mint Archives | The Vanilla Bean Blog

chocolate mint cake (otherwise known as candy cane cake)

Sarah Kieffer — Tue, 10 Dec 2019 09:00:00 +0000

This is an older post, originally posted in 2011, that I’m highlighting this December. My daughter and I were looking through old blog posts, trying to decide on a birthday dessert for her upcoming day, and she died laughing at how terrible the photos were for this post (they were pretty bad). So I remade the candy cane cake this week updating not only the photos, but the recipe as well. I’ve used peppermint candies here instead of candy canes (ground into sparkly dust in the food processor), and the chocolate cake from my cookbook. I also added some gold leaf just because, but it isn’t necessary. Original post: This past week we celebrated my daughter’s birthday. The last two years I’ve let her ‘design’ her own cake, meaning she gets to pick colors and flavors and a basic theme, and I try to make something not quite as elaborate. Last year was a very vibrant purple cake , and I had assumed this year it would be something similar (or something worse – she had been eying those Barbie cakes at the grocery store). So I was slightly shocked, when after asking her, she yelled ‘A PINK CANDY CANE CAKE!’ […]

The post chocolate mint cake (otherwise known as candy cane cake) appeared first on The Vanilla Bean Blog.

chocolate ice cream cake with mint meringue

Sarah Kieffer — Thu, 28 Dec 2017 17:10:11 +0000

Chocolate Ice Cream Cake with Mint MeringueFor a slightly taller cake, use a Pullman pan (affiliate link) and double the chocolate ice cream. This recipe gives you directions for making the no-churn ice cream ahead of time and then assembling the cake. You can just pour the fresh made ice cream over the cookie crumb crust and then freeze, but you won’t be able to do the double layer of cookie crumbs because the ice cream will be too soft and the crumbs in the middle will just mix into the ice cream. ___________________________________________________________ Somehow we are already on the front steps of 2018. The door is open, and another January welcomes us in with a glorious smile, reassuring those waiting out in the cold that right inside, just through that open door, things will be better. The new year will bring hope, and change. So we resolve to evolve, and put our faith in the dropping of a ball, a countdown from ten, and then number one. Two weeks in, however, we realize it’s still all the same, January is December, minus the Christmas tree. The list of resolutions gets shoved in a drawer, we turn on the news […]

The post chocolate ice cream cake with mint meringue appeared first on The Vanilla Bean Blog.

crème fraîche cheesecake with chocolate ganache and mint meringue

Sarah Kieffer — Wed, 07 Dec 2016 04:59:54 +0000

Hello! I have another exciting giveaway for you (in addition to a recipe for a delicious crème fraîche cheesecake). Three more pieces of kitchen equipment that I absolutely love: Emile Henry mixing bowls, Mauviel Copper Sugar Saucepan, and a Lékué springform mold. The mixing bowls are pretty much a necessity in any kitchen, and this set is lovely, with three different sized nesting bowls. I use them all the time – for mixing, of course, but also for holding fruit and filling with chips at parties, among other things. The sugar saucepan is beautiful (I included it on my gift guide as well), and I find it to be a fantastic tool for making Italian buttercream. And the springform mold has been a game changer for me. I will admit I was skeptical about silicone molds when I was first introduced to them, but I have fallen in love with them after never having to worry about messy cheesecake sides. The mold peels away from the cheesecake every time, leaving perfect sides. Extra bonus: the cheesecake bakes on a white ceramic plate that is perfect for serving on as well, and I never have to have the stress of sliding […]

The post crème fraîche cheesecake with chocolate ganache and mint meringue appeared first on The Vanilla Bean Blog.

Chocolate Mint Cream Cake

Sarah Kieffer — Tue, 08 Dec 2015 05:01:22 +0000

Usually the holiday season is my favorite time of year. Everything seems a bit more sparkly in December with two littles in my life: decorating, cookie baking, listening to Christmas music is all seen through innocent eyes. The only concern at this point is being good enough to make Grandpa’s Santa’s list, and to be reminded that really, this is the season of giving. Glancing at any newspaper or random feed tells me otherwise, of course. ‘Merry’ and ‘bright’ might be the last words I would use to describe daily events. ‘Messy’ and ‘heart-breaking’ come to mind, as neighbor turns against neighbor, and comment sections on any and every news article is riddled with hateful outbursts. I want to disengage, but it’s impossible to ignore. I want to do something, but it all seems so out of my control. So I hum along to the poets. Let your heart be light, they sing. Love your neighbor as yourself, they sigh. We have forgotten that we belong to each other, they whisper so softly. Have yourself a merry little Christmas | Let your heart be light Chocolate Mint Cream Cake A few notes: You will have more Chocolate Cream Filling then […]

The post Chocolate Mint Cream Cake appeared first on The Vanilla Bean Blog.

No-Churn Mint Ice Cream

Sarah Kieffer — Mon, 17 Aug 2015 02:27:38 +0000

“The weeks stood still in summer.The trees’ blood rose. Now you feelit wants to sink backinto the source of everything. You thoughtyou could trust that powerwhen you plucked the fruit;now it becomes a riddle again,and you again a stranger.”-Rainer Maria Rilke In between squirt-gun fights and the jingle of bells on kid-sized bikes there is the faintest whisper, a warning. I wake up each morning knowing the sun will set a few moments sooner. The murmur, the rumor of change I choose to ignore, clinging instead to fire pits, swimming pools, canoe rides, and the blistering humidity that has reigned here all week. Let’s keep all this going, just a little bit longer. Please? Our patch of mint has taken over the space made for it, plus the spot set aside for the basil. The tall stems are sprawling into our driveway, their muted purple flowers tickling our feet under the picnic table each time we take a meal outside. I’ve had good intentions of using those green leaves in plenty of dinners, but mostly it has just grown unruly, alive for the sole purpose of filling our house with the smell of toothpaste every time it rains. No-Churn Mint […]

The post No-Churn Mint Ice Cream appeared first on The Vanilla Bean Blog.