CakeSpy is 9 Years Old

On August 1, 2007, I made my very first posting as CakeSpy. I know. 9 years. There are functioning small people in society who haven't even been alive for that long, like my nephew.

NINE YEARS! THIS BLOG HAS BEEN ALIVE AND KICKING FOR 9 YEARS!

Since August 1 is my "blog birthday" and August 26 is my human birthday, I like to claim the whole month for ME.

Want to celebrate ME? Start by looking back at nine incredible moments from the 9 years I've had this site. No particular order, and by no means the only 9 incredible moments, but gosh, it's fun to revisit these. 

Nine amazing moments in the life of CakeSpy

1. When I dissed Martha Stewart but embraced the Pillsbury Doughboy. 

The first time I attended the Pillsbury Bake-Off, Martha Stewart was the host. Everyone wanted a photo with Martha. Not me, man. I totally played it cool. I was gonna be fine without a Martha Stewart photo, because I'm not bowled over by celebrities.

And then the Pillsbury Doughboy walked by. "I NEED A PHOTO WITH THIS DOUGHBOY!" I shrieked, and then promptly almost broke the costume by clutching him too hard. It was truly a glorious moment, and I think you can the true joy in my face.

2. When I got a bunch of book deals and wrote a bunch of books.

There is no feeling like getting a book deal - it truly is truly a Big Life Moment, and I am so fortunate to have gotten not one, not two, but three book deals. I have published two books of my own: CakeSpy Presents Sweet Treats for a Sugar-Filled Life, The Secret Lives of Baked Goods, plus a Unicorn Coloring Book, and now I am at work on a third cookbook, along with Andris of Baking Steel. I feel so fortunate to have been able to share my talents with the world in the printed form. My blog has been the gateway to making the books possible -- so thanks, CakeSpy!

3. When I got to meet Jay and Silent Bob, and they ate my Nanaimo bars.

On my first book tour, I was booked on a morning TV program in San Francisco. The other guests on the show? A bunch of zombies from Six Flags (it was around Halloween), Antonio Banderas and Salma Hayek, and JAY AND FREAKING SILENT BOB. Being from New Jersey, these two are like royalty to me. Now, the former two sets of guests (me and the zombies) were less big deals, so we had our own mini green room, whereas the Actual Stars had an Actual Green Room. However, I asked the green room attendant if he would be willing to tell Jay and Silent Bob that a fan from the Jersey Shore wanted to say hi, and they immediately said yes and I was granted entry. Antonio and Salma were having their segment, so I didn't get to meet them, but seriously, who cares? I GOT TO MEET JAY AND SILENT BOB! 

4. When I had a store. 

It's hard to believe sometimes, but I actually owned a CakeSpy Shop for a while! It was a little gallery in Seattle, in the Capitol Hill neighborhood. It was a sweet little spot, and I had such great customers. I had to close when I decided to move to Philadelphia following a breakup, which was bittersweet. I still think fondly of my customers and my sweet little storefront on 415 E. Pine Street. It was the site of my book launch, it was the site of my 30th birthday party, there was even a wedding there once. It's in my heart forever. But I don't miss the over $2,000 per month rent!

5. When I quit my job. 

When I started CakeSpy, I had no idea what it was going to be or how it would evolve. But very quickly, I gained the support and following of some very cool people, who bought stuff from my online shop and clicked on my site so I was able to generate ad revenue. When I started my blog, I had a full time job at a refrigerator magnet company; in less than a year, I quit my job to pursue full time freelancing. 

Well, it's been 9 years of CakeSpy and 8+ of full time freelancing, and I have done all sorts of stuff, from painting murals to teaching baking classes to kids and then some...and I haven't looked back! Yes, I make less money, but the benefits outweigh that many times over. 

6. When I mailed an ice cream cone to myself.

Sometimes, I impress even me. I made myself laugh so hard working on this experimental post that it remains a high point of my blogging career. Full post here.

7. When I nailed the Whole Foods style chocolate cake. 

My sweetheart loves Whole Foods' flourless chocolate cake. I do too, but I don't love paying $30 for it. So I made a version myself, and it came out even better than theirs, if I do say so myself. It was a very proud moment as a baker. Recipe here.

