Marciam

Oct 27 2013

Cake

Bundt Cakes

Coca-Cola Bundt Cake from Baked

Why do I like to bake Bundt Cakes? For two reasons, really. The only decoration a Bundt Cake needs is a dusting of confectioner’s sugar or a glaze (and since decorating/frosting cakes is not my forte, this is a big deal for me). More importantly though, Bundt Cakes are delicious.

What is a Bundt Cake? It may be a bit of a circular definition, but a Bundt Cake is a cake baked in a Bundt Pan. A Bundt Pan is a tube pan with curved, fluted sides. And to add to the fun, Bundt Pans are also available in whimsical shapes – castles, flowers, pumpkins, etc.

Fleur De Lis Bundt Pan from Nordic Ware

There are plenty of us Bundt Cake fans. Nordic Ware, the company that trademarked Bundt Pans, has sold about 60 million of these pans to date.

Gingerbread Pumpkin Baby Bundt Cake from the Corner Bakery Cafe

Corner Bakery Café is a nationwide chain of cafes offering breakfasts, sandwiches, salads, pastas, soups, and of real interest to me, baked goods. Ric Scicchitano, the Senior VP of Food & Beverage at Corner Bakery Café said that his company has been offering Bundt Cakes for over 20 years. Chocolate Bundt Cakes are the best sellers. When I asked if Corner Bakery Café has plans to add other Bundt Cakes to their menu, Mr. Scicchitano noted:

“We always have our Chocolate Bundts, but we change up our other Bundt Cakes on a seasonal basis. Our Gingerbread Pumpkin Bundt is a guest favorite that people look forward to every fall and our new Strawberry Bundt was a big hit over the summer. Other seasonal flavors include: Lemon; Caramel; Chocolate Cherry; and Banana.”

A Birthday Bundt Cake from Nothing Bundt Cakes

Even though Bundt Cakes are popular, I’m still a little surprised that a bakery chain, Nothing Bundt Cakes, bakes and sells only Bundt Cakes. These are special occasion cakes – iced with a thick frosting in a petal shape. All of the cakes are highly decorated; birthday cakes may sport mini birthday hats, flower decorations, etc.

Bundt Pan Trivia:

Bundt Pan sales took off after the 1966 Pillsbury Bake-Off contest. That year, the second prize was awarded to a “Tunnel of Fudge” Bundt Cake – a chocolate cake with a gooey fudge center. See the posting on Baking Contests.

I’ll be baking Bundt Cakes for the holidays!

Tagged Bundt Cakes, Corner Bakery Cafe, Nordic Ware, Nothing Bundt Cakes

Oct 02 2013

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Maple Desserts

Maple Syrup

With fall upon us, my thoughts turn to…..leaves turning? No, not really. Pumpkin picking? Maybe for some. Brisk walks? Yes, but….Maple syrup in desserts? A resounding “yes!”

Real maple syrup is a bit of a luxury (but, boy is it worth it!). It takes more than 40 gallons of maple tree sap to make one gallon of maple syrup. To make maple syrup, you boil the sap.

Maple syrup is versatile. It pairs beautifully with walnuts, pears, pecans, chocolate, bananas, apples, and bacon. Bacon?

Maple Bacon Cupcake from Sprinkles Cupcakes

Capitalizing on the apparently still strong bacon in desserts trend, for a limited time, Sprinkles Cupcakes offered a Maple Bacon Cupcake. Bacon was woven into a Madagascar vanilla cake and the cake was topped with a maple cream cheese frosting. Perched atop the frosting were bacon crumbles and fleur de sel (high-end sea salt).

Chuao Chocolatier’s Maple Bacon Bar

Interested in maple plus bacon plus chocolate? Chuao Chocolatier debuted a Maple Bacon Bar in 2012. According to the company, it’s about the chocolate first and foremost.

For those looking to avoid meat products in their maple treats, there are plenty of options.

Georgetown Cupcake’s Maple Cupcake

On Tuesdays, Georgetown Cupcake offers a Maple Cupcake. It packs a double maple punch. The cake is maple and it’s topped with a maple infused cream cheese frosting. And it’s decorated with fondant (sugar paste) in the shape of a maple leaf. The owners, Katherine Kallinis Berman and Sophie Kallinis LaMontagne were inspired by the fall season and changing leaves.

