The Baking Medic

A thing of beauty!

Wait, did she just say… low-fat? Hellz yes I did.  This delicious cake uses a grand total of three tablespoons of canola oil — three! That’s less than a quarter cup, yet the cake manages to stay light and moist.  Dry and crumbly “diet” cakes begone!

Right, and now for an explanation that’s a little less random.

Yes this cake is a low fat version of the popular lemon poppyseed cake.  For a while now I have been wanting to try so called “lite” baking to see how these goods compare to the real deal.  Now as I’ve done some recipe perusing before, I had a vague idea of what ingredients to expect.  Namely, using applesauce as a fat substitute (in place of butter or oil) and egg whites instead of whole eggs. » Read the rest of this entry «

I believe the last time I was posting about fudge I warned that there may be more fudge recipes in the future. And today I’m making good on that threat with my Chocolate Rock Fudge.

My younger brother works at Bulk Barn, one my my favourite stores in the world. It is a great way to cut down on excess waste caused by overpackaging, as all of the food sold in the store sits in giant vats. You grab a bag, scoop out how much you want, then they weight it at the check out counter. As a result, it’s a bakers heaven: you buy as much as you want for  very reasonable prices. On top of that, they also stock multiple types of flour and sugar, a large array of spices, bountiful supplies of baking chocolate, and o the candy aisle. When I was younger, I used to go to Bulk Barn just to buy some candy! » Read the rest of this entry «

Eating is without a doubt a social activity. I’ve lost count of the times I’ve met my friends at our favourite cheap eats in downtown Toronto, or for a coffee in a number of the charming cafes that St Andrews has to offer. Heck, there was one memorable evening when a friend and I picked up what must have been 15 lbs worth of curry, rice, and naan for a gut-busting, not to mention hilarious dinner with friends (even if we *did* have to drag this curry on a 20 minute walk to get there).

One the principle reasons I love to bake is because sharing food brings people together. There is a special pleasure in making people happy by giving them something tasty to pop in their mouths. Don’t you love to exclaim “ooo! Try this, it’s absolutely delicious!”? I adore this sharing of nourishment and companionship. » Read the rest of this entry «

I said I was a bit behind on my posting, so here’s a quick post to help myself do a little catching up, while tiding you over until the next recipe post.

See the fudginess of these beauties?

These, my friends, are cake truffles.  Recently, in my quest for perfect flat layers and level surfaces, I had shaved off the slightly rounded dome on the top of my Black Magic Cake.  So, I was left with two gloriously level layers but also some “cake scraps”.  Apart from feeding the cake scraps to my father (he was happy to ‘dispose’ of them for me! ^.^), I could turn those odd bits of cake into something different but equally delicious.

Cake truffles are very simply made: you take your left over scraps of cake and mush them up with your leftover icing.  Then, the gooey mass of heaven is scooped up and shaped into small balls.  Chill the truffles-to-be before rolling them in chocolate or another coating of your choice. Let the chocolate set and be prepared to guard them with your life — they’re that good! » Read the rest of this entry «

It seems my blog is running away from me again.  It’s probably been a week since I last posted, and I’ve got at least four things waiting to go up!  Still I suppose it is still better to have too many things to blog about than too few.

This post happens to be about a fresh peach and blueberry galette and my first solo venture into the world of pastry making.  You might think “solo venture” is an odd way to phrase it, but it’s the truth.  In the past, I’ve helped my Grandma make her famous apple pie (whose Grandma doesn’t make the most delicious apple pie you’ve ever tasted?) but I’ve always eschewed pastry making in favour of the more simple “throw everything into a bowl and stir” approach to baking. » Read the rest of this entry «

Yes, that’s right people. Chocolate covered bacon. Take the two tastiest foods in the world and put them together to get a delicious salty, sweet treat that you won’t forget for a long time. Only in Canada, my friends.

The Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) is Toronto-based annual fair, which for many signals the end of the summer, the advent of the school year, the bidding of farewell to summer and the preparation for autumn. For many families, it is a yearly tradition to visit the CNE (or the Ex, as it is affectionately called) and a chance for children to spend the day running around in the sun, hopping on and off rides, and gobbling up cotton candy, ice cream waffles, and all sorts of other sugary treats that their parents have the sense to allow them to eat only once a year. » Read the rest of this entry «