Pastel de Flores Para Flor

It's been several months since I've been able to post anything on this actual blog- relying more on Instagram to feel plugged into the baking world. That's because working full time and taking care of our little Acorn (daughter) is all consuming - in the best way possible. I've still been baking and trying new recipes but it's hard to take pictures. We're always on a deadline and running out the door. My husband has been amazing, giving me time to still pursue my interests in the kitchen. Thank you, amor!

Banana Bread with Walnuts and Tahini

This lovely loaf was made because we had a crazy amount of super ripe bananas in the house. When in doubt with banana - make a loaf! At the same time, I wanted to try something new - hence this recipe. I am eager to try anything with sesame.

Nailed It: Panda Creme Puffs with Nutella-Mascarpone Filling

Not going to lie... these creme puffs had me and my husband laughing for a good 5 minutes straight. They didn't come out exactly how I had pictured them. Maybe next time - it's always a learning experience! In the interim, I'll take the "A" for effort and enjoy their delicious flavor.

Chocolate Chip Espresso Cookies

We have a super terrific friend named Dai. It's one of those friendships where you don't need to see each other often nor know all the details; you fundamentally like each other - no questions asked. Dai is funny duck. He follows the beat of a different drum and doesn't get bogged down by the typical social noise. When he decided to move in order to pursue a more fulfilling job, we were all on board. We sent him off full of these caffeinated cupcakes.

Decadent Brownies

This past Valentine's day, the hubby and I got the notion of hot fudge sundae brownies in our head. A daring thought, considering my weak-sauce sweet tooth. What ends up happening is I ditch the ice cream to focus on the chocolate, while my husband fends off my "picking" with a spoon. It's not a good look. I could honestly just eat straight hot fudge and almonds/walnuts- spare us both the battle- but where's the sport in that? : )

Harry Potter Cake

This simple and sweet cake was made for one of the greatest. She's spunky, knows what she likes, and flaunts it. Even if it's requesting a Harry Potter birthday cake. I never caught the HP fever and didn't realize how rampant it runs - from children to adults.When I told a mutual friend about the cake plan, she immediately caught a real, "cat in a bathtub vibe," and started throwing decoration ideas.

The HP fever is real.

Black Sesame Tahini and Dulcey Chocolate Chip Cookies

This post is the sequel in my Tahini (sesame paste) cookie quest. In our last episode, I shared a lovely recipe from Food52 that I have made multiple times for friends. It's pretty much a standard chocolate chip cookie that substitutes tahini for butter.

Today's episode explores a new kind of tahini cookie (new to me, at least) using black sesame and dulcey chocolate chips. Who is this fiend and why are they so dang delicious? Let's find out!

Tahini Chocolate Chip Cookies

I became a fiend for sesame years ago, thanks to a glorious cup of black sesame bubble tea in California. It was instantaneous crack. Northern VA only recently caught up with bubble tea trend but alas - I can never find sesame.

In the meantime, tahini (ground sesame paste) has caught like wildfire in baking recipes. I've seen it all over the place, from pumpkin pie to brownies. I recently tried two different cookie recipes and am eager to share the results.

Vietnamese Iced Coffee Cupcakes

Brace yourselves. This recipe for a Vietnamese Iced Coffee Cake is bodacious. If you haven't experienced an iced Vietnamese coffee -- hurry to your closest Vietnamese restaurant. It's a divine combination of strong coffee and sinfully sweet condensed milk. These polar opposite forces crash together to create a delicious delight.

Spooky Spider Web Cake

This cute little number was done for a girlfriend who absolutely loves Halloween. She found this cake concept from FoodNetwork via Instagram. I took the basic principles from the recipe and made some small edits. Unfortunately, there are no pictures from our ladies-date of the inside of the cake but I will break it all down!

Levain Bakery Dark Chocolate and Peanut Butter Chip Cookies {Copy Cat}

These decadent cookies were specially made for a friend's long-time girlfriend -- that I have never met. I've seen pictures! She's a real person! See, my friend and I only get to see one another once in a blue moon. We met way back in college (via MySpace, now that's a blast from the past). Life takes you in different directions. Recently, they moved into our neck of the woods so I invited them to dinner - the same weekend she was going out of town. Dang it.

I decided to breach the distance through food. Most people would pick a batch of cookies over a handshake any day.

