#Cake Pavlova and Pudding

[askwhatsforlunch]

Fondant au Chocolat

It's rather difficult to try to explain what exactly is the beautifully soft texture of a Fondant au Chocolat, thus I won't endeavour it. It is much easier to bake one and indulge in its deliciousness, thus I invite you to do it! Happy Sunday!

Ingredients (serves 4 to 6):

200 grams/7 ounces very good dark chocolate (at least 75% cocoa)

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

4 large eggs

1/2 cup caster sugar

3/4 cup plain flour

1 tablespoon cocoa powder

1/4 cup cocoa nibs

Preheat oven to 190°C/375°F.

Butter a pie plate or cake tin generously, and dust lightly with flour. Set aside.

Break dark chocolate into a medium bowl. Add butter, cut into chunks, and fit the bowl over a small saucepan of simmering water over medium-high heat (the bottom of the bowl should not touch the water).

Melt chocolate and butter together, stirring with a spoon until smooth, silky and shiny. Remove from the heat; set aside.

Break the eggs in a large bowl. Add caster sugar, and whisk energetically until pale yellow and fluffy, and the mixture falls from the whisk like a ribbon.

Sift in flour and cocoa, and give a good stir until well-blended.

Then, gently fold in melted chocolate and cocoa nibs, until completely combined.

Pour batter into prepared pie plate or tin, levelling with a spatula.

Place in the middle of the warm oven, and bake, at 190°C/375°F, for 25 minutes.

Remove from the oven and let cool slightly or completely.

Serve Fondant au Chocolat warm or cooled, with a glass of chilled Champagne!

[foldingfittedsheets]

No time to explain take this cake and enjoy your day

If someone gave me this cake I would take a picture too and like. Frame it. I'd be so delighted. Tragically my betrothed makes actually lovely baked goods.

[literaryvein-reblogs]

Writing Reference: Food History

B.C.

10,000 - almonds, cherries, bread, flour, soup

8,000 - wheat ⚜ 7,000 - wine, beer, pistachios, pig, goat, sheep, lard

6,500 - cattle domestication, apples ⚜ 6,000 - tortilla, dates, maize

5,000 - honey, ginger, quinoa, avocados, potatoes, milk, yogurt

4,000 - focaccia, watermelons, grapes, pomegranates

3,200 - chicken domestication ⚜ 3,000 - butter, onion, garlic, apricots

2,737 - tea ⚜ 2,500 - olive oil, seaweed, duck ⚜ 2,300 - saffron

2,000 - peaches, liquorice, marshmallow, pasta, ham, sesame seeds

1,500 - chocolate, vanilla ⚜ 1,200 - sugar ⚜ 1,000 - mangoes, oats, pickles

900 - pears, tomatoes ⚜ 700 - cinnamon ⚜ 600 - bananas, poppy seeds

500 - artichokes ⚜ 400 - pastries, appetizers, vinegar

300 - parsley ⚜ 200 - turkeys, asparagus, rhubarb ⚜ 65 - quince

1st—13th Century

1st Century - chestnuts, lobster, crab, shrimp, truffles, blueberries, raspberries, capers, kale, blood (as food), fried chicken, foie gras, French toast, omelettes, rice pudding, flan, cheesecake, pears in syrup

3rd Century - lemons ⚜ 5th - pretzels ⚜ 6th - eggplant

7th Century - spinach, kimchi ⚜ 9th - coffee, nutmeg

10th Century - flower waters, Peking duck, shark's fin soup

11th Century - baklava, corned beef, cider, lychees, seitan

12th Century - breadfruit, artichokes, gooseberries

13th Century - ravioli, lasagne, mozzarella, pancakes, waffles, couscous

14th—19th Century

14th Century - kebabs, moon cakes, guacamole, pie, apple pie, crumpets, gingerbread

15th Century - coconuts, Japanese sushi and sashimi, pineapples, marmalade, risotto, marzipan, doughnuts, hot dogs

16th Century - pecans, cashews (in India), Japanese tempura, vanilla (in Europe), fruit leather, skim milk, sweetbreads, salsa, quiche, teriyaki chicken, English trifle, potato salad

