Photo: Olga M.

I have a major sweet tooth, especially when it comes to cake and cakes with rich and super creamy frosting. I’m not sure what’s better, a slice of  moist fluffy cake or the thick layers of decadent frosting. Picture perfect cakes are a pleasure to look at in bakery windows everywhere and even better when you can eat them. Cake decorators all over each have a different technique for frosting the perfect cake, just like chefs have their techniques for slicing super thin vegetables. When baking and frosting cakes at home, unfortunately a cake decorator isn’t next to you guiding and directing your swirls of creamy frosting (until now). Frosting in hand you are wondering how they do it, perfectly every time with every cake.  Make your cake the centerpiece of your next birthday or event with these helpful tips on how to frost a cake.  Read More

The holidays are upon us and there’s no better way to celebrate than with chocolate. Below find some scrumptious chocolate filled desserts to get you into the festive spirit! Read More

Hurricane Sandy has wreaked her havoc and we are all still recovering from the loss of power, the flooding, and the general turmoil the storm caused. For those of you at home in need of a sweet pick me up and a little distraction from the troubles that be, try baking any one of these delicious cookie recipes.

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Photo: Selma Broeder

By: Melaina Gasbarrino

The second you walk into a grocery store, with your kids, you’ll most likely end up in the junk food aisle where they will bombard you with a whole lot of “I love you’s” so they can get their favorite junk food fix. But if you’re one of the many health-crazed moms or dads out there you’ll veer your child away from all that high calorie food and tell them you’ll bake them their favorite home-made chocolate truffles.

One of the many beautiful things about baking in your own home is that you get to add that extra love into each truffle, cookie or cupcakes, but is it really worth the time and energy you put into baking two dozen cupcakes for your daughters school birthday bash? We’ll provide you with the facts, and so in the end it’s all up to you.

Firstly, let’s take a look at Jennifer Steinhauer’s, of The New York Times’ stint in recreating her favorite childhood snacks. When she was 5, Hostess, Twinkies and Fritos were like the ultimate treat, oozing with a whole lot of sugary goodness. But now knowing full well those tasty treats were jam packed with calories and preservatives she took to her kitchen to recreate these treats. She first found that with all the preservatives in each snack they had an extremely unnaturally long shelf life. Read More

Photo: Lars Plougmann

Baking bread is all about timing, intuition and nowadays focusing on the greater good. The Kneading Conference, a conference intended to tackle the issue of wheat production taking the limelight in the local food movement across the world, is what spurred the idea to start baking for the greater good. Noted in Gourmet Live’s “Baking for a Better World”, at the 3-day conference in July, participants gather to learn the science of ‘creating local grain economies’. All who attended the conference were not only there to take in the science of creating that perfect loaf of light, fluffy bread but were there to stir their creative juices into developing the idea that ‘making better bread makes a better world.” Read More

Photo: Uwe Hermann

Did you know the average American consumes two to three pounds of sugar each week? While you may not be munching on cookies or candy bars, processed sugar is hidden in almost everything you eat. From ketchup to pastas and mayonnaise to cereal, a large part of the average diet includes sugar-saturated components. Read More

Photo: Jeremy Jenum

Baking is a relaxing pastime for many. The truth is, it can get messy and stressful if you don’t have the right tools. Read More

Bread is something that almost everyone loves, has a million uses, and can come in all sorts of flavors and styles. Whether you’re making a sandwich, a crostini, a bowl of bread salad, a grilled cheese, or just eating it alone, bread is something many people eat almost every day. And if you are eating it that often, you should probably be buying something good. Here is a short list of some of the best bakeries from around the country.  Read More

Apple Pie is a Classic American Dessert for Fourth of July

Fourth of July is right around the corner. While I’m sure you’ve thought about what you’re throwing on the grill, have you thought about baking this Independence Day? We all know there’s nothing more American than apple pie, but you can go even further with these delicious recipes! Read More

No matter if you’re a professional chef or have just ventured into the kitchen for the first time, there’s always something to learn about cooking.  While it can be fun to learn from a cookbook or food website, it’s rewarding and inspiring to learn from a pro.  For beginners there are basic classes, and for intrepid meat-lovers there are butchery-intensive specials.  Summer‘s a great time to expand your culinary knowledge, whether it’s taking Dad along for Father’s day or just improving your cakes for the heck of it. Check out these five great cooking classes to take this summer.  Read More