Cute Critter Cupcakes

My family loves animals. In the words of my cousin Melissa, "we all get wildly emotional over animals." There are tons of anecdotes - from Tio Mario going vigilante mode and kidnapping a pit-mix from a severe abuse situation (the origin story of the family dog), to Tia Rose jumping into a dumpster when she heard cries from the sole surviving kitten of a litter trapped in a tapped box with no air holes.  There are paw prints all over our hearts- Autumn, Bruce, Parker, Lily, Remi, Madison, Bullet, Jack, Samantha, Tyson, Petey, Bootsie, Bugs, Penelope, and Menina to name a few. My husband likes to tease, "it's something in the water," because it is an inherit trait we share.

Walnut Swiss Roll with Marscapone Filling

It's that time of year again! My mom's birthday is one the highlights of the baking year. I try to woo her with creative confections. Like me, she's not huge on cake so picking the right flavor is critical. My brother noted her current snack of choice is walnuts which is not an ingredient that I usually use in baking sweets. It was sheer luck that I found this recipe for a Walnut Swiss Roll Cake! It was meant to be - the recipe also incorporated two of her other favorite ingredients: espresso and marscapone.

Brigadeiros

Brigadeiros are a traditional Brazilian dessert that are similar to fudge or a truffle. They are a powerhouse of richness because the base ingredient is sweetened condensed milk. From there, you can make all sorts of variations! They are great for parties because one can of milk can easily produce 40 tiny bon bons. I experimented with three different recipes for a get-together: matcha (green tea) rolled in coconut flakes, chocolate rolled in sprinkles, and dulce de leche rolled in cookie crumbs.

Chocolate Brioche Wreaths

These little darlings were made for our Russian neighbor, Katya, out of benevolent spite. Yes, that's a thing. Katya has a warm spirit with a boisterous personality and strong voice. She's absolutely hilarious and no one can escape her magnetism. A few weeks back, we were giving her a ride home from a local litter pick-up event and said we needed to hang out sometime. We had met very briefly and this was our first time to actually converse. She started joking about how Americans always agree to get together and then never follow up. Needless to say, it has left a rather insincere impression and she teased me as I promised to give her a call sometime.

I concluded that a phone call wasn't good enough.

Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies

The stockings are hung. The tree is up. And my hand is cramping from writing holiday cards. It's that glorious time of year again! It's been a little harder getting in the spirit this go around. Often times my day is calm-  filled with Madison's purrs, Remi's cuddles, and Mike's laughter. Then I turn on the television or catch a fleeting glance on my cell phone of the world outside my own. I cannot help but feel the light in my soul flicker. 

It's important not to dwell. Take a break from watching the news. Give up your Facebook account like my husband. Do what you must to protect your heart and stay in the present. 

But don't give up. Fight back through acts of kindness, i.e. charity, volunteering, or supporting Fair Trade. Heck - just be kind to yourself and others. There's a great line from Faithfully Religionless: "Conflict arises when we want other people to validate our interpretation of the world by seeing it the same way we do. With that mentality, it's easy to see why wars start in the first place, right? The wars outside of us simply reflect the turmoil within. It's therefore inner peace that will lead to world peace, not the other way around." If there is hate in your heart - it will manifest. One by one, let's be the difference!

And so Santa, this year, more than any in the past, I wish for peace on Earth and good will towards all. If you can hook that up old man with the white beard, I will make you these cookies everyday forever. If you cannot, no hard feelings. But I cannot guarantee that you'll get these awesome cookies again!

These cookies are in the top five of my chocolate chip darlings. They're fascinating in that they don't necessarily need time to hang out in the fridge to firm up which means instant cookie goodness. In my paranoia, I still let them chill in the fridge! Old habit. I also added walnuts because they're always a good idea in chocolate chip cookies. For the chocolate chips, I did a mix of bittersweet (because darker is better) and this artisan Guittard semi-sweet chips. Not going to lie - it was like a moth to the flame when I saw the shiny packaging in the baking aisle. 

Note - this recipe uses SALTED BUTTER which I don't use for baking. The first time I made these, I did 3/4 teaspoon salt with unsalted butter and the husband said it was too much. Second go was 1/2 a teaspoon and I got the thumbs up.

Also, I would like to throw a quick tip out there for the frustrated cookie bakers. If you want to guarantee that your cookies won't be too thin and spread, try a little (or entirely like this recipe) bread flour. Adding just a tablespoon has an obvious effect in that the dough spreads less thanks to the extra gluten. 

