Pizza Pillow
For Christmas this year, my nephew asked for another in the line of giant stuffed food, following up on the Taco Pillow of three years ago.
For Christmas this year, my nephew asked for another in the line of giant stuffed food, following up on the Taco Pillow of three years ago.
Walnut Chocolates
I made these for a dear friend who was recently diagnosed with prostate cancer.
I made these for a dear friend who was recently diagnosed with prostate cancer. The filling is a brandy ganache with carmelized walnuts and a piece of spiced brandied maraschino cherry.
Holiday Candy 2021
This year, I made toasted almond cherry marzipan, pecan chipotle brittle, peppermint marshmallows, port wine marzipan, amaretto ganache, habañero dark chocolate ganache with mango white chocolate ganache, and carmelized walnuts.
This year, I made toasted almond cherry marzipan, pecan chipotle brittle, peppermint marshmallows, port wine marzipan, amaretto ganache, habañero dark chocolate ganache with mango white chocolate ganache, and carmelized walnuts. They all turned out well, especially the pecan chipotle brittle. I forgot I was scaling the recipe when I added the chipotle, so it was about 4 times as chipotle-y as it was supposed to be, but I think it was fortuitous because ultimately my mistake made it a more powerful eating experience.
Hollow Knight: Silksong
My nephew is eagerly awaiting the release of Hollow Knight: Silksong, so he wanted to be this character that he saw in the trailer, even though we don’t know their name or anything about them.
My nephew is eagerly awaiting the release of Hollow Knight: Silksong, so he wanted to be this character that he saw in the trailer, even though we don’t know their name or anything about them.
Bat Pumpkin
I had some challenges with carving the wings because the inside of the pumpkin was very stringy, but I’m extremely pleased with the stem for the nose.
I had some challenges with carving the wings because the inside of the pumpkin was very stringy, but I’m extremely pleased with the stem for the nose.
Spider Pumpkin
This is my first multi-pumpkin carve.
This is my first multi-pumpkin carve. I used a dremel to carve out the spider web on the bottom pumpkin, which is also the first time I’ve used a dremel on a pumpkin. It was a little messy, but also very fun.
Jellyfish Pumpkin
I thought it would be fun to carve a jellyfish pumpkin using the goop inside the pumpkin. I was hoping for a little more goop, honestly, but I still think it’s pretty fun.
I thought it would be fun to carve a jellyfish pumpkin using the goop inside the pumpkin. I was hoping for a little more goop, honestly, but I still think it’s pretty fun.
Clown Pumpkin
I got some new carving tools and wanted to try them out. Once I had carved it, I thought it needed some painted on clown makeup.
I got some new carving tools and wanted to try them out. Once I had carved it, I thought it needed some painted on clown makeup.
Nectarine Bavarian
I made this for my Mom’s birthday. I’m delighted by how much it looks like something you would see in a magazine in the 1960s.
I made this for my Mom’s birthday. My nephew kept pointing out that it’s not really cake, it’s more like a big pile of whipped cream, which is not far from the case. It’s mostly bavarian cream, flavored with chambord, with little bits of genoise and nectarines soaked in chambord embedded in it. The center is a big mound of whipped cream. I’m delighted by how much it looks like something you would see in a magazine in the 1960s.
Jason Cake
My niece’s 15th birthday cake features Jason, a character from an expansive world of her imagination.
My niece’s 15th birthday cake features Jason, a character from an expansive world of her imagination. Jason is a Voidspawn, so the cake has a black and purple mirror glaze with silver luster dust to suggest the Void.
Jason is made of gum paste, as is the Casting Circle on top and the spectral hands floating around the cake.
Valentine Treats
These are little heart-shaped mousse cakes that I made for my family on Valentine’s Day. I was hoping that they would be extremely elegant versions of my Bleeding Heart Cake, but when we first cut them, the raspberry was too frozen to bleed and when we cut another one later, too much of the raspberry had seeped into the mousse, and it still didn’t bleed. So I still have that to work on.
These are little heart-shaped mousse cakes that I made for my family on Valentine’s Day. They are almond sponge and lemon mousse with a raspberry center and mirror glaze and dehydrated raspberry powder on top. I was hoping that they would be extremely elegant versions of my Bleeding Heart Cake, but when we first cut them, the raspberry was too frozen to bleed and when we cut another one later, too much of the raspberry had seeped into the mousse, and it still didn’t bleed. So I still have that to work on.
These hearts were the culmination of an entire day of heart-shaped food that I made for Valentine’s Day, which included heart-shaped raspberry pancakes, heart-shaped pizza with heart-shaped pepperoni, heart-shaped deviled eggs, heart-shaped strawberry gummies, heart-shaped mozzarella pockets, heart-shaped meat pies, heart-shaped beet salad, and heart-shaped cheesy breadsticks.
