Ina Garten – Ryan Bakes It

Barefoot Contessa Recipe 65 – German Chocolate Cupcakes

Published on October 2, 2024March 10, 2026 by RJLeave a comment

Well, it’s been a while since I’ve made an Ina recipe. Actually, it’s been a while since I’ve made any recipe and then wrote a blog post about it. But last weekend for the first time in a while, I actually had a reason to bake! So I took advantage of it and decided that perhaps it might be good to write a blog post, too.

Over the weekend I attended an Oktoberfest party and I was asked to bake something. Sticking with the German theme, I quickly decided on making a German chocolate cake. But then I realized that for a party, cupcakes might be easier to both make and eat. The dessert becomes finger food, perfect for an outdoor gathering during the last few warms days of the year. Luckily for me, Ina Garten had a German chocolate cupcake recipe. It was like the stars aligned.

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Fourth Anniversary Thoughts

Published on September 30, 2024 by RJLeave a comment

About four years ago, as the world was still dealing with the effects of the COVID pandemic, I started a blog. I’ll be honest now. I wanted it to become “big.” I wanted it to be popular, similar to the food blogs I read and visit online often.

It didn’t take me long to realize that running and maintaining a food blog of that caliber is a full time job. And unless I was willing and able to put in the work, that it would be a long shot for me to achieve that goal. I guess I assumed that it would happen overnight. How delusional I was!

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A Return to Baking

Published on August 22, 2024March 10, 2026 by RJLeave a comment

As the weather changes, and I’ve settled into my new work schedule, I’m going to make an effort to return to baking and blogging.

A couple weeks ago, I decided to reactivate my baking bug. I made something that I’ve made a few times before and blogged about before. It was Ina Garten’s Banana Chocolate Crumb Cake. You can read more about it here.

Of course my most recent iteration of it didn’t look quite as good as the original. The picture is below. Ignore the sunken spot in the middle. I have yet to buy a proper cake tester for the condo, so I had to use a butter knife.

My Obligatory Apple Bake for 2023 – Barefoot Contessa 64

Published on November 13, 2023November 12, 2023 by RJLeave a comment

It’s fall in New England. That only means one thing: I’m pretty much obligated to bake at least one thing with apples. Since I am not, by any means, a pie person, I decided to go a different route. Apple cake. Luckily for me, Ina Garten has a recipe that combines wonderful flavors and had the entire kitchen spelling like fall.

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The Richest Brownies You’ll Ever Eat – Barefoot Contessa 63

Published on November 6, 2023November 5, 2023 by RJLeave a comment

You know, sometimes you just NEED to have a brownie.

This weekend was time-change weekend for most of us in the United States. The fall back one always hits me a little harder than the spring one. I think it has to do with the sun setting before I walk out of work at 5:00 for the next four months. As a way to cope with this, I decided to do one of the healthiest, and therapy-approved methods: bake something sweet!

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Pumpkin Roll for an October Afternoon – Barefoot Contessa 62

Published on October 12, 2023March 10, 2026 by RJ2 Comments

It’s October and that means its now socially acceptable to bake pumpkin things without getting an eye-roll from pumpkin haters. I had an extra day off earlier this week so I decided to see if the baking bug was still within my soul. (Hint: it was.) What did I bake? None other than Ina Garten’s Pumpkin Roulade with Ginger Mascarpone Filling.

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My Top 5 Fall Bakes

Published on September 26, 2023March 10, 2026 by RJLeave a comment

Fall has officially arrived! Pumpkin spice, large crisp apples, cooler days and nights, and soon the leaves will change colors. Fair season is in full swing in New England with the Big E now in its final week. Sadly, I won’t be able to make it this year due to my new work schedule and lack of time off. But there’s always next year!

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Ina Garten’s Blueberry Crumb Cake

Published on August 28, 2023August 27, 2023 by RJ1 Comment

Welcome to Baking Shoulder Season!

“What is that?”, you may ask. It’s the term I coined this weekend when trying to find a recipe. It’s when it’s too late in the summer to get enough flavor from the stone fruit and berries, so you don’t really want to use them in your baking. But it’s still too early for all the “fall bakes:” things like pumpkin, apple, cinnamon, and ginger. These things are inching their way towards the spotlight, but not quite yet. Plus I can’t bring myself to bake something pumpkin-related until at least after Labor Day.

What is one to do during this time?

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Sometimes, You Just NEED to Have a Brownie – Barefoot Contessa Recipe 60

Published on April 17, 2023March 10, 2026 by RJLeave a comment

Hello, readers! It’s been quite a while since I posted a recipe-related post, hasn’t it? Well, I’m back this week with an Ina Garten dessert recipe that is sure to knock your socks off! I couldn’t believe how tasty and flavorful these brownies were. The Barefoot Contessa is known for combining simple ingredients and flavors to make something even stellar and this recipe is no exception.

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Zoe Bakes’ Lemon Curd Pound Cake

Published on March 29, 2023March 10, 2026 by RJ2 Comments

For regular readers of this blog, you may remember that over the weekend I made an angel food cake. This meant I was left with over a dozen (yes, over a dozen!!) egg yolks. In baking, egg whites have a little more uses than just the yolks do, so I was a little sad about this. However, then I remembered I could make lemon curd. What’s even better is I found a recipe that made one the best lemon curds I’ve ever had and it even gets folded into a lovely pound cake.

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