So pour yourself a big cup of almond milk and enjoy some well deserved treats. Try to leave a few for Clause! Whatever you do or do not celebrate - Happy Holidays! Let's celebrate love and life! Sending great big hugs!

For the recipe, check out Pinch of Yum's post for Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies!

Healthy Chocolate Oatmeal Muffins

It's always a win-win when you find a recipe for a classic that adds a healthy twist AND preserves the taste factor. Let's face it. Anybody can throw in a tablespoon of chia seeds and claim a recipe is now suddenly "healthy" (though these are still yummy). It takes a deeper dive to figure out how to walk the line.

Fortunately, that's what Bren did over at "What Bren Did." What a fitting blog title. She took the standard chocolate muffin recipe and shook it up a little. 

For starters, there is no flour in the mix. That's not to say flour is bad for you but it adds simple carbohydrates which have minimal nutritional value. Instead, she uses straight oat flour made from old-fashioned oats as the base. These oats are great because they have soluble fiber, complex carbs, and vitamins. All positives for your digestive tract and cardio. 

Holding the mix together is your choice of ripe bananas or unsweetened apple sauce. No need for oils or butter. Unprocessed, natural goodness with potassium. 

The dark color is thanks to the unsweetened cocoa powder which has all the health benefits of dark chocolate (minimum 70% cocoa) with less calories. It supports cardiovascular health by soothing internal inflammation and is full of essential minerals like zinc, manganese, and iron. 

Sweetness has to come from somewhere! Fortunately, it's from honey as opposed to straight sugar. Honey is filled with all sorts of benefits but be weary of the type you purchase. Pasteurized honey is stripped of most of its nutrients in the heating process. Shop for the raw and local stuff.

Lastly, don't black out on the chocolate chips. I always opt for the darkest chocolate possible, with the minimum being 70% cacao. All the health properties of dark chocolate are in that percentage because the less cacao, the less nutrition. The rest of the chocolate bar is generally butter and sugar. Go hard or go home.

 

Minor adjustments can be made for those with dietary restrictions. Instead of regular milk, I opted for almond milk because it's my favorite and that's that. For the vegans, you all know the culinary magic trick of substituting eggs with flax seeds! Also, the cocoa powder can be substituted with carob powder but you may want to reduce since it packs a kick of flavor.

We thoroughly enjoyed these muffins and they were great in the morning on the run. They are light yet filling without the guilt of the standard grab and go carb. This will be a go-to recipe when we have extra bananas lying around the house.

The recipe for these Healthy Chocolate Oatmeal Muffins can be found on Bren Did It. Hat's off to a tasty treat!

Take 1: Hazelnut Mocha Cake

There's this magical cake that I want to learn how to make.... it's the Hazelnut Mocha Cake from Society Fair located in Old Town Alexandria, VA. I'm not easily seduced by cake quite frankly - it's not my dessert of choice. However. This cake is packing a triple threat of hazelnut, chocolate, and espresso. How could my knees not go weak?

I know this cake will not be there forever... that's how restaurants work. They need to rotate their selection. One day I will walk in there and it will be gone. In preparation for that dreadful day, it has become my mission to create a similar cake. It doesn't have to be exact! Just close enough that I can get through those long cold nights of withdrawal. Kidding. It's good but it's not gold.

As timing would have it, my brother's birthday was around the corner. Taste testers!

The buttercream is easy enough to edge in the right direction. This one is a Swiss Buttercream with hazelnut paste. It was smooth with a delicate flavor however, I would be curious to try adding a touch of nutella with hazelnut extract instead.

It's hard to go wrong with ganache, it depends on the consistency you prefer and the level of gloss. General guidelines that I follow- 1:1 ration of chocolate and heavy cream for a layer cake filling/glaze; 2:1 ratio chocolate to heavy cream for a thick, truffle weight; and 1:2 ratio chocolate to cream for a soft icing. I did equal parts chocolate and cream for the filling with just a touch of instant espresso powder.

Where things hit turbulence was finding the right recipe for the cake. Naturally, I turned to a recipe from Smitten Kitchen for a Hazelnut Brown Butter cake and totally, 110% bombed it. I'm still in shock. The cake looked fine but when I took a bite, it oozed out clarified butter. This must have been an error on my side. I'll be back to redeem myself.

The Hazelnut Cake recipe in this post is from a site that I've never visited before, Trampling Rose. The proportion of hazelnut to flour reminded me of a standard issue yellow cakes. I decided to play it safe and doubled the recipe for a three layer cake.

