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Cinna-spin Cookies With A Muffin Twist
2008-06-04 06:02:00
A couple weeks ago, I was offered the opportunity to bake the winning cookie recipe from Betty Crocker's Bake Life Sweeter contest. The winning cookie was baked by Lynette S which won her a $5,000 prize. She used a sugar cookie mix to create a "cinnamon roll-cookie". She aptly named the cookies Cinna-spins.I was immediately intrigued by her concept. I read the recipe and decided that I would bake another version of her award winning cookie. I finally settled a mini muffin cinna-spin cookie. They baked up beautifully and had a cinnamon bun taste to them. Once the cookies were cooled and iced, I packed them in little boxes and took them over to my neighbors. I know, you're wondering how much of the recipe did I change? Nothing, except for the presentation.I stayed true to the recipe by using the same amount of cinnamon, butter, egg, and a Betty Crocker Sugar Cookie Mix. Instead of coiling the cookies, I rolled the dough into a 12"x 7" rectangle (a little shy 1/4" thick) in betwe...
More About: Cookies , Spin , Muffin , Twist

Persian Love Cupcakes
2008-05-22 20:13:00
Persian Love Cake. Sounds sexy huh? That?s exactly what I thought when I saw this over at Couture Cupcakes. Minko (of Couture Cupcakes) entered this cake in a blog event. Minko even made her cake in the shape of hearts! If you have never gone to Minko?s than you have been missing out on some awesome cupcakes! At Couture Cupcakes it?s all about hot men and even hotter cupcakes. She bakes up the most amazing cupcake flavor combinations. And she also manages to keep us updated on the sexy adventures of Hollywood and Australia?s leading men.So when I saw this recipe, I thought, ??I have to make this!? I was going to bake it as a traditional cake. But then I thought, ??hey, Minko?s all about cupcakes and I haven?t featured a cupcake here in awhile.? Hence, The Sexy Persian Love Cupcakes were born. The cupcakes are a chiffon cake topped off with rose water scented whipped cream. The spices in this cake are an exotic combination of lemon, cardamom, saffron, and pistachios. I ...
More About: Persian

Goji Berry & Walnut Muffins
2008-05-14 09:00:00
Sorry guys, I am a tad busy this week and slightly caked-out (gasp!). All I can offer this week are muffins. It?s not to say that these muffins aren?t good.For goodness sake, their packed full goji berries and walnuts. I have been so busy lately, that I literally don?t have time to eat anything. I keep telling myself to pack a lunch, and then I stare into the fridge and nothing seems appealing.I finally decided that I would bake muffins that I could just pop into my purse along with a couple of tea bags. I know what you?re thinking. A muffin Gigi? Muffins are bad for you.These muffins do have some redeeming value. What could it be? The goji berries of course! Goji berries are dried red berries that look similar to cranberries. They have been used for thousands of years for their ?healing? properties. They are packed full of antioxidants, help eyesight, protect the liver, and boost immune function. How could you not like this muffin? Right?Go ahead and bake yourself some super muf...
More About: Berry , Walnut

Carrot Cake
2008-05-07 09:00:00
First off, I would like to apologize for the poor quality of the photo. The last couple of cakes, I have photographed in other people?s homes and ?well, my mini fake studio was not available. This particular cake was for my friend Lucy?s birthday.She had requested a carrot cake, a four-layer carrot cake, to be exact. Last week she came over, went through all my baking books, and finally settled on ?Melissa Murphy?s Carrot Cake with Orange Cream Cheese Frosting.I also made her a batch of carrot cupcakes (halved the recipe) for any children that were present at the party. The batter seemed a little dense as I made it and I was worried it would turn out a dry cake. When the cakes came out of the oven, they were tall and fluffy. (Whew!) The cream cheese frosting was marvelous. The orange zest really made the icing special.Once the cake was cut, I was even more pleased at the moist and tender crumb the cake had. (Whew!) I had never made this recipe before, and I usually do a practice ...

