Caramels, Caramels, oh sweet sweet Caramels!

Since I’m a fan of all things sweet, you’d think I would go crazy over caramels. They are after all pure sugar….. technically. I like caramel as much as the next but given the choice between caramel and chocolate, I would choose chocolate every time. Until now.

A friend of mine asked if my bakery sells caramels for the holidays. I blankly said no. She said she would like to give some to her sister, could I look into it. I thought about it and said what the heck, I have an old sea salt caramel recipe, how bad can it be?

A few days later I decided to try them out. Even though I’m a trained chef I still hadn’t ever made caramels before. It isn’t taught in culinary school. What happened next started a series of events that I am still trying to recover from.

Initially, making the caramels wasn’t that bad, although I expected them to cook quicker. It’s awful waiting for caramel to reach the right temperature and it takes for ever. But be warned, you CANNOT walk away from them, they will burn and spill over. This didn’t happen to me, but I came close to a major disaster.

Also be warned, no matter what pan you use, you will be cleaning it for days. Cooked sugar sticks like nothing else! After the caramels cooled, I cut them into squares and started wrapping them in wax paper to look like vintage candies or salt water taffy. There were some small pieces left over and I decided to try one. Before I tell you what happened, please know that before this moment, my experience with caramel had been of the store bought variety. I was ready to be underwhelmed.

I wasn’t underwhelmed at all! These caramels were amazing, soft, chewy, not too sweet and just the right amount of salt. I was hooked. I never knew that caramels could taste like this. It was as if I transformed sugar into the most delicious little treat. I then had my fiancé try them and the look on his face said it all. He too was hooked.

 

I happily brought 25 little perfectly wrapped caramels to my friends work and her co-workers went crazy over them. “This is the best thing I have tasted ever!” “These are amazing!” “Incredible!!” The list goes on. Next thing you know, I had an order for 50 pieces, then another for 25, then another for 50, another for 25 and so on. I couldn’t believe it. Word had spread about my caramels and out of no where I get an order for 125 pieces!!!!! As my fiancé put it, everyone had caramel fever.

I am one of those people with caramel fever. Food never ceases to amaze. Take sugar, cream, butter and a few other ingredients, be patient and watch it transform. I never thought of selling caramels and now I can’t imagine not having them. I’m happy making others happy and these caramels are making my customers swoon.

It’s crazy how something so big can come from something so small, but as I always say, food (mainly sugary food in my case) makes people happy on such a level, its unlike anything else. It’s what I live and breathe for.

If you would like to order any ‘mind blowing’ caramels from Sugar Love Bakery, please contact us at sugarlovebakery@hotmail.com and remember to stay sweet!

Lymarie Jimenez

Unveiled: The Ultimate Wedding Show

This past Sunday Sugar Love Bakery was proud to be part of the Unveiled Wedding Show produced by The Wedding Guys; Bruce Vassar and Matthew Trettel. This was an elegant, over the top, beautiful event featuring designer gowns, extravagant displays, a live band and of course Sugar Love Bakery!



We baked over 750 mini cupcakes to pass out during the event. The brides swooned over the citrus cupcake with strawberry buttercream frosting and we were told that our red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting were the best tasting red velvet at the show.

Our booth showcased lovely and inventive examples of our wedding cupcakes as well as a lavish dessert buffet. The brides favorite buffet items were our mini tarts, chocolate apples, mousse shooters and our pretty in pink cake pops.

The masterpiece of the day was our huge custom built cupcake tower featuring a 6 inch blingy cake topper and orange and pink cupcakes that was featured in the Grand Ballroom cake gallery. We had a wonderful time at this amazing event and we are excited to be featured again next year at Unveiled on February 5th, 2012!

Stay Sweet!!

 

Lymarie Jimenez



FLAVOR!!!

One of my favorite treats is a cupcake because I like the different flavor profiles that are possible. I used to be a savory chef and I have cooked at some really nice restaurants. One of my favorite things about being a savory chef was how creative I got to be with flavors and ingredients. Then, as I studied pastry, I realized there is just as much creativity if not more when you're baking. That got me thinking and now I spend most days trying to come up with delicious combinations.

For my bakery I wanted to offer sweets that were familar but still a little different and unique. For example, when I was working on my oatmeal raisin cookie recipe, I had some ingredients sitting next to the oats in my pantry. I tried a few different combinations and the oatmeal cranberry raisin white chocolate chip cookie was born. A mouthful I know, but it's delicious! All of the flavors really compliment each other.

Another example was when I was working on a lemon cake recipe. It was good but not great. I started to think, "how can I add depth to this?" , and I decided to add orange juice, lime juice and Grand Mariner. Suddenly I had a citrus cake with layers of flavor and an amazing fragrant scent. When it comes to baking I follow three simple rules: depth, flavor and appearance.

