I never tire of leafing through the pages of a new baking cookbook. It is a favorite pastime, especially when I need to boost my spirits.
I did something stupid. On the way home from visiting a friend, I lost my camera and two lenses. It seems I left my camera bag in the airport or on the plane. The crazy thing is that my life has been so nuts, I didn’t even notice it was missing until nearly a week later. I suppose that traveling with two little kids, running my consulting business and launching a new business takes a toll. In this case, I paid handsomely with very expensive equipment.
Since the launch of Whipped, I joked that one of the main reasons I started this blog was as an excuse to buy a fancy camera. Five years later, I suppose I have gotten so much from that camera (and this blog) that I can confidently say it was money well spent. Honestly, I haven’t spent too much time bemoaning the loss of my camera because due to my hectic life, I am just feeling fortunate that I didn’t lose my head!
Probably for my marketing consulting work and blogging, I will need to invest in a new camera. And, having a new toy isn’t so bad, even if it dents the bank account. In the meantime, I’m snapping away with my most recently purchased gadget -an iPhone 4s. Siri hasn’t been quite the companion I had hoped she would be but the camera is a major improvement from the iPhone 3.
When I feel down and out, or do something stupid like lose a camera, I find solace in the pages of cookbooks. Baking books really do the trick. Baking Basics and Beyond is a pretty simple book with large text and easy recipes. Though I have clocked many hours with my oven, I always learn something new from every book. Pat’s Gingerbread Nectarine Cobbler caught my eye (why didn’t I think of that?!) and after I was stopped by the photograph, I was more pleased to find a factoid on the page about spices used in the Middle Ages explaining the historical popularity of gingerbread.
From Turtle Cheesecake Pie to Butterscotch Cashew Blondies, this book feels like the type that will treat each baker to a few new, non-fussy favorites for his or her repertoire. Want to see if it is a fit for your style? On Friday, I will randomly choose a winner from all those who comment and will send the lucky baker a copy of this book.
I love reading all your comments when I give you a specific question, so here it goes… Leave a comment answering: If you could choose any dessert for your birthday celebration, what would it be?
Update: Rachel is our lucky winner!
May 30th, 2012 at 5:37 pm
Oooh good question. Probably some sort of banana-hazelnut-chocolate layered crepe cake concoction, though my standard is an amazing simple all-around, super rich chocolate cake.
May 30th, 2012 at 5:44 pm
an choc mint cookie ice cream cake
May 30th, 2012 at 5:46 pm
Sorry to hear about your camera! Well, my choice would have to be something red velvet. It is my absolute favourite, and still not very easy to find in the UK. Last year my best friend made me red velvet cupcakes and red velvet woopie pies for my birthday…it was the best dessert ever :)
May 30th, 2012 at 5:46 pm
Normally I would go with something chocolate, of course. But if it can be anything maybe a made from scratch cobbler with fresh berries and real whip cream. I think that would suffice. :)
May 30th, 2012 at 5:49 pm
If I could choose any dessert, it would be a combination of my
favorite carrot cake, and a white velvet cake, four layers with cream
cheese frosting.
May 30th, 2012 at 5:54 pm
A Chocolate Tart oozing with Salted Caramel…
May 30th, 2012 at 5:57 pm
My desert of choice is anything not good for me, cake, cookies, but my all time favorites are chocolate cake white icing. The good old fashioned kind, yum. Maybe I am going to make one this weekend. BUt trying any new recipe for home town favorite is a passion of mine. Bring back the good old days
May 30th, 2012 at 6:09 pm
I would say crème brûlée! I’ve never made it but certainly excited to try one day :)
May 30th, 2012 at 6:19 pm
I think carrot cake or maybe creme brûlée.
May 30th, 2012 at 6:22 pm
Carrot cake with cream cheese frosting!
May 30th, 2012 at 6:31 pm
A lemon cake, filled with lemon curd and iced with buttercream frosting.
May 30th, 2012 at 6:42 pm
Bread pudding with bourbon glaze. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.
