Baking Tips: Angel Food, Chiffon and Sponge Cake

When you are looking for a lighter, fluffier sweet treat to make at home, you may want to direct your attention to the beauty of angel food-, chiffon-, and sponge cake recipes. While not everyone will enjoy the lightness or texture of this dessert, there are many different ways to enhance the taste by experimenting with spices, nuts, and flavored glazes. What’s the Difference? Angel Food Cake – This sponge cake is described as delicate, light and airy. Since egg whites are used instead of the entire egg, the dessert is low-calorie and virtually fat-free. The typical one-ounce piece of [read more...]

Single-Cup Coffee Brewers

For some people, they’d like to experience the freshest cup of coffee in the least amount of time. The drip coffee makers of yesterday are good at brewing more than one cup of Joe, but are less useful for single-cup drinkers. Today, the market is filled with plenty of options for coffee makers that make just one cup. While some are fancier than others, below are a few selections that satisfy a range of budgets. The Keurig Brewing System Accommodating varying coffee cup sizes (including travel mugs), a popular brand in single cup brewing is Keurig. One cup of coffee [read more...]

The American Pie Council Presents Pies, Pies and More Pies In New Book Featuring 18 Years of Award-Winning Recipes

Since 1995, amateur, commercial, and professional bakers have competed in the American Pie Council (APC)/Crisco National Pie Championships to determine who makes the best pies in America.  America’s Best Pies: Nearly 200 Recipes You’ll Love (Skyhorse Publishing, October 2012, SRP $24.95) by the American Pie Council with Linda Hoskins is a collection of 200 delicious recipes that have won awards over the 18 years of the championship competition.  The book will be available for sale this October on www.piecouncil.org and through select national booksellers and online book retailers. From the unusual like My Big Fat Italian Strawberry Basil Wedding Pie [read more...]

Healthy Green Tea and Plum Smoothie

Green tea leaves are the dried leaves of the tea plant, which contain less caffeine than black tea because they do not undergo the fermentation process. For centuries, the health benefits of green tea have been known and utilized by the Chinese and Japanese. Green tea is good for the heart, skin and boosting energy levels. From lowering cholesterol levels to cancer prevention, green tea leaves contain natural antioxidants that translate into healthier living. Health Benefits of Green Tea The advantages to drinking green tea seem endless, but a few standouts to consider include: Removing aging toxins and promoting glowing [read more...]

What is Shortbread?

Quite popular around Christmas time and the Scottish New Year, shortbread emerges in many different forms, including festive iced cookies and drier accompaniments to your cup of coffee. Shortbread is a rich pastry usually made with four simple ingredients: butter, eggs, sugar and flour. After baking, the biscuit becomes tender-crisp treat with a crumbly texture. To avoid browning, shortbread is baked at a low temperature. When it comes out of the oven, it is nearly white or a light golden brown color. Basic Vanilla Shortbread Ingredients needed to make a basic shortbread include ¾  (1 ½ cups or 3 sticks) [read more...]

Baking Essentials: Vanilla

With a distinct aroma that sweetly fills the air, vanilla is one of the most used flavorings found in pastries, cakes, cookies, candy, and other desserts. At one point in time, vanilla was so rare and priceless that only royalty had access to the flavoring. Today, nearly almost every kitchen uses the flavor in some form. While there are plenty of imitations on the market, the cheaper man-made vanilla extract cannot compare to pure vanilla. If you are interested in baking a masterpiece or creating something sweet in the kitchen, vanilla is certainly a baking essential. Vanilla extract comes from [read more...]

National Pie Day and Laura’s Sticky Toffee Pudding Apple Pie Recipe

Throwing a pie baking – and pie tasting – party for friends or coworkers, or to raise money for a favorite charity, are all delicious ways to celebrate National Pie Day on Monday, Jan. 23, 2012. Why is National Pie Day celebrated on Jan. 23 or 1/23? Because celebrating the wholesome goodness of pie is as easy as 1-2-3! Bakers of all skill levels are invited to enter the 18th Annual APC/Crisco® National Pie Championships® to be held April 27-29, 2012 in Orlando. Entry forms will be posted soon at www.piecouncil.org. Those who prefer to appreciate the nuances of pie [read more...]

The Million – Dollar Recipe from Pillsbury Bake Off!

Last night, the winner of the Pillsbury Bake-Off Contest was revealed on The Oprah Show. Sue Compton is taking home the Grand Prize of $1 MILLION! Congratulations, Ms. Compton! Now, let’s see the recipe! Mini Ice Cream Cookie Cups INGREDIENTS – 1 package (16 oz) Pillsbury® Ready to Bake!™ refrigerated sugar cookies (24 cookies) – 4 teaspoons sugar – 1/3 cup Fisher® Chef’s Naturals® Chopped Walnuts, finely chopped – 1/2 cup Hershey’s® semi-sweet chocolate baking chips – 1/4 cup Smucker’s® Seedless Red Raspberry Jam – 1 1/2 cups vanilla bean ice cream, softened – 24 fresh raspberries DIRECTIONS 1. Heat [read more...]

Most Popular Bakeries in New York City

A lot has been said about New York City’s most popular bakeries. But things change on a yearly basis, so let’s see who’s baking the most delicious desserts in NYC this year! In random order! If your favorite is not on the list, leave us a comment! We’d love to hear your nominations! *** MAGNOLIA BAKERY- is often credited with starting the modern day cupcake craze with their signature pastel colored, buttercream-frosted versions. Magnolia Bakery specializes in old fashioned baked goods including red velvet cake, icebox cake, and banana pudding. Location: With four bustling store fronts –two of which have opened in the [read more...]

Strawberry and Mascarpone Dessert

Ingredients 450g/1 lb of strawberries 1 cup confectioners sugar 1 cup fresh cream 1 tub (250g/9 oz) mascarpone Directions: Wash strawberries and grind in food processor, set aside. Add the confectioners sugar to marscapone and whip for only a minute. In a separate bowl, beat fresh cream until stiff peaks. Now, fold in fresh cream into mascarpone a little at a time. Do not add all the fresh cream, leave a small amount for piping. Lastly fold in the ground strawberries. Spoon into bowls and pipe fresh cream on top and garnish with sliced strawberries. Enjoy!