Ringing in the new year. I brought coffee cake.

2014. Dang. Hey. 

Last year, I wrote about a flippin' delicious apple cake that still leaves me drooling. 

This year, a sour cream coffee cake that is no stranger to the food blogging world. It's moist and just sweet enough to appeal to adults and children alike. 

I brought slices of the cake to my family's annual new year celebration. Before our typical lox and bagel breakfast and traditional tteok guk lunch, we ate bites of the coffee cake with our coffee. There were "mm's" all around.

I made it a second time after my grandparents requested some more hunks. 

I made it a third time so my mom could bring some to a potluck and I could bring some to a friend. 

Three times in a week and a half. This cake is dangerously simple. And though it is essential for the cake to be cool before slicing into clean cuts, please take some forkfuls when the cake is still warm. Actually, scratch that. You must take warm bites of cake. You must.  

Happy new year, everyone. May 2014 be your sweetest year yet. 



Click through for the recipe! 

Dropping by

It's been a while. Ready for a photo heavy post? 

I’ve started college and it’s been both exciting and overwhelming at times. I miss my kitchen, every so often, when I eat at some of the dining halls. (The closest one to my residence hall really, really stinks.) I haven't been baking much. I did bake (many, many) batches of Trader Joe’s refrigerated cookie dough in my friend’s kitchen with a few friends. It was reminiscent of a simple time when I wasn’t bogged down with exams, papers, and readings.

I’ll be in touch soon. (Read: after Thanksgiving break. I already have a long list of recipes to test.)

Here’s a batch of chocolate banana muffins I made a few days before school started. They’re very delicate in texture and not too sweet – just the way I like ‘em. Perfect for a quick breakfast or an afternoon pick-me-up. 

~~~

Chocolate Banana Muffins 

Recipe adapted from Nigella Lawson 

1 c. almond meal

½ c. whole wheat flour

¼ c. all purpose flour

3 T. cocoa

2 t. baking powder

½ t. baking soda

¼ t. salt

⅔ c. light brown sugar, gently packed

1 c. milk

⅓ c. mashed banana (1 medium banana)

1 T. grapeseed oil

1 egg

1 t. vanilla

40 g. 70% chocolate, chopped (1/2 Lindt bar)

sliced almonds

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and line your muffin tin.

Sift together almond meal, flours, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and brown sugar. There will be flecks of grain from the whole wheat flour left in the sieve. Dump those in.

Add mashed banana to a medium sized bowl. Add in egg, oil, and vanilla and mix. Once combined, add in the milk and slowly mix together.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry and fold together gently. It is okay if there are lumps. Add in the chopped chocolate.

Add sliced almonds on the top of the muffins, if desired. Add enough to cover the top in one even layer.

Bake for 15 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Because of the melted chocolate chunks, poke in the toothpick in at least two different areas. If you pull out the toothpick and there is some dark batter on it, it might be chocolate. So try in two places.

Sweet carrots

I could talk about decadent hazelnut chocolate cakes I made a week ago, or wax poetry on a delicate strawberry cornmeal loaf, or ramble on about moist and soft pumpkin cookies. I will do all of those things, but not before I talk about these roasted carrots I made for lunch yesterday and today.

Not unlike a well roasted sweet potato fries, after a trip in the oven, these carrots turn sweet and tender. With creamy avocado and a sharp dressing, these carrots are light but very satisfying.

Enjoy your sunny weekend!

Roasted Carrots 

Heavily inspired by Smitten Kitchen

1 lb carrots (5 medium or 4 large)
olive oil
cumin
flaked sea salt, like Maldon
ground pepper

Slice the carrots in half, vertically, and chop them into 2 inch segments. In bowl, toss the carrots with two or three tablespoons of oil and two generous pinches of cumin. On a lined baking sheet, scatter the carrots around. Sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper.

Bake for 30-45 minutes. Flip the carrots around the 15 minute mark.

To serve: slice a ripe avocado. Create a dressing with lime juice, olive oil, and salt. Place the roasted carrots and sliced avocado on a long platter. Drizzle with dressing and enjoy.

Fuzzy, warm, comforting

I don't even know how to start this post. I haven't been writing or baking much. A editorial, a banana bread. That's it, really. I'm back on my baking game; I made an incredible, craggy brown soda bread and a batch of rugelach (!) today. Can't wait to share the recipes. Til then, enjoy this circular picture of an aerial view of a slice of banana bread! (What a mouthful.) 

