Making a Perfect Layer Cake
Strawberry Butterfly Cake
What is a Pixie Bun Pan? (with video)
Learn more about the pixie bun pan here.
Baking and Rediscovering Creativity
Continuing in the “why I bake” series:
Having just read Ignore Everybody by Hugh MacLeod- a particular quote struck me.
“Everyone is born creative; everyone is given a box of crayons in kindergarten. Then when you hit puberty they take the crayons away and replace them with dry, uninspiring books on algebra, history, etc. Being suddenly hit years later with the ‘creative bug’ is just a wee voice telling you, ‘I’d like my crayons back, please.’”
I think of little creative things to bake all the time, or new and fabulous ways to use the same ol’ baking supplies. Usually, these ideas come when I am doing the most mundane and mind-numbing work on earth. Now I realize this is my five year old Susie- just asking for her crayons.
Just a thought.
Never Bake a Pie in a Dark Lined Pan
So, the yearly work Thanksgiving potluck was upon me. Of the dishes on the list, I choose pecan pie. Being the meticulous baker that I was, I decided to bake the entire thing from scratch. AND, being smart, I thought that I would kill two birds with one stone and bake both family and work pies at the same time.
Fifty dollars worth of ingredients later, I was setting up my pecan pie factory in my humble kitchen. The only problem was I only had enough pie plates for the family, but nothing to put the work pies in. In a hurry, I grabbed two small removable bottom round dark lined pans and thought that they were perfect.
The pies would look more like tarts than pies, but nobody cares. So, I started, and the first two family pies and they were gorgeous with a perfect golden crust and completely cooked on the inside.
I start on the two pies for work, and popped them in the oven. Well, I keep testing and testing the pies, but they are not quite done on the inside, so I keep adding time to the timer. Finally when the pies were done and the toothpick came out clean, I removed the pie from the cake pan to find the edges of the pie crust completely black! I am talking burnt toast, non-edible black crispiness.
A year later, I started to do some research on the true difference between cake pans and which ones should be used. Well, sure enough, under dark lined pans, was exactly what a pie did not need. Unlike light pans, the dark absorb heat and cook quickly on the outside and slowly on the inside. Well, there ya go. Lesson learned.
Just thought I would share for the uninformed.
Last Minute Halloween Baking Ideas
Just as difficult as the “what am I going to be” for Halloween question is, so is the “what am I going to bake?”
There are just too many tempting options out there- so I have narrowed it down to a few creative choices:
SlashFood’s Halloween Brownies and Blondies
Halloween Ghost, Spider and Pumpkin Cupcakes- Cupcakes that Take the Cake
Spider Cakes – Bakerella (always fabulous!)
Halloween Oreo Cheesecakes – Baking Bites
Impossible Pumpkin Pie Cupcakes- Baking Bites
Peanut M&M Cookies – Chocolate Addiction and a perfect recipe for something to do after Halloween, with all the left over candy!
Pumpkin Bread Pudding – Running with Sugar
