Philly Food Swap at Reading Terminal Market
10 Apr
It’s been about a year since Ray and I attended one of the Philly Food Swaps hosted by , so when we heard that the April swap would be held at Reading Terminal Market on April 8, we knew we had to go.
I made 4 miniature (3.5″ diameter) layer cakes for the swap. The cake was lime, chock full of lime zest, it was filled with a mango curd and frosted with a coconut rum buttercream. I was so happy with how they turned out: the cake was light and moist, the frosting was fragrant, and the overall flavor was like a wonderful tropical cocktail. I even had enough cake left over to make miniature samples to try.
Ray made 5 beautiful challah loaves, each one at least a foot long! Iwas so impressed with all the work he put into them, make each dough (which yields 2 loaves), and timing the process so that he could move seamlessly from making, fermenting, shaping, proofing and baking.
This swap was by far the largest, with close to 60 swappers. We snagged a table together next to the lovely Sara May of The Cozy Herbivore and chatted with fellow swappers that we hadn’t seen in awhile.
The variety at the swap was outstanding, ranging from homemade bread to infused liqueurs, anything and everything spreadable, macarons, dog treats, sauerkraut and more.
Because Ray and I opted to bring fewer items this time (last time we hauled away 20 things between the 2 of us, and I think there still might be a jar of jelly in the pantry from that swap!), it meant that we were a bit choosier in what we selected. But in the end, we came home with 9 homemade food products that we were stoked to have, and in some cases, we’ve already devoured them!
Our bounty consisted of:
Items to Nibble
Items to Dip and Spread
- Sriracha Garlic Hummus: Georgia
- Raspberry juniper jam: Alex from
- Chive blosson pesto: Samantha H.
Items to Sip
- Cucumber lemon gin: unknown swapper
- Creme de limoncello: Lauren
- Earl Grey Vodka: Rachel
We had a great time, made some new friends (Julie brought me labneh!) and are already thinking about what we might bring to the next Philly Food Swap.
Readers of this blog, you are probably here because you think Melissa does a great job with the baking. But let me preach to the choir a little bit and tell you HOW good her lime-mango-coconut cake is. It is OMG good. It is “no you can’t have any” good. The frosting and cake are both light and perfect, the mango curd really tangy, cutting the sweet. I still have half at home, but not for long.
Oh Julie, you flatter me too much! I’m so glad you liked the cake. Ray and I can’t wait to dig into the gyoza!
I loved your cake. I actually took it into work and shared with co-workers. ALL raves reviews. I hope you enjoy the creamy limoncello.
Lauren of South Jersey Swappers
So glad you enjoyed the cake with others! I tucked the limoncello into the freezer, but am definitely looking into sipping it. Any serving suggestions?