Celebrate with Eggless Coffee Cake.

So, around my office, I’m kinda known as the dessert queen – and I’m ok with that. I’m always testing out new creations on my very-willing-to-be-taste-testing coworkers, and they always give me honest feedback, so it’s a win-win. I’m also always making the goodies when someone’s birthday rolls around. Well last week, someone in my office conveniently “forgot” to tell anyone that it was his birthday, until we found out accidentally later that afternoon (when the HR rep delivered his birthday card in front of all of us – ha ha). But no one gets off that easy. I decided that I would whip up a quick better-late-than-never birthday cake that night, and surprise him the next morning.

I flipped through my recipe binder, and decided a small coffee cake would be perfect. I had all the ingredients (so I thought) and I even had some leftover cinnamon chips that would be an excellent addition to the batter. I started going to work. Three ingredients in and I suddenly realized – I was all out of eggs. Yikes. I really didn’t feel like running out and getting them – I already started the whole cake making process!

running on empty.

But then, I had an idea. I’ve made vegan cakes in the past, and they sometimes use white vinegar in place of eggs. I did have white vinegar, so I figured, what the heck, I’ll give it a tray. I guesstimated that two tablespoons of vinegar per egg would be sufficient. I definitely didn’t want to go too heavy on the vinegar and wind up with an overpoweringly gross vinegar cake.

my hero.

Well, once again, those two years of pastry school paid off – the cake was delicious – I dare say even better with the vinegar!

eggless and proud of it.

I guess it’s true what they say – never settle for the same old cake.  (Ok so no one really ever said that. But it does seem to be true.) Change really can be a good thing, my friends. Even good ol’ eggs can be replaced by something better, if you look around a bit.

 

Ye Olde Beer and Cake.

So, I have this thing with combining baking and alcoholic beverages. For a while, I was into making cupcakes that represented various cocktails, such as the mojito, or the piña colada. When I discovered an old prohibition-era recipe for bourbon cookies, I got into making said cookies with other hard liquors (see Honey Whiskey Balls). But now I have a brand new idea, that actually stemmed from a pretty old one. I decided that I was going to make chocolate beer cupcakes this weekend for a Memorial Day Party I was attending. I made similar cupcakes once before, but this time I used a different beer (Harpoon Chocolate Stout) and my standard chocolate cake recipe.

the not-so-secret ingredient.

The cupcakes turned out great – just as I had envisioned. The beer toned down the sweetness, and the cream cheese glaze icing gave it that little something fabulous. Together, they made the perfect combination.

beer + cake = tlf.

However, this is merely the beginning. The success of these cupcakes spawned a discussion – it would appear that beer and cake seem to go together. They’re like, MFEO. And at that moment, I realized what I needed to do: open up a tavern/bakery that features the pairing of the two. And I shall call it: Ye Olde Beer and Cake.

let them eat cake (and drink beer).

Now this tavern/bakery (tavernakery?) would specialize in selecting beers and cakes that are the perfect match – flavors and styles that go together like bread and butter.  It’d be like…heaven.

heaven is a cake on earth.

So anyway, there you have it. Keep an eye out for Ye Olde Beer and Cake, coming soon to a town near you. And just think, you can say you knew me when…

 

Long time, no post.

Sorry about that. I’ve been kinda….busy. But I have been baking, albeit not as frequently as I had been in the somewhat recent past. But that’s beside the point. Here I am now, writing a new post, about one of the things I actually did bake - Lemon Pistachio Mini Cupcakes.

little. yellow. different.

I actually made these for the Cupcake Smash competition I participated in a couple of weeks back. Although I did not win, I had a fabulous time, made some new baking friends, and received much positive feedback on the cupcakes themselves!

a winner in my book.

As far as what went into them, I started off with my Best Vanilla Cake Ever recipe, but instead of using vanilla extract, I used Lemon. I topped them with my New and Improved Lemon Buttercream. But that’s not all – I filled them each with grape jam, and sprinkled them all with crushed pistachios. I titled them “Pistachi-o-baby,” however, as my setup at the event wound up having a Parisian theme, in hindsight I should have called them “Pistachi-ohh-la-la!” That would have been much more fitting. I probably would have won with that.

sur la table.

The good news was that I wound up with a bunch of extras, so I brought them to work, and everybody loved them. So really, we all win in the end.

 

The Brussels Chocolate Shop Tour, Stop #10 (The Final Frontier): Frederic Blondeel.

