Roopa There was a big Canada Day celebration at work, and I volunteered to bake a Canadian dessert. I actually don’t like Nanaimo bars; I don’t like coconut in desserts, and I really don’t like the overly sweet custard layer. I wanted to make these with a twist, so I decided to swap the custard … More Nanaimo Bars with Creme Patissiere
Roopa Cannolis!! I feel like cannolis are a quintessential Italian dessert. That said, I’ve eaten maybe one in my entire life. After too much build up, I was thoroughly underwhelmed by it and never went back. It was exciting to make these because they were VASTLY superior to the one I had eaten. Also, it … More Cannolis with Ricotta Filling
Roopa A panna cotta is basically a thickened cream dessert. Apparently it used to be made with egg whites, but now it is typically made with gelatin. It is chilled rather than baked, so it really just depends on correct combining of ingredients. VANILLA PANNA COTTA INGREDIENTS 6 g gelatin sheet 180 mL homo milk … More Vanilla Panna Cotta with Strawberry Consomme
Roopa This was definitely a very interesting recipe. It certainly tasted great, but it was a very different texture than the average cake thanks to the almond flour and polenta. We layered (not gluten free) streusel on the top and bottom of the cake, so if you want the cake to be gluten free, leave … More Polenta Almond Cake with Streusel
Roopa Next in the list of Italian pastries was biscotti! Unlike typical North American biscotti, these were bite sized. Chef Marco commented that biscotti is intended to be enjoyed with a meal, and is not intended to actually be a meal in itself. All I really knew about biscotti was that it is baked twice … More Caramelized Pecan Biscotti
Roopa This was an interesting twist on the tiramisu. We adjusted the tiramisu recipe (as it would not be stable enough) and also added some whipped cream to make it a mousse, rather than a true tiramisu. This cake requires sponge fingers and a mascarpone mousse. Optionally, you can add a strawberry soaking syrup and some … More Mascarpone Mousse Cake
Roopa I went back to the Vancouver Pastry Training Center to take the ‘Tiramisu and Italian Pastries’ course. As usual, it was excellent. Truthfully, I’d never enjoyed tiramisu until going to Thierry and trying theirs. One of my favourite parts of taking these courses is getting to taste what things should taste like. Apparently most places use whipped … More Tiramisu
Roopa My coworker Hannah had her birthday during Whole 30, which apparently does not include cake. I told her I’d make a belated birthday cake since everyone should get birthday cake! Her favourite is red velvet, so I decided on this red velvet cake from StyleSweetCA. I haven’t made red velvet in a while, so … More Red Velvet Cake with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Icing
Roopa I’ve never been much of a bar person; they usually aren’t very challenging, and there isn’t much fun decorating involved. That said, they’re really handy when you need to make a treat for a volleyball tournament at 1:00 AM the night before! They also are relatively stable in the heat. I’ve made these bars … More Cookie Butter Bars
Roopa My friend’s daughter just had her 5th birthday, so obviously a baking party was necessary. We wanted to do something fun, so we went for the aesthetic of this rainbow doodle birthday cake from Sweetapolita. Seriously, what child wouldn’t want to draw on their own cake. I’m 26 and I want to draw on … More Rainbow Doodle Cake
Chateau Gateau 