The Scootabaker

Unique LA's "Local Love" Event

2012-01-25T11:31:00.000-08:00

Be there so we can share the Scootabaker Desserts love with you! And of course, sell you some sweets!

15 minute Mini Turnovers

2011-11-15T11:22:00.001-08:00

It was raining, gloomy, and cold outside. I was tired, hungry, and equally as cold inside. I had a box of puff pastry dough in the freezer and a couple jars of pumpkin butter and fig butter in the pantry. Mini fruit turnovers were all I needed to warm the house with the scent of the holidays, and warm my insides with this quick breakfast fix.

We're keeping it EASY with this blog post. 3 ingredients maximum, you probably have 2 of the 3 in your kitchen- your favorite fruit jam or spread and an egg. You can find a box of puff pastry dough in the frozen aisle of your grocery store.

Puff pastry dough comes in sheets of two per box. Cut the dough into small 3 inch squares.

I love my Pumpkin Butter Spread and Fig Butter Spread from Trader Joes. I drop a small teaspoon dollop of fruit spread into the center of each pastry square. Using my fingers, I fold the squares in half into a triangle and firmly press the edges together.

With all the pastry squares filled and folded, I make an "egg wash" of one egg and a tablespoon of water whisked together. I use a pastry brush and brush the pastry triangles with the egg wash to achieve a lovely shiny golden baked dough, or if you don't have a pastry brush, use a paper towel to dab the egg wash over the pastry triangles. I used my mini heart shaped cookie cutter to cut a steam vent into each pastry triangle, but you can certainly use a knife and cut small vents.

Bake at 400 degrees F for 15 minutes and your breakfast is good to go.

Glass jar spiced pumpkin pie

2011-11-04T21:25:00.000-07:00

Year after year I say the same thing- I love the fall season because I love all things pumpkin. I've made Pumpkin Flan and Pumpkin 'n Chocolate Tartlets in the past. This year, getting back to the basics, I'm making Spiced Pumpkin Pie, in a jar!

These glass jar pies (sometime called mason jars pies) make great gifts. I choose to scarf them consecutively until there remains one, and then I eat that one too. Though, if you're the generous type, these make great gifts, both affordable and simple enough for the non-baker to craft.

The basics you'll need:

Small glass jar
Pumpkin Pie filling
Pie dough

The best way to get the most out of your pie baking experience is adding extra cinnamon and nutmeg to your pie filling. During the preparation and baking process, the aromatics of those spices fill your house and you begin to experience the turning of the seasons right in your kitchen. It rocks!

Glass Jar Spiced Pumpkin Pies

makes 8-12 pies depending on size of jar

Pie dough (I used Trader Joes)

15 oz. can pumpkin puree

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1/2 cup milk

2 eggs

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

pinch of salt

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. If using a pre-made pie dough, roll out defrosted dough and use a large round cookie cutter to cut the bottom crust which will be placed on the bottom of the glass jar. Cut additional strips of dough and press against the sides of the glass jar, closing all gaps between pieces. Line dough strips to just below the brim of the jar leaving enough room for the top layer of dough that will be used as an air vent atop the filling. *(If you're using a glass jar like the one I used with a latch top, you will need to leave even more room for the lid to close completely.)

2. Combine pumpkin puree, cream, milk, eggs, brown sugar, spices, and salt in a large bowl and whisk together until ingredients are thoroughly combined. Pour pumpkin mixture into each glass jar to just below the edge of the pastry dough.

3. Using the lid from the mason jars, or a round cookie cutter the same diameter as the rim of the glass jar, cut a top layer of dough out for each glass jar. If you have an itty bitty heart or star shaped cookie cutter, cut out an air vent on each top layer of dough. Position each air vent layer of dough over each glass jar. Using a fork's prongs, press the edges of the top layer of dough to the bottom layer of dough to seal the pieces together.

4. Place glass jars on a cookie sheet and bake for 45 minutes, or until bottom layer of dough turns golden brown. The filling will continue to set even after pies are removed from the oven. Cool on a wire rack.

The Scootabaker got Married!

2011-10-10T16:49:00.000-07:00

We've been out of the kitchen and at the alter. We'll be back to share more photos and recipes real soon, so don't be afraid to check back!

Stupidly Simple Snacks: Coconut Macaroons

2011-09-01T11:57:00.000-07:00

This video was many years in the making. Well, it took 20 minutes to make, but the friendship with Amy Cao started almost two years ago on Twitter. Thank you Twitter! Amy is a pretty popular food blogger in New York City. Not that she would boast so, but it was pretty evident when I met up with her on a recent trip to NYC. People stopped in their tracks to gush that they were avid viewers of her "Stupidly Simple Snacks" videos. But I understood because it was her quirky, honest, and totally laugh-out-loud "cooking" videos on YouTube that made me a fan those two years ago.

The premise- Amy, an NYC food writer, and self-proclaimed non-cook, hosts a web series where she attempts to demonstrate to those fellow non-cooks how to, yup, cook. And occasionally she'll have guest appearances by professional chefs, restauranteurs, and other notable artisans of the kitchen sharingvtheir favorite snacks. Amy invited me to bake with her, and now: The Scootabaker on Stupidly Simple Snacks with Amy Cao.

Diana + Josh Wed

2011-08-11T10:54:00.000-07:00

I have been eagerly waiting to share with you the photos from Diana and Josh's spring wedding. These two blew my mind with the amount of planning, collecting, organizing, and overall effort they put into every tiny aspect of their wedding. Diana works as a food stylist, and Josh is a professional photographer. Together the creative duo share a singular eye for the most unique of aesthetics. A sort of "Bohemian Black-Tie" as the popular Green Wedding Shoes blog declared it. Oh, and I should mention that Diana and Josh's wedding photos (and The Scootabaker's cakes) were recently featured on Green Wedding Shoes. If you aren't familiar, this is kind of a big deal. As a bride-to-be myself, I click to this site every morning whilst enjoying my morning cup of iced joe. Please peruse through Diana and Josh's wedding photos and indulge in their 11 piece wedding dessert table. To see the full post of Diana and Josh's wedding, click here.

This was a supremely fun wedding for us to cater and because we love our job so much and work so closely with our couples, we have become good friends with Diana and Josh. How rewarding is that! Diana and Josh have collected such a large amount of vintage china that they are now expanding their collection into a rental company they appropriately named, Casa de Perrin! I plan on hiring them for my wedding! So very full circle of us!

Photo montage of wedding from: Green Wedding Shoes

Photography: W. Scott Chester Photography (images of wedding), Heather Wong (images of dessert)

Venue: Smog Shoppe, Culver City

Floral: Primary Petals

Rentals: Casa de Perrin and Found Vintage Rentals

Wedding Cakes, Tarts, Pies: The Scootabaker Desserts

A palette of pretty petite cakes

2011-07-30T17:30:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite orders this month, this is an assortment of miniature 4-inch cakes, also known as princess cakes. One of my customers explained with such enthusiasm that she'd been waiting for an occasion to order a tasting palette of our popular flavors. She was especially excited to try our Dive Bar Special Cake which was featured on the PBR website. It's a wonderful concoction of PBR Cake and Whiskey Buttercream.

Other flavors include:

Belgian Chocolate Truffle Cake with Valrhona Cocoa bites

Lemon Drop Cake

Maple Bacon Cake

Order your petite cake tasting palette at www.thescootabaker.com

The Perfect Cake for the Perfect Dress

2011-06-22T17:54:00.000-07:00

Other than fine and fancy footwear, the two things I allow myself to indulge in are vintage dresses and decadent cakes. Epically girly, yes, but I can't be all about skulls and tattoos everyday. Though, I have a vintage 1940's dress with skull print. It's pretty rad.

Since June is, as I believe it to be, the most popular month of the year for weddings, I created some cakes and cupcakes with palettes of peach, lavender, pink and pearls. The desserts were perfectly paired for the vintage dresses in photographer Steph Fowler's photo shoot. Tres Chic!

Black, White and Peach

Lavender Ombre and Black Lace

Pink and Pearls

Photography: Steph Fowler

Hair: Paul Perez

Makeup: Brittany Lauren

Floral: Flowers By Lilia

Dresses: vintage

Cakes & Cupcakes: The Scootabaker Desserts

Inspiration Boards: Snippet & Ink

UCLA's Pacific Ties Newsmagazine

2011-06-07T20:11:00.000-07:00

Having graduated from UCLA only 2 years ago in 2009, it's an honor to be a featured Alumni in UCLA's Pacific Ties Newsmagazine. It makes me feel like I've done something of value and worth, and that I am in fact heading in the right direction when current students look at me as a source of inspiration. I certainly didn't take the mainstream route for life after graduating high school. It took me many years to get here, with many different points of interest, but I did it my own way and I'm definitely certain of my goals for the future. What a wonderful feeling of accomplishment to experience this early on, and I still have 30 to look forward to!

Click to pages 4 & 5 for the full article.

Thanks to Deanna Tran and Stepfanie Aguilar of Pacific Ties, UCLA for the interview.

2 Days Only, Gather Green sells Scootabaker Cupcakes!

2011-05-28T01:00:00.000-07:00

The Scootabaker Desserts and Gather Green, Los Angeles are combining forces for just 2 DAYS to bring cupcake lovers a super sweet deal!

$20 will get you 12 of our New and Very Popular Vegan Strawberry Lemon Cupcakes. A seriously good deal since these awesome cupcakes are valued at $42!

Quantity is limited so grab the coupon before time runs out!! Click the image to learn more!!

I Love Rhubarb Pie

2011-05-24T16:27:00.000-07:00

Rhubarb is not native to Southern California. In fact, it's really expensive and I can only ever find it at the gourmet markets late Spring season. I buy it cause the fiancé grew up eating his Grandma Tootie's Rhubarb Pie every summer. Can't disappoint the fella, so I grab him a few stalks and together we make our slightly tart version of Tootie's pie. Now I've come to crave it. How Minnesotan of me.

M & H's Rhubarb Pie

makes 1 - 10 inch pie

Pastry:

*We like a thick top & bottom crust, so we double up on the pastry dough. For a thick crust you will need to make two separate batches in your food processor, otherwise make a single batch for regular crust thickness.

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, cubed and kept cold in the freezer

4 tablespoons shortening

1/2 teaspoon salt

6-8 tablespoons ice water

egg wash (1 egg + 1 tablespoon water, mixed)

Filling:

6 cups rhubarb chopped into 1-inch pieces (about 4 large stalks)

1 cup granulated sugar (not too sweet & not too tart)

5 tablespoons flour

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon lemon juice

To Make Pastry Crust:

1. Using a food processor, or handheld pastry cutter, blend flour, salt, butter, and shortening together just until small pea-sized chunks form. Add water, blend just enough that dough holds together when pressed with your fingers. Add more water if dough still crumbles.

2. Gently press dough into a ball, wrap loosely with cellophane, use a rolling pin to roll dough into a flat 1-inch disc. Refrigerate for 20 minutes or until firm. Repeat steps 1 & 2 for top crust.

3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

4. Remove chilled pastry dough from refrigerator and place on a lightly floured surface. Using a floured rolling pin, starting at its center, roll out each corner of the pastry dough to create an even 1/8 - 1/4-inch thickness. Pastry dough should be rolled out a couple inches larger than the top rim of the pie pan to mold a thick decorative crust. Take rolling pin and position at edge of pastry dough. Gently wrap bottom of dough over pin and roll entire pastry like a scroll. Transfer over to pie pan, unroll dough from one edge of the pan to the other. There should be plenty of overhang.

5. Gently press pastry dough against pan. Working quickly, use both hands to mold the dough overhang into a thick knotted crust. With a fork, prick bottom of pie pan all over. Brush dough with egg wash, and place in oven for 10 minutes. Remove pie pan from oven, place foil over bottom of pie pan, add pie weights, and bake for an additional 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool on rack.

In the meantime...

Make Filling:

1. Reduce heat to 375 degrees F.

In a large bowl, combine rhubarb, sugar, flour, cinnamon, salt, and lemon juice. (If you fancy a bright pink filling, add a couple drops of red or pink food coloring to rhubarb mix.) Pour rhubarb filling into baked pastry crust. Set aside.

2. Remove second disc of chilled pastry dough and repeat Steps 4 & 5 from above. Press pastry dough over the edge of the baked crust, trim off excess dough and set aside for additional pastry decorations. Use a cookie cutter or knife to cut a steam vent on top of dough. Generously brush dough with egg wash, add pastry decorations, sprinkle with Turbinado sugar, bake on center rack for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees, continue baking for 40-50 minutes or until pastry crust is golden brown and rhubarb is soft when tested with a toothpick. Allow to cool on rack before cutting or it's sure to crumble and ooze everywhere.

We are Unique LA

2011-05-17T10:32:00.000-07:00

We've now had a week to recover from last weekends very exciting Unique LA show to give you a full report. For those unfamiliar with the show or for those who live outside of California, Unique LA is a supremely amazing 2-day shopping event that hosts 300 of Los Angeles' best and most unique artisans. Products range from wildly creative clothing and jewelry to the most specialty foods and beverages.

In just 2 days over 20,000 people shop their way through the 13th floor penthouse of the California Market Building in Downtown LA. So we can assume 20,000 people cast their eyes upon the gloriousness that was the Scoota-booth. Or maybe they bypassed it without noticing us *sad face*. But I prefer the former.

We featured some new products this show like Mini Meringues and Cake Pops. We didn't expect them to be so well received (aka, friggin' popular! Hollaaaa!!), but we have no qualms about that.

