Here's the cake...and tomorrow I'll show you the adorable cookies that went with it!
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| 6" tier: chocolate with vanilla butter cream 8" tier lemon with vanilla butter cream fonant and gum paste details |
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Babies!
It's been a full and wonderful day! My good friend Katie won my facebook promo, and got her shower cake for 50% off...speaking of facebook - have you liked Bake Lore on facebook yet?? Go on...do it...I'll be here when you get back...
Here's the cake...and tomorrow I'll show you the adorable cookies that went with it!
Here's the cake...and tomorrow I'll show you the adorable cookies that went with it!
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Lessons in Baking
Sourdough is a mysterious thing.
It nourishes. And it teaches.
I don't need to share with you my common tale of woe. Who really cares but me and my God? But there has been real heartbreak in my life this week - hard lessons, dearly learned.
I've cried till my head aches.
And I have spent hours in the kitchen, kneeding bread - cooking, baking - thanking God for something to keep my mind occupied, my hands busy.
Part of my life is feeding my sourdough starter twice a day.
It's a ritual, like having a pet in a jar. I love it, and I care for it. But today...today was the first time I wept over it.
Nothing I can do myself will ever change a bowl of flour and water into something so complexly nourishing that my entire body benefits from it.
I can add flavor, provide optimium conditions, kneed it with tender care and strong hands, but without life, it will always just be a bowl of flour and water.
Life I can't see is swimming in the air around me. I add warm water to a handful of ground up grain and it becomes a sponge that can literally suck up life and feed it.
What goodness! What providence is this?
I can't make a sourdough starter. All I can do is feed what someone else brought to life. And as I contemplated the sorry state of my dashed hopes, I saw myself in that jar of bubbly, living goo.
I realized I am as lifeless and hard as a handful of flour.
Everything I need is hovering around me, but I can't get at it on my own. Not without hot rain, drenching every dry, locked up, stingy corner of me. Then I have the power to pull in that which will break down my hard places and make me soft and lovely.
What kind of lesson did your breakfast teach you this morning?
It nourishes. And it teaches.
I don't need to share with you my common tale of woe. Who really cares but me and my God? But there has been real heartbreak in my life this week - hard lessons, dearly learned.
I've cried till my head aches.
And I have spent hours in the kitchen, kneeding bread - cooking, baking - thanking God for something to keep my mind occupied, my hands busy.
Part of my life is feeding my sourdough starter twice a day.
It's a ritual, like having a pet in a jar. I love it, and I care for it. But today...today was the first time I wept over it.
Nothing I can do myself will ever change a bowl of flour and water into something so complexly nourishing that my entire body benefits from it.
I can add flavor, provide optimium conditions, kneed it with tender care and strong hands, but without life, it will always just be a bowl of flour and water.
Life I can't see is swimming in the air around me. I add warm water to a handful of ground up grain and it becomes a sponge that can literally suck up life and feed it.
What goodness! What providence is this?
I can't make a sourdough starter. All I can do is feed what someone else brought to life. And as I contemplated the sorry state of my dashed hopes, I saw myself in that jar of bubbly, living goo.
I realized I am as lifeless and hard as a handful of flour.
 |
| photo credit |
What kind of lesson did your breakfast teach you this morning?
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
It Shoooore Was Good!
There are so many reasons why I need a real bakery - and this week the list has grown...a lot.
I have so much baking to do, I'm up soaking bread at midnight and turning the oven on before my coffee is done in the morning. It's a good thing - my oven might tell you differently. In fact, I'm pretty sure I saw it glaring at me when I put the fourth batch of sourdough in the other night. But I digress.
My oven's growing resentment is none of our concern! Today, I have another review to share with you - from my friend who now has her MBA...and the student loans to go with it! (The cake she ordered and the ensuing sugar high is definitely helping her cope though, I'm sure of it.)
