Weekend baking

Last weekend I made icebox cupcakes. I was intrigued by the icebox cake concept (chocolate wafers + whipped cream, stacked and softened overnight) and needed a dessert to bring to a big party, so it seemed like a good opportunity. For each "cupcake," I used four or five wafers with whipped cream lightly sweetened with confectioner's sugar and spiked with Bailey's. The result tasted a lot like a soft Oreo. It was tasty, but very sweet and I didn't like using the processed cookies. It would have been better and easier (but less transportable) as ice cream sandwiches. Maybe one day, when K is old enough to appreciate such things or for a summer BBQ, I'll make the ice cream sandwiches out of homemade chocolate wafers.

This weekend I made this pear and chocolate cake. I already have a go-to-pear cake, but the pear/chocolate combination sounded too tempting to pass up. Dinner at a friend's house was the perfect opportunity to bake it. (I always offer to bring dessert, which gives me a chance to knock something off my ever-expanding baking to-do list.)

This cake was DELICIOUS. I used just a little less chocolate than called for, on the advice of commenters, and thought it was just the right balance of chocolate and fruit. The brown butter made all the difference (and now I'm no longer intimidated by brown butter -- you just cook it in a pan and stir it once in a while, and suddenly it tastes about twenty times better). In fact, I wonder if the go-to pear cake would also be improved by brown butter.

I was thinking of making some healthy muffins for tomorrow (me, not at all expecting a response: "K, what should I bake?" K, immediately: "Muffins!" ???) but I think I'll save them for later in the week. It's supposed to be nice out tomorrow and maybe we can manage a family brunch out.