Of course we had to bring back the "Legendary Cupcake Happy Hour". But throwing them at the baker and on the floor was not what we meant by "Happy Hour" (thanks Gina).

And did I mention the Scoota-hog was a serious babe-y magnet? Check out what she's wearing!

We are so grateful to have been chosen for this event for a second time, we even made it to #9 on Effie's Heart Top 20 Best Artist of Unique LA.

Thanks to designer Effie Liu of Pinkbutter for creating all dimensions of the Scoota-booth, including our new backdrop. And to the always high energy Scoota-crew! We hope to see you at the next Unique LA this winter!

Cupcake + Ring = A Sweet Engagement

2011-04-13T10:00:00.000-07:00

What better way to kick off the Spring wedding season than with my own engagement!!

The Scoota-boyfriend proposed!

So, if a baker bakes wedding cakes, who bakes a baker's wedding cake?

Me.

The 3 C's

2011-03-05T10:33:00.000-08:00

Cakes, Cupcakes, and Cookies.

Duh.

A little update on some of the goodies we've been baking for March.

A retro-esque Three Layer Strawberry Cake to celebrate a new BBC America team member.

Lots and lots of Triple Chocolate Chip Cookie box favors for the CHLA/Pablove Foundation Shutterbug graduates.

Oh! oh! And we've ventured into the realm of Vegan desserts and are super happy to say we now supply Locali Market in Franklin Village with Vegan cupcakes!

Some of the cupcake flavors you can find at Locali Market are S'mores, Pistachio-Orange, Cookies 'n Cream Hi-hat (*all pictured above) and pretty much whatever flavor we think up for that day.

You know, I'm loving this "Baker" thing.

Bakers don't make their own birthday cakes

2011-02-17T21:40:00.000-08:00

My boyfriend makes a killer pot of french press coffee and throws together a cheese platter I can demolish in seconds. With much love for my boyfriend, I can affectionately say that's the extent of his skills in the kitchen.

However...

For my birthday, I arose to the sounds of my kitchen aid mixer ablaze in the early morning hour. The boyfriend was baking me a cake. A lemon chiffon cake.

Holy Crap.

I especially love the unique and well calculated placement of the 2 candles on one side of the cake, and the cluster of 8 candles on the other side.

Best birthday ever.

Whoopie Pies for your Valentine

2011-02-08T14:07:00.000-08:00

I am aware there's a hefty percentage of the population that dreads the coming of Valentine's Day. I suppose if I wasn't easily bought with flowers, I'd scoff at St. Valentine too. But I'm a baker, and baking EVERYTHING into hearts is kinda my thing. And I love romance. Not the novels, the real thing. And crappy RomComs. So yes, I really love Valentine's Day.

Oh, and it's also my birthday.

Recently I was asked to bake a flavorful array of whoopie pies for food photographer, Lew Robertson 's whoopie pie photo shoot. I delivered some of my favorite flavors - Green Tea, Lavender, Chocolate Truffle, Sweet Vanilla Bean, and Raspberry. And because of the upcoming Valentine's holiday, I threw in a few heart shaped red velvet whoopies. Steph, over at Lew's studio, just sent the photos and I couldn't wait to post them for you!

Happy Valentine's Day, whether you celebrate it or not. *snork

Simply, Cake.

2011-01-25T10:25:00.000-08:00

Every so often I feel a professional photo shoot is in order. I love photographing my freshly crafted desserts, but there is nothing like having a real photographer with real vision and skill capture my creations as they see it best.

Just a year prior, I met up with food photographer, Andrea Bricco, for my first dessert shoot. With her insane camera setup, a studio 5x the size of my apartment, and a prop room to die for, I was itching to get back for another session. Andrea gave me a buzz on thee ol' iphone, thank the stars. So, I'm here again to show off a few of our new cake flavors- Triple Strawberry, Mexican Hot Chocolate, and Matcha Green Tea.

We Love Unique LA!

2010-12-21T14:56:00.000-08:00

What a flurry of insanity this month is.

Baking for leisure doesn't exist for me anymore. It has become my career. I AM the chief baker.

As you know, we were invited to be one of the few food vendors within a showroom of 300 local LA artists, designers, and crafters. So with my sassy crew of bakers and creative designers, we took the Scootabaker show to the peeps of Los Angeles and had a hell of a fun time.

Our booth was bitchin', screaming yellow, and smelling of sweet confections. Our 6 person Scoota-crew jammed for 8 hours both show days, selling treats, posing for press on the Scoota-hog, and curating an atmosphere of merrymaking. Our "Legendary Cupcake Happy Hour" was significantly the best hour of the day. Our booth neighbors probably hated us by the 10 minute mark, but it didn't stop us from hollering for people to buy "$1 Cupcakes!" It really worked. You should have seen the line it created.

Unique LA was an insane success for The Scootabaker. With all the new friends made, I'm eager to make more!

I plan, with all my might to be back at Unique LA for the Spring show. Then, you must visit and see what all the commotion is really about!

Thank you LA. You are my home!

Unique LA - Holiday 2010 from Chris Laughter + The Video Mouse on Vimeo.

spot us at the 1:27 mark!

The Scootabaker does Unique LA

2010-11-29T13:17:00.000-08:00

The Scootabaker Desserts will be a featured "Edibles" vendor at Unique LA's Holiday Show! Woohoo! December 11th & 12th! Save the Date!

And, because I want for you to visit me, I'm holding a raffle for two free tickets to the show for either day, and a BONUS Dessert-filled Gift Bag!

To enter the raffle for Two Tickets to Unique LA + Dessert-filled Gift Bag, simply reply to this post with:

1. Your name

2. E-mail

3. Your all-time favorite dessert

*This giveaway is open to everyone, but you'll want to make certain you're in Los Angeles December 11th or 12th!

The raffle will close Wednesday, December 8th at 11:59pm PST.

Winner is randomly chosen and announced Thursday December 9th on The Scootabaker blog and by email.

Can't wait to see you!

*12/8/10 UPDATE

Raffle has closed and the winner has been chosen by random.org!

Name: Jennifer

All-time favorite dessert: Chocolate Mousse Cake with Raspberry topping

Thanks to ALL OF YOU who entered our first raffle.

I hope you make it out to Unique LA this weekend and visit our booth!

Scootabaker cupcakes make the news!

2010-11-27T22:40:00.000-08:00

As promised, the KABC Channel 7 News clip of me frosting cupcakes for Cupcake Camp LA in my humble Hollywood kitchen.

You're watching the making of our Triple Strawberry mini cupcakes and Almond Green Tea mini cupcakes!

Cupcake Camp LA

2010-11-22T14:34:00.000-08:00

A success indeed.

Among the 56 bakers, and 15,000 total cupcakes, our 350 Almond Green Tea and Triple Strawberry cupcakes were wiped clean from our stands.

Hollywood's famous Music Box Theater (aka Henry Fonda Theater) housed the bakers, cupcakes, and the multitude of cupcake connoisseurs that piled within for their chance at snagging cupcakes from LA's best bakeshops. Adults outnumbered kids 10:1. It goes to show you cupcakes aren't for 5 year old's birthday parties anymore!

The day prior to the event, my bakers and I were interviewed and filmed in our Hollywood kitchen by KABC Channel 7 news. Bake Space's, Babette, also the producer of Cupcake Camp LA, joined us for the interview in the kitchen along with Jo Deibel of Angel Acres Horse Rescue, one of the non-profits the event's proceeds were donated to. (A clip of that news cast will be posted soon!)

To brag further, if I may, KABC returned the day of the event and I was able to do a second interview on the spot promoting our desserts. That's a hell of a lot of face time the Scootabaker's gettin on the tube! Not to mention, the top of my head made it onto LA Times FOOD front page! *snork

We'll be back in full force for Unique LA's 2-day holiday show! See you there I hope!

The Scootabaker does Cupcake Camp LA

2010-11-16T21:34:00.000-08:00

It's Los Angeles' first ever Cupcake Camp.

Many cities across the world have hosted their very own cupcake camps - San Francisco, New York, Boston, Syndney, London, and even Paris. Now it's our turn! Thanks to BakeSpace.com for producing the extravagant cupcake event of which has already procured a lofty amount of press. Bravo to the cupcake.

I'll be sharing my famous Almond Green Tea cupcakes and Triple Strawberry cupcakes. So, if you're in LA this saturday, November 20th, you may want to consider spending you're afternoon with us bakers and nosh on an endless assortment of cupcakes. Your $15 admission ticket will benefit local non-profits- Invisible People, Angel Acres Horse Haven, and American Tortoise Rescue.

Remember, todays calories are gone tomorrow! After a 3 mile run of course.

Vespa Halloween Scooter Ride

2010-11-01T16:00:00.000-07:00

My pals over at Vespa Sherman Oaks devised a plan for a costumed Halloween scooter rally to the Griffith Park Observatory this year. Rain on the forecast nearly put a halt to the event. However, the Halloween gods hastened the rainfall, and by noon the skies were crystal blue and the air the freshest Angelenos have inhaled in eons.

No event is complete without The Scootabaker's bite-sized cupcakes.

Cupcakes were tinted festive Halloween colors of purple, orange, and black. The purple cupcakes were colored all-naturally with Taro Root extract, the black cupcakes made of rich French Cocoa and frosted with a chocolate-cinnamon buttercream frosting, and the orange cupcakes were made of a classic Madagascar vanilla bean cake topped with Belgian truffle frosting. No gore. No fake blood or inedible fondant eyeballs, just totally all-natural kick-ass Halloween treats!

Did I mention I won the costume contest for sexiest costume? Oh wait, no, that's not right. I won for scariest costume. I should have won for prettiest Batman.

Check out the video and photo montage our photographer friend, Louis De Barraicua put together featuring myself (as Batman), and my pal Lonnie of Vespa (as Nick Nolte's mug shot). A fellow Vespa enthusiast, Louis bravely strapped a camera to his scooter and filmed the entire ride. Enjoy!

Cynthia Rowley Truck Show

2010-10-06T18:23:00.000-07:00

I'm telling you, this food truck thing is going off here in Los Angeles. So much so that Cynthia Rowley jumped on the "food truck" wagon and nabbed her very own truck which sports her newest line of the season. It's genius really. Fashion to go. A complete mobile catalog. Love it.

Last month I was invited to cater the Cynthia Rowley Truck show which was to benefit the Pablove Foundation. A foundation I work closely with, and most recently held a benefit scooter rally for this past June. For one day only, The Scootabaker and the Cynthia Rowley Truck joined foodie-fashion forces for a special cause.

A day hanging out and making friends with the oh-so-fashionable, noshing on green tea cupcakes, raising money for Pablove, and admiring the beautiful feathered and sequined dresses makes for a "fabulous" day.

Incidentally, I was just 10 minutes too late from grabbing the last pair of black sequined hot pants. I'm telling you, those would have looked killer on the scooter! Though, my beautiful friend, Jo Ann, surprised me with the very dress I'd been eyeballing the whole day long. My friend's know me well.

(Pictured below- Scoota-Mom, Me, and my Scoota-Pal).

Chocolate Pumpkin Cream Tartlets

2010-09-27T21:20:00.000-07:00

It's like everyone in Southern California has the memory of a goldfish. Summer comes late for us... EVERY year! But it never fails, when Fall rolls around, everyone is barking, "OMG! Summer is over, but it's like 125 degrees outside! OMG!" And you know what I'm doing during this mayhem!?! Baking. In a kitchen. With ovens. Sans a functioning AC.

I'd consider that "OMG!" worthy. Props to me.

Today, I wanted the taste of an autumnal season. Cold.

Chocolate cookie sandwiches and a can of pumpkin make a powerful couple. I crafted chocolate accented pumpkin cream tartlets, made with a crust of crushed chocolate cookie sandwiches, filled with a fluffy pumpkin cream, ganache spooned over, and gold sanding sugar sprinkled atop.

Eat this before you go to bed (like I do), and I guarantee you a night of fanciful dreaming. Though, such dreaming is generally induced by your (my) horrible tendency for late night eating. You ( I ) should know better than to eat so late!

Chocolate Pumpkin Cream Tartlets

makes 6- 4-inch tartlets

For Filling:

8 ounces heavy whipping cream

1/4 cup confectioners sugar

5 ounces canned pumpkin puree

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

4 ounces cream cheese

For Crust:

14-16 ounces double chocolate cookie sandwiches (e.g. Oreos, Joe Joes with chocolate filling)

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted

For Ganache:

3 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips

3 ounces heavy whipping cream

To Make Crust:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Using a food processor, grind cookie sandwiches whole to a fine crumb. Transfer cookie crumbs to a large bowl and stir in melted butter until well incorporated. Working over a baking sheet lined with parchment, divide crumbs evenly amongst 6 fluted tartlet shells. Using a tart tamper, or your fingers, firmly press a thick wall of crumbs up against sides of tart pan, then press an even layer against bottom. Repeat with remaining shells. Shake parchment of excess crumbs, and bake tart shells on cookie sheet for 10 minutes. Allow to cool completely before filling.

To Make Filling:

2. In a large bowl, whisk together pumpkin puree, brown sugar, vanilla extract, and pumpkin pie spice. Set aside.

3. In the bowl of an electric mixer, using the whisk attachment, whisk heavy whipping cream and confectioners sugar on medium-high until stiff peaks form, about 2-3 minutes. Using a rubber spatula, fold in whipped cream to pumpkin mix 1/3 at a time until just incorporated. Set aside.