After Stop #9: Laurent Gerbaud, and having already visited  a total of 5 shops AND various tourist attractions in between, I  walked back to my hotel and considered calling it a day. However, the tour had progressed more quickly than I had anticipated, and it was still rather early.  So, I ate some of the various wares I had accumulated thus far, rested for a few moments, ventured out onto the snow-covered balcony, and did something that has become a kind of tradition when traveling alone – I took a picture of myself with the city as a backdrop.

allow myself to introduce…myself.

Ok, so granted, you can’t see all that much of the city. But I know it’s there.

I realized at this point, that I wasn’t tired. I’d slept over 9 hours the night before (stupid jet lag catches up on a gal), so I still had a decent amount of energy. I decided to harness it, and make the trek to the final shop on the list –

Stop #10: Frederic Blondeel.

The walk to Frederic Blondeel was full of the interesting and unexpected; from a giant wooden statue of two mystery animals…

where the wild things are.

…to a restaurant I thought had gone bankrupt years ago (at which I was also an employee, back in my college days)…

we’re huge in Belguim.

….to not-so-properly-translated-into-English-titled eateries….

what kind of cuisine could they possibly serve?

….to the truly awesome in every sense of the word – St. Catherine’s Church.

magnifique.

And to think – I didn’t even need to go out of my way to see any of this.  As I walked around St. Catherine’s, Frederic Blondeel was right in front of me. It was super cute inside –  the décor was mostly earthy , with wooden everything, and splashes of color here and there.

fun sun.

There was even a rather charming seating area off to the left.  But the most important thing, and the reason I wandered all this way to begin with was, of course, the chocolates.

boxes of goodness.

And the moment of truth arrived – what do I choose? I’d already been to 9 shops. 9!! At this point, I wanted something unique, but I also really wanted to sample what the shop had to offer. So, I did what anyone would do in this situation – I went for a mixed bag and just started picking what looked at sounded the best.

That white powdery ball was a champagne truffle. And it was fantastic.

And there you have it. 10 shops in 2 days.  I came, I saw, I ate Belgian chocolate. I drank Belgian beer.  It was snowing. It was freezing. It was one of the most amazing experiences of my entire life.  :)

 

The Brussels Chocolate Shop Tour, Stop #9: Laurent Gerbaud.

It was a long walk back from Stop #8, Zaabär, and upon further investigation of the map, it appeared that there were many interesting tourist-y spots along the way to the next stop, so I decided to take advantage of this, and explore some of them, such as:

the museum area…

ring wraith?

…the Place de Palais…

Koninklijk Paleis van Brussel.

….and the Parc de Bruxelles.

within the park walls…

…lived two little cherubs.

As the exploratory fun came to a close, I found myself practically right at the entrance of:

Stop #9: Laurent Gerbaud.

I was in love as soon as I saw this sign on the window. There’s something to be said for good looks. I definitely wanted to know more…

Inside, the fun kept going, as I was greeted by this display:

choco-art.

This place was like my aesthetic heaven. It was colorful, fun, and upbeat; kinda like myself. Plus it was full of chocolate (also kinda like myself at this point). I browsed around, and finally settled on something I’d been seeing at many shops throughout my journey, but that I’d never seen back home – chocolate covered pieces of dried fruit. Being that I love both chocolate and dried fruit, I had to try it. Deciding on what type of fruit was the hard part. After much deliberation, I went with a fruit I don’t see in dried form too often at home – pears.

the perfect pearing.

Well, I was by no means disappointed. The dark chocolate and pears were, as you may have guessed, the perfect pairing.

As I paid for my goods, I came face to face with this glaring declaration on the back wall:

fo’ sho’.

And by Jove, it was true. And, quite possibly may have never been truer.

Hang in there for the grand finale – the final stop on the tour: Stop #10, Frederic Blondeel: way over yonder in the minor key… 

 

The Brussels Chocolate Shop Tour, Stop #8: Zaabär.

Looking at my map upon exiting Stop #7 (Wittamer), I realized I had a bit of a walk ahead of me. Zaabär was the farthest of all the shops. It was on the other side of the business district. But I’m a walker by nature (not cause I hate ya), so I sucked it up, and strode onward. The walk was really quite nice. I got to glimpse another side of the city – the city center – full of old buildings and new towers, peacefully coexisting side by side, with hundreds of working folks and tourists passing by in a continuous stream. I walked with eyes wide open, taking it all in, including this random tree, in the middle of a city block.

an Ent, maybe?

I have no idea really what kind of tree it even was – but it definitely struck my fancy. After a few more turns, I finally arrived at…

Stop #8: Zaabär.

Upon entering Zaabär, I was brought face to face with an area where the chocolate was being made, on display, behind a glass wall for tourists to see.  To the right, was a long corridor, with fun images of chocolate making on the wall.

diy chocolate.