 

8. Becoming an eating disorder recovery activist. 

In 2014 I wrote an article which talked about CakeSpy's role in my ongoing eating disorder recovery. The post was well-received, and acted as the gateway for me starting a section of my site called Unicorn Love (you can see it on the top panel under the website header) in which I talk about eating disorder recovery. 

While the readership for that part of the site is small, it's a very meaningful project for me, because I know that it has the ability to help people. I'm very thankful that in a weird way, my desert blog has led me to become an eating disorder recovery activist of sorts. 

 

9. My Ben & Jerry's adventure.

I was invited to Vermont, where I got to kick it with Ben (sorry, Jerry was out of town), try snowshoeing for the first time, and got to meet the real, live, actual cows which help create Ben & Jerry's ice cream. It was magical, and I feel so fortunate that I have had that life experience! 

Are you ever amazed at how far you've come in the past 9 years? I sure am!

July 31: National Raspberry Cake Day

Happy National Raspberry Cake Day! You know, I don't think I've ever had a raspberry cake. I've had raspberry-lemon, but not just straight raspberry.

Honestly, though, I am not totally jazzed about the idea of nubbly whole raspberries IN a cake. I'd rather have them on TOP of a cake or pureed in the batter. Cue this totally easy raspberry filling/sauce recipe! 

I used this mixture to top and mix into the filling of a cheesecake, and boy, was it ever good. It's incredibly easy to make and would work for a topping for a cake, or as a middle-layer filling. 

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Easy raspberry cake topping/filling

Printable version here

  • 1 bag (10 ounces) good quality frozen raspberries, thawed and crushed
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch

Make it: Combine all of the ingredients in a large, heavy bottomed saucepan.

Apply medium heat, and stir the mixture frequently until it begins to bubble and thicken. Remove from heat and set to the side. Yield: enough for a middle layer filling or to cover the entire top of an 8 or 9-inch cake.

Once cooled, you can swirl 1/4 cup of this into a cake batter (it will give a pretty color to vanilla cake batters), or use it as a filling or topping. Should it be another day or should you prefer another berry, this recipe works with blueberries, blackberries, or strawberries, too.

Happy National Raspberry Cake Day! 

A Jar of Peanut Butter, Sugar, Salt, and Sprinkles

Guess what? This recipe is so easy it fits in the subject line of this blog post. Really, there's no reason to even click through to read it except for that I didn't include the quantities. 

Don't worry, I won't hold back. But first, I have some things I want to say.

First, it's no secret that I have a deep love for Peanut Butter and Company. I've been a recipe developer for them for gosh, like 5 years, maybe longer (here's one of my fave recent recipes). Through the years I have developed a deep respect for them and what they do. They're good as people, but they also make a great peanut butter. For me, the magic is in that they manage to create a high quality peanut butter that still has the kid-friendly and palate-pleasing appeal of a nice creamy or crunchy peanut butter. I also love that they do flavors, and they do a good job of it. I'm talking right now, in particular, about their Dark Chocolate Dreams variety.

Everyone who has ever sampled Dark Chocolate Dreams will undoubtedly agree: the stuff is like crack. It's like the best parts of a peanut butter cup rolled into an easy-to-spoon-into-your-mouth form. 

And I've found a way to easily make it into a party-friendly truffle that will please everybody, but the recipe just so happens to come together in minutes. I made these today for a party I am attending tonight; I can't wait to see how they go over!

This wasn't a recipe I was hired to create and was not sponsored in any way other than I made it using a jar that I had left over from my last batch of recipe development. It was totally generated for my own life and as an offering for aforementioned party. I acted as my own focus group and sampled one, and I am pretty sure they're going to be a hit. 

Easiest-ever peanut butter chocolate truffles

Printable version here

  • 1 jar Dark Chocolate Dreams peanut butter (you could use a chocolate-hazelnut spread too if you aren't into peanut butter, but if that is you, WHO ARE YOU)
  • 3 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt 
  • a big ol'bunch of sprinkles

Place the peanut butter in a stand mixer. Add one cup of sugar and the salt, and mix on low speed until nice and combined. 