4. Using the same bowl as your whipped cream, whisk cream cheese and 1/4 pumpkin cream mixture on medium-high until smooth, about 1 minute. Fold cream cheese into remaining pumpkin cream mix until incorporated. Fill all 6 cooled tart shells evenly, smoothing filling with an offset spatula. Keep refrigerated while preparing ganache.

To Make Ganache:

5. Set small bowl of chocolate aside. In a small saucepan, heat whipping cream on medium heat until small bubbles form alone rim of saucepan. Remove from heat and pour directly over bowl of chocolate. Let stand for 1 minute. With a small whisk or fork, gently stir cream through chocolate until fully mixed. Remove tartlets from refrigerator, drizzle ganache over tartlets in a circular motion. Sprinkle gold sanding sugar over ganache for sparkle! Chill completely before removing tart from fluted pan. Keep refrigerated in an airtight container for 3-5 days. Freezes nicely as well.

A Malibu Beach Wedding

2010-09-15T14:19:00.000-07:00

"Love is Sweet", and so too are the nuptials of Alli and Caesar who wed upon the sands of a sun setting Malibu beach. When Alli approached me about having the Scootabaker fulfil her wedding dessert fantasy, it wasn't a last minute idea. She explained that her enthusiasm for having me create her display was culminated way back. It's supremely flattering for me since is was only a year ago that I launched The Scootabaker.

Alli and Caesar's menu included: a Lemon-Vodka Martini cake, Mexican Hot Chocolate 'n Rum Cupcakes, Hawaiian Guava Cupcakes, Triple Strawberry Cupcakes, Almond-Orange-Lavender Cupcakes, Carrots 'n Cream Cupcakes, Coconutty Cupcakes, Blueberries 'n Cream Tartlettes, and Raspberry-Lemon Tartlettes. *Whew, that's a mouth full!

A feast for the eyes and the soul. Congratulations Caesar and Alli!

The one, the only, Pabst Blue Ribbon Cupcake

2010-09-09T15:54:00.000-07:00

Booze has made a regular appearance in my baking. I like it that way. Multidimensionalism. I just made that word up. But the basic point is that the Buck doesn't have to Stop with strawberries and flowers. Let the new generation of creative, cool, and kick-ass bakers join the ranks of those well regarded chefs, and make a name for themselves with their original desserts. I'm (of course) talking about me and my Pabst Blue Ribbon, aka PBR, Cupcake.

Crazy, I know! I just walk around with these ideas swimming around in my head! But in actuality, I was thrown a challenge by some party-going pals to recreate a popular Philadelphia dive bar special better know as the "Philly Special". In Philly, $3 will get you a shot of whisky and a can of PBR. A sweet deal in these economic times if you ask me.

The tender cake is a blend of honey, brown sugar, and a PBR reduction. It's frosted with a super fluffy Madagascar Vanilla Bean and Bourbon Whisky buttercream. I desperately wanted to bust out my torch and toast some frosting, but creating a marshmallow frosting was too delicate to support the amount of whisky I wanted to dump in it.

Of course my recipe was a well crafted piece of art that was days in the making, but to make your own PBR cupcakes, reduce your Pabst down for 30 minutes before adding to your batter, and for your frosting, my advice is- don't use your whisky sparingly.

EAT RESPONSIBLY.

Wholesome Oatmeal Pancakes

2010-09-04T14:43:00.000-07:00

Whole-wheat oatmeal pancakes - oxymoronic or genius? I mean cause really, starting the day with a plate of pancakes, butter, and syrup is basically the same as eating a bowl of crushed Oreos and milk. You get everything but nutritional value. And I know this sounds stupid coming from a full-time baker who pretty much eats her weight in all things starchy.

But you can't hate a girl for trying to be "heart healthy" for once.

The whole-wheat oatmeal version is way delish! Probably cause the oats are soaked in buttermilk first. Yup.

Just short of eating oatmeal raw, it's gonna be tough to make pancakes über healthy. Take the "cakes" out, and you just have the pan. No fun.

These are really great. Eating 'em makes you feel like you're doing your body a good deed. I strongly suggest you consider making these your next batch of pancakes!

Recipe by Gourmet, found via Epicurious.

See Americans Making Chocolate Macarons

2010-08-28T10:48:00.000-07:00

We're no experts, no we aren't. We just enjoy making good friends and baking with good friends. And with my gal pal baker, Effie, (aka Effie Liu, men's clothing designer extraordinaire!), we tackled the very mystifying Parisian macaron. Successfully? It's hard to say. If we were going for gigantor fudgy macarons. Than yes. By the end of our trial baking, we were (*I was) dipping those supremely delicate pâtisserie head first into a bowl of ganache.

We must be gifted, because our first attempt at the macaron was a near success. Thank the stars! Or my kick-ass baking skills! *snork

Recipe by David Lebovitz.

*NOTE: For ultimate success, leave egg whites to dry out 24 hours prior to use, and allow baked macaron shells to cool and dry completely before filling. Best of luck!

Mini Velvety Red Whoopie Pies

2010-08-25T12:31:00.000-07:00

Here in the Scootabaker test kitchen, we believe perfection is a process. We rarely get it just perfect on the first try, and really, all the better since it means more scraps for us to nosh on.

I would love to share this recipe with you, but until I get it just perfect, I'm going to have to just share pictures.

Red Velvet Whoopie Pie, to be continued...

Summer Blueberry Buttermilk Tart

2010-08-22T10:12:00.000-07:00

Often times when I come home from riding around LA on the scoot, my chest burns mildly from all the exhaust I'm sucking in on the road. This one day I found myself walking home with a 3 pound case of blueberries from the local farmers market. I was totally determined, like gung-ho, to make a mountainous dessert out of them. I just kept thinking, "Anti-oxidants! Anti-oxidants!" Can you imagine all the "free radicals" running amuck within my insides from all that funky LA smog! Maybe I don't really know what free radicals are, but I don't want them setting up shop in mah' innards! So, thus, I was set to make an Anti-oxidant Tart, i.e. Blueberry Tart.

As much as I'd like to take credit for this creation, it is the concoction of the now defunct Gourmet Magazine. However you can find the full recipe at Epicurious!

See you on the road!

photo by Louis De Barraicua

Interview with Scoot Magazine

2010-08-14T12:20:00.000-07:00

It is safe to say that The Scootabaker is Los Angeles' first and ONLY scooter transported dessert delivery service! Perhaps even the nations! I like being the first of a kind!

And, you know, Scoot! Magazine was the "first" to announce the premier of The Scootabaker's, shall I say, "dessert movement"? *giggle

Check out the awesome interview I had with Scoot! Magazine!

You can find this August 2010 issue of Scoot! at your neighborhood Borders, Barnes and Noble, news stands, scooter/motorcycle retailer, or you can purchase it direct through the Scoot! website.

(click on images to read)

Many thanks to April Whitney, Editor of Scoot! for the fine interview, and Photographer, Daniel Bergeron for the sweet photos!

Mexican Hot Chocolate Cupcakes or Bust!

2010-08-07T14:03:00.000-07:00

Sometimes you just wanna look at pretty photos of cupcakes.

This little devil in disguise is a beautiful amalgamation of Chocolate, Cinnamon, and Spiced Rum! Chocolate, Cinnamon, and Spiced Rum make the cake, the addition of Cinnamon to the Chocolate buttercream makes it even spicier, and it's topped with homemade Chocolate Curls.

A quick way to make Chocolate Curls: melt 4 ounces chocolate chips, spread on the bottom side of a baking sheet with a pastry brush, and chill for 3-5 minutes or until firm but not hard (if too firm, leave out for a minute to soften). Using the flat edge of a flexible knife or cupcake spatula, firmly scrape against the chocolate to create a curl. If chocolate curls crack, allow chocolate to warm slightly before trying again. You may need to chill after several curls if chocolate begins to warm. Keep curls chilled before serving.

This drunken cupcake is becoming a summer favorite amongst Scootabaker patrons!

Instructions: Cupcake must be served with Rum on ice! Fluid ounces vary depending upon desired level of inebriation.

The Scootabaker, The Manila Machine, and The LA Food Fest

2010-07-25T15:09:00.000-07:00

It is such an extreme pleasure for me to announce that The Scootabaker and The Manila Machine are collaborating to create amazing Filipino (Pinoy!) desserts for the Manila Machine's menu!

Having just launched the VERY FIRST Filipino food truck here in Los Angeles less than two months ago, Nastassia Johnson of Let Me Eat Cake, and Marvin Galputos of Burnt Lumpia, expressed their excitement in having the Scootabaker do what she does best, bake!

Our first and already supremely successful Ube and Coconut Cupcake has gained high praises from local food bloggers, and food critics like those from LAist and Tasting Table. And just recently my purple creations were featured on Good Day LA (watch at the 5:20 mark)!

Scootabaker/Manila Machine Ube Cupcakes made a brief but smashing appearance at the Manila Machine's booth at The LA Food Fest, inside the Rose Bowl. With an expected 3-5,ooo in attendance, 200 cupcakes came and went in 10 minutes. It was, for that moment, scary. LA Foodies will knock you down if you stand anywhere in near proximity with a tray of cupcakes. No joke.

Ube Cupcakes are baked fresh everyday for the Manila Machine, and truck followers can expect a new Scootabaker/Manila Machine dessert creation super duper soon!

My Very Own Scooter Rally!

2010-07-14T21:59:00.000-07:00

On the most stunning day in June, the Scootabaker (me!) along with Vespa of Sherman Oaks, hosted a totally radical scooter rally here in Los Angeles - The Sweet Street Scooter Rally! We were commemorating Pablo Castalez on what would have been his 7^th birthday and raising money for the Pablove Foundation, named in his honor.

The Sweets Truck was on-site with shelves stocked of only the finest desserts made by me! We drank our IZZE sodas and declared cheers to life, love, and a whole lot of treats.

I shared an amazing time with some amazing Vespa enthusiasts. Vintage and Modern rides alike. With my posse of 50 or so scooters, we rode from Sherman Oaks to Silverlake, and it was the most amazing sight to see.

You really should have been there!

photos by Louis De Barraicua

Tie-Dying Cupcakes, 4th of July Style

2010-07-05T16:36:00.000-07:00

There were no fire works, no BBQing, no Pabst Blue Ribbon to be found. Just red, white, and blue cupcakes in gratitude of those crusty old dudes with the curly white wigs.

Dropping cupcakes, and dusting 'em off. Good times in the ol' US of A.

Sweet Street Scooter Rally

2010-06-11T21:55:00.000-07:00

More Scootabaker desserts for the masses!

The Scootabaker and Vespa of Sherman Oaks have joined forces and put together The Sweet Street Scooter Rally for L.A., June 27th! Oh, it's no big deal, just that it's a HUGE feat to bring all scooter enthusiast and foodies in Los Angeles together for one amazing and special cause. But The Pablove Foundation is a really wonderful organization whose mission is to fund pediatric cancer research, and it's been surprisingly effortless to have people on board for this event.

The home of Pablove, which also happens to be at Dangerbird Records in Silverlake, will be our rides finish location. Jeff and Jo Ann of Pablove were so hospitable to open their doors on a Sunday to host us for this event. The Sweets Truck has graciously accepted our invitation to co-sponsor this event and will set up their mobile bakery on-site next to the Scootabaker's open display of desserts! So whether you have a scooter or not, join us at Dangerbird Records for the sweets and treats!

We'll be accepting small donations and selling Sweet Street Scooter Rally T-shirts, and ALL proceeds from the rally will go to the Pablove Foundation!

Check out our flyer for times and locations.

I hope to see you there! I'll be the one surrounded by cupcake wrappers and crumbs all over my face.

June 23, 2010 UPDATE: I'm so thrilled to announce today that IZZE Sparking Juice will be joining in on the rally festivities and has offered to sponsor our event! Many thank you's to Jeremy at IZZE for providing us with lots of delicious drinks!

Scootabaker News & Events

2010-05-27T17:05:00.000-07:00

Thursday June 10th:

The thoroughly fashionable and supremely talented Scootabaker (*snork) will be one of the many sponsors supporting the premier of the FASHION IS ART pop up gallery during Downtown Los Angeles' monthly Art Walk event. That means: FREE mini cupcakes in fantastic surprise flavors! Be there, or be without some really awesome cupcakes in your belly!

Saturday June 19th:

The Scootabaker was invited to join in on the festivities and share even more cupcakes for When You Awake's Tribute to The Beach Boys Benefit which supports the Sweet Relief Musician's Fund. The night will feature performances of classic Beach Boys songs by a whole slew of awesome indie folk rockers. I personally love folk rock, so the evening will be more pleasure than work! Tickets are still available at BrownPaperTickets.com, $14 advanced purchase.

In other Scootabaker news:

Scoot! Magazine

June/July will present a special treat for the Scootabaker! Should you be a subscriber of Scoot! Magazine, keep a lookout for a familiar name. *wink

Sharing the Scootabaker Cupcake Love
Los Angeles is slathered with Bakeries, Bake Shops, and Cupcakeries all promoting their cupcakes as better than the next guys. I've tried a lot of cupcakes in this town, and frankly, I must declare that mine are pretty much way better than delicious. Like, "Made with Love" delicious! And though that's a pretty clichéd statement, I couldn't be more serious about it. With each delivery I make, I get an equal amount of positive commentary back about my desserts and it's that flattery that propels me to create and share more.

So just to prove to you that I have in fact been sharing the cupcake love, recently I delivered a small batch of Green Tea and Red Velvet Cupcakes to the Pablove Foundation at Dangerbird Records in Silverlake, and the Pablove crew sent over some before and after photos. I'm thinking the 2nd photo is the "Just before the after" photo. (The white globs on the cupcake tray comes from the melted white chocolate used to secure the cupcakes within the box. A little bakers trick!)

