Sugar Ban

Last week in the midst of Unique LA craziness, I proclaimed that I was giving up refined sugar for one month, until our trip to Hawaii. Did I mention Gary and I are going to Hawaii?! A good friend of mine is getting married and we are so excited to attend. It’ll be our first time there so it’s a little vacation for us too.

Anyway, where was I? So I decided to give up white sugar. I know what you’re thinking, “How can a baker give up sugar?” I’ll still taste things, but nothing more than a spoonful. For the past month I’ve been going to the gym 2-3 times a week, but what’s really holding me back is all the sweets I consume. For many people a treat is just 2-3 times a week, and even that’s on the high end. For me it was 3-5 a day. Yeah, like two cookies, a slice of cake, and another snack here and there. After logging what I ate for a couple of days I knew I had to make a change. I cut back to about 1 sweet a day and survived (haha), but why not just all together?

It’s been day 4 and I’m doing alright. I’ve also changed my gym schedule to 4 time a week, too. So far so good!

I know I said I’d post a cake this week but I couldn’t bring myself to make it. It was going to be a chocolate souffle cake but just reading the recipe got me salivating! You might see an influx of healthier recipes around here in the coming weeks, but hopefully I’ll be able to share recipes using honey or agave instead.


Here’s one of my recent favorites that satisfies my sweet tooth and stomach at the same time. Does anyone else have a horrible snacking problem? Healthy or not, I can’t seem to stop snacking on anything every 20 minutes.

Easy Green Smoothie
makes 1 large smoothie

5 ice cubes
1/2 c water
1/2 juice or milk
3/4 c frozen fruit (I like pineapple and mango)
1 full cup of greens, such as spinach or kale
1 tsp flax seed/meal
4-7 almonds

Combine everything in a high powered blender for 30 seconds until smooth. I like to add flax and almonds for extra nutrients and to give it more body, but it’s not absolutely necessary.

I use a Vitamix which prevents any grittiness from the almonds and vegetables. Not sure how tasty it would be in a regular blender, unfortunately. A Vitamix is around $400 but think of all the money you’re saving instead of buying a smoothie all the time! Plus it’s perfect for pureed soups and sauces, too. I make a smoothie almost every day and it’s certainly helped me consume more vegetables.

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S’mores Kit Special!

If you’ve been eying our s’mores kit for a while, good news! We have a limited amount available for the special price of $15 shipped! (S’mores kits are usually $12.50 + 7.25 for priority shipping.) Each kit includes 12 house made graham crackers, 6 pillowy vanilla marshmallows, 3 mini skewers for roasting, and 1 milk chocolate bar.

Check out Chelsea Bakes’ post on my kit for more pictures and a little video too! There’s only a handful left at this price so make sure to order soon ;)

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Recovery


my new stamp / Unique Day 1 (sans sleep!) / new gluten free PB&J sandwich cookies! / Unique Day 2 (with 8 hrs of sleep, big difference in appearance I think)

What a week! Unique LA was much more easy going this time around, but I still had lots of last minute work to do. On Friday night I didn’t get one wink of sleep and stayed up until we got home from the show on Saturday. I can’t recall the last time I pulled an all nighter, but it’s infinitely more fun/easier when you’re doing something you love and not homework.

As always, I have to thank Gary for all his help.  While “Hurricane Sara” went through the apartment he would clean up after me and feed me. And on top of that he helped me man the table all weekend long without one single complaint!

I also have to thank my brother Alex for coming by both days to bring us food and keep us company! And thank you to my buddies Laura and Chris, Erin, Margaret, and Shannon. It really makes the weekend fly by when you have friends to lean on and make you laugh. I also got to meet a blog reader/instagram friend, which was so awesome. Thanks for your support,  Alexis!

I’ll be back in the kitchen with a new cake this week (so excited about this one, even if I can’t eat it! More on that later though).

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Unique LA Spring Show This Weekend!