Tiger Cake
2008-05-04 09:00:00
I went back and forth, back and forth and finally decided that I would share this little bit of personal info. Today is my birthday. No big hoopla or party. Just dinner, cake, and friends.I was also going back and forth, about what type of cake I wanted. I could not decide between yellow and chocolate, almost annoyingly indecisive. Go ahead ask Katie, every time we exchanged e-mails I changed the flavor of the cake.I went through my binder of "must try recipes" and came across ?Tiger Cake ?. A yellow and chocolate swirled cake! It was like an ?a-ha moment?. Immediately all the stress of finding the perfect birthday cake dissipated.The ?Tiger Cake? is from Alice Medrich?s book Bittersweet. Putting the cake together was very easy! Seriously ...easy peasy. It did call for two odd ingredients 1) one cup of olive oil, 2) ½ teaspoon of white pepper. Oh man, was it hard not to change the recipe! In the end, I am so glad that I followed the recipe according to Medrich. The pepper...

Cheesecake Pops
2008-04-27 09:00:00
The Daring Bakers are at it again, this time they are in the pop business. Cheesecake Pops that is. The recipe was chosen by Elle from Feeding My Enthusiasms and Deborah from Taste and Tell. This was a fun recipe, a little tedious, but worth it if you?re into cute desserts.The recipe was easy to put together and easily halved. This is what I did. I used two 6-inch pans, one was a cake pan and the second pan was a spring form. The cheesecake in the spring form pan did not stick at all, not on the bottom or sides. Once I realized this, I shouted a loud woo-hoo!The reason is, I am all for cheesecakes that are graham cracker free. Remember the cheesecake that I raved about? Well, this is it. See, I told you it was worth the wait. Most of you probably had the recipe in your hands the whole time (insert evil laugh)!The cheesecake was excellent. I am definitely going to make this again as a large cheesecake. The cheesecake pops I made were dipped in white chocolate and sprinkl...
More About: Connor

Cheesecake
2008-04-23 02:57:00
Today all I am going to do is tempt with this photo. That?s right, no recipe. (Insert evil laugh.) Just trust me ?it?s worth the wait. I know I am heartless baker. How dare I post a cheesecake with a tart cherry topping and no recipe? Did I mention this is a New York style cheesecake with no annoying bottom crust? Yeah, no graham crackers here baby!The cheesecake before you is rich, creamy and has a hint of vanilla. Did I mention the missing graham cracker crust? I like my cheesecake sans the crust. I?m in it for the artery clogging, stroke inducing, and sugar high that is classic cheesecake.I rarely have cheesecake because I would rather live a long and healthy life. Therefore, when I do make or have a slice of cheesecake, I don?t want or need graham crackers to detract from it.So please just hang on for a couple more days and I?ll show you the light that is classic New York style cheesecake ?sans the crust or ?a la Gigi Cakes?.
More About: Cheesecake

Black Bottom Cupcakes
2008-04-14 07:42:00
I was not going to post these cupcakes at first that is until Laurie of Quirky Cupcake convinced me to. You see, while I was waiting for the oven timer to go off, I decided to browse the net. And as luck would have it, I discovered Laurie?s Black Bottom Cupcakes! I leave her a comment stating that mine are in the oven as ?we speak?. Laurie leaves me a comment to make sure that I go ahead and post them anyway. So here I am, posting Laurie?s world famous Black Bottom Cupcakes courtesy of David Lebovitz.This is the second time this has happened to me. Not too long ago Katie of Apple and Spice baked a batch of cookies that I was going to post. Because of these lovely bakers beating me to the oven, I am going to keep next week?s post top secret.I have not even decided on what to bake yet. When I do decide, I will make sure to close the windows, pull down the blinds, and turn off the lights. I cannot have anyone getting a hint of what is in the oven.Before I go, let me share this ...