Once mixed, pause mixing, and add another cup of sugar, and keep on mixing until nice and combined.

Repeat the previous step, adding the last cup of sugar. It should come together into a pliable dough, like play-doh. 

Roll the mixture into balls (about an inch, slightly more, in diameter). Roll each ball in sprinkles, and then place on a parchment or silicone-lined baking sheet.

Put the truffles in the fridge until ready to serve. 

Enjoy! 

The Easiest Ice Cream You Will Ever Make

When something sounds too good to be true, it tends puts me in a very wary state of mind. "I'll believe it when I see it" is my general attitude. What can I say? I'm from New Jersey. We're brought up like that.

However, when something sounds too good to be true but then turns out to be even better, I have it in my heart to party like I'm Snooki in a Jersey Shore bar. 

This two-ingredient ice cream--WHICH REQUIRES NO CHURNING YES ALL CAPS NECESSARY--is one of those miraculous things that turned out way better than I ever thought it could. 

I had read about two-ingredient ice cream here and there; I'd seen it on facebook and pinterest. But I'd never tried it, until the other day.

I wanted to try it as part of Craftsy's Ice Cream Social (my name for it, not theirs), wherein they asked some of their bloggers to come up with some creative ice cream recipes. You can view all of them here.

I'm very glad that I spent the long five minutes required to make this ice cream.*

* = plus chilling time.

The idea is very simple: fold some whipped cream into some sweetened condensed milk, freeze, and serve. Voila! Ice cream. 

I figured there had to be a catch, but having done it, my friends, I can tell you, this recipe is LEGIT. 

And so easy that I even fancied it up with an optional 2 extra ingredients: vanilla extract and salt (salt not pictured). 

The texture of this ice cream is a little flakier than traditional ice cream right when you scoop, but after oh, 30 seconds it softens into a creamy, dream-state sort of food.

With the rich mouth-feel (I hate that term but it's really the only one that fits here) of cream and the completely irresistible flavor of sweetened condensed milk, this ice cream is a beautiful treat that can stand alone as a lovely dessert.

But...you know, it couldn't hurt to add some chocolate sauce.

Or some sprinkles. 

Go ahead, give it a try and see for yourself. You can literally make this ice cream in five minutes; cooling does take some time, but the effort output is very small. 

2 to 4 Ingredient Ice Cream

Makes about 2 pints' worth - printable version here 

  • 1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
  • 4 cups heavy cream

Optional additions: 

  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 
  • salt 

other flavorings or mix-ins of your choice 

Pour the sweetened condensed milk into a large bowl. Your biggest mixing bowl, please. Stir in the vanilla and salt, if using. 

Put the cream in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whisk on high speed until the mixture attains firm peaks. 

Remove the bowl from the mixer (go ahead, lick the whisk attachment if nobody is looking) and spoon a nice dollop of the whipped cream into the sweetened condensed milk. Stir to combine. This might seem like a throwaway step, but don't skip it; it makes the texture of the sweetened condensed milk lighter, and therefore makes the following step easier to complete. 

Fold the whipped cream into the sweetened condensed milk mixture. Stir slowly and gently, trying to discourage deflation in the mixture. After a while, the mixture will become smooth and cohesive. I hope you listened to me before when I said use a big bowl. I didn't totally follow my own advice and while it worked out fine, it was a little messy, as you can see:

Spoon the mixture into a freezer-safe container (I used a freezer-safe plastic container).

Cover with waxed paper or plastic wrap, and then let the mixture chill. It will be appropriately firm within 2 hours, but it won't attain an optimal ice cream texture for about 6 hours or overnight.

PSST! I also tried some with a sweet variation: A big ol' handful of sprinkles folded into the mix before freezing. It made for a slightly happier variation of this tasty dessert!

Have you ever made no-churn ice cream?

Can You Make Nanaimo Bars with Olive Oil?