17th Century - treacle, pralines, coffee cake, modern ice cream, maple sugar, rum, French onion soup, cream puffs, bagels, pumpkin pie, lemonade, croissants, lemon meringue pie

18th Century - root beer, tapioca, French fries, ketchup, casseroles, mayonnaise, eggnog, soda water, lollipops, sangria, muffins, crackers, chowder, croquettes, cupcakes, sandwiches, apple butter, souffle, deviled eggs

19th Century - toffee, butterscotch, cocoa, Turkish delight, iodized salt, vanilla extract, modern marshmallows, potato chips, fish and chips, breakfast cereal, Tabasco sauce, Kobe beef, margarine, unsalted butter, Graham crackers, fondant, passionfruit, saltwater taffy, milkshakes, pizza, peanut butter, tea bags, cotton candy, jelly beans, candy corn, elbow macaroni, fondue, wedding cake, canapes, gumbo, ginger ale, carrot cake, bouillabaisse, cobbler, peanut brittle, pesto, baked Alaska, iced tea, fruit salad, fudge, eggs Benedict, Waldorf salad

20th Century

1901 - peanut butter and jelly ⚜ 1904 - banana splits ⚜ 1905 - NY pizza

1906 - brownies, onion rings ⚜ 1907 - aioli

1908 - Steak Diane, buttercream frosting ⚜ 1909 - shrimp cocktail

1910 - Jell-O (America's most famous dessert)

1910s - orange juice ⚜ 1912 - Oreos, maraschino cherries, fortune cookies

1912 - Chicken a la King, Thousand Island dressing

1914 - Fettuccine Alfredo ⚜ 1915 - hush puppies

1917 - marshmallow fluff ⚜ 1921 - Wonder Bread, zucchini

1919 - chocolate truffles ⚜ 1922 - Vegemite, Girl Scout cookies

1923 - popsicles ⚜ 1924 - frozen foods, pineapple upside-down cake, Caesar salad, chocolate-covered potato chips

1927 - Kool-Aid, s'mores, mayonnaise cake ⚜ 1929 - Twizzlers

1930s - Pavlova cakes, Philly cheese steak, Pigs in blankets, margaritas, banana bread, Cajun fried turkey ⚜ 1931 - souffle, refrigerator pie

1933 - chocolate covered pretzels ⚜ 1936 - no-bake cookies

1937 - Reubens, chicken Kiev, SPAM, Krispy Kreme

1938 - chicken and waffles ⚜ 1939 - seedless watermelon

1941 - Rice Krispies treats, Monte Cristo sandwiches ⚜ 1943 - nachos

1946 - chicken burgers, tuna melts, Nutella ⚜ 1947- chiffon cake

1950s - chicken parm, Irish coffee, cappuccino, smoothies, frozen pizza, diet soda, TV Dinners, ranch dressing ⚜ 1951 - bananas foster

1953 - coronation chicken ⚜ 1956 - German chocolate cake, panini

1957 - Quebec Poutine ⚜ 1958 - Instant ramen noodles, crab rangoon, lemon bars ⚜ 1960s - beef Wellington, green eggs and ham, red velvet cake

1963 - black forest cake ⚜ 1964 - Belgian waffles, Pop Tarts, Buffalo wings, ants on a log, pita bread ⚜ 1965 - Gatorade, Slurpees

1966 - chocolate fondue ⚜ 1967 - high fructose corn syrup

1970s - California rolls, pasta primavera, tiramisu ⚜ 1971 - fajitas

1975 - hicken tikka masala ⚜ 1980 - turducken

1980s - Panko, portobello mushrooms, bubble tea, chicken nuggets, Sriracha, Red Bull energy drink, everything bagels

1990s - artisan breads, Jamaican jerk ⚜ 1991 - turkey bacon, chocolate molten lava cake, earthquake cake ⚜ 1993 - broccolini

1995 - Tofurkey ⚜ 1997 - grape tomatoes

21st Century

2002 - flat iron steak, tear-free onions ⚜ 2007 - Kool-Aid pickles, cake pops

2008 - Mexican funnel cake ⚜ 2013 - cronuts, test tube burgers

Source ⚜ Writing Notes & References ⚜ Writing Resources PDFs

[heavymedicshackerwife]

TF2 Mercs as desserts!