And the winners are ...
2008-04-12 07:42:00
I am playing "catch up" here. A couple of weeks ago Lynn of Cookie Baker Lynn awarded me the E for excellent award. Thank you so much Lynn!On Friday Tracy from Cake Batter and Crumbs awarded me the E for excellent award as well. (woo-hoo!)Finally, Maria from The Goddess Kitchen selected me for a six word memoir.The first E for excellent award goes to ...Patricia from The Technicolor Kitchen.Her blog is beautiful, well written, and the photos are just stunning!The second E for excellent award goes to ...Katie of Apple and Spice.Katie's blog is a magnificent combination of baked goodies and vegetarian dishes! Yummy!Now the memoir, I am suppose to chose six words that describe me.BakerSmilesLoyalOrganizedCompassionate FunnyI am then suppose to tag 6 more people for the memoir. I will select ....?Sandi from The Whistlestop CafeJoy from Joy The BakerMy Sweet and SaucyEat me, deliciousSarah from Gotta learn to measureDeborah from Taste and Tell
More About: Winners

Fruit Financiers
2008-04-10 21:22:00
I was going to tempt you with another ?Sweet Melissa? recipe but I was unable to photograph it. Do not worry I will be baking it again very soon and photographs will be available. One of things I really enjoy baking is individual desserts. I do not know if it?s the concept of receiving my very own dessert or the fact that it is a miniature version of a larger dessert. Whatever the reason I just love the individuality of a personal dessert.I made these the other day for my friend Lucy. We meet once a week for coffee and I usually provide the dessert. She is one of my dear friends and I treasure the hour here and there that we can get together to catch up.Back to the financiers for a moment, you can use just about any type of berry with the recipe. Heck even frozen, I used organic frozen raspberries this time around. The recipe also called for a half cup of almonds I only sprinkled a few. Again, my personal preference, but you can sprinkle as much you like. The financier is a m...
More About: Fruit

Orange Scented Scones
2008-04-03 00:00:00
Oh, I cannot tell you enough how much I am enjoying ?The Sweet Melissa Baking Book?. This time around, I made the Orange Scented Scones . I just adore any baked goodie that I can have at breakfast. In my world, a naked cupcake counts as a muffin. However, these scones are just perfect for those lazy days that include the newspaper and an endless pot of coffee.First off, the recipe makes only 6 scones, which is perfect for small families (example: Mr. Gigi Cakes & I). Second, I was intrigued at the addition of oat flour. I was worried that the scones would have an oatmeal taste to them but I was a worrywart for nothing. The scones were tender and flaky just like a well-baked biscuit. The hint of orange added a nice citrus note.The recipe also has suggested fresh/dry fruit add-ins and how to adjust the liquids if using fresh fruit. I just love all the tips that are in the book. They are really helpful especially if one is baking something unfamiliar. Well, I?m off to d...

Perfect Party Cake
2008-03-30 09:00:00
It's that time of the month again. Daring Bakers every where are baking perfect party cakes. Dorie Greenspan?s Perfect Party Cake to be exact. This months challenge was picked by Morven from Food Art and Random Thoughts. And what a fantastic recipe! I have baked this particular cake a handful of times and I know I will be baking it many more times. Five more times to be precise. Yes, FIVE. I have 6 friends who have birthdays in April and 5 out of the 6 picked Dorie?s Perfect Party Cake as their birthday cake.I was starting to panic. Not because the recipe is difficult, but what to do with all those leftover egg yolks! I finally settled on crème anglaise ice cream. A incredible ice cream recipe from Ina Garten. This will mean each of the birthday friends will receive a birthday cake and ice cream for their party.As for the cake, I did not make many changes to the original recipe. The exceptions were the filling and not covering the top of the cake with coconut. I filled t...