May 30th, 2012 at 6:51 pm
Oh I think my favorite would be Alice Medrich’s Coco Cabana Cake with a moist genoise cake which is flavored with fresh lemon juice, dark rum, fresh whipped cream and unsweetened coconut and covered with the coconut and candied lemon zest.
May 30th, 2012 at 6:55 pm
A good quality cheesecake with caramel and chocolate on top. Yum.
May 30th, 2012 at 7:14 pm
Soooooo sorry about your camera!! Maybe it will be returned? For my birthday, I usually have an ice cream dessert – since it is in July!
May 30th, 2012 at 7:33 pm
I don’t know why but if my birthday was tonight I feel like smores. Not sure of the meaning of that but it sounds soooo good.
May 30th, 2012 at 7:33 pm
That last post should be CONNIE and I don’t have the excuse of two young children. AHHHHHHH
May 30th, 2012 at 7:40 pm
I love custards – flan is a huge part of my Filipina and Mexican heritage. But rice pudding, an equally important Mexican dessert, is one of my favorites. Nice and simple, not too sweet, perfect.
May 30th, 2012 at 7:48 pm
I would definitely love to have a birthday cake made of fresh churros and ice cream on top, and throw in an additional lemon-blueberry cheesecake!
May 30th, 2012 at 7:51 pm
probably for me it would be fresh strawberry shortcake with cinamon whipped cream…..
May 30th, 2012 at 9:44 pm
I would love a dark chocolate cake and lots of berries on top!! Yummy!
May 30th, 2012 at 10:16 pm
I can’t help but choose cake for my birthday celebration. It’s just…tradition!
May 30th, 2012 at 11:04 pm
If I could have any dessert for my birthday, I would definitely have a lemon tart. The freshness of the lemon curd with the flakiness of a good pie crust and dusted with powdered sugar would be perfectly indulgent and delicious treat in October!
May 30th, 2012 at 11:18 pm
Sorry you lost your camera :o( ~ I think it would have to be brownies…love them, love them!! Then there is yellow cake with chocolate icing yum…brownies it would have to be I think hum!! Or even a pavlova with passion fruit …oh dear it would be one of those.
May 30th, 2012 at 11:38 pm
I stayed in Dublin for 6 weeks while studying abroad back in 2004. While there, my host mother made the most amazing chocolate cake I have ever tasted. It was one of those all day projects but it was worth it. I have the recipe but have never taken on the challenge, really need to try it out sometime :) I would chose her cake for my birthday, hers, not the one I will someday mess up ;)
May 30th, 2012 at 11:40 pm
The Gingerbread Nectarine Cobbler sounds so good.
May 30th, 2012 at 11:41 pm
I would like a 4 layer carrot cake.
rsgrandinetti@yahoo(dot)com
May 31st, 2012 at 12:26 am
I love simple deserts, so a homemade cheesecake or brownies with vanilla ice cream would be more than delightful!
That being said, I always go crazy for friends and family – I once made a foot tall ice cream cake!
May 31st, 2012 at 12:38 am
Mine would have to be the chocolate chip layer cake from the Milk Bar cookbook. As soon as I have a free weekend I’m going to have a go at it.
May 31st, 2012 at 2:09 am
I’m a massive choccie fan. however at the moment I’d go for lemon meringue pie. mysterious palate development. must be an age thing… have fun with your new “toy”!
May 31st, 2012 at 2:21 am
Something chocolatey and coffee-ish…I’ve never turned away a tiramisu.
May 31st, 2012 at 2:23 am
It would have to be a devils food cake with mounds of chocolate ganache icing…why not go all the way…. how about adding a scoop of Haagen-Dazs vanilla bean ice cream…happy birthday to ME!
May 31st, 2012 at 4:35 am
So sorry about your camera. As for a birthday dessert, anything lemon will do. Cake is fine, but give me a tart lemon mousse with a bit of whipped cream and berries anytime.
May 31st, 2012 at 5:01 am
My birthday was actually just last week and I requested a red velvet cake! I love the taste of red velvet and with a thick layer of cream cheese frosting, it’s the best birthday dessert ever!
