Marbled Pound Cake
With summer starting off in the 90 degree heat and a hail storm that plummeted softball size ice rounds, baking a rose chocolate marbled cake seemed atropos to our day. Warm and sweet in the early afternoon, like the rose cream part of the cake; and a stormy wild evening, similar to the rich deep chocolate swirl of the cake. I am always surprised how the weather can be so calm one moment and complete the opposite the next moment. Comparable to the marbled cake, two amazing flavors completely different from one another, but just as compatible. I have shared my love for the long lazy days of...
Read MoreSummertime Cherry Blossom Cake
A friend of mine, Andie shared with us that her parents celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary this past memorial day and she asked Sydney and I if we could design an elegant cake for their party. I have known Andie’s parents more than half my life; I was touched and honored to oblige. Andie did inform us her parents original wedding cake was a yellow cake with buttercream frosting and thought it would be sentimental if the anniversary cake could be similar. Since the beautiful cherry blossom flower is known for it’s rich history and symbolizes endearment Sydney thought...
Read MoreMacadamia Double Chocolate Chunk Cookie-Cake
Wow, I think this is the longest amount of time I have been away from my blog. Sydney utilized her spring break to visit the colleges she wants to transfer to, NYU, Goerge Washington University, and Georgetown University. I never knew visiting three colleges in two states could be as excited and exhausting as it was. I had intended on writing an article during our down time; however we really did not have any down time. It had been a very long time since I visited our nation’s capital, the feeling of pride and patriotism was almost overwhelming! We lucked out on the weather, which was...
Read MoreAlmond Paste-Strawberry Cake
My esthetician, Jess, opened her own salon, and wanted to to host an open house for all her clients. She asked sydney and I if we could cater the event. Jess wanted to serve petit fours, small l’opéra cakes, and single serving cakes. Her salon colors are light pink with accents of purple and Jess wanted the pastries to stay in that color theme. The first flavor that came to my mind was strawberry; Sydney thought adding almond paste to the strawberry cake cake would be heavenly. Opening her own salon has been a dream of hers since cosmetology school; she meticulously chose every...
Read MoreCannelés Bordeaux, To Help A Friend
Sydney and I had the unexpected fortune to meet the most optimistic person in Colorado, if not the nation. He knew I was a pastry chef and began questioning as where he might buy copper cannelé molds for his girlfriend. (He happens to be vegan, but his girlfriend is a “foodie”). I opened my I-pad, began quickly giving him web addresses to culinary stores. I was writing my fourth web store for him when he admitted she had never had a cannelé, but thought they looked yummy. I suggested before he invested in exquisite copper molds it might be best if he would allow Sydney and I to...
Read MoreGlacé Citron Panettone, Homemade
Well the rum soaked dried fruit, the Glacé Citron and Glacé Orange, and the panettone rested overnight; hopefully you are well rested too. It is time to finish our panettone project, but I thought you might enjoy a bit of food history first. Panettone is rich traditional christmas cake/bread. Panettone made its debut in Milan around the late eighteen hundreds. Folklore has it that, Anthony, a baker, loved a daughter of a wealthy man. Being a humbled baker he needed to win the father’s approval, so he set out to bake a cake/bread so flavorful and exquisite. He added the equivalent to...
Read MoreThanksgiving Countdown, The Snack: Orange Spice Cake
Every year on Thanksgiving I awake early, about 5:00 A.M. No need to gasp, I go for a five mile run and then meet Sydney in the kitchen for coffee and some breakfast as we write a cooking/baking schedule to guide us during the day and turn on The Today Show (Until the Macy’s Parade starts); DF shuffles down to join us around 7:00-7:30. I found throughout the years just as the noon hour approaches I have two hungry people claiming starvation. In the past I would declare they could wait till 2:00p.m. That is the time our family and friends were due to arrive for our Thanksgiving...
Read MoreSay I love You with Rose Muffins
It is Birthday Week again for the Noto Unit, this time it’s DF’s birthday week. Which means Sydney and I will be baking at least 3 different cakes, watching every football game on satellite, and driving to Breckenridge only to hike and eat. He has not changed his request in 24 years. This year I started the week with special breakfast muffins; I wanted them to have a romantic angle. Roses scream romance and love, so I surprised DF with rose muffins for day one of birthday week. Rose Love Muffins: 187 grams, 1½ cups plus 3 Tablespoons cake flour, sifted ½ teaspoons baking...
Read MoreDulce de Leche, Welcome Fall
Today is the first day of Fall and my psedo mother’s birthday I thought this cake would be apropos. I was blessed ten years ago to meet a wonderful, good hearted women, Jean, she and I became close in a short span of time, I have an odd relationship with my own mother, and father for that matter (my parents were divorced when I was six). I have always thought of myself without parents, until Jean entered my life, Jean was a godsend to our entire family; she was the type of person who would jumps in with both hands, help where help is needed and never ask for anything in return. She had...
Read MoreLast Days of Summer, Sydney is Still Holding on to Seashells
As I have more than mentioned I ADORE summer; it seems incidental as I write this blog the weather has already changed. The air is cool, damp, and starting to feel crisp. I know there will still be the 85 degree days, but all the romance of summer has all but ended. We wanted to create the ultimate artistic pastry to our admiration for the passing summer. This summer began with DF and I renewing our wedding vows on a Caribbean adventure, as Sydney took the responsibilities to be maid of honor. I can still smell the ocean, taste the Mia Tias, feel the warm sun, and bring myself back to a...
Read MoreKugelhopf, The Best After Party Breakfast
Cake or Bread Still Delicious This Article also appears on AskMissA There is an entire historical culinary battle to Kugelhopf, the German’s claim they invented the cake-bread and the French claim it was there innovation. Kugelhopf, a cake known in Germany since the Middle Ages, was resurrected in 1840 by an Alsatian pastry maker, Georges, who opened a boutique in the Chausée d’Antin in Paris. The kugelhopf, became a Viennese specialty, a sweet yeast-bread similar to brioche ; the traditional version generally contains yeast, raisins and is decorated with almond baked into...
Read MoreRed Velvet Crème Fraîche Cake
White Chocolate Crème Fraîche Frosting The men, I am not being sexist, they happen to all be men, work in the mailroom at my husband’s office have very graciously allowed me to have supply shipments to be sent to there mailroom. After the last few weeks of not only signing for the shipment, but delivering some very large and heavy boxes to DF’s office, I decided I needed to show my appreciation. I began sending DF with pastries for them. Prior to Frosting I found out that Red Velvet cake is favorite amongst them. Originally Sydney and I were going to prepare cupcakes, but since...
Read MoreWinter Wonderland of Snowflake Petit Fours
I was contacted by a panicked client, who over the years has become a good friend (RG), she had volunteered to bring holiday treats to her son’s third grade class party. This phone call was initiated late Saturday evening and the party is this Thursday; as my client anxiously explained she had forgotten about the commitment, between work and her other children. Knowing this time of year, we are inundated with obligations (I also have a tendency to hardly ever say no) she felt bad asking if I could bake sweet goodies for her son’s party. Did I mention she hates baking. Without...
Read MorePinktober
October is the month that everything, buildings, ribbons, lights, armbands, the decor at the malls, and all along the interstate turn the optimistic lively color pink. October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Celebrating 25 Years of Awareness, Education, and Empowerment. Sydney and I have seen friends win the fight of breast cancer and sadly have lost amazing friends to this illness, even one human being losing their fight is too many. Sydney began calling October,”Pinktober” in honor of all of those fighting a diagnoses, survivors, caregivers, family members,...
Read More
Recent Comments