~~~ 
Almond Banana Bread 

Adapted from Orangette and Bakerita
I developed this recipe with the help of the blogs mentioned above. Swap out 1/2 c. spelt flour for a more bread-like banana bread. Only almond meal produces a dense and thick bread. 

3 ripe bananas
2 large eggs
1/4 c. dark brown sugar
1 1/2 t. vanilla

1 1/2 c. almond meal
1 t. baking soda
2 t. cinnamon
1/8 t. ginger
1/8 t. salt

1/4 c. raw almonds
1 t. dark brown sugar

Preheat the oven to 350.

Mash the bananas. I like using the food processor. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs. Add bananas and stir to combine. Add sugar and vanilla and mix well.

In a separate, smaller bowl, whisk together the almond meal, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and salt.

Fold in the almond meal mixture into the banana mixture.

Line a loaf pan. Pour in the batter. Roughly chop the almonds with the sugar and scatter across the top. Bake for 35-40 minutes. Cool before turning out and slicing.

Speckled green

I dream of Italy and its scents, its flavors, its energy.



I roamed Milan for a few hours, my eyes grazing the façade of the Duomo di Milano. I had some pizza and bland gelato. I watched a British T.V. show with a smoky Italian voice over. I slept in a small bed, with stiff sheets, in a small room, in an outdated hotel. Then, I hopped on a plane to go back home with sweet memories of London, Paris, and Lausanne, but none of Milan.



That was my only experience in Italy, unfortunately.



I still dream of Italy, and of its parmesan and focaccia, olives and espresso, risotto and bucatini. Until I stumbled across Heidi's recipe for biscotti al pistacchio, I never thought much of Italian desserts. Gelato is okay. The tiramisu cakes I've eaten are cloying and have much to be desired. And then came these cookies! My lacking, short trip has given me an incentive to go back for the art, the culture, and, now, the desserts. 

~~~
Pistachio-Almond Cookies
(Biscotti al Pistacchio)

Adapted from 101 Cookbooks
~~~

I made some significant changes to the recipe. First of all, I didn't have that many pistachio nuts. I did have some almond meal so I subbed that in. I wasn't digging the lemon zest with the pistachio nuts. Turning to a spice that never lets me down, I added cinnamon. Chewy, aromatic delights. 

150 g. shelled pistachio nuts, roasted and unsalted
100 g. almond meal
1/2 scant c. granulated sugar
2 t. honey
3/4 t. vanilla extract
1/2 heaping t. cinnamon
pinch of salt
2 large egg whites
1/2 c. powdered sugar

Grind the pistachio nuts in a processor with 1/4 cup sugar until the nuts become "pebbly." Add in the almond meal and pulse a few times to combine. Add to a large mixing bowl. Add the honey, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt. Mix in the egg whites. Add the rest of the sugar. Take heaping teaspoons of the dough and plop into powdered sugar. Roll gently to form a ball. Lay on a parchment lined cookie sheet, an inch apart from each other. I had 24 cookies on one sheet.

Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until slightly raised. It is hard to see under the powdered sugar but Heidi says "until they are golden." I took out my sheet after 17 minutes of baking.

Eat warm (so good!) or room temperature. Store them in an airtight container for 2 weeks... I guess? I wouldn't know. I made them three days ago and only three remain!

Ah, February 14th, the ubiquitous holiday of looo-ve. Inspired by the impending lovey-doveyness, I made some raspberry macarons. 

Pictured above is a raspberry macaron heart, unfilled, slightly deformed but delicious, nonetheless. I used Tartelette's recipe and added crushed and sifted freeze dried raspberries. The batter itself was light pink and had dots of pink. When I slid the tray out, the once pink circles and hearts toasted into a light brown. I like them without the filling. They're sweet, chewy, and absolutely adorable. 

Whether you're spending it with your special someone or your friends, enjoy your day with some sweets! 

Here are a few of my favorites on the web:

:: hazelnut truffles 

:: perfect chocolate cake 

:: linzer heart cookies 

:: cherry clafoutis
:: dark chocolate, pistachio, and smoked sea salt cookies
:: profiteroles

xo, 

nicole

Snowy days and cozy breakfast

It was snowing gently. The delicate licks of ice settled on the ground, covering the exposed patches of dirt and the yellowing grass. It was a pretty sight for a Sunday morning.

But I was cold and had a rumbling, empty stomach.

