Tag creme

NATIONAL SPONGE CAKE DAY

Jensperspectiveblog 3 Comments

On August 23rd, enjoy National Sponge Cake Day with the quintessential classic of the cake world. This airy queen of teas is the guest of honor, but we get the pleasure of tasting! 

One of the trickiest cakes for bakers to master, a perfect sponge stands tall. Another balancing trick for bakers includes maintaining a fine crumb while keeping the cake moist. If you enjoy layering berries and whipped cream, the sponge handles this task beautifully. 

The sponge cake is believed to be one of the first non-yeasted cakes. 

The sponge cake is thought to have originated in the Caribbean. However, the earliest English printed recipe for sponge cake comes from an English poet and author, Gervase Markham. In 1615 he published a sponge cake recipe in the book The English Huswife, Containing the Inward and Outward Virtues Which Ought to Be in a Complete Woman.

I can’t knit or make plum jam, but I can bake a bloody Victoria sponge. ~ Helen Mirren as Chris in Calendar Girls (2003)

In 2003, the sponge cake played a tiny role in the movie Calendar Girls starring Helen Mirren. In the scene, Mirren’s character, Chris, enters a baking competition. However, she forgets she entered, and instead of entering a sponge cake of her own making, she submits a store-bought Victoria sponge cake.

Want More Cake…

HOW TO OBSERVE #SpongeCakeDay

Be sure to find more of your favorite cakes here.

Get some sponge cake and enjoy it. Or, if you are up to the challenge, try this Glorious Sponge Cake recipe. Serve it with berries or a preserve. Use #SpongeCakeDay to post on social media.

NATIONAL PENUCHE FUDGE DAY

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National Penuche Fudge Day on July 22nd recognizes the creamy candy with an Italian name. If you like maple flavor, this nut-filled fudge is for you!

Penuche (pə-ˈnō-chə) is pronounced pe-new-chee. The Italian form of the word is panucci. The fudge-like candy includes the following ingredients: brown sugar, butter, vanilla, and milk. Lighter in color than traditional fudge, penuche tastes like maple thanks to the brown sugar. If you are looking to celebrate, many shops in New England sell this fudge. There they will add pecans and other nuts, especially if making a candy form of penuche. Southerners call it brown sugar fudge candy.   

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Of course, the day provides an opportunity to test recipes, too. Add walnuts or pecans for a nutty texture to any recipe. However, if you prefer the creamier version, nuts are always purely optional. Cook the sugar mixture in a heavy saucepan. Making good candy or fudge is no time to go cheap. No matter what recipe you use, keep stirring and watch the temperature. Always use a candy thermometer. Fudge is finicky and will seize up on you.  

Whether you taste a homemade bite, store-bought, or your first bite, be sure to savor it.  Don’t forget to share!

More Fudge to Love…

HOW TO OBSERVE #NationalPenucheFudgeDay

Make your own batch with this Penuche Fudge Recipe.  Will it be with nuts or without?  Post on social media using #NationalPenucheFudgeDay.

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NATIONAL FUDGE DAY

Jensperspectiveblog 4 Comments

National Fudge Day is observed annually on June 16th.  National Fudge Day is a food holiday that allows you to indulge in your favorite flavor of this delicious confectionery. Some of the most familiar fudge flavors are chocolate, chocolate nut, peanut butter, maple and maple nut.

Fudge lends itself to experimentation when it comes to flavors. Blending favorites or even a moment of inspiration will create a new delicious kind of fudge. Adding bits of candy, nuts or sprinkles can add just the right celebratory burst of excitement to an old favorite. 

In the late 19th century, some shops on Mackinac Island, Michigan, began to produce similar products as the Vassar College fudge and sold it to summer vacationers. Fudge is still made in some of the original shops located on the famous island.

More Fudge to Love…

HOW TO OBSERVE

Pick up some fudge at your local confectionery store and share it with family and friends. Try making your own recipe.  Use #NationalFudgeDay on social media.

NATIONAL DEVIL’S FOOD CAKE DAY

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Observed annually on May 19, National Devil’s Food Cake Day is enjoyed by chocolate cake lovers throughout the country and around the world.

Devil’s Food cake is a heavenly chocolate cake.  It differs from a regular chocolate cake by its darker color and tends to be more moist and airy.  Devil’s Food cake recipes use hot or boiling water as the primary liquid. Cocoa is typically utilized in the batter, as opposed to chocolate, and coffee can be added for a distinctive flavor.  A delicious chocolate frosting usually accompanies the cake.

Recipes for Devil’s Food cakes often appeared alongside recipes for Angel Food cakes.  One of the earliest recipes appeared in the August 10, 1898, edition of the Hagerstown Exponent of Hagerstown, Indiana.

The once Queen of France said, “Let them eat cake“, I cant think of a better idea in today’s world.

HOW TO OBSERVE

Mix up this irresistible Devil’s Food Cake I recipe. Use #DevilsFoodCakeDay to post on social media.

NATIONAL NUTTY FUDGE DAY

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Each year on May 12th, National Nutty Fudge Day tempts you to indulge in smooth chocolate fudge filled with crunchy nuts.

A Western confection, fudge is usually sweet and delicious. It consists of combining sugar, butter, and milk, heating it to the correct temperature, and then mixing it while it cools to a smooth, creamy consistency. There are many varieties and flavors of fudge, with chocolate being the most popular.

In 1886, a letter was found written by Emelyn Bettersby Hartridge a Vassar College student in Poughkeepsie, NY about her Baltimore, MD cousin. It referred to a fudge her cousin had made and sold for 40 cents per pound. Hartridge obtained the recipe, and in 1888, she made 30 pounds of fudge for the Vassar College Senior Auction.

Late in the 19th century, some shops on Mackinac Island, Michigan, began to produce similar products as the Vassar College fudge and sold it to summer vacationers.  Fudge is still made in some of the original shops there today.

Many candy makers include pecans and walnuts when they prepare their fudge. As a celebratory treat, fudge makes a delicious gift. It packages well and recipients are often overjoyed to receive homemade fudge.

More Fudge to Love…

HOW TO OBSERVE #NationalNuttyFudgeDay

Make a special batch of nutty fudge to share. Keep some for later and give some as a gift. Use #NationalNuttyFudgeDay to post on social media.

Your Home for Delicious Handcrafted Fudge Your Home for Delicious Handcrafted Fudge#NationalNuttyFudgeDay
Your Home for Delicious Handcrafted Fudge
Fresh from the kettle Fresh from the kettle#NationalNuttyFudgeDay
Fresh from the kettle