Depth: When I say depth I mean having different layers of flavor. For example, in a lemon cupcake you get a buttery crumbly cake, then a slighty bitter lemon taste that hits the back of your cheeks and lastly you get the creamy sweet frosting. All of those components hit you at different times so from start to finish you have something going on with your taste buds. You also need to make sure that these layers compliment each other; thats where flavor comes in.

Flavor: This means melding flavors into one harmonious component. A lot of different foods go together like chocolate and raspberry, pineapple and rum, lime and coconut and peanut butter and jelly. However, it's worth playing with different ingredients because then you come up with new and unsual combinations like chocolate and basil (trust me), espresso and honey and my favorite orange, hot chilies and chocolate. Think of foods that work together in a savory way and try to incorporate them into a great coffee cake or a vanilla bundt cake. You may be surprised with the results!

Apperance: Lastly, we focus on apperance because of course we eat first with our eyes then with our stomachs. Think about colors that you like or what appeals to you. Would you like to eat a plate full of brown meat, brown potatoes and brown vegetables? Probably not! But a plate with a pink salmon, green asparagus and purple potatoes suddenly seems so much tastier. The same rules apply to pastry and I like to have my pastries be as beautiful as they are delicious. Use special plates or colorful cupcake wrappers and have decorative elements like sprinkles, shaved chocolate or pretty colored frosting to finish off your masterpiece.

When you work hard to make special recipes, it shows and it feels so much better when someone likes them because they appreciate what you're doing. That's why I love to bake. It makes me happy to see others enjoy something I made. If you put pride into what you bake, others will notice and before you know it, everyone will be asking you for your recipes.

Stay Sweet!

Lymarie Jimenez

Gluten Free Goodness!

Have you noticed how "gluten free" labels are popping up everywhere? I didn't know much about what gluten free was, but I had seen it at the grocery store. When I decided to start my bakery, many friends and family asked me if I would bake gluten free items. At first I said no, but after thinking about it for a while, I realized this was an opportunity to make my baked goods accessible to a whole new part of the market.

So I started doing my research and I noticed there weren't many options out there for people with gluten allergies. There were only three bakeries in the Twin Cities that were dedicated to gluten free baked goods and two of the three were already closed. I knew this was my chance to make delicious baked goodies for those with gluten allergies. Since then I have been trying new recipes, some were successful, many were not.

The one thing I have found in my search for tasty gluten free treats is that it takes many attempts to get it to taste good. Some of the first recipes I tried tasted gummy and smelled awful. That scared me because I thought if all gluten free baking tastes like this, I can't sell it! Luckily it took just a few more tweaks and I finally have some recipes that are not only yummy, but can stand up next to my regular recipes.

My gluten free chocolate cake recipe is, dare I say it, better than my regular one! Those who have tried it can't believe its gluten free. I have a feeling they are used to tasting what my first recipes tasted like, gummy and stale. This recipe is rich and decadent with an intense cocoa flavor.

One very important thing to keep in mind when baking gluten free cakes and cupcakes is to make sure that no regular flour comes into contact with your pans, bowls or spoons. This is essential! Everytime I bake for my friends I make sure that everything I use has been cleaned and sanitized. Besides that, baking gluten free cakes can be both rewarding and delicious. If you have any friends with gluten allergies, let them know there are bakeries out there willing to make decadent treats for them. They no longer have to miss out at a wedding or a birthday party. And since my gluten free cakes taste so good, now the party host can order a gluten free cake that EVERYONE can enjoy, because no one should miss out on cake.......ever!

Stay Sweet!!

Lymarie Jimenez

Cake Pops - The New American Obsession

Wait, cake what? Cake Pops are the new rage. Call it what you will, these tasty mini creations are the next big thing. In case you're not familiar with cake pops, they are cake and frosting rolled into a ball, put on a stick and dipped in chocolate. Its just a few bites of tantilizingly sweet goodness. The best part about cake pops are the amount of flavor combinations possible. You can make any flavor of cake you can think of, with any kind of frosting, dipped in any chocolate and then rolled in anything - cookie crumbs, sprinkles, nuts, anything! They are fully customizable. But you need not stop there. They can be made into works of art too! As far as my research has shown, a woman who goes by the name of "Bakerella" came up with the idea. Check out her website http://www.bakerella.com/ to see the amazing things that can be done with this cute little treat. She's even come out with a book simply called "Cake Pops" with instructions and project ideas to help the everyday cook make truly impressive pops. Here are some pictures highlighting her work from Bakerella.com:
                      (These are NOT my work and all rights belong to Bakerella)

                   (These are NOT my work and all rights belong to Bakerella)

My work is a little more simple but I have been experimenting with both flavors and designs. I have made chocolate, red velvet, lemon, carrot cake and vanilla. I use milk, dark and white chocolate and then I drizzle more chocolate on or I roll them in nuts, cookies bits or coconut, which is especially delicious on the carrot cake pops. I love to be able to experiment and customize sweet treats and that is certainly true of cake pops. They are a rich treat and a perfect end to any party or special occasion. I prefer to make my cake pop designs more simple so that the flavor of the cake isn't jeapordized by accessories. These are some examples of my cake pops:

Regardless of how they are decorated, cake pops are amazing treats to have at any party or special occasion. They are sure to not only be a hit, but the topic of conversation for the rest of the night! To see more examples of my cake pops, visit http://www.mysugarlovebakery.com/.

Stay Sweet!

Lymarie Jimenez

Chocolate...chocolate...chocolate.....

Sinful, decadent and down right sexy, chocolate is the one sweet universally recognized all over the world. Originally found in Central and South America, chocolate has been around for over 3000 years starting out as a bitter liquid known as the 'drink of the gods'. Later in history, the cacao beans were fermented, dried, roasted and shelled revealing the nibs which were then ground into what we know as pure chocolate. Today chocolate is found in a multitude of flavors and forms ranging from solid to powder to liquid.

 There are traditionally three types of chocolate available;

• Dark chocolate: sugar, cocoa butter, cocoa liquor, and (sometimes) vanilla
• Milk chocolate: sugar, cocoa butter, cocoa liquor, milk and vanilla
• White chocolate: sugar, cocoa butter, milk, and vanilla

Personally, I love all three but my favorite is dark chocolate because of its richness. White chocolate is technically not real chocolate because it doesn't contain any chocolate liquor but it's still plenty delicious. And just about everyone loves milk chocolate because of its sweetness and mass appeal. Since I consider myself a bit of a chocolate geek, I tend to look for new and interesting uses for chocolate. I like when someone uses chocolate in an unexpected way like making truffles with herbs, pouring chocolate over bacon or making chocolate lavender ice cream.

One great chocolatier in Minnesota that isn't afraid of making unique chocolatey creations is Kevin Lindee of Ganache Truffles. One of my favorite offerings is the Elvis truffle which takes banana cream and peanut butter ganache and covers it in silky milk chocolate. Or for those that want a truly delicious and interesting flavor, try the orange tarragon or the citrus basil truffle. Herbs and spices are great for bringing out the flavor of any food, but they work especially well with sugar and chocolate.

The next time you make hot chocolate add Saigon cinnamon for a warm kick. It may sound a bit strange but chocolate and cheese are divine together! Have a wine and cheese party and add some pieces of dark chocolate to the spread and watch them quickly disappear. Chocolate works very well with savory foods. You can find many recipes for chocolate covered pretzels, potato chips, bacon and even crickets. Yes you heard that right. Crickets and bugs have been used for candy making in many different cultures and one way they are eaten is covered in chocolate. Believe me, chocolate can make anything taste better!

Chocolate is literally my favorite food. I will never turn down anything made with chocolate and I know there are a lot of people out there who feel the same way. It's delicious just by itself but it also enhances other foods.
Try to be adventurous with chocolate. Find local bakeries and chocolatiers that are doing something unique and daring and that use fresh ingredients. And remember that it's okay to indulge every once in a while and chocolate is a great way to do that. Happy Sweet Eats!

Lymarie Jimenez

A sweet beginning

Welcome to my blog of all things sweet! My name is Lymarie and I'm the owner of Sugar Love Bakery. Ever since I can remember I have loved sweets. Cakes, cupcakes, donuts, chocolate; if its got sugar, I love it.  You can imagine my dental bills! But for me it's all worth it. The satisfaction of taking a bite into something decadent and sinful is what I live for. A perfect piece of velvety dark chocolate. A gooey chunk of salty caramel. A lick of creamy fluffy buttercream. These are the thoughts that fill my mind.

I would think about sugar so much that I decided to go to culinary school and learn how to properly make everything from tortes to pies to croissants. Le Cordon Bleu was amazing. The hallways were always filled with such wonderful aromas like curry and cumin, savory rosemary and of course my favorite, the buttery sugary scents wafting from the pastry kitchen. Here I felt at home.

After graduation I accepted an internship at Maxim's restaurant in Paris France. It was in Paris that I learned what it is to really love food. The care they put into making one single dessert is something to truly admire. That was when I decided it was essential to put care and love into everything I make. I do that by making every part of my desserts from scratch. Another wonderful lesson learned was using local ingredients. I learned about the relationship that restaurant chefs have with their suppliers and how important it is to know where your food comes from.

My experiences in France were invaluable and I know there are other people out there who love food as much as I do. I created this blog to share my experiences, knowledge and love of sugar. Follow me as we explore the ins and outs of the pastry world one tasty topic at a time. Check back next week for a new post highlighting Chocolate; a brief and delicious history of the number one sweet in the world.

Lymarie Jimenez