Scout: Boston cream doughnuts. Full of sugar, and can be eaten on the go, like when you're running away from the RED team.

Soldier: Apple pie. Because it's very MURICA. And the pie tin can be worn as a helmet, just in case.

Pyro: Creme brulé. Because you set it on fire!

Demoman: Cranachan. A Scottish dessert of oats, cream and raspberries, flavoured with plenty of whisky. Tavish likes it minus the oats, cream and raspberries.

Heavy: Sharlotka, a simple russian apple cake. It's easy to make, and hearty in warm weather. (Sharlotka Sandviches, anyone?)

Engineer: Banana pudding. More a work of engineering than a dessert, with all the layers. Comforting, a southern classic.

Medic: There are lots of German recipes for apple desserts, and a apple a day keeps the doctor away, after all. It's also similar to Heavy, as the two are close. So I'd say an apple cake with honey, as apples and honey are a classic combination, and honey is also a natural antiseptic.

Sniper: Pavlova. Nobody can figure out if it's from Australia or New Zealand, but Sniper is technically from both, so I found it fitting.

Spy: Creme brulé. Because it's French, and copying someone else.

[r0ttenlic0rice]

¸.·.¸.·⍣✩ Requests are open! ✩⍣·.¸.·.¸

꧁ღ⊱♥ Basic Request Rules When you're placing a request, think of it as ordering a coffee! Keep it respectful and patient—it might take me some time to "brew" your request since I’m balancing school and writing.

No NSFW requests, please!

I can take up to 5 requests at a time and work on them in the order received.

Your request will never be deleted, but it may take longer to serve!

꧁ღ⊱♥ Writing Requests Feel free to order your “coffee” however you like—

Every cup of coffee comes with your topping of choice!

Romantic: Caramel Drizzle

Yandere: Espresso Shot

Platonic: Whipped Cream

Angst: Dark Cocoa Dusting

☕ Americano – Headcanons Simple, versatile, and easy to enjoy—headcanons are like an Americano. You can request up to 4 shots (headcanons) per cup!

☕Latte – Fics A latte is all about comfort and depth, just like a fic! These are capped at 1 cup per order since they take time to perfect.

☕ Mocha – Matchups Sweet and personalized, matchups are your mocha moment! Choose up to two toppings (types of matchups) for your drink:

Caramel Drizzle

Espresso Shot

Whipped Cream

Be sure to include your “flavor profile” so I can match you perfectly! What I need from you:

OC or self description: Name, age, gender, personality, zodiac sign, appearance, fun facts, disabilities (mental or physical), and your “type.”

What not to include: real last names, NSFW mentions, or very brief/extremely long descriptions.

☕ Cortado – Scenarios Small but packed with flavor. Limit of 1 scenario per request, but feel free to mix in a theme topping:

Caramel Drizzle

Espresso Shot

☕ Flat White – Letters Choose your style:

Caramel Drizzle

Espresso Shot

Whipped Cream

Dark Cocoa Dusting (still brewing!)

You can:

Send a letter first: Provide your preferred name, and I’ll write a response from a character or dorm (non-romantic for dorms).

Request directly: Just pick a character and style—I'll keep it anonymous using Y/N or Yuu!

꧁ღ⊱♥ Perfect Desserts to Pair with Your Coffee Enjoy a cup of your favorite brew with your favorite decadent treats⊱♥

Riddle Rosehearts: Red Velvet Chess Cake

Ace Trappola: Trickster’s Éclair

Deuce Spade: Spade Berry Tart

Cater Diamond: Socialite’s Macarons

Trey Clover: Matcha Clover Roll Cake

Leona Kingscholar: Golden Honey Baklava

Ruggie Bucchi: Savanna Sugar Doughnuts

Jack Howl: Protein Granola Parfait

Azul Ashengrotto: Ocean Salt Caramel Panna Cotta

Jade Leech: Forest Mushroom Truffles

Floyd Leech: Tidal Wave Jelly

Kalim Al-Asim: Golden Saffron Basbousa

Jamil Viper: Sands of Spice

Vil Schoenheit: Mirror Glazed Opera Cake

Rook Hunt: Arrowhead Meringues

Epel Felmier: Apple Rose Pastry

Idia Shroud: Blue Flame Soufflé

Malleus Draconia: Black Sesame Cheesecake

Lilia Vanrouge: Vampire Bat Pavlova

Silver: Moonlit Vanilla Pudding

Sebek Zigvolt: Lime Lightning Tart

Ortho Shroud: Binary Byte Brownies

Grim: Flame-Frosted Cupcakes

Staff and event characters coming soon!⊱♥

[teardropwolf]

