The 10 Most Stupid Things Restaurants Use As Plates

The 10 Most Stupid Things Restaurants Use As Plates

10top cake

January 07, 2018 Add Comment

1Slippers

Seriously, Switzerland? What is this madness?!

2A meat cleaver

That’s just dangerous.

3 Under a wine glass

Oh, COME ON!

4A broken bathroom tile

That just doesn’t FEEL hygienic.

5A chunk of rock

Not cool.

6A wine glass

Bangers and mash in a wine glass? That’s just wrong.

7 A trowel

It just feels like they’d be dirty…

8A park bench

Not just a park bench though, there’s also pots and pails!

9A flat cap

It’s like where Oliver Twist would’ve kept his bread, if he’d had any.

10A weird, transparent plastic shoe.

It just doesn’t make me WANT to eat it.

< Prev  ( / 10)  Next >

Hive cake - Recipes

Hive cake - Recipes

cake

January 04, 2018 Add Comment

Ingredients: 

• 400g/14oz butter
• 400g/14oz sugar
• 2 tbsp honey
• 2 lemons
• 7 free-range eggs
• 400g/14oz self-raising flour
• 1kg/2lb 4oz butter
• 1.5kg/3lb 5oz icing sugar
• lemon juice
• 1 tbsp honey
• Golden-yellow colouring - rather than lemon
• Small amounts of ready-to-roll fondant icing
• 25g/1oz flaked almonds
• 250g/9oz ready-to-roll green fondant icing

9 Fun Facts About Fruitcake

9 Fun Facts About Fruitcake

cake

January 03, 2018 Add Comment

1THE PRICE OF SUGAR MIGHT HAVE AFFECTED ITS UBIQUITY

It wasn’t until the 16th century that fruitcake really started to become a thing. In his 2002 article “A Short History of Fruitcake” for the Village Voice, Robert Sietsema blamed “the fruitcake plague” on inexpensive sugar that came to Europe from the colonies in the 1500s. “Some goon discovered that fruit could be preserved by soaking it in successively greater concentrations of sugar, intensifying color and flavor,” Sietsema wrote. “…Having so much sugar-laced fruit engendered the need to dispose of it in some way—thus the fruitcake. By the early 19th century, the typical recipe was heavy as lead with citrus peel, pineapples, plums, dates, pears, and cherries.”

2 IT’S A BAKED GOOD WITH SOME SERIOUS HEFT.

Sietsema might have been exaggerating just a bit when he compared fruitcake to lead. However, according to Harper’s Index, the ratio of the density of the average fruitcake to the density of mahogany is 1:1.

Another fun Harper’s Index fruitcake fact: “Age, in years, of a piece of wedding fruitcake on display at the Grover Cleveland Birthplace, in Caldwell, New Jersey: 106.”

3TRUMAN CAPOTE TURNED A FRUITCAKE-BAKING EXPEDITION INTO FINE SHORT FICTION

In December 1956, Capote published a short story in Mademoiselle magazine titled “A Christmas Memory” about two cousins—the narrator, a 7-year-old referred to as “Buddy,” and the other a charmingly eccentric woman in her sixties. The story begins with the woman looking out the window and announcing one early-winter morning, “Oh my, it's fruitcake weather!” “A Christmas Memory” has become a cherished holiday tale, and is often included in Christmas-story anthologies.

After determining that it’s fruitcake weather, the two cousins then gather the necessary ingredients: “cherries and citron, ginger and vanilla and canned Hawaiian pineapple, rinds and raisins and walnuts and whiskey and oh, so much flour, butter, so many eggs, spices, flavourings: why, we’ll need a pony to pull the buggy home.” Buddy then explains that they bake the fruitcakes for “friends. Not necessarily neighbor friends: indeed, the larger share are intended for persons we’ve met maybe once, perhaps not at all.” The intended fruitcake recipients include some Baptist missionaries to Borneo who lectured in the cousins’ Alabama town the winter past, the driver of the 6 o’clock bus from Mobile, a California couple whose car broke down outside the cousins’ house one afternoon, and President Roosevelt.

4SOMEWHERE ALONG THE LINE, FRUITCAKE BECAME A HOLIDAY JOKE

Though, like the astronauts, many fruitcake recipients have chosen to re-gift the confection throughout the ages, Johnny Carson is widely credited with giving the baked good a bad rap in December 1985 when he quipped on The Tonight Show, “The worst Christmas gift is fruitcake. There is only one fruitcake in the entire world, and people keep sending it to each other.”

5THERE IS (ALLEGEDLY) SUCH A THING AS TASTY FRUITCAKE

In 1989, just a few short years after Johnny Carson’s infamous dis, Dena Klein wrote a lengthy article for the New York Times titled “Just in Time, a Defense of Fruitcake.” In it, she quotes Seth Greenberg, who worked in his family bakery, William Greenberg Jr. Desserts in Manhattan, as saying that the problem with fruitcake is not the cake itself but instead the too-dry, sickeningly sweet neon fruit that too many bakers cram into them. Seth insisted that fruitcake made with only the best, properly treated ingredients—brandy, glace cherries, apricots, figs and dates—is heavenly.

