Chocolate Beet Cake with Cream Cheese Glaze

After several weeks of unusually warm weather, winter has finally arrived in Pittsburgh. That means it’s time to gear up for some much needed baking. The warmth of the oven offers a sense of comfort that can only be appreciated when a dusting of snow swirls across my front lawn. I had a couple of [...]

Chocolate Stout Bundt Cake

Baking this cake was somewhat a departure for me because I’m not a huge fan of super dark beer. However, it was a project for one of my classes and a group of friends who drink stout religiously that inspired me to give it a whirl. Truth be told, I actually baked two versions of [...]

Intern Chocolate Cake

Throughout my professional career, I’ve had the opportunity to mentor and train several interns before they branched off to establish successful careers of their own. Each had their own unique talents from many perspectives including marketing research, journalism, graphic design and business. While some might say interns are nothing more than people to do the [...]

Chicago Bound

This was the blog post I wrote on the plane last night (6/12). The radiant blue sky began to emerge as my plane climbed to a proper cursing altitude through the fluffy white clouds.  Some people hate traveling on planes, but frankly, I love it.  I get the best ideas when I’m in the air.  [...]

Impromptu Dinner Party: Brent & Ty Take Over

After returning home from a wonderful trip in Toronto, the last thing I wanted to do was eat in yet another restaurant.  I craved a home cooked meal and the comfort of relaxing in the backyard, without the annoyance of servers asking us if we were American based on what we ordered.  While trying to [...]

Coconut Raspberry Angel Food Cake

When you’re with someone for awhile, it’s a treat when you learn something new about them.  I was recently experimenting with an angel food cake donut idea that was going to rock my world.  The recipe didn’t turn out as I expected and will need some serious revisions.  In the process, I learned how much [...]

Happy Birthday Chocolate Cake

Happy Birthday to me!  March 2nd is my birthday, and to celebrate, I decided to make a luscious two-tiered chocolate cake.  Now, don’t be fooled by the pictures.  This cake is quite intense, but not overly sweet.  That’s how I like it.  The combination of ingredients are designed to bring out the flavor of the [...]

Coconut Raspberry Cake

Fluffy flakes of snow fell from the heavens outside my kitchen window as the mixer hummed early Saturday morning.  I watched as they danced in the air from the crystal blue sky to the dormant grass of my front lawn.  Each flake seemed to carry a uniquely complex design that was delicately beautiful and pure [...]

The Most Amazing Cake EVER!

Recently, my friend Mary decided to host a small dinner at her house.  I used to frequent these dinners when I lived in Chicago.  Now I must live vicariously through the stories and photos via email.  This time she decided to torment me by sending a picture of the dessert they devoured at the end [...]