What is a "Thousand Layer Cake?"

Hello, readers!  

Thousand Layer Cake from Euforia

     Here at Euforia Confections, the first cake we made is our "Thousand Layer Cake."  Because it's not a traditional cake here in the United States, I wanted to take this opportunity to tell you about it - history, how it's made, etc.
     The Dutch colonized Indonesia beginning in the late 16th century, creating the Dutch East Indies.  Over time, aspects of Dutch culture began to assimilate into the Indonesian culture, including cooking and food traditions.  "Baumkuchen," a cake dating back from the late 1500's, was a very traditional dessert with the Dutch when they came to Indonesia (and continues to be today).  It is prepared by brushing cake batter onto a spit over and over forming layers and becoming a large, round, layered cake.   Baumkuchen translates to "tree cake" in German because the cake's striations look like tree rings.

Traditional Baumkuchen

     In Indonesia, the techniques to create Baumkuchen, in addition to the spices and ingredients indigenous to Indonesia, led to creating "Lapis Legit" (literally translated to rich, layered cake).  The cake traditionally contains aromatic spices found in Indonesia lending the cake a complex flavor and an amazing aroma.  The layered structure of the cake is created by spreading a thin layers of cake batter in a pan, baking it, then spreading another layer of batter, and so forth until the cake has reached the desired height.  Because lapis legit requires a lot of work and time, coupled with the richness of the cake, it is very popular for special occasions such as weddings, birthdays, and holiday celebrations.

Thousand Layer Cake from Euforia

     Kartika, Euforia's founder, grew up baking Lapis Legit with her mother in Indonesia.  After her mother's passing, she started Euforia Confections in 2011 to continue baking these traditional cakes.  Euforia's Thousand Layer Cake is available in vanilla and lemon flavors, in addition to the traditional spice flavor.  Using only all-natural ingredients and making them gluten-free, these hand made cakes are truly labors of love.  We hope you get the opportunity to try them for yourselves!

All the best from us at Euforia!


      

The International Day of Peace

Hello Readers!

     Today, September 21, 2013 is the International Day of Peace, also known as "Peace Day" around the world.  In 1981, the United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution declaring a day to "commemorate and strengthen the ideals of peace" throughout the world and was celebrated Peace Bell, and from there events around the world are held to promote and educate about peace and acts of non-violence.
for the first time in 1982.  Each year, the day is began at the United Nations headquarters in New York with the ringing of the
     This year, the theme for Peace Day is "Education for Peace."  Around the world, events are being held promoting Peace Day, and social media is playing a part in spreading the word.  #PeaceHug is a trending topic on Twitter, and Peace Day's Facebook page has over 59,000 likes.  Today, peace can be acted upon individually, in addition to globally, and we at Euforia encourage all of you to take part.

All the best,
Euforia Confections

What is gourmet?

Hello Readers!

     We see the word gourmet used to describe everything from popcorn and soda to cooks and kitchens.  It's printed across items at the grocery store and used in ads for pizza delivery chains.  We see it a lot, but what does it mean?  What is gourmet?  The Oxford Online Dictionary defines "gourmet" as a noun meaning "a connoisseur of good food; a person with a discerning palate." So, when used to describe food or cooking, gourmet food is "suitable for a connoisseur of good food."  Most people use "gourmet" a bit more loosely than the Oxford Dictionary.  When describing foods, gourmet generally means using higher quality ingredients and/or new or special methods of preparation to create food.  It is also now an industry classification for premium foods in the United States.  

     There has been a huge trend towards gourmet foods and a large increase in the gourmet market in the past decade.  The U.S. Market for Gourmet and Specialty Foods and Beverages cite rising incomes, wider access to culinary knowledge and an "overall penchant for indulgence" as reasons for this rise in popularity in fine foods.  However, pop culture has a big hand in this also.  Movies ("Julie and Julia"), television ("Chopped" "Top Chef" "The Taste") and books ("Kitchen Confidential," "Omnivore's Dilemma") all push us toward discovering new foods, new cooking methods, new restaurants, etc.  

     Here at Euforia, we describe our cakes as gourmet - we only use all-natural ingredients to make our Triple Delight and Thousand Layer cakes.  Each of our cakes are created from traditional Indonesian recipes, and they are hand-made using Dutch baking techniques.   We do also make them gluten-free for our Foodies avoiding gluten.  So satisfy that "overall penchant for indulgence" and order a Euforia cake!

Where can you find Euforia?

Hello again, readers!

     Here at Euforia, we are asked all the time "Where can we find Euforia cakes?"  This week's post is here to answer that question, and link you to all sorts of great places to find Euforia Confections.  Fortunately, Euforia is all over the place, so satisfying that craving for delicious, gluten-free cake is pretty easy, and you'll get to visit some great websites too.

• Home - Our website where you'll find our products, information about us, gluten-free information, and our blog!
• Amazon 
• Etsy
• Delicious Karma - Artisan and gourmet foods, plus they donate time and money to philanthropic projects (Karma Kauses).  Added perks include earning Karma Kredits and daily deals.  
• Abe's Market - This site is an all-natural online marketplace where you can find everything from baby care to food to fashion to cleaning products.  
• Fooducopia - A website made up of dozens of stores where you can shop for an amazing variety of real, artisan foods.  You can sort your search by specs too (gluten-free, raw, vegan, etc) to make your search easy.
• For the Gourmet - Operated by chefs, For the Gourmet is a great place for foodies and gourmands to get specialty products
• OpenSky - An online community where you can follow stores, find local stores, and discover tons of new products
• Picsity - Where you can create collections and follow others' collections for inspiration in addition to buying the things you find.

Stay up to date with our locations by following our blog or reviewing our location page.
 

Happy Grandparent's Day!

Hello again, Readers!

     Today is National Grandparent's Day!  Grandparent's Day has been a national holiday in the United States since 1978.  Grandparent's Day was founded by Marian McQuade, a West Virginia housewife who served on the West Virginia Commission on Aging and the Nursing Home Licensing board.   Her goal for creating this holiday was to bring attention to elderly people in nursing homes and assisted living homes.  It's also meant to be an opportunity for younger generations to learn about family history, traditions, and heritage.

     Personally, when I visit my grandparents, I love going through my grandma's recipe box.  Seeing the handwritten recipe cards that have faded over time or have floury fingerprint smudges or yellowed newsprint from recipes cut out of magazines - it reminds me that there is more to family dinners than the food, there's history and tradition there.  The cakes from Euforia Confections are baked using family recipes that have been passed down through the generations.
     To all the grandparents, we hope you have a safe and happy Grandparent's Day!  We also hope you receive a delicious, gluten-free Euforia cake as a present.

Best regards,
Euforia Confections

  
     

We are excited!

Hey there, Readers!

     I hope everyone had a good Labor Day Weekend!  Labor Day is traditionally about celebrating Spice Thousand Layer Cake.  Rich, warm spices in a delicate cake - They just taste like fall!

Currently, in Tucson
it's 92 degrees.

the American worker and his/her contribution to society, but in recent years, it symbolizes the end of summer and the beginning of fall.  So while we sadly have to retire our white pants and flip-flops, we can console ourselves with pumpkin lattes and a
     We are also excited at Euforia because we are launching our Gluten-Free Landing Page!  Euforia cakes are all naturally gluten-free and we wanted to share information, not just about our products, but about being gluten-free in general.  When you visit the Gluten-Free Landing Page, you'll find links to some great resources, Frequently Asked Questions, and local information for Tucsonians!  Finding information on being gluten-free can be a bit daunting, so we're trying to make it easier.  I encourage all of you to stop by and check it out!