Desserts

[New for 2013] Ok, my last Perry's Ice Cream review didn't go as well as I hoped, but maybe Sponge Candy is going to provide the caramel kick I was so looking for in Movie Time. You see, Sponge Candy is the kind of crazy flavor that could be epic.... or send me into sugar shock, but hey, I'm tough, I'll go first, no worries. We've got caramel sugar flavored ice cream with caramelized sugar

Fathers Day gift ideas to help you find the perfect gifts for Father's day. Show the men in your life how special they are and how clever you are!...

How many fish is too many fish? Turns out: 7!

Summertime is barbecue season. Planning barbecues is always fun, whether you’re making dinner for the family or cooking for a big group of friends. When it comes to food, there are lots of options. You can opt for smoked or grilled meats, hamburgers, sausages and all manner of grilled veggies, and sides like salads and fruit salads are always welcome. Dessert gets a little bit tricky, though, because you generally need things that can be served outdoors and don’t need special serving conditions. Since barbecues tend to offer a lot of savory foods, it helps if dessert is a little on the light side, too. These six desserts are all sure to be a hit at any summer barbecue, from first-of-the-season Memorial Day kickoffs right through Labor Day. This Strawberry Chiffon Cake is packed with fresh strawberries and lots of flavor. The chiffon cake is very light but sturdy, which means that you can serve slices directly into waiting hands without having to plate them. If you do have extra paper plates, you can finish it off with fresh berries and whipped cream. Summer squash often get grilled, but zucchini can be easily incorporated into a dessert like this Zuccini Cake with Lime Cream Cheese Frosting. The flavorful cake packs in a lot of veggies and, since it is a sheet cake, it is easy to transport and will serve a big crowd. Lemonade is a refreshing drink that is always a hit at summer parties and this Pink Lemonade Cake takes it from drink to dessert. The airy, lemony cake only needs a simple glaze to finish it off, so you don’t need to worry about frosting melting on a hot day! Cool slices of watermelon can be a good dessert option on their own, but these Watermelon Cupcakes might be even better. They look like little tiny watermelons and they taste like melon – thanks to a splash of melon liquor that is added to the batter. The alcohol should bake off in the oven, but look for melon extract if you want to eliminate the alcohol in your batch. Stone fruits find their stride in the summer and a Summer Nectarine Cake is a lovely way to serve them up. The dessert showcases fruit as well as a shortcake, but there is no assembly required before serving it. Fruit cobbler lovers will definitely find themselves reaching for a second slice of this one. If you’re grilling over an open flame, the best desserts you can serve are Homemade Campfire S’mores. You just need chocolate bars, graham crackers, marshmallows and some sticks so you can get those marshmallows hot and toasty over the fire while maintaining a safe distance. They’re always a hit with kids AND adults.

In our 229th Video Recipe Stephanie demonstrates how to make Cinnamon Roll Bread. Subscribe to the Joy of Baking YouTube Channel Cinnamon Roll Bread is simply cinnamon rolls in loaf form. It's still made with that wonderful combination of a soft and tender yeast dough wrapped around a delicious filling of brown sugar, cinnamon, and chopped nuts. Only instead of cutting the dough into individual rolls, you cut it into three large pieces and place them in a loaf pan. I love how the three spirals of dough fuse together to form one beautiful loaf of Cinnamon Roll Bread. So tasty warm from the oven but I also like it toasted, with a nice slathering of butter. Cinnamon Roll Bread gets its rise and distinct flavor from yeast. For this recipe we're using 'active dried yeast'. This is fresh compressed yeast that has been pressed and dried until the moisture content is only about 8% which makes the yeast dormant. The granules only become active again when mixed with a warm liquid (in this case milk). You will find the tiny, dehydrated, bead-shaped, sand colored granules are sold in either small foil-lined packages weighing 1/4 ounce (7 grams) or small jars (my favorite) and can be found on the baking isle of most grocery stores. This yeast dough contains milk, eggs, and butter which gives it a wonderfully rich flavor with a soft and tender crumb. Have the butter quite soft and add it gradually so it can be easily be incorporated into the dough. You may notice as you add the butter that the dough falls apart and looks almost curdled. Don't worry, just keep mixing and it will come back together into a soft and silky ball of dough (takes about 5 to 10 minutes of kneading). Also, while I have made this dough into a loaf, you could use it to make individual cinnamon rolls by cutting it into 9 rolls (instead of three) (baking time will be between 18-20 minutes). Click here for the video and recipe. More Recipes at Joyofbaking.com Article and Demonstration by Stephanie Jaworski Photo and Videography by Rick Jaworski © 2013 iFood Media LLC

