Hi C, I’ve been thinking about trying IP desserts, but my silicone ring reeks of beef, lamb, goat etc. Do you have a second ring dedicated to desserts? Or is a meaty-smelling ring not really an issue with desserts?
ETA - I guess fundamentally I could ask myself why I’ve never tried very hard to get the smell out, other than just washing with a lot of Dawn. Maybe a good soak in vinegar, or soda water.
I am moving soon, and will be staying at a friends’ while my place is on the market. I thought that the whole family would be at the cottage, but her teenage son apparently refused to go, and is less than thrilled about a middle-aged woman hanging around, cramping his style 
So I made some of these to bribe him https://buttermilkbysam.com/rye-brownie-cookies-with-caramelized-white-chocolate-chunks/… let’s hope that it works!
Ha, what teenager wants his style cramped in that way! Hope the ace cookie baking helps. Good luck with the sale and move. Are you staying in Toronto?
yes! Just moving to a bigger place… with a much nicer kitchen 
Congrats!
the best news 
I have two seals I alternate and wash in the dishwasher. I think I used the newer, fresher one this time but not sure. I haven’t had an issue with transfer odors. You will enjoy steamed puds and cheesecake!
Besides Butter Tart Squares
https://www.canadianliving.com/food/baking-and-desserts/recipe/butter-tart-squares-8,
Butter Tarts,
Nanaimo Bars,
puffed wheat squares,
and confetti squares (pb marshmallow butterscotch chips)
, are there any other home-made sweets that say Canada to you?
I wanted to send butter tarts or Nanaimo bars to a family reunion. I usually keep them refrigerated, and I’m not sure how they’ll do after 10 days in the mail.
I might end up sending commercial Maple Cream sandwich cookies if I can’t figure out which home baking will survive, and be distinctly Canadian. 
These baked goods I send would be part of a Pittsburgh cookie table, so I don’t want to send baked things that will already be present, like sugar cookies, brownies, chocolate chip cookies and pb thumb prints, and probably Buckeyes from the Ohio cousins.
Probably squished beyond recognition. That filling gets too soft for non refrigerated transport.
Taking the easier and less likely to go bad route, I’d spring for some maple sugar candies like these (just using an example, I haven’t bought from this seller):
I have an orchard shop nearby. I’ll give them some business.
They selll maple sugar and chocolate-covered Ontario- grown dried cherries! Thanks for the idea.
I get that the point is to send something homemade, but between the 10 day transport and the softness, I wonder if you can find a bakery closer to Pittsburgh (or in USPS 2-day mailing range) that makes Canadian-style treats and order them from there.
For eg I believe there are a lot of Canadians in VT & ME, maybe there’s a Canadian-style baker there that can ship.
Thanks! 
I don’t think any Pittsburgh , Buffalo , Detroit, Toledo, or Erie bakeries do the Canadian stuff. Canadians cross the border to get donuts from Buffalo, Niagara Falls NY, Wegmans, etc , and the stuff is much more American on the other side!
I’ll either do something home-made, or an assortment of Canadian store-bought, mostly because of the exchange rate! LOL. I don’t mind paying for the post, but don’t really want to send something from a PA / OH bakery, that I haven’t tried!
My cousins are all bakery hounds and good home bakers!
I could send my stuff by courier, hadn’t thought of that! Thanks! (I’m over exclaiming today )
You can use some plastic takeout (or dollar store) containers to prevent squishing for anything homemade.
Sorry you’re missing the reunion, but it’s very nice of you to be sending thoughtful things.
Thanks!!! I should take a photo of the next breakable parcel I mail to Los Gatos! Bubble wrap, paper, uncrushable!
Wow, that looks so good. What size pan do you use?
There is a bakery in Durham, near where LLD works, that sells nanaimo bars, and it made him so happy when he found them. Canadian owners, and most of their baked goods are fantastic. So you just never know.
Date squares! Sturdy enough to ship as a whole and can be cut up when they arrive.
Sour cherry chocolate cake, from Un’americana In Cucina.
I made a full recipe in a 9” springform pan, using unsalted butter, and 375 grams pitted sour cherries. I halved half the cherries, and quartered the remainder. For cocoa powder, I used Dutch processed – 50% Valrhona and 50% KAF black. I was afraid to bake it at 395 degrees F, but also afraid not to, so I did – mine took close to 45 minutes (recipe calls for 20-25).
This is a very moist and fudgy cake, and not overly chocolatey. It’s OK, but it didn’t knock my socks off. Too bad, I had high hopes. I won’t make it again, not because it was bad (it wasn’t), just not to my taste.
The one sour cherry chocolate cake I’ve made is the Dunkler Kirchkuchen from Luisa Weiss’s book Classic German Baking, and I liked it very much. The spicing worked for me, and is relatively subtle. I thought the chocolate, almond flour, and cherries all combined nicely. Some reviews on EYB thought it was a bit dry, but that wasn’t my experience.
I love Luisa Weiss’s Kirschkuchen. I have the Dunkler Kirschkuchen on my list, but given the warm spices, have been saving it for fall baking. Definitely looking forward to it. I was optimistic about the one I made today, but it just didn’t do it for me.
