Gingerbread is usually one of those cakes that tastes a lot better than it looks. The dark molasses-colored cake, whether baked in a loaf pan or in another type of cake pan, tends not to be quite as pretty to the eye as, for instance, a brown golden sponge cake. Fortunately, that dark coloring hints at the rich flavor and spices inside every bite of ... Read More »
M-Cups are a very unusual set of measuring cups designed by Fred Studios. These cups have a design inspired by matroyshka dolls, also known as Russian nesting dolls. The traditional dolls – typically made of wood, but here made of food-grade plastic – split in two at the “waist” and open to reveal another, smaller, doll inside. Fred’s M-Cups are shaped like the traditional dolls ... Read More »
When I set out to make Gingerbread Men around the holidays, I have a set of cookie cutters that I use to help me get that classic gingerbread man shape into my cookie dough. Chicago Metallic is making things a little easier with their Gingerbread Man Pan. The nonstick pan bakes six large gingerbread men, streamlining the gingerbread man creation process by eliminating the need ... Read More »
The DoneRight Kitchen Timer is a nifty little gadget that allows you to keep track of everything that you’re cooking and baking in your oven all at the same time. The timer looks like a miniature range and has five different digital timers built into it: one for each of the burners and one for the oven. This design – aside from being cute – ... Read More »
A Bûche de Noël is a cake that is traditionally served around Christmas. It’s a roulade – or jelly roll – type cake – that is frosted with chocolate frosting or ganache and decorated to look like a yule log, complete with meringue marshmallows. They’re fun cakes to prepare and, with all that chocolate and the rather elaborate presentation, they’re always a hit when they’re ... Read More »
When you do a lot of baking, oven mitts and potholders are an everyday tool that is as important as your oven is – especially if you want to get whatever you’re baking out of the oven. While you can use a dishtowel wrapped around your hand, oven mitts give you a better grip and a little more peace of mind when lifting anything out ... Read More »
Specialty kitchen stores are a lot of fun to shop at, but my local grocery store actually has quite the extensive bakeware selection and the prices are very reasonable, which makes it a great place to pick up new basics. So when I needed to replace a loaf pan in my collection, the Baker’s Secret Large Loaf Pan available at the grocery store around the ... Read More »
Generally, whisks that are large and have many, well spread-out wires are the most effective for mixing batters because they can get through the batter to incorporate all of the ingredients quickly and easily. Tovolo’s Better Batter Whisks break this tradition to some degree. The colorful silicone whisks are not large and have relatively few “wires,” but they have an unusual design that combines a ... Read More »
Baking Bites An award winning food and baking blog featuring recipes, tips and more