Find Out Why Nibble is Our New Favorite Cake Pan

Smörgåstårta: Swedish Sandwich Cake

This gorgeous cake would be a stunning main course for a brunch-themed party. Layers of smoked salmon, cucumber and egg are begging to be eaten with a spicy Bloody Mary. Use a cake pan to gauge the size and shape you want your cake to be. (via Pretty Prudent)

Swedish Sandwich Cake

Don’t feel like you have to go the traditional route and make a round cake. This loaf-shaped beauty shows that you can opt for a simple base with loads of delectable toppings. (via Gardens, Crafts N More)

Pink Sandwich Cake

Who doesn’t love a cake with pink frosting? Always use a dense bread and assemble the day before the party so the flavors have time to blend together. (via Goddess of Cake)

Amy’s Savory Sandwich Cake

Blanched asparagus adds an interesting texture to this savory cake, much like shards of chocolate would on a dessert cake. Simple carrot flower cut-outs adorn the top, with minced chive sprinkles to accent. (via Sumptuous Spoonfuls)

Avocado and Bacon Club Sandwich Cake

Rules are made to be broken. While this cake was inspired by the classic Scandinavian sandwich cake, the fillings definitely have more of an American vibe. Bacon, turkey and ham fill the inside, but you could easily customize it to mimic your favorite deli sandwich. (via The Kitchn)

Zucchini and Carrots Roses Tart

This may be cheating, but this savory work of art is too beautiful not to share. Instead of sweet fruit or chocolate, this recipe calls for a savory ricotta filling topped with gorgeous veggie rosettes. Make this tart, then use it as inspo for decorating your next sandwich cake. (via Buona Pappa)

Green Sandwich Cake

Green pea paste gives this masterpiece its cheerful color. Using vegetables like beets or greens can impart a unique hue that mimics the vibrant buttercreams of sweet cakes. Pink and black peppercorns can also serve as savory sprinkles. (via Goddess of Cake)

Smörgåstårta: The Swedish Sandwich Cake

Great things come in very small packages. This little guy would make a stunning centerpiece for a spring/summer wedding or baby shower. Each table could get their own little cake in lieu of platters of finger sandwiches. (via Nordic Kitchen Stories)

Smörgåstårta With Ham

This sandwich cake is *almost* too pretty to eat. It has a creamy filling made with ham, spreadable cheese and mayo, all pureed in the food processor. Top with chopped pickles and tiny quail eggs for an extra fancy touch. (via Zap*)

Traditional Scandinavian Sandwich Cake

Looking for sandwich recipes that have a traditional flair and taste? Try your hand at this delicious Scandinavian 'cake.' Filled with creamed cheese, mayonnaise, eggs, onions, cooked ham, and delightful herbs, this recipe is sure to be a hit with your guests!

After all, the Ton needs something delectable to munch on while watching Season 3 of Bridgerton. (via In the Kitchen with Lisa)

Though you’d never guess it from the look of her colorful treats, Arlyn didn’t grow up cooking. As she describes it, going all-out for everyday meals wasn’t exactly her parents’ thing.

“Cooking was something that was mostly reserved for special occasions like holidays, birthdays, celebrations, that sort of thing,” she says. “It just wasn't worth the trouble to them. Most of our meals were just fast food or frozen Kids Cuisine dinners.”

Arlyn says her childhood was “dysfunctional,” and this detachment from food was just a small part of the picture. Despite an absence of physical affection and frequent “I love you”s at home, Arlyn let her undying love for Food Network and a strong sweet tooth sweep her away into the culinary world.

After years of working in food styling and production, writing about food, and developing recipes, Arlyn’s using her first cookbook to communicate her passion for cooking and baking, as well as carry on the legacy of Filipino food to ultimately find her place in it all.

“I think over the years, I have become sometimes a little uncomfortable to say some of the things I wish I could say out loud,” she says. “For me, food is the way for me to say those things without actually saying them.”

About The Recipes

Sugarcane: Sweet Recipes from My Half-Filipino Kitchen by Arlyn Osborne

Flipping through the recipes in Sugarcane, you may see a few ingredients that aren’t very common in Western cooking listed – like pandan, tamarind, ube, calamansi, star fruit, mochi, and rambutan – but there’s familiarity in each one of them.

Arlyn wrote Sugarcane for both people who are familiar with Filipino food, and those who are not. Either way, the recipes will guide you to greatness.

“I get that it can be a little intimidating for people to try out ingredients or desserts they've never heard of before, but I do think that people should know that if they're cooking from my cookbook, they’re going to be okay,” she says. “I think everyone’s going to feel that they're personified in each recipe a little bit.”

From The Book: Ube Coconut Cake

Arlyn’s Ube Coconut Cake recipe pulls inspiration from ube cake (the “crown jewel” when it comes to Filipino cake) and lucious coconut cakes from the American South. Ube halaya, which is essentially an ube jam, is the star of the coconut cake recipe, lending a gorgeous purple hue to the tender layers. Everything gets sandwiched in between and smothered in a sweet coconut icing *so* yummy, you’ll quickly see why Arlyn makes it every year for her birthday.

