Perhaps the most off-putting part was the consistency.  This flan was literally as hard and thick as cheese.  In fact, I took both a slice of cheese and a slice of flan, to do a side by side to comparison.. yep, same consistency! My other friend, the Cheesecake lover, didn’t mind this density at all. But flan, my fellow sweet-teeth, should have a whisper of lightness, a hint of a jiggle, a bubble of laugher somewhere in there. The Flan King’s version, however, was impenetrably unyielding. It took no prisoners.

Someday I’ll have to tell you about the flan at LaLa’s on Melrose. Now that custard treat is one for the record books!

 But in the meantime, click here to check out the Flan King’ssite to see their fabulous array of flavors and locations. Perhaps I just had an off batch…~

I found these darling cupcakes by Brown Sugar LA on a Living Social deal and am so happy that I did! The pastry chef, Amy Brown, was top of her class at Le Cordon Bleu and she strives to use the best ingredients in her desserts (a key point for me!). These minis that I brought to Book Club were fresh, bouncy, gently flavored and just overall well rounded. The only thing I noticed was that not many girls got into the them, which highlighted a lack of umph. Perhaps a dash more salt.. or white sugar (?!) would make them a bit more crave-worthy.

For more info on Brown Sugar LA, click here.

Ps: Brown Sugar LA is a virtual bakery, which means they don’t have a store-front right now. Just fyi!

XOXO

Belizza! Love this Acai Mango sorbet! I’m not normally a sorbet girl. I find it a bit shocking with with it’s icy cold temps and disproportionate ratio of high sugar to low fat.  I need some cream and substance in there to balance it out.

In this instance though, Acai is a creamy super fruit that’s packed with both antioxidants and yumminess.  Not only is Acai supposed to give you great energy and glowing skin, but also, it’s the hangover cure of choice in Brazil.  Voila!

Finally, the sweet mango is the perfect mate to the mild acai for a rockin’ low cal treat.

 For more info on Belizza’s Acai sorbets, click here.

To see how to make these Bunny Masks, click Munchkin Munchies here.

Hats off to Cecconi’s! Last night I experienced an incredible trio of desserts at this swanky, Italian restaurant.

The most exquisite of the the offerings was the:

Flourless Chocolate Cake, so cool and creamy my friend claimed, “It’s smoother than George Clooney hitting on a cocktail waitress.”

EGSactly. That’s exactly how to describe this slab of deliciousness. Mmm, I swoon just thinking about it. If you need a chocolate fix, I urge you to visit this fine establishment. At $9 a slice, it doesn’t come cheap, but for the George Clooney experience, it’s well worth every penny.

Additionally, I enjoyed:

Summer Berries Pannacotta, lovely chilled, creamy custard with plump berries, and fresh mint garnish.

Peach Gelee (special of the night) This gelatinous delicacy was made with fresh peaches and Italian sparkling wine for an alcoholic kick that was tempered by home-made peach gelato.

Bravo!

For more info on Ceconni’s in West Hollywood, click here.

The other night I had the greatest catch-up with my dear, dear friend Laura. We chatted for four hours straight about everything under the sun from Sheryl Sandberg’s book Lean In to how amazing these Trader Joe’s Chocolate Sunflower Seeds are. First of all, count on Laura to have the best of the best in her pantry. The Green & Black’s Mint Dark Chocolate was exquisite. Rarely do a I find a store bought bar of dark chocolate to be that delightful. That said, it had some serious competition.

The Chocolate Sunflower Seeds were the most addictive and delicious little morsels of joy. They’re sweet, nutty, and fun to eat with their jubilant colors and varying sizes. And since I avoid artificial ingredients, I was glad to see that the bright colors were derived from natural sources like Paprika and beets.

That said, there is such a thing as eating too many (as I’m apt to do), and I ended up with an unequivocal tummy ache. Awe, yes, now I remember why I never buy Chocolate Sunflower seeds. If you can practice control around these tempting treats, they’re a totally fun indulgence to share with a friend.

But may I suggest making your own marshmallows and using all natural green coloring?! Fellow dessert blogger Shauna Sever wrote this fabulous book, Marshmallow Madness (the cover’s puffy like a marshmallow!).

And Green Lite Bites teaches this trick for coloring your cakes naturally with spinach . She swears you won’t taste it!!!

Pour on some real maple syrup with real melted butter, give me a side of extra crispy bacon, and I’d be in breakfast bliss.

Pancakes by Lil’Miss Bossy with the recipe here on Betty Crocker. 

I’ve always adored La Scala in Beverly Hills for their famous Chopped Turkey Salad and great times with girlfriends. As often as I’ve lunched their though, I’ve never had time to order dessert! I was sure to change that sad fact, recently, when the host claimed that the Coconut Cake was “life-chaning.”

Wow- he was not far off track! While the cake was served too cold, the creamy pudding layers were mild and dreamy. Instead of a strong, artificial flavor, the only hint of coconut came from the fresh, nutty shreds on top- Delish!

The Carrot Cake was also outstanding with its rich, dense, and flavorful cake, complimented by sweet frosting and a sizable white chocolate slab on top. Both cakes came with fresh berries and homemade whipped cream to round these reviews up to five delightful cherries!  Voila~

For more info on La Scala in Beverly Hills, click here.

XOXO

Today my friend and I stumbled upon Berolina Bakery in Glendale where I had the most delicious marzipan treat. It was called a “Vacuum” and was basically a small log of mild rum soaked chocolate cake, enveloped by a layer of marzipan, with the sides dipped in a delicate shell of chocolate. The mild rum and almond flavors dominated as the chocolate took a quiet back seat. The Vacuum’s consistency was thick, pasty, and delicious! 5 Cherries for the Vacuum!

The pastry, on the other hand, bored me with it’s thick dried out sides. However, it did have delicious fruit on top!  Over all, the Berolina Bakery earns 4.5 cherries for the exquisite Vacuum, which almost makes me forgive and forget the very ordinary pastry.

For more info on Berolina Bakery, click here.

I love these Valentine’s Day Marshmallow Pops for many reasons.

• They give you a break from chocolate (not that one really needs a chocolate break)
• They’re adorable (obviously)
• They’re simple to make, yet still super festive
• They’re easy to pass out
• They’re fun to eat
• They’re a lighter option than most desserts

To avoid artificial ingredients, make your own pops with love as shown here by Martha Stewart (but use Organic corn syrup)!

Click here to see how SalemCountyWoman assembled these Marshmallow Pops.