May 31st, 2012 at 6:56 am
I love a nice milky rice pudding with raisins or pineapple upside down cake! A bowl of kosto chocolate pudding would be a delicious quickie dessert from my childhood – WITH the pudding skin!
May 31st, 2012 at 7:16 am
a savoring with cream and berries!!!! it is basically a baba rum cake with a extra creamy whipped cream on top and wild berries…heaven…and quite light! you can eat the whole thing….
May 31st, 2012 at 7:16 am
a savarin with cream and berries!!!! it is basically a baba rum cake with a extra creamy whipped cream on top and wild berries…heaven…and quite light! you can eat the whole thing….
May 31st, 2012 at 7:37 am
I love chocolate and cheesecake too. So i would definitely choose chocolate cheesecake.
May 31st, 2012 at 7:49 am
Oh man, I am so sorry about your camera! But it’s better the camera than a kid, right? :) I am a simple cake girl for my birthday, and I just want a good yellow cake with fudgy, chocolate frosting.
May 31st, 2012 at 7:51 am
I’m always a sucker for a good creme brulee!
May 31st, 2012 at 7:56 am
A fruit tart! Which is actually what I’ve had in place of cake for the past few years. We’re not traditionalists around here!
May 31st, 2012 at 8:14 am
so hard to decide. A tiramisu…scratch coconut cream pie…or i’d wish my granny (who is in heaven)to come back and make me one of her peanut butter pies (not the cream cheese type).
May 31st, 2012 at 8:23 am
Very moist, very dark chocolate cake with perfectly (not too) sweet cream cheese icing.
May 31st, 2012 at 8:24 am
Since it’s rhubarb season and the strawberries are coming along, I’d request a tart rhubarb and strawberry… tart. Hold most of the sugar. I’m so thankful for tart rhubarb since I don’t have much of a sweet tooth. That means I’m a sucker for savory, too, so I’d request a butter-heavy pastry crust… maybe something in the galette family? I’d also love a new cookbook!
Btw, sorry for your camera loss. That sucks… I would cry if I lost mine. At least you’ll be able to write off the cost as a business expense next April?
May 31st, 2012 at 8:24 am
I knew in a heartbeat – because it’s my birthday, I have to go with the cake that my family had for both mine and my father’s birthdays every year when I was growing up. I don’t know if they still make it, but Baskin-Robbins used to have a turtle ice cream pie with chocolate graham cracker crust, pralines & cream ice cream, topped with a thin caramel layer, and this fudge type stuff piped around the edges. It was delish, and I loved the tradition of it all.
May 31st, 2012 at 9:09 am
Tiramisu! :)
May 31st, 2012 at 9:10 am
Anything chocolate and peanut butter. Seriously – I would be happy with a package of peanut butter cups or a multi-tiered cake!
May 31st, 2012 at 9:13 am
Mmmm…that’s a loaded question. I LOVE chocolate, adore creme brulee and am addicted to a rhubarb/berry crisp/cobbler!
May 31st, 2012 at 10:01 am
Chocolate.Flourless.Cake. -And maybe a few raspberries to keep it healthy. ;) But it’s my birthday! Indulgence required and a great start to a new year.
May 31st, 2012 at 10:09 am
A peanut butter and chocolate ice cream cake…yum!
May 31st, 2012 at 10:58 am
ouch! so sorry to hear about your camera! as for a birthday treat, mine is in the fall so a nice fruit pie would be lovely– Muscadine pie is my favorite. Sadly, I am the baker in our family and I’ve never actually gotten a homemade birthday dessert, unless I’ve made it myself. Luckily, I love baking :)
May 31st, 2012 at 11:08 am
Chocolate chip bunt cake! It’s a “junky” recipe but I’ve been having it every year since I was 10, and I wouldn’t have anything else!
May 31st, 2012 at 12:16 pm
Strawberry shortcake!
