As a cookies-and-cream fan, I love icebox cake (Milo clearly does too). Chocolate wafers, whipped cream, chocolate curls, and . . . that’s it! What more would you want?
When we visited New York after my bar exam last year, we went on an impromptu cupcake tour. My cousin Naomi recommended that we check out Billy’s Bakery, where we discovered the icebox cake. What a refreshing change from the other cupcake-dominant bakeries we visited!
The Nabisco chocolate wafers aren’t easy to find, but grocery stores sometimes stock them in the ice cream aisle. The whipped cream makes up more than half the volume of the cake, but it’s so light, and just barely sweetened, that you eat this cake up nearly guilt-free. A couple tips: 1) do not overwhip the cream (or it loses its smoothness, as it did in my case), and 2) use at least 1/4″ of cream between layers, as the wafers will soak it up and you do not want to end up with a solid mass.
Lemon Meringue Cupcakes
Post-wedding, our kitchen is now happily equipped with a stand mixer and a kitchen torch. That means, not only do I no longer need to hand-beat meringue for 15+ minutes (a vigorous exercise, to say the least), I can brûlée things to my heart’s content. Everyone likes to play with fire!
This cupcake bursts with flavor with lemon zest and pulp baked into the fluffy cake and lemon curd on top &mdash or optionally, lemon custard filling the center, as shown in the photo above &mdash contrasted with an airy, whipped meringue frosting.
For this cupcake flavor, I highly recommend a lighter cake to match the topping. While Martha Stewart suggests a lemon buttermilk cake, I find that a recipe closer to cakelove’s Light and Lemony Cake is less dense and thus more harmonious with the meringue. I think a sponge cake would be delicious as well. Thanks to my friend Ji at cakes by Ji for introducing me to the wonderful world of cakelove!
Milo | A Field Day
| Milo
Milo is a running back. When he runs, he zig-zags back and forth and yet still somehow manages to dash way ahead of you and out of your reach. Admittedly, his endurance is not great, but we rarely meet a dog that can keep up (or escape his playful pounces) in the short run.
Here, we’ve caught Milo in action at the park. When he tires out, he sits down, kicks his back leg out like he’s decided to plop down on a couch, and refuses to continue on. Then, daddy has to carry him all the way home.
UPDATE: This final picture of Milo at the fountain made it into our vet’s upcoming calendar! Milo will be Mr. September 2011.