The comment that I received the most was, "this isn't a very sweet cake - but that's a good thing!" The texture is soft and color is lovely but the flavor is incredibly docile. I really thought the addition of hazelnut syrup as the coffee element would take it to a whole new level. It could be that the brand that I used was too mellow? If I were to make this cake again, I would brush it over with a little simple syrup to lock in more flavor. Serve as is to a more adult audience.

The "oh shit" factor of this cake was the finishing touch of draping ganache. My thought was it would class up the cake. Instead, it made the language coming out of my mouth very UNclassy. This was my first time working with draping ganche and man, did it school me. Here's the thing about draping ganche - temperature will make or break you. 

For the first attempt, my cake was chilled in the fridge and the frosting was just about room temperature. The cold of the buttercream with the already cool chocolate made it lock position faster than I was moving. Poor cake looked like it was wearing a toupee and not a good one. It looked like one of Three Stooges.

Fortunately, I was able to chip it off without much damage to the buttercream. This go around, the chocolate was too hot... so  much so... it started to melt the buttercream on the top of cake, hence the run off on the sides. 

All around. This was a nice cake. The sweetness of the buttercream is balanced with the subtlety of the hazelnut. It missed the mark in terms of matching the cake from Society Fair but I will keep trying!

Take 1: Hazelnut Mocha Cake

Hazelnut Cake

recipe doubled from Trampling Rose

Cut out three circle of parchment paper to fit in the bottom of a 6-inch road cake pan. Brush or spray with a little melted butter and line the bottoms with the paper. Make the batter and divide batter evenly between pans.

Hazelnut Swiss Buttercream

recipe from Smitten Kitchen

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 large egg whites

12 tabelspoons unsalted butter, softened

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 tablespoon hazelnut paste (or to your preference)

Whisk egg whites and sugar together in a big metal bowl over a pot of simmering water. Whisk occasionally until you can’t feel the sugar granules when you rub the mixture between your fingers.

Transfer mixture into the mixer and whip until it turns white and about doubles in size. Add the vanilla and hazelnut paste

Finally, add the butter a stick at a time and whip. Don't lose hope - it goes through a curdled cheese phase. It it starts to break - remain calm, you can fix it. 

Ganache Filling

2 1/2 cups heavy cream

20 ounces fine-qualify bittersweet chocolate

1/2 teaspoon instant espresso powder

Place chocolate in heat proof bowl. Heat milk to the point before boiling. Whisk in espresso powder. Pour over chocolate and let sit for about 5 minutes. Whisk until smooth and let cool.

To assemble - frost with buttercream then layer with ganache. 

Draping Ganache

75 g dark chocolate (70%), coarsely chopped
3 tbsp (45 g) butter

Place the chopped dark chocolate and butter in a saucepan and melt on low heat. Set aside until room temperature (but still liquid, not firm). Pour the glaze over the cake and quickly spread it over the edges of the cake to make it run down the sides.

Tahini and Chocolate Pudding with Coconut Whipped Cream

So I've been on a bit of a sesame rampage. My bad. 

This recipe was inspired by the tahini hot cocoa that I made over the course of the blizzard weekend here in Northern Virginia. I haven't gone all America's-Test-Kitchen on it with dozens of trials and modifications. This recipe is fresh out the gate with fingers crossed and bated breath.

What can I tell you about it?

Well. Gloria hallelujah it's tasty.  The base is lite coconut milk lightly heated on the stove with maple syrup, tahini, semi-sweet chocolate chips, a pinch of salt, drop of vanilla extract, and cornstarch*. The pudding is silky smooth and intriguing. You can tell it's not chocolate pudding and there's that nutty aftertaste that I so love about sesame. The best part is, you control how much tahini goes in so you can go hard in the paint for those that love it or be more demure for those who want to stay in the comfort zone.

The topping is coconut cream with confectioners sugar and vanilla extract again. Super easy to make but requires a little planning to be safe. Pro tip: let the can of heavy coconut milk or coconut cream sit in the fridge over night to make sure it gets nice and solid. 

Just like the pudding, you have power over the flavor. I honestly didn't measure the amount of confectioners sugar and added it a tablespoon at a time to meet my preference. Coconut has it's own sweetness, why bury it?

Top with the optional toasted black sesames - these have a potent flavor so base it on your audience.

This batch got crushed. The smooth, mild flavor of the pudding goes beautifully with the sweetness of the coconut whipped cream. 

