Yes... I am still making cakes, and other things...

Well, it's been a while and I am always forgeting to snap a picture. This one was already in the box, waiting for pickup. This goodness was needed for a retirement afternoon tea. I thought a golden butter cake would be the ticket, and soaked the layers in orange blossom syrup, layered with handmade zesty lemon curd and more fresh raspberries. The delicious goodness looked beautiful a la Miette- style, but thought it needed the vanilla-lemon meringue buttercream to hug the layers then topped them with more raspberries, sugar pearls and sparkling sugar. 

I don't know how many more cake orders I will be taking for a while,  since I am working in a very small kitchen, and my workflow is not what it was or should be. Baking is causing more stress than it should since I love to do it and enjoy all the creativity- just not in this kitchen.
Stay tuned...I still see scones, tarts and cupcakes in my current situation. Yum Yum!

RIPE strawberries don't travel...

Hi, yes, I have been missing in action for about 5 weeks. I was helping family in California.

They are so LUCKY; there are farmer's markets almost everyday where you can buy the fruits and veggies at the peak of freshness! Such is the case of STRAWBERRIES...there are no white shoulders on these babies...and they bruise so easily just from walking home with them to the house. Basically all you need to do is wash and towel them dry, take the stems off and ENJOY! That being said, I made a couple of things with strawberries. This is one- a pâte briseé lined with semisweet chocolate layered with vanilla pastry cream topped with fresh strawberries glazed with red currant jelly. This beauty was dessert, then breakfast!

A few weeks later, another strawberry tart with rhubarb, and then strawberries with some orange zest, Grand Marnier and of course, homemade whipped cream laced with vanilla & orange blossom extract over delicious bakery made sponge cake!!!

So the lesson learned in all of this eating, eat those fruits and veggies from the farmers at the peak of freshness and seasonality! Don't eat those white shoulders since these berries are definitely worth the wait! Now that I'm back on the East Coast, I'm on search of those ripe berries again, and no longer will settle for anything less.

What's your favorite strawberry recipe???