Relatively Successful Entremet
I made this cake for my dad’s birthday, from a recipe in one of my cookbooks from The Great British Bake Off.
I made this cake for my dad’s birthday, from a recipe in one of my cookbooks from The Great British Bake Off . The layers, from bottom to top, are almond sponge, lemon curd, honey custard, and blackberry gelée. It all tasted good, but I think I put too much gelatin in the custard and the gelée because they were a little rubbery. The recipe was in leaf gelatin and I only have powdered gelatin. Also, the lemon curd wasn’t set enough, so it squooshed out a bit when the cake was cut and later in the refrigerator the top half slide off of the bottom half.
Hollow Knight Cake
In keeping with our Hollow Knight Halloween costumes, Sam wanted a Hollow Knight cake for his birthday this year.
In keeping with our Hollow Knight Halloween costumes, Sam wanted a Hollow Knight cake for his birthday this year.
For reference, this is the image, from Hollow Knight: Voidheart Edition, on which the cake is based
The back is fondant over foam core, painted with food coloring. The rocks on the base are fondant as well, which is good because Sam loves eating fondant and enjoyed eating the rocks as much he enjoyed the actual cake. The cape is wafer paper, coated with gelatin, and the sword is gum paste.
The body, the horns, and the soul totems in the background are made of rice cereal treats covered in fondant.
The soul totems were not in the image the cake is based on, but Sam seemed to think they were important. The one on the left is full of soul energy, hence the little white bits.
The one on the right has been corrupted, hence the Void tendrils. All the Void tendrils are made of gelatin.
The Knight’s head and the thing he’s standing on are made of cake, which is much more cake than we needed for the five people living in this house.
We did Zoom the grandparents in to the party, but unfortunately, they couldn’t help us eat the cake.
Paracesis
This is the Paracesis from Warframe, requested by my niece in the specific colors that she uses on it in the game.
This is the Paracesis from Warframe, requested by my niece in the specific colors that she uses on it in the game.
It’s made of poplar, reinforced with brass rods, with Apoxie Sculpt detailing and a plastic gem embedded in the blade.
Pure Nail
This Christmas, my nephew wanted the Pure Nail from Hollow Knight, to go with the Sharpened Nail that he already had as part of his Halloween costume.
This Christmas, my nephew wanted the Pure Nail from Hollow Knight, to go with the Sharpened Nail that he already had as part of his Halloween costume. It’s made of oak and Apoxie Sculpt.
50th Anniversary Cake
We couldn’t celebrate my parents’ 50th anniversary in person, but that didn’t stop me from making them a cake!
We couldn’t celebrate my parents’ 50th anniversary in person, but that didn’t stop me from making them a cake! I tried to make a nice small cake that would be a reasonable size for two people. As usual, despite my best efforts, I made four times as much cake as the occasion required.
The outside of the cake is a blue, white, and gold mirror glaze with golden star sprinkles.
The swans at the bottom are marzipan with gold leaf on them because there were little plastic swans on Mom and Dad’s wedding cake 50 years ago.
The 50 on top is made of caramel and around the perimeter are almonds dipped in caramel.
The platter that the cake is on was (we believe) used in the wedding of some of Dad’s ancestors back three or four generations. We think it dates to the late nineteenth century. My sister and I had it repaired and replated specially for this occasion.
On the inside, the cake is alternating layers of almond cake and chocolate cake with cherry swiss buttercream between the layers. It’s meant to be reminiscent of a gelato bar that was served at Mom and Dad’s wedding, which is half chocolate, half almond with cherries in the middle.
Swan Cookies
Because Mom and Dad’s 50th anniversary party had to be on Zoom, the attendees couldn’t have any of the cake. So I sent everyone cookies.
Because Mom and Dad’s 50th anniversary party had to be on Zoom, the attendees couldn’t have any of the cake. So I sent everyone cookies.
They’re almond cookies with cherry royal icing and gold leaf on the beaks.
They’re shaped like swans to tie in with the cake and because Mom and Dad had plastic swans on their wedding cake 50 years ago.
Holiday Candy 2020
This year’s flavors include raspberry, honey sesame seed, anise, earl grey, almond cranberry toffee, coffee marshmallow, and almond clusters with white and dark chocolate.
Hollow Knight Halloween
For Halloween, my nephew wanted to be the Knight from the video game Hollow Knight. Then it turned into a family affair, with my niece as the Pure Vessel, my sister as the White Lady, and my brother-in-law as the Pale King.
For Halloween, my nephew wanted to be the Knight from the video game Hollow Knight. Then it turned into a family affair, with my niece as the Pure Vessel, my sister as the White Lady, and my brother-in-law as the Pale King.