silk? Let's see.

If they were made with soy milk and ice cream...cows might like milkshakes!

Your Cereal might sing, it loved the taste so much! Of course, it might not sing a song you like... Cookies might discover a new kind of love. or at the very least, after school snack time would never be the same! Your lattes could go from humdrum to exciting--the new soy milk makes a very nice foam! It's possible that rainbows might shoot out of your next pudding pie. *Dramatization* The art of the milkshake would certainly be...well, shaken up. The Silk hot chocolate might make even a robot show emotion! People might be DYING to know the secret ingredient in your cake (hint: it's not milk! It's soy milk!).

Thank you to Silk for letting me sample their new product and have so much artistic fun with it!

This post is brought to you by Silk. Take the Tastemaker Challenge on facebook.com/silkUS.

Unique Sweet: Gajar ka Halwa, Caramelized Carrot Pudding

Image: Easy Indian Cooking

I love carrots more than the average person. My favorite afternoon snack is a nice, fat carrot, cut into coins or even just eaten like Bugs Bunny. Carrots, I believe, can be a fantastic dessert ingredient: they add natural sweetness and moisture. But don't worry, am not about to go on a healthy dessert kick here. I still think carrot cake needs cream cheese frosting, for instance!

Considering the above, it shouldn't be too much of a surprise that when I received a review copy of Easy Indian Cooking, my eye went right to the recipe for Gajar ka Halwa, or Caramelized Carrot Pudding. As the recipe headnote reveals, "this is a favorite in north India and is particularly good when made with the sweet pink winter carrots grown in that area. The flavor is more delicate than other carrots, and they are juicier. I have never come across this variety in North America."

Well, thanks for tempting me with an unattainable carrot, dudette! But you know what? It works just fine with regular carrots, say I, not having tried the superior sort to tell the difference! Even regular old carrots make for an intriguing dish: sort of like a carrot cake-flavored pudding got a creamy chai kiss.

Oh, a as for the silver leaf? It's commonly used to garnish special dishes, so why not dress it up?

Gajar ka Halwa

From Easy Indian Cooking

Serves 8

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds carrots, grated (5 or 6 large)


• 4 cups whole milk


• 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar


• 1/4 cup oil or unsalted buter


• 1/4 cup raisins


• 8 to 10 cardamom pods


• blanched almonds, for garnish


• silver leaf, for garnish

Procedure

1. In a large, heavy bottomed saucepan, over medium heat, combine carrots and milk. Cook, stirring frequenly, until milk is completely absorbed and mixture begins to solidify, about 1 hour.


2. Stir in 1 cup of the sugar, butter or oil, and raisins. When the sugar dissolves, give it a taste. Add the remaining sugar to taste if desired. Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture begins to leave the side of the pan, 15 to 20 minutes.


3. Remove the seeds from the cardamom pods, discarding the pods. Pound the seeds; stir into the pudding. Serve warm, or at room temperature. Before serving, garnish with almonds and edible silver leaf.

CakeSpy Undercover: Nickel Diner, Los Angeles

I could tell you that the best things in life are free. 

Or I could tell you to go to the Nickel Diner in Los Angeles, where nothing is five cents but everything is highly tasty, especially the baked goods, which are baked on-site. 

For now, I'll focus on the doughnuts, because that's my area of expertise--and by expertise, I mean, that is what I ate when I was there. Because doughnuts are a fine appetizer before a light breakfast of fried eggs, potatoes, and bacon. 

My little sister was the sleuth who tipped me off to this sweet spot, and after seeing the pictures of the doughnuts she'd enjoyed here, it was on the top of my list when I went to visit her in her new home city. 

They have a few flavors of doughnuts that are available on a regular basis: Red Velvet, Maple Bacon, Nutella, Irish Car Bomb (Guiness, Baileys irish cream and Jameson filling), and Strawberry Crumb. And they'll ask you right away if you want to start with a doughnut (they're good up-sellers). You should say yes. 

Photo: Kimberli RansomThey may offer a pop-tart, too. I didn't get one but I will next time, I think!

Now, SpySis has already sampled a couple of the doughnuts, including the Irish Car Bomb and the Strawberry Crumb. The Strawberry Crumb cake doughnut, she said, was "pretty sweet" but she liked the dangerous slight bitterness (perhaps owing to the beer?) that went with the sweet on the Car Bomb.