Winter's Feast started! Here's Weardrop's quotes that I did!

Happy Winter's Feast!

Dishes:

Merry Berrysauce: It makes me berry merry.

Bibingka: Delicious and pleasant to munch!

Cabbage rolls: It’s kinda like me in winter.

Festive Fish Dish: I like it. It’s pleasant.

Good gravy: Mmmm, I’m gonna chug the whole thing!

Latkes: Perfectly crunchy potatoes.

Lutefisk: Why does it smell so bad, but taste so good!?

Mulled Punch: It sure packs a punch.

Panettone: I love bread.

Pavlova: It’s absolutely PERFECT ♡

Pickled Herring: It’s good protein. Maybe.

Polish cookies: I LOVE COOKIES!

Pumpkin pie: These are perfect for sharing with others!

Roasted Turkey: It’s perfect for my teeth.

Stuffing: I’m not really a stuffing person.

Sweet Potato Casserole: It’s almost similar to what I’d eat at home…

Tamales: They’re not bad…

Tourtiere: Yes! Meat pie!

Winter Food:

Gingerbread cookie: I like to pretend I’m a beast devouring some poor innocent.

Sugar Cookie: I really love these cookies!

Candy cane: I like to hang them on my mouth.

Eternal Fruitcake: I’ll eat it. I’m not a coward!

Chocolate log cake: Delicious. Won’t stop me from chewing on real wood, though.

Plum Pudding: This thing confuses me…

Apple Cider: Mmmmm, cider…

Hot Cocoa: The perfect winter beverage, even if I am cat tongued.

Heavenly Eggnog: The only kind of egg I’ll gladly consume.

Other quotes: 

Gingerbread pig: It runs. I must follow.

Cookie crumbles: Do they even know…?

Gingerbread pig house: I’m going to eat and destroy its house.

Gingerbread Varg: I’ll bite it first!

Winter’s Feast Tree: I feel… happy... that I get to do this… sniffle

Winter's Feast Tree (burning): Guess someone wanted the festivities to be “fire.”

Festive Tree Planter and Winter's Feast Tree (burnt): Sigh… Looks like we gotta start over…

Festive Tree Planter: Let’s get this started!

Winter's Feast Tree (sapling): eeeee, we’re getting close!

Gift: I…I.. That’s… for me? Really???

Gift Wrap: Something for my friends to show how much I love them.

Holiday cheer: I already have plenty of joy and cheer from my friends.

Eating the holiday cheer: Hehehehe!!!

Masonry oven: Can I help with the food?

Masonry Oven (cooking): Ahhh, can’t wait!

Masonry Oven (almost done cooking): So close!

Masonry Oven (dish ready): Hehe, it’s ready!

Winter’s Feast Table: My friends and I are gonna eat here!

Winter's Feast Table (with food): Meal time.

Winter's Feast Table (wrong food): That one’s been misplaced.

Winter's Feast Table (burnt): Sigh… Why???

Festive Bauble: Careful… Careful…

Magnificent Adornment: A pat on the back for getting this one!

Champion Adornment: I feel like I missed out on something…

Appeasing adornment: So cute!!!! I love them!!!

Festive light: Oooh, these always look so pretty!

Eating without feasting: It would be better to share with my friends!

