Black Forest Cake

I'll let you in on a little secret. I'm a bit obsessive when it comes to photographing my baking. I love to share my breads and desserts with you. I love to share my baked goods with other people too. And here is where the conflict of interest lies. Let me explain.
Say, for instance, you made a fantastic black forest cake. The layers are just right. The frosting is just so. The cake makes you feel warm and fuzzy and proud inside. Now here's the catch. You made this cake for a dinner party. You want to bring a beautifully frosted cake to the party to share. You also want to show off and share this cake to your wonderful online followers (that's you!). But you can't bring a cake to the party with a piece missing (well, you can, but people might stare and wonder whether you were so desperately starved that you dug in with your hands on the way there).

So what do you do?

I'm a bit greedy. I want the best of two worlds. So you know what I do? Oh, I cut the cake. I take the photos. I might even sneak a tiny bite with my fork. And then I slide that little piece back into the cake, fix up the frosting like this whole thing never happened, and don't tell a soul. I have no shame.

Shhh. This is our little secret.

This black forest cake is none too sweet, which is just right. When I imagine a black forest cake, I don't think of a sugary, gumdrop forest. I think of a forest that's dark, dense, with secrets hidden in the shadows. The cake is dense and rich. The cherry filling has subtle hints of rum. The pastry cream is oh so dreamy. And the whipped cream frosting is perfect. Just perfect. If you are looking for a cake to impress, look no further.

Click to read more ...

Roasted Cherry Coconut Ice Cream

I tried my first real cherry a week ago.

My childhood had been scarred by cherry flavored medicine. My parents could only make me take it if cookies were promised and in full view. I will argue that it is the single worst thing I have ever tasted. From that point on, I avoided cherry popsicles, cherry koolaid... anything that even looked red (including holiday oreos with red colored filling). I had always assumed that real cherries would have that same awful overly sweet bitter taste. At the ripe age of 22, I figured it was time to find out the truth.

Real cherries tasted nothing like the branded generic cherry flavor. It was a revelation! An inspiration! I indulged in the flavor, the texture, and the intricacies of this new and exciting fruit (eating half a pound in the process). Then and there, the fates decided that cherries would have a presence in my life.

This roasted cherry coconut ice cream is absolutely divine. It is so easy to make and tastes gourmet. The roasted cherries are sweet and glorious and I can't stop talking about them. The ice cream itself has a fairly intense coconut flavor and can stand alone if need be, but the cherries really round out the flavors in the ice cream. This is, quite possibly, the best ice cream I have ever eaten.

Click to read more ...