For the next year I am doing a project - a different cake each week
for an entire year - following the book All
Cakes Considered: A Year's Worth of Weekly Recipes Tested, Tasted and
Approved by the Staff of NPR's All Things Considered. You can read
about the start of my project here
and look at each week to date here.
The recipe: Procrastinatin' Drunken Monkey Banana Bread
The good news is it was cooked (although I had to cook it for 95 minutes instead of the suggested 60 minutes). The bad news is it wasn't anything special.
The big excitement this week was to flambee cherries - specifically dried cherries plumped in rum and set on fire. I'd never done it before and that part was fun but the cherries on top ended up burnt and I had to pick them out. Anyone who has flambeed cherries (or anything for that matter) before and wants to let me know how to flambee without charring the top layer, I'm all ears.
Recipients: Some cousins who came over for a visit.
Verdict: Meh. Not making it again.
Up next: The Barefoot Contessa's Sour Cream Coffee Cake.
The recipe: Procrastinatin' Drunken Monkey Banana Bread
The good news is it was cooked (although I had to cook it for 95 minutes instead of the suggested 60 minutes). The bad news is it wasn't anything special.
The big excitement this week was to flambee cherries - specifically dried cherries plumped in rum and set on fire. I'd never done it before and that part was fun but the cherries on top ended up burnt and I had to pick them out. Anyone who has flambeed cherries (or anything for that matter) before and wants to let me know how to flambee without charring the top layer, I'm all ears.
Recipients: Some cousins who came over for a visit.
Verdict: Meh. Not making it again.
Up next: The Barefoot Contessa's Sour Cream Coffee Cake.
1 comments so far
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A Year of Cakes: Week 5
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I asked you to tell me why you needed me to photograph your family and boy did you deliver. I was overwhelmed by everything you put into your entries. Some of you had me laughing, others of you had me saying "that's exactly like us" and a few of your heartfelt entries brought tears to my eyes.
Drumroll please........ the winner is Corinna R.
Congrats Corinna! Watch your inbox, I'll be sending you an email soon.
Happy Canada Day everyone!
Drumroll please........ the winner is Corinna R.
Congrats Corinna! Watch your inbox, I'll be sending you an email soon.
Happy Canada Day everyone!
1 comments so far
( July 5, 2010 )
Cate said:
Congrats to Corinna!! I look forward to seeing the photos.
Listed below are links to blogs that reference this entry:
We Have a Winner | Vancouver Newborn Photography
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For the next year I am doing a project - a different cake each week
for an entire year - following the book All
Cakes Considered: A Year's Worth of Weekly Recipes Tested, Tasted and
Approved by the Staff of NPR's All Things Considered. You can read
about the start of my project here
and look at each week to date here.
Yippee! I'm moving on from pound cakes.
The recipe: Key Lime Cake
This one had me a bit stumped. I've seen limes around, obviously, but I wasn't really sure what a key lime is and whether or not I could substitute regular old Safeway limes. Hello google (and thank goodness for Facebook).
It felt good to be cooking a cake in a regular round pan - more like what I imagined my year of cakes would be like. The recipe was a fairly simple white cake with a lime glaze over top. And it was cooked perfectly! I have a convection oven and always have used the convection setting but this time went with the regular bake setting and it worked.
The cake looked gorgeous with the sprinkling of icing sugar I added at the end. And since we were eating it as a dessert for Father's Day, I served it with a bit of whipping cream on the side to fancy it up a bit. Berries would look (and taste) great with it too.
Recipients: Father's Day at my parents' house. I'm only on week 4 and already people are piping up offering their "tasting services". Last week Jim was grumbling about the fact that I'm baking a cake a week yet we never have any cake in the house. I have to say, it's coming in handy to know I'm cooking a cake every week - I can just schedule my baking time for the night before I need a dessert.
Verdict: Delicious. I'll definitely make this one again but I'm going to try using regular limes instead of key limes next time and I'll only put half the amount of glaze on top. My sister thought the glaze was too sweet so I'm probably cut down the amount of icing sugar in the glaze too.
