This issue embraces the restorative power of tropical tastes, from a creamy, dreamy pie roundup to a collection of recipes highlighting one of the greatest ingredients to come from these warmer climes: vanilla. Our cover star, the Guava Jam Cake, is inspired by Bahaman resident Angelika Bacchus’s love for the local guava duff, a jammy steamed pudding that always gets drowned in a rich butter rum sauce. Then there are the blondies, an epic bake-your-own-adventure feature that offers three perfect base recipes and six creative variations. Plus, we’re diving into the history of the Hawaiian bun, that addictive bread roll that’s always a welcome sight at the dinner table. And, yes, there’s plenty of rum cake—five recipes, to be exact. At the golden heart of this issue is an epic Bermudian travel feature, highlighting our favorite bakeries, baked goods, and ingredients that make this island so sweetly unique. Dive in, bakers!
Bake from Scratch
from the editor
contributors
FLOUR POWER • AMIRAH KASSEM, FOUNDER OF THE CELEBRATED BAKERY FLOUR SHOP IN NEW YORK, NEW YORK, SHARES THE KITCHEN TOOLS AND ACCESSORIES THAT MAKE HER KALEIDOSCOPIC CAKES COME TO LIFE
GUAVA JAM CAKE • AT ONCE BOOZY, FRUITY, AND RICH, GUAVA DUFF IS A CENTURIES-OLD DESSERT THAT REMAINS A QUINTESSENTIAL PART OF BAHAMIAN CULTURE. ONE ISLAND LOCAL DISHES ON DUFF, AND WE REVAMP THE TROPICAL TREAT AS A ONE-LAYER JAM CAKE.
MACANESE PASTRY MAGIC • HOW THE BAKERY AT FAT RICE BECAME A VIBRANT CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ICON DELIVERING NOSTALGIA LIKE YOU’VE NEVER TASTED
FLOUR • WE’RE UNLOCKING THE TENDER SECRETS OF OUR MOST ESSENTIAL PANTRY ITEM
A SLICE OF Paradise • THIS SUMMER, WE’RE SERVING UP A TASTE OF THE TROPICS WITH VIBRANT PIES THAT CELEBRATE THE FRESH FRUITS AND BRIGHT FLAVORS OF THE ISLANDS, FROM OUR ICEBOX KEY LIME PIE TO A CUSTARDY ROASTED PINEAPPLE AND MANGO MARVEL
ANGEL FOOD CAKE • FROM PICKING YOUR PAN TO WHIPPING YOUR EGG WHITES, WE GUIDE YOU THROUGH THE PROCESS OF RECREATING THE ULTIAMTE AMERICAN SPONGE CAKE
Use Up Your Yolks • APPLY YOUR SURPLUS EGG YOLKS TO THESE FOUR CUSTARD-FORWARD RECIPES
ANGELIC TECHNIQUE • USE OUR STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE TO MASTER THE ANGEL FOOD CAKE PROCESS, FROM BATTER TO BAKE
Tube Pan Checklist • THESE ARE THE QUALITIES YOU SHOULD LOOK FOR WHEN DECIDING WHICH TUBE PAN SHOULD TAKE THE HALO . . . ER, CROWN
THE BEST OF THE REST • MIX AND MATCH THESE FRUITY, CREAMY RECIPES TO COMPLETE YOUR ANGEL FOOD CAKE DREAMS
Bermudaful BAKING • BERMUDA MAY BE POSTCARD-PERFECT, BUT THERE’S MORE TO THIS SUBTROPICAL SMATTERING OF ISLANDS THAN SPARKLING PINK SANDS AND TURQUOISE TIDES. WE TRAVERSE THE FISHHOOK-SHAPED ISLAND NATION FROM TIP TO TAIL TO BRING YOU THE MUST-VISIT BAKERIES (AND WHAT TO TRY AT EACH) FOR AN AUTHENTIC BERMUDA EXPERIENCE.
BAKERY Bucket List • FROM A PORTUGUESE CAFÉ IN THE CAPITAL CITY TO A RUM CAKE FACTORY IN THE ROYAL NAVAL DOCKYARDS, HERE ARE THE TOP 15 SPOTS MAKING WAVES IN BERMUDA’S BAKING SCENE
EAST
CENTRAL
BERMUDA BANANA SNICKERDOODLES
WEST
Bring Home a Taste of Bermuda • TAKE THE FLAVORS OF THE ISLAND TO GO IN YOUR SUITCASE WITH THESE LOCALLY MADE GOODIES
Distinctly Bermudian • THERE ARE MANY CREATIONS AND TRADITIONS UNIQUE TO BERMUDA. HERE ARE TWO HALLMARKS TO LOOK OUT FOR ON YOUR NEXT ISLAND ADVENTURE.
BREAKING BREAD the Bermy Way • FOR EVERY DARK ’N STORMY AND CASSAVA PIE, THERE IS AN EPIC BERMUDIAN BREAD. DISCOVER THE ENRICHED DOUGHS AND RUM-LACED BATTERS THAT FUEL THE ISLAND’S ECLECTIC BREAD SCENE.
PRO TIP
BLONDIES Have More Fun • NUTTY, BOOZY, OR STRAIGHT-UP TRADITIONAL, WE GIVE YOU THREE VERSATILE BLONDIE BATTERS AND SIX CUSTOMIZABLE WAYS TO TWIRL THEM UP SO YOU CAN BUILD THE ULTIMATE BLONDIE BOMBSHELL OF YOUR DREAMS
PRO...