Daily Sweet: Zumbo, the Book

May I introduce my new favorite-favorite-thing in the world...

Zumbo: Adriano Zumbo's Fantastical Kitchen of Other-Worldly Delights I freaking love this book. It's like Willy Wonka plus Pierre Herme, times rainbow awesome. The unicorn is not actually on the cover, but I added it to see how it would look. It looks pretty at home, doesn't it?

I learned more about Mr. Zumbo from the publisher:

Adriano Zumbo's playful approach to food, far-ranging imagination, and cheeky attitude have made him one of Australia's best known chefs. He opened his first patisserie in in 2007 and his appearances onMasterChef Australia have since won him a national following.

While leafing through the pages, you'll find things like this:

and this:

and this:

And incredibly inspiring, clever and cute artwork:

AAAAH! MACARON HEAD PEOPLE!!!

Laminated pastry people too!

 Buy it here: Zumbo: Adriano Zumbo's Fantastical Kitchen of Other-Worldly Delights.

Baker's Dozen: A Batch of Sweet Links!

Deep-fried Halloween Candy.

Whoopie! A look behind the scenes at Labadie's, which has been making whoopie pies since 1925.

Helliemae's Salt Caramels: need them.

The fascinating story of the Peanut Blossom Cookie.

CakeSpy Shop: Gone, but not forgotten!

Love it: Frankenberry cupcakes!

Tasty: Brownstone Front Cake.

Yumsies: pretzel and chocolate toffee!

Delicious koeksisters: the doughnuts of South Africa.

Tofu coconut cookies? Perhaps not instantly appetized, but intrigued.

Similar reaction: oatmeal okra cookies!?!?!

Britain's best 50 foodie addresses (many of them sweet!)

Feel like watching a 1960s Cool-Whip commercial?

Pumpkin Bread Stuffed with Cookie Dough

Around this time of year, pumpkin begins a period of proliferation that lasts until Thanksgiving. The cooler weather is good for gourd-eating, as pumpkin lends a cozy heartiness to baked goods of all types, including one of my personal favorites, pumpkin bread.

While pumpkin bread is wonderful in its simplicity, it is possible to heighten your seasonal eating by adding a healthy helping of chocolate chip cookie dough to the batter. It gives the bread a decadently gooey center, and the spiciness of the pumpkin bread works beautifully with the brown sugar and chocolate in the cookies. Feel like gilding the lily? Go ahead, serve it with ice cream.

This post also showed up on Serious Eats!

Pumpkin Bread Stuffed with Cookie Dough

• 1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin puree
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup (about 8 ounces) vegetable oil
• 2/3 cup (about 5 1/4 ounces) water
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 1/4 cups (about 15 3/4 ounces) sugar
• 3 1/2 cups (about 17 1/2 ounces) flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 12 ounces chocolate chip cookie dough

Procedure

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour either a large bundt pan or two 8 1/2- by 4- by 2 1/2-inch loaf pans.  
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl with an electric mixer, combine the pumpkin, eggs, oil, water, vanilla and sugar until well blended. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves until well combined.  
3. Stir the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture until just blended. Spoon 3/4 of the batter into the pan.
4. Roll the cookie dough into a long log. Place it along the center of the pan so that it forms an "inner" tube. Cover with the remaining batter so that dough is completely submerged. If using two loaf pans, simply make two "logs" of dough and insert them as a straight line in either pan.  
5. Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 55 to 65 minutes.  
6. Let cake cool in the pan(s) for 1 hour before turning out on to a serving platter.

Daily Sweet: Thanksgiving: How to Cook it Well by Sam Sifton

Thanksgiving: How to Cook It Well.

I knew I liked this book when I read the headnote to the Pecan Pie recipe which read "It is hard to say when exactly the food cognoscenti turned against corn syrup, a silken suspension of glucose-rich corn syrup that plays a significant part in many recipes for pecan pie." That made me smile, even though technically I don't know what "cognoscenti" means or how to pronounce it. I still got the idea. 

Actually, the book made me want to ask Sam Sifton an important question: "If you had to have a Thanksgiving pie in the face, what kind would it be?". But when I asked the publisher, who had sent me the review copy, if they could ask him for me, I was informed that "due to his busy schedule" he was unable to field that question. Well. 