Cupcakes rule!

Mothers Day:: Mini Toasted Coconut and Chocolate Cream Puffs

2010-05-08T21:54:00.001-07:00

I asked mom what her absolutely #1 go-to dessert was, all along thinking I knew the answer, "Anything with coconut or pineapple". She threw me for a loop when she rebuts with, "Chocolate! You know I love chocolate!" I didn't know she loved chocolate, and I guess I didn't know my mother as well as my 20-some odd years of "knowing her" led me to believe.

However, I consider myself blessed to have such a young, beautiful, and spritely woman for a mom. She's hip and awesomely quirky, and she brings me rolls of quarters for my laundry and really expensive slabs of sashimi whenever she visits me. So even if I'm creeping up on 30, to ma, I'm still a wee "pumpkinhead"!
(If you were wondering, yes, that is my trophy from the Hawaiian Tropics Swimsuit Pageant, and you're darn right I won! Note the totally bodacious and gigantic sunglasses mom's donning.)

So Mom, I'm making you a little something that I hope makes you proud to say I'm your little Scootiebaker- Toasted Coconut and Chocolate Cream Puffs.

Here's a virtual toast to you, Happy Mothers Day! You're like totally my favorite mom!

Mini Toasted Coconut and Chocolate Cream Puffs
Makes about 18

Cream Puff
3/4 cups water
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoons sugar
3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup shredded coconut, toasted
3 large eggs

Chocolate Cream Filling
3 ounces bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
3 ounces heavy whipping cream, (for ganache)
8 ounces heavy whipping cream, (for whipped cream)

To make cream puffs:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line baking sheet with Silpat or parchment paper.
2. Combine water, butter, salt and sugar in a medium saucepan. Bring to boil, stirring to melt butter. Add flour and coconut; using wooden spoon, stir vigorously until mixture clumps together, forming a ball. Stir about 1 minute longer. Remove from heat. Transfer to bowl of electric mixer, beat on medium-low to release steam, about 1 minute. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating until dough is smooth after each addition (dough will be slightly soft and shiny).
3. Transfer dough to pastry bag fitted with 1/2-inch plain round tip (or use a ziploc bag, cutting 1/4-inch off one edge). Pipe 1-inch mounds, spaced about 2 inches apart, onto baking sheet. Using wet finger, smooth tops of mounds.
4. Bake puffs for 35 minutes, until deep golden brown. Cool on rack, and prepare chocolate cream filling.

To make chocolate cream filling:
1. In a small saucepan, heat 3-ounces heavy whipping cream on low heat until just boiling. Pour cream over bowl of chopped chocolate, let stand for 1 minute before whisking until smooth. Set ganache aside.
2. With the whisk attachment of an electric mixer, whisk 8-ounces heavy whipping cream on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form, about 2-3 minutes.
3. In another medium size bowl, in small portions, fold whipped cream into chocolate ganache. Using a pastry bag fitted with any decorative style tip, pipe chocolate cream into puffs with top third cut off.
4. Dust with confectioners sugar and serve immediately or keep in freezer. Defrost for 15 minutes before enjoying!
Puff recipe adapted from Bon Appétit, via epicurious

"Baked Savory" Edition - Roasted Poblano Quiche

2010-05-02T22:47:00.000-07:00

For some time now I've wanted to introduce a little savory into the mix of blogged about sweets. Cinco de Mayo is the best holiday to kick the "Baked Savory" editions off.

A roasted poblano quiche was such a welcomed change to my dullish dinner regimen of tortilla chips, salsa, and sliced cheese. My homemade cuisine is lacking in class, this I know. And my effort to load up on fresh vegetables is noble, however, that part where I take them out of the fridge and eat them doesn't seem to happen, ever. I've just become really good at buying $50 worth of vegetables and cleaning my fridge of $50 worth of vegetables. I kind of figured the best way for me to get my daily allowance is to have it baked into something. This 'something' typically containing generous amounts of egg, cream, and/or butter. I'm a dietitian's disappointment.

But quiche, wonderfully glorious and utterly filling quiche- a French midday delight. It contains a baked pastry crust, and a thousand eggs, so one could consider it a savoureux tart, or savory for us plain folk!

Four fire-roasted Poblano Chiles (aka Pasilla Chiles) and the final drenching of Cholula makes this as authentically "Mexican" as a quiche is allowed to be. It's pretty awesome, and I know you'd like it. Enjoy it with a cerveza Mexicana and Feliz Cinco de Mayo!

Roasted Poblano Quiche

makes a 9-inch (2-inch deep) or 12-inch (1-inch deep) tart dish

basic pastry dough (see below)

3 large garlic cloves

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 lb poblano chiles (aka pasilla chiles) (about 4 large), roasted and peeled

6 large eggs

1 cup milk (I used 2% milkfat)

1/2 cup Mexican crema or heavy cream (I used half & half)

half of a small white onion, finely grated (using small teardrop holes of a box grater)

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 lb Monterey Jack cheese, coarsely grated (2 1/2 to 3 cups)

1 jalapeño, finely chopped (optional)

To make Basic Pastry Dough:

(makes 12-inch tart)

1 1/4 all-purpose flour

1 stick (4 ounces) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch cubes

1/4 teaspoon salt

3-5 tablespoons ice water

1. In a large bowl, blend flour, butter, and salt with a pastry cutter or your hands (or pulse in a food processor) just until most of the mixture resembles coarse meal with pea-size butter chunks.

2. Add ice water evenly over mixture and stir with a fork (or pulse) until incorporated.

3. Squeeze a small handful: if it doesn't hold together, add more ice water.

4. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 4 portions. With the heel of your hand (or a pastry scraper) smear each portion back and forth to help distribute fat. Gather dough, press into a ball, lightly flatten into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least an hour.

To make custard filling:

1. With rack moved to middle position, preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

2. Roll out dough into a 13-inch round on a lightly floured surface with a floured rolling pin. Fit dough into tart pan/dish, without stretching, letting excess dough hang over edge. Fold overhand inward and press against side of pan to reinforce edge. Prick bottom all over with a fork. Chill until firm, about 30 minutes.

3. Line pastry shell with foil or parchment paper and fill with pie weights. Bake until pastry is set and pale golden along rim, 20 to 25 minutes. Carefully remove foil and weights and bake shell until deep golden all over, 15 to 20 minutes more. Put tart pan in a shallow baking pan or cookies sheet. Leave oven on.

4. Mince garlic and mash to a paste with salt using side of a large knife.

5. Discard seeds, ribs, and stems from chiles, pat dry and cut into 1/3-inch-wide strips.

6. Whisk together eggs, milk, cream, onion, garlic paste, and black pepper in a large bowl until combined, then pour into baked tart shell.

7. Sprinkle cheese, chiles (and optional jalapeño) over custard and bake until custard is just set, 50 to 60 minutes. (Center will jiggle slightly; filling will continue to set as it cools.) Transfer quiche in pan to a rack to cool before serving, at least 20 minutes. Serve warm.

Pastry and Quiche recipe adapted from Gourmet, found via Epicurious.

More Matcha! Green Tea Madeleines

2010-03-21T16:45:00.000-07:00

Is it weird that I plan on naming my firstborn Madeleine? My affection for the name came from the Parisian cartoon "Madeline" well before I ever tasted the little love cakes. But it is quite ironic that I would name my child after a food item... or maybe not so ironic, since I've considered such names as Taco and Cookie. Though, I was a kid, and my judgment of normalcy was a bit askew back then, as evident by my childhood passion to become a princess when I "grow up". I'm all "grown up" now and that passion has morphed into a more realistic vision, but whatever, here's some matcha green tea madeleines! It's still March, and this is a sort of belated St. Patrick's Day dessert thing or other. You'll like it. Trust me.

Matcha Green Tea Madeleines

makes 32-36

120g butter, melted and cooled

120g cake flour

130g sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

3 eggs

2 teaspoons matcha green tea, (amount varies depending upon quality of matcha)

1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Butter madeleine pan, dust with flour, and keep pan in freezer.

2. In a medium sized bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and matcha; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat eggs for 1 minute, then add sugar and beat until mixture is thick and pale, about 5-8 minutes. Add vanilla bean paste and beat for an additional minute. Scrape down sides. Add flour mixture into egg mixture and beat just until incorporated. With mixer on low, slowly add the butter, beat until smooth. Cover bowl with plastic wrap, refrigerate for 3 hours, or overnight.

3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Remove madeleine pan from freezer and fill indentations with roughly a teaspoon of batter. Bake for 8-9 minutes, or until puffed and golden around edges. Remove pan from oven, cool on wire rack for a minute, then invert pan onto a rack to cool madeleines.

Recipe adapted from bossacafez.blogspot.com

*There are variations on how to achieve the "hump" on your madeleines. The quality of your madeleine pan effects the outcome just as the temperature and mixing time can, so if your madeleines don't bake with that perfect "hump", try again! They can be finicky.

Vanilla Bean and Matcha Green Tea Cupcakes

2010-03-04T17:58:00.001-08:00

It's March Matcha Green Tea Madness Month. Or Madness March Matcha Month. Or was it Matcha March Madness Month? Delete Delete Delete. Ok...

This month I'm working with Matcha. Refreshing and light, matcha refers to finely-milled powdered green tea. It dissolves easily and is becoming remarkably popular for its use in baked treats.

Last week I churned up some matcha green tea ice cream, and this week I whipped up the most amazing, and I mean "like seriously!" amazing matcha green tea buttercream. I wasn't modest with my use of matcha, even though it's $12 a friggin' ounce, or something mind-numbingly expensive like that. But holy hell on a popsicle stick was it good! I baked a couple dozen vanilla bean cupcakes, piped the buttercream, and sprinkled on a bit of matcha. Simply irresistible! Oh Robert Palmer, you would be so proud... except, I don't have sexy, leggy women dancing in unison behind me while I bake my cupcakes.

Vanilla Bean Cupcakes

To make the Vanilla Bean Cupcakes, use your basic vanilla cupcake recipe and substitute the pure vanilla extract for equal parts vanilla bean paste, such as Nielsen-Massey's Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Bean Paste. You can also split and scrape the inside of a vanilla bean and add that to the cupcake batter if you have one on hand. I use a basic sour cream vanilla cupcake recipe and doctor that up.

Matcha Green Tea Buttercream

frosts 24-30 cupcakes

2 sticks - 8 ounces (227 grams) unsalted butter, softened

1 package - 8 ounces (227 grams) cream cheese

3 cups confectioners sugar, sifted

2-5 tablespoons matcha green tea, add to taste (Strength of matcha varies upon grade)

1-2 tablespoons whipping cream

1. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together butter and cream cheese until combined.

2. Add sifted confectioners sugar and matcha to butter mixture, beat on low until combined, about 1 minute. Add more matcha to taste, then beat on medium-high for another minute.

3. Scrape down sides of bowl, add whipping cream as needed to smooth frosting and beat on medium-high until fluffy, about two minutes. Pipe frosting onto cooled cupcakes, sprinkle with a pinch matcha and keep refrigerated.

Rhubarb Tart w/ Orange Glaze & Creamy Green Tea Ice Cream

2010-02-24T19:37:00.000-08:00

I love Februarys. They're like the holidays, extended - birthdays, valentines, food, celebration, large amounts of gift giving. Love emanates from everywhere.

This month hasn't allowed me all that much time to try new recipes, but I have enjoyed many good meals with many good friends. And eating out often inspires my conceptual creativity in baking. Hence today's fusion concoction where East, you guessed it, meets West.

Rhubarb Pie, meet, Matcha Green Tea. Hello! Hello!

And how about that rhubarb? Just a year ago Michael warned of its extreme tartness and encouraged an overzealous use of sugar. I grunted at the idea. In my effort to make this year's rhubarb tarts, well, more diabetic friendly, I substituted all that granulated sugar for a low-glycemic organic blue agave. I grinned at my own genius; I was gonna defying the rhubarb gods and show 'em "I don't need no stinkin' sugar to reap the reward of their root!"

So I tried and I didn't fail completely. Yes, the tarts were gorgeous pink pockets of puff pastry heaven. Though, drenching the tarts with my orange-citrus glaze didn't help the matters of my sour pucker face. In the end, I raised my white flag and surrendered my stubborn tastebuds over. I showered my rhubarb tarts with the snowy white sugar granules, and just like Michael warned, rhubarb really is inedible without heaps of sugar.

And the green tea ice cream... it was so creamy. Like, if creamy had a texture, it would be creamy. It's as if someone asked me if I wanted to add a little green tea to my creamy. You get it. So less like gelato, and more like ice creeeeeeeaaaam.

A whole lot of taste sensations going on, but quite the unique flavor combination. Quite.

Creamy Matcha Green Tea Ice Cream

makes 1 quart

1 cup whipping cream

2 cups whole milk

1.4 teaspoon salt

5 large eggs

2/3 cup sugar

3 tablespoons matcha (powdered Japanese green tea)

Requires an ice cream maker

1. Bring cream, milk, and salt to a boil in a heavy saucepan and remove from heat.

2. Whisk together eggs, sugar, and matcha in a bowl (tea will not be completely dissolved), then add 1 cup hot cream mixture in a slow stream, whisking vigorously. Whisk custard into remaining cream mixture in saucepan and cook over moderately low heat, whisking constantly to keep eggs from curdling and until an instant-read thermometer registers 170 degrees (do not let boil). Immediately pour custard through a fine sieve into a metal bowl, then cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally. Chill, covered, until cold, at least 1 hour.

