Sycamore Kitchen

I finally went to Sycamore Kitchen for the first time today and died a little.  I ordered a salad, but couldn't resist just trying a little taste of everything!  I was seriously overwhelmed with how amazing these bakery items all were.  

This Salted Caramel Pecan Babka Roll was insane.  Still a little warm, it was like a Cinnabon on crack. 

I ordered a specialty coffee, the Vanilla Cafetico, which was good but the size of a Dixie cup. 

This Chocolate Hazelnut Fudge Cookie was pretty great - like a lighter, nuttier version of the Ooey Gooey cookie from Milk.

This Mini Chocolate Chip "Stump" Cake was a coffee milk chocolate fluffy cupcake with a marshmallow/meringue type frosting on top.  It was great, and just the right size.

Not a sweet, but out of control!  This Tart layered perfectly roasted tomatoes and cheese on top of caramelized onions on a flakey pastry dough.  I could eat this everyday. 

The First Piggy Post: Bouchon

This is the first of hopefully many "Piggy Posts", aka, guest blog entries! There is so much to eat and sadly I can't be everywhere at once, so I really appreciate when someone has something special to share.

This edition comes from Laura in NYC who ate at Bouchon Bakery and sent me the following:

This chocolate wonder is great because it's just a bite. The chocolate aftertaste is bittersweet with a sugary delicateness that rests on the palate. The inside has these large chocolate chip morsels so the not so Francophile can feel a little more at home in the US of A. Not overwhelming or gooey. An anytime decadence!



Pair with an iced latte and you've got the perfect afternoon escape!

Thanks Laura!

Homemade Double Chocolate Cake

I've never made a homemade cake before, and for a first try, this one came out really well! Meg and I used Ina Garten's recipe which was pretty great.


The cake part itself was really gooey and dark, due to the cup of coffee that was added into the mix. Ina likes to use freshly brewed coffee to bring out the taste of the chocolate, and as much as I liked it I think next time I would only use a half cup. The coffee flavor almost overwhelmed the chocolate.


The frosting, however, was amazing! I never knew buttercream was so easy to make. I don't think I'll ever used store bought frosting again. It was SO light and fluffy but rich in taste, and we didn't even have and electric mixer to use. Overall this was a great success, and I'm excited to make another one soon!