Here's what she had to say about her cake:
Amy made a lemon cake with buttercream icing to help us celebrate me completing grad school. I told her to decorate it however she wanted, and she came up with a design she knew I'd love and in my favorite colors (pink). My husband and I couldn't decide which part of the cake we liked best. He preferred the buttercream icing, whereas I loved the rich lemon flavor in the cake. Amy did a great job with this cake order, and I'm so glad she was able to play a role in our celebration.
And she also ordered a loaf of my whole wheat bread! Here's what she had to say about that:
My husband and I aren't huge bread people. A loaf of bread goes bad well before we can start to make a dent in it, actually. But, after hearing Amy talk about her bread and baking methods, I was curious enough to buy. It was wonderful. I think I liked it more than the cake Amy made for me...which, who likes bread more than cake?! What I appreciated most was that the bread was moist, even after it had been toasted. Our loaf is actually almost gone -- after just a few days -- so I'll definitely be needing more again soon.
I have so much baking to do, I'm up soaking bread at midnight and turning the oven on before my coffee is done in the morning. It's a good thing - my oven might tell you differently. In fact, I'm pretty sure I saw it glaring at me when I put the fourth batch of sourdough in the other night. But I digress.
My oven's growing resentment is none of our concern! Today, I have another review to share with you - from my friend who now has her MBA...and the student loans to go with it! (The cake she ordered and the ensuing sugar high is definitely helping her cope though, I'm sure of it.)
Here's what she had to say about her cake:
Amy made a lemon cake with buttercream icing to help us celebrate me completing grad school. I told her to decorate it however she wanted, and she came up with a design she knew I'd love and in my favorite colors (pink). My husband and I couldn't decide which part of the cake we liked best. He preferred the buttercream icing, whereas I loved the rich lemon flavor in the cake. Amy did a great job with this cake order, and I'm so glad she was able to play a role in our celebration.
And she also ordered a loaf of my whole wheat bread! Here's what she had to say about that:
My husband and I aren't huge bread people. A loaf of bread goes bad well before we can start to make a dent in it, actually. But, after hearing Amy talk about her bread and baking methods, I was curious enough to buy. It was wonderful. I think I liked it more than the cake Amy made for me...which, who likes bread more than cake?! What I appreciated most was that the bread was moist, even after it had been toasted. Our loaf is actually almost gone -- after just a few days -- so I'll definitely be needing more again soon.
 |
| Top: Whole Wheat (soaked of course!) Middle: Whole Wheat Sourdough Loaf Bottom: Whole Wheat Sourdough Baguettes |
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| Wish you could have smelled it!!! |
Friday, August 5, 2011
Thank you for Calling Bake Lore...Please Hold...
Dang!
Things is busy, kids!
I frankly...cannot believe it.
The past two weeks have been nothing but calls and emails and orders and appointments. I have been so busy baking, I haven't had a spare moment to update the old blog - apologies - but, if you are one of the many people who have recently called me to bake something, I totally blame you:). Thank you.
My current projects are - many and varied - but the one that is really challenging me right now is this one:
Recognize that?
No?
Well, you may need to brush up on your African geography. THAT, my friends, is Zambia! It's a whole African country, and bunch of Hoosiers are heading there in the not so distant future for a mission trip. Cool!
To celebrate that, they have commissioned yours truly to make this beast of a gerrymander out of cake. We're doing West Zambia in yellow cake - - yellow cake always makes me snicker a little, cuz I'm a nerd - - and West Zambia in chocolate, and covering the whole thing in delicious Bake Lore buttercream. So, the above shape, with the below color/decoration:
That, of course, is the flag - and, hey, does anyone know the Zambian national anthem? It would really get me in the spirit of things I think.
Keep checking in to see my progress. It's gonna be great!
***Post Posting Post***
I found the national anthem!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvB1aNJn53M
Things is busy, kids!
I frankly...cannot believe it.
The past two weeks have been nothing but calls and emails and orders and appointments. I have been so busy baking, I haven't had a spare moment to update the old blog - apologies - but, if you are one of the many people who have recently called me to bake something, I totally blame you:). Thank you.
My current projects are - many and varied - but the one that is really challenging me right now is this one:
No?