3. Freeze in ice cream maker, about 20 minutes, then transfer to an airtight container and put in freezer to harden.

Rhubarb Tart with Orange Glaze

makes 6-3x6 inch tarts

1 cup fresh orange juice

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

1/3 cup agave syrup (or 1/2 cup granulated sugar)

3/4 pound rhubarb stalks, thinly sliced diagonally (1/8 inch)

1 sheet frozen puff pastry (from a 17 1/4-ounces package), thawed

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F with rack in middle.

2. Stir together orange juice, lime juice, and sugar in a bowl. Add rhubarb and let stand, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, roll pastry out on a lightly floured surface with a floured rolling pin. Using a pizza cutter or a knife, cut out 6 3-inch by 6-inch rectangles. Arrange pastry rectangles on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Make a 1/2-inch border around each pastry rectangle by lightly scoring a line parallel to each edge (do not cut all the way through). Prick pastry inside border all over with a fork. Strain rhubarb mixture through a sieve set over a bowl, reserving liquid. Top 1 pastry rectangle (within border) with rhubarb, overlapping slices slightly. Repeat with remaining pastry and rhubarb. Bake until pastry is puffed and golden (underside of pastry should also be golden), about 25 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, boil reserved rhubarb liquid in a small saucepan, skimming foam if necessary, until reduced to about 1/4 cup, 15 to 18 minutes.

5. Transfer tarts to a rack. Drizzle rhubarb with glaze. Serve with ice cream.

Rhubarb Tart recipe adapted from Gourmet, April '09 via epicurious.

Green Tea Ice Cream recipe adapted from Gourmet, July '02 via epicurious.

Scootabaker's 1 Year Blogoversary!

2010-02-08T13:29:00.000-08:00

And you know I'm gonna celebrate my blogoversary with cake.

February will be, without intention, a month of celebration. It begins with the 1 year anniversary of my blog. Next up- Valentines Day, a holiday for which I do enjoy celebrating because of the dire necessity for me to consume everything sugar-laden in order to sustain my energy through the sentimental hype. That is- I love Valentines Day!

Coincidentally, Chinese New Years falls on Valentines Day this year. So my date (i.e., boyfriend Michael) can expect to begin and end the day with meals consisting of some sort of tacky amalgamation of egg rolls and Belgian truffle chocolates. Actually, I don't eat egg rolls, but I do love Dim Sum, so that will definitely be on the menu.

Then I get to celebrate my birthday for another year in a row!!! I am that person who(m) celebrates her birthday by throwing herself a party. It's the one day it's all about me, and I'm sparing myself of all feelings of modesty or humbleness!

Then there's M's birthday and somewhere in between that, our 5th year anniversary. It's just a whole lotta celebratin' in the Hollyhood.

Today is cake. Really, potently, obnoxiously, sweet...cake. Cake in honor of my blog reaching the one year mark without losing total momentum. A lot of blogs seem to fade out before they reach their one year, thus leaving a barren and unblogged landscape of passions, ideas, and even life rantings & ravings.

Me? I just wanted a 'calories above recommended daily allowance' cake. So, I made a Chocolate-Peanut Butter Cake with Cream Cheese and Peanut Butter Cup Frosting.

A whole jar of peanut butter was lost inside this cake somewhere. I used to eat peanut butter by the spoonfuls when I was just but a smallish child (*snork), but hot diggity this recipe called for a crap load of butter of the peanut.

I really like how the cake layers baked, and assembly was fairly easy considering I didn't wait for the peanut butter ganache to thicken overnight. I just slapped the good stuff on immediately, frosted a super thin crumb coat, and popped it in the freezer to set before the final coat of frosting. Bakers beware. This is a tall 3-tiered, 9-inch cake, so you will need help eating it. And I mean like A LOT of help!

This recipe is an adaptation of Bon Appétit's,Chocolate-Peanut Butter Cake with Cream Cheese and Butterfinger Frosting. Found via Epicurious. I substituted peanut butter cups for Butterfinger because I've always felt the Reese's peanut butter cup was a far more superior junk food treat than Butterfinger. It's these human differences that make the world go round!

Grammy Cupcakes to the Rescue!

2010-02-05T21:40:00.000-08:00

The theme for the month of January was most definitely "Cupcakes". Glorious petite cakes upon which your absolute favorite flavor of frosting sits. I'll occasionally indulge my wannabe "gourmet" tastebuds and opt for a rather unique flavor combo like saffron-honey or chocolate-basil. Yet, at the end of the day, all I want is to cuddle with a purely chocolate on chocolate cupcake. Perhaps sans the cuddling, I just washed my hair.

On to the more, and I mean MUCH more exciting news...

As you may know, or may not know, though I'm really hoping you do cause if you don't than you've been living under a really large rock- the Grammy's aired last Sunday. And, (this is where I begin bragging), I made cupcakes for the Silversun Pickups for their Grammy Party! I don't mean like, I made them cupcakes and showed up uninvited and unannounced like some teenage stalker wearing a homemade t-shirt that reads "I 'heart' SSPU" sketched out in block letters. No. I mean Silversun Pickups' label, Dangerbird Records, contacted me and requested a bunch of cupcakes be delivered to the party to surprise the band and management in congratulations for their Grammy nomination. I guess being on the ballot for Best New Artist calls for cupcakes.

Yeah, so that was cool and all, accept for the part where I dropped the cupcakes as I was parking my scooter outside the event. Horror I tell you. Flash forward a couple hours, I'm wiping beads of sweat off my face, but I made it with a new batch in tow!

In keeping with the theme of this month's cupcakathon, the ever popular and, all about cupcakes all the time blog, Cupcakes Take the Cake, did a full post on my awesome cupcakes! Read the full post here. I've been reading their blog for as long as I've been making cupcakes, so this one was quite special! Nichelle Stephans of Cupcakes Take the Cake will be in LA to sample my goods for the 2010 Cupcake Challenge, so I'm stoked for the cupcake baking madness that's to come.

And in even more blog news, I had a fun evening with writer/editorialist and new blogger, Rara Avis, who followed me around the kitchen with her camera while I baked a batch of cookies. Check out the full post including photos and interview at Meet Me on Monday.

Someones blogoversary is upon us! I want cake!

Mexican Hot Chocolate Pretzels

2010-01-14T15:09:00.000-08:00

What makes this hot chocolate pretzel, well, "Mexican"? Other than that the superb and richly talented baker whom created these delights claims a heritage that of Mexican, "Hola! Mi nombre es Heather!", cinnamon is an addition typically made to hot chocolate in Mexico. After all, it is believed that the Mayan peoples created this tasty beverage around 2000 years ago! Don't mess with the ancients!

You ever have Abuelitas hot chocolate packets? It warms your belly much more than those dullish Nestle cocoa packets. *Gag

There is a definite art to hot chocolate making, and in my opinion, freeze dried marshmallows mustn't interfere. Perhaps giving your plain ol' cocoa a dash of cinnamon will spry things up. Want feisty? Adding a pinch of cayenne will surely cure your dull cocoa woes. Oooh, now your hot chocolate is tastefully multidimensional! Just as I made these chocolate pretzel cookies to be. Ahhh...

Adding a 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper to the pretzel batter delivered the right amount of flavor and spice kick. This of course makes 'em "Mayan Hot Chocolate Pretzels." But I'm not changing my post title.

Though it's not a recipe of my own genius, I discovered these pretzel cookies from Blue Ridge Baker who found it from Not Derby Pie who probably found it from that person who discovered it from that other person. Us bakers, we're about sharing the love, spreading the wealth of delectable knowledge. Martha Stewart would indeed be proud of my generous use of adjectives. *snork

Mexican Hot Chocolate Pretzels

Makes about 20

2 cups of all-purpose flour

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper*(optional, for Mayan Hot Chocolate Pretzels)

1 1/2 sticks (6 oz) unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 oz semisweet chocolate, melted in a double broiler (or microwaved in a heat-proof bowl on 50% heat for 1 1/2 - 2 minutes)

1. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, baking powder, cinnamon and cayenne. Set aside. In the bowl on an stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter until light and fluffy. Add sugars and beat for about 2 minutes. Add egg and vanilla, and mix until combined. Add melted chocolate, and mix until combined. Add flour mixture in 3 additions, and mix until well combined, about 2 minutes. Wrap in plastic wrap and place in freezer for 45 minutes, or refrigerate for at least two hours.

2. When you're ready to shape the pretzels, preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Divide the dough into equal pieces (about 20 pieces at roughly 40g each). Roll each piece into a rope that is about 10"-12" long and about 1/3" thick. Working fairly quickly to prevent dough from drying and cracking, twist into a pretzel shape, and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Place the pretzels about an inch apart. Bake for 15 minutes, until firm to the touch. Remove making sheet from oven and place on a rack to cool completely before handling.

Ringing in the New Year with Cake!

2010-01-03T10:59:00.000-08:00

And the happiest of holidays to you!

I've been baking my tiny hinny off (not so tiny actually), and I'm grateful for such productivity. This year I will be working and delivery from my very own commercial kitchen and basically spreading the Scootabaker love across town!

Because I'm a one woman production team of baker, photographer, blogger, and newbie entrepreneur, my hands allow me to do but only one task at a time. So I have just a few clipettes of this holiday seasons' goodies to share.

I delivered cakes upon cakes upon cupcakes to Scooter Club events, Holiday Parties, and office parties across LA. One of my favorite deliveries was made to Jeff Castelez of Dangerbird Records in Silver Lake (photo courtesy Jeff's Twitter page). With a special request for extra crispy chocolate chip cookies (just like his grandma used to make!) packed into a glass jar. After riding a bike 3,000 miles across America for the Pablove Foundation, what other way is there to unwind than with 5 dozen cookies with your name written all over 'em???

My good friend, Carolyn, (seen here playing an unusually teeny violin??),

is a transplanted New York fashion blogger, and was quite enthusiastic about blogging the holiday dinner party I hosted.

You can view the full post at Please Don't Feed the Models.

You see, holiday parties at the Scootabaker's means one thing. Indulgence. No barren counter tops. All available surfaces are chalk full of dessert, food, and drink. Excessive? Yes. But Necessary.

The photos she snapped of me aren't so flattering. I'd wanted to veto the publishing of a photo of my backside, but alas it was overruled and now all the world can see my holiday hinny thanks to Carolyn's super bright flashbulbs. So sorry.

Somewhere in between the holiday baking and shopping madness, I was commissioned to make a miniature wedding cake decorated with a simple gold crown. The cake was challenging. The darn thing was so small, it just about fit in my hand. Teeeeeny.

Here's to a new year of plenty more baking!

Cheers to 2010!

Chocolate Peppermint Bark Shortbread

2009-12-15T09:42:00.000-08:00

My heart has been urging me to bake and blog and bake and blog, but my head is in business mode and wants me to bake and sell and bake and sell. What is a baker chick to do? In the midst of my 10,000 holiday orders, I did find a small portion of the day to bake some much needed holiday cookies. The idea of making peppermint bark came to me in my sleep. I kid no one here. I really do dream of baked goods; both baking and eating them. My all time favorite reoccurring dream involves me stealing a car (most likely a stick-shift. don't know why) and driving it through the storefront of a bakery. Sifting through the wreckage, I manage to make my way to the dessert case and chow on each and every highly caloric crap you can think of. Creepy, I know. I think my heaven will look like a bakeshop. Yes, it'll be me, a bakeshop, and pants with a super expandable waistband. Maternity pants will suffice.

*clap*clap* "Stick to the topic Heather!!!"

Ok, so I love peppermint and chocolate together. Next to Starbucks' Pumpkin Latte I love me a Peppermint Mocha, a drink for which I've appropriately proclaimed tastes like "Christmas". Making peppermint bark seemed like the next logical dessert to bake. But peppermint bark atop a shortbread crust? Ah, genius and simple enough. Now you can put those silly candy canes to use! Yuuuuuummmo...

Chocolate Peppermint Bark Shortbread

Adapted from Bon Appétit , found via epicurious, December 2009

Makes about 36 pieces

2 cups all purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 large egg yolk

8 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped

1/2 cup finely chopped red-and-whitestriped candy cane (about 3 ounces or 4 candy canes)

2 ounces high-quality white chocolate, chopped

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Spray 13x9x2-inch metal baking pan with non-stick spray. Line bottom of pan with long strip of 9-inch-wide parchment paper, leaving overhang on both short sides of pan. Whisk flour and salt in medium bowl. Using electric mixer, cream butter, about 2 minutes. Gradually beat in sugar. Continue beating until light and fluffy, stopping occasionally to scrap down sides of bowl, about 3 minutes. Beat in vanilla, then egg yolk. Gradually add flour mixture, beating on low speed just to blend.

2. Drop dough by tablespoonfuls into prepares baking pan, spacing evenly. Using moistened fingertips, press dough to form even layer over bottom of pan. Pierce dough all over with fork. Bake cookie base until light golden brown and slightly puffed and edges begin to come away from the sides of pan, about 30 minutes. Place pan on rack; immediately sprinkle chocolate all over. Let stand until chocolate softens, about 2 minutes. Using small offset spatula, spread chocolate over top of cookie in thin even layer. Immediately sprinkle chopped peppermint candies over.

3. In a small microwave safe bowl, heat white chocolate on medium power for 1 minute. Stir white chocolate and microwave for an additional 30 seconds on medium power, or until white chocolate is just melted. Do not overheat. Using fork, drizzle white chocolate all over cookies. Chill until white chocolate has set, about 30 minutes. Using paper overhang as aid, lift cookie from pan and transfer to work surface. Using large knife, cut cookie into irregular pieces. Store in refrigerator in airtight container layered between parchment or wax paper. Keeps for 1 week.

