Levon's Obsessions

A gal whose obsessions lie within fat, sugar, carbs, caffeine, and beverages that could strengthen the heart or seal up a wound.

Archive for the category “Sweets”

Robust Coffee Lounge – Chicago, IL

So at one point I firmly believed that Busy Bee in Brooklyn and that random drive through coffee shop in Portland were the only coffee spots who could perfectly concoct a white chocolate iced latte the way that they do.  Well.. It wasn’t until after a friend of mine suggested I drive a mile up to the President’s house since we were about a few blocks away in Woodlawn, which is the neighboring hood of Hyde Park where the President lives in Chicago.  Anyway, in doing so I passed a cute little wifi lounge/coffee shop and decided to drop in.  I went straight to the white chocolate section of the menu board at Robust Coffee Lounge.  Well not section exactly, but those were the key words I was looking for..

I then ordered their iced white chocolate latte.

I was in coffee lover’s heaven.  It was piping in white chocolate flavor yet #Robust.  Just the way I like it.  Creamy but packed with the intensity one needs from coffee.  A coffee diamond in the Chicago rough.  Thumbs up.

About these ads

Rice to Riches – NY NY

So Mott and Mulberry Street has this really bright and catchy, niche storefront that exclusively houses rice pudding.  They have drinks too but we weren’t feeling that adventurous, plus we had already come from dinner.  Rice to Riches is one of those spots that is easy to pass during the day but hard to miss at night.

With window front phrases like..

It’s hard not to be lured into this place.  Me anyway.  Alluring it is.  From the bright fixtures and the energetic staff, to the massive assortment of flavors..

And if there’s any type of guilt trip momentary revelation then.. Let them tell it..

So why not???

Asking for a sample at the least is inevitable when walking into this place.  I’m pretty sure I counted at least 21 flavors.  I tried the Fluent in French Toast and the Coast to Coast Cheesecake.  I believe my FPIC sampled the Hazelnut Chocolate Bear Hug.  It was quite a treat, given the fact that rice pudding isn’t exactly at the top of my “have to have” list.  I don’t think rice pudding will surpass the cupcake trend as of yet but I wouldn’t be surprised if I saw a few of these in LA.  It was a fun surprise for the evening, and I think next time I’m in Nolita I’ll stop in and try the Take Me to Tiramisu or Category 5 Caramel.

The World’s Most Amazing Wedding Cake

So I’ll start off by saying, in no way, shape or form am I alluding to any type of monumental milestone in my own life.  Not for current discussion anyway.  However I happened to stumble across the most incredible wedding cake that I had ever seen in the form of a dress.  Seeing this gown made me investigate deeper to see if there was any competition that could come remotely close to this level of art.

First I found Cake Central’s wedding dress cake which had a one shoulder, simple yet elegant number with minimal embellishments.  They even went as far as listing instructions which is pretty amazing.  I’m just not sure what bridezilla would have a fraction of the time or remaining brain cells left to make their own wedding cake…

Photo Source Cakecentral.com

Then there was the beautiful ballroom, princess gown piece made by Cakes We Bake with a very simple yet classy, dusted sugar layer for its finish.

Photo Source Cakeswebake.com

..But my wedding cake dress investigation didn’t end there.. As I looked and looked and looked, I became far more intrigued with this idea of a wedding cake shaped like a bridal dress.  It was and still is absolutely fascinating.  Being in the single world for so long, you simply don’t think about things like this.  So the next couture mega pastry I came across was from Christina Smith.  Her detailing was more on the draping side than flat patterns and embellishments.  The draping was that of a Valentino, Dior or Lacroix pattern.  It was truly one of the most beautiful pieces I had seen.

Photo Source Christina Smith

I then discovered a piece with a very pre-dark Alexander McQueen feel to it at Perfect Wedding Day.  Being that he has always been one of my favorite fashion designers, it’s very difficult to not get completely distracted from the ultimate cake, which was the inspiration behind this wedding cake blog entry in the first place.  None-the-less, it is a very, very well thought out and well constructed couture piece..