Chocolate Malted Layer Cake
2008-03-27 19:52:00
I cannot tell you how many malted milk chocolate cakes I have made in my lifetime. Too many. The problem seems to be that most recipes call for crushed ?Whoppers?. Which is okay, but the malted milk flavor seems to get lost during the baking. The recipes then try to redeem themselves by adding more ?Whoppers? in the frosting. That only results in a cake looking bumpy and unappetizing. Until now.The cake before you is from ?The Sweet Melissa Baking Book? written by Melissa Murphy. The Chocolate Malted Layer Cake ?oh does it live up to its name. It has a whole cup of malted milk powder in the frosting. I could have ate the icing with a spoon and then died utterly content. The cake is moist, tender and absolutely chocolate-y. Paired together, it has a too die for combination.There are a myriad of recipes in the book that I want try. So many recipes, so little post-its. Yes, the book is under attack by post-its. Almost every single recipe has a post-it on it to remind me ?...

Hot Chicks
2008-03-25 22:56:00
Happy Belated Easter ! I hope everyone had a great Easter and has survived their chocolate egg comas. And speaking of eggs, my friend Katie sent me a box of chicks for Easter. I guess the flight from the England to California was a long one because the chicks started laying eggs mid-flight. Go on see for yourself.Aren't they cute? And look at all those eggs! I see a lot of creme brulee, custard, and mousse in my future. If I let them roam around casa de Gigi are they then considered free range chickens and eggs? Maybe I can start a small business here.Oh man! Look at the size of that egg! Wow, that chick deserves a medal of honor! Look at the shock on the other chicks faces. If you need eggs I can give you a good price. Katie, thanks for the lovely Easter basket! I can't wait to start baking!
More About: Chicks

Apple Raisin Muffins
2008-03-18 17:48:00
Have you ever wanted to bake something and didn?t have all the ingredients? Did you go ahead with substitutions and hoped it would come out? That?s where I found myself last night.I wanted to have a muffin for breakfast, a raisin muffin, to be exact. I searched through all my cookbooks and I did find recipes. But the ingredients were another story. My next step was the internet, where I found a recipe that was simple, yet I was still missing some the ingredients. I crossed my fingers and hoped that all the substitutions would yield me an edible muffin.What I got was a large humble muffin, whose taste surpasses any of those overpriced dry muffins available at coffee houses. Oh, is this muffin soft and so good. The recipe originally called for 12 muffins, but I wanted big breakfast muffins, so I used a Texas muffin pan. I still cannot believe how well the muffins turned out. I guess if a recipe is well written substitutions will still yield one a good result.If find yourself ...
More About: Apple , Raisin , Muffins

S'mores Cupcake
2008-03-10 02:55:00
Hey, hey ?it?s Cupcake Hero time! The ingredient for this month is marshmallow. Start baking your marshmallow-inspired cupcakes and send them over to Laurie at Quirky Cupcake. If you need more info, you can find it here.For me, the ultimate marshmallow dessert is s?mores, but this Cupcake Hero folks. And in order to participate, my s?mores would have to transform themselves into cupcakes.I found a recipe for a delicate graham cracker cake and one for homemade marshmallow icing. The cake absolutely tastes like a graham cracker, that?s because there is very little flour in the recipe. The cupcakes also don?t rise very much during baking so feel free to fill the liners ¾ full. I didn?t fill them up all they way and they barely reached the top if the liner.The cupcakes were really good plain, yep plain. I can totally see myself eating them plain with coffee in the morning.If you decide, ?plain? is not your style, then add marshmallow icing and a drizzle of melted chocolate on to...

Banana Dulce De Leche Cake
2008-03-03 21:29:00
You didn?t think I would have a BBQ party without serving dessert? Of course, I served dessert. After everyone ate their burgers on freshly made hamburger buns, I brought out a banana cake filled with dulce de leche and iced with a mascarpone frosting. I served the cake with iced coffee because lately it?s been very warm here in Southern California. Everyone enjoyed the cake especially the icing. I was a little worried that my guests would think that the mascarpone icing would be a little too tangy. As it turned out my worries were unfounded.The cake is a rich banana cake made tender by the sour cream in the batter. The original recipe calls for a banana filling as well, but I decided against that. I had a jar of dulce de leche left over from my last vacation in Mexico.In Mexico, the best dulce de leche is from the state of Guanajuato. In addition, it is not called dulce de leche. Its proper name is cajeta and is packaged in little wooden boxes. You can have it made with g...
More About: Banana , Cake , Dulce