Up next: Procrastinatin' Drunken Monkey Banana Bread. This one involves flambeeing cherries so cross your fingers for me that I don't burn our kitchen down.
Yippee! I'm moving on from pound cakes.
The recipe: Key Lime Cake
This one had me a bit stumped. I've seen limes around, obviously, but I wasn't really sure what a key lime is and whether or not I could substitute regular old Safeway limes. Hello google (and thank goodness for Facebook).
It felt good to be cooking a cake in a regular round pan - more like what I imagined my year of cakes would be like. The recipe was a fairly simple white cake with a lime glaze over top. And it was cooked perfectly! I have a convection oven and always have used the convection setting but this time went with the regular bake setting and it worked.
The cake looked gorgeous with the sprinkling of icing sugar I added at the end. And since we were eating it as a dessert for Father's Day, I served it with a bit of whipping cream on the side to fancy it up a bit. Berries would look (and taste) great with it too.
Recipients: Father's Day at my parents' house. I'm only on week 4 and already people are piping up offering their "tasting services". Last week Jim was grumbling about the fact that I'm baking a cake a week yet we never have any cake in the house. I have to say, it's coming in handy to know I'm cooking a cake every week - I can just schedule my baking time for the night before I need a dessert.
Verdict: Delicious. I'll definitely make this one again but I'm going to try using regular limes instead of key limes next time and I'll only put half the amount of glaze on top. My sister thought the glaze was too sweet so I'm probably cut down the amount of icing sugar in the glaze too.
Up next: Procrastinatin' Drunken Monkey Banana Bread. This one involves flambeeing cherries so cross your fingers for me that I don't burn our kitchen down.
3 comments so far
( July 1, 2010 )
Cate said:
This cake pretty much looks like heaven to me. Yummy!! My brother lived in Ft. Lauderdale for two years and came home addicted to key lime anything. He'd really love this.
Next weeks cake sounds awesome too. Banana anything is pretty much as good as anything lime!
I'm glad you got the oven working for you. :)
( July 4, 2010 )
Heather M. said:
Now this one looks and sounds amazing! YUM!
( July 4, 2010 )
Heather M. said:
Now this one looks and sounds amazing! YUM!
Listed below are links to blogs that reference this entry:
A Year of Cakes: Week 4
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Each time I've been pregnant, I needed to take up something new to make sure my mind didn't turn to mush when I was taking it easy in the last couple months.
With Angelo it was knitting. But it didn't really stick. I don't really have the patience for knitting - it takes forever!
With Grace it was quilting. And it looks like this one is going to stick. I am in love with all the colours and all the beautiful fabrics out there. For those of you who are thinking "really? quilting?". Trust me. This is not your grandma's quilting.
In fact, there's a whole new movement going on in the world of quilting, and last week it landed in Vancouver with the first meeting of the Vancouver Modern Quilt Guild.
I wasn't sure what to expect since I don't really know what a quilt guild is (and still don't really) but I showed up at Spool of Thread just before 7PM and was pleasantly surprised to be joined by 42 other women - most (but not all) with years of quilting experience under their belts.
And the quilts they brought! Seriously gorgeous. The talent in that room blew my mind and I was happy to just sit there and absorb it for two hours. And then rush home and start playing with fabric.
If you have a minute, pour yourself a cup of coffee and take a look at the gallery. And if you want to check it out for yourself, the next meeting is Thursday July 15th at 7PM.
And just because she's even cuter on a quilt...
With Angelo it was knitting. But it didn't really stick. I don't really have the patience for knitting - it takes forever!
With Grace it was quilting. And it looks like this one is going to stick. I am in love with all the colours and all the beautiful fabrics out there. For those of you who are thinking "really? quilting?". Trust me. This is not your grandma's quilting.
In fact, there's a whole new movement going on in the world of quilting, and last week it landed in Vancouver with the first meeting of the Vancouver Modern Quilt Guild.
