The Cake Merchant

In the Oven- Summer Edition

Blue Chocolate Macarons

If you’re reading this, I must thank you in advance of writing this post because only the most dedicated of readers would be here right now. To say that I have been neglecting my blog lately is an understatement. But really, I haven’t been. Let me explain…

Speckled Egg Macarons

See, I’ve been working part-time at a bakery this summer. I felt like there were a lot of gaps in my knowledge and my posts were starting to feel uninspired and repetitive. I wanted to break up my regular baking routine, but I also wanted to know what it was really like to work as a pastry chef and if it could possibly be a career path for me. The good news is that I learned a lot. Tons. I made a lot of macarons, cakes, and cookies and learned new techniques and flavor combinations. I also got to learn the “why” and not just the “how” of certain recipes. The Science behind the recipes and the way ingredients function and react with each other the way they do has always been interesting to me. Being able to apply that knowledge is what makes me a better baker (and blogger).

But, I also know that I do not want to be a professional baker. It is hard, physical, and repetitive work. Carrying out someone else’s vision is not as satisfying as carrying out your own. For someone who loves small batch baking, making a batch of 300 cookies is less fun than making a batch of 30 (or 6). Using a 60 quart mixer is back breaking work. If you’re wondering how big a 60 quart mixer is, your standard home Kitchen-Aid mixer 5 quarts. I’m pretty sure I can fit in a 60 quart mixing bowl!

I am not saying this to dissuade anyone from being a pastry chef or going to culinary school. I’m just saying that at this point in my life, it’s just not for me. This summer has confirmed for me that the job I want is the job I already have, and I’m really grateful for that. However, I have really missed blogging and I’m ready to get back into it. Sometimes disconnecting for a while and experiencing life is necessary, and I feel refreshed and inspired to share new things on this space. Check back soon for some fun and exciting posts!

In the Oven: February Edition

His and Hers Mini Layer Cakes

Welcome back to a new edition of In the Oven! With Valentine’s Day and my birthday being this month, there was no shortage of baked goods that came out of my kitchen. The picture you see above is of the his and hers mini cakes that I made for Valentine’s Day. The cakes are a version of these Chocolate Covered Strawberry Mini Cakes I made a few years ago, which have become a yearly tradition for us.
His- chocolate cake with mocha frosting and mini chocolate chips
Hers- chocolate cake with peanut butter filling, malted vanilla frosting, chocolate ganache and a chocolate malt ball.
Mine was a take on chocolate covered peanut butter malt balls that I recently discovered in the bulk section at Whole Foods.

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In the Oven: January Edition

Eggless Chocolate Cake

I’m starting a new series on the blog this year. Think of it as a behind the scenes at the Cake Merchant. There are so many things that I bake that never make it to the blog, and I wanted to have a place to share them with you. I know that some of you are here for the recipes, but a lot of you are just here for the cake porn, so this also gives me an excuse to share pretty cake pictures you wouldn’t otherwise get to see.

Although I blog less often than I used to, I’m still baking just as much, so I wanted to have a chance to share thoughts on recipes that I make from around the web as well as remake some recipes from my own blog. There are some recipes on here that I really love and just don’t have time to make again because I’m too busy coming up with new stuff.

Also, I’ve been trying to get better at cooking. You know, food without sugar in it? Yeah, I need to eat some of that too. So I’m actually going to start off this month’s In the Oven with some savory suggestions.

Ruth Ann and Mike, two of my friends whom I went to music school in Indiana with just so happen to now live in Dallas. And they just so happen to be married to each other, so that makes it more convenient to see them. Every summer when we’re not teaching lessons to flocks of children, we have ice cream making parties called Ice Cream Fest, during which we experiment with various crazy ice cream flavors. For the past 6 months, we have expanded into what we call Plenty Fest. As fans of Yotam Ottolenghi’s recipes, we have been having a blast cooking through his vegetarian books Plenty and Plenty More and make it a point to have regular Ottolenghi feasts. Favorite from Plenty Fest have been this Pear, Fennel, and Arugula Salad, this Mushroom and Herb Polenta, and a Caramelized Fennel dish with Goat Cheese that I couldn’t find a recipe for online.

Eggless Chocolate Cake

Ruth Ann is allergic to eggs, so for our last Plenty Fest I brought the cake pictured above based on my Easiest Vegan Chocolate Cake recipe, but baked it in two 5-inch pans rather than one 8-inch pan. Baking time was about 28 minutes in my oven. I used this frosting from Smitten Kitchen and multiplied it times 1.5, and topped it with crunchy chocolate pearls that I brought back from Australia (you can find similar ones here).

I’ve also become obsessed with trying to create a red velvet recipe that I love, and revamp the one I currently have on the blog. Red velvet is still a little weird for me, but Texans love it so much that I feel like I need a great go to recipe. Do you like red velvet cake and if so, do you have a favorite recipe?

Happy Baking,
Natasha