French Bread
2008-02-29 09:00:00
It is that time month of the again ?Daring Bakers are baking French bread all over the world. Our wonderful host this month is Mary from The Sour Dough. Now on to the bread making!First, I would like to mention that I am new to the world of yeast. I believe I only have three or four yeast recipes under my belt. And to recreate Julia Child?s French bread recipe was crazy/scary. I am glad that I participated, but I probably will never make this again. There were so many steps to the recipe and the recreation of a baker?s oven. The whole process made me appreciate what an art & talent bread making really is. For me, I think I will stick to La Brea Bakery baguettes.La Brea Bakery delivers fresh bread every morning to Whole Foods and farmer?s markets in the Los Angeles area. And getting up at 6:30 am to ensure that I get the baguette of my choice is nothing compared to baking it.I also must mention that I decided to make little rounds instead of the traditional shape. Why? ...
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Mini Chocolate Raspberry Turnovers
2008-02-21 21:12:00
I know I am still stuck in raspberry-chocolate mode. But hey, at least it?s not a cupcake. These are mini turnovers filled with raspberry jam and dark chocolate. The recipe is from Gourmet magazine and is super easy to put together.The recipe calls for a package of puff pastry. That?s right, from the store but you could make yours if you like. I?ll still like you. I used raspberry jam and dark chocolate, but I believe Gourmet used milk chocolate and strawberry jam? My point is you can use anything you like. Heck, you could even leave out the jam. But if you leave out the chocolate, we?re done. Ah, just kidding.I dusted the turnovers with powder sugar and served them with espresso. Yeah, I can get fancy. Oh, before I forget, you can make them any size, just make sure you cut the pastry into squares. That way when you fold them over you?ll get perfect triangles.Mini TurnoversAdapted from Gourmet1 package of puff pastry1/3 cup of jam4 ounces of chocolate1 eggPowdered sugar...
More About: Raspberry , Chocolate

Cupcake Hero
2008-02-16 00:01:00
It?s Cupcake Hero time! The lovely Laurie of Quirky Cupcake is holding her monthly mingle titled ...Cupcake Hero. Every month she chooses an ingredient and those of us who are brave bake a cupcake around the chosen ingredient. This month's ingredient was liquor. I was so excited about this month?s theme. Mostly due to the hundreds of possibilities. However, I finally decided on a chocolate raspberry cupcake. I used Chambord, which is a raspberry liquor. If you have never tried Chambord, then shame on you! This stuff makes amazing drinks/cocktails. I don?t even think it has a high alcohol proof. Any who, get some Chambord and bake chocolate raspberry cupcakes or any of the lovely recipes on their site.The cake part of the cupcake does not retain much of the raspberry alcohol taste, but the aroma of raspberries remains. That?s because Chambord has a strong raspberry scent. To the buttercream, I added raspberry extract, which made the icing incredible.The cupcakes were so sc...

Hugs & Kisses
2008-02-10 09:00:00
Well look at this. I have actually managed to post a recipe before the ?holiday? is even here. Are you shocked? I am. My friends were even more shocked when I presented them with their gift and announced ?Happy Valentine?s Day?! ( Feb. 8) The idea of ?hugs & kisses? is originally from the Martha Stewart Magazine (Feb. 2005). In the magazine she used an ?x? cookie cutter and an ?o? cookie cutter to make the ?hugs & kisses?. I paid a visit to my local baking supply store looking for the said letters when I came across the perfect cutter. A cookie cutter that had merged together the x & o. Perfection.After purchasing my cookie cutter, I made a quick stop at my craft store for ribbon and paper roses. I have to admit, that gift wrapping my cookies was the best part of the whole process. But enough about gift wrapping, let us move on to the baking!The vanilla cookies are plain old sugar cookies with sanding sugar. Don?t get me wrong they taste fantastic. The thing is...
More About: Kisses , Hugs