Wanting to try a new one, we hit up the waitress for a suggestion. She said that the Maple Bacon was by far the most popular. "But is it the best one?" I asked, jerk that I am.

"Nope." She said, and suggested that we go with the Red Velvet.

Red Velvet it was. 

It's not a red velvet cake doughnut--it is actually a vanilla yeasted doughnut dusted with cocoa and red coloring, filled with cream cheese frosting.

But while some might say "that's not technically red velvet" I respond "SHUT UP MAN, THIS THING IS DELICIOUS." I loved the crunchiness of the cocoa powder topping and how it made my fingers red and messy. I loved the fresh, yeast-scented taste of the doughnut itself. But most of all I loved the filling. I could eat, bathe in, breathe, and sleep in a bed made of cream cheese frosting, and this stuff was a particularly good variety--just oozy enough that it worked with the pillowy doughnut, but not so oozy that it all shot out of the side of the doughnut when you took a bite.

These doughnuts have made me and my sister very happy, and if you give them a chance, I think they'll make you very happy, too.

To close, I will show you the sign above the door at the Nickel Diner, which I seriously love:

You know, just a reminder. Donut doubt that you're exactly where you're supposed to be.

Nickel Diner, 524 S. Main Street, Los Angeles; online here.

Sweet Sneak Peek: The Secret Lives of Baked Goods Illustrations

There's still a week until my new book, The Secret Lives of Baked Goods: Sweet Stories & Recipes for America's Favorite Desserts, is released, and I just know that you are dying--absolutely dying--to buy it or see me on book tour (those dates, btw, can conveniently be found running on the left side bar of this site - just look to your left! <-------). 

Well, I can't make May 7 come any sooner, but I can reveal a secret or two about the book, I suppose!

How about giving you a preview of the art that will be inside of its lovely pages?

This book is quite different from my first, and as such, a different style of illustration seemed appropriate. So in this book, it's all more bold and linear pen and ink illustrations. It's certainly not my usual style! But that was actually kind of fun - challenging myself to a different style of artwork. Doing all of those little shading and cross-hatchy bits brought me back to art school, and in a positive way. I found it meditative to do them while watching Gossip Girl. 

I hope you like this different style--here's a peek at some of the illustrations which were used as spot illustrations in the book! 

Buy the book here: The Secret Lives of Baked Goods: Sweet Stories & Recipes for America's Favorite Desserts!

Cake Byte: Cottage Bakers Market in Bellevue, WA

Dolci Divino

Dudes, dudettes. Here is some very exciting news: there's a BAKED GOODS FARMER'S MARKET coming to the Seattle area!

It's true: I know this because the organizers reached out to tell me all about it. Here's the 411, from the source.

Cottage Bakers Market, taking place on May 4 and May 11, 2013, in Bellevue, WA.

Dolci Divino

This is a temporary indoor market where small-business specialty food crafters and bakers will gather to sell their fresh, made-from-scratch sweets, such as brownies, cupcakes, pies, cheesecake, lollipops, breads, caramels, marshmallows, cookies and cakes to everyone who loves delicious desserts. This includes folks who are gluten-intolerant, adhere to a vegan diet or want sugar-free and dairy-free options.

First of Its Kind. This is the first market of its kind in the Seattle area (there is a similar market up in Vancouver, B.C.) and is a new outlet for small food companies and bakers to offer their goodies to the public, since none of the vendors at the Cottage Bakers Market have retail stores – except for one! It’s also an opportunity for people to find a really unique mix of handcrafted food items under one roof.

Sweets You will Find Here: Decadent sweet (they also do savory) cheesecakes in cupcake-size servings from Dolci Divino. Owner Keri D’Angelo says “we take care in developing all nuances of our recipes from the crust to the topping. Our 2 signature flavors are Cinnamon Roll Cheesecake and Triple Chocolate Stout Cheesecake.” Another vendor is award-winning pie maker Barbara Schwartz of Pies By Barbara. She took home the award for Best Professional Cherry Pie at the High 5 Cherry Pie Bake-off in August 2012! She also offers hands-on pie making classes. Yum! The market will also feature customized, flavorful cupcakes from Jessie’s Haute Cakes, moist lavender-infused brownies by Little Sunshine Bakery and This Charming Candy’s lollipops, hand-poured in small batches to ensure a silky texture and superior, beguiling flavors.