So I pulled on a pair of woolen socks and took out a jar of rolled oats from the cupboard. Piping hot oatmeal with plump raisins sounded nice but warm honey granola on a creamy bed of Greek yogurt, topped with slices of strawberries, sounded even nicer.

I took my granola-yogurt-strawberry bowl and a copy of The Family Fang to the living room. I sat in the comfiest armchair, socked feet on the window ledge, in front of the frosty glass window. and I was perfectly content for the next hour or so. 

This granola has hearty chunks of almonds, crispy coconut chips, honey glazed oats, and chewy dried fruit. A killer combination of textures and flavors, the perfect fuel for Econ class, my favorite granola up-to-date. Molly says to double the recipe. I was skeptical at first. Was this granola that good? The answer is yes, a hundred times yes. (I learned to never doubt Molly.) 

~~~

Honey Granola 

Adapted from Orangette, David Lebovitz

3 c. rolled oats
1/2 c. raw almonds, chopped
3/4 c. unsweetened coconut chips
2 T. sugar
1/2 t. cinnamon
pinch of salt

1/4 c. + 2 T. honey
2 T. canola oil

1/2 c. dried apricots, diced
1/2 c. toasted walnuts, chopped
1/2 c. raisins

Toss together the oats, almonds, coconut chips, sugar, cinnamon, and salt.

Combine honey and oil in a small saucepan. Whisk over low heat until "honey becomes loose." Pour over the oat mixture.

Spread out onto a rimmed baking sheet, lined with parchment.

Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until golden. Stir the granola after removing from the oven to prevent having a solid sheet of granola.

Once the granola is completely cooled, toss in your favorite add-ins. I love apricots, walnuts, and raisins. Chocolate chunks are good too. Store in an airtight containers and eat with yogurt, milk, or on top of plain oatmeal. (Yeah, it's a thing. For me, at least.)

Apple cake brings new beginnings

January. The word seems so distant when it rolls off my tongue, even though I'm living through it right now. The last few months have been tough and rewarding, sad and fleeting. I'm living a fast paced life, each day seeming shorter than the last.

I baked a bit over the holiday break. A banana bread to use some molting fruit. A mediocre sour cream coffee cake to satisfy my cinnamon sugar craving. Mini gâteaux au chocolat fondant de Nathalie. Matcha macarons with cringe worthy cream cheese filling. Lemon macarons with tart lemon curd. My admiration for these treats were fleeting. They were sweet treats, a moment of "oh, that's good" but the "good" wasn't sustained. I'd forget about the bite just moments after. Nothing wooed me over until I baked this apple cake.



I thank procrastination and Jess from Sweet Amandine for bestowing this warm cinnamon specked, hearty cake with softened bits of apples, bursts of raisins, and crunchy walnuts upon me. Though it is January, I lean to this autumn cake. It is just that good. It wraps you up, keeps you warm and fed.

After school, my backpack bursting at its seams, my to do list growing longer and longer, I'd take handfuls of fruit (blackberries, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, green grapes) and a thick wedge of this cake to my living room. Sitting in an arm chair, my feet kicked up on a window sill, I looked outside through my bay window, into the backyard. Greenery rarely impresses me. I was looking at trees but seeing the cake. It was a temporary remedy, at most, but a remedy nonetheless. For that moment, those ten minutes in that chair, I was safe and warm.

The bits of anxiety and the patters of panic would bite me once the work was started.

No one said high school was easy.



Click to get the recipe.

Almost gone

At the beginning of the summer, I thought the vacation was flowing out slowly, like a thick stream of honey onto a bowl of Greek yogurt. I was thankful and I took each day at a time. 

I've gotten an internship for the summer. I've been busy but I'm apprecitaive of the experiences I'm gaining. I've been in kitchen too. I've made a sweet potato hash and spicy cornbread. I can now proudly say that I've made a cheesecake (sans mixer). I have also made a couple more blueberry yogurt cakes, uber healthy carrot cake cupcakes, a batch of semi-failed maple pecan muffins. (I decided to be all healthy and swap all the oil for yogurt, half of the flour for whole wheat pastry. Tough but edible when extremely hungry.)

