Weekly Cooking (and related issues) Thread

[Jamestown1630]

I didn't have time to cook much in recent days, but did have time to peruse the web now and then; and I found a couple of fancy cakes that provide a lot of visual 'bang' but don't look too difficult to make. Either might be very nice for Mother's Day.

I've always been attracted to the fondant- and marzipan-covered cakes, but never attempted one. This one from 'Gemma's Bigger Bolder Baking' looks very easy, and the technique for the rose decoration is ingenious (there's a video, and all the recipes are linked in the blog post):

http://www.biggerbolderbaking.com/painted-cake/

Another beautiful, somewhat more complicated cake with rich fillings, is the Swedish Princess Cake:

This cake became popular after it was featured in a 1948 cookbook written by a teacher to the three daughters of a Swedish prince - hence its name. If you do a google image search on 'Swedish Princess Cake', you'll see many different ways of decorating it; and you'll notice that it is almost always a pastel green. This recipe from the 'Baking Obsession' website looks classic and clear:

http://www.bakingobsession.com/2009/02/24/swedish-princess-cake/

-JT

[Jamestown1630]

It has all kinds of stuff in it; and an interesting mid-20th century history:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sky_Bar

-JT

[Twotone]

That’s funny! If they put all those layers together they would pretty much have a Snickers Bar!

[Jamestown1630]

I love the concept and look of candied flowers on cakes; I just don’t like the taste.

Last year, a friend from India came back from travels with ‘Turkish Delight’; we were intrigued, because we’d seen so many references to it in old English stories. But it was horrible! - it was made with rosewater, and tasted exactly like eating a rose.

Maybe violets are different - but that Turkish Delight sorta queered me on eating flower-stuff ;-)

-JT

[Jamestown1630]

When I was a kid, my Father would give me a tip to ride my bike down to the convenience store on Sunday, and buy him a newspaper. I always spent some of my ‘earnings’ on a Zero bar; it was my favorite, back then. I think they still make them, but I haven’t seen one in in the stores in ages:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZERO_bar

-JT

[leaning conservative]

That is a visually beautiful cake. One of my mother’s good friends does a theme cake for each lady’s birthday. She did a Day of the Dead cake for my mom last month. A few summers ago I was there for a birthday & she gave me a huge slice w/ thick fondant. I wanted to be polite, but I fought off projectile vomiting w/ every bite.

To this day fondant horrifies me! I love marzipan, but haven’t had any in forever ; )

[leaning conservative]

I just mentioned the Skybar to my husband. He screamed, “Necco! Those are soon good.!” I have never heard of them. I do love Zeros, so sweet your teeth ache after!

[leaning conservative]

I just mentioned the Skybar to my husband. He screamed, “Necco! Those are soon good.!” I have never heard of them. I do love Zeros, so sweet your teeth ache after!

[leaning conservative]

So, not soon

[Jamestown1630]

My MIL loves those Necco ‘coin’ candies, that are sort of licorice-y. We get them for her from the Vermont Country Store, which still has a lot of the old candies:

http://www.vermontcountrystore.com/store/jump/Candy/Candy/100622

My favorite from them has always been the Vermont Maple Leaf candies; would love to have an approximate recipe.

-JT

[Jamestown1630]

I think any cake that calls for fondant covering could be made with marzipan instead.

-JT

[greeneyes]

I am on low carb diabetic diet myself (dr.’s orders)but she didn’t say I was pre-diabetic. I need to lose weight to bring down blood pressure.

I don’t lose unless I keep carbs at <50g.

Seeing these pictures of cakes, has made me very very hungry for Red Velvet Cake or even a hostess chocolate crème filled cupcake, or almost any other cake you can mention and a huge glass of milk to wash it down. sigh.

[Liz]

Looking at the nostalgia candy posts, I came across a recipe for these. They taste great but don't have the same dark red color of the original.

Remember Brach's French Burnt Peanuts?

METHOD Cook/stir on med-high heat til moisture evaporates 1 1/2 c br/sugar, 1/2 c water, 2 cs dry roasted peanuts, 6 drops red food coloring.

This takes long. Careful at the end....if all the liquid evaporates, the remaining sugar will burn.

Now spread out on parchmented sheetpan. Bake 250 deg 45 min, stir/breakup large clumps every 15 min. Let cool completely. Store air-tight up to 10 days.

[Jamestown1630]

Those Atkins bars are pretty good if you get a real need for something sweet on a low carb diet; but after you’ve been on the diet for awhile, they seem horribly, sickly sweet.

-JT

[pax_et_bonum]

Thank you!

I can’t wait to make it!

[kalee]

I adore Turkish Delight. It was my favorite thing in the Christmas parcels we received from friends in England when I was a child. As an adult I found they also make a chocolate covered variety. Oh my, gilding the lily!!!!!
I also love marzipan and fondant.

[kalee]

I liked Milkshake candy bars. I think they were made by the company that made Zero bars. I haven’t seen either in many years.

[txnativegop]

I understand your feelings completely.

[Liz]

Nostalgia candy web site.

http://www.candyfavorites.com/old-fashioned-retro-candy?utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Generic%20Keywords&utm_term=%2Bretro%20%2Bcandy&utm_content=Retro%20Candy

FROM THE WEB SITE: Some of the best conversations begin with the question, “Do you remember?” Do you remember saving our nickels to get candy necklaces at the drug store? Do you remember that candy jar with cinnamon bears that Nana always had on the counter? Do you remember how much Dad loved Zero Bars?

[Ellendra]

When my nephew was about to turn 4, he asked for a birthday cake “with lots of fruit!” Mom started with a pineapple upside-down cake, then topped it with all kinds of fruit. Strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, kiwi, and starfruit were the main ones.

About 2 years ago, I discovered that when starfruit is at the right stage of ripeness, it’s actually very sweet. We’d always found it when it was green and woody. So now, I watch for ripe starfruit, and can them up in a light syrup so they’ll be ready for topping cakes with.

[leaning conservative]

I had to get a few chocolates for my mom’s mother’s day package. They had zeros so I bought one. Can’t wait for my sweetie to have his first taste! I never would have bought one if not for your thread!