Lavender brownie, Little Sunflower Bakery

Dates of Event: May 4 and May 11, 2013; Saturday; 11 am to 4 pm Location: Northwest Arts Center - 9825 NE 24th St., Bellevue, WA 98004 Cost to Attend: Free.

For more information, visit the Cottage Bakers Market website!

Baker's Dozen: A Batch of Sweet Links!

I saw all of these great cake plates at Bountiful in Venice, CA.

The best article ever about the "bursting of the cupcake bubble".

Love love love love love: Thiebaud Pink Cake.

Buckeye state ice cream!

Learn the fascinating story of Chiffon cake!

I basically despise flan, but this one looks likeable.

Whipped caramel ganache frosting. Be still my beating heart!

A good list of baking basics tips.

Remember when I went to Retro Bakery in Las Vegas? Yum yum.

I love what Joy the Baker loves: doughnuts with pink feather boas.

10 best doughnuts in Los Angeles? 

C'est fantastique: pink lemonade layer cake!

Always tasty: Elvis Whoopie Pies.

CakeSpy Undercover: Huckleberry Cafe, Santa Monica

I love me a good cafe. And in Santa Monica, California, you'll find plenty of nice ones. Airy, sunny, often with outdoor seating. You can smell the ocean in the air if the wind is right. 

My new favorite is a bit in-land, but what they lack in the scent of sea air, they make up for in the smell of sweet carbohydrates. It's called Huckleberry Cafe. It's owned by a couple--half of which earned their baking chops at San Francisco's famed Tartine Bakery.

I had read about Huckleberry on websites and in magazines over the past few years, so I was delighted to finally have a chance to visit while spending a few days in Santa Monica. 

The website told me that "Everything served at Huckleberry is made on site using the best quality ingredients, including organic flour, Vahlrona chocolate and farmer’s market produce. The menu changes regularly with the seasons and on the baker’s whims."

So, I'll tell you what I had, but I can't guarantee it will be there when you go. 

First, the maple bacon biscuit. I am a biscuit lover, and this one was a fine specimen. Sort of like a hybrid between biscuit and scone, texture-wise, with a mellow sweetness from the maple. Yum. But then it was punctuated by salty spots of bacon. This was no "bacon just for attention" type of sweet. It was really effing good. 

Next up was the multigrain oat bar with a cherry filling. This was different, I was told, because it usually has blueberries. Whatever. This cherry thing was freaking good. Tart cherries against a backdrop of oaty buttery cookielike goodness, then topped with brown sugary crumble. Don't be fooled by the word "grain" and the presence of fruit--this is not health food. No way, man. It's tasty-town.

The bakery case is STOCKED, though. You'll find shortbread cookies, croissants, cakes (cornmeal blueberry? YES!), layer cakes, scones, biscuits, and then in the cold case, trifles and salted caramel bars and other tasty stuff. 

Huckleberry is mos' def a new favorite of mine. It's a fantastic place to spend time and eat. I hope you'll visit next time you find yourself in sunny Santa Monica! Also go visit my sister. You might find her around the new Doc Martens store! She does all of the retail planning for them, so feel free to be effusive about their fantastic displays.

Huckleberry Cafe, 1014 Wilshire Boulevard, Santa Monica; online here.

Cake Byte: Philadelphia's Scoop De Ville is Moving!

Dear Philadelphians:

If you walk by the current Scoop DeVille in the next few days (starting April 27th), you'll be horrified to see it closed. But PANIC NOT! Because they're only moving a few blocks away! I have proof by way of a letter from the owner.

Here it is:

My name is Spencer Philips, and I am the guy opening the new Scoop DeVille in Center City!

The long-time Scoop DeVille owner, Matt Shore, will be closing the doors to the current Scoop DeVille at 18th and Chestnut in order to focus on his own brainchild: Sophie's Cafe in the suburbs of Wayne, PA.

I have partnered with Matt to open my own Scoop DeVille at 1315 Walnut St. We'll keep the Scoop DeVille name, mission, and delicious ice cream blends. Even the employees will be the same. I have been a lover of Scoop DeVille since I was an undergrad at UPenn in 2004, and I am so excited to share Scoop with even more people in Center City!

I would be honored if you would cover our new Scoop DeVille on your blog. We need help to spread the word that Scoop isn't closing for good, just moving a couple blocks!