Now that my schedule has arrived, and college worries are piling up, I know summer will be closing after a blink of an eye. I want to savor the rest of August. See, eat, watch, read and do things I can't during my senior year. (All because of two simple words. College. Apps.)

And now, on to these pretty bars. These blueberry crumb bars are the reeaaaaal deal. Everyone in my household enjoyed them. "Let's make lemon bars next time," my mom said, after she praised the bars. They're pretty and delicious enough to trick someone into thinking they're complicated. While snickering to yourself, recite the recipe you've memorized. (I did.) 

Blueberry Crumb Bars 

Barely adapted from Smitten Kitchen  

I literally memorized the recipe! I've only made one, teeny alteration. Can you find it?

1 c sugar
1 lemon, zested
3 c flour
1 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
1 c cold, unsalted butter
1 egg
---
1/2 c sugar
4 t cornstarch
1 lemon, juiced
4 c blueberries

Preheat the oven to  375 and prepare an 11x13 pan. I used a rectangular glass pan that has "3 quarts" etched on the bottom. 

Combine the zest and the 1 c of sugar together. Mix well so that the zest is fully incorporated.  Add the flour, baking powder, and salt. Then, add the butter and the egg. Use a fork or a pastry cutter to incorporate. Press half of the dough into your prepared pan. 

Mix 1/2 c sugar, lemon juice, and cornstarch together. Add blueberries and mix. Pour in the blueberry mixture. DO NOT LEAVE OUT THE PINK LIQUID! Sprinkle the rest of the dough on top of the blueberries. 

Bake for 40-60 minutes. My bars baked in 40; Deb's baked in 60. Cool before cutting.

The time I almost ate vegan

Just a few days ago, I ate my first falafel ball from Maoz. It was glorious and I enjoyed every bite of my falafel salad.

I made baked falafel a week ago.



10:00 AM. Nicole looks through the fridge for something to eat. Spots bowl of poorly boiled chickpeas from yesterday.

10:06 AM. Cooks the bland, very hard chickpeas again in salted water for two minutes and lets in rest for fifteen minutes.

10:17 AM. While waiting for the chickpeas, she decides to make a hummus. Looks for a hummus recipe with peanut butter, no tahini.

10:19 AM. Finds a hummus recipe on Serious Eats.

10:21 AM. Rinses the chickpeas in cold water.

10:22 AM. Quick change of heart. Wants something hearty. Decides to taste/make fafael.

10:24 AM. Finds a recipe through The Kitchn. It is from Chow Vegan. She smiles. Vegan = easier clean up.

10:26 AM. Uses food processor to mash chickpeas. Turns out really dry. Adds 3 splashes of the chickpea cooking water. 4. 5. Still dry. Gives it a spin in the food processor again.

10:28 AM. Throws up hands in despair. Takes the chickpeas out of food processor and into a bowl. Dices onions and garlic. Adds it to the mixture.

10:29 AM. Finds all the spices! Uses dried parsley! No cilantro.

10:31 AM. Toasts and burns first batch of coriander seeds.

10:34 AM. Keeps a close eye on the coriander seeds. Fragant and lovely.

10:38 AM. Crushes coriander seeds and add it to the chickpea mixtures.

10:39 AM. Adds lemon juice, olive oil, crushed red pepper, cumin, flour, baking powder.

10:41 AM. Throws out lemon and then quickly regrets not using some zest.

10:42 AM. Adds salt and pepper. Tastes the mixture. Smiles. Uses the food processor again.

10:43 AM. Whirrrrrrlllllll.

10:45 AM. Asks younger brother if he is hungry. "NOOOOO!" Okay. Puts mixture in fridge.

10:47 AM. Waits.

11:10 AM. Writes blog post, eats whole chickpeas, drinks coconut water.

11:56 AM. Brother says he is hungry. She pulls out the bowl from the fridge. Preheats the oven to 375. Places parchment paper on a a cookie sheet. Adds a bit of canola oil and spreads it around.

11:59 AM. Looks for a cookie scoop. No sign of the cookie scoop.

12:03 PM. Finishes forming falafel balls with a plastic gloved hand. Places the balls on the pan and flattens them into thick patties. 9 on a sheet. 4 are in the fridge. Slides pan into the oven.

12:05 PM. Waits.

12:09 PM. Watches Very Mary Kate. Laughs.

12:18 PM. Flips falafels.

12:20 PM. Decides to make a knock off tzatizki with sour cream because she used all the Greek yogurt for her yogurt cake. Uses 2 scoops of sour cream, garlic, salt, dried dill weed. (Make a garlic paste with the salt. Add to the sour cream. Add dill weed. Add more salt to taste.)

12:33 PM. Take falafels out.

12:35 PM. Make sandwiches out of multigrain bread, tzatizki, and a few falafels.

12:40 PM. Gone. Yum.



Recipe from Chow Vegan.