Cabin Fever Pumpkin Swirl Cake

Winter in Minnesota reminds me of the evil oogly stare of Kaa in Jungle Book. But instead of a boa constrictor’s body, it is a scarf and mad bomber hat and down jacket that strangles me. Snow flurries induce the dizzying trance that has me zombie-walking to and from my car, never outside, never free, […]

Esterhazy Torte or Hazelnut Dacquoise Layer Cake

Yet again, a “rustic” cake from the wedding cake designer only Quasimodo would hire. Sorry folks. Another good schadenfreude moment for my haters. What is my handicap with fancy cakes? I need to take a class or something! You know, I think it’s the end game for me—I’m solid through the baking, the layering, and […]

Sachertorte, or the Drunk Sand Castle Project

I’m totally in over my head with this new baking group. Last time I made chimney cake. Now this. I spent four hours of my Saturday spackling this cake into the unimpressive mound you see here in this photograph. No shortcuts, every last moment of this project was painstaking–[See: straining apricot chunks out of boiled […]

Chocolate Pound Cake Cassatas and Desire

I believe Desire is not only a state of being, but the state of being. Once we learn that our longing has nothing to do with the object at which it is directed, and will neither be alleviated nor mitigated by the object’s possession, but is in fact an inkling of some greater magnetism, a […]