Photo Source Perfect Wedding Day

After seeing Christina Smith along with a Perfect Wedding Day and the other extraordinary pieces, one would find it hard to believe that there was a cake that was yet even more stunning.  So beautiful that I wouldn’t for the life of me be able to imagine someone at one point cutting it during the reception….

Photo Source Foodista.com

This stunning work of art from Foodista almost brought me to tears.  I can’t begin to imagine how many hours or work was put into this breathtaking piece of edible art.  The intricate detailing in the lifesize bodice is remarkable.  Even up to the top where the cake almost identically resembles that of a regular dress form. This is truly the world’s most amazing wedding cake in the form of a bridal gown that I’ve ever seen.  I searched and searched for the sculptor and only found several links that used the image.  So for now, we have no choice but to label the cake designer as anonymous.  If I’m ever blessed to have something like this at my own wedding, you guys will be the first to know.  That is a promise..

Abuelita Mexican Chocolate Ice Cream

Reblogged from The Hungry Artist:

Click to visit the original post
  • Click to visit the original post
  • Click to visit the original post
  • Click to visit the original post
  • Click to visit the original post
  • Click to visit the original post


While travelling in Mexico during my college years,  I always enjoyed having Mexican hot chocolate at breakfast.  It's tastier than its American counterpart and has subtle notes of cinnamon.  Then, many years later after moving to NYC, I discovered that the little bodega on our corner had the Abuelita chocolate disks, so I happily started making Mexican hot chocolate at home.

Read more… 355 more words

Within hours of reading about the massive protesting in Mexico against the newly appointed pres, I saw this post on Abuelita Mexican Chocolate Ice Cream and had to repost. That and it looks so so good. Appropriate for the season and climate – meteorologically and politically speaking, need-less-to-say this post caught my ‘fat girl in an average body’ foodie attention. So get your ice cream churn ready (they have them for as low as $49 at Bed Bath & Beyond) and enjoy.. Levon S.

Chocolate Oat Dulce de Leche Bars

Espresso spiked chocolate crust is pretty much all this coffee and chocoholic needed to hear to be convinced that a second grocery run would be harmless.   I love everything dulce de leche and I’m very particular about crusts.  Good crusts have the ability to push ordinary desserts to the next level of sugary greatness.  In addition to that let’s face it, bars are just easier to eat as well as sneak into a movie theatre or whatever public event you’re dealing with. So I leave you with the ‘how to’ on putting together this amazing load of bliss courtesy of my friends at Daily Crave..

Daily Crave by Natalie Lewis

Recipe Courtesy of Natalie Lewis at Daily Crave via Cake, Batter, and Bowl

Chocolate Oat Dulce De Leche Bars Recipe

Recipe adapted from Cake, Batter, and Bowl

Daily Crave by Natalie Lewis

Cookie Dough Cheesecake Bars

Fifteen Spatulas has what could potentially be a highly addictive Cookie Dough Cheesecake Bars recipe, that to make matters even worse has a pecan crust.  There is also a walk-through video that I feel you should have.  Truthfully I just need a group of folks to share the shame and calories.  I will therefore probably be making a duplicate grocery run today due to the inevitable temptation from this horrible picture.  I just wanna make sure that I did mention that these bars have a pecan crust?… Ok..

Fifteen Spatulas Cookie Dough Cheesecake

Cookie Dough Cheesecake Bars Recipe

Enjoy!

The Secret Ingredients in LA’s Best Cheesecake

Canter’s Deli on N. Fairfax has the best cheesecake in W. Hollywood.  On top of the euphoric experience in my rental car with this classic cheesecake chunk of heaven, I was able to find the actual recipe from Angela on www.iflipforfood.com.

 Canter’s Chocolate Cheesecake Recipe

 So there you have it, from the Fairfax bakery to Angela’s kitchen.  Are you up for the challenge??  Or are you gonna simply wait it out until your next trip to W. Hollywood??

Post Navigation

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 1,459 other followers

%d bloggers like this: