Some of the most beautifully decorated baked goods we see today are covered in fondant. It’s smooth, flawless, and it gives bakers of all levels the ability to be extremely creative when it comes to cake decorating. The good news is you don’t need to be a professional pastry chef to work with fondant. As a matter of fact, marshmallow fondant is something you can make at home! There are just a few basic ingredients to making marshmallow fondant such as marshmallows, water, and powdered sugar. It’s a simple process, and with a little patience and practice, you will be decorating your own fondant covered cake in no time! Click on the link below for a step-by-step guide to making your own marshmallow fondant.

Read More: How to Make Marshmallow Fondant

Have you ever wanted to make homemade doughnuts but thought the only way to do it was to fry them? Well, you’ll be happy to know that you can make doughnuts just as tasty as the deep fried bakery version without ever getting out the oil. You can still make them with flour and yeast, but instead of swimming in a deep fryer, they will bake in the oven. No grease, no mess!  All donuts are not created equal, but they can all be delicious! Click on the link below for an oven baked doughnut recipe.

Read More: No-Fry Doughnut Recipe

Once opened, baking powder has a shelf life of 9-12 months. It can be tested by stirring 1/4 teaspoon of baking powder into 1/2 cup of warm water. If bubbles begins to form, and the water begins to cloud, then your baking powder is still fresh!

Some people say that baking soda has an indefinite shelf life. And while that may be true when using it for cleaning, it certainly is not true when using it for baking! Pay attention to the expiration date on the box. Baking soda can be tested by using the same method as above, but add 1/4 teaspoon of vinegar to the water before adding the baking soda. If bubbles appear, then the baking soda is still fresh, and you’re ready to bake!

Photography by Milou & Olin Photography.  Styled by Melissa Johnson.

“Let them eat cake!” are the infamous words thought to have been exclaimed by Mary Antoinette. Although historians believe that the lavish Queen never actually uttered the saying, here at Best Friends For Frosting, we like to think that “Let them eat cake!” is a revolutionary idea. Here are a few other dessert inspired sayings that we have chosen to live by!

1. “Make frosting, not war!”

2. “If I could marry pastry cream I would”

3. “I bake…what’s your superpower?”

4. “If in doubt, bake a cake”

5. “Life is short, eat more cupcakes!”

What’s your life’s dessert mantra? Inspire us with your own words to live by!

Need a few helpful baking tips? Here’s some advice from Best Friends For Frosting that will help you achieve better results and save time–time that could be better spent enjoying your delicious dessert!

1. For perfectly moist cupcakes, be sure not to over mix the batter after adding the flour!

2. For real vanilla bean flavor, opt to scrape seeds from a vanilla pod instead of using extract.

3. Need to make cookies in a time crunch? Pre-make the dough and freeze until needed.

4. Did you know unfrosted cupcakes can be frozen for up to 3 months? A great time saver!

5. Invest in a great kitchen scale. Weighing ingredients in baking is the most accurate method.

Do you have any great tips for better baking? Let us know!

There are a few things to check for when trying to solve this issue. First, your oven temperature may be too low, so be sure to check the accuracy of your oven temperature before baking. Putting an oven thermometer in your oven will ensure that your oven temperature is accurate. Second, be sure to check if your cake is baked throughout. A simple way to check to see if your cake is baked is to take a toothpick and insert it in the middle of your cake. If the toothpick comes out clean, then the cake is done!

When it comes to baking, butter and oil have completely different fat contents, as butter consists of milk. We definitely do not recommend substituting oil for butter in a recipe. As you may know, baking is a precise science. When you change an ingredient, or an amount, the whole recipe changes. Substituting oil for butter will change the texture of your baked good, and it might even make your treat dense and dry! Try to stick to your original recipe for this one.

Yes, you can definitely leave espresso powder out of a recipe. Usually, the use of espresso powder is just to add extra flavor (generally in chocolate cakes). When it comes to coffee, however, it depends on the recipe. If the recipe only calls for a tablespoon, then you’re fine to leave it out. If the recipe calls for more than that, the coffee may be a key component to adding moisture to your treat. If you don’t like the flavor, replace the amount of coffee with warm water to be sure that the texture of your cake is not affected by the change.  For supplies to make coffee and more, we recomend checking out ProCook cafetiere for sale

New Orleans has long been known for its vibrant culinary scene that blends the traditions of many cultures, and for that reason, it was the perfect place for Chef Tariq Hanna and partner, Joel Dondis, to open Sucré. Having lived in Nigeria, the United Kingdom, and the United States, Chef Tariq definitely understands the importance of honoring your roots, and his Parisian-style confection shop, located in the Irish Channel District of New Orleans, does just that.  Blending his diverse culinary background with the rich history of New Orleans, Chef Tariq creates gourmet pastries, chocolates, and confections that have earned him the titles of “Pastry Chef of the Year” and one of the “Top 10 Best Chocolatiers in America.”  Read our exclusive interview to find out who his greatest influences are and how he paved his own path into the delicious world of pastries.