I wasn't sure what to expect since I don't really know what a quilt guild is (and still don't really) but I showed up at Spool of Thread just before 7PM and was pleasantly surprised to be joined by 42 other women - most (but not all) with years of quilting experience under their belts.
And the quilts they brought! Seriously gorgeous. The talent in that room blew my mind and I was happy to just sit there and absorb it for two hours. And then rush home and start playing with fabric.
If you have a minute, pour yourself a cup of coffee and take a look at the gallery. And if you want to check it out for yourself, the next meeting is Thursday July 15th at 7PM.
And just because she's even cuter on a quilt...
6 comments so far
( June 23, 2010 )
Cate said:
Gorgeous quilt!!!!!! I'm completely impressed! I love how you squiggled the pattern. And the colours are gorgeous. That apple fabric is to die for. :)
I think Grace is looking more like herself every day. She's so beautiful.
My mom went to a quilt shop in Manitoba today that she said was in the top three she's ever been to (and she's been to lots!). When she gets home I'll get the name and see if they have a website to order fabric.
( June 24, 2010 )
Holly said:
Great post! You've definitely started strong with quilting and I look forward to seeing what you come up with next!
Grace is beautiful and I'm glad she could come to the meeting to represent the newest generation of quilters.
( June 26, 2010 )
Lacey R said:
Jenn, your baby girl is gorgeous as is your quilt! Just love that beautiful photo of her on the quilt! Congrats!!
( July 20, 2010 )
Lisa said:
She is dang cute and so is your quilt. Her eyes are gorgeous! Has that much time already passed? : )
( August 4, 2010 )
Michelle Sidles said:
I TOTALLY would love to be able to quilt. It just seems like such an impossible thing to learn... as I can't even sew on a button. ;)
I love the fabrics in your images. :)
Listed below are links to blogs that reference this entry:
A new hobby | Vancouver Maternity Photography
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For the next year I am doing a project - a different cake each week
for an entire year - following the book All
Cakes Considered: A Year's Worth of Weekly Recipes Tested, Tasted and
Approved by the Staff of NPR's All Things Considered. You can read
about the start of my project here
and look at each week to date here.
I'm debating about renaming these blog posts to 'the ongoing fight my oven' project. I've now had one overcooked cake and one undercooked cake (I swear I'm really not that bad a baker) and I was bound and determined to get this one right. And the author notes right off the bat that this one can be a tricky one to get the cooking time right. Guess what? She was right.
The recipe: Missy G's Sweet Potato Pound Cake
I really wasn't sure what I would think of this one. Of all the cakes I could make, one with sweet potatoes as the main ingredient wasn't really on the top of my list. But that's one of the reasons I'm doing this project, right?
First, the flavour. Not my favourite. It reminded me too much of pumpkin spice desserts. Maybe I would have liked it better in the fall, closer to Thanksgiving. But Jim loved it so maybe it was just me.
Second, the cooking time. Again it was undercooked! The recipe called for the cake to bake for 70 minutes. I checked it and it wasn't done. And then checked it again, and again, and again. I finally pulled it out after 95 minutes when my testing knife finally came out clean. I still think it was a tad undercooked although the darker spots were likely due to the high amount of sweet potato that was in it.
This week I'm buying a thermometer for my oven to see if I can figure out what's going on.
Recipients: I took this week's cake to the first meeting of the Vancouver Modern Quilt Guild.
Verdict: Okay but even if I could get the cooking time right next time, I don't think I'd make it again.
Up next: Key Lime Cake.
I'm debating about renaming these blog posts to 'the ongoing fight my oven' project. I've now had one overcooked cake and one undercooked cake (I swear I'm really not that bad a baker) and I was bound and determined to get this one right. And the author notes right off the bat that this one can be a tricky one to get the cooking time right. Guess what? She was right.