At the end of the hall, was the shop itself. Zaabär was clean, and modern, and classy. It reminded me of IKEA. The only thing missing were Swedish meatballs.

affordable solutions for better living?

There were people milling around, seriously discussing their pending purchases. This shop was no joke. I wondered around for a bit, poking my nose into all the displays.  They had a giant section devoted entirely to flavored chocolate, some on the rather exotic side. I spied a lavender chocolate, and I was sold. I purchased a cinnamon as well, along with a rose.  It was a very tough decision – they had an amazing selection of some pretty intense flavors. But I was able to eventually narrow it down.

craft chocolates.

I also couldn’t resist the truffles…so I picked up a two pack of them, too.

Well, needless to say, this was some good stuff.  It was different  – I’ve never really had chocolate quite like it.  It was like the craft beer of chocolate. Once you try it, you really can’t imagine drinking Coors again (not that I ever did…).

Next up, Stop #9, Laurent Gerbaud: The happiest chocolate shop on earth.

 

Once, Twice, Three times a Lamb-y.

Yep, I did it again. For the third consecutive year, I’ve upheld the tradition of making the Lamb Cake for Easter, using the trusty old cast-iron pan that my aunt gave me.

where the magic happens.

I also kept up the tradition of making it a carrot cake, with cream cheese icing. The only thing I did change were the color of his eyes.

my brown-eyed lamb.

I went with the same jelly bean nose as seen on  Lamb #2; but I liked the larger ears Lamb #1 had, so I made sure to make them a little bigger this year. 

the better to hear you with.

I will say this – this year’s lamb appears to be a tad “shaggy-er” than the previous two. Some lambs are just shaggy-er than others, I suppose.

shag-a-delic.

Either way, the lamb once again survived the ride to Easter dinner at my parents house, and this year, his arrival was anticipated, and my mom had set up a special table, specifically for the guest of honor

it’s a lamb in a box. on a table.

We didn’t finish the entire lamb, and I  again took the head back home with me – which I will definitely be sharing with others (the lamb has a big head).

Until next year….the Lamb will be baaaaack!

 

Sugar Chicks.

I actually got the inspiration for these cupcakes from a pin I came across on pinterest (the best site for inspiration, EVER).

I was looking for new ideas for Easter cupcakes. I didn’t want to make the same ones I’ve done in the past, especially since I knew for sure I would be making the Lamb Cake again. At the same time, I had an assignment from my photography class involving shutter speed. I had this grand idea that I’d incorporate the assignment into my cupcake baking. How, you may ask?

Like this:

whip in motion – long shutter speed.

And this:

whip in motion – short shutter speed.

We were instructed to take pictures of something moving – falling water, a bird flying, etc. The first thing that came to my mind? My mixer (aka “H.A.L.”) in action of course.  While the cake mixed – it was a Lemon Genoise (Italian Sponge) Cake, so it took a while – I snapped a bunch of photos on different shutter speeds.  It was a true learning experience – especially since I had to lug the mixer around the kitchen until I found the spot with the best natural light. H.A.L. is rather heavy, especially with a bowl full of batter in tow. (FYI – in both of those photos, the whip was moving at the same speed – it’s truly amazing the difference the shutter speed can make!)

After the photoshoot, I baked the cupcakes. They were light and spongy and lovely. They were splovely.

like a sponge.

I whipped up some buttercream, colored it a very light yellow, and gave them each a layer of frosting.

ice, ice, cupcake.

I then dipped them in bright yellow sanding sugar. It created a “Peep effect.”

not a peep!

I gave them all eyes using inverted chocolate chips, and let them sit for a bit.

eyes without a face.

Finally, I piped on some yellow wings, an orange beak, and little orange feet.

I shared the results with friends, and all was right with the world. Happy Easter!

 

The Brussels Chocolate Shop Tour, Stop #7: Wittamer.

I walked out the door of Passion Chocolat (Stop 6#), turned right, walked a few steps, and BAM! There was Wittamer. They were so close, I was completely caught off guard, and a little bummed – this did not give me much of a walk to burn off any chocolates eaten thus far.( I’d come to find that I’d definitely make that up later on.) But I was content nonetheless, to enter my next destination on the list…

Stop #7: Wittamer.

Wittamer was pink. That was the first thing I noticed.

pretty in pink.

Now I like pink. Just ask anyone who knows me. This place was super pink. I’d even call it Super Pinky. I didn’t mind. For most of us, pink = sweet = desserts. And Wittamer sure had some good ones. In fact, this was the first shop that had actual desserts other than chocolates. There was a whole display case dedicated to pastries incorporating chocolate in some form.

it’s a pastry party.