May 31st, 2012 at 12:19 pm
Oooooo, anything chocolate! Thanks!
May 31st, 2012 at 12:39 pm
Cheesecake with fresh sherry topping.. or Yellow cake with chocolate frosting…or Chocolate raspberry mouse cake… I can’t decide..
May 31st, 2012 at 12:40 pm
So sorry about the camera. I got a great camera (before digital) for my 16th birthday. I loved my camera. It was stolen out of our car when my son forgot to lock it. I was heart broken. Having a camera that you love is such a treat.
As for the question, i love chocolate chip ice cream with rainbow sprinkles. very elementary, but that is what birthdays are about.
May 31st, 2012 at 12:46 pm
My moms carrot cake. I miss my mom!
May 31st, 2012 at 1:21 pm
My favorite birthday desert is carrot cake. I make it myself because I love to bake and finding a store bought carrot cake without nuts is hard to find (my son has allergies). I try a new recipe each time and have never been disappointed. I tell myself it’s healthy because of all the carrots! :)
May 31st, 2012 at 3:06 pm
So sorry to hear about your camera. But at least you didn’t leave any kids behind, right? ;)
I would choose banoffie pie. It is sooooo good!!!
May 31st, 2012 at 3:54 pm
cheesecake
May 31st, 2012 at 3:57 pm
Wow, I can’t even remember the last time I had a birthday cake. My favourite would have to be either a carrot cake with cream cheese icing or a white chocolate and raspberry cheesecake. My favourite from when I was a child would have to be ice cream cake though so I’ll definitely have to try making myself one of those sometime!
May 31st, 2012 at 4:41 pm
cake. specifically, vanilla cupcakes with chocolate frosting. and sprinkles. tons of sprinkles.
May 31st, 2012 at 6:13 pm
It’s not very original, but a towering, dense, fudgy chocolate layer cake will always be my favorite birthday dessert. Still trying to master my own version of a childhood restaurant favorite, though…
May 31st, 2012 at 11:14 pm
It would have to be turtle cheesecake. Yum!
May 31st, 2012 at 11:23 pm
I would love to have homemade ice cream cake. Specifically mint chocolate chip ice cream with mint chocolate cake and white chocolate frosting! Yum!
June 1st, 2012 at 9:06 am
If it isn’t too late…I’ll take a boston cream pie in a pie shell!
June 1st, 2012 at 11:15 am
Jeez, sorry about your camera… Right now, a chocolate mousse cake with a chocolate cookie crust and a bunch of whipped cream sounds fantastic. Summer berries on the plate too. xoxo
June 1st, 2012 at 1:45 pm
Homemade strawberry cake with strawberry buttercream frosting…Both my Mom and Grandma make delicious renditions, and I request it every year (if I’m at home).
June 1st, 2012 at 1:56 pm
creme brule- I have it every year!
June 1st, 2012 at 7:44 pm
I’d choose a rich german chocolate cake with chocolate ice cream. Yummy!!
2dogs5catscrew@att.net
June 2nd, 2012 at 12:57 am
Tiramisu…followed by a latte!
June 2nd, 2012 at 7:39 am
Ohhh, that is such a bummer! I had my camera stolen at the Shannon airport in Ireland. It really puts you in a crummy mood. I’m sure there will be something coming your way:)
Since I can’t stand store bought cakes, my fav dessert would be one that I didn’t make for my birthday;) I love black forest cake!
June 5th, 2012 at 5:41 am
Well it has to be “Carrot Halwa” coz this being my favourite dessert my mom always used to make it for my bday when I was with her and now when I am married and away I still make it for my bday (thou we go out and celebrate). It has somehow become a ritual and may be u might call it stupid but when I make this I get a feeling of her being around that day.
June 6th, 2012 at 6:30 am
I carry on listening to the news bulletin talk about getting free online grant applications so I have been looking around for the top site to get one. Could you tell me please, where could i acquire some?
June 11th, 2012 at 5:08 am
A chocolate mud cake with chocolate frosting and black chocolate shavings on top: a Black Forest cake!