Bake from Scratch March/April 2020

This is a season of newness, and that’s never been truer for Bake from Scratch than it has this year. From our latest cookbook release to the launch of our first British Baking Retreat, we have so many exciting things going on. In this issue, we’re taking one of my favorite spring desserts to a whole new level by reinventing carrot cake in four epic ways. (Take it from me, you don’t want to miss our Carrot Cake Cheesecake Bars on page 38.) Our Strawberry Icebox Cake cover star is another extra special recipe to me since it was inspired by the birthday cake of one of our founding editors, Brooke Bell. Then Erin Clarkson, the blogger behind Cloudy Kitchen, shows us why she’s the queen of buttercream with a whole…

BARS AND COOKIES Carrot Cake Cheesecake Bars 38 Carrot Cake Sandwich Cookies 39 Cream Cheese-Filled Chocolate Chip Cookies 46 Lavender and Honey Madeleines 112 Snickerdoodle Brookie 64 Strawberry Swirl Cheesecake Bars 57 BREADS Almond Cream Rolls 79 Bananas Foster Upside-Down Banana Bread 70 Birthday Brioche Buns 68 Blueberry-Lemon Cream Cheese Bread 47 Cheddar-Pecan Loaf 19 Classic Hot Cross Buns 112 Do-It-All Dough 78 Feta Cheese Rolls 13 French Onion Bread 66 Peanut Butter Babka 32 CAKES Blueberry-Topped Cheesecake 59 Chocolate Carrot Cake Loaf 40 Chocolate Chip Cake with Chocolate American Buttercream 86 Classic Cheesecake 54 Cream Cheese Pound Cake 49 Dutch Butter Cake (Boterkoek) 102 Earl Grey Layer Cake with Vanilla Bean German Buttercream 87 Glazed Citrus Loaf (Citroencake) 102 Strawberry Almond Poppy Seed Cake 107 Strawberry Icebox Cake 22 Tropical Carrot Cake 39 Vanilla and Raspberry Cake with Ombré Swiss Meringue Buttercream 90 Vanilla Bean Cake with Lemon Curd and Torched Swiss Meringue 92 Vanilla Layer Cake with Creamy Vanilla Frosting…

BAKING NEWS A SPRING AWAKENING FOR BAKING TAKES OVER WASHINGTON, DC Washington, DC, has been the home of a vibrant baking scene for quite some time, but this spring, some epic events are making the capital even sweeter. TATTE BAKERY & CAFE This Boston, Massachusetts, institution is expanding its empire to DC with the opening of a new location in April. Tatte counts 14 locations in the Boston area, but this will be the renowned bakery’s first spot outside of Boston. The DC outpost will feature Tatte’s signature pastry cases stacked with flaky croissants, pillowy brioche, and photo-worthy tarts, as well as Tatte’s seasonal lunch and breakfast menu. “I’m excited about DC,” Tatte owner and founder Tzurit Or says. “The food scene is so authentic, and the neighborhoods feel like home to me. It’s…

I don’t remember the exact birthday when my mother first baked a strawberry-studded layer cake, but for as long as I can remember, it was my birthday cake. As a child, I loved its bright pink hue and generous slather of strawberry-cream cheese frosting with chopped pecans. At some point in time, the cake made its way from our kitchen counter to the refrigerator to protect that lovely frosting from the southern Alabama humidity, and the cake changed forever. Don’t get me wrong—it was always a delicious cake, easily made by mixing together a box of white cake mix, strawberry gelatin, fresh strawberries, and a few other ingredients—but it became a mighty fine cake once it met the refrigerator. I began to request it chilled every year for my birthday,…

The English can claim Cheddar, the French Brie and Camembert, and the Netherlands have their signature Edam. But cream cheese? That foil-wrapped block of dairy is distinctly, proudly American—and a signature piece of American baking. Tangy, rich, and subtly sweet, cream cheese is basically heavy cream that has been curdled with lactic acid. Curds and whey are produced, and the whey is discarded but the curds are kept. Heat it up, add stabilizers, and—voilà!—cream cheese. What makes this such a beloved baking staple is its high milk fat content of at least 33%, a richness that makes all it touches creamier and more tender. The legend of Philadelphia Cream Cheese, the granddaddy brand of cream cheese, begins with the adaptation of a French recipe in New York. In 1872, William Lawrence took…

The saying “come as you are” takes on a whole new meaning at Goldenrod Pastries in Lincoln, Nebraska. Slices of coffee cake studded with peaches and topped with crunchy streusel sit in the pastry case next to confetti cookies sandwiched with velvety buttercream while Fluffernutter buns, pillowy, swirled buns filled with peanut butter and dripping with a glossy vanilla glaze rest on the counter like crowning jewels. These pastries are more than meets the eye. They cater to gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan, and every diet in between. It’s all part of a revolutionary movement pioneered by Angela Garbacz, the owner and founder of Goldenrod Pastries, to make delicious baked goods available to everyone. It’s inclusive baking, and it’s Angela’s sweet mission in life. “Inclusive baking” is a term Angela came up with…