The recipe: Missy G's Sweet Potato Pound Cake
I really wasn't sure what I would think of this one. Of all the cakes I could make, one with sweet potatoes as the main ingredient wasn't really on the top of my list. But that's one of the reasons I'm doing this project, right?
First, the flavour. Not my favourite. It reminded me too much of pumpkin spice desserts. Maybe I would have liked it better in the fall, closer to Thanksgiving. But Jim loved it so maybe it was just me.
Second, the cooking time. Again it was undercooked! The recipe called for the cake to bake for 70 minutes. I checked it and it wasn't done. And then checked it again, and again, and again. I finally pulled it out after 95 minutes when my testing knife finally came out clean. I still think it was a tad undercooked although the darker spots were likely due to the high amount of sweet potato that was in it.
This week I'm buying a thermometer for my oven to see if I can figure out what's going on.
Recipients: I took this week's cake to the first meeting of the Vancouver Modern Quilt Guild.
Verdict: Okay but even if I could get the cooking time right next time, I don't think I'd make it again.
Up next: Key Lime Cake.
4 comments so far
( June 22, 2010 )
Holly said:
You may have been disappointed by this cake, but I was thrilled that you took the time to bake it and bring it in to our meeting! I had skipped dinner in order to set up for the meeting and that cake sure tasted good to me!
( June 22, 2010 )
Cate said:
That cake looks yummy. The key lime cake is going to be perfect for summer!!!! YUM!
( June 22, 2010 )
Heather M. said:
It looks so delicious! I think it would taste so good with a pumpkin spice latte. Mmmmmm...
And I wanna know more about this Vancouver Modern Quilt Guild. It sounds awesome. I didn't know you were into quilting. I totally want to make a few more quilts but I need some serious encouragement. You're making me want to move to Vancouver.
( June 23, 2010 )
anna said:
my oven is HORRIBLE - I invested in an oven thermometer and it has helped somewhat. The trouble with baking is that it is usually more finicky (sp?) than just plain old cooking!
Listed below are links to blogs that reference this entry:
A Year of Cakes: Week 3
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For the next year I am doing a project - a different cake each week for an entire year - following the book All Cakes Considered: A Year's Worth of Weekly Recipes Tested, Tasted and Approved by the Staff of NPR's All Things Considered. You can read about the start of my project here and look at each week to date here.
The first 3 recipes in the book are all pound cake and I wasn't convinced that one pound cake differed that much from another pound cake so I figured this week's cake was mainly to practice all the steps from last week.
The recipe: Brown Sugar Pound Cake
And I was right about that, making it was pretty much the same as last week. But I was wrong about one pound cake not being that much different from another pound cake. The brown sugar gave this cake such a rich flavour and I loved the addition of nuts.
If you read about my week one cake last week, you'll know I thought I slightly overcooked the sour cream pound cake. So I was ready this time. Ten minutes before it was supposed to be done, I checked it with a cake tester. And it came out dry. So I checked it again and again and again just to be sure. And it was fine all those times too. So I took it out.
And was so disappointed, 2 hours later when it had cooled, to find out that it wasn't quite cooked. Not sure what to think of the completely clean cake tester but this one definitely needed the full cooking time.
Recipients: This one had a couple potential recipients - a playdate on Monday and a mom's group on Tuesday. But there is no way I was taking anyone an undercooked cake so this one was all for us.
Verdict: The flavour was amazing! Which makes it even more disappointing that I didn't cook it long enough. I will definitely be making this one again, except cooking it for the full time this time around.
The recipe also comes with an optional Cream Cheese Frosting. I didn't make the frosting and I really don't think it needs it. It was a little on the sweet side as it is and I think adding the frosting would have made it too much.
Up next: Missy G's Sweet Potato Pound Cake (not so sure about that one).
The first 3 recipes in the book are all pound cake and I wasn't convinced that one pound cake differed that much from another pound cake so I figured this week's cake was mainly to practice all the steps from last week.
