I have a friend whom I love dearly. There were times when I wondered how we became friends, and stayed friends, because we are just so… different.
I’m a planner, she’s spontaneous.
I’m formal, she’s casual.
I’m kinda strict, she’s more laid-back.
I remember details, she doesn’t care much about that stuff.
I love to bake, she doesn’t.
When I teach [...]

Hey, you have noticed it’s been a while since I’ve posted a cake, right?! I’m really truly sorry about that. Cake means a lot to me. Cake is family and a home. I hope that by now it means a little to you too. If not a lot.
Maybe it’s time to bring the cake collection [...]

As far as my memory goes back in time, I can count the times I baked with someone on one hand. I don’t get too many opportunities to bake together with family or friends besides my son (who sometimes quits before the process is complete) or an occasional guest. Baking means a lot to me. [...]

A few years ago, or in December 1997 to be more specific, I was an M.A student, sharing a tiny two bedroom apartment with a roommate, working 2-4 temp jobs at a time, studying whenever I could (a.k.a when I did not work or party), and eating giant size salads for “linner” – I made [...]

This post has been sitting on my desk, actually on my computer screen, open for the past week. If it were on paper, I would have probably torn it to little pieces by now. I can’t even remember, what was the point I wanted to make in this post?
In order to finish it, I need [...]

          
Oh, man, it seems like ages since I made this pie, right after the recent Dahlia dinner. But what can one say about a pie when life is a roller coaster?

Each year, a few days before my birthday I start getting all excited and nervous, like a little girl, wanting to know what kind of surprises and presents are waiting for me (if any, I worry). I start nagging and trying to get any clue I can out of my husband and son. But they [...]

“Where is the photo of the banana bread?”, you might ask. And who is this person in the photo? (Photo was taken by my cousin).
I told you in my recent “a happy place” post that my father gave me an envelope with letters from my childhood years. I read them but will need to re-read [...]

Comfort food. That is what I need right now. Food that I don’t need to plan or think about too much. Food that doesn’t require instructions or a recipe. Food that everyone in the family loves.
My favorite foods, since childhood, are breaded and fried chicken cutlets or  breaded and baked chicken drumsticks with mashed potatoes [...]

I had my eye on this cake for a few weeks now. I first saw it when Diana posted it on her blog in April. I knew then that I was going to make it as a surprise for my son on his birthday. I still looked around for other ideas and asked my Twitter [...]

Ok, time for a cake recipe. As promised.
I made this cake 2 weeks ago!!!! But I got so much stuff to do every day that I just didn’t get to posting it. Do you have a crazy schedule with tons of things to do each and every day?
I found a recipe for key lime coconut [...]

So what else happened during days 3-5?
My husband, L., is sure a happy camper this week… taking home-made food to work. I rarely cook lunch or breakfast. Our breakfasts are simple, mainly some bread, cheese, yogurt, fruit. If we have leftovers from last night’s dinner whoever wants them can have them for lunch.
On Wednesday night, [...]

I don’t know what to begin with. The usual Friday cake collection? Weekly meal plan? Next week’s Hunger Challenge? There’s so much going on…

1. In the photo above a Chocolate Chocolate Stout Cake which I will tell you about in a minute.
2. I have the winner of the Cake Collection Giveaway way way down below at the end of the post. The winner gets a copy of Ray’s Boathouse cookbook (read more about the restaurant, the book, the [...]

 
My friend L. stopped by my house yesterday morning for a chat and cup of coffee. We had a nice time but the minute I asked her if she would like to bake a cake with me she jumped on her feet and said she had to go…

 
Good Friday everyone!
I have launched “Cake Collection” with a Giveaway only on Wednesday, so I didn’t really expect to have anything to give you today. But, we are lucky because we got our first cakes. Yippie! I am Sooooooooo Super Excited!!!!!!!!!!
Since this was a short notice (Wednesday to Friday), you can still submit cakes until [...]

I have a confession to make. This is so embarrassing…
ahemaham, I never drank root beer.
 .
 .
Are you still there?
And then I came across this recipe in the “baked” cookbook and it sounded so interesting. You know I am always looking for new cake recipes.
So I had to ask the guy at the grocery store where can [...]

Today I felt a little bit like Little Red Riding Hood going through the forest with a basket full of goodies to bring to her dear grandma.
Only my favorite color is green, I’m not so little, there was no big bad wolf in the forest (only some joggers), and the goodies were enjoyed by yours [...]

Whatever you call this cake, Babka, Brioche, Old-world cake, Crunch or is it Cruntz? Kruntz? Or even plainly Yeast cake, this cake is in my top 5 list of most favorite cakes. I love it so much that I want to show you all 50+ photos I took of it. Alas, the aroma of fresh [...]