Lil' sista Jenna models a plate of peppermint bark

Coconut Cake, Lemon Meringue Tarts, and a Photoshoot

2009-11-28T19:22:00.000-08:00

Did you have a fabulous Thanksgiving? I surely hope your day was filled with less the turkey, stuffing, and pie than mine. Not gonna embarrass myself with telling you how much I ate. *Whew

Because I'm the go-to baker of my family and friends, all desserts were left up to me to make. I think I lost count after the 5th tart/pie. And interestingly, that wasn't enough!

This eve of Thanksgiving, I was lucky enough to be invited to spend a day in the studio with Andrea Bricco, a fabulous and talented food photographer whose divine work has found its place in such publications as GQ, Pasadena Magazine, Bicycling Magazine, and Urbanite Magazine.

I've spent many years of my childhood in my uncles photo studio, but the scale of Andrea's studio far surpassed that dinky shop I once knew. Not only was there a fully equipped kitchen within, but there was a separate room the size of my apartment dedicated to food props. Plates silverware, cake platters, and linens of every size and color stacked there waiting to be picked out for the next shoot. It was seriously EVERY food bloggers dream come true.

Andrea encouraged me to choose a couple items that I felt best represented my talents as a baker. I decided on making size variations of a coconut cake and a lemon meringue tart since, (I feel), cakes and tarts are my thing. My coconut cake was layered with an almondy cream cheese frosting, enveloped in raw flaked coconut, and topped with dried pineapple flowers.

And the coconut cupcakes were topped with lightly toasted coconut flakes.

The best part about making the lemon tart was using my new torch to brown the meringue. After lots of screaming, heart palpitations, and gas spewing everywhere (and I mean like EVERYWHERE), I successfully filled the torch with butane and got that sucker a-blazin'. Don't you think adding an element of danger to the baking process makes it that much more appealing? Who would ever refuse a torch-bearing baker chick?

I will be adding more of Andrea's photos of my desserts at www.thescootabaker.com, and while you're perusing the net, stop by www.AndreaBricco.com to view more of Andrea's beautiful photography!

Apple Flower Frangipane Tart

2009-11-19T15:52:00.000-08:00

Life has been good lately for the Scootabaker! Expansion is underway, and I will tell you all about it so very soon!

But today, an Apple Flower Frangipane Tart! Woot Woooot!

This is not your run-of-the-mill apple tart. This is a certified "Fancy" apple tart made with a Pate Sucrée (sweet crust), Frangipane (almond pastry cream filling), and thin apple slices layered to create a "flower" effect. It's mildly time consuming, but highly rewarding! The frangipane lends a subtle almond flavor to the tart, and is a welcomed ingredient to a fruit more often paired with cinnamon than almond. It's delightful and perfect for those who don't want "Sweet" desserts. Don't be mislead by the "sweet crust". Some pate sucrée recipes have as little as 1 tablespoon of sugar, but can also be made sweeter with the addition of a 1/2 cup of sugar. All depends on your buds. You know, those funny knobby things on your tongue.

Here, a brief photo tutorial on how to create an Apple Flower Frangipane Tart. Follow close cause I don't feel like repeating myself.

Don't overwork your dough. Be kind and gentle. It likes that.

Spread about 1/4-inch layer of frangipane over the pastry crust. Of course, add a thicker layer if you like the "overflowed" look of the baked frangipane.

When slicing your apples, make the slices as uniform as possible, and keep your slices in a bowl of water until you're ready to layer them. This prevents immediate browning.

Cut smaller slices to fit into the center of the flower.

Lightly brush melted butter onto the apple slices. And sprinkle a cinnamon-sugar mixture on top of the tart.

I fancy miniature baked goods, so I made a few tartlets with the extra dough I had leftover.

Of course, if you're going to make pear frangipane tartlets, remember to peel the skins off prior to baking! Yup, it wasn't until these little guys were in the oven that I noticed the pears were an icky brown. When baking, drink wine at your own risk!

But I did get a couple adorable apple tartlets out of the confusion. The tarts were too cool for school!

Apple Flower Frangipane Tart

makes a 9 or 10-inch tart (I made one 6-inch tart and five two-inch tarts)

6-8 Apples (I used Granny Smith), peeled, cored, halved, and thinly sliced (keep in cold water)

1 cup Frangipane

Pate Sucrée crust (sweet pastry crust)

1/4 cup (4 ounces) unsalted butter, melted

4 tablespoons cinnamon-sugar

To Make Frangipane:

4 ounces (1 stick or 1/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened

1/4 cup sugar

3 ounces almond meal (aka almond flour) (I ground blanched almonds in a coffee grinder)

2 large eggs, beaten

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon rum extract (I used almond extract)

1. Cream butter and sugar together. Add almond meal and mix until smooth. Add beaten eggs one at a time, then stir in flour and extract. Use immediately or wrap well in plastic wrap and freeze.

To Make Pate Sucrée:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1 large egg, lightly beaten

2. In a mixer, beat butter until softened. Add sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Gradually add the beaten egg, beating just until incorporated. Don't overmix or butter will separate and lighten in color. Add the flour and salt and mix until a ball is formed. Don't overwork or pastry will be hard when baked.

3. Flatten dough into disk, cover in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 20 minutes or until firm.

4. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to about an inch larger than the size of the tart pan. Roll out from the center to maintain a uniform thickness, about 1/4-inch thick. Take rolling pin and gently wrap dough over pin, dust off excess flour, and transfer to top of pan. Gently lay dough down, careful not to stretch dough, or dough will shrink down. Press dough into sides of pan, remove excess dough from edges by rolling pin over top of tart pan. Prick bottom of dough with a fork, cover and refrigerate for 20 minutes.

5. At this point you can bake your crust for 20 to 25 minutes at 400 degrees F with pie weights or dried bean atop dough. However, I eliminated this step and began filling the tart for immediate baking. The texture of the dough was perfect prepared this way as well!

To Make Apple Flower Tart:

6. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Gently spread frangipane over bottom of crust. Beginning at the outside, place apples slices perpendicular to the bottom, halfway overlapping each slice. For every new layer, place apple slices alternatively to the layer before. Cut smaller apple slices to fit in center of tart.

7. With a pastry brush, gently brush melted butter over apples, then sprinkle apples with a cinnamon-sugar mixture. Bake until crust is a deep golden brown and apples are cooked through, about 45 minutes to and hour. Remove from oven and cool before serving.

{Frangipane recipe adapted from Cooking with Michelle, Pate Sucrée recipe adapted from Joy of Baking}

Chocolate Lovers Chocolate Glazed Tart

2009-11-07T12:29:00.000-08:00

Maybe I've mentioned this before, but it warrants repeating. Thanksgiving is the coolest holiday. Why? Does "Cornucopia of the Savory and Sweet" not sound like heaven on a buffet table to you? It sounds diiiiiiivine to this little lady here! While my turkey marinades in rosemary and white wine, I venture to make as many different kinds of desserts as my oven can withstand. It's the time of year where we excuse ourselves for our overindulgence, and throw any feelings of gluttony out the window. It's my favorite!

Aside from tacos, I quite literally could live off of chocolate. If you give this girl a box of chocolate cookies and a bag of chocolate chips, in 1 hour she can present an intensely fulfilling tart even the most discerning foodie would be proud of. This tart IS the embodiment of chocolaty richness. Don't say I didn't warn you.

I've already made this twice in one week and a third order is just around the bend. Holiday requests are lining up and I'm really excited to be sharing Scootabaker creations with everyone. I recently met up with a fabulous local clothing designer, Arlene Battishill, who is, as we speak, premiering her line of Amazing protective jackets for scooter chicks around the world. Literally. Arlene was just in China and Italy, and now she's in the UK. This month she'll be celebrating the launch of her line GoGo Gear at Vespa of Sherman Oaks, and you know who's gonna be supplying the vegan yummies? *wink wink I'm hoping to be doing it in a lush new high-collared black mod peacoat!

There's more chocolate in the Scootabaker's future. I can just taste it!

Chocolate Lovers Chocolate Glazed Tart

Makes 8 to 10 servings

For crust:

A box of chocolate cookie sandwiches

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted (optional)

For filling:

1 1/4 cups heavy cream

9 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon salt

For glaze:

3 tablespoons heavy cream

1 3/4 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped

1 teaspoon light corn syrup

1 tablespoon warm water

Make crust:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F with rack in middle. Line the bottom of a 9-inch fluted tart mold with parchment paper cut to size.

2. In a food processor or blender, grind approximately 2/3rd the box of cookie sandwiches to a fine crumb, pour into a medium-sized bowl. Optional, add melted butter and mix into crumbs. (I omitted the butter because the moist cream of the cookie sandwiches kept the crumbs wet enough to mold into a crust).

Press crumbs evenly onto bottom and along sides of tart, about 1/2-inch thick . Bake on a sheet pan for about 10 minutes. Cool on a rack for 20 minutes.

Make filling:

3. In a small saucepan, bring cream to a boil, then pour over chocolate in a bowl and let stand for 2 minutes. Gently whisk until smooth. In a separate bowl whisk together eggs, vanilla, and salt, then stir into melted chocolate. Pour filling into cooled crust. Bake until filling is set about 3 inches from edge but center still wobbles (Center continues to set as tart cools), about 18-22 minutes (varies between ovens). Cool completely on rack, about 1 hour.

Make glaze:

4. In the same small saucepan, heat cream and remove from heat. Stir in chocolate until smooth. Stir in corn syrup, then warm water. Quickly pour glaze onto tart, then tilt tart so glaze coats top evenly, or use the back of a spoon to spread. Let glaze set for 1 hour, or keep refrigerated. Whipped cream is a must!

An adaptation of Gourmet's Chocolate Glazed Chocolate Tart. Discovered through Epicurious.

Chocolate-Covered Salted Caramel Cups

2009-10-30T16:29:00.000-07:00

Halloween dessert post, take two.

I'm offering you a holiday treat redux, because really, for October 31st, one dessert is never enough.

The great thing about these little dessert are they're super easy, and you can fill them with just about anything. I took David Lebovitz's advice and utilized my leftover caramel I saved in my freezer. I also added some Black Lava Sea Salt to the caramel and sprinkled a bit atop the chocolate. This really enhanced the flavor of the chocolate and caramel!

You can also buy caramel candy from the market and melt it down if you don't wish to make your own. Peanut Butter, ganache, nuts, even berry preserves would be a delicious filling.

The basic items you'll need are a bag of semi-sweet or milk-chocolate chips, and mini cupcake liners or smaller candy wrappers. It's a great all-natural alternative to mystery Halloween candy for sure!

Chocolate-Covered Salted Caramel Cups

An adaptation of David Lebovitz's recipe

makes about 25 cups

12 ounces (1 bag) semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips

1/2 cup caramel (recipe to follow)

Black lava sea salt, or any sea salt

1. Melt chocolate in a heat-proof bowl over simmering water or in the microwave on medium power until smooth.

2. With a spoon, spread half a teaspoon of chocolate along the bottom and sides of the paper cups. Chill in the refrigerator until chocolate has firmed up.

3. Pipe or spoon in caramel a little more than half the cup full. (You want to keep enough room for the top layer of chocolate). Tap the plate of candy on the counter to level the caramel. Sprinkle a bit of sea salt on the caramel.

4. Reheat the remainder of the chocolate if necessary. Spoon enough chocolate to cover the top of the caramel cups. Tap the plate on the counter once more. Sprinkle a bit more sea salt atop the chocolate and keep refrigerated.

To make Caramel

1 1/3 cups (packed) golden brown sugar

7 tablespoons unsalted butter

6 tablespoons light corn syrup

2 tablespoons water

1/2 teaspoon salt

6 tablespoons whipping cream

1. Combine brown sugar, butter, corn syrup, water, and salt in medium saucepan. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Bring mixture to boil, then boil 2 minutes without stirring (mixture will bubble and thicken slightly). Remove pan from heat. Add cream (mixture will bubble vigorously); stir until smooth. Pour caramel into a large heat-proof bowl; cool 10 minutes before refrigerating. Freeze leftovers.

A Bon Appetit Recipe, October 2007

Devil's Chocolate Cake Gone Wild or How I Failed to Read the Directions

2009-10-29T09:45:00.000-07:00

So, funny story, I had the intention of making a "Spooky" Halloween cake. I was gonna call it "Devil's Chocolate Cake" and I planned to pipe an awesome spider web in melted chocolate over the frosting. Clearly my attempt wasn't successfully executed 'cause the cake was cuter than it was spooky.

Michael walked in and remarked with his debonair grin, "Ooh! It looks like a flower!"

*Hmmp. Insulting.

It was midnight, and I failed to follow the directions on how to make a spiderweb. My fault.

I'll try again next year.

As for the recipe. Not a fan of this one Gourmet! Tisk tisk.

The cake recipe was good, but the Coffee Meringue Frosting was a big fat NO! I would recommend turning the meringue frosting into a Swiss Meringue Buttercream by adding at least 8 ounces of unsalted butter, cold, and cut into cubes. The meringue frosting without the butter is just goopy, sticky, and fails to hold any shape when frosted on the cake. It even found a way to squish itself out from between the cake layers. It was a wildly gooey-gross mess. Tasty? Very much. But not aesthetically pleasing 24 hours later. Just add the butter and you'll be golden.

You can find the full recipe from Gourmet, here.