Feasting/Buff: S-So… So happy… sniffle hic

Feasting buff wearing off: I hope we can do that again…

[soup-or-dumpling]

Masterlist of completed polls part 2

Soup

Milk and cookies | Beans on toast | Bread pudding and custard | Lamb casserole | The Milky Way Galaxy | Matzo ball soup | Chicken Caesar salad | Oeuf en cocotte | Liangpi noodles | Windows 7 default wallpaper | Sinigang | Hotdog and pickle aspic | Apple crumble | Paella | Congee | Orange juice | Katsu curry | Mercury (the element) | Periodic table | Mashed potatoes | Lava | Magma | Student's brain just before an exam | Asexuality | Moules frites | Warp speed | Ice cream | Poutine | Cawl | Clam Chowder in a sourdough bread bowl | Kibble | Neon lights | Flan | Tea | Sun | Fishbowl | Winter Solstice | Tagine | stock cube | Hot chocolate with marshmallows | 2024 | Tiny deer in a bath | entirety of tumblr in the ocean | Sunday roast

Dumpling

Fruit gushers | sandwich | Xiaolongbao | A tomato | Teabag | Human body | Book Eowyn and Faramir | Pumpkin pie | Turkey and stuffing | Chicken pot pie | Tempura | Youtiao and soymilk | Rollmops | Devon and Cornish cream tea | Churros | The vampire Dracula | Crêpe | Eccles cake | Jin Guangyao | The (Blood of) Youths | Zhuge Liang | Stroopwafel | Featherless biped | Cocoon | Cannoli | Lin Chen | Silmaril | Tangerine | Baklava | Giant yorkshire pudding | Helium-filled balloon | Chocolate digestive | Sushi | (Bad) cdrama mask | Turducken | Pavlova | Jaffa cakes | Meatloaf | 'not a yummy gyoza dumpling' | Jiang Cheng | Opossum | G(a)linda | Baba au rhum | Tanghulu | Gyro | Cat | Caviar blini | Blobfish | Elizabeth Bennet | Kermit the Frog | Every single animal | Yun Biqiu | Circus tent | Toasted marshmallows | Infected mosquito

[ryttu3k]

Any recommendations for cruelty-free Xmas lunch options?

Oh, sure! For which hemisphere? What I recommend for Australia would be pretty different for what I'd recommend elsewhere, haha.

For the northern hemisphere, you have a cavalcade of dishes involving baked and roasted veggies, stews, showstopping pumpkin and squash dishes, stuff like that. I'd recommend making one or two 'main' dishes, then having a whole host of fun sides. Root veggies and mushrooms are all seasonal and super filling.

Main dish suggestions: Mushroom wellington, stuffed butternut roast, shepherd's pie. Nice and wintery, all have protein. For a less-protein-y option, this cauliflower is pretty cool-looking!

Side dish suggestions: Aside from all the roast veggies and delish cool-weather salads with grains and stuff, here's a recipe for vegan Yorkshire puddings! You can use the chickpeas for another dish, too - maybe a topped hommus?

Dessert suggestions: While there are always cakes and puddings and the like, stuffed baked fruits are always pretty funky-looking too. Here are some stuffed apples and stuffed pears.

The southern hemisphere is a little trickier! Our Christmas dishes do sometimes resemble northern hemisphere ones, but sometimes it's 35 C and the idea of putting the oven on makes you want to die, and also seafood is pretty traditional. I've always been partial to just taking advantage of the fact that summer is fantastic for abundant fresh produce, and making an absolute ton of different dishes. No actual Main Dish(tm), but lots of smaller ones that people can pick and choose from.

We're having a more casual thing this year - tomorrow, actually! - because my brother and SIL are taking nibling down to SIL's family in the country for actual Christmas, so what we're doing is my favourite loaded potato salad (you can add protein in the form of vegan deli slices, or marinated tofu or tempeh, or beans, or honestly anything you like), homemade sushi rolls (tofu and veggies), and breads and dips, although that's admittedly just a small casual menu for a small casual thing. Here's what we did a few years back, though, and that has a bunch more stuff, including an admittedly store-bought vegan roast, haha.

But yeah, lots of salads, lots of fresh veggie dishes. Desserts can really focus on amazing fresh fruits, like mangoes and cherries. For hot dishes, using a barbeque is a great option; here are recipes for portobello mushrooms, veggie skewers, and corn ribs. Pasta salads can be made ahead of time and left to cool - if you don't mind using the oven, one of my favourites has pasta, spinach leaves, roasted pumpkin, sundried tomatoes, capers, and pine nuts, with a maple mustard dressing (if it's just too damn hot, you can do the pumpkin on the stove, but roasting does add lovely depth of flavour). Bean salads are great too, they work very well with fresh tomatoes (especially if you get a bunch of different colours). Stuffed veggies are great too, capsicum and eggplant in particular hold their shapes well.