The recipe: Brown Sugar Pound Cake
And I was right about that, making it was pretty much the same as last week. But I was wrong about one pound cake not being that much different from another pound cake. The brown sugar gave this cake such a rich flavour and I loved the addition of nuts.
If you read about my week one cake last week, you'll know I thought I slightly overcooked the sour cream pound cake. So I was ready this time. Ten minutes before it was supposed to be done, I checked it with a cake tester. And it came out dry. So I checked it again and again and again just to be sure. And it was fine all those times too. So I took it out.
And was so disappointed, 2 hours later when it had cooled, to find out that it wasn't quite cooked. Not sure what to think of the completely clean cake tester but this one definitely needed the full cooking time.
Recipients: This one had a couple potential recipients - a playdate on Monday and a mom's group on Tuesday. But there is no way I was taking anyone an undercooked cake so this one was all for us.
Verdict: The flavour was amazing! Which makes it even more disappointing that I didn't cook it long enough. I will definitely be making this one again, except cooking it for the full time this time around.
The recipe also comes with an optional Cream Cheese Frosting. I didn't make the frosting and I really don't think it needs it. It was a little on the sweet side as it is and I think adding the frosting would have made it too much.
Up next: Missy G's Sweet Potato Pound Cake (not so sure about that one).
2 comments so far
( June 15, 2010 )
Cate said:
This cake looks yummy. Funny about the cooking times. I agree about the icing. I'm not a cream cheese frosting fan though.
Next weeks cake sounds SO yummy!!! I bet it would mail okay. :)
( July 5, 2010 )
Lauren said:
I would have eaten it and loved it :)
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A Year of Cakes: Week 2
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Just a reminder to get your entries in by Friday!
Not sure what I'm talking about?
For the 5 days leading up to my new website launch, I gave you my top 5 reasons why you need a portrait session this summer. Now I want to hear from you.
Let me know why your family needs to have a portrait session with me this summer. The winner will receive a complimentary portrait session with me this summer and an 11"x14" wall print from the session. My panel of judges will look through all the entries and choose their favourite.
Not sure what I'm talking about?
For the 5 days leading up to my new website launch, I gave you my top 5 reasons why you need a portrait session this summer. Now I want to hear from you.
Let me know why your family needs to have a portrait session with me this summer. The winner will receive a complimentary portrait session with me this summer and an 11"x14" wall print from the session. My panel of judges will look through all the entries and choose their favourite.
Email your entry to jenn@jenndispirito.com
with "why I need Jenn to photograph my family" in the subject line.
I've had some great entries so far; I'm glad I'm not the one who's going to be judging them! Keep them coming!
2 comments so far
( June 14, 2010 )
Heather M. said:
Oh my, that photo is priceless! She is SO cute. Can I enter? Will you come to Calgary to photograph my fam?! ;)
( June 15, 2010 )
Cate said:
I hope you're going to blow that up BIG and hang it in her room. Precious!!!
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Contest Entries Due Friday | Vancouver Maternity Photographs
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06.11.10
I finally got a chance tonight to edit a few more from Grace's "newborn" session. She was 9 pounds 15 ounces at birth and she sure doesn't look like a newborn in some of them! And while we do have some snaps of her in the first couple weeks, I wasn't feeling up to pulling out all my newborn stuff until she was 2-1/2 weeks old.
The best time for newborn images is really around the 5 day mark. Other photographers had told me I should get someone else to do my newborn photographs but I foolishly ignored them thinking I could do it all myself. Silly really, since my favourite images from client sessions are always the one with the newborn and his or her parents. And, of course, I can't do those myself. :)
1 comments so far
( June 14, 2010 )
Heather M. said:
These are awesome, Jenn! You still got some amazing photos of her. I wish I would have had someone come take photos for me too - I totally regret it.
She is so adorable!
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A few more of Grace's newborn session | Vancouver Newborn Photography
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I am really enjoying your project. I've never flambeed anything so I have no idea how to do that. Did you just youtube it?
It looks really yummy!