Let them Eat Cake! National Dessert Day is October 14th

It turns out that October is more about sweets than I ever realized. In addition to Halloween, and National Chocolate Day, there is National Dessert Day, celebrated on October 14^th! Since calories don’t count on this day, what a great excuse to indulge in your favorite desserts guilt free!

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, second edition, the word “dessert” comes from the French word “desservir,” which translates to “remove what has been served, to clear (the table).” After a large meal, dried fruits were served. Throughout history, this has morphed into what we now consider “dessert,” i.e. cakes, pies, cookies, and more. Lucky for us!

[Image 1] If you’re interested in reading more about the history of dessert, author Michael Krondl has written an entire book on its origin, entitled Sweet Invention: A History of Dessert, which you may find in our catalog.

While National Dessert Day is October 14^th, any day is a great day to share desserts with family and friends. It doesn’t have to be complicated either! Whether you bake on your own, or like to visit a local farm stand or bakery, October gives us an opportunity to take advantage of the array of autumn flavors available, such as apple, cranberry, pumpkin, and sweet potato, and include them in our desserts. This is why fall is my favorite season. If you’re not a fan of these fall flavors, we’ve got you covered, too.

For the bakers out there, here are just a few of the great dessert cookbooks among the many the Mercer County Library System offers. From amateur bakers to experts, from dairy free, gluten free, and vegan, there is something for everyone.

A Bake for All Seasons by the Great British Baking Show.

A Bake for All Seasons is the Great British Baking Show's “Ode to Nature,” packed with timely bakes lovingly created to showcase seasonal ingredients and draw inspiration from the changing moods and events of the year.

The Last Bite by Anna Higham

Award-winning pastry chef Anna Higham encourages you to approach making a dessert as you would savory cooking: engaging your senses, tasting, seasoning, and letting your ingredients shine. Exploring ingredients season by season, Anna outlines a repertoire of ways to cook each one to magnify flavor and taste. She shows you how to work with fruit; construct a dessert; and examine seasoning, structure, and texture.

What's for Dessert: Simple Recipes for Dessert People by Clair Saffitz.

Filled with decadent delights to satisfy any sweet tooth, this all-new collection of straightforward and simple recipes for dessert people is filled with loads of troubleshooting advice that readers have come to count on.

The Vegan Baking Bible: Over 300 Recipes for Bakes, Cakes, Treats and Sweets by Karolina Tegelaar

From carrot cake and chocolate cookies to madeleines and muffins - in this ultimate bible, Karolina has veganised old baking favorites as well as creating new baking recipes to make vegan baking accessible and fun to the novice baker.

These following titles and more are available as eBooks via our digital service, hoopla.

Betty Crocker 20 Best Gluten-Free Dessert Recipes by Betty Crocker

Eating gluten free can be a challenge, but with these easy recipes, it’s a snap! Bake up Chocolate Cake with Praline topping or Vanilla Cupcakes with Caramel Sea-Salt Frosting. Enjoy the fruits of the season with Apple Pie and Easy Strawberry Pie, or make the kids happy with Chocolate Chip Cookie Ice Cream Pie. With these desserts, eating gluten free is simple and delicious.

Cake! by Allie Gundry

The ever-popular queen of desserts takes center stage in Food Network star Addie Gundry's cake cookbook, from trendy poke cakes to old-fashioned icebox cakes to swoon-worthy layered cakes.

You will also find great dessert recipes from our virtual resources such as Flipster one of our digital magazine services, and PressReader, which gives you access to the world’s top newspapers and magazines as soon as they’re available on shelves.

If your sweet tooth isn’t satisfied yet, take a look at our catalog for the rest of the delectable recipes for any craving.

Scouring the internet for recipes or, for the non-baker, local and online bakeries, is another fun way to get your just desserts! Here are just a few to chew on:

One of my favorite online sites for recipes is The Food Network. You may search recipes, or specific shows you like to watch! I especially like to look up dessert recipes from Ina Garten, one of my personal favorites.

If you’re not a baker, but love your desserts, there are plenty of options to try. How about ordering cookies or a cake for yourself, family, or friend? Check out Food and Wine’s list of best cookie and cake delivery services.

Since my daughter went to college, I’m personally a fan of Insomnia Cookies, which was started in 2003 by some college students who wanted to indulge in a late-night treat. They started baking and delivering warm cookies to students in the dorms - genius! Now, you can get warm chocolate chip cookies delivered locally to your home. There is an Insomnia Cookies right in Ewing, and you don’t have to be an insomniac to enjoy them!

Another great activity for National Dessert Day is to check out some local bakeries! Here’s an article listing some of the best bakeries in New Jersey.

Whatever “dessert” means to you, don’t forget to enjoy this special day, but perhaps leave the candy for Halloween, if you can help it!

- by Illene, Robbinsville Branch