Butterscotch sauce will always and forever reign king of the ice cream toppings in my world. And rich butterscotch-flavored blondies? I'm all over that. Don't even get me started on pudding. Do you love butterscotch, too? More

Q: I recently returned from New Orleans with a bottle of Steen's Pure Cane Syrup. Other than gingerbread and pecan pie, what are some ways to use this truly Southern ingredient? I am not that familiar with it, having lived in the Pacific NW all my life!

Sent by Mary More

For bakers craving consistency between batches of scones or accuracy when making a tricky cake, weighing ingredients is the key to success. Since not all recipes provide both the volume measurements (cups) and the weight measurements (ounces), here's a handy list of the most common conversions. More

This past weekend I joined my family for a lazy afternoon in the park. The sun was blazing, we rode our bikes, and a water fight ensued, which we followed up with some serious napping. When we woke up to a subtle, perfect breeze, we dove into this tofu "egg" salad with gusto. More

When norcalgirl21 put in a request for a Lava Cake recipe, the first thing I thought of was Nigella Lawson's Choco-Hoto-Pots, although I like to refer to them simply as chocolate pots. This is a classic Nigella recipe: simple, quick and outrageously decadent. Warm, gooey, chocolatey heaven! I have yet to serve these and not have the conversation come to a halt, leaving only the sound of spoons scraping against porcelain and the occasional sigh of pleasure. More

Annie Shannon knows all about vegan baking substitutions. The food blogger and author of the upcoming Betty Goes Vegan cookbook spent the last couple years cooking her way through the all-American, decidedly omnivorous Betty Crocker Cookbook, transforming every recipe into a vegan version of the original. Hundreds of cupcakes later, she has a few recommendations for the best vegan substitutions for common baking ingredients. More

Orange liqueurs like Cointreau and Grand Marnier have got it going on. Blend a shot or two into a top-shelf margarita and then add a few tablespoons to cake batter for an orange-y warmth. A bottle of orange liqueur in your cupboard is like liquid gold. What's your favorite brand? More

If you bake much, you know that vanilla extract can disappear pretty quickly around the kitchen. You use it in cakes, cookies, morning pastries, and even ice cream. So now instead of rushing out to the store mid-recipe, we're determined to start making our very own. More

Q: I recently bought a container of hazelnut praline paste, but I only needed two tablespoons. I still have most of the 8-ounce can left. I have never used this ingredient before and I'm not a baker, so I don't know what else I can put it in! It's delicious but SO rich on its own. Any ideas?

Sent by Katie More

Baking a cake? Let's talk cake flour. Specifically, what is it, why use it, and whether it's really as crucial to the success of a cake as recipes make it out to be. Do you bake with cake flour? More