When I make this again, the only adjustment I would consider is swapping the chocolate chips for unsweetened cocoa. Just to see what would happen. Pure curiosity. 

*On the use of cornstarch, I know some avoid it because the corn can be genetically modified or think that it has a slight aftertaste. It is possible to substitute with arrowroot but you would need to heat the coconut milk very low and slow - just keep an eye until it thickens. Another option is to skip the thickeners all together and the heat coconut milk (before adding the rest of the ingredients) till it is condensed. You'll have a slightly smaller serving because it's reduced.

You can easily make this vegan if you use the right chocolate chips! I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we did!

Tahini and Chocolate Pudding with Coconut Whipped Cream

Tahini and Chocolate Pudding
13.5 can of light coconut milk
3 tablespoons maple syrup (add more if you want it sweeter)
2 tablespoons cornstarch* (see not from above post)
1/4 cup maple syrup
3 ounces chopped, semi-sweet chocolate chops
1/4 teaspoon Saigon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch of salt
sprinkle of toasted black cinnamon (optional)

Coconut Whipped Cream
13.5 can of full-fat or coconut cream, chilled over night in the fridge
1/2 cup - 3/4 cup confectioner sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Pour the coconut milk into a small pan and cook until warm, not boiling (unless you plan on reducing coconut milk rather than using cornstarch). Pour 1/4 cup of the warm milk into a small bowl and add cornstarch. Stir until completed dissolved and then return to the pan with the rest of the coconut milk.

 

Add tahini, maple syrup, cinnamon, and salt. Whisk thoroughly. Let the  mix cook on low heat for about 5 to 10 minutes, the mixture will being to thicken.  Add the chocolate. Continue whisking just a few more minutes, until the pudding is smooth, thick, and all the chocolate is melted. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla. 

 

Optional: for mega smoothness, pour into blender and pulse. 

Pour directly into a serving cups. I use a cup measure with a spot to reduce mess. Place in fridge. Ready to serve in 30 minutes!

 

While the pudding is resting, spoon the solid coconut from the can into medium bowl. Whisk with hand mixer until smooth. Gradually add confectioners sugar, 1/4 cup at a time to your desired level of sweetness. Finish with vanilla extract. Dollop on top of solid pudding or get fancy with a piping bag and tip. 

Espresso Bourbon Cake with Swiss Buttercream Frosting

The beauty of espresso meets the magic of chocolate. It's a classic combination that I hold very dear to my heart. A cappuccino just isn't complete without something a little sweet on the side. It can even be a small square of chocolate, as long as it melts in my mouth with a hit of rich coffee flavor. Why does it work? Beats me. All I know is the espresso brings out the subtle tones found in chocolate.

As if that's not enough reason to enjoy these cupcakes, they have a secret: a touch of bourbon. Generally, I dislike liquors. But bourbon and sweets go together. If you ever make your own vanilla extract, you'll learn it's booze that pulls out the nuisances of the vanilla.  Vanilla beans are soaked in bourbon (rum or vodka- depends on the flavor you're going for) for a period of time to create that heavenly creation we call extract. Even sniffing a good bottle of bourbon brings to mind the scent of a slightly warmed vanilla. Don't sleep on the bourbon people. 

Having bourbon in the actual cake batter isn't going to be noticeable. The alcohol content is burned out in the oven leaving only that warmed vanilla aroma that I mentioned. The only way it's going to to pop is if you brush some onto the top of cupcake once it's done baking. This is a sneaky trick to lock in flavor and add moisture. It's got to be right kind of cake base though- too much liquid can make a soggy cupcake and nobody wants that.

Crowing this jewel is my favorite swissbutter cream from my baking bible, Smitten Kitchen. There are other recipes that I want to try (i.e. Italian Buttercream with Golden Syrup) but in a pinch, I will always turn to this frosting. Once you master it, it's hard to turn away. 

Lastly. If you want this cupcakes to sing like lush on New Years Eve, add some bourbon to the frosting. There will be no missing it then. Gauge it on whomever you bake these cupcakes. These were made for my old boss lady when she left the company. Her husband is from Kentucky and she always came back from her mother-in-law with all sorts of high-octane treats. 

Those folks know how to tumble with Bourbon. 

Sprinkle some pretty pretty sprinkles on top for some festivity and you're on your way!

For the Espresso Bourbon Cake recipe, check out the cook book, "Tea with Bea!" The swiss buttercream can be found on Smitten Kitchen (I halved the recipe for 9-inch cake).