Maple Walnut Ice Cream from Molly Moo's Homemade Ice Cream

Maple Walnut Ice Cream from Molly Moon’s Homemade Ice Cream

And if you’re more of an ice cream fan, fear not. Maple Walnut is so popular it’s one of the ten “always” flavors at Molly Moon’s Homemade Ice Cream.

Illustrating that the maple chocolate combination isn’t new, Vosges Haut Chocolate has been offering Maple Caramels for about five years. And Vosges indicates that these caramels are popular.

When I’m not indulging in maple desserts, I still enjoy the taste of maple – it sure livens up breakfast oatmeal.

Tagged Chuao Chocolatier, Georgetown Cupcakes, Molly Moon's Homemade Ice Cream, Sprinkles Cupcakes, Vosges Haut Choccolate

Sep 15 2013

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Chocolate, Chocolate Truffles, Kee's Chocolates, Zoe's Chocolate

Chocolate Truffles and Other Chocolates

A box of truffles and other chocolates from La Maison du Chocolat

A chocolate truffle conjures up images of luxury, but what makes a chocolate a chocolate truffle?

A chocolate truffle is a confection that includes melted chocolate, cream or butter, and flavorings that can include liqueur, fruit, nuts, or spices. After the chocolate mixture is chilled, it’s then rolled into balls, and can be coated with cocoa powder or more melted chocolate. Since it resembles the savory (edible fungus) truffle, this confection is also called a “truffle.” So it’s the round shape and the addition of cream or butter that makes a chocolate a truffle. And of course, it’s the cream or butter that makes truffles so decadent (and somewhat perishable).

A box of truffles and other chocolates from Kee’s Chocolates

I asked Kee Ling Tong, of Kee’s Chocolates, a high-end Manhattan chocolatier, which of her chocolates are the best sellers. Kee said that her Crème Brulee Bonbon is her signature piece and has been the most popular item since she opened up shop in 2002. But Kee noted her customers are also interested in Salty Caramel Bonbons as well as her Black Rose Truffles (dark chocolate with black tea infused with rose petals).

She said that since it’s so difficult to predict chocolate trends, she tries to offer a variety of chocolates — to satisfy the chocolate purists as well as the adventurous customers. (See the Dessert Surveillance posting on Sophisticated and Exotic Chocolate.) So far my favorite item from Kee’s Chocolates is the amazing Cognac Truffle.

Black Raspberry Chocolate from Zoe’s Chocolate

It looks like the Salted Caramel trend is still going strong. Zoe Tsoukatos, of Zoe’s Chocolate, also reports that her salted caramel items (Fleur de Sel Caramels) are very popular. And in the summer, her Black Raspberry Chocolate (white chocolate ganache blended with black raspberries and topped with dark chocolate) was very well received by her customers. It’s very good.

Zoe notes: “Our philosophy is different from others. We do not create products to shock and awe, but rather to create flavors that are familiar, yet with a modern twist.

Hooray for truffles – the chocolate kind, of course!

Sep 01 2013

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Almond Croissant, Breads Bakery, New York CIty bakery, Rugelach, Uri Scheft

Entrepreneur Profile: Breads Bakery: A Global Bakery in New York

Outside of Breads Bakery

What happens when a master Israeli baker with Danish roots is one of the owners of a Manhattan bakery? Luckily, you get Breads Bakery — a new purveyor of breads and pastries that helps New Yorkers forget about their diets and pledges to eat healthy.

Uri Scheft, of Breads Bakery

Uri Scheft crafts desserts that span a variety of cultures. There are Babka (sweet yeast cakes) and Rugelach (crescent-shaped cookies made from a cream cheese dough), typically associated with Eastern European and German Jewish baking. But there are also French-inspired Almond Croissants and Chocolate Croissants. And in a nod to the petite dessert trend, there are small desserts – Mini White Chocolate Tarts as well as Mini Lemon Meringue Tarts.

Chocolate Babka, from Breads Bakery

I put a few questions to Uri Scheft and these are the questions and his answers:

Since you were used to baking in Israel, what are the unique challenges of running a U.S. bakery?

I had to sample many different flours before I found the perfect one for my breads and pastries. The water is also different here but the flavors that people love are the same. We haven’t needed to alter any of our signature items to cater to the American clientele.

What characterizes your pastry baking at Breads Bakery?

I love taking classic pastries and putting my unique twist on them. An example is altering the flavor of a classic Babka to become seasonal. I added apple to the Babka for the Jewish New Year. [Note: on the Jewish New Year, apples are often dipped in honey to symbolize the wish for a Happy New Year.]