Supernatural Brownies
2008-02-06 02:47:00
Awhile back, I came across a blog that was conducting a sort of brownie experiment. She was testing out the brownie recipes featured in a New York Times article. One of the brownies peaked my interest. It was the Supernatural Brownie. Mostly because it was one of the many recipes, I had added to my ?to-bake? list. I looked for the recipe and taped it to the fridge. And not to soon forgot about it.Recently my friend Katie posted a recipe for gluten free mint brownies. They looked so dark and fudgy that I had to have a brownie immediately. Off to the kitchen I went in search of all the necessary ingredients. As I turned to preheat the oven, I noticed the recipe for the supernatural brownies, uh-oh. Guilt. I re-read the recipe and the article. Humph, what to do now? Well, I?m that not good with guilt, so I knew I was going to be baking Supernatural Brownies .Not wanting to have sub par brownies, I took the author?s advice and used the best ingredients for my brownies. I agre...

Blackberry Jam Crumb Cake
2008-01-30 03:46:00
I first baked this coffee cake around Christmas time and it has since become one of my favorite breakfast. Yes, that?s right, breakfast. I?m a coffee and ?toast, coffee cake or muffin girl. (I know, I should really eat a real breakfast. Maybe one day.) The cake is unbelievably moist and slightly dense. For me, that?s the perfect coffee cake combination. The cake also keeps for a long time. I usually make it on Sunday evening and have it for breakfast Monday through Friday, unless I have visitors. The jam swirls can be changed to any flavor you like. This time around I used an organic blackberry jam. (Mmm ?good.) I have even made the cake sans the jam and it was just as good. If you make it without the jam, I suggest adding a little more sugar or a nice dusting of powdered sugar on top. Partly, because the jam adds a bit of sweetness to the cake and you still want to have the ?sugar? amount balanced. Also, when it comes out of the oven, the cake is good, but when you have it the nex...
More About: Blackberry , Cake

Starbuck's Chocolate-Cinnamon Bread
2008-01-20 21:31:00
I must be last person on earth to bake this cake. (Hey better late than never right?) If you ?Google? Starbucks?s Chocolate Cinnamon Bread you?ll find that, many bloggers have already baked and devoured this cake.It may look like a chocolate pound cake, but that?s where the similarities end. The cake?s texture is light and devilishly chocolate. It?s made with buttermilk which gives the cake its tender crumb and the dark dutch cocoa would please any chocolate lover. The cake has a hint of cinnamon, okay a tad more than hint, but the dark dutch cocoa keeps the cinnamon from over powering the cake. The crunchy sugar topping has a touch of cloves, which brings a nice warmth to the cake.The cake recipe makes two generous loaves. Really generous. I gave one loaf to my friend I. to have with her Sunday brunch. The second loaf, I cut in half, one-half I kept for myself and the other half I gave to my friend S. This is one of those cakes that if you have in the house, you will conti...
More About: Namo

A Meme
2008-01-18 05:16:00
A while ago, I was tagged by Quirky Cupcake (Laurie) to do a meme. I promised to do it soon, but you know how it is. Any who, here are the answers to a meme about me. All ?reading? is final. No exchanges, blog read credit, or returns allowed.What were you doing 10 years ago?Not much, I wasn?t old enough to do anything cool yet.What were you doing 1 year ago?Taking an overload of law courses and deciding on what I want to be one day.Five snacks you enjoy:Anything that starts with letter C. You know, Cupcakes, cake, candy, crackers and cheese. My friend Tommy once told me ??foods that start with letter C is not a legitimate food group.? I totally disagree.Five songs that you know all the lyrics to:Happy Birthday and I can butcher any song on a moments notice.Five things you would do if you were a millionaire: I?d buy (I mean donate) a wing or building to Harvard Law School. Hoping that I can guilt them into letting me in. I would set up college funds for my nephews and nieces. Trave...
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It's been 1 year since we met!
2008-01-15 09:00:00
I am completely stunned and mystified that a whole year has passed for my "blog". Wow! I started this blog because my family and friends kept asking for ?the recipes?. They would say ??remember that cake you made?? or ?what was the name of those cookies?? And my favorite ??can you make a copy of this recipe and that one?? That is how this little blog came into existence, as an archive of recipes for my family and friends to print and view. (I still have to figure out how to add a print page.) Soon I was knee deep in sugar, flour, and new friends.I remember when Garret from Vanilla Garlic welcomed me into the blogo-sphere. Who knew this blog would lead to so much fun, lovely comments by you, and e-mails with new friends across the world. Amazing! I have had a great time here, because you guys have made it a fun and loving place to be.I want to thank you for all the support you have given me over the last year. C?mon, stay awhile, have a piece of cake and a glass of champagne...
More About: Year

