Sabbatical

It has been a very busy spring and Pure Bliss is taking a nice summer break. We hope to be back with more yummy baked goods soon, but in the meantime, we will be filling our tummies with non-baked goodies like ice cream. Lots and lots of ice cream.

In This Corner...

I know every Thursday, in most American homes, chocolate cupcakes with ingredients like sour cream and brown sugar and dutch-processed cocoa sqaure off against each other in a battle of wits. ...okay, maybe it's just my house.
In one corner, a gooey, extremely tender-crumbed rich chocolate cupcake and in the other, a light and airy chocolate cupcake. Well, it didn't take long to find the real winner, at least according to the members of this household. We (okay, I) licked the cupcake paper just to get every last bit of the cake out. And that's coming from a girl who doesn't love chocolate. This guy is GOOD. And he'll be debuting as a full-fledged 10-incher on Monday afternoon.

Happy Birthday JT!

Some eight-year-olds just can't get enough of chocolate cake with espresso pastry cream and mocha buttercream. Oh, and those chocolate-covered coffee beans... can't forget about those.

Banana Chocolate Chip Cupcakes with Cajeta

We're still in the throes of taste testing and will be for a while yet. Below you'll find a warmly spiced banana cake with chocolate chips inside and out. It is topped with a puddle of cajeta and light chantilly cream.
Cakes are generally easier to taste test in cupcake form. Otherwise, you can imagine the size of my family and neighbors and co-workers at the end of the testing season! The beautiful banana chocolate chip layer cake is filled with cajeta, fresh banana slices, and chantilly cream.

Delicious and fresh and perfect for banana lovers.

Desserts for a Delightful Crowd

In November, the little sister of one of my very best friends was married in her home town of New Orleans. But, also being a Texas girl at heart, Emily had her bachelorette party here in Cowtown. I provided the desserts. Is this a great backdrop to sweets or what?


If there was a star of the show, it was these bride-requested red velvet and carrot cupcakes with mascarpone and cream cheese icing, topped with the couple's monogram.

These warmly spiced madeleines, a shell-shaped sponge cake-like cookie, and more savory rosemary orange madeleines were lightly dusted with powdered sugar.

Seriously. Rich and fudgy brownies. With perfectly ripe raspberries. No need for explanation.

The bottom tier is filled with french almond macarons, half filled with a strawberry buttercream topped with a strawberry puree and the other half filled with a soft caramel. The top tier is stacked up with homemade marshmallows: raspberry, chocolate, vanilla almond, and the big winner of the night, pumpkin spice.

I had a great time perfecting these recipes and am really looking forward to the next dessert-themed bash. Congratulations, Emily and Brandon. I would bake for you even if I didn't already like you so much.

Taste Testing in the New Year

I'm not one for New Year's resolutions, but one great thing about the calendar turning from December to January is that I am all geared up for taste testing recipes again. It's just that time of year, I guess. This time we were testing a lemon poppyseed recipe with an almond cream cheese frosting.

They're a hit! I can't wait to box up the rest of these pink polka-dotted beauties and send them post haste to my favorite taste testers at the FWPD.

I love you, Emile Henry.

For making beautiful things that become beautiful Christmas presents that bake beautiful pies like this one.

This chocolate cream pie is incredibly rich and creamy with decandent chantilly cream and an organic chocolate cream cookie crust. Yum.