Remember the cognac/whiskey-soaked chocolate cake?
Well, my mother-in-law baked that cake and sent me photos. And then, I just had to make it again. I had to!

However… since Valentine’s Day was approaching, I thought I’ll try to make it CUTE. Hmmm…

… and I fixed it.
Let me tell you what happened.
When I have 14 egg whites in the freezer (leftover from recipes that use egg yolks), it means only one thing – it is time to bake a chocolate roulade.

I love that when I bake a cake at home the aroma of the cake can be smelled from the garage when someone comes home. It can be smelled even from the street. Imagine this – an aroma of freshly baked cakes coming out of each house on your street. Wouldn’t it be absolutely wonderful?
But [...]

I’m in love with this cake. Can you tell? I think I already had 3 pieces today. And it’s only 8:26 pm… The night is young.
Pphhh, forget about new-year’s-dieting- resolution.
The first time I saw the recipe for this cake was a few weeks ago on Orangette blog, and then a few days ago I found [...]

I want to dedicate a cake to you. To celebrate the end of a year and the beginning of a new one. You deserve it. It has been tough lately. But it will get better, right?! It has to.
I usually don’t fuss over a change of digit when a year ends, but this year it [...]

This cake is amazing, and amazingly simple to make. It’s buttery, nutty, and… crumbly, of course. Perfect with a nice cup of coffee, tea, or a glass of sweet wine. The recipe was created back in 1999, when Babbo restaurant was still in its infancy. It became an instant hit and an all-time favorite. The [...]

I’ve been reading and browsing through The Book of New Israeli Food by Janna Gur lately. Oh, the food looks so amazing. I made a Chocolate and Halva yeast cake based on a recipe from this book (it’s so gorgeous and I’ll post about it soon). I can’t wait to make the Shawarma (meat marinated [...]

I have already mentioned that fall is here and winter is coming soon, right?! (Sorry about that). (Like you didn’t know…). The side effect of the weather change is that strawberries are going to disappear from the markets and stores pretty soon. Peaches and nectarines are already gone. So, a minute before they vanish until [...]

Do you have recipes that call for egg yolks only? Sometimes for 6-8 egg yolks (like Crème Brulee)? So what do you do with all those egg white leftovers?
I’ll tell you. You freeze them. Freeze in a container and write the date.
Not sure how long you can freeze them (I searched but couldn’t find [...]

I love bread, especially artisanal bread. And they can be quite costly ranging $3-$5 each! So, when I have leftovers, which doesn’t happen often (because I like my bread toasted so it taste fresh and crunchy even after 4 days), it will break my heart to throw it in the trash (it’ll break my grandma’s [...]

In the spirit of the Jewish holidays, here is a cookbook where I, and you can too, find wonderful recipes which are easy to make, of course.
Some of the recipes I have tried and liked are: Latkes, Oznei Haman/Hamantaschen, Haroset, Sufganiot, Blintz, Cheesecake, Noodle kugel with pears, Cholent, Tzimmes, Yemenite soup, the list goes on and [...]

To my dear friends, family members, and readers who don’t bake,
Having the tools in the photo below will make baking so much easier, and much more successful, oh, yes, and a lot of fun too. That is the secret to a good cake. Kids like to play with those tools too (see here). The tools [...]

The recipe is from the book “The Great Book of Chocolate” by David Lebovitz.
I bought this book about 3 years ago while traveling in Napa Valley, CA. I treated myself to a week of cooking course at Napa Valley’s Culinary Institute of America. Oh, my my, what a culinary adventure it was. Then we headed [...]

A cheesecake is one of my favorite cakes. I have baked so many different recipes until I got bored. In this recipe I tried to make things more interesting by adding rose water and orange blossom water which I buy at a Mediterranean store. They are so fragrant and add a complex flavor the cake. [...]

I made this cake with my son (5 years old). It was easy and fun.
Kids can measure ingredients, pour dry ingredients, sift the dry ingredients, crack the eggs, and make the streusel, turn the mixer on/off – they love that! – but you need to make the rules and explain about safety, stand next to [...]

Summer fruit are so wonderful. They taste so good that I usually don’t like to do anything to them, just eat them fresh as they are. Or, the worst thing I’ll do to them is make a fruit salad. This crostata is an exception. The buttery and flaky dough makes it so much fun to [...]

The best cooking advice I can give you today is: always, and I mean ALWAYS, place your cake pan inside a sheet pan before you bake it.I love cheesecakes and I love a streusel topping. So I found a cookbook with a recipe that combines both. I was happy.
Then… while I was making the cake, [...]

I love summer! Who doesn’t? And I love Summer fruit. And I love to bake a cake for the weekend.
When I first started baking, a few years ago, it took me an hour to prepare a cake. Now it takes me 15-20 minutes. This cake, as the recipe says, took me 15 minutes to make. [...]