Baked Doughnuts
2008-01-08 01:00:00
I almost feel bad posting a photograph of doughnuts. Almost. I know most of you are trying to diet and start the New Year off healthy. And I will not be featuring any fat-free or butter-free baked goods here. This is because I usually eat whole grains, many salads, and a lot of vegan meatless products (even though I am not a vegetarian or vegan; I just like they way they taste & convenience). I try to eat healthy so when I do have a doughnut I am not riddled with guilt. And my friend T. has made me feel guilty because she has her heart set on dieting.Last night, she requested a fat-free doughnut and I laughed and hung up on her. I know a bit harsh, but later on, I felt guilty and started my search for her doughnut. Which brings us to this wonderful stack of cinnamon sugar happiness that was not fried I might add. Yes, that is right, no oil involved. The doughnuts are fluffy, sweet, and partially whole wheat. Who knew you could get some fiber from a doughnut?The recipe...
More About: Baked

Kugelhopf
2008-01-02 09:00:00
Today we are going to discuss fears. Well, actually just one of my fears, but first lets see what the dictionary says fear is. Fear [feer] n. (plural fears) frightening thought: an idea, thought, or other entity that causes feelings of fear, irrational fears.Have you ever noticed that some people (me) ?fear? the weirdest things? For example, I have spent most of my adult life avoiding recipes that contain yeast. I have no idea why? I cannot even remember trying to bake something with yeast that could have possibly led to this type of trauma. Yet, the very mention of yeast has me grasping for my asthma inhaler. Why am I so scared of yeast? It?s very irrational. Which leads me to one of my New Year's resolutions: to face and hopefully conquer my fears.You see, I couple months ago I joined a little group known as the Daring Bakers. In the hopes of conquering my fear of yeast. I figured, I have made this commitment to the Daring Bakers and I must bake whatever the challenge is...

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
2007-12-24 09:00:00
I just wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year ! I've made a little movie just in case you need some sugar to tide you over until January 3rd, 2008. Until then Happy Holidays! ~Gigi
More About: Happy New Year , Merry Christmas

Daring Bakers: Yule Log
2007-12-22 11:27:00
I guarantee "Yule Log" this recipe! Okay, that was pretty much lame. All I can say is it's 2:28am, cut a girl some slack. (just kidding) Ivonne and Lis are our hostesses this month and have chosen the Yule Log as our December challenge. This was a great recipe! I had a lot of fun baking this cake. The cake was soo chocolate-y and light and the coffee buttercream ...was too die for. All and all a great cake. I think this is the first time I had no worries whatsoever about the challenge or recipe. The recipe is from Nick Malgeiri's book "Perfect Cakes", which I own, and had baked just about every recipe in it.Since I was not going to be home for the holidays, I decided to reward one of my favorite taste testers and give him the cake. D. is the son of my friend I. He is the cutest taste tester that I have ever had! D. is always happy to taste test and critiques like a pro. He never says yummy or good. He always uses words like "heavenly", "light as cloud" or "it sings". I think we ha...
More About: Bakers , Baker