This year has been a YEAR already and we’re still a few months away from the dawn of a new one. But this year has also had it’s positive notes – one of which is meeting kindred spirits through baking, both in the activism sphere that allows us to connect and pursue justice and change, and others that focus on bettering our craft and collaborating in new ways that challenge us. We’ve been lucky enough to forge friendships with many new folks, including Erin Creeks of Basil and Beauty who embarked on a food photography journey around the beginning of the shut down and created marvelous dishes, desserts, drinks, smudge…
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Gluten Free Berries and Cream Swiss Roll
We had a great Saturday today, complete with this marvelously-summery gluten free Swiss roll, and a whole spread of other homemade dishes. It was 4th of July today, but instead of celebrating as we have done in years past, we took note of how our country, and all of us in it (especially us white folks) can be better. If you truly love this country, it is paramount that your love pushes it in a direction of change, progress, justice, and peace. There is no peace without justice, so our daily pledge and work will be to dismantle systems that are inherently cruel and lethal to groups of people who…
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Gingerbread Swiss Roll with Spiced Buttercream
This lovely russet Swiss Roll is a continuation of our Search for Delicious this holiday season, and the desire for soft (not rock-hard) gingerbread dessert items. Instead of heading in the direction of cookie-cutter vaguely-human shapes with limbs that may be harder to break than actual bones, we did a 180 and drafted a gingerbread version of our favorite (if you can’t tell from all of the other similar posts) recipe: the Swiss Roll. If you’re new to the blog, you may want to do a bit of background research on our burgeoning obsession with this light, aesthetically-pleasing sponge cake (see the Pistachio Rose roll, or the Chocolate Coffee roll,…
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Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll Cake with Cinnamon Glaze
Cinnamon rolls are one of those ooey gooey doughy pull-apart bits of heaven that are tricky as hell to make gluten free. (says the person who’s never actually tried making them….). I did try an AMAZING one at Gluten Free Gem bakery in Portland, Oregon (if you’re in the area, definitely check them out), but have yet to find the time and the patience to dedicate myself to making them at home. So, in lieu of actual cinnamon rolls, I offer you this infinitely simpler, and deeply indulgent Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll cake! If you’ve been following along recently, you’ll notice that we’re on a bit of a Swiss roll/roulade kick,…
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“Oregon” Swiss Roll with Hazelnuts, Marionberry, and Dark Chocolate
If you’ve read our “About Us” section, you’ll know that we’re Oregonians, born and raised. We both were born in Ashland, Oregon, a small town nestled in the folds of the Siskiyous and celebrated for its theater (Oregon Shakespeare Festival is a must if you haven’t seen one of the dozen shows they put on a year), beautiful parks, extensive hiking trails that you can hop on anywhere in town, and a tiny but growing culinary and wine scene. If you’re ever driving up I5 (for international folks, this is the interstate freeway that connects everything from the Mexico-California border up to Canada) and need a rest in an idyllic…
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Strawberry and Orange Blossom Water Swiss Roll
In the first few months of dating my current boyfriend, I got to experience his signature fruit salad. It sounds a bit underwhelming, but read on for proof of the glory of this collage of summer hues. One afternoon, he casually tossed together this incredible mixture: light with berries, apples, pomegranate seeds, kiwis, and crowned with a delicate syrup of honey, the juice of a lemon, lime, and orange, mint, and orange blossom water. Needless to say, this is still one of the staples for guests, for a healthier dessert to share over Netflix, or to round out a satisfying weekend lunch. This cake is the first of what I’m…
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Pistachio Swiss Roll with Raspberry Rose Cream
Ladurée is hands down the best shop for macarons in Paris. The rose flavor is undoubtedly the best (if you like floral dessert flavors), and is the perfect pairing of deeply satisfying chew, light almond cap, and ephemeral rose flavor. Since trying my first rose macaron from Ladurée, I’ve wanted to create something even remotely similar to at least the flavor of that delicately-pink treasure. The rose gold financiers come close, but this pistachio Swiss roll with raspberry rose cream is the closest I’ve come so far. Pistachio and rose is a classic pairing in Persian sweets, and the two create a sublime harmony of earthy green nut and lighter-than-air…
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Chocolate Coffee Swiss Roll with Fudge Sauce
Case of the Mondays? We’ve got you covered. Mondays sometimes need a kick, and a strong one, to get the creative juices flowing or get through that dreadful traffic. This cake is is the answer to all of you problems and all the problems that are undoubtedly going to get thrown your way today because that’s just how Mondays are. To help you tune out all of that beginning of the week haze, we invite you to take a slice of this coffee and chocolate-laden roll of decadence. A light, fluffy swirl of chocolate, filled with the creamiest coffee whipped cream, and all enrobed in rich coffee + chocolate fudge…
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Pumpkin Swiss Roll
Tis the season for all things orange! And get ready for the onslaught of pumpkin recipes (which have undoubtedly already inundated your Instagram feeds, we’re a bit late on our side). Pumpkin pie, pumpkin cookies or cakes or muffins have an enduring comfort to them that other baked goods may fall short on. The warmth of the color, quite simply, lends itself to cozy evenings and afternoons or time curled up on the couch next to a fire after a brisk walk down the street to crunch leaves and admire the brilliantly-hued trees. What I would love after such a walk, is to come inside and be met with a…
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Vanilla Swiss Roll with Strawberry Balsamic Reduction
Sometimes, a swirl is all you need in a slice of cake – and hopefully a more elegant one than appeared in this one the first time I made it. But hey! Even when it’s a mess, it can taste fantastic (thank the Eton Mess for calling this out by name). Swiss rolls are definitely daunting baking endeavors (if you really want to feel the stress, watch the British Baking Show’s episode on Swiss rolls), but ultimately, they’re a fairly simple dessert, despite the nerve wracking presentation and actual rolling. The lightness of the sponge cake base is perfect for a gluten free dessert because it relies heavily on egg…
