Lemon Theme?

Today we had a homemade coffee cake that we believe was lemon poppy seed. Or maybe just poppy seed.  Otherwise we are concerned about the little black dots throughout the cake. If they are not poppy seeds what are they?  This is what happens when you just eat something without finding out what it is.  We are thankful to Yoshi's girlfriend for baking it for us.  It was very good and certainly went well with coffee as just about all loaf type cakes do.  It was supplemented with some Italian Pizzelle waffle type cookies with lemon zest - hence today's title. It was a nice supplementary touch but the star was the homemade cake. A little bit of lemon curd might have topped it off and really completed the theme. But who's complaining.

The upcoming DDW was a topic of discussion and whether the oil spill would have any effect on the conference.  No one seemed concerned and so it was off to the Big Easy!

Schwarzwälderkirschtorte. The cake of cakes!

Yes that is all one word in the title and it translates to Black Forest Cherry Torte or what we call the Black Forest cake.  This is a particular favorite and we are big aficionados! Scratch that - we're experts!  On the most recent trip to Freiburg, Germany  - the capital of the Black Forest - we spent every day in a different cafe trying out the various offerings and they were all great. Then to top if off the Colombi hotel, as the conference caterer, featured a giant black forest sheet cake - true to the recipe no less.  Alas in the United States the cake is usually not true to the recipe. The closest thing we found was at Ursula's European pastry but alas that bakery has closed. We miss it because Black Forest cake aside we don't know anyone else who make a good Dobosz Torte. But we digress..

Today's version was courtesy of Dr. Zhang and was made to order at the Vienna Bakery in Barrington, RI.  It is very good though not quite up to European snuff. The critical element however - a whipped cream frosting - was there.   Thank God!  It was filled with the requisite layer(s) of cherries and the shaved chocolate on top is also de rigeur. Other important ingredients of the real thing are a cookie type layer on the bottom, then a single layer of SOUR cherries that are soaked in Kirschwasser (cherry brandy), and then a layer of whipped cream. This one used a double layer of sweet cherries and the lack of the Kirschwasser is understandable because here they would probably require the bakery to have a liquor license to pull that off. But make no mistake, this is a great cake.It is not too sweet, the cake portion was very fresh and with the whipped cream it is much lighter than it looks. Kudos to the Vienna Bakery for one of the best adaptations in the US!

When we were almost done with the cake, Vicki, who has been haunted by Peeps since Easter imagined the cake had become one.

Choco-Cheesecake thanks to Hiro.

The original idea was to get a Tira Misu from the East Side Marketplace but they were out.  The alternative - a chocolate cheesecake!   Actually it was a double cheesecake with chocolate on the bottom and regular garden variety vanilla type cheesecake above. The cross hatching chocolate decoration on the top was a nice touch. This cake was good but dense!  It went very well with a cup of coffee and we kept the portion sizes small so we could spread it around. In his last two cake donations Hiro is now 2 for 2 for cheesecakes!  Now what did we talk about besides the recent censorship of South Park which we didn't understand because they had already run the Super Best Friends episode with you know who being one of them!  Sigh, times have changed!

Turkish Delights

Unable to procure a cake in a timely fashion, today's featured cake donor settled for some turkish delights both literally and figuratively.  We are very fond of the actual Turkish delights - the gelatinous powdered sugar coated sweet treats that my contain nuts. We particularly like them when they contain pistachios.  Today's offering was covered with coconut instead of the usual sugar dusting.  It was a nice touch and added some variety to our experience with Turkish delights. We have learned to expect this whenever one of our Turkish colleagues is returning from a visit to the homeland and we suspect we've probably had every kind available in Turkish airport gifts shops.

In addition two other delights from Turkey were offered. One was like a marshmallow pie only it was made of waffle type cake, filled with hazelnut cream and was covered in chocolate. Not bad, actually!  Finally we had what I would call the Turkish version of the ubiquitous Danish butter cookies.

The conversation was very academic!  We discussed this year's recipients of Brown's honorary degrees and the reasons why they were nominate and chosen. Very interesting to note that both Nelson Mandela (in asbentia) and Morgan Freeman who played Mandela in film are both being so honored. Coincidence? Who cares? It's great to have them both!

Mrs. Masa's Specialty

Is it an angel food cake? No!  Is it a pound cake? No!  It is something of a cross between the two. The cake is very airy and light like an angel food cake, but is much moister like a pound cake. Is it a chiffon cake? Baking this requires some deftness. Each time we have enjoyed this cake from Mrs. Masa it has been consistent and good. However, our esteemed Cake Master who got the recipe was unable to pull it off. We must continue to defer to the skills of the recipe giver and we look forward to the next time. As for Cake Master - practice makes perfect!

The cake was accompanied by a geopolitical lesson focusing on Hong Kong and its current relationship to China. This discussion broadened to include Macao - which is not as sleazy as it was - and Taiwan.  Apparently Hong Kong residents have a much easier time going in and out of China then vice versa.  We also tried to figure out where and why they would grow broccoli for export in Hong Kong. Apparently Stop and Shop was featuring just that - broccoli from Hong Kong - which seems a little far fetched!  I mean - they couldn't find it in California?

Blueberry Pie and Bye to George

Today we had a good old standard - blueberry pie from Scialo Brothers Bakery on Federal Hill in Providence courtesy of the Moss Man.  This is a great pie!  It's always fresh and full of blueberries. Furthermore the filling is never congealed with too much corn starch but is juicier than one sees with a mass produced commercial pie. The hatched crust is enhanced by some granulated sugar which is what provides most of the sweetness. The pie is very well balanced and always delicious.  We highly recommend it if you are in the Atwells Avenue neighborhood in Providence.

Today we were told that this would be George's last day. George did some work here then left to go back to school. However, he was also kind enough to pay visits, coming down from Boston to hang out help or bring a cake. Now he says this was his last visit..or is it?  Initially it was to be a fond farewell but then he said he may come by next year regardless of the fact that his sister will move on from the lab. Time will tell but in the meantime - keep smiling George!

Torta Della Nonna

Grandmother's Cake - a classic Tuscan Dessert!  We love it when our Italiana gets the itch to bake something. She has already spoiled us with her Tira Misu and yesterday she decided to make her first Torta in the United States for cake hour. We were honored. Too bad she and a few others had to go to seminar. The cake is not too sweet and has a filling of lemon flavored pastry cream. The top is sprinkled with pine nuts. Indeed a classic dish and molto delicioso!!

Recent items in the news regarding cancer testing were discussed. Unlike some people reported on we concluded we would not want our entire medical history in the papers. The topic of poop coffee also came up  which was fortuitous given the recent article about it. Follow the link: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/18/world/asia/18civetcoffee.html?scp=1&sq=civet&st=cse

Being the sophisticates that we are - especially when it comes to cake and coffee, we are not at all shy to report that we have already tried the unique beverage. It does make a good cup of java!