Nonetheless - the book is chock-full of Thanksgiving recipes, tales, and miscellany that I found witty and charming. You can buy it here: Thanksgiving: How to Cook It Well. 

Daily Sweet: Good Housekeeping Little Book of Baking

Today, I asked my cupcake (which lives on a pony): "What do you think of this book?" It has a big name for a tiny book: Good Housekeeping The Little Book of Baking: 55 Homemade Cookies, Cakes, Cupcakes & Pies to Make & Share.

And after reviewing it for a few minutes, the cupcake said "you should buy it."

Why is that? Helpfully, the cupcake gave me several reasons.

It has interesting recipes. I'd never seen a recipe for a Grape and Ginger Tart before!

It has helpful tips. You never can be too educated.

It has tasty versions of classic recipes. For example: hazelnut brownies; cherry-pistachio biscotti. Not crazy-different, but they might just challenge you a little bit.  

Why not listen to the cupcake? Find the book online here: Good Housekeeping The Little Book of Baking: 55 Homemade Cookies, Cakes, Cupcakes & Pies to Make & Share.

Meet the Recipe Tester: Betsy Eves of JavaCupcake.com

Source: javacupcake.com via Cake on Pinterest

It doesn't take a village to write a cookbook. But it does require a bunch of awesome and able-minded recipe testers.

And in advance of my upcoming oeuvre entitled The Secret Lives of Baked Goods, I'd like to introduce you to one of my recipe testers, Betsy of Javacupcake.com! She made the cake pictured above, btw. Here's a hint as to one of the recipes she helped test.

...and proof that sometimes, the first round doesn't always work out as you'd like! (but this is why we test the recipes!! )

But I digress. Meet the talent behind the testing! 

Hiyas! I’m Betsy Eves, owner of the baking blog JavaCupcake.com!  My blog is dedicated to not only cupcakes, but to baking cookies, cakes, pies and really… anything sweet! 

When I’m not baking, I’m busy being an Army Wife & Mommy to two great kids!  Currently, we are living in Germany with the Army, but I’m from Seattle originally… which is where I met the fabulous Jessie of CakeSpy!

I’m thrilled to be helping Jessie test recipes for her second book!  I can’t wait for it to come out and to test all the recipes myself!

Want to get to know Betsy's work? Here are her Top 5 Favorite Blog Posts from JavaCupcake.com

Source: javacupcake.com via Cake on Pinterest

1.    Chocolate Raspberry Petal Ombre Cake - Not only was this one of my most favorite cakes to eat, but it was my first ombre cake and the  most beautiful cake I’ve ever made!  (I don’t eat a lot of the stuff I make, but this is one cake I almost ate half of myself!)

Source: javacupcake.com via Cake on Pinterest

2.    Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes – These cupcakes were a HUGE hit on my blog and were so incredibly delicious!

Source: javacupcake.com via Cake on Pinterest

3.    Pumpkin Snickerdoodles – A recent recipe, but another that I can’t keep the final product out my belly!  5 dozen made and 3 dozen in my belly! 

Source: javacupcake.com via Cake on Pinterest

4.    Emme’s Banana Bread – My daughter made this loaf of bread from start to finish.  To this day, it’s still my favorite banana bread recipe EVER!

Source: javacupcake.com via Cake on Pinterest

5.    Tree Hugger Apple Cupcakes – These were one of the first cupcakes where I came up with the entire cupcake recipe on my own.  No help from the internet or blogs or Pinterest.  I am super proud of this cupcake! 

Thanks again, Betsy, for being so rad! Look out for my book next year; look out for Betsy's latest work on javacupcake.com.

Daily Sweet: Fouquet Confections, Paris

Source: davidlebovitz.com via Cake on Pinterest

Um, it's a rainbow. Made of CANDY! This shop is made of magic, as you'll see if you take an armchair tour of it via David Lebovitz's website. Here's the link.

Bad Hot Chocolate, Awesome Book Giveaway

Yesterday, I had a really terrible hot chocolate. I mean awful.

It was surprising because it was at a cafe where the food is quite good. It was on the menu, for $3.50, advertised as "hot chocolate with whipped cream". Yum.