In her 2006 Isthmus article “Stop making fun of fruitcake!” Erika Janik echoes Seth Greenberg: “Despite what you see in grocery stores, candied fruits in unnatural colors are not obligatory and should, in my opinion, be avoided. Naturally sweet, dried fruits are the key.”

6THERE’S A LITTLE-KNOWN CONNECTION BETWEEN “THE FRUITCAKE LADY” AND CAPOTE

Rudisill had reason for her particularly passionate feelings about fruitcake. Not long before her standoff with Leno, she had published a part cookbook-part memoir called Fruitcake: Memories of Truman Capote and Sook. Known to Capote as “Aunt Tiny” while he was growing up in Monroeville, Alabama, Rudisill might not have spared little Truman any of the frank, sharp-as-a-tack advice she would become famous for dispensing on The Tonight Show. She also revealed that “A Christmas Memory” wasn’t completely fictional—Capote had shared a close bond with his cousin Sook Faulk, an avid baker of Christmas fruitcake (Rudisill published Sook’s Cookbook in 1989), that was very similar to the friendship between Buddy and the woman who so famously proclaimed “Oh my, it’s fruitcake weather!”

7WHEN BAKING FRUITCAKE, THE HOLY SPIRIT MIGHT BE THE KEY TO CREATING A WINNER

As part of his history of fruitcake for the Village Voice, Robert Sietsema taste-tested several different fruitcakes “using the savor-and-spit technique favored by wine critics.” The best two, he found, were created by monks. He determined the fruitcake sold by the Trappist monks of Kentucky’s Abbey of Gethsemani to be “crumbly and voluptuous.” The competing cake, made by the monks at Holy Cross Abbey in Berryville, Virginia, was topped with a honey glaze.

A 2012 Washington Times profile on the Holy Cross Abbey monks states that they sell approximately 10,000 fruitcakes per year. The monks have spent many decades honing a recipe that was originally based on Betty Crocker directives. In addition to cake batter, the monks mix in raisins, pineapple, nuts, cherries, and pieces of lemon and orange, as well as nutmeg, vanilla, cumin and other spice

8OR IT JUST MIGHT BE THE BOOZE

In addition to the monks’ cakes being the most delectable, they were also the most booze-soaked, according to Sietsema. “It’s hard to believe that men of God are busily undermining the sobriety of the populace (including children) by pouring the hard stuff over Christmas cakes,” he wrote. Nonetheless, the Abbey of Gethsemani cakes contained both burgundy wine and Kentucky bourbon. And to the Holy Cross fruitcakes the monks “add a generous measure of fine sherry wine.”

But Truman Capote knew booze was a secret to successful fruitcake baking way back in 1956. After Buddy and his cousin are finished baking the cakes, they discover two inches of whiskey left in the bottle: “The taste of it brings screwed-up expressions and sour shudders. But by and by we begin to sing, the two of us singing different songs simultaneously.”

< Contune...

Giant Cupcake Smash Cake

Giant Cupcake Smash Cake

cake

December 14, 2017 Add Comment

Once the cakes cooled I wrapped them up and stuck them in the fridge overnight. The next day I started by frosting the bottom part of the cupcake. Since this was going to be a smash cake I knew that i couldn’t put any supports in it since I didn’t want baby to get hurt while smashing! Since I couldn’t put any supports in I decided not to torte the bottom part of the cupcake at all. I just frosted the sides smooth with white buttercream and then used a very small spatula to indent the pleats of the cupcake. A simple bead border using a tip #12 was added around the base.


read more

MARYLAND: SMITH ISLAND CAKE

MARYLAND: SMITH ISLAND CAKE

cake

December 08, 2017 Add Comment

Some call it an architectural marvel—thin, buttery rounds of cake stacked high and stuck together with fudge frosting. Locals simply call it a Smith Island cake. Named after Maryland’s island in the Chesapeake Bay, where the recipe originated in the 1800s, Smith Island cake was declared the state’s official dessert in 2008. Taste the cake itself at the Smith Island Baking Company. Beyond the island, many places along Maryland’s Eastern Shore serve up the dessert, including the Watermen’s Innin Crisfield.

read more

10 Best Dessert Recipes

10 Best Dessert Recipes

cake

December 07, 2017 Add Comment

1 Apple Pie

Just when you thought apple pie couldn’t get any better, this recipe raises the bar like no other. Truly our best-ever, make this classic for a get-together and you might not have any leftovers to bring home. Top off this warm, melt-in-your mouth pie with a sprinkle of cinnamon and a scoop of ice cream.