For dessert, focus on dishes using fresh fruit, and stuff you can make ahead. You can make mini-pavlovas using meringue made with aquafaba, trifles (most custard powder mixes are already vegan, and there are a lot of jellies that can be made with things like agar, including commercially-available ones), ice creams (including commercially-available ones - if you can get a reasonably-priced vanilla, which Coles has if you're in Australia, you can make that into a huge variety of different flavour combinations, including an extremely nice rocky road using chocolate chunks, nuts, and Turkish delight - just make sure it's the proper stuff and not the cheap shortcut type that uses gelatin and cochineal), I really enjoy medjool dates stuffed with marzipan and dipped in chocolate...

Have a delish meal!

[kin-eats]

could i get australian desserts for an bluey wheeler [bluey] ? tysm !!

I will do my best!

Pavlova with Strawberries

Apricot Anzac Biscuits

Lamingtons

Sticky Toffee Pudding Cake

Coconut and Chocolate Pie

Fairy Bread

I hope these work for you! ^_^

[scarletlizzard]

rank- give your anons a sweet treat c:

Sweet Treats for my anons:

🎀 - chocolate cupcake

🐈 - pavlova

🫦 - fudge brownie

🧊 - for all those karma posts, you shouldn't get a treat! You're lucky I'm feeling nice.. You get an ice cream sandwich

🫖 - check your DMs for your sweet treat.. Kidding! Trifle

🐶 - a dog treat

⚡️ - chocolate chip cookie

🎵 - Hersheys cookies & cream chocolate bar

🦈 - chocolate & vanilla swirl ice cream cone

🐨 - mickey mouse shaped ice cream sandwich

🦝 - a big ole jar of your favorite cookie

🥃 - a glass of Jameson

🐁 - small piece of cheese

🌙 - strawberry moonpie

🦮 - vanilla cupcake

✨️ - apple pie

❤️‍🔥 - peach cobbler

😸 - biscuits

💐 - cheesecake

🍄 - banana pudding

🌵 - a bomb pop

🍯 - pot of honey

🫐- carrot cake

🥝- a s'more

[askwhatsforlunch]

Maple Pear and Hazelnut Cake

This Thanksgiving, I am also baking a cake. Not just any cake, though! A moist and light Maple Pear and Hazelnut Cake that celebrates this year's harvest in the garden, and is a delicious mouthful of Autumn comfort! Happy Thanksgiving, friends!

Ingredients (6 to 8):

1 ½ tablespoon unsalted butter

1/2 cup hazelnuts

1 cup Pears in Whisky Syrup + 1/4 cup of the Whisky Syrup 

2 cups plain flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ cup caster sugar

4 eggs

1/3 cup hazelnut milk

1/4 cup pure (Grade A) Canadian Maple Syrup

Preheat oven to 160°C/320°F. Butter a 20cm/8” cake tin; set aside.

In a small saucepan, melt butter over a low flame. Once melted, remove from the heat. Set aside.

Toast hazelnuts in a small frying pan over a high flame, a few minutes until just fragrant. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.

Save four beautiful Pear halves, and place them, cut side down at the bottom of prepared cake tin. Dice the rest of the Pear halves; set aside.

Blitz toasted hazelnuts in a food processor, until you have a fine enough powder (resembling coarse meal).

In a large bowl, combine flour, ground hazelnuts, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, salt and caster sugar. Give a good stir with a wooden spoon.

Dig a well in the middle of the dry ingredients, and break in the eggs. Give a good and gentle stir, gradually adding hazelnut milk, melted butter, Maple Syrup and Whisky Syrup until just combined.

Then, gently fold in Diced Pears, until just combined.

Gently spoon batter evenly over the Pear halves. Place cake tin in the middle of the oven, and bake, at 160°C/320°F, 45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean.

