Daily Loaf

Tampa has seen a couple of cupcake bakeries pop up in the last couple of years, so I set out to compare their products; specifically, the simplest of all these sweets: a vanilla cupcake.

In Westchase, there are now two places that offer cupcakes. When Swirls on Race Track Road first opened, they had multiple cupcake flavors as well as several other baked goods. Currently, they seem to be concentrating more on gelato, coffees and a few lunch items. Good thing, because the cupcakes were awful. The cake was dry and oddly solid, as if previously frozen, and the frosting was greasy and flavorless. Thankfully, their gourmet gelato, including unique flavors like Guinness and avocado, are worth the visit.

On Linebaugh is Read the rest of this entry »

Coconut is divine. It is so flavorful and versatile, at home as a crust on giant prawns or a decadent dessert to end a meal. When it is flaked, sweetened, and toasted it leaves such a distinct mark on any dish it’s become one of my favorite ingredients to use.

When I set out to make my first coconut cream pie several years ago, I struggled with the idea of the baking method it would involve. It seemed that blind baking a crust and cooking the filling separately would be such a task, but that filling and then baking the pie would never result in the creamy goodness I was after. So I researched a lot of different recipes, and created this version which really is so simple and yields a confection worthy of the case in any fine bake shop.

At its most basic level, this dessert is rich vanilla custard with real coconut and a flaky, traditional hand-made crust. If you can get past the initial fear of making your own pastry and just nail down the technique, it will be well worth it, so take this extra step and you won’t be sorry. Cold is the key — cold work surface, clean cold hands (your best tools!), and most of all, very cold butter.

Here’s the recipe: Read the rest of this entry »