Ombre is a term that is used for a graduated changing of colour from dark to light within the same colour. Normally, the darkest tone is at the cake base, and the colours rise upward to the lightest tone at the top of the cake, but in our cake, I start with the lightest cake at the bottom, and build to the darkest, so that I can finish the cake off with fresh fruit!
Giant American Flag Candy Bar for the 4th of July Dessert
June 28, 2014 by
The American’s are coming! The American’s are coming! My brother and his family from Minneapolis are coming! They’re “the American’s” in my world. I can wait to see them and celebrate Canada day AND the 4th of July!
Since we have family, friends and lots of viewers from the United States, I wanted to do another 4th of July video for all of them. Last year I did an American Flag surprise inside cake, so I knew topping that would be a challenge. What’s better than cake? CHOCOLATE!
In Canada we call small bars covered in chocolate “chocolate bars” but my research told me that in the States, they are called “candy bars”. They’re the same thing though. This candy bar uses my sugar cookie recipe for the crunchy base, and a chewy nougat for the top. Cover the entire thing in chocolate, and you have your own giant chocolate bar!! I found red and blue M&M’s easily (they come in the regular pack of M&M’s), but I had to order the white M&M’s off of Amazon.
I had never experimented with making candy before this recipe, so I was a little intimidated. Turns out, it’s only a lesson in patience! Watching the candy thermometer slowly climb seems as effective as watching paint dry. It takes a long time to get to 250F!! Ok, well, maybe it was only 10 minutes, but it seemed like a long time. The only caution I have is that the candy is HOT, so be careful.
Since this is a chocolate bar of sorts, I strayed away from my usual candy melts, as I wanted to have a true chocolate coating. Working with real chocolate (as opposed to the candy melts) is a little bit more tricky as the real stuff takes longer to solidify, so time in the fridge was necessary when I was shaping the sides to be vertical. Cover, swipe sides, fridge, repeat.
When you’re ready to serve your guests, slice off a piece of the candy bar, and each person will get their own American flag!
Cotton Candy Cupcakes
May 31, 2014 by
I’m not a huge lover of the taste of cotton candy, but I love the smell, the look and idea of it. If I could find a way to cover the spun sugar in chocolate, well then I’d be in love!
What I do like are the soft pastel colours that end up in a fluffy mound on the end of the cone. It always reminds me of the way I think clouds would look and feel if you could see them up close. I had always wondered how cotton candy was made, and if you have the same wonder, make sure you check out my previous post (and video) on exactly how you can do it at home.
For the cotton candy flavouring of these cupcakes, I used the cotton candy that I made with my cotton candy machine, and for extra flavouring, I used LorAnn Gourmet flavouring, which I bought through Golda’s Kitchen. If you want a strong cotton candy taste, you will want to use a larger amount than what my recipe requires. I was being cautious with the amount that I put in, but feel free to add however much you want to.
If you are going to be making these cupcakes and the mini cotton candy toppers, make sure that you make the mini cones immediately prior to serving your cupcakes. The cotton candy does not stay “flossed” for long.
