The China Moon/Babushka Bakery connection.

  These look like the traditional Turtles that Americans love. One taste of a Babushka Turtle, however, and you'll be spoiled. The genesis for Babushka Bakery's delicious Turtle candies began on a trip to China 30 years ago.

      At that time, China was just opening her doors to tourism and there were no restaurants, hotels, or services geared to Western taste. 

Chinese Urban Kitchen 1982

In the month my husband and I traveled there, we had the privilege (and difficulty) of dining as the locals did.

One stop on the tour was to a remote mountain city near Xian, where old women still walked carefully on bound feet.

Last of the Bound Feet Women, Xian, China, 1982

Last of the Bound Feet Women, Xian, 1982

Dinner that night was memorable for it's culinary low points (nearly inedible stringy Stewed Curried Goat, oily boiled greens, greasy soup, and side dish of pasty noodles). And yet, that dinner also produced one of the culinary high points; sweet, caramelized Walnuts. The dining staff was amazed at how our group of Americans, who complained about every course,  devoured the walnuts; crisp, sweet, and a pure flavor. They were simple and yet the natural flavors were complex.

It was the texture that amazed me. 

In the US, we accept that nuts bought from the store are; well, soft and dull flavored. Our recipes call for toasting nuts in the oven for a few minutes to bring out the flavor, but the results are usually unsatisfactory at best, and at the worst, we often burn the nuts; forgotten in the oven. I hoped to one day find the secret of the Chinese Walnuts.

In 1993, I discovered a cookbook, "China Moon" written by Barbara Tropp, an American who attended university in Taiwan. Upon returning to the US, she became a chef and authority on Chinese food.  Her 2 books and countless lectures brought the techniques and secrets of Chinese cooking to Americans. "China Moon" also revealed the mystery of the "crispy nut". Chef Tropp writes," the pecans are put into a bowl and boiling water is poured over them. Allow them to soak for 30 minutes, and then drain. The soaking purges the bitter oils in the nuts." 

The nuts are then put on a baking sheet and toasted in a slow oven. Chef Tropp preferred the nuts with a bit of moisture left inside, so the nut was chewy. I like to slow "roast" them for 12 - 24 hours until sweet and crisp.

All the nuts purchased for Babushka Bakery are put through this process of soaking, purging, and slow roasting. It is a time and energy consuming process. But the subtle difference this process makes is one reason why Babushka's Turtles, Butterscotch Pecans, and assorted cookies all taste so darn good.

Sadly, Chef Tropp passed away in 2001 at the age of 53. Her influence is far ranging, not forgotten, and her Chinese cooking techniques have improved the quality of the baked goods of this American chef of European descent.


For more information on purchasing Babushka Bakery Turtles, Butterscotch Pecans, and assorted Cookies,  please visit my web site.

Thank you Chef Tropp for your work and books! 
Wishing a Happy Holiday to all!     Claudia.

Chef Barbara Tropp



 

Summer Time Gift Packages

I have sister whose birthday is in July.  She, like so many summertime babies, was cheated out of some birthday parties.  Why is it so much more difficult to celebrate birthdays in the summer than in other seasons?  I don't have an answer to that mystery of life.  But, I have noticed more clients, maybe feeling guilty, who request gift packages to be shipped in July and August.  This can be a problem since so many of my pastries, cookies, and candies incorporate chocolates.  So, this summer, I created a few new items that are summertime shippable!

Here are packages of housemade Vanilla Marshmallows and Graham Crackers, just add your own Hersey Bar to make S'Mores; wickedly delicious!  Also new:  Walnut Brownie Marshmallow Sandwiches.   So good, they are sinful.

Here's a nice summertime collection of sweets that will be enjoyed by anyone entertaining this summer:

Included are: Assorted cookies, Red Velvet Butterfly mini cakes, Rum Cake, Walnut Brownie Marshmallow Sandwiches, Graham Crackers, Vanilla Marshmallows.

And, here's a Super Deluxe Gift Basket;

Give me a buzz or send an email if you're interested in any of these gift packages; prices start at $40...everything made from scratch for your order.  (Please give me a weeks advance notice.)

Enjoy the rest of this wonderful summer,
Cheers,
Claudia

Cakes for Very Special Occasions

What a joy to be included in life's most precious celebrations; weddings, significant birthdays, or engagements.  This delightfully off-kilter cake was designed for the 50th birthday celebration of a lady described as whimsical, joyful, and full of childish humor and love of life.

I received a call from a couple who planned to marry in the Bahamas.  The groom had proposed to the bride on a sailboat, and they hoped I could recreate the boat on the cake for an Engagement Party.  Oh, and could "we have a treasure chest with a diamond ring in it?"  Of course!

Not every celebration cake needs to be complex and over the top.  Here is a sweet cake celebrating the first birthday of a beloved baby girl.

The best part is inside: A Pink Rainbow cake with melt in your mouth Cream Cheese Buttercream!

The Queen of all cakes is the Wedding Cake...

This bride asked me to reproduce some of the elements of her gown on the cake....hope she liked it!

Whether grand, elegant, or whimsical...I hope all your special days are joyous!