But when it was delivered, there were some things wrong.

First, there was no whipped cream.

Second, it was made with a mix. Already bad enough, but to add insult to injury, it was improperly mixed, and still lumpy.

Third, it was made with water, not milk. Gross!

So, I sent it back. They were apologetic and offered to re-make it...but I declined. And I got to thinking: what makes a really good hot chocolate? Is it the chocolate itself? The milk? The temperature? The texture? Well, kind of all of the above. For me, it's a rich drinking chocolate like I had at Cafe Angelina in Paris.

What about you? What is your ideal hot chocolate? 

Feel free to chime in, and you'll be entered to win a copy of this AWESOME book by Lara Ferroni entitled Real Snacks: Make Your Favorite Childhood Treats Without All the Junk. I'm a huge fan of Lara's work, and also love her previous recipe book, Doughnuts: Simple and Delicious Recipes to Make at Home.

This time, she's back with homemade versions of popular snack treats. Sweet and savory. Some examples:

I do believe I spied a unicorn on those pages! 

OK. So, to review: 

Leave a comment telling me about what makes the ideal hot chocolate, in your opinion (is it from a place? Made with heavy cream, at home? Or perhaps it's just Swiss Miss? I'm curious!). And on October 15 at 5pm EST, I will choose one lucky winner (at random) to get a copy of this great new book by Lara Ferroni. Due to the price of shipping overseas, I can only open this one to US residents.

Update on Monday, October 22, 2012 by Cakespy

UPDATE: THE WINNER!

The winner, chosen at random, was Melissa C, who said "The best hot chocolate can be found on the streets of Spain. It is served warm and has almost a pudding like consistency. It is served to accompany a very special treat: The fresh, hot and dazzling cinnamon ladden churro....."

Yum! Thanks for playing! 

Why You Should Buy Bake it in a Cupcake by Megan Seling

Why should you buy Bake It in a Cupcake: 50 Treats with a Surprise Inside by Megan Seling of Bake it in a Cake?

Oh, don't be stupid. Why *shouldn't* you buy it? There is really no reason. But in case you insist on being stubborn about it, let me tell you just a few (ten) of the reasons why you must. 

I say so. And when it comes to books about cupcakes and baked goods, I own pretty much all of them, and I know what I am talking about. You trust me.

I am quoted on the back cover. Remember what you read in reason #1, about trusting me? Trusting me means it is also unicorn-approved. But wait, there's more...

I'm not alone in being quoted on the back cover. Also quoted are Dan Savage (yes, that one) and Andrew Zimmern. They also think you should buy the book, btw.

Megan is an amusing writer. Having honed her writing chops at Seattle's The Stranger, she's quick, clever, and witty. You'll enjoy reading her. Her witty repartee will amuse you while you wait for the cupcakes to bake.

Her recipes are very easy to follow! These recipes are user-friendly, which is good for dopes like me who sometimes need reassurance.

The recipes yield impressive results. Want to knock the socks off of visitors, friends, or co-workers? How 'bout making up some cupcakes with baklava inside, or a cheesecake stuffed with mini pie-stuffed cakes?You'll establish yourself as clever, talented, and internationally savvy.

The cupcakes will make you fat. But happy fat, not sad and lonely fat. They're buttery and delicious!

Because you've never had a book that can literally teach you how to bake love into a cupcake before. Come on! Just look at the cover!

The recipes are crowd pleasers. You'll be able to find things to serve at dinner parties, but you'll also kind kid-friendly and even cat-friendly things, too!!

Because it's fun! Bake it in a Cake is clever, fun, and cute. What's not to love?

Also, I like Megan. Personally. I mentioned her in my book, CakeSpy Presents Sweet Treats for a Sugar-Filled Life, too!

In case you haven't already, you can buy the book here: Bake It in a Cupcake: 50 Treats with a Surprise Inside. 

Daily Sweet: Chocolate Kiss Cookies

Source: thecurvycarrot.com via Betsy on Pinterest

Today's obsession: this cute and sweet recipe for Chocolate Kiss Cookies I discovered on Pinterest. Seriously, did that photo NOT make you smile? Rainbows! Chocolate! Kisses! Cute! Find the recipe here.