Which of your dessert items are especially popular?

Our Chocolate Babka has won rave reviews by foodies and customers throughout the City. He also noted that the Almond Croissant is very popular and he said he’s “extremely humbled by the success we have received on these particular items.”

Bread Bakery’s Almond Croissant

Are there plans to offer other white chocolate pastries? I’ve enjoyed your Mini White Chocolate Tarts.

One specific white chocolate item is the Alfajor [sandwich cookies, often associated with South America]. And I’m constantly updating our menu to feature different items.

Mini White Chocolate Tart from Breads Bakery

It’s a good thing I don’t live that close to Breads Bakery — this way I burn off calories walking there and back!

Aug 14 2013

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Broadway Baker, Buttercup Bake Shop, King Arthur Flour, Lemon Cookies, Lemon Cupcakes, Lemon Desserts, Three Twins Ice Cream

Lemon Desserts

Mini Lemon Meringue Tart from Breads Bakery

It’s a shame “lemon” can also refer to a failure or flop when lemon desserts can be so wonderful and anything but failures.

Is lemon a very popular flavor for desserts? The best answer is “It depends.”

King Arthur Flour, a leading supplier of flour, ingredients, baking mixes, and bakeware, conducted an informal Facebook survey a few years ago. This survey revealed that lemon was the third most popular flavor for baking, behind vanilla and chocolate, which were tied for first place. But around the same time, King Arthur Flour commissioned another study, and lemon had fallen off the list of the top 10 baking flavors.

Lemon Dessert Bars Mix from King Arthur Flour

A dessert with a pleasantly strong lemon flavor is the Lemon Cupcake from Buttercup Bake Shop. Both the cake and the rich frosting are lemon. According to Buttercup, while the Lemon Cupcake is a good seller, it doesn’t make the list of the top five cupcakes. But it’s more popular in the summer.

Buttercup Bake Shop’s Lemon Cupcake

Lemon Cookie Ice Cream (lemon ice cream with vanilla sandwich crème cookies), from Three Twins Ice Cream, is a very popular flavor. In fact, it’s the flavor that’s the most Tweeted about and according to company founder, Neal Gottlieb, it’s the flavor most likely to inspire “hissy fights” when it’s sold out.

Lemon Cookie Ice Cream from Three Twins Ice Cream

Sometimes lemon takes on a more supporting role and lets other flavors shine. With its raspberry jam center, the Lemon Raspberry Shortbread Cookie from Broadway Baker (also see the Broadway Baker posting) is more about the raspberry than the lemon.

Broadway Baker’s Lemon Raspberry Shortbread Cookies

Let’s hear it for lemon in desserts!

Jul 28 2013

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Chocolate Chunk Cookies, Cookie Delivery, Cookie Tables, Cookies, Insomnia Cookies, Sandwich Cookies, Vanilla Bean Unique Cookies

Cookies (Not the High-Tech Kind)

Cookies from the Union Square Cafe restaurant

Who doesn’t like a good cookie? Cookies are fun to eat, tasty, and sometimes even delicious. And snacking on a few cookies doesn’t seem nearly as decadent as wolfing down an entire slice of cake.

But what about encountering thousands of homemade cookies? Well, if you’re lucky enough to be invited to a wedding reception in western Pennsylvania, or parts of Ohio, or West Virginia, you might be tempted by cookie tables. The bride’s relatives start the cookie baking weeks or even months in advance. To make sure guests don’t go through sugar deprivation the next day, they may be provided with take-out containers so they can enjoy left-over cookies.

Chocolate Chunk Cookie from Insomnia Cookies

Insomnia Cookies’ Chocolate Chunk Cookie

What if you’re struck with a cookie craving later at night and you don’t feel like baking? If you live near one of the thirty-two locations of Insomnia Cookies, order online and get your cookies delivered. Of the many cookie varieties offered by Insomnia Cookies, chocolate chunk is the best-selling standard-size cookie and S’mores is the most popular large-size cookie. Seth Berkowitz founded Insomnia Cookies from his dorm room at the University of Pennsylvania. He wanted more late night food options than what was available so he began baking and delivering warm cookies while still a student.