Let me take a brief break from telling you about my book tour (remaining dates here, btw--I'm in the Chicago area tonight, at the Aspen Drive Library, 701 Aspen Drive, Vernon Hills IL, from 7-8 p.m.) to tell you about this amazing cake I crafted for my friends at Peanut Butter and Company. It's a 10 layer cake, inspired by Smith Island Cake (the recipe for that one is in the new book). Regarding the peanut butter cake, here's what I have to say about it: Want to really show off with your next dessert offering? Well then, you’ll definitely want to make this cake. It looks like a pretty normal cake on the serving plate, but once cut into, the amazing interior is exposed. Composed of 10 thin stacked cakes, each sandwiched with a layer of White Chocolate Wonderful peanut butter frosting, this is “frosting with the cake,” a delightful treat that begs for a glass of milk. It’s a peanut butter-ized version of a famous cake from Maryland (actually, if you want to get technical, it’s the Official State Dessert!) called Smith Island Cake, which is given out as the prize during community events. But no need to sing and dance when you’ve got this recipe–everyone’s a winner! Find the recipe here.

.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; }.flickr-yourcomment { }.flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; }.flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; }Cupcakes supplied for the showing of Rapunzel at the Deco Theatre, Northampton, originally uploaded by Angelina Cupcake.Angelina Cupcake made this for the Rapunzel performance at the Deco Theatre, Northampton UK

Coconut cream is a type of coconut milk, the creamy liquid that comes from pressing fresh coconut meat. The difference between coconut milk and coconut cream is the consistency. Coconut cream is very thick, almost paste-like, and contains much less water than coconut milk does. It has a creamy, slightly oily texture to it and a distinct coconut flavor and is good for use in recipes where you are adding coconut and want some extra richness. For instance, it can be a great addition when making a coconut ice cream recipe, where some additional fat will result in an even smoother and creamier finished product. Coconut cream is typically sold in cans and it should be poured out and stirred before use, as the water and solids in the cream will often separate if it has been stored for a while. When shopping for coconut cream, check labels carefully so that you don’t accidentally buy “cream of coconut” instead. Coconut cream is different from cream of coconut in much the same way that sweetened condensed milk is different from evaporated milk. Products labeled “cream of coconut” are made for use in drinks and typically have a lot of sugar added to them. Coconut cream, however, is not sweetened, and switching the two can throw off your flavors in a recipe.

Graduation season is upon us, my friends, and I for one couldn't be happier. Not only do I get to revel in the fact that I'm a "prefessional adult" who's DONE with school [NEENER NEENER], I also get an excuse to drag out some of the old grad wrecks I never got around to posting. Here's one from the last Ice Age in internet terms, aka ten years ago: That was the year we learned to ix-nay on the unfortunate onograms-may. Skipping forward a ways, we come to "2009": Year of the "Dipolma" and "Unnecessary" Quotation Marks. In 2010 we had a fresh crop of Permedics celebrate their "gradudlion:" It's a tough call, but I'm pretty sure "Gradudlion" is my new favorite misspelling. The trick is to put the emPHAsis on the second sylLAble, like this: GraDUDlion. And then pronounce the end bit "leon" instead of "lion." Go on. Say it with me: GraDUDlion. GraDUDlion. [Ignore those co-workers; they're just jealous.] Now once more, with feeling! GRADUDLION!! YEAH! [looking around] [sitting back down] [patting hair back in place] K, where were we? Oh, yes: 2011. The year we learned that only the very BEST cakes get reserved for store displays: The grace. The dignity. The spacing. (First one to say, "But at least it's spelled right!" gets the patented Jen Death Glare. DON'T TEST ME, PEOPLE.) In 2012 bakers broadened their horizons by combining the fine art of Dali-esque surrealism with a post-modern monochromatic aesthetic: I call it, "Tar Donkey Butt-Peeing." So what will the 2013 grad season bring? Well, I hate to speculate, buuuut... I've got a pretty good feeling about it. ("Graguates gradudlying! Graguates gradudlying!!") Thanks to Stephanie F., Jen S., Alana G., Brittany R., Daffny A., and Julia A. for gradudlyating at the top of today's class.

Mmmm one of my most favorite combinations is peanut butter and chocolate. But - let's bet honest here... add a little salty goodness to that combo and BAM it's OUT OF THIS WORLD delicious!!And that's what we have with my latest cupcake. Pretzel crust, chocolate cupcake, peanut butter buttercream, chocolate ganache and chocolate covered pretzel. Oh yeaaaaaah.Want the recipe? CLICK HERE!