Here's the plan: the current Scoop will close in ONE WEEK- so take advantage of the ice cream and sales now!  We are renovating our new location in order to keep the same Scoop DeVille appeal that you've come to now and love. We will REOPEN AT 1315 WALNUT in Mid-May. We'll keep you posted on all the progress!

So, ice cream lovers of Philadelphia, do not panic--Scoop DeVille will be back soon! You can keep up with their goings-on via the website. And starting mid-May, visit them at their new location, 1315 Walnut Street in Center City Philadelphia!

Batter Chatter: Interview with Kristin Ausk, Recipe Tester for The Secret Lives of Baked Goods

Curious about the secret life of a recipe tester? Learn more about one of the fantastic recipe testers (and overall awesome person) for my new book: Kristin Ausk, owner of So-Cal's beloved Meringue Bake Shop! We'll discuss the recipe testing a bit, but also give you a little more of her back-story, too!

How did you feel to be approached about testing recipes for this awesome book? I was so excited! Very honored. I love trying out new recipes. And love helping out friends. 

What recipe did you test? I tested the pink frosted cookies.

Did anything surprise you about the recipe or testing process? The only thing that surprised me was the amount of flour. I worried they would end up dry. But they were perfect. Absolutely delicious & cakey. The frosting on top was the best. I made a slight alteration to the recipe and added some Princess Cake & Cookie baking emulsion from KAF to the batter along with the vanilla. And I added 1/4 tsp of almond extract to the frosting.

What are your thoughts on cake for breakfast? Yes please. My sweet tooth is really bad in the morning. I am a donuts/muffins/scones/pancakes/cake person. And always with a cup of coffee.

Can you suggest a polite way to extract myself from conversations with people once they've said "I don't like dessert"? I would just throw down whatever is in my hands and shout "i'm out!" and walk away.

What is your favorite US city for eating? I'd have to say Seattle. With San Francisco a close second. But I should add that I haven't been many places. I've never been to NY. Or Austin. Or Nashville. Or St. Louis. Which I hear are great foodie cities too.

For more of Kristin's work, visit the Meringue Bake Shop website. It would also be a good idea to buy my book: The Secret Lives of Baked Goods: Sweet Stories & Recipes for America's Favorite Desserts.

CakeSpy Undercover: Momo and Company, Santa Fe

This is what a gluten-free cupcake looks like at Momo and Company in Santa Fe, New Mexico. This is a totally gluten-free and mostly vegan bakery near the Georgia O'Keeffe museum, downtown.

How did they get there? So glad you asked. Per their website,

What happens when you put together a native New Yorker with an affinity for baked goods (bordering on obsession) and a native New Mexican who has a passion for Boba tea?…you get Momo & Co! Leslie Thompson, founder of Momocakes Vegan, Gluten-Free Bakery and Carola Kieve, lover of all things Boba have teamed up to bring 100% Gluten-Free, (Mostly) Vegan goodies and the 1st ever All Natural Boba Tea Bar to Santa Fe, NM.  Initially our journey was a personal challenge to be more mindful of what was going into our food and beverages but along the way we’ve learned that many people need to eat allergen-free foods as a necessity .

While eating gluten-free may be a necessity to some, it need not equal suffering--for anyone. So it makes me so glad that places like Momo and Company exist, where gluten-free treats are available for those who can't eat gluten, but delicious for everyone.

By the way, this is what two gluten-free cupcakes look like at Momo. 

On my recent visit with my friend Judi, we each got the breakfast sandwich (I know, not sweet) on gluten-free bread. Hey, the bread was pretty good and held together quite well (I've had trouble with gluten-free bread falling apart on me in the past). 

The cupcakes, made with a proprietary blend of flours (each of their baked goods has a slightly different mix to ensure the best flavor and texture), are among some of the better gluten-free / vegan varieties I've tried. The cake held together (once again, I have had trouble with that) and on the chocolate-chocolate cupcake, little studs of chocolate added extra delight. The frosting had a little bit of a "crust" on top, which I like--the only bad part is that it made it solid so if cutting the cupcake in half, the frosting comes off in a chunk. But this does not affect the flavor--just the visual. 

Cupcakes aren't the only sweet on the menu--they also have sticky buns with chocolate:

as well as chocolate chip cookies, mexican wedding cake cookies, a waffle bar with plenty of sweet toppings...

and of course the savory / sandwich menu.

Momo and Company, 229a Johnson Street, Santa Fe; online here.