It’s Been a While…

Do not be concerned: just because I have not posted in a long time does not mean I have not been consuming delicious baked goods. My quest for eating and writing about flour and sugar combinations is still going strong. This post will cover several memorable treats I’ve had since my last post. Eating adventures in New Zealand, Boston, and Napa did not disappoint.

I’ve written before about the little gem of a tea and cake shop, The Cake Room, in Akaroa New Zealand. This spring, my husband and I spent three weeks there (in NZ, not at the Cake Room although my daughter Jane and I spent a fair amount of time there as well). As before, Katie’s creative, unusual, and visually arresting cakes were outstanding. Some particular favorites this time around were her berry scones, light and filmed with an ultra thin layer of butter (and a cheerful yellow pansy!); her yogurt cake topped with a creamy lemon glaze and some thick plain yogurt; and her chocolate cake with fluffy frosting and a bright, orchid-colored sweet pea on top. Then it was time for my 60th birthday cake.

Thus far, I have enjoyed celebrating my birthday. I no longer desire gifts and parties, but like to spread it out, enjoying meals with family and friends over several days (weeks?), never hesitating to accompany these meals with cake. This year, we had two meals in my honor in New Zealand, featuring Katie’s cakes. The first was brunch. From the Cake Room we laid out two mini carrot cake loaves and two berry yogurt cupcakes. Fear not; chocolate was to come later. Each of us dove into the treats with enthusiasm after admiring their whimsical floral embellishments. We also feasted on fresh local bread and delicious eggs. I was incredibly content.

The following evening, we ate a delectable fish dinner. Sure, we were quite full but made room for the breathtakingly beautiful and fantastically divine chocolate layer cake. Jane had asked me earlier in the week if I had any requests for Katie, and I reminded her how much I had relished the chocolate layer cake we’d had at The Cake Room. I think this is the prettiest birthday cake I’ve ever had!

Alas, the Cake Room is now closed, but Katie is still taking orders for cakes and making many people in Akaroa and beyond very happy.

Another trip I took this year was to Boston to spend time with a couple of dear friends. Unfortunately, one of them ended up getting stuck out of the country, but his partner and I forged on, somewhat sadly. Visits to bakeries raised our spirits. JC likes sweets as much as I do, and he was eager to show me some of his favorite spots. One, Michette, is an enviable five minute walk from his house. I couldn’t wait to try it and we sped over there the morning after I arrived. Michette’s croissants are flakey and buttery and pretty darn perfect. We also liked the pain au chocolate and the almond croissant. Oh, and the kouign amann–filled with passion fruit–was a thing of beauty. The photo below does not tell the story of how lovely these were to behold before we cut them in half.

Another day we seemed to walk for miles and miles. Our reward that afternoon was freshly filled cannolis from Mike’s Pastries in the North End. JC had lemon cream and I had pistachio; both were surprisingly light and crunchy.

In September, I met one of my French cousins in Napa, where he has internships at a couple of sparkling wineries. Knowing he was likely missing the bakery down the road from his home in Bouzy, France, I introduced him to Model Bakery. Though we were a bit disappointed in the BLT, a sandwich I had remembered as otherworldly from years before, we were very pleased with the loaf of bread I purchased and each of the cookies we shared with our friends, Juli and Lynne.

During the summer, I went nuts making desserts featuring fresh fruit. Pictured below are a few. Since it is cooling down, by Santa Barbara standards at least, I am keen to make some sweets with warming spices such as cardamom, cinnamon, and cloves. In December I will be traveling to Santa Fe, New Mexico with my husband to visit our other daughter, Camille. When we were there in May I went to some terrific bakeries. Strangely, I did not take photos of any of what I ate. So stay tuned: I am sure we will eat plenty of incredible dishes and I look forward to writing about them.

P.S. I noticed that Katie served all of her cakes with nifty cake forks. Look closely at the photos from The Cake Room. How was this utensil unknown to me? Not surprisingly these clever, highly specialized forks came about during Queen Victoria’s reign. One of the three or four tines is thicker than the others, becoming a handy little edge for cutting through cake. I probably need a set of these forks.