"Dost thou think, because thou art virtuous, there shall be no more cakes and ale?"  – Shakespeare

 

a la Carte Menu             

 

Please check back soon, or contact us at info@CharitableConfections.org for the date of our next bake sale.   

 

 

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Bejeweled Biscotti Basket with Marzipan Fruit

9” x5” sugar cookie basket made out of approximately 40 cookies and adorned with sugar paste pearls. Two dozen biscotti, two leaf-shaped sugar cookies, and three marzipan fruits, which vary by season -- either three pumpkins or two pears and a banana.          

The biscotti are made using a classic Gourmet Magazine recipe that we tweaked.  They contain finely chopped walnuts but no dreary raisins, and a soupcon of arak to give them a kick.  The fruit is crafted from German marzipan, which is a bit sweeter and denser than the version that their French counterparts churn out.

***  Due to the fragile nature of this item, it is only available for local pick-up in Cambridge.***

 

 

Savarin with Tootsie Roll Roses and Sugar Paste Leaves

6” diameter savarin with four roses and two leaves.     

A savarin is a yeast-based cake that’s named after the iconic 18th Century French epicure. The moderately sweet nature of the cake renders it appropriate for both dessert and brunch.  We douse our version with a sugar syrup that’s infused with rum and Grand Marnier, so it’s always a hit with the boozing set. 

***  Due to the fragile nature of this item, it is only available for local pick-up in Cambridge.***

 

Bird’s Nest Pahklava

Twenty 2.25” diameter pahklavas with two sugar birds and one branch.   

A quintessential Armenian dessert made out of phyllo dough, several dollops of melted butter, chopped pistachios, and a drizzling of sugar syrup that has been enhanced with the aromatic flavor notes of Nielsen-Massey Madagascar Bourbon vanilla powder. Many versions of pahklava found here in the States are configured into square sheet pans and drowned in syrup. We prefer this variation, which is crisp and airy, and light as a feather.

 

 

Bahklava Buche de Noel or Buche de Printemps 

One 16" log with a sugar paste poinsettia or orchid, depending on the season.       

Armenians from Beirut are major consumers and crafters of French and Middle Eastern sweets, so in an attempt to join in on the multi-tasking epidemic in the States -- and save some time in the kitchen -- we decided to merge the two cuisines in one buche. The infrastructure of the log consists of a solid macarons rod, built using the recipe we plucked from the renowned Parisian pastry shop, La Laduree's, book, Sucre, and fortified with ample chunks of bittersweet chocolate.  

***Charitable Confections supports the Harkin-Engel Protocol that is aimed at ending child slave trafficking on cacao plantations.  We only use chocolate made from responsibly–sourced cacao. *** 

Madeleines

Twenty-four 3” long madeleines that are tricked out with sugar paste pearls, and three sugar paste seashells.   

These are the mini-cakes that were immortalized in Marcel Proust’s novel, Swann’s Way.  We didn’t take a shine to his recipe, so we sourced ours from a French friend’s great-grandmother.  This version has a higher egg to flour ratio, and is, therefore, fluffier and more similar to a genoise than to a pound cake.   The sugar paste seashells are edible, but they dry to a rock-hard finish, so good luck with that. 

 

Sugar Paste and White Chocolate Bustier or Bandeau Top

This snazzy little get-up is a couch potato’s dream. There’s no need to waste precious energy and time waddling to the refrigerator because your snack is built into your outfit.

If you are interested in wearing the bustier, we will tailor it to your sizing specifications. Otherwise, the default objet d’art size is a voluminous-busted 2 US/32 EU, as depicted in the photos.   The headless, limbless mannequin is not included. Go get your own.