Friday, already? I’ve been under a mound of work in preparation for Unique LA this weekend. Will you be coming? If you visit, please let me know you’re a blog reader! I might look like a zombie from lack of sleep but it’ll sure make my day better. I will have my s’mores kits and PB&J cookies, and a very delicious chocolate chip cookie as well.

And be sure to visit my friends Lulu Dee at Table 112, Sass & Peril at Booth 267, and Paper Pastries at Booth 101! Make sure to tell them I sent you ;)

Unique LA Spring Show
When: May 12 & 13 (Saturday & Sunday)  //   11am – 6pm
Where: The California Market Center (110 East Ninth Street, LA, CA 90079)

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A Little Celebration Cake


Okay, I don’t really have anything to celebrate. In fact, today was sort of a weird day. I won’t go into the details though. I won’t tell you about how I tripped on a mop and dragged it 5 feet while someone was attempting to use it (sorry, mister). Nope, not going to get into that story. And I’m not going to tell you how shortly after I took these photos the cake fell over, ruining the frosting and smushing it’s side.

But I will tell you that I’ve been working hard preparing for Unique LA and that I’ve been getting emails requesting special occasion desserts. I will tell you that one of my cakes was photographed by Kate Miss of For Me, For You and is on her very blog right now. And I will share with you this sweet post that Chelsea wrote about my s’mores kit.

No, I haven’t reached that six figure salary or even quit my day job, but I think all of that calls for a little celebration. I am so grateful to be able to pursue what I love, and that other people enjoy it too! But every now and then you need someone to say, “You’re on the right path, keep going!” This baby four inch cake does just that. However miniature the milestone, everyone deserves a little celebratory cake.

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More Baking

Believe it or not, there are a lot of sweets that don’t make it to the blog. A lot of times I am recipe testing or filling a customer order. Here are a few shots from my instagram:

Clockwise from top left: vanilla cake with lemon cream filling, covered in swiss meringue butter cream / vanilla cake with strawberries and fresh cream, covered in swiss meringue buttercream / gluten free cupcake / chocolate ganache truffles.

 Did you know that I offer dessert catering? If you’re looking for desserts for a special occasion I am more than happy to help. I’ve been making a lot of cakes lately, but am also available for an assortment of cookies and pastries! Feel free to drop me a line.

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Easy Chocolate Ganache Truffles

If you’ve ever been intimidated by chocolate, this recipe is for you. Simply a combination of chocolate and heavy cream, ganache is a versatile ingredient with many applications. Use it to cover cakes in a smooth, shiny layer,  to fill cakes and pastries, or make truffles like we did here. This is an easy dessert with hardly any hands on work, perfect if you’re having guests over for dinner but don’t have time to make a special treat.

The ratio of cream to chocolate changes the consistency from being pourable to scooping with a melon baller. For these easy chocolate ganache truffles, I used 2 parts chocolate 1 part cream. Heat the cream just until steaming, ten pour over chocolate. Let stand for a few moments, then stir to combine. Place container in the fridge to harden, then scoop out to make balls. You can add nuts, dried fruit, or anything else your heart desires. It is common to roll them in cocoa powder, but I used dried cake crumbs for a bit of texture. Here are some more resources for additional help: Mark Bittman, Joy of Baking, and Serious Eats.

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Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes A Day Book Review

I’ve been wanting to share cookbook reviews for quite a while and thought I’d start off with the book that sparked the whole reason why I enjoy baking so much. Please leave a comment and let me know what you think and I’ll share more reviews!

Artisan Bread in Five Minutes A Day by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoë François
Thomas Dunne Books, 2007

At the start of 2010 I made it my new year’s resolution to learn how to bake bread. Not knowing where to start, I looked online for cook book reviews and immediately found so much praise for Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day (ABin5). While I was slightly put off with the lack of color photos on every page, I took the plunge and my first loaf turned out 100% better than I thought it would.

ABin5 is neatly organized by bread type, from the master recipe, peasant loaves, flat breads, then enriched breads. At the beginning of the book are many tips and tricks that lay out the basic guidelines for bread making. If you’re unsure of making your first loaf, definitely read this! It demystifies all the tales you might have heard about how difficult making artisan bread can be at home. Jeff and Zoe’s tone is comfortable and encouraging, giving you that extra bit of confidence you might need.