Well, you may need to brush up on your African geography. THAT, my friends, is Zambia! It's a whole African country, and bunch of Hoosiers are heading there in the not so distant future for a mission trip. Cool!
To celebrate that, they have commissioned yours truly to make this beast of a gerrymander out of cake. We're doing West Zambia in yellow cake - - yellow cake always makes me snicker a little, cuz I'm a nerd - - and West Zambia in chocolate, and covering the whole thing in delicious Bake Lore buttercream. So, the above shape, with the below color/decoration:
That, of course, is the flag - and, hey, does anyone know the Zambian national anthem? It would really get me in the spirit of things I think.
Keep checking in to see my progress. It's gonna be great!
***Post Posting Post***
I found the national anthem!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvB1aNJn53M
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Ladyfingers
I've discovered something profoundly wonderful...the springy, lightness that is the ladyfinger.
Man oh man...I'm in love.
No wonder so many recipes call for them - they are the cakey part of tiramisu and a million other confections we all know and love.
I tried my hand at these today, and let me tell you, they are now a staple. Price is to be determined - but there's no question you'll love them. Mmmmmmelt in your mouth goodness.
Now...where's my can of nutella????
Man oh man...I'm in love.
No wonder so many recipes call for them - they are the cakey part of tiramisu and a million other confections we all know and love.
I tried my hand at these today, and let me tell you, they are now a staple. Price is to be determined - but there's no question you'll love them. Mmmmmmelt in your mouth goodness.
Now...where's my can of nutella????
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| Fresh and light! Ladyfingers...I have NO idea what happened to the two that are missing on the second tray...really...no idea...*whistling* |
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| Someone needs to give the photographer a lesson...gee whiz. |
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
It's Training Season...So They Tell Me...
I'm in the middle of a number of cake projects - and even one enormous cookie project! And I can't wait to share those with you.
But until I am finished, I wanted to show you a Bake Lore archive cake - in the spirit of all the pro football training camps going on across the country.
I am no football fan, but I do make a darn good football cake. If you are a Colts fan, my apologies, or Bears or Green Bay or whatever - - this is a cake I made for a Steelers fan. I hope you enjoy!
This one was made up of:
10" tier: Chocolate cake, vanilla butter cream
6" tier: White cake, vanilla butter cream
Fondant icing, royal icing piping and gumpaste cut outs
But until I am finished, I wanted to show you a Bake Lore archive cake - in the spirit of all the pro football training camps going on across the country.
I am no football fan, but I do make a darn good football cake. If you are a Colts fan, my apologies, or Bears or Green Bay or whatever - - this is a cake I made for a Steelers fan. I hope you enjoy!
 |
| Logo is in gum paste with piped royal icing |
 |
| Oh yes...that's the Terrible Towel...in gum paste, of course! |
10" tier: Chocolate cake, vanilla butter cream
6" tier: White cake, vanilla butter cream
Fondant icing, royal icing piping and gumpaste cut outs
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Whole Grains: How to Love Them, Big Finish
It's Tuesday - the day I try to write about things I'm grateful for. And today, I'm going to combine my gratitude with my final installment of my series on Whole Grains: How to Love Them.
The more I learn about real food and whole grains, the more grateful I am to the Maker for supplying us with such rich and nourishing food. The more I learn about how to unlock it and really USE it in my own diet, that gratitude just grows. I am so thankful for bread - especially for sourdough - but I am a lover of breads of all kinds.
So here's to whole grains and creating the most nourishing bread we can...
This is my short, sweet, totally non-exhaustive list of reasons why the soaking method of preparing whole grains is so, so good for us.
1. It makes whole grains taste better. That's right, soaking whole grains in an acid medium - be it lemon juice, vinegar, whey or buttermilk - breaks down not only phytates that can be harmful, it also makes whole wheat flour a lot more tender and delicious. Sometimes we shy away from whole grains because they taste too...healthy. But I've found the soaking process can create baked goods that make you forget you're eating so well. I'm fooling a toddler regularly - and that should speak VOLUMES to the great results of this process.