Cheers,
Claudia

Sugar Characters; the Good and the Really Difficult

I use to be a baker of lovely, delicious cookies, cakes, and such.  Now, it seems that everyone wants a little creature to sit atop their pastry, so my role is evolving to include sugar artist.

Some characters may seem simple, like this Angry Bird.  There were major technical issues with her weight, however; being very heavy, this Angry Bird threatened to bring the front of the castle crashing down.  The cake construction required a bit of engineering and pvc pipe to hold up her eye catching, but oversized head.

Sesame street characters are always a delight to recreate...they are fun and cheerful.  As long as you have the proportions correct; they almost always look terrific.

And, speaking of proportions, Hello Kitty is very fun to make; but she will break your heart if you get the proportions wrong...It's hard to believe but her head is larger than the body.  If you look online, you'll see plenty of examples that just look wrong; a Kitty with a shrunken head.

And, then, we get to the greatest challenge of all; the Disney characters, especially Minnie and Mickey Mouse.  The Minnie and Mickey head is such an unusual shape that can quickly become a rat-like creature instead of the sweet mouse we all know and love.  In fact, Minnie is so difficult, that I think I will retire her and save myself the threat of prosecution from the Disney swat team of lawyers.

From now on, I'll recommend colors and shapes that reference Minnie...This is a sweet cake, don't you think?
Cheers,
Claudia

Hobbit Fever Begins!

Gandalf
I am a total Tolkien geek and have been for 40 years.  You can only imagine how excited I am that Peter Jackson has started production of the Hobbit films (yes, there will be two!)

 The Hobbit is a prequel to the Lord of the Rings.  The story features Frodo's uncle, Bilbo Baggins, his Wizard friend, Gandalf, and the Dragon they encounter, Smaug.  Wow, was I excited to receive a request for a sugar sculpture of Gandalf and Smaug from a parent in Massachusetts planning a Hobbit themed party for her son.  Would I make the sculptures?  You bet!   Would I sleep until they arrived safely?  Not for a minute. 

Here you see some of the packaging of these fragile characters.  Gandalf going for a long nap...

Smaug doesn't want to quiet down for the trip!

Sure hope everyone had a great time at that party; wish I had could have been there to place these friends on a special birthday cake for a lucky young man.

Cheers,

Claudia

An Idea for a Cupcake Tower

Last summer I worked with a bride who was looking for a contemporary cupcake tower for her wedding cupcakes.   If you've ever shopped for cupcake towers,  you know it's difficult to find one that is both affordable, sturdy, and modern looking.

I wandered through Michael's Craft shop looking for something I might use for that cupcake tower...when I came upon a great sale for artists' canvases, the kind typically used for oil painting.  Since they were available in a large number of sizes, and seemed quite strong, I stacked a few to see if this idea would work...here's a picture I took while at the Michael's to send to the bride for her consent to the project.  She texted me a thumb's up, and I had an interesting project to construct.

I hot glued 2 canvases together to make each tier.  Then, covered each with high quality white gift paper which was also hot glued in place.  I attached a layer of foam core to the bottom of each tier for extra support.  The tiers were then glued to each other for stability.  Then, wooden legs were screwed into the base of the largest tier (thanks, hubby).  A white ribbon was glued around the base of each tier to cover the raw edge.  Voila...

I've used this set up a few times since that lovely wedding...once for displaying my beautiful Marbleized Chocolate Dipped Strawberries.  (Sorry, I didn't get a shot of the berries on the display...)

And, most recently, for a Cupcake Tower for a children's birthday party with a FarmYard theme...how fun?!

I disovered a great new product; washi tape; I used washi tape in assorted colors for the trim on this FarmYards Cupcake stand; it is so much easier to use than ribbon and hot glue.

It's the details that really make these events so wonderful...here are some closeups of the darling farmyard cupcakes:

I hope this gives you some inspiration for your next party...
Cheers,
Claudia

A Trio of Sweet Birthday Cakes

Swirly Brownie Cheesecake with Fruit Crown

 Every once in a while, I get to make a swirly, fun, delicious cake of my own fanciful design.  This lovely cake is made annually for a sweet young lady in my neighborhood who loves cheesecake.  This cheesecake has a chewy brownie base, whorls of cream cheese icing, and loads of dark chocolate dipped berries on top.  Don't those swirls make you want to lick the frosting?

Angelina Ballerina Birthday Cake

I've been making birthday cakes for little Nicola for the last 3 of her 5 years.  Each year, her mother has a great idea for Nicola's cake.  I've raised 3 sons (alas, no daughters), so I'm lucky to have clients who know just the right character to make their little girls smile.  I decided to make Angelina out of modeling chocolate; isn't she sweet?

Baby Boy's Springtime Birthday Cake with a Banner

If you read Amy Atlas's dessert blog, you know that banners are hot hot hot in the party planning community.  I was so happy to incorporate a sugar banner on this baby boy's cake.  I wanted to celebrate his birthday, and the long awaited spring season, as well. 

When I first started making custom cakes, I'd whip up a drawing, sell the cake based on the drawing.  And then realize; oops; the cake has to look like the sketch...sometimes easier drawn than decorated.  I've learned to think more carefully before getting a client excited about a design that is not technically possible.  

Hope you're enjoying your spring season!

xo, Claudia