Oh yeah. And Happy Halloween folks! I think I'm gonna be Batman this year.

Pear Tarte Tatin with Red Wine Caramel

2009-10-23T19:19:00.000-07:00

I'm back in the game! Found myself a $100 point and shoot. Tis a photographers dream. *snork

So in celebration of my new abode, and my (fairly) expansive counter space, I have finally executed the Tarte Tatin. I'd been so eager to tackle this since the day I heard people in LA were willingly emptying their wallets of $80 for a taste. Disturbing. Mine was better, made with heart and soul, and less than $20, possibly less than $10.

The following are artistic renditions of 18th Century still life. Photographic masterpieces? Or just really bad white balance? You decide.

In the end, I was beside myself, enlivened, giddy, belly fulfilled with the flavors of red wine caramel, tender juicy pears, and warm puff pastry still mingling within. I'm putting this on my holiday menu. You should too. Do I ever disappoint you? Don't answer that.

Pear Tarte Tatin with Red Wine Caramel

Adapted from Food & Wine, November 2009

8 to 10 servings

2 cups dry red wine (Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot)

2 cinnamon sticks

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup water

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

5-6 firm, ripe Bartlett pears - peeled, cored, and halved

1 14-ounce sheet all-butter puff pastry, chilled (or 4 panels of a Pepperidge Farm 17 oz. box)

1. In a small saucepan, boil the wine with the cinnamon sticks over moderately high heat until reduced to 1/4 cup, about 15 minutes. Discard cinnamon sticks.

2. In a 12-inch skillet, combine sugar and water. Cook over moderately high heat swirling the pan occasionally, until a light-amber caramel forms, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Add the red wine syrup along with the butter and cook to dissolve the hardened caramel, about 1 minute. Add the pear halves to the skillet and cook over low heat, turning occasionally, until the pears are tender and the pan juices are syrupy, about 20 minutes. Arrange the pears cut side up in the skillet with the thin ends pointing toward the center. Let cool for 30 minutes.

3. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pasty to a 13-inch square. Using the skillet lid as a template, cut out a 12-inch round (I left it as a square and tucked the edges into the skillet). Bake for about 1 hour and 10 minutes, until pastry is deeply golden and rises. Let the tart cool in the skillet for 15 minutes, then very carefully invert the tart onto a large plate. Serve with créme fraîche or madagascar vanilla ice cream. Keep refrigerated. Warm in the microwave before eating.

It was Mr. Green, in the library, with a wrench

2009-10-21T08:49:00.000-07:00

Who killed my camera??

Ok, I dropped it. I'll be MIA with the postings until my camera is well and fully operational once again. Or until I can find a point and shoot to work with. I have really awesomely awesome recipes to share with you too! I shan't be long.

Young Hollywood Party

2009-10-10T11:49:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned a while back, I was invited by CAA to cater their annual Young Hollywood Party. Yup, mmm hmm, kind of a big deal. It was no small task. Weeks of preparation and 2 baking assistants created just about 1,000 pieces for this huge event. By the end of it all, I had developed a strong aversion to anything containing sugar, but that of course has subsided and I'm back on my maple syrup I.V. drip.

The official Scootabaker logo was finally complete and ready to be premiered at the event, thanks to our illustrator friend, Bob Thomson, who also illustrated Michael's children's book series, Mike and the Bike.

At the insistence of the event coordinators, I prepared Lemon Coconut Bars, Raspberry Ganache Tartlets, and Pecan Pie Bites. It felt like we were baking for months on end. The kitchen smelled of fresh pastry dough all the days long, and the crispness of the zested lemons enveloped our every senses. Heavenly indeed.

The venue, Hollywood's Playhouse, was blaring with color and decadence. The dessert assortment was a supreme addition to the already vibrant landscape. And you know this girl can't go without telling you what she donned... I was prancin' around sharing my desserts with guests in my favorite seafoam green chiffon dress and kickass Chloé wedges. Black? Forget it.

And it was the most bizarre thing cause I was about to throw back my ump-teenth cocktail, and then the night's events drew to a close. Had I been buzzin' through the crowds that long that 6 hours had passed?

Dragon Fruit Sorbet

2009-09-23T21:44:00.000-07:00

I've been eager to round up the last bit of exotic fruits before the summer ends. My local farmers market has it all, and for cheap. Way cheaper than the market. I scored big with some dragon fruit at $6 a pound (that's about 7 medium-sized fruits). I held them in my arms with the loving embrace of a mother and her baby bunting. And oh did I gleam affectionately upon them, because little did they know they would soon become a refreshing sorbet.

Dragon fruit is much like kiwi in texture and taste. The tangy flavor is milder, but eating them is way more fun. It's fuchsia for goodness sakes! Hello! It's the ultimate chic fruit! It's so pretty. *Sigh

Now I know there exists dragon fruit with white innards, but the grower at the market reassured me that my choice of the fuchsia fruit was the better flavored of the two varieties. However the flavor still fell short in the sorbet. I added about 2 tablespoons of simple syrup, but I recommend adding more syrup or less water. Adding orange juice may help as well, but could potentially take away from the fruit's natural flavor. However, I realize there are those who don't quite care for their desserts as sweet as I require. So in this case, 2 tablespoons simple syrup may do the job quite nicely.

Dragon Fruit Sorbet

Adapted from Coconut & Lime

makes 4 servings

2 large or 6 smaller dragon fruits

2/3 cup of cold water

2-3 tablespoons simple syrup, agave nectar, or orange juice

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1. Cut dragon fruit in half. Scoop out the pulp. In a food processor or blender combine pulp, water, syrup, lime juice and pulse until smooth. Pour into ice cream maker and churn until frozen, about 20-25 minutes. Add more syrup to taste. Serve immediately or keep in an airtight container in the freezer.

Pumpkin Flan with Honey Cayenne Whipped Cream

2009-09-16T10:02:00.000-07:00

I'm saying a big "Hello!" to autumn and welcoming its refreshing embrace with a Pumpkin flan. I have a mild obsession with pumpkin. If Johnson and Johnson made pumpkin shampoo, I'd be all over that in a New York minute. Oooh, what if Crest had pumpkin for a seasonal flavor! C'mon now, look at how peppermint has been popularized! It's like brushing my teeth with "Christmas" year round. Give pumpkin a chance Crest! I'm just saying, pumpkin is so under-utilized. Take Starbucks for a positive example- they believed in the pumpkin and said, "Ok. We need to turn this into a latte and charge $57 for a grande!" And everyone said their "Bravos!" and thus the seasonal Pumpkin Spice Latte was born. Thanks Starbucks, you've certainly succeeded at enhancing my addiction to your product. Damn you!

Pumpkin Flan with Honey Cayenne Whipped Cream

Flan adapted from Gourmet, November 2005

Serves 8-10

For Caramel and Flan:

2 cups sugar

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

1 cup whole m ilk

5 whole large eggs plus 1 large egg yolk

1 (15 ounce) can solid-pack pumpkin (1 3/4 cups; not pie filing)

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 3/4 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

1/4 teaspoon salt

For Honey Cayenne Whipped Cream:

1 cup (8 ounces) whipping cream

1/4 cup confectioners sugar

3-4 tablespoons honey

a pinch of cayenne pepper

Special equipment: 2-quart soufflé dish or round ceramic casserole dish

Make Caramel:

1. Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Heat soufflé dish in oven while making caramel.

2. Cook 1 cup sugar in a dry 2-quart saucepan over moderate heat, undisturbed, until it begins to melt. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally with a fork, until sugar melts into a deep golden caramel. Wearing oven mitts, remove hot dish from oven and immediately pour caramel into dish, tilting it to cover bottom and side. (Leave oven on.) Keep tilting as caramel cools and thickens enough to coat, then let harden.

Make Flan:

3. Bring cream and milk to a bare simmer in a 2-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat, then remove from heat. Whisk together whole eggs, yolk, and remaining cup sugar in a large bowl until combined well, then whisk in pumpkin, vanilla, spices, and salt until combined well. Add hot cream mixture in a slow stream, whisking.

4. Pour custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, scraping with a rubber spatula to force through, and stir to combine well. Pour custard over caramel in dish, then bake in a water bath until flan is golden brown on top and a knife inserted in center comes out clean, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Remove dish from water bath and transfer to a rack to cool. Chill flan, covered, until cold, at least 6 hours.

To serve Flan:

Run a think knife between flan and side of dish to loosen. Shake dish gently from side to side and, when flan moves freely in dish, invert a large platter with a lip over dish. Holding dish and platter securely together, quickly invert and turn out flan onto platter. (Caramel will pour out over and around flan.)

Make Whipped Cream:

5. Using an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat cream, sugar, honey, and cayenne on medium-high for about 2 minutes or until stiff peaks form. Add more honey for taste. Keep refrigerated in an airtight container.

Ganache-stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies

2009-09-09T14:12:00.000-07:00

Oh my lord, I've had a serious hankering for chocolate chip cookies for like... EVER!

I finally got off my sweaty bum and made some chocolate chip sandwiches after dark. Who in their right mind would bake in this LA heat midday? For goodness sakes I practically have to bathe in deodorant just to keep from sweating while standing still. Oh but luscious luscious was this end of the day dessert. And of course I had a sandwich (or two) for breakfast this morning.

These are pretty decadent. I know that word gets thrown around excessively amongst food bloggers, but really now, with ganache stuffed between two chocolate chip pecan cookies, what else would it be? And furthermore (dot dot dot) the ganache is made with hearty dollops of créme fraîche. Panting now aren't you?

The cookie recipe itself is a pretty good one. Not dry, pretty chewy, and with the right amount of chocolate chips and nuts. I did find it slightly salty, but it seems to work to its advantage since the ganache is, well, sweet. The cookies are the Ying to the ganache's Yang. I think I've sang these cookie sandwiches praises enough. I shall now adjourn in my ravings.

Ganache-stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies

Adapted from Food & Wine Magazine, September 2009

For Cookies

1 cup pecans (walnuts, almonds, or your favorite nuts)

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 stick unsalted butter (4 oz), at room temperature

1/2 cup packed brown sugar (light or dark)

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 large egg

1 cup semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips

For Ganache

4 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips

5 tablespoons heavy cream

2 1/2 tablespoons light corn syrup

2 tablespoons créme fraîche

1. MAKE THE COOKIES: Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spread nuts on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and toast for 8 minutes; let cool, then chop.

2. In a bowl, mix flour, baking soda and salt. In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle (or using a handheld mixer), cream butter with the sugars and vanilla at medium speed, about 1 minute. Beat in the egg. With the mixer at low speed, beat in the nuts and chocolate chips. Spoon level tablespoons of the dough onto 2 baking lined with parchment paper, about 2 inches apart. Refrigerate for 30 minutes, until firm.

3. MAKE THE GANACHE: Put chocolate in a small bowl. In a saucepan, bring cream and corn syrup to a boil; pour over chocolate and let stand for 1 minute. Whisk until smooth. Whisk in créme fraîche. Refrigerate ganache, stirring occasionally, until thick and spreadable, 1 hour.

4. Bake cookies for 12 minutes, until golden; let cool on the sheets for 2 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.

5. Sandwich the chocolate-chip cookies with the ganache and serve. Keeps in an airtight container for 4-5 days.

Fig, Almond, and Lavender Tart

2009-09-02T10:31:00.000-07:00

I've had my share of Fig Newtons as a young scootabaker... I do eat almonds regularly... my laundry, dish, and bath soaps are Lavender scented, however, I haven't the brilliance to marry such flavors and create with it a dessert. But you know who does?! The French! I know! They so know what they're doing, (Still kicking myself for not taking that culinary class while in Paris).

Fig, Almond, and Lavender mingle together in this extraordinary flavor and texture parade.

Fig and lavender are new flavors to me, and this tart is so very gourmet. I like saying that, Gooouuurmeeet.

It's a bit time consuming and is made with seasonal ingredients. Though, I'm really happy to be challenging myself with such unfamiliar pickings. A special, fabulous, and awesome reader, Tiffany, shared this recipe with me and also suggested this tart best accompanies a cold, dry Riesling. When it comes to wine suggestions, I concur with everything. I don't discriminate, I just drink.

So, in closing, if you're looking to reboot your palate, this is worth your trying. Figgy, florally, and with a mealy texture, it's anything but a classic American dessert. It's Provençal. That's French for Provençal! *snork

Fig, Almond, and Lavender Tart

Adapted from French Gardening, 2005

Courtesy Tiffany Boyd

Makes 1 - 9 inch tart

For pastry:

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

10 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold

pinch of salt

ice water

For almond filling:

2 cups almonds, blanched

2 teaspoons lavender honey, or other mild floral honey

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon dried lavender flowers

1 large egg

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

1 1/2 - 2 pounds perfectly ripe black figs, cut lengthwise in quarters

2-3 tablespoons sugar

To finish:

2 tablespoons lavender honey, gently warmed until liquid

lavender flowers or fresh lavender sprigs for garnish

1. Mix flour and salt in a bowl, cut cold butter into small 1/4 inch pieces and blend altogether with a fork, moistening with a minimal amount of ice water until you can gather the dough into a ball. Shape it into a flattened round, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate at least 2 hours. Roll out and line a 9 inch tart pan with removable bottom, prick all over with a fork, and place in freezer for at least half an hour. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Remove crust from freezer, line dough with foil, and fill with dried beans or baking weights (holds dough down from bubbling up during baking). Bake for 15-20 minutes, just until the borders turn pale gold. Remove from oven, remove weights and foil, and set aside.