Remove from the oven, and allow to cool in the tin, about 15 minutes, before turning out onto serving plate.

Generously brush with Maple Syrup.

Serve Maple Pear and Hazelnut Cake warm or at room temperature, with glass of chilled Champagne.

[wily-one24]

Helluva way to announce it’s your birthday! Hope your boys did something nice and you got to enjoy a bit of daylight

Notice that, didja?

Thank you so much for noticing!! You're so sweet, @detritusanddross. <3

I actually tend to do not much of anything for my birthday, in my experience it doesn't go well and it's not worth celebrating.

I stayed up late last night baking a chocolate cake, so my boys woke me up this morning with cake for breakfast. I got a present (that I bought for myself - a foot spa with heating and foot shower function), and then I dropped them off at school and went to work. Yay?

I took a box of gourmet flavoured giant marshmallows to work to share (strawberry and passion fruit pavlova, raspberry lamington, lemon merengue pie, mint choc slice, sticky date pudding, and fairy bread... they were Aussie flavours, and SO DELICIOUS).

Then I came home. The original plan was to go out to dinner, but I wasn't really feeling up to it. So we Uber-ed in and we're now watching Buffy.

Sounds like a good day to me.

[this-is-my-main-i-follow-from]

Cakes I want to study before I go to pastry school:

Victoria Sponge

Princess Cake (Prinsesstårta)

Sacher Torte

Black Forest

German (made by a British man in the USA)

Opera

Pavlova isn't really a cake but I'll study it

Wedding (almond) cake

Charlotte

Mille Feuille which is more like a pastry than a cake (also Marjolaine & Krémes)

Boston Cream Pie

Dobos Torta & Doberge

Financiers (also not a cake)

Gâteau Nantais

yule log cake

Kugelhopf

Cheesecake (baked, cold, fluffy, japanese, new york, philly)

Fruitcake (I used to hate it idealogically but then I tasted some not knowing what it was & I liked it but then later I decided based on my schooling that it was a waste of fruit but then I realized I kind of still liked it but actually it was kind of bad & now I have a healthy respect for it especially it it's really boozy) & Black Cake

Cassata Cake

& also: Chiffon, joconde, castella, genoise, angel food, dacquoise, mont blanc, lamingtons, fraisier cake, madeleines (which are halfway between cakes & cookies), coconut cake, molten chocolate cake/chocolate lava cake, lady baltimore cake, Kransekake, yellow cake, King Cake, Danish Dream Cake (Drømmekage), Upside Down Cake, Esterházy Schnitten, Coffee Cake, Marble Cake, Red Velvet Cake, Devil's Food Cake (& Brooklyn Blackout), car'mel cake, Gedeckter Apfelkuchen, gateau basque, pound cake, if we're talking about methods I'd also need to learn high ratio cake, mayonnaise cake sounds weird but it has egg yolks, oil, & mechanical leavening, "gooey butter cake" if you're from where my favourite tumblr mutual is from (we haven't been mutuals in like seven years), microwave cakes for garnishes, ginger cake, lane cake, Sticky Toffee Pudding & Date Pudding & crap like that, carrot cake & brazilian carrot cake, chocotorta, Hummingbird Cake if I'm old, I got a recommendation for Vietnamese Honeycomb Cake but idk if it'll be in my studies, as with a lot of cakes in this section of my list, like this one: kuih lapis, Pain D'Epices, Sandkage, Somlói Goluska, also staples like tarte tatin

[chefjeffreygears-blog]

My Story 31

What Does Christmas Mean to a Technical Chef Over the Last 1,000 Years?

Christmas is a season that evokes joy, celebration, and the art of culinary excellence. For chefs—especially technical chefs who blend precision, tradition, and creativity—Christmas has always been more than a holiday. It’s a time to craft memories through food, honour culinary traditions, and embrace the role of a storyteller through every dish. The meaning of Christmas for chefs has evolved over the past millennium, reflecting cultural, technological, and societal changes.

The Medieval Period (11th to 15th Century): Banquets of Symbolism and Splendour

In medieval Europe, Christmas was a feast of grandiosity. Technical chefs of the time, known as “master cooks,” served in the courts of royalty and nobility. They were tasked with creating elaborate banquets that reflected wealth and power.