While there are only a handful of color photos, the master recipe chapter starts off with black and white photos illustrating each step so don’t worry if you’re unsure what to do. The “secret” to 5 minute bread is practically fool proof. I’ve never gotten bad results from anything I’ve made from this book, and if you look in my archives there’s a lot! In addition to bread, there are sweet and savory recipes that incorporate your latest creation, such as Raisin Walnut Oatmeal Bread and Spinach and Cheese Calzone, and one of my favorites, the Sunny Side Up Apricot Pastry.

With almost 100 recipes ranging from challah to pizza, ABin5 is a great introductory to making bread. They even have a website with additional recipes and videos to help you out. Like I stated earlier, this book is what really propelled me into baking. Before this I’d never made bread and can’t even recall baking cookies and cakes from scratch! Here are some links to older posts where I used the book: Challah French Toast, My First Challah, The Master Recipe/Boule, and Brioche Donuts.


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Friday Snapshots


green tea kit kat + washi tape from Japan (thanks Karina and Van!), a peek at my new website, freshly baked chocolate chip cookies, meringue cupcake

This week I started keeping a log of what I eat. Whether I like to admit it or not, I consume a lot of sweets. I’ve been going to the gym consistently for the last month and a half but I know that my diet is just as important as exercise. Let me tell you, it’s not hard to write it down, but it’s hard to have it staring back that you’ve had 4 cookies, 2 marshmallows, and lots of caramel covered almonds all in one day. I won’t be going on a strict diet anytime soon, just trying to be more conscious of the things I eat. This is definitely a test of self control because I’m not going to stop baking anytime soon!

Anyway, hope you all have a nice weekend! Spring weather is in full force in LA and I’m hoping to take advantage. Hopefully I’ll get to wear my hat too :)

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Momofuku Milk Bar’s Carrot Cake

Well, I finally did it–I made a Momofuku Milk Bar cake. Ever since I first laid eyes on the cook book it has been at the top of my to-bake list. It wasn’t until I made my first trip to Surfas (in which I spent over an hour perusing the store by myself) that I purchased the required materials to make this special dessert. As you can tell, it doesn’t look like your usual layered cake, and it most certainly doesn’t taste like it either.

With the amount of time, effort, and sugar that goes into one 6″ cake, I knew I had to save it for a special occasion. It just so happened to be my friend Van’s birthday last week which was the perfect excuse opportunity to make something from Momofuku’s Milk Bar cookbook . I asked him what his favorite types of cakes were and he said carrot and cheesecake. And what do you know, there’s a carrot cake recipe that calls for liquid cheesecake. If that’s not fate I don’t know what is.



With four separate recipes nestled into 1, this is not something you’d whip up on a whim. Don’t let that discourage you though as it was worth all the effort. I’ll be honest here, the cake took me about four hours, and it didn’t help that I started baking at 9 pm. By the end of the night my eyes were so tired and dry that when I blinked one of my contact lenses fell out!

Assembling the cake calls for layers of carrot cake, liquid cheesecake, graham frosting, and milk crumbs. The milk crumbs were by far my favorite component. Sure, it’s comprised of only the unhealthiest of things (sugar, flour, butter, white chocolate), but it’s most definitely worth the splurge of calories.

While carefully reading each step of every recipe, one of my reoccurring thoughts was, “Man, this Christina Tosi is a glutton for punishment.” Read any recipe and you’ll understand why.  I’m not one to talk though. In order to make the graham frosting, you first make a graham crust. And obviously, for a graham crust you need graham crackers. So I did what any senseless person would, I made my own graham crackers. I’m not quite sure if it made a considerable impact on flavor, but everyone really enjoyed the cake, which is what mattered the most.

Despite all of this, I can’t wait to try out another recipe. What’s next, the birthday cake? Crack pie? Compost cookies? That depends, who’s birthday is coming up?

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