Margarita Sandwich Cookies from Vanilla Bean Unique Cookies

I first tasted Margarita Sandwich Cookies from Vanilla Bean Unique Cookies at the Fancy Food Show. (See the Day 2 of the Summer Fancy Food Show Posting.) Since I’m not a fan of Tequila, I didn’t think I would like these cookies. Boy was I wrong! These shortbread sandwich cookies are sweet, slightly tart, and slightly salty. The founders, Debbie Smith and Sandra Wharton, said Margarita Sandwich Cookies were developed as a result of a slight mistake. They were in the process of creating Cherry Chip Cordial cookies and realized they did not like the Cherry Chip Cordial Cookie in a shortbread form. Debbie and Sandra then thought about other unique shortbread flavor combinations that would work and the Margarita Sandwich Cookie was born.

Let’s hear it for cookies!

Tagged Cookie Delivery, Cookie Tables, Insomnia Cookies, Vanilla Bean Unique Cookies

Jul 14 2013

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Ice Cream, Ice Cream Flavors, National Ice Cream Month

Happy National Ice Cream Month!

July is National Ice Cream Month and the third Sunday in July (this year it’s July 21) is National Ice Cream Day. In 1984 President Reagan designated these holidays. I’m still smarting over forgetting National Doughnut Day, but I digress.

We sure like our ice cream. Better Homes & Gardens reports that 24 pounds is the amount of ice cream an average American eats each year. And according to research conducted by MarketLine and reported by the International Dairy Association, the U.S. ice cream industry generated revenue of $10 billion in 2010.

What flavors are we enjoying? These are the top five:

● Vanilla

● Chocolate

● Cookies & Cream

● Strawberry

●Chocolate Chip Mint

Peanut butter ice cream is becoming more popular. A “Death by Peanut Butter” ice cream was voted best new flavor at the National Ice Cream Retailers Association Annual Meeting. In a list of fast growing ice cream flavors, compiled by Dataessential MenuTrends and reported by Nation’s Restaurant News, peanut butter was number one. While I haven’t noticed peanut butter ice cream, a number of ice cream producers are offering peanut butter flavors:

● Graeter’s: Peanut Butter Chip

● Haagen-Dazs: Peanut Butter Pie; Chocolate Peanut Butter

● Three Twins Ice Cream: Chocolate Peanut Butter

● Edy’s: Slow Churned Peanut Butter Cup; Grand Triple Chocolate Peanut Butter Sundae

Trivia Note: Edy’s Ice Cream is marketed as Dreyer’s Ice Cream west of the Rockies and in Texas. The two brand names honor both founders, William Dreyer and Joseph Edy.

● Talenti: Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup (this is gelato, not ice cream)

And since we brought up gelato, this might be a good time to define “ice cream” and “gelato.”

Ice Cream: A mixture of dairy ingredients and ingredients for sweetening and flavoring. By federal law, ice cream must contain at least 10% milkfat.

Gelato: An Italian-style ice cream that typically uses milk instead of cream and has less air and milkfat than traditional ice cream. That’s why gelato is dense and intensely flavored.

One of my favorite ice cream flavors was Carob (manufactured by Haagen-Dazs). Sadly, Carob was retired, but I’m consoled by the incredible variety of high-quality ice cream available now.

Hope everyone enjoys ice cream in July (and throughout the year for that matter)!

Jul 01 2013

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Fancy Food Show

Day 2 of the Summer Fancy Food Show

On the second day of the Specialty Food Association’s Fancy Food Show, I realize there are a lot of products based on ginger:
● Lark Fine Foods’ Mighty Gingers – part of its Cookies for Grownups Line
● Theo Chocolate’s Gingerbread Spice Chocolate Bars
● Molasses Spice Cookies (with Ginger) offered by Grey Ghost Bakery
● Stonewall Kitchen’s Gingerbread Syrup

The other thing I notice are brownies – not just traditional brownies – but crunchy brownie products: Sheila G’s Brownie Brittle and Seth Greenberg’s Authentic Brownie Crunch.

Of the (many!) products I sampled on Day 2, these are real standouts:
● Somebody’s Mother’s White Chocolate Sauce (with Pear William)

Somebody’s Mother’s White Chocolate Sauce – with Pear William

● Margarita Sandwich Cookies from Vanilla Bean Unique Cookies – a shortbread sandwich cookie with a lime buttercream filling (with Tequila)
● Jeni’s Roasted Strawberry Buttermilk Ice Cream – this is a limited edition flavor offered once a year – the strawberries are hand cut

Jeni’s Roasted Strawberry Buttermilk Ice Cream

I look forward to next year’s Fancy Food Show!