Dishes like boar’s head, roasted swan, and venison pies were not only culinary marvels but symbols of status. Technical precision was clearin the intricate sugar sculptures and subtleties—decorative edible centrepieces that conveyed religious and cultural narratives. Chefs used their skill to ensure every dish was perfectly spiced, as exotic spices like saffron and cinnamon were precious commodities.

The Renaissance (15th to 17th Century): Art and Innovation on the Plate

The Renaissance heralded an era of artistic expression, and this extended to the kitchen. Christmas feasts became more refined, with chefs focusing on balance, presentation, and flavour harmony. They crafted marzipan figurines, spiced cakes, and roasted meats with a focus on spectacle.

Technical chefs gained access to new ingredients from the Americas, such as turkey and cocoa, which transformed Christmas menus. Their role was elevated to that of a culinary artist, blending science and creativity to celebrate the spirit of the season.

The Industrial Revolution (18th to 19th Century): The Democratisation of Christmas Cuisine

The Industrial Revolution brought advancements in cooking technology, making once-luxurious ingredients more accessible. Technical chefs adapted to serve both the elite and the burgeoning middle class. Christmas puddings, mince pies, and roasted goose became staples of the holiday table.

Chefs during this era developed recipes that could be replicated at home, democratisingculinary knowledge. The precision of weighing scales and standardised recipes allowed technical chefs to teach others the art of festive cooking, spreading Christmas cheer beyond the aristocracy.

The 20th Century: A Global Celebration of Fusion

The 20th century marked a period of culinary globalisation. Technical chefs embraced influences from diverse cultures, incorporating dishes like panettone from Italy, stollen from Germany, and pavlova from Australia into their Christmas repertoires.

The rise of refrigeration and modern kitchen appliances allowed chefs to experiment with cold desserts like Christmas trifles and frozen yule logs. They also played a vital role in feeding troops during wartime Christmases, using limited resources to create comforting holiday meals.

The 21st Century: Sustainability and Innovation

Today, technical chefs approach Christmas with a balance of tradition and modernity. Sustainability is at the forefront, with a focus on minimisingfood waste and sourcing ethical ingredients. Plant-based menus, gluten-free options, and cultural inclusivity reflect the evolving needs of diners.

The use of molecular gastronomy and precision tools like sous vide machines allows chefs to reimagine traditional dishes with a contemporary twist. Digital platforms enable chefs to share their creations globally, inspiring others to embrace the joy of festive cooking.

A Timeless Tradition

Despite the changes in techniques, ingredients, and technologies, one thing is still constant: Christmas for a technical chef is a time to connect with others through food. It is an opportunity to honour the past while pushing the boundaries of culinary artistry. Whether preparing a medieval feast or a modern plant-based spread, technical chefs have always been at the heart of Christmas celebrations, creating moments of wonder and delight that transcend time.

As we look back over the last 1,000 years, it becomes clear that the essence of Christmas for a technical chef lies in crafting experiences that bring people together—a timeless gift of culinary magic.

[mh-and-celiac]

Honestly, all the places that do gluten free fruit cake, Christmas pudding & mince (fruit, sultanas/raisins) pies, makes me wish I liked any of the above. I’m on board with raisin bread, I’m on board with hot cross buns but Christmas takes that concept & takes it to the extreme. 99% dried fruit, .9% miscellaneous spices & .1% dough. I just can’t do it. At least the woolies ginger bread people are delicious & pavlova is always gluten free ☺️

[nrc-ramshackle-trio]

-pulling up google-

"Meringue can be used as the basis for various desserts, including baked Alaska, bruttiboni, dacquoise, Esterházy torte, Eton mess, floating island, key lime pie, Kyiv cake, lemon meringue pie, macarons, merveilleux, pavlova, Queen of Puddings, sans rival, silvana, Spanische Windtorte, turrón, and Zuger Kirschtorte."

Important note

I LOOOOOOOOVE Lemon Meringue Pie

so if you try making that... erm...

you're gonna experience how Trey feels when Grim and Kibby swipe his sweets

WHAT DO YOU EVEN USE MERINGUE FOR?!??