2. Nutrition - yes, yes...maybe this is a repeat of something I said in past posts, but it bears repeating. Soaking whole grains, whether for cookies or cake or waffles, breaks down those harmful phytates and allows our bodies to access all the good things in whole grains. If you want to know more about phytates and how they can block vitamins and minerals in our bodies, just go catch up on the first few posts in this series...here, here, here and...here.
3. Digestion - the soaking process makes it so much easier on your gut! I'm not saying this method will suddenly end your fight with chronic bowel problems, but I'm here to tell you, when I'm eating only soaked or sprouted grains, I FEEL better. And I have a sensitive system - nuff said. The phytic content of whole grains makes your gut work really, really hard, producing enzymes it shouldn't have to to break down something it can't. It's a lot of work - and no, it's not a good thing. It's not about burning more calories in digestion. It's about keeping your gut in balance and not feeding your body things it can't process.
4. Disease prevention - I've said before, a little phytic acid is a good thing! But it goes a long way. It blocks mineral absorbtion, and so the nutrition you think you're getting - to prevent cancer or nine million other ugly modern diseases - is just not getting through. Soaking (and sprouting) ups your absorbtion of iron, niacin, zinc...a TON. And those are the tools your body uses to keep you healthy and prevent disease.
Those are the big four reasons in my book. I'm sure there are more...I know there are more...but for me, this little list keeps me coming back to my kitchen to soak, rise and bake.
I hope maybe you'll try some Bake Lore bread sometime! There are so many reasons to love it!
Join us for Gratituesday at Heavenly Homemakers!
The more I learn about real food and whole grains, the more grateful I am to the Maker for supplying us with such rich and nourishing food. The more I learn about how to unlock it and really USE it in my own diet, that gratitude just grows. I am so thankful for bread - especially for sourdough - but I am a lover of breads of all kinds.
So here's to whole grains and creating the most nourishing bread we can...
This is my short, sweet, totally non-exhaustive list of reasons why the soaking method of preparing whole grains is so, so good for us.
1. It makes whole grains taste better. That's right, soaking whole grains in an acid medium - be it lemon juice, vinegar, whey or buttermilk - breaks down not only phytates that can be harmful, it also makes whole wheat flour a lot more tender and delicious. Sometimes we shy away from whole grains because they taste too...healthy. But I've found the soaking process can create baked goods that make you forget you're eating so well. I'm fooling a toddler regularly - and that should speak VOLUMES to the great results of this process.
2. Nutrition - yes, yes...maybe this is a repeat of something I said in past posts, but it bears repeating. Soaking whole grains, whether for cookies or cake or waffles, breaks down those harmful phytates and allows our bodies to access all the good things in whole grains. If you want to know more about phytates and how they can block vitamins and minerals in our bodies, just go catch up on the first few posts in this series...here, here, here and...here.
3. Digestion - the soaking process makes it so much easier on your gut! I'm not saying this method will suddenly end your fight with chronic bowel problems, but I'm here to tell you, when I'm eating only soaked or sprouted grains, I FEEL better. And I have a sensitive system - nuff said. The phytic content of whole grains makes your gut work really, really hard, producing enzymes it shouldn't have to to break down something it can't. It's a lot of work - and no, it's not a good thing. It's not about burning more calories in digestion. It's about keeping your gut in balance and not feeding your body things it can't process.
4. Disease prevention - I've said before, a little phytic acid is a good thing! But it goes a long way. It blocks mineral absorbtion, and so the nutrition you think you're getting - to prevent cancer or nine million other ugly modern diseases - is just not getting through. Soaking (and sprouting) ups your absorbtion of iron, niacin, zinc...a TON. And those are the tools your body uses to keep you healthy and prevent disease.
Those are the big four reasons in my book. I'm sure there are more...I know there are more...but for me, this little list keeps me coming back to my kitchen to soak, rise and bake.
I hope maybe you'll try some Bake Lore bread sometime! There are so many reasons to love it!
Join us for Gratituesday at Heavenly Homemakers!
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