Jun 30 2013

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Fancy Food Show

Day 1 of the Summer Fancy Food Show

The Specialty Food Association’s Fancy Food Show is North America’s largest specialty food event. In addition to desserts — my reason for attending — it also covers cheese, sauces, coffee & tea, snacks, spices, and a variety of other specialty foods.

This is what caught my eye (and taste buds!) on the first day of the show:
Desserts and other products with bananas – I noticed a few:
● Phin & Phebes’ Banana Whama Ice Cream
● Chocolate Banana Jam from Stonewall Kitchen
● Rodgers’ Banana Pudding Sauce
● Banana Slims Dessert Crackers from Trump Foods
● And combining bananas with another ingredient that was well represented at the Show — peanuts — PB Crave’s CoCo Bananas Peanut Butter

The pairing of white chocolate with novel ingredients:
Chamomile & Honey Organic White Chocolate Bar (from The Tea Room) and Stonewall Kitchen’s White Chocolate Fig Sauce

To be expected, there are many gluten-free offerings

Of the (many!) products I sampled, these three are real standouts:

Macadamia & Milk Chocolate Laceys

● Macadamia & Milk Chocolate Laceys from Desserts on Us – thin macadamia wafers sandwiched with milk chocolate

Three Twins Ice Cream

● Three Twins’ Butterscotch Pecan Ice Cream

● Bourbon Barrel Cake from Kentucky Woods – this is a brown sugar and chocolate bourbon cake with maple, caramel, and walnuts

Bourbon Barrel Cake

I look forward to Day 2 of the Fancy Food Show!

Jun 23 2013

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Uncategorized

Wonderful White Chocolate

As you can from the title of this posting, I really, really like white chocolate — its sweetness, delicate flavor, luxurious texture, and ability to pair so nicely with a wide variety of ingredients — raspberry, strawberry, lemon, lime, and chocolate. In a restaurant or bakery, if there’s a white chocolate dessert, that’s almost always the one I’ll pick.

But not everyone is such a fan of white chocolate. According to a recent study by market research firm, Mintel, only 8% of people surveyed indicated that white chocolate is their preferred type of chocolate. (The majority of respondents like milk chocolate.)

I wonder if some people are confusing real white chocolate with inferior tasting “summer coating” (also known as “compound coating,” “white confection” or “vegetable fat coating”). True white chocolate consists of cocoa fat, milk solids, milk fat, sugar (or another sweetener) and small amounts of emulsifier and whey. The only fats allowed in white chocolate are cocoa and milk fats. Also, real white chocolate cannot contain artificial color; that’s why it’s ivory, and not white, like summer coatings. To add insult to injury, the vegetable fats in imitation white chocolate tends to be hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated – particularly unhealthy fats.

Li-Lac Chocolates’ White Chocolate Almond Bark (surrounded by regular Chocolate Almond Bark)

I think white chocolate has been stigmatized – for not being cool or sophisticated enough. Some dessert and food connoisseurs may not want to admit, even to themselves, that they like white chocolate. But Anthony CIrone, a co-owner of Li-Lic Chocolates (www.li-lacchocolates.com) often finds that people who don’t think they like white chocolate taste it and become fans. While white chocolate products represent a small percentage of Li-Lac’s business, its White Chocolate Almond Bark, with roasted almonds, is especially popular.Will white chocolate become more popular?

Steve Kravets, Director of Procurement for 2 beans (www.2beans.com), a retailer and coffee bar stocking an amazing assortment of chocolates, thinks white chocolate is becoming more popular as more high-end chocolatiers are crafting white chocolate products. Steve also notes that these high-end chocolatiers are starting to pair novel ingredients with white chocolate.

The big news in the white chocolate world is Valrhona’s Dulcey Bar. Dulcey got its start when a Valrhona chocolatier forgot about some white chocolate simmering in a water bath. Hours later the white chocolate had caramelized and was blond in color. Valrhona recommends pairing Dulcey with these ingredients: caramel, coffee, hazelnut, and low-acidic fruit.

Valrhona’s Dulcey Bar

I look forward to other white chocolate products and innovations!

Dessert Surveillance

the business behind what's delicious

Author Archives: Marciam

Bundt Cakes

Maple Desserts

Chocolate Truffles and Other Chocolates

Entrepreneur Profile: Breads Bakery: A Global Bakery in New York

Lemon Desserts

Happy National Ice Cream Month!

Day 2 of the Summer Fancy Food Show

Day 1 of the Summer Fancy Food Show

Wonderful White Chocolate