Longtime readers of this site probably already know of my deep and undying love for a Canadian specialty known as the Nanaimo Bar. But today I'd like to explore an interesting question about this traditionally butter-filled treat: can you make Nanaimo bars with Olive Oil? 

But first, let me back up just a little.

If you’ve never sampled a Nanaimo bar, you are in for a seriously sweet three-layer treat. Nanaimo bars (pronounced “nuh NYE moe”) are a no-bake bar cookie that hails from a city by the same name in Western Canada. The bars are such a big deal there that the city’s museum has a display dedicated to them, complete with Nanaimo-bar shaped benches upon which you can sit and take it in. The traditional bars are composed of three layers: a cocoa, coconut, nut, and graham cracker crust, a custard buttercream midsection, and a firm chocolate topping.

Butter figures prominently into the recipe, so making them with olive oil is not only untraditional, but might be seen by some as a travesty. But to me, it's a delicious detour. 

Perhaps the most notable departure from the traditional recipe is in the middle section of the bars, in which olive oil is folded into a rich stabilized whipped cream mixture rather than a butter-based cream. Slightly untraditional, perhaps. But with one bite of these rich, creamy, nutty olive oil-infused treats, complemented with deep, dark chocolate, you’ll undoubtedly embrace this recipe as fusion cuisine at its absolute sweetest.

Nanaimo bars with olive oil 

Ingredients

  • For the crust
  • ⅓ cup good quality olive oil 
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar
  • 5 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten
  • 1 cup lightly toasted shredded coconut
  • 1 ½ cup finely crumbled graham crackers (or other dry biscuits/cookies)
  • ½ cup finely chopped pecans
     
  • For the filling
  • 1 ¼ cups whipping cream
  • 2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
  • 2 tablespoons custard powder, such as Bird’s (if this is unavailable, use instant vanilla pudding powder)
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
     
  • For the topping
  • 3.5 ounces (1 large bar) chocolate, coarsely chopped
  • ¼ cup olive oil 

Instructions

  1. Lightly grease, and line with parchment paper, an 8x8-inch square baking pan.
  2. Prepare the crust. In a large saucepan, combine the olive oil, granulated sugar, and cocoa powder. Place over medium-low heat, and cook until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture begins to bubble.
  3. Remove from heat briefly, and whisk in the beaten egg. Return to medium-low heat, and cook briefly, stirring constantly, until the mixture begins to thicken. This will only take a few minutes.
  4. Remove from heat, and add the coconut, crushed graham crackers, and chopped pecans. Stir until the ingredients come together into a cohesive mixture.
  5. Press the mixture into the prepared pan, taking the time to press it into a layer as even as possible. Place the pan in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes, so it can chill before the next step.
  6. Make the filling. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, or using a hand mixer, whip the cream on high until it forms soft peaks. Pause the mixing, and add the sugar and custard powder or pudding mix. Whip until the mixture forms firm peaks. Stop mixing, and fold in the olive oil.
  7. Spread the whipped cream mixture on top of the crust, making sure to spread it as evenly as you can. Let chill in the freezer for an hour, or until firm.
  8. Prepare the topping. In the top of a double boiler, melt the chocolate (this can also be done in the microwave). Once melted, remove from heat and whisk in the olive oil, mixing until the two have formed a cohesive mixture. Let cool for about five minutes so it is not scorching hot. Give it one last stir, then pour it over the chilled middle layer of your bars. Rather than spreading, which can tear up the delicate middle layer, gently tilt the pan this way and that, letting it drip until it has evenly covered the middle section.
  9. Return to the refrigerator. After about 20 minutes, remove the pan; the chocolate on top should be partially set. Partially slice the bars, scoring the top chocolate portion into four rows vertically and horizontally. This will make slicing the bars easier later.
  10. Once scored, place the bars back in the refrigerator and let chill for several hours to firm before slicing into bars. If the bars are messy when you begin to slice, place the pan in the freezer for several minutes; this should make them easier to slice.
  11. Keep these bars chilled. The bars will last up to a week when covered in plastic and stored in the refrigerator, or up to a 2 months in the freezer.