Sucré opened less than two years after hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast, when New Orleans was still rebuilding. How did that affect your opening—whether positive or negative? Do you feel like New Orleans was ready for you? 

Opening Sucré less than two years after Katrina was perfect timing for us! New Orleans was not only ready, but was crying out for something of our nature to be a part of the renaissance of this incredible city.  Much like a drummer, complexity, diversity, and talent are nothing without staying rooted to the time and count. For me, the root and soul of my tempo simply comes from the heritage and passion of New Orleans cuisine, and staying rooted to that has allowed us to gain the trust of the locals.  With Sucré, the goal was to pay homage first, and then to expand the horizon of the local fare.  Almost six years later, I can safely say that not only is New Orleans ready, but it is watching us for what’s next. I am touched every day by the warm embrace that this city has given me personally, and it has made me a true part of the establishment.

Chef Tariq, you have many varied international experiences from which to draw. From growing up in Nigeria, to schooling in London, to your time in Detroit, you’ve certainly seen and tasted a lot. What do you feel had the biggest influence on where you are today? 

Two people: Rita and Edward–my parents. My dad taught me to have a “never say die” work ethic.  He also gave me the ability to travel the world as a child and young adult and to experience memories for a lifetime. I’ve experienced everything from fresh carrot juice in the old city of Jerusalem, to perfectly roasted Churrasco in Sao Paolo, and Foie Gras at the Dorchester.   It was my mum, however, who planted the seed in me to understand the passion of food and cooking.  I still think of her as the greatest chef that ever lived, as she set me on my path to create delicious, honest food.  So credit is given where credit is due. Thank you Mum and Dad!

You didn’t originally set out to be a pastry chef.  What was the first confection you created that made your wheels turn about the possibility? 

Donuts! I was a reluctant chef, and I got into this career by accident. I thought that culinary school would be easier than engineering school.  Boy, was I wrong! There must have been an invisible force that pushed me into working as a pastry chef, because it was not a mapped out path.  Right out of culinary school, I decided not to focus on any particular genre of food, but to try working in every one.  Being relatively new to the United States, I became enamored by donuts.  I worked at a bakery and then Dunkin Donuts for a couple years to understand all there was to know. I then lied my way through interviews in order to work in places I thought would help me grow as a chef.  I do regret never working for a pastry chef, as I wish there was some formality to my culinary upbringing.  Still, I am also glad I was given the opportunity to create my own path.

Tell our readers a little bit about your King Cakes at Sucré—where they started, why they’re so popular, and what you love about them.  

The decision to make King Cakes at Sucre was a bit of a bumpy one.  I am not from New Orleans, but I was fully immersed in the King Cake culture.  I am always very calculated about every decision I make, so I started eliminating all the variables and elements of King Cakes gone wrong.  I wanted to create what my friends and colleagues remembered, which was a great pastry.  It was never about being from New Orleans, but it was about understanding New Orleans, and I feel that I understand it.   So, with the basic premise of creating a good, honest, and delicious King Cake, I stayed rooted to the heritage of what a King Cake is, and then spiraled off and put my signature on it: sparkle!

You have so many special confections available at Sucré, from French macarons to specialty chocolates and custom cakes. What is your favorite to make and to eat?  

That all depends on the day of the week and what I am working on, but I’m a bit of a caramel fanatic, in any shape or form. Chocolate is a big passion for me mainly because of the ever-evolving science and variables.  It’s a truly dynamic element to work with and really brings me a lot of joy!

Does being named Top Pastry Chef of the Year and one of the Top 10 best Chocolatiers in America bring an added stress, or does it bring a sense of calm—like you’ve arrived? 