Ingredients for Ube Coconut Cake

Ube Cake

• 3 cups (375 g) all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
• ¾ teaspoon baking soda
• ¾ cup (186 g) ube halaya, at room temperature
• 2 ¼ cups (450 g) granulated sugar
• 6 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 tablespoon ube paste
• 1 ½ cups (360 g) buttermilk
• 1 ½ cups (315 g) neutral oil

Coconut Frosting

• Two 16 oz. (454 g) containers sour cream
• 4 cups (800g) granulated sugar
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• 14 cups (700g) unsweetened shredded coconut

How to Make Ube Coconut Cake

For the Ube Cake

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Grease two 9-inch round cake pans with cooking spray and line the bottoms with parchment paper.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda.
3. To the bowl of a stand mixer fitter with the whisk, add the ube halaya and beat until smooth. Add the sugar and beat on medium-high speed until combined but not creamed. The sugar should look moist, crumbly, and purple.
4. Add the eggs and ube paste and beat on medium speed until combined, about 30 seconds. Add the buttermilk and oil and beat until combined, about 30 seconds.
5. Sift in half of the flour mixture and whisk by hand until just combined. Repeat with the remaining flour mixture and whisk until just combined.
6. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cake pans. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes.
7. Transfer the pans to a wire rack and let cool for 10 minutes. Run a small offset spatula around the perimeter to loosen the edges. Invert the cakes onto the wire rack. Remove the parchment and invert again onto wire racks so they sit right side up. Let cool completely.

For the Coconut Frosting

1. To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle, add the sour cream, sugar, and salt. Beat on low speed until combined. Add a third of the coconut and beat on low speed until combined. Repeat two more times.

To assemble

1. Place one cake layer (top side up) on a cake plate. Top with 2 cups (450 g) of frosting and spread evenly. Top with the second cake layer (bottom side up).
2. Cover the top evenly with 2 ½ (560 g) cups of frosting. Use the remaining frosting for the sides. Wrapt the cake all over with plastic wrap so it touches the frosting directly and protects the cake from air. Refrigerate overnight. As it sits, both the cake layers and coconut shreds will soak up excess moisture from the frosting.
3. Let the cake sit out at room temperature for 1 hour to take the chill off before serving. Due to the nature of the frosting, it's best to use a serrated knife to “saw” through the cake into slices.

Here's How Often You Should Cut Your Hair, According To Professionals

I’ll admit it — it had been eight months since my last haircut. My hair had lost its shape, my layers were nowhere to be found, and my ends were begging for mercy. Life got busy over the last few months and I was neglecting my haircare like never before.

My hairdresser could immediately see that I was beyond due for a cut and said I needed to get more taken off than I was hoping. I was definitely disappointed — I'd been working on growing out my hair for a while now, and it just felt like my hard work had completely gone to waste. He explained that getting consistent haircuts is the key to growing out healthy and strong hair, rather than letting it grow and grow until it eventually breaks. So let's dig into the top three things you can do to avoid this scenario!

1. Just Get The Dang Haircut

Also avoiding a haircut like I was? You might want to schedule one at your nearest salon. Like my stylist said, when you wait too long between trims like I did, you risk your hair becoming heavy, dull, and lifeless. When the hair is dry or even dead, it’s nearly impossible for it to hold a curl or style, essentially collapsing on you and taking on more and more heat damage all the while. I know the pain of spending time on a blowout only for it to fall minutes later — it’s the worst.

According to Jack, getting a haircut every 10-12 weeks is the best time frame or your ends will pay the price. Between blow-drying, curling, straightening, sun, and weather, our ends get dry and start to break without the proper care. Getting consistent haircuts allows hair to bounce back, shine, and perform the way we want in a healthy way.

2. Leave-In Conditioners Are Your Friend

His top piece of advice to keep your hair looking and feeling hydrated between trims? Invest in conditioning treatments. Jack swears by the Olaplex conditioning system, specifically the No 3 Hair Perfector. Made with patented OLAPLEX Bond Building Technology™, this conditioning treatment repairs and prevents damage in as little as three minutes. No 3 promises to reduce breakage and visibly strengthen hair, so it’s the perfect assistance to keep ends fresh between cuts. Another conditioning treatments I’ve used and loved for years is the Moroccanoil Intense Hydrating Mask, which is designed to restore moisture, elasticity, and shine to dry hair.

3. Switch Up Your Shampoos

Switching shampoos frequently is a pretty hot tip that I honestly hadn't thought of. Our hair gets used to the same products and grows tired of them, resulting in lackluster locks. Jack’s advice is to switch brands after finishing every bottle of shampoo to bring life back to your hair. Have two brands that you’re loyal to? Even switching back and forth between them after every bottle should make a big difference in your hair. I’m a huge fan of the R+Co Dallas Biotin Thickening Shampoo, which makes my hair look thick and full, as well as the Moroccanoil Hydrating Shampoo, which is so hydrating and gives so much shine.

In the end, navigating your back-and-forth relationship with haircuts often feels like a rollercoaster ride between wanting that fresh look and cringing at the receipt. Luckily, by using conditioning treatments and switching up your products,, you can keep your locks healthy, shiny, and full of life between trims. But take a newly learned lesson out of my book: don't let your ends pay the price for procrastination and just book the haircut.