Have you ever tried a Nanaimo bar (traditional or otherwise)?

DIY Flour Hacks

You know that moment when you realize you have no cake flour...or bread flour...or pastry flour...and the recipe calls for it? And you really-really-really don't want to make an extra trip to the store?

Well. I have written a (brilliant) post for those moments. It includes DIY solutions for cake flour, pastry flour, and more!

Check it out here.

Let's Make Florentines

Have you ever met a Florentine? Of the cookie variety, I mean. With an identity that is half cookie, half confection, and totally nutty, they're well worth getting to know. 

I wrote a great primer on Florentines, including an accessible and delicious recipe, which you can find on the Craftsy blog. I really highly suggest that you check it out, because these things are interesting, probably unlike most cookies you bake, and crack-addictive.

Check out the full post here.

4th of July Poke Cake

This cake is pretty all-American. It combines both peanut butter and jelly AND red white and blue in one delectable cake form. 

If you've never tried a poke cake, you're in for a treat. Basically, you bake a cake, "poke" it all over with a skewer, and let a soaking liquid fill in those little blanks. It keeps the cake moist, adds interesting flavor, and makes it visually fascinating. Win-win!

So enjoy some fireworks and set your mouth on desirous fire this 4th of July with this cake, whydontcha?

Recipe here.

Guess What, You Guys, I Got Another Book Deal. And I Have Company.

Guess what? I am going to be working on another oeuvre of recipes + witty banter. But this time, I have a partner: Andris Lagsdin of Baking Steel. Hang on, let me tell you the story.

First came the match-making. About two years ago, my literary agent, Alexandra Penfold, mentioned that she knew someone named Andris with whom she felt I'd make a great collaborator. Andris was the creator of this kitchen gizmo called the Baking Steel, which was garnering all sorts of buzz in the food world, with accolades from Serious Eats, America's Test Kitchen, etc, etc. I mean, in record time, Andris practically had Modernist Cuisine, Christopher Kimball, and Kenji Lopez-Alt (I know there's an accent, Kenji, but I'm too dumb to figure out how to make it happen on my blog) on speed dial. 

In a nutshell, Andris had figured out that steel was a superior to stone in terms of even heating and cooking in the oven. Originally, he made the Baking Steel as a tool to attain a perfect pizza at home, but it turned out that it was capable of much more. You could bake cookies, pies, and bread on this thing and get truly professional results. 

The Baking Steel, it turned out, was more useful and versatile than anyone could have imagined. Surely, this was the stuff of a great cookbook, right?

Me and Andris had our first phone conversation while I was on vacation in Puerto Rico. It played out almost like a blind date, with us getting to know each other personally and professionally. As it turned out, we clicked on both counts. Not only are we both incredibly sarcastic, funny, and clever, but we're both very into pizza and food. And we're both devoted yogis! I knew that our meeting was serendipitous, and we agreed right then and there to make a book happen.

Well, fast forward two years, which included more than a handful of long phone calls, too many emails to count, lots of pizza photos and Instagram tags, and even me visiting his test kitchen in Boston's South Shore. Oh, and a lot of writing. Together, we made a brilliant book proposal, and after a little bit of moving and shaking, I have some great news to share:

WE GOT A BOOK DEAL. A BIG-ASS BOOK DEAL WITH LITTLE, BROWN & COMPANY.

 

Yup -- we've got a book deal with a big, powerful publisher. Our book is slated to come out next year.

And I need to tell you that based on what we have done so far, this book is going to be freaking brilliant. It's going to include a lot of recipes, and because I am involved, it will also include limitless cleverness and witty repartee. 

Yes, it's a little bit different for me because it's a collaboration and I am also working on savory subject matter, but it's kind of fun to do something different every now and again, isn't it?

OK, so I am sure that you'll be hearing more about this in the coming months, but I just wanted to share the good news! 

MEANTIME, be sure to check out the BAKING STEEL website and to follow them on social media. I have conveniently placed all of the appropriate links just below.

BAKING STEEL

And on social media:

On Instagram

On Facebook

CONGRATULATIONS TO US!