Holy cow am I late on this one. This was actually supposed to be for the Daring Bakers challenge last month. Jenny Bakes supplied a simple enough cheesecake recipe to follow, but I just couldn’t do it. I can’t handle another cream cheese, brick-in-my-stomach-after-eating cheesecake experience. It’s good going down, but an unruly house guest to my stomach later.
So I hemmed and I hawed all month long….what the heck was I going to do? I want to participate in the challenge, but the thought of cream cheese brick syndrome left me nauseous. I know that some of the other DBers had similar issues with cheesecake and did some tweaks, so I began a search for a light alternative. Then I remembered Martha. That’s right, the woman who started it all for me and the very first baking book I bought offered salvation in a ricotta cheesecake *cue the angels singing with light shining down from the heavens*
(To appease the DB powers that be: The April 2009 challenge is hosted by Jenny from Jenny Bakes. She has chosen Abbey’s Infamous Cheesecake as the challenge.) Click to continue…
Tagged as:
Cheesecake,
Daring Bakers,
Oops!,
Panna Cotta,
Ricotta,
Strawberry,
Vanilla
by Aimee on March 2, 2009
My first true visual disaster in a Daring Bakers challenge. Who knew that I could screw up a three ingredient recipe? What you see here is actually an illusion. I know, it looks pretty appetizing (at least I think so). However, I had to perform radical surgery to get the cake to look so appealing. Despite that fact, I am IN LOVE with the taste of my visually disastrous cake. I have to add that while I love the cake, the coconut ice cream (recipe below) and strawberries really put this dessert over the top.
The February 2009 challenge is hosted by Wendy of WMPE’s blog and Dharm of Dad ~ Baker & Chef. We have chosen a Chocolate Valentino cake by Chef Wan; a Vanilla Ice Cream recipe from Dharm and a Vanilla Ice Cream recipe from Wendy as the challenge.
While our hosts were kind enough to include two recipes for vanilla ice cream, we had the freedom to choose any flavor our little hearts desired. As luck would have it I just picked up Dessert FourPlay
(nudge, nudge, wink, wink, say no more! Sorry, but I couldn’t help the Monty Python reference) by Johnny Iuzzini. While perusing this tome of sugar porn, the stars aligned, doves took flight and silver trumpets rang out when I came across a DIVINE recipe for coconut ice cream. It was meant to be. Thoughts of tropical islands, Polynesian gods, and creamy coconut ignited my imagination and the genesis of a rich chocolate, coconut and strawberry confection was conjured in my mind’s eye. Click to continue…
Tagged as:
Chocolate,
Coconut,
Daring Bakers,
Ice Cream,
Oops!,
Recipe!,
Strawberry
by Aimee on February 5, 2009
It is ironic that what appears to be the simplest of tasks turns into a laborious challenge. That was the big lesson I learned attempting January’s Daring Bakers Challenge.
This month’s challenge is brought to us by Karen of Bake My Day and Zorra of 1x umruehren bitte aka Kochtopf. They have chosen Tuiles from The Chocolate Book by Angélique Schmeink and Nougatine and Chocolate Tuiles from Michel Roux.
They also supplied a recipe for savory tuiles from Thomas Keller from the French Laundry and his cookbook
of the same name. I ended up trying the basic sweet and savory recipes. (Scroll down for recipes and food porn.) Click to continue…
Tagged as:
Daring Bakers,
MacGyver Baking Tip,
Oops!,
Raspberries,
Recipe!,
Savory
by Aimee on December 29, 2008
Yep, those were the exact words that left my lips the night (or was it morning?) when I finally finished the assembly of this challenge. I just joined the Daring Bakers group last month and while last month’s challenge wasn’t too difficult for me, seeing as I had made a caramel cake a couple of months earlier, December was certainly a doozy. pics
Tagged as:
Chocolate,
Daring Bakers,
Hazelnuts,
MacGyver Baking Tip,
Oops!
by Aimee on December 28, 2008
So, I was so THRILLED in October to get the news that I was accepted into the Daring Bakers group. So thrilled in fact that I made the November challenge, took pictures even, but never got around to actually post my results because I got hives from my computer for around a month for some reason. Actually this is the WORST time of year for me to try and keep any kind of schedule. Between taking care of my Mom, the house, preparing for the holidays and trying to keep up with all the baking – AAAAHHHH! Excuse my meltdown. Anyways, I hope this somehow makes up for November because that’s when I actually made this cake.
Shuna Fish Lydon of Eggbeater brings us a sugar-high to last through the holidays with a Caramel Cake. Hosting helpers are Dolores from Chronicles in Culinary Curiosity, Alex from Blondie and Brownie, Jenny from Foray into Food, and for those alternative bakers Natalie from Gluten-a-Go-Go. (I think I have this right to get credit for this, but if I’m missing something please let me know!) Click to continue…
Tagged as:
Brown Butter,
Caramel