That kind of stuff is sometimes quite embarrassing. Most people who know me would say that my confidence is simply a reflection of my passion, although there are some people who think I’m a jerk.  The truth of the matter is that I get a lot of attention and accolades, but only because I surround myself with great, passionate people who support me in my success.  From my wife, my business partner, my entire kitchen crew, my dedicated porter, my delivery driver, my entire management team, to my customers—what really drives me is to never let them down, especially my Dad.  I think they revel in the awards more than I do, so really, the desire to gain more accolades is about keeping my support system happy. Okay, maybe I do get a little satisfaction from it, too!

Learn more about Chef Tariq Hanna and Sucré by following the links below:

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When Steph Hooi first began her blog, Raspberri Cupcakes, she set out to document her food experiences during her travels.  Luckily for us, she didn’t stop there.  As an Australian-born, Chinese-Malaysian food blogger based out of Sydney, Steph creates incredibly unique desserts that are vividly colorful, elegant, and often quite playful.  She was kind enough to answer our questions, share her favorite ingredients, and let us know which of her creations would send even the most seasoned dessert aficionado on a full-blown sugar high.

You are known for creating sinfully rich desserts such as the Fudge Brownie and Cookie Dough Cake that was inspired by Ben & Jerry’s “Half Baked” ice cream.  What is the most decadent or over-the-top dessert that you have featured so far?

Whenever I combine a lot of really rich ingredients together it gets a little excessive, like that Brownie & Cookie Dough Cake! I knew it was going to be ridiculously over-the-top, but my friend who I made it for loves the Half Baked flavour and could handle (and appreciate) the insane levels of sugar, chocolate, and butter. Another crazy one was my Rolo Chocolate Brownie Cake. It tasted amazing, but you couldn’t have more than a tiny slice at a time. I try not to go too overboard too often. Those cakes are fun to make and look at, but you probably don’t want to eat them every week!

You fuse so many different cooking cultures into each of your desserts, making them quite unique!  How would you say that your Malaysian and Australian heritages have influenced your culinary creations, and what are some of your favorite ingredients and flavors to use that are specific to those regions of the world?

My heritage has definitely had a huge influence on the things that I make on my blog. I always try to channel a bit of childhood nostalgia in my baking, and that means it tends to include a lot of Malaysian and Australian components.  One of my favourite ingredients to use is Milo (a chocolate and malt drink powder) because it’s something that both Malaysians and Australians love.

You are practically a pro at the art of the macaron, and you have made almost every kind imaginable including Doughnut Macarons, gorgeous Violet and Lemon Curd Macarons, and even Caramel Koala Macarons!  What are your top tips for creating beautiful and delicious macarons?

Start with just plain, round macaron shells first to get the hang of it. Do your research; there are so many great basic macaron tutorials online.  Practice!  Don’t give up if you fail on the first few attempts. There’s a lot that can go wrong when making macarons, but they are pretty easy to get right if you know the important steps that you cannot miss, and you get the hang of mixing the batter to the right consistency. Never eat your macarons on the same day that you make them, they need at least 24 hours in the fridge to mature.

You were married this past June, and it was so lovely to see what kinds of desserts you featured at your wedding, but what we haven’t heard about is your food adventures from your European honeymoon!  What were some of your favorite desserts you tried during your travels in Europe?

There were so many!  All the pastries in Paris were amazing, of course.  The cream teas and homemade fudge in Arundel, England where we visited my husband’s nanna…the rich chocolate mousse with olive oil and sea salt in Barcelona…the fresh stroopwafels in Amsterdam…I miss Europe!

Many of your recipes require at least an intermediate skill level in baking.  How did you first learn to bake, and what resources would you recommend to those who are just starting out?

It all started with my obsession with cupcakes. I was determined to perfect my cupcake-making skills and achieve the fluffy, buttery cupcakes that my Mum used to make. You learn a lot of important baking skills when you are trying to make basic recipes, like how to cream butter and sugar correctly or how to whip your egg whites to the right peak. It’s definitely good to start off baking some simple recipes from well-known cookbooks before you start experimenting with more complicated recipes that you come across on the internet.

Baking is clearly a labor of love for you, and anyone who reads your blog knows that you put your heart and soul into Raspberri Cupcakes.  How do you spend your time when you are not creating masterpieces in your kitchen?  

I work full-time as an engineer and spend a large part of my free time baking and blogging, so there isn’t a lot of time for much else! I love keeping my blog as a hobby; it’s the complete opposite of my day job, and there’s something really therapeutic about baking.

Keep up with Steph with the following links:

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