I teetered along the fence of getting a straight up piece of chocolate or going with a full on pastry. The tour was technically a chocolate shop tour so I should probably get some chocolates, but the pastries had chocolate in them and I’ve eat nothing but chocolates for dessert for like, 24 hours now….

I went with the pastry.

hello, happiness.

I selected the Nid Marron.  I had no idea what was in it. I’d never seen anything like it before. I could not wait to get back to the hotel and try it out. I carried it around to two more shops and about 20 tourist locations before finally going back and digging in.

make her open the box.

I placed the box on my little balcony table and delicately opened it. I could not believe how beautiful it was up close. Not to mention, it’s heavenly smell.

c’est bon!

I took a bite. I hadn’t planned on eating the entire thing, but after that first bite, there was no turning back.

as beautiful on the inside.

I still didn’’t really know what I was eating. I tasted a little chocolate….something nutty….whipped cream….custard? It was flat out fabulous! I needed to know what made this pastry hands-down one of the best I’ve ever had. So I started googling. I looked up “Nid Marron Pastry” and found a recipe entirely in French and some photos, all from the same blog post,  also in French, which showed various versions from different shops in Paris (some of which I visited on the  Paris Patisserie Tour, but I did NOT see this bad boy anywhere – I would have remembered).  What I did learn from this French blog was that this dessert was apparently also known as a “Mont Blanc.” So…I googled that and there it was.  And there were even some recipes, in English!

Hallelujah! Mont Blanc, here I come!

Next up, way out on the other side of town – Stop #8, Zaabar: the Ikea of chocolate shops.

 

The Brussels Chocolate Shop Tour, Stop #5: Pierre Marcolini.

After a whirlwind first day of chocolate shop touring, I was able to nap, have a relaxing meal at a small bar/cafe called Au Soleil, which I highly recommend for both its drink selection and cozy and hip atmosphere. Not to mention its nifty wall art:

talk birdie to me.

After my leisurely dinner (which was a “wrap” – there were only about 5 items on the food menu, with no descriptions – however I was extremely lucky and the wrap turned out to be delicious) and a glass of framboise, I meandered back to my hotel, through the whimsically lit and lively musical streets of a Brussels’ Sunday evening. I slept extremely well, and woke up the next morning, refreshed and ready to take on the next lap of the tour, starting with:

Stop #5: Pierre Marcolini.

When you walk in to Pierre Marcolini, the very first thing you see is a giant disco ball. That was all it took – I knew I was going to love it here.

disco chocolate.

I began strolling around – this place was no joke. The chocolate was clearly high-end. The theme was modern, yet not stuffy – the staff mirrored that as well. I was asked if I needed help multiple times, in french of course. I scoped out the two counters and various wall displays, and realized this was going to be a tough decision.

the great wall.

As if it wasn’t hard enough already, I noticed in the back of the store what appeared to be a staircase…and sure enough, there was a second floor, beckoning me to come and get lost in a whole other chocolate dreamscape.

follow the black carpet stairs…

I followed the pointing hand, as if it had taken over my mind and my will, and went up the stairs to the second floor. I was not sorry.

up and away.

I was lost in a dream, only I wasn’t dreaming. But if i were to dream up a chocolate shop, Pierre Marcolini would be it. Still in a haze, I wandered back down the stairs, with empty hands. I had no idea what to get. I wandered over near the counter, when a very handsome young man asked me if needed help. I was instantly brought back down to earth and said, “yes!” even though I still wasn’t sure what I wanted. I quickly turned, and grabbed a package of spiced chocolates that I had my eye on, not wanting him to move on to the next customer (and because they really did look amazing).

spicy.

.I decided that I’d also get a few macarons, so I followed my new crush over to the other counter, where he packaged up three macarons I selected to eat later. As I paid for my goods, he began chatting with me in english, noticing first that I was left-handed (just like him, and what seemed to be the majority of people in Brussels, oddly) and asking me where I was from, etc. As he handed me my receipt and bag of earthly delights, he winked. I kid you not – I know what I saw. Practically skipping with glee out the door, I turned back one last time to get a look at the chocolate shop that would become my favorite of the tour, and my favorite Belgian dreamboat. Sigh.

As for the chocolate – it was excellent, as expected. It made it hard to eat plain old American chocolate ever again. Of course I still eat it, but with each bite, I feel a pang of longing for that fine Belgian….chocolate. I was going to say chocolate.

Next up, rather appropriately: Stop #6: Passion Chocolat – love is in the air…