2 Almond Malai Kulfi

First up: This almond malai kulfi is like happiness condensed in a matki. To make it extra special, top it off with dry fruits and make sure it is absolutely chilled before serving. So creamy, so simple - it hits all the right notes.

3 Lemon Tart

Sinful, rich and creamy, this recipe is the perfect finish to a meal. Tip: Make the lemon tart a day ahead, and store it in the refrigerator. Spruce it up with lemon rind, and trust us - this indulgent dessert really is as yummy as it looks.

4 Pistachio Phirni

Flavoured with elaichi and pista, take phirni to a whole new level with this exquisite recipe. Serve chilled in mitti ke kasore for a festive occasion and bask in the glory. This phirni is made of sugar and love.

5 Fudgy Chewy Brownies

A balanced diet is a brownie in each hand - don’t you agree? Decadently rich, fudgy and chewy - bake a batch and be your family’s hero. These brownies are pure chocolate overload, perfect to bake on a lazy afternoon.

6 Low Fat Tiramisu

Italian and exceptional, this dessert recipe slashes the calories and is too good to be true. Top it off with cream, sprinkle with bitter chocolate, cocoa powder and voila! Your guilt-free dessert is ready to be devoured.

7 Coconut Kheer

This kheer is made in an extra luxurious way featuring a blend of rich and coconut milk, spruced up with nutty caramel and rose petals. We assure you, it will be hard to have just one bite of this heavenly dessert!

8 Chocolate Coffee Truffle

If your chocolate addiction is real, this glorious recipe is one of the best ways to enjoy your all-time favourite treat. Well, two of your favourites - chocolate and… (drum roll please) coffee! The creamy center with that quintessential kick of caffeine is pure perfection. Indeed, great things do come in small packages.

9 Hot Cointreau Souffle

Surprisingly low on calories and nothing short of spectacular, enjoy this deliciously delicate French classic the guilt-free way. Made minus the flour, milk and butter but with a kick of cointreau, we take this dressed up souffle to a whole new level.

10 Eggless Chocolate Mousse

If chocolate is the answer… Who cares what the question is?! This mouth-watering mousse is everything you dream of, chocolate-y rich and silky smooth. Eggless and easy, a recipe that will satisfy even the most-serious chocoholic.

- back Next +

I want this cake like woah! All that chocolate and caramel sauce

I want this cake like woah! All that chocolate and caramel sauce

cake

December 06, 2017 Add Comment

 

That’s it, effective immediately I am going to get organized. Uh huh, yeah right! No, I mean it this time. I’m always making lists and jotting down ideas or things I need to get done. Really, I’m a very talented list maker, got that part covered. My problem comes in when it’s time to actually refer to a list. Not only do I forget to do this, but I have so many lists that I usually forget which is which and I sometimes even forget why I wrote it down in the first place. The cycle of scribbling and noting repeats over and over and is always followed by me getting so fed up with the stacks of lists that no longer mean anything to me that I throw them all away and start the vicious circle over.

Ingredients

Cake:
• 3 large or 4 smaller overripe bananas,mashed
• 1/4 cup oil
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
• 1 3/4 cup sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1/3 cup dulce de leche or caramel sauce (I used this bourbon caramel)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/4 cup black coffee
• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Frosting:
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, slightly softened
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons dulce de leche or caramel sauce (I used this bourbon caramel)
• 1 tablespoon milk
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons black coffee
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Ganache:
• 50g semi-sweet chocolate, roughly chopped
• 3 tablespoons heavy cream
• 1 ripe banana, sliced
• 2-3 tablespoons more caramel for drizzling

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180C) and grease 3 8 or 9 inch round cake pans with oil. Cream butter and sugar together in a large mixing bowl. Add bananas and oil; stir until combined. Beat in eggs one at a time until well mixed. Add all remaining ingredients up to the chocolate chips and mix until smooth then stir in chips and pour batter into prepared pans.
2. Bake for 30 to 45 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean and cakes are firm. Remove from oven and cool for about 15 minutes, then use a knife to loosen sides of cake from pans and invert cake pans onto large plates and lift off the pans. Place on a cooling rack and cool completely before assembling cake. You can wrap in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge or freezer for an hour or two to speed this up.
Frosting:
3. Beat butter and 1 cup of powdered sugar together in the bowl of a stand mixer until creamed. Gradually add remaining sugar and continue mixing in. Add remaining ingredients for frosting and slowly increase speed to high and beat until light and fluffy.
Assemble:
4. Place one of the cake layers on a serving platter and spread a moderate layer of frosting on top. Add second layer and repeat with frosting then cake then frosting again.
5. Melt the chocolate and cream for the ganache in a double boiler over medium heat.Stir until well mixed then slowly pour over cake and allow a bit to run off the edges. Top cake with banana slices and drizzle with caramel. Serve immediately or store in refrigerator until ready to serve.