2. Set oven to 375 degrees F. Pulverize the almonds with sugar in a food processor. Add honey, lavender flowers, egg, and almond extract, pulsing until mixed. Delicately spread the mixture over prebaked pastry shell.

3. Arrange fig quarters cut side up in concentric, slightly overlapping circles. Sprinkle with 2-3 tablespoons sugar. Bake for approximately 30 minutes, until the figs are visibly cooked, slightly darkened, and oozing a bit of juice. Remove from oven, and drizzle evenly with the warmed lavender honey. Sprinkle with additional lavender flower, if desired. Serve with homemade vanilla ice cream.

Baby Pecan Pie bites & Blueberry tartlets w/ lemon ganache

2009-08-26T08:35:00.000-07:00

Yet another Scootabaker delivery via the pretty yellow scoot (I call her my "hog"). This batch of homemade sugar delicacies was for a very special client. I cannot say who just yet, haven't been given the OK to divulge "said" name, but it's a big one and it means big things for the Scootabaker, hence the pending website! Holy Crap I'm gonna be a star! Or so I wish as much. But my mom always calls me her Rockstar. It kinda makes me feel uncomfortable because what if I really become a star, what is she gonna call me then? Her President? Her Dalai Lama? I don't wish for famedom, just enviability. On the baking front of course.

Ok, so the point is, this is a big client I delivered a sample platter to. I'll be catering for the "VIP" tables and dessert bar at "said" client's Hollywood event in October. Just how Hollywood is it? Let's just say they cut the guest list to 900 people this year. Yeah I know, that's "cutting down"?

The Baby Pecan Pie Bites and Blueberry Tartlets with Lemon Ganache are variations on a couple of the items I'll be making for the event. The rest is a secret until then!

Lemon Drop Martini Cake

2009-08-20T15:58:00.000-07:00

Oh that's right folks, another cake post!

What, you're tired of cake? Cake cake cake cake! I have some pretty fantastic cakes uh-comin'. It's birthday season that's for sure. And this one was created upon special request - a Lemon Drop Martini Cake. And why the "Martini" you ask... it's authentically a Lemon Drop Cake with the addition of vodka, triple sec, and fresh lemon juice and made complete with sugared lemon slices. Just like the real thing!

I wasn't exactly sure at what step I was going to incorporate the booze, but by golly it was going into that cake somehow somewhere! In order to preserve the full 'essence' of the liquor, I avoided adding it to the cake batter because it would just burn off. What's the point in that?? So, I added a couple teaspoons of vodka and triple sec to the buttercream which was already a superbly light and fluffy Swiss Meringue Buttercream.

The cake layers were made with the zest and juice of an organic lemon.

A generous layer of freshmade lemon curd was spread between each cake layer, and the cake frosted and topped with sugared lemon slices.

It was quite possibly the best cake I've made yet.

*Martini photo courtesy thebar.com

Mixed Berry Galette with Lemon Whipped Cream

2009-08-12T10:04:00.000-07:00

People often ask me what's my specialty, what do I bake better than anyone else. I know "Everything" isn't the most appropriate answer, but I like to think I bake everything better than everyone. *snork

I know such is not true, but I have to trick myself into believing I'm a capable baker since I am competing with a lot of other L.A. bakers and bakeries for face time. So as I'm developing my skills, I have found that tarts, galettes, and cakes are what I do do best. Cupcakes wiggle themselves into that list too, but EVERYONE and their mom can make cupcakes, so it's not much of a shocker.

What I must stress is that I use only all-natural ingredients. I even buy organic when there is the option to. Because I have the resources available to me, I believe there is no reason not to buy the freshest ingredients. The Sunday morning farmers market in Hollywood is huge and offers produce cheaper than the grocery store. It's almost like going to the carnival every week where I can sip on a cup of fresh watermelon juice while perusing through the 10,ooo kinds of avocados for sale. Me and fresh fruit are like bestfriends!

My Mixed Berry Galette is much like the Blueberry and Lemon Galette I made a while back. You can find that recipe here.

Simply add your favorite fruit into the mix. The butter, sugar, and cinnamon can be omitted if using sweeter fruits such as strawberries, raspberries, or peaches. Adding fresh lemon juice does the job perfectly!

To make Lemon Whipped Cream

8 ounces heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup confectioners sugar
1 lemon zested & juiced

1. With the whisk attachment on an electric mixer, whisk cream, sugar, lemon zest and juice on medium-high for about 2 minutes or until whipped cream forms stiff peaks. Keeps in an air-tight container in the freezer. Defrost before scooping.

The Big Bad Wedding Cake

2009-08-04T16:52:00.000-07:00

I made my very first wedding cake folks! Are you proud of me? Cause I'm pretty proud of me for actually getting through it all without breaking down sobbing from the sheer terror that was the whole task. I should first tell you that the bride, my beautiful gal pal Abby, requested a three tier vanilla cake with strawberry filling and vanilla frosting all to be covered in fondant. Here is what actually played out...

I had just about a whole year to prepare for this cake, I mean, Abby and Rafael were engaged in November '08 and they planned for an August '09 wedding. So you see, I had a whole lot of time to take cake classes, practice building cakes, etc., etc. But what did I actually do to prepare?... Nothing! *hmmp Should I tell you the details of the week leading up to the wedding day, or just have you browse through the photo montage that is a complete documentary of the event?

MONTAGE!

Put the popcorn in the microwave, this is gonna be a long one!

It was all A-MAZING! Utterly rewarding.

I've never worked with fondant, nor have I built a tiered cake before. But I created a 4 tier cake and 2 huge sheet cakes for a reception hall of 250 guests! The cake was nothing short of a success with everyone. Word has it the Maid of Honor ate a tier of her own that evening. Hey, not to pat myself on the back, but I'd have to say that's a pretty huge compliment considering she's half the size of a silver dollar. Maybe I should consider cracking into the wedding cake biz? Eh, I don't think transporting tiered cakes on my scooter is a smart business strategy.

Speaking of scooters! my friend Sylvia over at A Baked Creation was way WAY awesome to make a yellow scooter hummingbird cupcake in honor of yours truly! She's got mad fondant skills, and I could definitely learn a thing or two from her! Thanks S! You rock!

Rich Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Buttercream

2009-07-31T09:25:00.000-07:00

It's been an emotional roller-coaster of cakes this week, and the baking isn't nearly over. I started the week off building a red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting, hell yeah!... the week continued with the building of a chocolate cake with chocolate buttercream, double hell yeah!... and the week will wrap up with the baking and building of my pals Abby & Rafael's 4 tiered wedding cake, a full post on that crazy process to come!

I love a truly deep chocolate cake, not necessarily sweet, just rich in flavor, and I discovered that coffee is the key to achieving that full flavor. It's kind of like adding salt to your baking, it intensifies the flavor of the sweet and cocoa-ness. Bon Appétit has a similar recipe, however I would suggest reducing the 4 teaspoons of espresso powder to 1 teaspoon of instant coffee granules. We're not looking for a coffee flavor, just a super slight hint if anything at all.

My go-to chocolate buttercream frosting is the best, yes I can say that with confidence - the best! The key to a great chocolate buttercream with any recipe you use is high quality semi-sweet or even dark chocolate (nothing higher than 70% or it will burn before it tempers). Melt your chocolate, let it cool off before adding it to the butter, and mix. Cocoa powder, in my unprofessional opinion, is a cop-out. If you want it good, use good stuff. It's as simple as that. And when you're building your chocolate cake, be sure to follow the steps I've detailed in "Cake Building Tips Part Deux." (That's me getting all French and fancy on you!)

Upon request...
The Scootabaker's Chocolate Buttercream
(I use this to build and frost a 6" cake, but this recipe should frost about 36+ cupcakes depending on how much buttercream you like on your cupcakes. This can also be halved!)

20 ounces unsalted butter, softened

24 ounces confectioners sugar, sifted
18 ounces Belgian chocolate (high quality like Callebaut is even better), chopped, melted & cooled
2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon instant coffee granules

1. Mix coffee granules w/ vanilla and whipping cream until coffee is disolved. Set aside.
2. Beat butter until smooth, about a minute on high. Add sugar, beat on low then on high for about 2 minutes or until fluffy. Add coffee mix, and beat on low then high for another 2 minutes. Without scraping bowl down, pour melted chocolate over buttercream. Beat until just incorporated. Scrape down sides of bowl and beat on high for 10 seconds. You're done!

*Of course, for a super fluffy consistency, continue to beat buttercream for an additional minute on high. Be sure to hand whip the buttercream before applying it to your cake! This smooths the buttercream and releases excess air bubbles!

Cake Building Tips Part Deux: How to build a 3 layer cake

2009-07-25T19:11:00.000-07:00

Whether it has 2 layers or 10, building a cake is no easy feat. There are definitely tools out there that aid in your efforts, but there are also some basic know-hows you need under your belt before the cake creations commence. For the aspiring baker in you, this is Cake Building Tips, Part Deux...

Tools you'll need:

cake turntable (If you don't have a cake turntable, use a round plate on a smooth, grip-free surface and slowly turn plate to achieve a similar rotation)
offset spatula
bench scraper
serrated knife
piping bag & piping tip(s)
pastry brush
cardboard cake board
parchment paper

A standard 6 inch cake feeds about 4-8 people, but for those counting calories it's more like 8-12 peeps. For this session I chose to build a 3 layer red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting. Each layer, prior to baking, weighed out at 10 ounces each. So the resulting layers after baking came to approx. 2 inches thick.

Step 1: Create a leveled layer using a serrated knife. Do this for each cake layer and set aside.

Step 2: Using a round cardboard cake board 2 inches larger in diameter than your cake layers (e.g. a 6-inch cake needs an 8-inch cake board), add a dollop of frosting in the center and cover with a decorative cake doily. Add another dollop of frosting in the middle and place your first cake layer centered onto the doily. The frosting holds both the doily and the cake in place on the cake board and keeps it from sliding around when decorating. Cut 4- 3 x 8 inch strips of parchment paper and nestle them underneath the edges of the first cake layer. This acts as your drop mat for the excess frosting.

Step 3: A little baker's trick - lightly brush simple syrup on each cake layer before frosting. Simple syrup is used to keep cake layers moist for long periods. To make simple syrup, boil equal parts sugar and water in a saucepan on low heat until the sugar dissolves completely.

Step 4: With a spatula, whip your frosting to release excess air bubbles and smooth out the frosting. Drop a large dollop of frosting on the first layer and with an offset spatula, gently spread an even layer of frosting across top. You can allow excess frosting to spill over sides, you will use this to crumb-coat later. Add more frosting until you spread about a 1/4 inch layer on top.

Step 5: With the second layer, center over first layer, and with your hand firmly press down on cake to release trapped bubbles and settle the second layer into place. Brush with simple syrup and repeat step 4.

Step 6: With the last cake layer, brush simple syrup on the cut side then turn upside and place on top of the frosted second layer, pressing down with your hand once more to set layer into place. Bend down to check that the top of the cake is level with the cake stand. Press and move layers around if uneven.

Step 7: Using a medium dollop of frosting as well as using the excess frosting that has spilled out between the cake layers, with the bench scraper spread a thin crumb-coat over the sides and then the top of the cake. Return excess frosting to the frosting bowl. Make sure to fill any gaps with frosting or the trapped air will make the frosting "burp" when you're all done with the cake. Remove cake from turntable and place in the refrigerator or freezer until the frosting has firmed up, approx. 10- 15 minutes. The purpose of a crumb-coat is to create a "crumb-free" base for frosting your cake. Think primer!

Step 8: Remove crumb-coated cake from refrigerator. Using an offset spatula, add dollops of frosting to the sides of the cake and then to the top. Be generous with the frosting since a lot will be removed when smoothing the sides and top out. Once entire cake is covered in frosting, hold the bench scraper gently against side of cake. Rotate turntable while holding spatula in place. Once sides are smoothed finish smoothing top of cake. Take the bench scraper and pull frosting in from the edge of the cake toward the center. Just like smoothing the sides of the cake, firmly but gently position the bench scraper at a tilt with one tip of the scraper positioned in the center. Hold that center spot and rotate the turntable until a smooth and even layer is achieved. Return excess frosting back to the frosting bowl.

Step 9: Gently pull out the parchment liners from underneath the first cake layer and pipe borders on the top and bottom edges of the cake.

Refrigerate cake or keep in a cool place if not serving immediately. Cake keeps for up to 4 days.

Frosting-filled Chocolate Cupcakes

2009-07-21T12:21:00.000-07:00

I was thinking that maybe I should have a signature cupcake, you know, a decorating style to call my own. However, this could put me in the awkward position of infringing on someone else's brilliant idea, even without my ever knowing. But since we're just talking cupcakes, and by golly it's friggin' cupcakes!... there is plenty of room to share the wealth of creativity in the cupcake-o-sphere.

So let's just pretend I had a signature "Scootabaker Cupcake," it would have to be the Frosting-filled Cupcake. Here's what you do to make 'em: Prepare any cupcake recipe and any frosting or buttercream recipe; using a small heart-shaped cookie cutter, carve out the center; and with a pastry bag, fill the cupcake center with your frosting of choice. I made mint buttercream tinted a retro pink and green to fill my chocolate cupcakes with. I took a basic vanilla buttercream and added mint extract in 1/8 teaspoon increments until I achieved that perfect mintyness.

I found frosting my cupcakes this way to be the perfect solution to melty or smooshed frosting on hot summer days. Plus, there is less cupcake and more frosting to eat! Cause who ever eats a cupcake just for the cupcake and not for the frosting? What? That's just me? Oh.